treatife of Con,f'cZence, I13 Thus much (hall fuffice for anfwer to the lècond que-` Rion. III. Queflion ; What manrrer ofobedience it is that peace of confcience depended) upon ? The reaton of this queRion is this ; Becaufe it fhoull feem there is no fuch obedience in this life as any peace ofconfcience fhould depend ora. `Doth not James fay, In ?many things we firms all ? Dot hnot our Saviour fay,Wbenye havedone41 that ye can fay, We are unprofitablefervants ? Ifour confcience can Ifll fay that we are unprofitable, and that we do finne in every thing that we do, yea in many things, in all the duties we go about ; if our consciences can fay thus, How can any peace depend upon obedience ? What obedience do you mean that peace of conlciencedependeth upon? J anfwer, r. Abf>lute perfeaion in obedience is not re- quired unto evangelical)peace. For if it were, no man could have peace ; no not Paul, nor Abraham, nor any ofthe holieft ofGods children : and therefore nblòlute perfe&ion is not re- quired. If we fay we have not finned, we mali Chri f a liar, and has words not in us, r. John r. ro. Our confcience can Rill fay we have finned ; and it can Rill fay our obedience is imperfe& : A halting leg can never go perfe6 ly. A Jacob is called he that halcedh ; and every godly foul halteth ; )'hough hedo not halt between two, as wicked people do, yet he halteth in following after God. What purblind eye can lee perfè&ly ? or thick care heare perfetly ? He that hath thefè imperfeaions of body can neither go nor fee nor heare perfe6tly ; So the befl of Godschildren have imperfe6tions of heart and fprrrtand mind : their faith is imperfe6i, therr love is imperfe& ; and there- fore their obedience muff needs be imperfe&. But abfblute per- fe&ion is not required to true peace of confcience ; and there- fore this doth not hinder it. Second. Though abfolute perfeáion be not required to peace, yet fuch obedie,_ice is required as may be acceptable to God. So faith theApoflee, We labour that whe- ther prefent or abfent rote may be acceptedof him. Such obedi- ence we muff (hew as may be accepted of him, or we cannot Cc a have z. COT, f. 9.
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