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A

Treati(e

of

Confcience.

12

I

2.

Knowledge

of our

felves

:

This

alto

is

the light

that

con

-

k

fcience

afteth

by.

There

is

in

every man force meafure

of

know-

ledge

of

himfelf according

to

the

meafure

of

knowledge

that

he

bath

of

Gods

law.

Our

confciences

look

backward

and

forward

;

forward

to Gods

law, and backward on

our

felves.

Whether

we

be

fuch as

Gods

law requireth, yea

or

no.

Fira,

ye may finde

this

in

good

men.

This light

did

the

confcience

of

Pf,

i8.23

David

go

by

:

I

vex upright

before God,

faith

his

confcience, and

I

kept

my

Pelf

from

mine

own

iniquity. His confcience had

a

light whereby

he knew

what

he

did.

Secondly,

ye

(hall

finde

this

in

wicked men.This

light

the

confcience

of

llchar

went

by:

¡have

finned

againft the

Lord

God

of

Ifrael,

and

thus

and thus

jofh.7.zO.

have

I

done.

Thefe are

the

two

lights

that

every mans confcience

goes

by

It

hath light

in

fcme

meafure

to

know theLaw

of

God,what

he

fhould do and what

he

fhould

not do;

and

it

hath light

in

force

meafure

to

know

himfelf,

what

he

bath done

or

not

done, whe-

ther

he

hath done

as

he

fhould

yea

or

no.

Now

thefe

two

lights

are

neceffary;

as

thus

I

prove.

Firft, the

knowledge

of

Gods

Law

is

neceffary,

for

elfe

con-

fcience

cannot

work.

A

drunkardmight

be

drunk

every

day

in

the

yeere, and yet

confcience

could

not

trouble

him

nor

con

-

demne

him

of

fin

unleífe he

knew the Law,

That God

hath

for-

bid drunkenneffe. And

the f.vearer, And

fo

evill

words and

bad

thoughts

confcience

cannot

accufe

for,

unleffe

there

be fo

much

light

as

to know

they are

forbidden.

And

therefore

Di-

vines

do

all

fay

that

the

Synterefis

is

neceffarie

to

the

exercife

of

confcience.

The

Sy

rat

erefis

is

this;

When

a

man

keeps

in his

mînde

the

knowledge

of

the things contained

in

Gods

Law

o-

namely,

That

we

muff

obey

God,

honour our

parents,

not

commit adultery,

not

kill,

not

Beal,

not

lie,

not

covet,

&c.

Un-

lefíe

the

knowledge

of

thefe

be

kept

in

minde

confcience

cannot

work.

And

therefore when

we

would ftirre

a

mans confcience,

s

Cor,6

9

we

appeal

to

his

knowledge;

Knov'

you not

that

the

unrighte.

ous

fball

not

inherit

the

,çingdome

of

God? As

if

he

had laid,

Your

own

confciences may

condemn

you

to

the

pit

of

hell

if

ye be

unrighteous,