on As 2,4. 16. 117 And doth chalIenge, when it doth not (peak fo, nor challenge; which may be the reafon of mens fuppofing the Confcience to be good, when it is not, or contrarily And this cometh to pats, efpecially, in two cafes, Y . When our inclination is thwarted, or our humour is (to fpeak fo) grieved; in which cafe, melancholy, or dif content, or force other grief, are readily taken to be Confcience : As we may fee in Ahab, when he got not the vineyard of Naboth, he laid himfelf down on his bed, and would eat no bread ; but it was not from any challenge of his Confcience, but becaufe his inclination and humotar was crofled; fotne degrees of which may be found with believers. z. When Confcience fpeaketh, only as to fomewhat in part, or only concerning fuch or fuch a particular, and we draw a conclufion much broader than that which Confcience doth fpeak, will bear : As when it faith to the believer, In this or this particular, thou art not right; and he hence concludes, that he is right in nothing, And very ordinarily it is thus with believers that are not fo clear, diftin &, and firong in their knowledge and faith : When Confcience faith, That fuch or fuck a thing is wrong, they are ready to con- clude that all things are wrong, and nothing right, be- caufe one thing is wrong ; fo, when Confcience pointeth forth fuch an end, not only to be lawful, but even lau- dable, we may be ready to think, that it alloweth alto of all or molt midfes, without difcrimination, that lead to the attaining of the end. Now, 2áiy, To anfwer to the objection more dire &ly, and fo to thew how this is not inconfiftent, neither with the doarine, nor with the ufe ; We fly then, i/, That it is neither of thefe two 'alt forts of things we spoke of, that is meant , when we fay, that an endeavour to keep a good Confcience in all things, is a mark of fincerity ; for we fpeak of a Confcience that miflaketh not, and of a perfon that doth not miff ake his Confcience: And therefore, tho' Confcience prejudge a man of the comfortable ap- p':ication of this mark, yet it ceafeth not for that to he a mark. zdly, When we fpeak of it as a mark of fincerity, we mean not fo much of a perfon's a &teal attainment, as of his fincere endeavour ; when he difpenfeth not with him.. H3 fel
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