dGhap.43. rabo&Confciencegood, andbad. 453 whomWith needles,in a moft cruel manner, theyprickt to death. They faid alfo, that it was asgreata fin to pull a leaf from a tree as co kill a man. The Doom-ills rrotild throw -thrnüfeíves tom mountains,anddrown themfelvesin rivers to smoke thetnfeivcs Martyrs. Here was altoa voluntary contra&ed blindneffe up- VIA their confLierices , anda judicial,inflicted on them by God : yet had there ix,t been anatural blindncpé in their confciences,theycould never have been im- proved to -fuckan height ofimpiety. Secondly, its polluted, not only by the blindnefs, but by the !cupidity , and fetifelefiiets that asupon it : fo that though one finbe committed after another, though lulls, (as fo many thieves) come wBeal their fouls away, yet this fleepy ail à gives not onebark. Such mens Lanes come from them as excrements fromdying perfons, without apprehenfionof them ; their confciencesare feared as with an hot iron. Qçeft. How is thisblindnefsandAvidityofconfcience difcovered i r4rfay. By the a; tings of ir, in not performing chofe offices for which God iaaah put it into the foul : as i. One maine work of ccatcience is to applyin particular what we reade in theScriptures , as generally fpoken : when it readsthe threats, and curfes ofthe Lawdenouncedagainft fuchfins as thou art guilty of , then faith confcience, This belongs to me : Hence Godgives thecommands by particular application : Thou (halt not commit adultery, Thou'haltnot /isal, &c. thatconfcience mayfay, this command belongs to me : But if we read over the Scriptures a thoufand times , and hear fo many Sermons, ifconfcience doch not apply, all becomes ineffe&ual. Obje&, How thencan men commit thole fins which they know tobe Fns, which confcience tells them to be firmer, feting we cannot will evil[ as it is toil ? 4nfw. Firfc, it arifeth from the defe&ofconfcience, it not making parti- cularly fuch a powerful application prohic, & nurse, as it fhould do : There is a general, and habitual knowledge of fuch things ro. be tiitanes; yea,there may he a particular apprehenfion that they are now finning and offendingGod; but its onely a fpeculative apprehenfion, its not a praótical one produced by con- fcience in them. Secondly, herein thecorruption ofconfcience is feen in that, thoulc itdoth apply, yet iris foweakly, and coldly, that it lofeth the a&ivity, and predomi- nancyover the affe&ions, and will ofa man : fo that he caresnot for fuch checks and reproofs,Rom.i.s R. fuch detain the truth in unrighteaufneffe ; theykeep con- Icience a prifoner thatwould gladlydo its duty. Thirdly, or if it doapply, yet its feldom, not dailyand conftantly : The Cock crew once, or twice before Teter remembred himfelf : Confcience may apply fometimes,yet may the noifé of lullsdrown the voiceof it. Thus the confcien- ces,even ofnatural men inTome fits, when they arein expe&ation of fome great and eminent judgements, may work flrongly for the prefent, as of Pharaoh, tAlurf, andFalix : But this isaflafhonly. Fourthly, as confcience naturallydochnot its duty inapplying , fo neither in witnefling, and bearing teftimony toour a&ions, whichyet isone great endwhy voitk3ènceis put intoman. Hence its faid tobe a tho,tfand witne'fet : yea, and its a thoufand tormentors too : But alas, its fodefiled,that in many things,if not in all, k fails, andgives at leaft no true witnefhe at all, as appears in that, ifmen ranconceal their fins from others,theymatter not at all what wicnetfeconfcience, and Godcanbear againff them. Fifthly,the pollutionof confcience will further appear by the atinas of it in atcufing,and excufing , Rom.a.i 5. As for its dutyofaccufing, its almoft wholly filent : and men run into all excefsof riot, embrace all wickedneffe their con- fciences II I. II. IV. V.
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