as)y 43 ermo72 2. ers, from fcutching through a chapter of the bible, and from trifling in other duties Why ? becaufe we have our Confcience to anfwer to, and its good tefti- mony to wait for. This is that which giveth holy .boldnefs to a Chriftian, when, i. I-ie knoweth that what he doth is right for the matter. 2. When he taketh good heed to what Confcience faith. And 3. When :he bath its good and approbative teftimony : And we think that this is much of what that text, A1ef.F .24. 16. aims at ; and is the main thing a Chriftian fhoul d exercife himfelf in, even to have the reilimony of his Confcience för him in this, and that, and the other du- ty, nay in every duty, to have its good teftimony when he beginneth, when he goeth On in it, or in the time of it, and when he hath clofed it : This is it (as I have often laid) which furniflieth him with holy boldnefs and confidence, and giveth him much Tweet peace and ferenity in his mind, that, whoever and whatever (peak againf him, he is at a point that he is right, having the well - grounded teílimony of his Confcience for it, But it may be gúettioned here, How is it pofTtble for a man' to carry a teftiniony of his Confcience along with him in every a &ion ? Can he always be refle&ing on every word he fpeaketh, and on every a%ion he putteth his hand unto ? For anfwer, we would firft diflinguifh betwixt an explicite and actual inquiring at, and refle a }ing on Confcience, and an implicite and habitual inqui- ring at, and `refle ; ing on it ; and betwixt an explicite and aftual, and an implicite and habitual teftimony of the ,Confcience ; and then apply it to the particular anfwer: That then is an explicite teftimony of Confci- ence, when it doth .a&ually, exprefly and down-right f eak its mind ; and that is an a&ual and explicite re- fleeing on Confcience, when a man doth indeed ex -- prefly.. and down- right put himfelf to it to enquire Con - fcience's fenfe of his a &inn. An implicite and habitual leflimony of Confcience is, when Confciènce is not al- Ways actually, obfervably, and exprefly fpeaking by a poftive approbation ; yet it is fo indire&ly, virtual- - ' and on the matter, and is ready atually to do wh'e
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