Vfe i. Ifa. ;3. 3, z.The ju dicial bear. A7 reatife o f Confcience, This arifeth either from the ftrength of corruption and weakneß'e of grace : We look into our felves, and fee our cor- ruptions violent, and our love to God (mall; and fo we are deceived, not feeing the radicali power of this love of God, which in regard of its vertue is Rronger then the other : As a fool, if he fhou'. d feel hot water, would conclude that there is no cold at all in it, whereas there is radical! cold in that wa- ter, fuch as will expel! all that heat in little fpace. Or elk this arifèth from anguifh of fpiric, which It) diRurbeth the minde, that it cannot fee its owncondition,nor be capable of the com- forts belonging unto it; as it was with the Ifraelites, E'xod.6.9. otherwife doubtleffewe may know ourown hearts ; and when our confcience beareth witnefle,itswitnefle is right. I. Ufe,ofreproof to a.hofe whoRand out againff the witnefle of their confcience, and like heard- hearted felons plead Not guilty, though never fo much evidence come against them, though confcience oft tell them, this they have done, thus they do, fuch they are. Oh flop not your Bares again[} confcience; Rand not out againR it, but beleeve its teftimony,and make ufe of it to repent of the evill it acculeth of while mercy maybe had, before God himfelf corneal and joynethwith confcience to condemn for ever. I[. Ir ferveth for fingular encouragement to all to abound in good works, Conscience will bear witnelfeof them all to our unfp:akable comfort in the timeofaf iaions,yea at death and judgment. yob felt it a fwect thing to have confcience give in teflimony of his integrity and uprightnefle. When his friends proved miferable comforters, and God himfelf feemed towrite bitter things againfi him , yet his confcience witneffed that he had been eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame, he had fed the hungry, and clothed the naked, andcomforted the fatherle fie. There is not a good thing that ever we do but confcience will afford us the fweetnefle and comfort of it in our troubles : Re- member, O Lord, faith Hezekiah, that I have walked before thee in truth andWith a perftc`l heart. We have spoken of confciences Tingle bearing wtrnefie : l\ow
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