A í7 reatfe o fConfczence. can omit good duties as though theyhad no confcience at all : they can deferre repentance and turning to God as though theyhad no more confcience then a beat} : but one day confci- ence will appear , and Phew plainly that it was prefent with them every moment of their lives, and privy to all their thoughts, and all theirways, and fet before them all the things that they have done. Be men never fo fecure and fenfeleffe, and feared for the prefent, confcience will break out either firft or laft : Either here or in hell it will appear to every man , That he hath and ever had a confcience. Now the reafons why God did plant a confcience in every man living,are, 1. Becaufe theLord is a very righteous Judge : And as he commandeth earthly Judges not to judge without witnefe : fo he himfelfwill not judge without witnefte, and therefore he planteth a confcience in every one tobring in evidence for himor againft him at Gods tribunal. 2. Becaufe the Lord is very merciful. We arewondrous for- getful and mindleffe of God and ofour own fouls, and have need to be quickned up toour duties; therefore the Lord hath given every oneof us a confcience to be acontinual monitour. Sometime we forget topray, and then confcienceputteth us in mind togo to God : fometime we aredull in the duty, and confcience is as a prick to quicken us, Sometime our paflions are diftempered, and then confciencechecketh and command- eth us to bridle them. We fhould never be kept in any order if it were not for confcience : Therforebath the Lord in mercy given us aconfcience. The firft ufe is to condemn that diabolical Proverb com- mon amongmen; Con/ienee is hanged agreat while ago. No, no ; Achitophelmay hang himfelf, but hecannot hanghis con- fcient Sass! may kill himfelf, but confcience cannot be kil- led. Jr is a worm that never diet), As the realonable foul of man is immortal, fo confcience alfo is immortal. 2. This condemneth fuch as go about to fuppreffe confcience their confcience maketh themmelancholick & lumpifh now &, then:.'
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