7. The second Position: Conscience is a tender thing and must not be meddled with.
Chapter Seven The second Position: Conscience is a tender thing and must not be meddled with.
C ertainly, conscience is a very tender thing; and as men must take heed not to offer violence to their own consciences, they must also be careful with the consciences of others. It is such a thing that is not in subjection to any creature in Heaven or on earth, only to God Himself.
Gerard reports from the histories of France about a King of Navarre, who, writing to his nobles, used this expression: "The rule over consciences and souls is left to God alone." Similarly, a King of Poland was known to frequently say that God had reserved three things for Himself: 1. To create something from nothing; 2. To know future events; 3. To rule over conscience. Maximilian II used to say there was no tyranny more intolerable than seeking to rule over consciences. Henry III, King of France, as he lay dying, said, "Learn from me that piety is a duty of man unto God, over which worldly force has no power." This was spoken in the same chamber where the council was held about the fatal St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572.
However, despite this, the Devil must not be left alone, even if he has infiltrated men's consciences. God has appointed no city of refuge for him; if he flees to men's consciences, as Joab did to the horns of the altar, he must be fetched from there or dealt with there. Something can be done to men to keep them from evil and to bring them back, despite their plea of conscience.
But what can be done to a man in such a case?
First, any man who pleads his conscience may be required to give an account of it. It is not enough for him to say his conscience compels him to do or refrain from something; he must provide the grounds upon which his conscience acts. The Word requires us to give an account to every man of the hope that is in us if he asks in a due way; we are bound to give no offense neither to Jew nor Gentile. It is against the light of nature for men in a society to do things for which they need give no account whatsoever.
Secondly, due inquiry should be made as to whether the Devil is indeed in the conscience. You may find him in some other part of the soul; he only pretends that it is his sanctuary, hoping to escape better there than anywhere else. If he were found in a man's will, he thinks he would soon be hunted out with violence and could not escape there; but he hopes men will deal more tenderly with conscience. Therefore, either he will get there, or at least he will claim he is there, hoping you will not search further when it is said he has taken refuge there. Like a malefactor being searched for, he may be lurking in some house nearby; but to prevent you from searching or continuing your search, he causes it to be said that he has gotten into some strong castle or another country where there is little hope of reaching him.
Question: But how can it be known whether the Devil is in a man's conscience or not? Conscience is an inward room; who can see into it and
determine what or who is there?
Answer: It is very difficult to make a judgment, but these notes may help us discern.
First, if I see a man's private interest heavily involved in what he claims is a matter of conscience, this may raise suspicion, though it cannot be a determining rule. A man may have his conscience lead him to something where there is much personal interest; however, this brings suspicion if the matter is not exceedingly clear to everyone.
Secondly, if in the course of a man's life he does not appear much under the command of his conscience but takes liberties as he pleases; if indeed a man generally appears very conscientious, we must be cautious in opposing him unless the evil we see now is very clear and gross. But a man who commonly trifles with his conscience forfeits the benefit of this plea, just as one may forfeit city freedom through misconduct. The benefit that might otherwise come from such a plea can be forfeited by such looseness of life.
Thirdly, when the account a man gives cannot reasonably be judged as leading him so grossly astray as it appears he is misled—allowing for all his weaknesses—we must acknowledge that reasons may differ between individuals. However, when they appear so gross that they cannot reasonably lead to such conclusions even after all allowances for weaknesses, we may suspect that the evil lies not in his conscience but elsewhere. Yet we should not act too hastily or violently with such men; they may be overpowered temporarily and unable to render a rational account of their ways. We should wait and deal with them tenderly in love; consider their personal disabilities and temptations, giving them all possible allowances. If one means does not show them their error, try another; if no good comes at one time, see what can be done at another. Consider whether
it is possible that even weak things may appear as grounds to a man with many weaknesses and temptations that he cannot deny without sinning. If so, you need to deal tenderly with such a man unless the grossness of the evil requires severity.
Fourthly, if a man is proud and turbulent in his behavior, you may know the Devil is more in the will than in the conscience. Although an erroneous conscience may cause one to hold fast to an error, it does not lead to proud, scornful, or turbulent behavior. When a man, due to his conscience (perhaps its weakness), differs from his brethren, he needs to carry himself with all humility, meekness, and self-denial in all other things. He should be willing to serve every man in what he lawfully can, to show that it is not from willfulness but merely the tenderness of his conscience that he cannot align with what his brethren do, whom he still reveres. In his behavior towards them, he shows that he esteems them as his betters. However, if a man who is weak and very much beneath others in parts and graces carries himself with arrogance, imperiousness, and contempt for those who differ from him and is contentious with them, there is great reason to think that the corruption is in the will rather than elsewhere. If there is some conscience in these men, their heart-distempers may justly forfeit their right to plead their consciences. Those who oppose them, if they do so in a Christian way, may justify their actions before God. If God were to call them to account and ask why they dealt with such men who professed they were guided by their consciences, they could answer: "Lord, you know we were willing to deal with them with all tenderness if we could have seen conscientiousness in their behavior. But we saw nothing but scornfulness, pride, imperiousness, turbulence, conceitedness; we could see nothing of the Spirit
of Jesus Christ acting in their way. This behavior persuaded us that the sinfulness was more in their wills than their consciences."
Fifthly, when a man is unwilling to use means to inform his conscience— not those means that are against his own principles—but goes on peremptorily and stubbornly: Surely, when we see many of our brethren differing from us, our respect for them should gain at least this much from us: if there are any unused means for further testing our opinions or informing our judgments, we should use those means. A conscientious heart will do so.
The sixth note added will seal up all; when a man by reason or Scripture is so challenged that he must either renounce his error or abandon some of his own principles, he will rather deny his principles than admit he is convinced of his error; even when those principles are of great importance.
The man who does this is the one spoken of in Titus 3:11, who is αὐτοκατάκριστος, condemned by himself: "An Heretic after the first and second admonition reject; because he is self-condemned." We must not reject every man who errs in every little thing, not even after two or three admonitions—that was a prelatical, tyrannical rule—but he must be a heretic and err so grossly that he is self-condemned in his error. Such a man does not suffer for his conscience when he is rejected but for sinning against his conscience.
Question: But who can know when a man is condemned by himself? The judgment of a man's own conscience is a secret thing.
Answer: This is the strength of this hold the Devil gets into; he thinks he gets so deep that you cannot find him out. As for God's displeasure, who knows their consciences? These men will risk that. But by this Scripture in Titus 3, it is clear that a man's conscience may be seen into sufficiently for a
judgment to be passed upon him that he is self-condemned. To what purpose otherwise serves this Scripture? It is unlikely this heretic would acknowledge that he was self-condemned, yet the Apostle makes this the ground for his rejection. As if to say: "You see he will go against his own principles, against what his conscience tells him is truth, merely to maintain a wicked heresy that he is infected with; let him plead what he will, reject him, for his own conscience condemns him, and God is greater than his conscience and knows all things."
The third thing to be done to a man who pleads his conscience for evil is to declare to him the great snare and danger he brings himself into by allowing evil into his conscience. He puts himself into such a condition that whatever he does, he must sin against God as long as he holds his error.
Evil enters the consciences of many very easily because they think the dictates of their consciences will be sufficient to support them in what they do; but they are deceived. An erroneous conscience does not bind; you sin despite your conscience bidding you do it; and if you go against this erroneous conscience, you sin too. What a miserable snare is this? You need to look to yourselves then and take heed of what you let into your consciences.
The fourth thing is to charge him—and if it is a matter of consequence— to adjure him in the Name of God (who searches the hearts of men and will judge them accordingly on the great day) that he deals plainly and sincerely and does not dare to put a pretense upon that which he knows his conscience cannot justify him in. If there is indeed any conscientiousness in the man, this will startle him.
But it may be this will not prevail; therefore, in the fifth place, whatever a man holds—though his conscience be never so much taken with it—if it
cannot stand with the power of godliness but destroys it, if this man remains in a Christian society after all means used to reduce him and still perseveres in it, he is—despite his conscience—to be cast out of the society of the Saints. This is not a trivial matter; if a man has any conscience in him, it cannot but be dreadful to him. If poison gets into a glass and you cannot wash it out, both the poison and glass are to be thrown into the sink. Such a man as this—with the conscience he has—is to be thrown upon the dunghill. If a man by his wickedness cuts himself off from the mystical body of Christ, the Church may cut him off from its visible body; he has forfeited his Church privileges.
Sixthly, if the error with its profession is destructive to the State and he cannot be reclaimed, he may likewise be cut off from it or at least deprived of its privileges and benefits despite his plea of conscience. This justifies cutting off Jesuits and priests who teach people that the Crown is at the disposal of any foreign power by which subjects may be freed from their allegiance. A Reverend Divine of ours,* in a treatise upon the pouring out of the seven vials, interprets the turning of the rivers into blood as the execution of justice—even unto blood—upon Romish emissaries like
Jesuits and priests who come from the See of Rome to take people off from their allegiance.
Seventhly, whatever pretense of conscience a man has, it cannot excuse him in any matter of apparent injustice done to his brother regarding his estate or goods. For instance, if a man claims conscience in the point of community of goods, yet takes away his neighbor's goods by violence, his conscience cannot deliver him from the stroke of justice. The Papists pretend conscience for their murders for the Catholic cause, but this does
not deliver them from the hands of justice. Similarly, if a man claims conscience that he is bound to marry more wives than one, and the like.
Eighthly, a man may bring himself under both civil and ecclesiastical sword not only for sins destructive and injurious to our brother but also for sins against God, if they are against the light of nature, such as blasphemy and gross idolatry. Though the sun is down, if you allow your servant a candle to work by and he puts it out, he cannot plead that he could not work because it was dark. Man at first had sunlight to work by, but our sun is down; yet we have the candle of the light of nature. If we sin against that, our darkness can be no plea for us. If he is a professed Christian and sins against the common light of Christianity, which he cannot but see unless he shuts his eyes, he is to be dealt with as a man who sins against the light of nature.
Though those who are not Christians cannot be compelled by violence to profess Christian religion, they may be restrained by violence, if other means will not suffice, from openly blaspheming Christ and the Scriptures or committing any acts of open dishonor to them. Acts of open dishonor to God done by anyone are abominable, and those who love God and Christ have found them insufferable.
I suppose you have heard or read that notable story in the Book of Martyrs about one Gardiner. Though we do not justify his practice as allowable in an ordinary way, he being but a private man, there would be little question about it had he been a magistrate. He was a merchant in Portugal who saw the Cardinal offering the Host. Even in the presence of the King and his nobles, he ran to him, snatched it out of his hand, and threw it under his feet. If the King himself had done this, who would have condemned it?
10. Notwithstanding any man's conscience, he may be kept from endangering the salvation of others; no man's conscience can set him at liberty to harm others. Those who strengthen others in dangerous souldamning principles may be removed from them; the light of nature teaches it.
In some cases, a private man may use violence to restrain men from evil.
If a man should come to seduce my wife or child in a matter I know will endanger their souls, if I could have no help from the magistrate, I might, if I had power, keep him off. What I might do by my own strength in case there were no magistrate, I may call in the help of a magistrate to do for me when there is one.
Objection: But you will say, you speak all this while of restraining men from dangerous gross evils; but what if the evils are of less moment? Can nothing be done to restrain them?
Answer: Yes, a man may be put to some trouble in those ways of evil that his conscience puts him upon, so far as to curb the wantonness of his spirit and neglect of means. In times of liberty, there is great wantonness in men's spirits; they stand as in an equal balance to receive truth or error. Every little thing tips the balance in many men's spirits: interest in a friend, esteem from reputable men in some cases, or in others, the credit they perceive in being able to speak further on a matter than others or having deeper insight into it than others. To help against such temptations, if there is some trouble laid in the way of what is apparently evil so that men see there is something to be suffered in that way; if there are no more grains of trouble than may help against this wantonness and neglect of means, I see no reason why anyone should be offended at this.
Indeed, if there is a mistake and the trouble is put into the wrong scale—if it is laid in the way of truth—let the sin be upon those who dare venture upon their mistakes. Or if so much is put into the scale as will not only balance against wantonness and neglect of means but will be a sore temptation to decline the truth and rather embrace what is evil than endure so much trouble; this is very displeasing to God. If a man is asleep at a sermon, his friend may pull his hand; he will not be offended even if given a nip perhaps. But if he were struck on the head with a staff so as to make blood come or cut his flesh with a knife, this would not be borne.
One step further may be considered. Suppose a man is not wanton but serious and neglects no means to inform his conscience, yet he cannot yield
—what shall be done to such a man?
Answer: Though such a man should be dealt with in much tenderness and love, yet in matters where his weakness makes him less serviceable to the Commonwealth or Church than other men who have more strength; he may be denied some privileges and benefits granted to others. For instance, some
Anabaptists deny the lawfulness of war; suppose their consciences after much seriousness in using means cannot be satisfied. Yet seeing by this error they are made less useful in the State than others, they should not think it much though they are denied many privileges and accommodations granted to others who risk their lives for preserving the State.
If a man's body is weak and he cannot help it, yet by it he is not as useful as others—why should he think much that he does not have whatever others by strength can attain? Suppose a man has such a principle in his conscience that the King has absolute arbitrary power; though it is his conscience, yet by it he is disabled from employment and preferment in places of trust. So for the Church: suppose the government by Prelates had
been lawful (which now we know was not), there would have been no evil in denying those who could not submit to it their preferments of deaneries and prebends and the like.
But lest what I say here be misused, you must understand this denial of places of profit or honor to men, because of what their consciences will not allow them to yield to, applies only to such places where the tenderness of their consciences in such a point makes them unfit to manage. If, because their consciences differ from you in one thing, you take advantage against them in other things that have no dependence upon that wherein they differ from you, and make them suffer in those things too, you now (to say no worse) begin to grow near to a way of persecution and tyranny over your brethren, which Christ is displeased with.
We considered it in the Bishops not merely near, but as having reached tyranny and persecution when they would not allow those who could not conform to their Church discipline and ceremonies to even teach children grammar, practice medicine, or preach Christ in places where there was no preaching, and people lived in darkness, perishing for lack of knowledge.
What dependence had these things upon their discipline and ceremonies, supposing they had been right? Yes, they would foment their errors by this means.
Answer: But seeing there was no dependence between their errors (if you will call them so) and these things, to deny the Church and Commonwealth the benefit of the gifts and graces of men upon such a pretense that they will abuse their liberty, we thought it was hard dealing, indeed no less than persecution.
Suppose a man differs from his brethren in point of Church Discipline; must not this man have a place in an army therefore? Though he sees not
the reason for such a discipline in the Church, yet God has endowed him with a spirit of valor, and he understands what military discipline means.
Must he not have a place in a college to teach youth logic and philosophy?
May he not preach Jesus Christ to poor ignorant creatures? If you fear he will divulge his opinions, surely some other course may be taken whereby he may suffer as much as such a fault warrants; but to deprive Church and State of what abilities God has given him, which might be very useful to them, and that before any such fault is committed, for fear it may be committed, the softest word I have to express myself against this is: It is very hard dealing with your brethren.
I have now gone to the utmost line I can in showing what is to be done to a man who pleads his conscience in things which we conceive are not right.
I would now speak a word or two to men who have to deal with their brethren's consciences, and then to those who plead their consciences for their freedom.
To the first: Let those who have to deal with men's consciences first take heed they do not vilify and slight men's consciences. Do not scorn at the plea of their consciences: "What, this is your conscience? Your conscience, forsooth, will not suffer you." Woe to them who offend one of these little ones; it were better that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the bottom of the sea (Matthew 18:6). It is his conscience, and perhaps better informed than yours, and more tender. You may have a corrupt conscience; your conscience may be broken by your sinning against it, or otherwise it is loose or benumbed, with no quickness in it. You can swallow down greater matters; therefore you wonder at those who are so conscientious, who stand upon small matters. What if at the great day Christ shall own these as truly conscientious and honor them for obeying the voice
of their consciences in small things, for not daring to offend them in anything? Where will you appear then? What is likely to become of you?
Or if their consciences are weak, not rightly informed, yet Christ expects you should seek to heal and strengthen them, not jeer and scorn them. That fearfulness of theirs to offend Christ, though in the particular they may be mistaken, shall be accepted when your boldness and venturesomeness in taking your liberty shall appear to be your folly.
2. Take heed in your dealings with such that you do not make them suffer more than Christ would have them suffer. Do not abuse your power over them so as to cause them to complain justly to God of conscienceoppression. Conscience-oppression is the most fearful oppression; of all the cries in the world, the cries caused by it come up most swiftly to God.
When an oppressed soul shall get alone and make his moan to God: "Oh Lord, thou who knowest the secrets of all hearts, thou knowest the desires of my soul in uprightness to know thy will; I can freely and comfortably appeal to thee. Thou knowest what a sad affliction it is to me that my judgment should be different from my brethren's, whose parts and graces I prize far beyond my own. Thou knowest also there is no means for further
Reformation that I have been willing to make use of as I was able, and whatever other help thou shalt make known to me, I am ready to make use of it so that I may not be led aside into error: and if thou wilt be pleased to reveal thy mind further to me, I am ready to submit to it. I should account it a greater happiness than all the comforts in the world can afford to know what thy mind is in such and such things; but Lord, as yet I cannot do this thing except I should sin against thee; thou knowest it: yet thou knowest also that I desire to walk humbly and peaceably with my brethren, and in all meekness, submissiveness, and quietness of spirit, together with all
diligence, I will wait till thou shalt further reveal thy mind to me. But Lord, in the meantime I find rigid dealing from my brethren; their spirits are embittered, their speeches are hard, their ways towards me are harsh; yea
Lord there is violence in them; Lord thou knowest my spirit is not such as to need any such carriage from my brethren towards me; I am not conscious to myself (no not when I set myself most solemnly in thy presence) of stiffness or willfulness in my way; the least beam of light from thee would presently turn my spirit whichever way thou wouldst have it go." Such a moan to God would prove a sadder business against those who occasion it than if such men had strength and spirits to answer bitterness, harshness, and violence with bitterness, harshness, and violence.
Let me also on the other side speak to those who plead their consciences.
First, take heed you do not rest in this as an empty plea, setting it as a bulwark against anything that shall be said to you: "Why, it is my conscience, and who has anything to do with my conscience?" And so think you need look no further nor give any other account to your brethren than this. This is to abuse your conscience and the indulgence of God and the respect he would have men show to the consciences of his people; this is hardening your conscience against the truth—not true tenderness of it.
Secondly, if conscience is such a thing that none must have power over it but God, and such a thing wherein you have to deal so much with God, you need to keep it very clean. It is above all creatures, next to God, so take heed of defiling it. Oh, keep it pure: unclean consciences are good enough to prostrate to men, but consciences reserved for God need to be kept unspotted and very clean. Doves love white houses; the Holy Ghost loves a pure conscience.
Thirdly, you will have none to command your conscience; let conscience then command you. If you rebel against your conscience, it is just with God to allow men to tyrannize over your conscience. When you complain of men seeking to have power over your consciences, lay your hand upon your heart and say, "Have I not rebelled against my conscience? I have resisted its power over me; therefore, it is just that others should seek to bring it under their power."