on A &s 24- t6. 87 ` ence- convietions, taking with them, and if they be wel- come to you as well as a word of peace. a A 6th CharaEer or diff rence, is, That a good Con. fcience is holily jealous and fufpicious, while an evil Con.. fcience is prefumptoufly confident and bold. We fay, a good Confcience is fufpicious ; and therefore, is often put- ting itfelf to proof and trial, taking the fentence of Con.. pence to the rule and trying it thereby, and taking the anfwer on deliberation, and not off-hand or by guefs; becaufe it knoweth Confcience is but a fervant, and there- fore will try if it fpeaketh its mafter's,even God's language: To this purpofe faith the apoftle, i Cor. 4. 4. I know no- thing by myfe f, yet am I not hereby jufiif ed : It will either have G'onfience's fentence, and God's fentence going toge- ther, or elfe it will reje& and calf it ; whereas the molt part of men fatisfy themfelves with the fentence of Con- fcience, and look nor after God's fentence, and mifinter- pret Confcience, and take its fira word (as it were) and put it not to the trial : Ah ! is not this true of many of your Confciences ? ye think ye have peace, and that all matters are clear and well betwixt God and you, notwith -- flanding ye be fecure, ignorant or profane. But when do you put your Confcience to the trial ? Ask your Confci- ence, if in all the word of God peace be fpoken to the wicked, or to any that is not fence ly aiming and endea- vouring to be holy ? Confider that word, Pfal. 85. S. The Lord will Beak peace to his people, and to his faints ; There is not one word of peace for the profane and unholy: How then can your Confcience poffibly fpeak peace ? if it prefume to do, it will moil certainty beguile you : And therefore, as ye would not be deceived, follow not, nei- ther lay weight upon, every word that Confcience fpeak- eth as to your flare, efpecially at hrft, but try it by the word ; or take its fentence to God and to the word, and fee how he approveth of it, and how his word doth warrant it ; for (as Solomon faith, Prov. 30. i 2) .there is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, that are not clean fed from their flthinefs. There is yet, on this fide, a 24 6)ueflion, viz. If Con ci- ence may not only think itfelf to be right, but think fo in a high degree, f0 as even to be perfwaded of it, when F4 Yet 0.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=