17 a -0-617777072- God gravely and foberly ; I fpeak the truth in Chrifc, and lie not, my Confcience bearing me witnefs in the Holy Ghofi. He doth not rafhly and abruptly break out in ir, as many do. 3. Confider, that he is molt clear in the thing: Ere he atteft his Confcience, he was lure that it was nò lie, and that he had no mixture of untruth in it ; yea', he is fo clear, that he dare fwear it, and take Chrift and the Holy Ghoft ro witnefs in it : When men dare not at- Left God in a matter, they fhould not atteft their own Confcience in it, except they think that God will fay one thing, . and their Confcience another, which is contrary to the nature of Confcience. Men will fay many things lightly, fuppofing them to be true, that they will be loth to atteft their Confcience in, till they be very clear, and lure that they are true. 4. Add this Confideration, That it is done, when he is in a holy, fpiritual and live- ly frame; My Confcience (faith he) bearing the witnefs in the Holy Gh. ofi. To attest Confcience in a carnal frame, is as unfuitabie, as to rufh in rafhly and unmannerly be- fore a grave judge, to crave a fenrence from him. If our frame be not right, Confcience will never fpeak out an ap- proving teftirnony to us in that particular which we of -. fern. and atteft it in : For, tho' as to the matter it be true, and no lie ; yet, as to our eircurnftantiated attefting of it in fo ill a frame, it will not approve us. Mthly, In the general, obferve, That Confcience its te- flirnony, when warrantably made ufe of, is a thing very ufeful, refrefhing, and comfortable to a believer. There is nothing readily that more comforts him in a firait 'tis a fingularly good back - friend : Therefore, when Paul bath few other friends, he maketh ufe of this, and findeth much peace and comfort from it ; and hence he faith, 2 Cor. i. i 2. Our rejoicing h this, the tefiimo- ny of our Confcience, &c. To clear this in a word fur- ther, it is in there three Cafes exceeding ufeful, i. In the Cafe of reproach, I have (faith Paul, A&s 23. I.) lived in all good Confcience before God until ibis day; and, 2 g'im. i . 3. I thank God, whom I ferve with á pure Confci- ence from my fore-fathers. 2. In the Cafe of fome notable crofs, w hen Chriftians are brought very low, in a great Y mea-
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