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r...

44

!

A

Treatife

of

Confcìence.

ing, and reading, and hearing,

and

conferring

will never

be

a-

ble

to

do it

:

it

is

only

in

the

power

of

him

who

made

us

to

do

it.

Thy

hand) have made

and

fafhioned me

:

o

give

me

under

-

73.

Banding,

that I

may

learn

thy commandments.

He

who made our

coniciences,

he

only

can give

them

this heavenly light

of

true

2,

knowledge

and right

underftanding

:

and

therefore

let

us

feek

ear neflly

to

him

for it.

2.

We

mutt

leek

it

in

humility,

alwayes

fufpe&ing

our own

knowledge.We

are

not too

confidently

and

prefumptuoufly

to

trull

to

our

own

judgment,

and defpife or

neglea

the

judgment

of

others,

The

humble

God

Will

teach;

Pride

and

felf

conceiredneffe

blindeth

exceedingly,

3.

We

mutt

Peek

with

fobriety,always

contenting

our

felves

with

that

know.

ledge which

is

mot} necef

ary

,

and

not

be

curious

about

vaine

and idle

-

brained que[tions,

or

folicitous

to

anfwer every

obje.

lion

that

(hall

be

railed up againft the

truth.

A

lover

of the

truth

(

hould

not

be

ready

to

entertain

all

obje&ions againft it,

and never

be

fetled

till

he can

anfwer

all

that

can

be

cafe

in;

which

will be

never.

It

is

not

expe&ed

that there

should

be

in

every man

ii

ch

a

ripeneffe

of

judgment

and

fuch a

meafure

of

illumination

as

that

he

íhould

be

able

to

difpute with the

molt

learned, or

anfwer every

obje

&ion

that

can be

railed

:

But

we

muff

with

that

good Martyr

fay

,

Though

I

cannot di-

jb

ute

for

(hril

I

can

die

for

him

:we

mutt

be

content

with our

meafure,

to

be

wife

unto fobriety.

III.

Thofe godly

fouls

that

have

weak

confciences

muff

ufe

them

very

gently

:

Scrupulofi

non

font

rigidè

tratlandi

,

Those

that

are

fcrupulous

are

not to

be

handled rigidly.When

a

mote

is

in

the

eye,

it

is

not

boiftroufly

to

be

dealt

withal

:

that

will

make

it worfè.

The

eye

is

a

tender part,

and fo

is

the

confci-

ence.

Again,

we

muff

take

heed

of

offending

weak

confcif

nces.

ht

may be

thou knoweft thine own liberty

that

thou mayft

do

this or

that;

but thy

brother

is

weak,

and

he

doth not

know

it

to

be

lawful

:

O

take heed

of

giving

offence

:

Confider the

A-

polies

words,'

Cor. 8.

12

When

ye

fin againft

your

brethren

and

wound

their

Weak.confciences,

ye fin

againft Chrift.

Confider

alto

the

praaice

of

the Apoftle,

and

the refolution that

he had

;.

If

meat

Pfd.

a

r9.

P

51

zS9.

3.

Vfe

3.

Antonia.