i76 aermon r. (as was laid before) the immediate mafEer of it, and it being fo divine a thing ; none can atteft Confcience, but they muff needs attest God with ir. The ufe is, to teach us to be more warry in attefling Confcience in a light and trivial way ; gris In fcripture- language an attefting Chrift, and the holy Ghoft ; and re whenever we dare not appeal to them :t' effes, we would beware of appealing to, or of eaefting, Confcience, or taking it to be a wieners. 4thly, Obferve, that there is a great d Terence among Confciences : For thefe words, My Confcience beareth me witnefs in the holy Ghoft, import two things ; 1. His at- tefting his Confcience not imply, but as 'tis fan&ified by the Spirit. 2. It not only imports fanaification in the habit of it, but in its exercife alto ; for he knew that a man's attefting of his mere natural Confcience is not of fuch value, it being a thing that may be eafily de- luded, and go wrong ; but, faith he, I atteft my Confci- etice in the holy Ghof, and as a &ed by him. There is a difference betwixt a renewed and unrenewed Confci- ence ; and a difference betwixt a pure Confcience and a defiled one,, Igo the pure (faith the apoftle, 15.) all things are pure, but to them that are defiled, and wnbelitving, is nothing pure, but even their mind and Confcience is defiled. Paul's appealing his Confcience, is as 'tis oppofite to fuch a Confcience. There is allo an evil and a good Confcience, as thefe words lately fpoken of, i Pet. 3. zi . The anfwer of a good Confcience toward God,clear : There is likewife a cauterized Confcience, and a tender Confcience. Yea, there is Tome difference of Confciences among believers themfelves; forme Confci- ences are weak, force ftrong ; fore are fleepy, Tome waking ; force are fecure, forme in the lively exercife of the grace of God, and need by the Spirit, according to the will of God ; and this is the Confcience meant here. Ufe. This difference would be well obferved, for it will not be the Teftimony of every Confcience that will bear a man through ; it mull be the teftimony of a Con- fcience fan&ïfied, and in that particular a &ed by the holy Ghoft. Sthly, Obferve, I. bat there is no teftimony of a Gold- en ce
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