Çbap, r 5. 9n Expofition upon Me Book of J OE. Ver'fa1. Again , though fome wicked men have not this dreadful found in their ears ; yea, though they have pleafant founds in their ears, like themwhofang to the Vial, &c. ( Amos' 6.) yet firfi, their peace is not á true peace ; fecondfy , it is not a lafi- ing peace ; thirdly, that which, they have, arifeth from one of thefe twogrounds ; either from negled of their confciences, or for Come defect in their confciençes. The negled of con- fcience from whence this arifeth is twofold , either firft.when they negle6 to (peak to confcience , confcience and they have never a word, much lets any ferious conference , or difcourfe ; either concerning the (late of their hearts or the courfe of their lives, and then all's peace with them. Secondly ,, when the fpeakings of confcience are negle&ed , confcience hath a double voice of corre6}ionand diret;#ion ; confcience tellsa man what he ought, and what he ought not to do: con- fcience checks a man for not doing what he ought, and for doing what he ought not. Yetmany overpower and refirain confcience from this office , and never leave oppofing , till they have filenced , yea, conquered it : Such as there have peace, fuch an one as it is, and"hear nothing but a`found ofde- light in their ears, whilethis filence lafieth. Again, This may arife -from force defca difabling confci- ence, to doe itsordinary , or natural duty ( the confcience of an evil man mayhave Tome goodnefs in it. ) Confcience may be confidered two ways, either morally or naturally ; that only is a morally good confcience , which is pure andholy, a confcience cleanled from the guilt of fin by the blood of Chrift; thus no wicked man can beMaid to have a good con- fcience. That is a naturally good confcience which performs theoffice or duty to which confcience is appointed ; confei- ence is fetup in man to perform certain offices ifthe con1ct ence ofa bad man perform them, his confcience(in that fink) is good.,, The firü officeor workofconfcience is toaobferve,and take notice ofwhat we doe , confcience fhould, as it were, keep a Day-Book, and followus up and down with Pen and Inke to write all our motions. : A fecond work of confcience is to teffifie -what we have done, and which'vvay we havemoved. A third, is, toaccufemswhenwe do evil', and to acquit us 0 2 when 99
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