6a Chap. 27. An Expofitien upon the Book of J o a, ;red. 6. cord what we do. Secondly, Confcience is a witneffe againft us, or an accufer, when we domil's. Thirdly, Confcience isa Judg, and gives the fentence (t fohn 3.2o.) Ifour heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, andknoweth all things ; ifour heart condemn as not, then have we confidence towards God. Confcience fitsupon aThrone asGods deputy, to award life or death.Fourth- ly, Confcience bath the office of a tormenter, it is that worme which dyeth not, and a fire that never goeth our. The damned fhall feele the teeth and Ring of confcience for ever, thoughhere theyhave brib'd it, and blinded it, that it might not trouble them. The work of confcience intended in thisText is the fecond, the accufing and witneffing work of confcience. He that accufeth another, reproacheth him, and every accufation is a reproach, if it be falle 'cis a reproach till it is removed, and if it be true 'cis a reproach that cannot be removed. Of this work of Confcience theApoftle fpeaks ( Rom, 2. as.) Which Phew the worke of the Lawwritten in their hearts, their confciences alfa bearing wttneire, and their thoughts the mean while accufing or elfe excufngone another. Though the lives of carnal men oppofe the Law,yet the confcience of the molt wicked man in the world doth comply and correspond with the Law,to bind or to loofe him, to accufe or excufe him upon the view of what he hash done. Secondly, Obferve ; Anenligbtned and awakened confcience, ctfi vex and upbraid thofe that do evil, Many have done asmuch and more,than lob faith here he would not do,left his confcience fhould reproach him,& yettheir confci- ences never reproached them for it ; they have filenced their own confciences,or through ignorance,cheirconfciences have not lear- ned to fpeak, and fo they fin, andconfcience faith nothing; They who are alienated from the lifeofgod through the ignorance that is ix them, ( as the Apoftle fpeaks, Eph. 4. a 8.) may and doe live like devils in a courfeof wrckednefhe, and never receive fomuch as one checkfrom confcience ; yea, the reafon why manydefire tohave no light in their confcience, is, becaufe they would not be under the rebukes of confcience. A blind fleepy confcience will let a man fin, and fin a thoufand times, and Inever give him an ill word ; but if a Yob, a man of an enlightned confcience fin,his con- fcience
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