d treatife ofConfcienEe, it was in our ¡own power,-yet when ,tic have pro_nil:ed we have bound our own conicienccs to theperformance, bccau íè there is Gods ieal upon it ; Gods law coinmandet1i us to be true of Our words. Theft arerelative bonds, bonds onely in relation to Gods law : Gods law is Rill the fupreme bond of con9cicfce. J will handle that firff. I. The law of God whereby he willzth and commandech and forbiddeth thisor that in his word, this is the main bond . of conicience ; When this bindeth it, nothing clle can look it ; and con .vary, it this look' it, nothing elfé can bind it. It fo bindeth confcience as the obferving and violating of it is that which maketh confcience clear or guilty before God. This is it viahich niaketh a man a debtour ; Iam adebtour, faith Paul, both to theGrecians an:i to the Barbarians : That is, j am bound in conicience by Gods command to preach the Gospel unto both. This is it that denominateth a man to be bound : Igo bound in the jfirit unto ,erufalem ; that is, knowing it to be Gods will am bound in confcience to g ,. This is that which layeth a necefli'y upon a man ; Anecefcy ra laid upon me to preach ; i. Jam bound in conicience by Gods word fo todo. This is that whSch layeth a kind of en- forcement upon men; We cannot butfpeak, the things which we have teen and heard ; that is, If we fhould not, our con- fciences vvculd Ric in our faces : We arebound by Gods will to do fo, and our contèiences lay a charge upon us that we can- not go againff it. The onely will and word of almighty God is that which fupremely bindeth eonfcience. y. BecaufeGod onely knoweth the heart; he feet's our thoughts, and he onely can reach to the fecrets of our ípirits ; and therefore he onely can bind our confcience. For who elfe can tell whether we make conicience of a thing yea or no ? perhaps we do, perhaps we do not. Nor man nor angel can tell certainly : but God knoweth certainly, and he onely ; and therefore he onely can bind our con'ciences. When the Lord doth command or forbid, the conicience is privy that God Meth it ; and therefore now it is bound. T°he word of God t6 Th° le, ofGod the bond of coníè icncc Rojyg. I , r 4. Rufa to zz t.Gor.9.1 Icir 4.ao Realans Heb.4
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