72 A 9 s 214 7 6. it were, to the opening of the Books, to the filling and putting of all perfons in a poflure before him ro be fen - tenced by him : It Both in a manner all, fo that God path little or nothing to do, as it were ; for it difcovers to a man what was his duty, and his fn. 2. It citeth him to compear and anfwer for negle&ing fuch and fuch a duty, and committing filch and fuch a fin ; and he cannot pof- fibly thift compearance. 3. When he Both compear, it giveth in a libel of accufations againff the man, and a catalogue of all his fins, in thought, word and deed. This and this ( will it awfully fay) thou didft at fuch and fuch a time, in fuch and fuch a place, aggravated by fuch and fuch,circumffances. 4. It ferveth to be a wit - nefs, yea in place of a thoufand witnetfes, and there is no denying or shifting of whatever it beareth witnefs to ; all which we my fee in .Yofeph's brethren, Gen. 42. 2r who fay one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we faw the angu? fh of his foul, when he be- fought us and we would not hear ; therefore is this drefs come upon us. The law difcovereth that it was a fin, Confcience challengeth and accufeth, they are cited,- the accufation is given in and proven,This and this they did,. and did it with all thefe circumffances : Not as pitiful.. word that fofeph fpoke, nor a tear that he shed in the anguith of his foul, befeeching them to defiff, but they remember it now ; and there is no shifting of the chal- lenge and accufation, nor covering of it, as they had done before to their aged father Jacob ; but they muff needs now take with all, and confefs, We have finned, . and are verily guilty concerning our brother, &c. 5ò It paf feth fentence and,, in this refpea, the heart is faid to con.. demn when, the thing, is evil, and to abfolve or not con- demn when the thing is good, I 5hn 3. 20, 21E. 6e When is bath fentenced and condemned, it leaveth not the man fo, but goeth on and executeth the fentence and turneth a gnawing worm to bite and gnaw, and as an executioner to buffet and Imite, to damp and torment, the man : Thus ye may fee how ufeful Confcience is to , . help forward God's judgment, and to vindicate him in his fentence. And as it is thus with a guilty Confci- ence, fo it is with a Confcience abfolving; it will abfolve wheta-
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