55 / 164
A
rreatire
of
Gonf
ci
ence.
45
meat
offend my
brother,
I
well eat
no
flefh
while
the
world
fland-
eth,
verf. 13.
It
is
a
grievous
offence
to
offend
the
confcience
o
the weak
; and
therefore
beware
of
it
They are very un-
chriflian
fpeeches,
I
know mine
oWn
liberty
:
If
others
be
offen-
ded.
What care
I
?
what
fhould
I
prejudice
my
felf
for
them
?
It
is
true, another
mans
confcience
cannot abbridge
me
of
my
liber-
ty
:
but
yet
I
in
charity
ought to
fufpend
the
aa
of
my
liberty
when
I
know
the
ufing it
will give offence
to
the weak.
1V.
To
admonifh our
felves
if
confcience
be fo
tender
a
thing,
to
be
careful
that
we offend
not
our
own
confèiences.
Confcience
is
quickly
offended
;
but
it
is
not
fo
loon
pacified.
Every
notorious
ftep
into
evil,
or neglect
in
duty, offendeth
confcience
;
and
confcience will keep
a
grudge
a
long
time, and
will
give
many
a
fecret
wound, deading the
heart
to
duty, ma-
king
faith
and confidence
in
God
dull
:
we
cannot
pray
with
courage, nor
come before
God
with
boldneff'e.
if
our hearts
condemne
us not,
ire have
confidence,
faith john.
An
erroneous
confcience will defile
you;
a
doubting
confcience
diflraft
you
;
a
fcrupulousconfcienceunlettle
you
:
but above
all
other,
an
illightned
confcience,
if
it
have
any
thing againfi
you,
will
ex-
ceedinglydifable
you;
this
flabbeth
at
the
heart your
confi-
dence
towards
God. Go
then and labour
to
purge
confcience,
elfe confcience
will
hinder you, whether
you pray,
or
hear,
or
receive
the Sacrament,
&c.
It
will
deprive you
of
comfort.
If
thou
bring
thy
gift
to the
Altar,
and there remembrefi
that
thy
brother
hath
ought
againfl
thee,leave there
thy
gift
before
the
Al-
tar
:
firfi
go
and
be
reconciled
to
thy
brother,
and then
come
and
of-
fer
thy
gift.
The
cafe
is
greater
and
more
dangerous
when con-
fcience hash
Ibmething
againft
us :
there
is
no
offering
will
be
accepted until
confcience
be fatisfied.
If
thou fhouldit
be
about
to
pray,
and confciencè fhould
hand
up
agairdt thee
as
an
ad-
verfary,
and tell
thee thou
haft been vain,
and
look,
and
car-
nal
all
this
day, thou
haft
not
fet thy
felf
to
keep
dole to God
this day,
thou
hail fallen
into
this and
that
finçe
this
day;
thou
art
not
fit
to
pray
till
thou haft reconciled
thy
felf
to
confci-
ence
:
Alas,
thy
confcience
will fecretly undermine
all
thy
praying
Vfe
4.
z
John
3.
21.
Ma.
5.
,