A reatife ofConfcience. greateft. It is impartial in its office : Others, it may be, dare not or will not accule, but confcience fpareth none, no not it tiff: Though its accufations do load andburden ant!: torment is felf,yec it will do ics office. 3. C on4cience alto is faithful in its office and fincere, Iÿ aI- wayes fpeaketh of us as is thinketh : It may be deceived and miftaken for a time, but it never fpeaketh contrary to'what it thinketh ; It is a faithful and fincere witneffe of our thoughts, words, actions and courfes, whether they be good or evill, fo farre as it is illightned by Gods word . It ever giveth evidence aright ; it never flattereth nor condemnethany without a caufe: It is a faithful and a very upright witneffe. Others may dill femble with us, and commend us and applaud us when we are naught, and call us good men and good women when we are nothing fo :but this will tell us plainly how vile and finfiall we are ; and if we fay we are good when we are not , tt will tell us Joh,2.4. plainly we lie. He that faith I knowhim, andk epeth:no.t his commandments, isa lyer. Mark, though he fay it, yet his con- fcience givech him the lie. It is faithful again in excufiri'á. It beareth witneffe ofevery good duty we perform, and ofwhat foever good is in us. T hough all robs friends fpake evill ofhim, and God himfeif by his outward judgments feetned to con : - demn him for a wicked man,yet fti.11 his confcience (like a faith- ob. a3, 3. full witneffe) did not forfake him, nay,it offered to reafon with God himfeif, I would reafon with God: I know I'hall be juftifi- ed, and I will never forfake mine innocency till I die. Still his confcience flood for him and excufed him. Thus on both fides confcience is a faithfull and fincere witneffe : it will not be cor- rupted to fpeak otherwife then it knoweth the matter is. 4. It is mote privie to what it dothwitneffe. It is more pri- vie towhat we have done then all the world : It-can faymore for us or againfi us then all the world. Thou nowe all the wickednefe that thy heart is privie unto,faith .Solomon to Shimei,. a King.2.44. VP. Thede of all this is; Seeing confcience is fo fupreme,fo im. partial], fofaithful, fo privie, we fhould take keed how we do any
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