58 ( A 7'reatife ofConfcience. `fpoken in fincerity. Many a man hath gone for a ChriPtian twenty or thirty years, and everyone liketh him,andyet it may be his conic ience bath difliked him all the while. Iv, A condemning Confcience, He fourth part of confciences office in this behalf, is to condemne if we have done evil and contrary to Gods law. Confcience hath an office not only tomiflike us but aft.° Gen. 3, 7. to condemn us : nay, it will haffen more to condemn us then God. We fee it in Adam : when Adam had finned, his confci- ence condemned him before God did : he knew that he was naked, that hehad made his foul fhamefully naked ; his Con- fcience condemned him for an Apoftate before the Lord came to paffe fentence upon him. Nay,it condemneth us oftner then God ; God will condemn a firmer but once for all, vit. at the Taff day ; but confcìencecondemneth him many thoufand times before that. Many men and women whodo feem godly in the worldseyes, God knoweth howmany of them have condemn. ing confciences in their bofomeF, for all their civilities, and formalities, andcrying God mercie, and patched up hopes ; manywho would fay that man were uncharitable who fhould condemne them for fuch and fuch; who (it may be ) find con- ícience within fo uncharitable, and faying plainly; Ye arefo ; Tit. 3.11. like the confcìence of Pauls heretick, who is Paid to be condem- nedofhim(el f. Vfe, s. I. This ferveth for the praife ofthe juRice of God : That he may be ¡Lift when he judgeth; theLordneedeth no other wit- neffe againft us but our own confciences : they make way for F:oan.a I 5 the juft judgment ofGod. Ye may fee this in this portion of Scripture which we have in hand ; wherein is (hewed both that God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world, veri. t 6. In theday When Godfhalljudge thefecrets of allmen ac- cording to my CJofpel: and then in- the verle going before the Apoftie fheweth that now in the mean while every mans con- ícience makethway for this ¡Lift judgement of God; their con- fcience
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