Of a Confeience void of Offence. 175 Thus the ancient Jews, in the days of the S E x M. prophets Ifaiah and Jeremiah, were guilty of VII. heinous wickednefs, or perverting judgment, `--v-3 grinding the faces of the poor, nay, their hands were full of blood, and yet they had great confidence in the temple of the Lord, and their religious refpeí`l to the new moons, fabbaths, or other folemnities. And fo, in our Saviour's time, the Pharifees were a per - verfe and untoward generation, who appear'd righteous before men, but within were full of hypocrify and iniquity ; they in the mean time trufted in a negative righteoufnefs and fome external performances. * I am not an extortioner, nor an adulterer, nor like this publican, was the religion of the Pharifee and the foundation of his hope, with the addition of mere outward obfervances ; I fall twice in the week, and pay tythes of all I po /fs. This is not to have a confcience void of offence, but to fubftitute fomething elfe inftead of it. In like manner, fome chriftians deceive themfelves, imagining that a zeal for the purity of their profelion, di- ligence in attending the pofitive appointments of the gofpel, ineffectual purpofes of a fu- ture amendment, or a prefumptuous reliance * Luke xviii, II, I2. on
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