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d

tregtife

of

Confoience.

131

The

devils in

hell have not loft

the

goodnefl'c

of

their

ecience

Nay,

the

ef1ence

is

better then the

eflènce

of

Gods

Saints

their

effence

mutt

be

good,

becaufe

that

is

Gods

creature

;

nay, bet-

ter

then

any mans

eflence, becaufe

the Lord made them

a

degree

above

man. And

as

man

is

a degree

above

beans,

fo

Angels are

a

do

gree

aboye man

:

fo

conlcience

is a

degree

above other

powers

of

the

foul

in

its

naturall

goodneffe.

That

conlcience

bath Inch a natural!

goodneffe

in it,

fee

it

in

thofe

curled Scribes

and

Pharifees,

hypocrites,

who

brought the woman taken

in

adultery to

Ord

:

Their

confcience

was good

;

they were

convicted

of

their

confciences

:

their confciences

dealt

honeftly

with them,

and

told

them the

truth that they

were

wicked

(inners themfelyes. This

is

the

natural'

goodneffe in

con-

fcience.

2.

A renewed good

confcience.

J

call

it a

renewed good

confcience, becaufe

when

a

man

is

renewed,

all

the man

is

re-

new

ed

;

all

his

mind

and

the fpirit

ofir

is

renewed,

Ephef.

}.23.

7

h.tye

may he renewed

in the

fpirit

ofyour mind.

Ifthe

nun

be

renewed,

all

the

mind

muff

be

renewed

;

and

therefore

the

confcience

muff

bee

renewed

too

,

for

the mind

an& the

con-

fcience

ever 'go

together

:

nay,

confcience

is

mainly

feated

in

the mind

;

and

therefore

if

the mind be renewed,

fo

is

the

con

-

feience

;

and

if

the

mind

be

defiled,

fo

is

the

confcience. To

them

that

are

defiled

is

marking

pure,

but their

a

mils

and

con

-

fciences

are

defiled.

Mark

;

When

they

are

defiled

they

are

defiled

together

:

fo

when

they

are

wafhed

and renewed, they

are

wafhed and

renewed together.

Now

this

renewed

confci-

ence

is

either

perfeó

or

defeaive.

i.

Perfe6i.

J

mean

not

per

-

fe& in

every degree

of

goodneffe

:

For

fo

no

mans confcience

in

the

world

is

perfef

:

But

J

mean perfe&

in

every

part

and

j

condition

of

goodneffe.

2.

A defective good

renewed

confci-

ence

is

that

which faileth

in forne

conditions

of

goodneffe.

We

call

it

a

weak,

confcience, which

is

apt to

be

polluted

and defiled

again.

T.

Cor.8.7.

Their

confcience

icing

we4

.c

defiled.

This

is

a

defctive

good

confcience

renewed

, but

imper-

fe&ly

renewed.

Ee

tobt

8.9.

7'it.t.

15'

J