" 114 Sermon 6. for trial, . as the words bear out Paul's attainment, and his comforting himfeif on this Ground, that he always exercifed himfeif to keep a good Confcience : Whence we Phew, that it is a good mark of fincerity, when a man is taken up, how to keep a Confcience void of of fence. And feveral doubts and queftions were occafioned profecuting of this ufe, which we endeavoured to clear and anfwer. But,becaufe we fee that fuch queflions are almoft endleís, and know not if it would be to your edification to propofe mo of them, we have refolved to break them off-abrupt- ly ; and íhall only (peak fomewhat in anfwer to an A-- or gtrejtion, which cannot well be palled by, and it is this : Can that be a mark of fincerity, to endeavour to have a Confcience void of offence, Peeing even believers may often have an evil Confcience ? How then, I fay, can it be a mark of fincerity, and of a found believer, to have a good Confcience? In anfwer to this, we íhall, i ?, Shew, how believers may be Paid to have an evil Confcience. 2dly,How it is not inconfiftent with the doctrine nor with the ufe. For the fill, We would diftinguifh three things in be- lievers, in reference to their Confcience. I. Something wherein their Confcience may juftly challenge them. 2. Something that their Confcience without ground may challenge them for. 3. Something that may be taken for the language of Confcience, which indeed is not, by which the Confcience may come to be miftaken. z. We fay, That there are fome things or cafes where- in, upon juft ground, the believer's Confcience may chal- lenge him, and wherein he may be Paid to have an evil. Confcience; as betide feveral others in thefe, z. If we take it to be an evil Confcience, that is not only filent and mute, and ceaféth to be a reprover for even grofs fins; but alto, when wakned, juftly challengeth, accu- feth and condemneth for them : A believer may fall un. der it both ways, as we may fee in 5ofeph's brethren, and in David, who had an evil Confcience, the firft way when it was afleep, and the fecond way after it was wakned ; the n evil C'nfciennce, conf dend with iefpet to th
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