ilc8 1 d treatife of Confcience. 1 ,11nfw. begin with the firfl : Suppofè a man have peaceof con- fcience, what mull he do tokeep and maintein it ? J anger. Fitt}, We inua labour to prevent rroubles of confcience by taking heed that we donothing contrarie to confcience. We muff not be drawnby friendfhip, or credit, or t1-,e love of any lufl,to.do that which confcience torbiddeth. Nothing fhould be fo dear unto us as the peace of confc.ence : nothing for the love of it should make us do aught againft our confcience. Howmiferable are thole comforts. delights, fatiLa ons which we get to our Pelves in filch courfës as our own hearts docon- donne ! However they fferncomforts, for a vvh3e, and con- tentments for a while; a.nd c.;eltht. ; for a while, yet at fall it will appear that miferable comforts are they all. Nothing that we get in áriy evil way will chear arid comfort us in a time of need, What la td Francis .Spira at the time ofhis death, when íèeir:g his wife qt chldren about him, and chinkmgon the goods and efface which lie had .got for them by denying the truth which he h.ad before mainteined agatnfl the Rom,th errours, be cried out in the horrour of his confcience, How trrr,&1e ss the fight oftheft into me ! However before they had been comforts to him, yet now he could not endure the tight of them. O thought he J recantedforjourfake ; J yielded re fuperpron. and st was long ofyou : Therefore I e alai orrednow cue fige of them. Wretci ed is he that alloeth himfelf in any courlè which his conlc;cnsse ftndeth fault with. It is a good rut? th Apeflle giveth, He ed is he that condemneth not hisnfeif In that which he allosnetb : that is, Bien' ,s he that hash not condemning confcience, that alloweth not himfel to any eourfe wherein his confcience Both condentne him. So that if we have peace of confcience, and defire to maintein it, let us neve allow our (elves in any courfe that our confcience may con dentneus in. That is the fitfl anfwer. Secondly, if we will maintein our peace, we mull labour co have our hearts grounded in the atlirrance ofthe love ofGod alas, it vvill fail elle, and leave us in trouble and perplexitie in timeofgreatefl need. Obférve how the Apoflle joyneth and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=