1 t 4 Sermon I. their judgment and fentence of their management of the bufinefs committed to them ; fure they are unfaith- ful that receive fuch a commiflion, and never give an account of their difcharge of it, nor wait for the fen. tence of its givers ; even fo, tender Chriftians will not only confult with, and take dire &ion from Confcience, what, and how to do, but will alto turn back and fee, if Confcience doth approve of what they have done, and of their inanner of doing. Now, when we fpeak of this, we do not fay, that it is always the mark of a tender Chrifliain, that the man hath Confcience fpeaking for him; for Confcience may be milled, and its teflimony in that cafe lignifies little : But this we fay, That it is a mark of a tender Chriftian to be always fingly trying, whether it be for him or againfi him, and it will be found in the ex- perience of all tender Chriflians ; whereas, thefe that walk at random, without all circumfpe&ion, look not thus to Confcience ; yea, even believers themfelv°s, when in an untender frame, delire not much to come in Con fcience its fight (to fpeak íò ;) the reafon is, becaufe, as it is, Sohn 3. 20,21. Every one that loth evil bateth the light, left his deeds Jbould be reproved; but he that Both truth cometh to the light, (to the light of the word, and of his Confcience informed by the word) that his deeds gray be manifefl, that they are wrought in God. It is no fmail part (I fay) of this light, even Confcience its tefli- mony ; and it Pays, that the fincere man defireth to know if he be right or wrong, and that he likes not to entertain the thoughts of any pra &ice or deed of his to be right, when it is not fo in truth ; and that, withal, he allows not himfelf to judge of his deeds merely by him fell, but to fubmit them to the fentence of his Confcience, according to the word. To clear this a little, we fhall point at fame chara&ers of a perfon that is fuitably ferious and render, in refle&- ing on his Confcience; and that, i fi, In refpe& of its ex- tent : And then, 2dly, In refpe& of the elfe &s of it. firfi then, As to the extent, t. He refec`eth on, and trieth all his a &ions, even the whole tra& and current of his life, as Paul doth here, his converfation in the world, and towards the Corsnthiatas. 2, He reíle &s on, and trio
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