196 ,Sermon 2. he afferts, that he hatli Confcience its teftimony for that, as a diftin& thing. There are but too many proofs of the truth of this doé &rive ; Are there not many, who fpeak good words, and do good deeds on the matter, who yet have not a good Confcience in the fpeaking and do-- mg of them ? As 'tis Paid of Arnaziah, z Chron. 25. z. Re did that which Was right in the fight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart : So it may be faid of many others, that they do that which is good for the matter; but they want the teftimony of a good Confcience in the perfors mance of it. This will be further clear, 'if we confider there two things ; ill, That there are many things that concur that make an action truly and Chriftianly good, fuch as we (poke of the other day. Many care for no more, but that the a&ion be good for the matter ; but 'tis moreover requiftte that it be good as to the manner of performance, that it be from a right motive to a right end, done in faith, by ftrength drawn from Chriff, and with an eye to acceptance on his account: A corrupt end in prayer, in coming to the Church to hear, in reading the word, or in any other duty, will fpoil the a &ion. 2dly,That there are different rules to try there by : There is one rule to regulate us in the matter of our aá ions, and another to regulate our manner of going about them ; and a good Confcience looketh to both thefe rules ; and, if any of the requifite qualifications to the fuitable and acceptable, performance of them be abfent and wanting, in fo far Confcience will withhold its pofitive approving teftimony. A good Confcience its teftimony is like the harmony of á well -tuned infirument ; 'tis one thing to have all the firings on the infirument, and another thing to have them all in tune; when it is not rightly tuned, tho' it have on all the firings, it cannot give a Tweet nor harmonious found ; fo it is with the Confcience. The ufe is for exhortation to watchful advertance in every thing to Confcience its teftimony. Seeing there are many that do good on the matter, who yet want its tefti- mony; it becomes us to be the more watchful to keep a good Confcience : And feeing that Confcience irs fpeak- ing for a man, and giving him its approbative teftimony, and his doing that which is good' on the matter, are not.
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