32 / 164
Job,
16.2.
1
2
reatie
o
f
Gonfcience.
unrighteous,becaufe your
Synterefis can
tell
you
that
the
un-
righteous (hall
not
inherit the kingdome
of
God.
This
is
the
reafon
why we
lay
that
there
is
a
natural(
confcience and
there
is
an
illuminated
confcience
;
becaufe
fome have
no light but
onely the
light
of
nature,
fome have betides
the
light
of
Gods
word,
which
fheweth
that
which
nature fheweth
,
and
much
more
clearly, and
teacheth
many
things more
which
nature
can-
not
teach
:
And
hence
the
confcience
of
the illightned condem-
neth
for
fuch
things
as
the natural(
confcience
never
flirreth
about.
Secondly,
the
knowledge
of
our
!elves
is
needRall;
elfe
con-
fcience
cannot
aft
neither. Though
we
know
what Gods Law
requireth and
what not, what
is
good
and what
not,
yet
unleffe
we
know
whether
we go
with it
or
againft
it,
conscience
cannot
accule
nor
excufe.
As
for
example;
A
clofe
hypocrite,he know
-
eth
well enough
that
the Lord hath condemned
hypocrite,
and
that
hypocrites
muff have
their portion
in hell
:
yet
it
he
do
not
know himfelf
to
be
an
hypocrite,
his
confcience can never
condemne
him
for
being one. And
therefore
both
thefe
know
-
ledges
are
nece.fi`ary,
as
well
the
knowlege
of
a
mans
felf
as
of
Gods
Law.
Many
who had
a
hand
in
crucifying
our
Saviour,
finned
grievou(ly; yet they finned
not
againft
nowledge,.
be-
caufe
they knew
not
what
they did
:
Father,
forgive
their,, they
kin
ow
not
What they
do.
Thirdly,
It
is
a
contradidion to
fay
a
blind
confcienee
in
ate.
The
confcience
cannot
be
blind and yet
adually
condemne. In-
deed the
confcience
it felf
may be
blind, but
it
can
never
ad
and
be
blind;If
it truly
accule
or
excufe
it
mtsft
have fome
light.
It
is
true,it
may
erroneoufly
excufe
or
accule,
&yet have no
true
ligh;
Seeming
light
is
enough
to
do that;feeming knowledg
is
enogh
to
make
confcience erroneoufly
excufe;
As
they who
killed
the
Apoftles,their
confciences excufed
them,
&
told
them they
did
God
good
fervice;
they
feemed
to
know it
was
good
fervice
to
God,
and
therefore
their
confciences excufed
them,
&c. Thus
ye
fee
that
the
light
that
confcience
worketh
by
is
knowledge.
The
ufe
of
this
point
is
firft,to let
us
fee
the infinite
neceffity
of
knowledge.