Chap.4;. about Confciencegood, andbad. 449 2. Inadverfity, it will beas the good houfwifes candle, that goes not out by night. Or like Ifraelr Pillar of fire, it will not leave thee in a wilder- neis. As Ruth to Naomi: or Ittai to David, i Sam. 1 5.21: It will in all make thee more then a conqueror, Rom.8.37. its a mans dearefl, and clofeft friend that will vifit him inprifon, &c. 3. In death : it gives rejoycing when under the firoke, and fentence of death. Its likeSaul and Jonathan, lovely in life, and indeath not di- vided. 2. In the world to come : It will (land a man infleadwhen he appears before the great Tribunall of God, where courage dares notThew its face : nor elo- quence open its mouth : nor Majefly hath any refpe& : nor greatneffe any fa- vour : wheremany bears no matery : as that Martyr faid, Afv.6.1 S, 16. Hence, i Joh.3.2o,ai . Yea, its the fiep to the highefl glory, and its the flare of hiffieft Beatitude. To be fealiedwith the fruits ofa good Confcience , is Angels food; and fome of the fweet meats of Heaven : as a tormenting Confcience is one of the oreateft miferies of Hell. Fourthly, Confider the miferies ofan evill Confcience in life, in death, and after both. r. In this life : In the middeft of profperityhe can have no fecutiry , Job 20. efpecially, verfe 16,17, 22, 23, 24, and 15. ti. there is no torment like that ofan evil! Confcience : It marred Belfhatesrs feafl, &c. 2. But much more in adverfity : then Confcience that had been long fi - lent, and quiet, cries out, and flies in the fin nets face : as in Jofephs bre- thren. This woe, though dreadfull, yet is the leaft, becaufe fhorteft , and ends-in a few dayes, or years : but 2. At death : which is a great woe, and doubleto the former : All the fuffer- ings in this life to the wicked, whether in body, or in spirit, are nothing if com- paredwith that whichfollows : yet this alfo hath an end, at the day of judg- ment : But then follows another. 3. At theday of judgment, whenall the Cataraóts of wrath are fet open, all the vials emptied out : then fhall that fealed book of Confcience be unclafped, and out'oftheir own mouth, andheart , and book fhall they be judged : then' (hall a Hell in Confcience be cati into a Hell ofdifpaire, and an Hell of guilt a Hell ofpain : and this judgment is called Eternal! judgement, Feb. 6. 2. and the delirudion ofthe wicked, an Everla/tino dellrast1ion, 2 Thef. i. g. and this Eternity is a vaft Ocean, that bathneither bank nor botton : ACenter that hath no Circumference : no meafures oftines,nor number ofares can fathom, or reckon the length of it. Inwhich Eternity thy evill Confcience fhall accom- pany thee, and fill thy heart with new tortures of grief, and feare, and wrath, and bitternefs , and defpair. Quell. what then are the meanes whereby, a good Confciencemaybe ?otter, and preferved s Anfw. Fiifl, They are either principali, or fubfervienr. Firfi, principali, and they are a. To get the bloodof Chrifi fprinkled upon the Confcience, by the hand of Faith, 11 6,9.54. All duties,gifts,obfervances,&c. are nothing to this. Other things may make theoutfide clean before men,but the bloodof Chritt is that a- lone which makes the Confcience cleanbeforeGod,that there is now no moreCon- fcieisce offn, as to the guilt, and fpot of it. So Heb. I o. 29. the blood of the Covenant is that whereby the believer is fanótified, Chrifls wounds are our City ofRefuge : Chrifts blood is the well of Bethlehem, which we thould long for , and break through an Holt of difficulties to .come unto. Except we drink this bloodme have no life inus, &c. Joh.6.çz,çç. z.To leek,andgetthe Spirit ofChriff,which is the nextprincipal ingredient in,or Mm.m. efficient IV. I.
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