What is required togoodandlawfull honours. 593 his fight : and fo walking before God in integritie and vp- rightneffe ofheart, they (hall thew themfelues to bee fuch true Ifraelites as the Apofiledefcribeth : Ile is a lewwhich it Rom.z.z9. one within, and thecircumctlion is oftheheart,in the Spirit, and notin the letter, whofepraife isnot ofmenbut ofGod. And not Ioh.t like thofe ambitious Iewes, who (as our Sauiour faith of toh f 44 them) loued thepraife ofmen, more then thepratfeafGod: and rioh.3.zo. receiued honor one ofanother, and did not feeke the honor Atl.z4.t6. which commeth ofGod alone. Nowwe cannot thusap- proue our felucs unto God,vnleffeweapprouc ourthoughts, words and workes veto our owne confciences : for as the Apofile John tellethvs, Ifour heart condemne vs,Cjod is Brea- Q1 t olicité ter then our heart andknowethallthings. And therefore in the bt,nucupa: nextplace wemull with the Apofileendeauor to hauealwaies xumrrr I? ahe acleareconfciencetowardsClodandte' ardsmen:thatfoitmaynuneiomo- approue and giuea good tefiimonie vetovs.For what will it rat. auaile vs to be commendedofmen, whoare our fellowma- lefa&ors, when as God, who is our Iudge, condemnethvs ? Whatwill it profit vstohaue themnot onely excufing, but commending andextolling vs,when as our own confcience, which is as good as a thoulandwitneffes, accufeth and gi- ueth tefiimonie againfi vs?whereas on theother Gde,though mé fhoulddefame vs, yet wemight with the Apofile reioyce in this, the teflimonieofour confcience, that in ftmplicitieand godlypureneffe, andnot infefhly wifedome, but by thegrace of s.Cor.t.tz. Ged, thehone hadour conuerfation sntheworld. And thus hauing approued our (clues vntoGod and our §.Sec7.6. owne confciences;wemuff in the next place labour to be app- That in the proued veto men : for this was alto a part ofPauls exercife, next plate we tohaue a cleare confcience euenbeforemen. Howbeit wee midifeeke to be arenot thus to labour that we may commend our fettles vn- g u.o! and rdte toall, feeiug thisis often impo{fible, in refpe&of the con- t,,ous. trarietieofineus judgements ;but next vnto God and our Att.:4.16. owneconiciences, we are to endeauour that we may be ap- proued and commended ofthe godly, vertuous,wife and ju- dicious: for theCe being indued with the Spirit ofGod, are belt able to difcerne the things of God, and mofi fir and competent Judges ofvertueand goodoeffe,themfelues be- t,Ccr.z.t;. O ing
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