· ,35.6 of Hytocrijie In Religion~ a~cording to his ccnfcience? for Paul while a Pharifee thougl!t he was bound to do what he did againll the name of Chrift, how then could he be judged i,afincere ? The an– fwer is, Th~tt to uprightnejfe i4 required the true rule of it , and that is Gods Word indeed, not our thoughts, or our private confciences, for they may be as crooked and corrupt as a mans atl:ions. Amans confcience may be defiled and blinded as well as other parts ; therefore true uprightnelfe lietb in a c.onformity, not to a mans confcience, but to Gods wonif. Such indeed do not finne kmowingly and wittingly, that hav! a miOed confcieru:e, but that is not enough to make a man upright and fincerc: Obferve then, if all thy ftraglings and wa.nderingsarife not hence, that the Word is not thy coun· fellour, thy lamp a1;1d guide;· Thou hadft not turned to the left or right hand if thou hadft followed thofe dire-: ' . cl:ions. 2: Sctondly, Another cau[e of hypocrijie u W•mt ·,fa true {et;. · Want of ~ Cet- led and refolved·conjideration, bc[1re We undtrtak! the profeffi· ; · led refoluuon on of Chrift. There is nothing makes hypocrifie fooner then . ~eforke onehun• .this; men by cufiom or education, or by comnunds of the uerta es t e h h 1. k h li h Ch ·a· prefeffiQn of Laws w er~ t _ey lV~, ta e upon t et? ac a . nutan way, Chrift. do fuch Chn{han duttes, but then they fore..thmk not what - a great exaa work it is to be godly; They confider not what they are going about, how dear this will coli: ·them : Am I able to go thorow with it? Our Sav!our doth excellently fpeak to this, Lulzy 14·l8,29. he would have every Difciple ·ef tlis fit down afore-hand, and to caftup his accounts, If I will be godly indeed itwill co£l: me thus much, I cannot any ·longer hold out fuch lulls, 1muft lhake off fuch company, I muft give up my felf wholly to God in every thing. Now · becaufe men came at a venture in Gods waies, a1.1d meet with things they expected nor, they are off and on, they are hack- .ward andferward, the burden is too heavy, fomething they would do; but this univerfal obedience, this conllant perfe- " verance, that doth affright them;: this putteth.·thee upon fhamefull retreats, this makes thee put on many difguifes. there are harder things in Chriftianity then thou didfl provid~ for ~ Qh ~he!l ~f ~~~ ~i~t ~~ve ~~~th. !~ - the inw~rd parts, Let L_ _ .
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