274 ierinon 5. tho' in particular fteps they had their own failings. The fecond is, That the teflimony of a good Confci . ence may be where there are challenges for fm : There may be in one and the fame believer a juft challenge for what is wrong, and a good teflirnony for what is right ; and, as he fhould not on the one hand refufe to take with the challenge, fo he fhould not on the other de- cline embracing the good teffimony ; the Lord teaches, plainly in his way of dealing with the Churches of .ffia, Rev. 2, and 3. where, when he reproves them for what is wrong, he a?fo commends them for what is right, teaching believers thereby to diffinguifh well betwixt thefe two, and fo to rake with a challenge from Confcience for that wherein they are wrong, as nor to refufe its tefti nmony for them when they are right ; for the Confcience will always have fomewhar to fay to.fuch in reference to both there. They that refolve (as it were) to admit on- ly of challenges; and of nothing but pure challenges, fuppofe themfelves to be lying Hill in their natural and unrenewed fíate ; and they that would be at an abfolute and entire good teffimony without any challenges at all, snuff look for that only in heaven, where all the godly will molt certainly have ir, to their joy unfpeakable, and eminently full of glory : And it is a very fhrewd evi- dence of an unfound fíate, and of a perfon's being under tthe power of delusion, to imagine that he bath only fuck ra teftimony always, without any challenges for fin at all, while he bath fill a corrupt nature within him, as all o ther mortals have The third is-, That in the fell -fame a&ion a Chriffian may, and readily will, have both a challenge and a te- fiimony; a challenge for fomething wrong, and a teffimo- ny for fomething right therein ; according to that word of Nehemiah, Chap. i. Hear the prayer of thy fervant, and cf thy fervants, who delire to fear thy name. He no doubt wanted not challenges for fhortcomings, yet he had a te- lfimon y from his delre to fear God's name : And, Fleb. 13. 18, the apoftle faith, We trufl we have a good Confcience, in all things willing to live honefily and yet there was fo much corruption remaining in the eminently holy man, as to raife challenges on hitn' as we fee) tom. 7. but he fevers
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