on r Peter . z-r: 1-4$ Lent, becaufe Confcience cannot fpeak but according to his order ; and there being wife and holy reafons mo- ving him (to fpeak fo) to keep up his mind, and that he may in fome fenfe and refpeet deal with others, as 'tis laid he c,ealt with Saul (whom, in a great strait, he re- fufed to give anfwer to, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets) fo as not to give them clearnefs, by one means nor another ; neither from his word, nor by their Confcience, as calling them to fuch or fuch a particular thing ; it is no marvel that in fuch a cafe men be in the dark, and that Confcience keep itfelf flent. Yet, 2dly, For clearing the matter further, ye would confider two forts of caufes that this proceedeth from, fome whereof are culpable and finful on our part, procuring this as a juft punifhment of force former fin, or of fome prefent evil and finful frame; other forne are fovereign on Coc's Tpart, yet tending in his ferret providence to promote ome-defigns of good to the perfon of a believer. As to thefe caufes that are finful and culpable on our part, we shall inftance them in four or five cafes ; As, firs, When there is a finful ignorance in the per- fons, who delire to be clear in fuch or fuch a particular through that their ignorance, they are not in cafe clear- ly and diftin&ly, but rather very darkly and confufedly, to propofe the matter to their Confcience, fo that their Confcience cannot give them a diftin& anfwer ; For Con- fcience is (as I faid before) as a judge, and our light is as the informer ; and as a judge cannot well decide in a matter when the cafe is confufedly propofed to him, fo no more can Confcience when it wanteth light : And hence oftentimes perfons in whom there is forte zeal and good afl'e&ion,are left much in the dark,becaufe (to fpeak fo) they know not the laws and pra &irks on which Con.. fcience proceedeth ; therefore, Rom. 14.'tis faid of force, that their Conjcience Uias weak, becaufe their light was ,weak and dim, A fecond Cafe is, When men, in feeking the anfwer of their Confcience, do bound and limit it ; they either do slot fairly and fully propofe the cafe to Confcience, or IC they
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