2. God hath given to a man, a power to understand, consider, deliberate,1 and reflect upon himself, and judge of himself and of his ways, herein a man is above a brute; a beast likes his pasture, but cannot know his propriety. Certainly a man that is not a stranger to himself, but a diligent observer of the actings of his soul, might know what they are, yea, and discern the moral modifications of those acts. For Conscience is privy to the principle, and spring of all our actings, to the manner and the end. If I love a man, by reflecting upon my self, I know I love him, and shall this noble power of the soul be only useless, in the greatest concernments of my soul? Can I know what I approve, esteem most, and delight in most, and breath, and pant after most, in other things and not in this? it is true, conscience is naturally blind, in spiritual things, but yet directed by the word, and enlightened by the ⟨p. 308⟩spirit, might pass a judgement upon a man: For as the Moon borroweth light from the Sun, and so communicateth light unto the world, which else it could not do: so conscience receiving light from the word, and spirit, discovereth what else it could not do. So it is called the candle of the Lord, Prov. 20.27. The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly: Not only taking notice of the outward acts in the life; but the inward motions of the heart, not only of some, but it hath a power to take cognizance of them all: Conscience is like the urine which discovereth whether a person be sound in health, or shows what his distemper is. By the Echo, caused by the reflection of the sound, a man heareth his word, after he hath spoken it: so by the reflecting power of conscience, a man views his actions after they are done, and hears his words after they be spoken. A man fees his spots or beauty in the glass, by the reflection of the species, that do represent them to his view. As Josephs brethren's consciences told them that they were true men, and notl spies; so conscience may truly tell a man, that he is sincere, and not an hypocrite. Thus conscience is said to be a witness; Rom. 9.1. I say the truth in Christ, I lye not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost; to accuse, and to excuse. Rom 2.15. So it is a judge, condemning or acquitting, according as a mans state is found to be.
2. God hath given to a man, a power to understand, consider, deliberate,1 and reflect upon himself, and judge of himself and of his waies, herein a man is above a bruite; a beast likes his pasture, but cannot know his propriety. Certainly a man that is not a stranger to himself, but a diligent observer of the actings of his soul, might know what they are, yea, and discern the moral modifications of those acts. For Conscience is privy to the principle, and spring of all our actings, to the manner and the end. If I love a man, by reflecting upon my self, I know I love him, and shall this noble power of the soul bee only useless, in the greatest concernments of my soul? Can I know what I approve, esteem most, and delight in most, and breath, and pant after most, in other things and not in this? it is true, conscience is naturally blinde, in spiritual things, but yet directed by the word, and inlightned by the ⟨p. 308⟩spirit, might pass a judgement upon a man: For as the Moon borroweth light from the Sun, and so communicateth light unto the world, which else it could not do: so conscience receiving light from the word, and spirit, discovereth what else it could not do. So it is called the candle of the Lord, Prov. 20.27. The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly: Not only taking notice of the outward acts in the life; but the inward motions of the heart, not only of some, but it hath a power to take cognizance of them all: Conscience is like the urine which discovereth whether a person bee sound in health, or shews what his distemper is. By the Eccho, caused by the reflexion of the sound, a man heareth his word, after hee hath spoken it: so by the reflecting power of conscience, a man views his actions after they are done, and hears his words after they bee spoken. A man fees his spots or beauty in the glass, by the reflexion of the species, that do represent them to his view. As Josephs brethrens consciences told them that they were true men, and notl spies; so conscience may truly tell a man, that hee is sincere, and not an hypocrite. Thus conscience is said to bee a witness; Rom. 9.1. I say the truth in Christ, I lye not, my conscience also be•ring mee witness in the Holy Ghost; to accuse, and to excuse. Rom 2.15. So it is a judge, condemning or acquitting, according as a mans state is found to bee.
- 1[Greek or Hebrew]. Antonin. l 11. ss. 12. Edit. cant. 1652. [Greek or Hebrew]. Idem. L. 11. ss. 1.〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Antonin. l 11. ss. 12. Edit. cant. 1652. 〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Idem. L. 11. ss. 1.
- lGen. 42.31.
