82. Sermon a. demn, when there is no ground for it : Something there- fore muti be fpoken for clearing and folving both the one and the other. The Tait thing we left at was, That feeing forne natural men, civil moral men and hypocrites, may think they have a good Confcience, that they are right, and have the teftimony of it, how fhall that teftimony be difcerned ? or wherein doth it differ from the teftimony of a truly .! good Confcience, that giveth a believer ground to draw this conlufion from it, that he is real and fincere in the work of grace ? For clearing of this matter relating to thefe Canfciences, that fpeak good when there is no ground for it ; there are two forts of perlons that fail here, and are thereby. culpably acceffory to this delufion of and from their own Confciencer : i. Some fail in miftaking duty and the rule of duty, fuppofing that to be an acceptable duty which is but the fhadow and -appearance of duty ; and this makes all felf-righteous men and legal hypocrites, who , thwart not the dark or dim light of their Confcience, but rather follow and comply with it, to think that they have a good Confcience, ashPf was who take withbefore but converfion. A zd fort are t think that they have a good Confcience ; and on this ground their Confcience fpeaks peace to them, tho' it hath no warrant to do fo : Suppofing themfelves to be be- lievers, on that ground Confcience fpeaketh peace to them when it hath no warrant, nor are they believers in- deed ; and thus, alas! triply, that are reputed by them - felves and others to be believers, fail : Thefe are pre - fumptuous hypocrites, as the others are legal hypocrites : And this kind of Confcience may be called a prefumptu- ousConfcience, that fpeaketh peace, and applieth mercy, when it hath no ground for either. In anfwer then to the queftion, we fhall give forne ditferencing chara&ers or charyeteriftick differences betwixt the believer's good Confcience, and thefe other forts of Confcience ; frne whereof agree more to the one fort, and forne more to the other, and force to both, but take them together. The chara&ers are thefe, i. A really good. Confcience is not a lily attained nor maintained ; tt putteth a cant o
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