d tregtife ofConfoience. 131 The devils inhell have not loft the goodnefl'c of their ecience Nay, the ef1ence is better then the eflènce of Gods Saints their effence mutt begood, becaufethat is Gods creature ; nay, bet- ter then any mans eflence, becaufe the Lord made them a degree aboveman. And as man is a degree abovebeans, fo Angels are a dogree aboye man : fo conlcience is a degree above other powers of the foul in its naturall goodneffe. That conlcience bath Inch a natural! goodneffe in it, fee it in thofe curled Scribes and Pharifees, hypocrites, who brought the woman taken in adultery to Ord : Their confcience was good ; they were convictedoftheir confciences : their confciences dealt honeftly with them, and told them the truth that they were wicked (inners themfelyes. This is the natural' goodneffe in con- fcience. 2. A renewed good confcience. J call it a renewed good confcience, becaufe when a man is renewed, all the man is re- new ed ; all his mind and the fpirit ofir is renewed, Ephef. }.23. 7 h.tye may he renewed in the fpirit ofyour mind. Ifthenun be renewed, all the mindmuff be renewed ; and therefore the confcience muff bee renewed too , for the mind an& thecon- fcience ever 'go together : nay, confcience is mainly feated in the mind ; and therefore if the mind be renewed, fo is the con- feience ; and if the mind be defiled, fo is the confcience. To them that aredefiled is markingpure, but their a mils and con- fciences are defiled. Mark ; When they are defiled they are defiled together : fo when theyare wafhedand renewed, they are wafhed andrenewed together. Now this renewed confci- ence is either perfeó or defeaive. i. Perfe6i. Jmean not per- fe& in every degree of goodneffe : For fono mans confcience in the world is perfef : But J mean perfe& in every part and j conditionof goodneffe. 2. A defective good renewed confci- ence isthat which faileth in forne conditions ofgoodneffe. We call it a weak, confcience, which is apt to be polluted and defiled again. T. Cor.8.7. Their confcience icing we4 .c defiled. This is a defctive good confcience renewed , but imper- fe&ly renewed. Ee tobt 8.9. 7'it.t. 15' J
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