19 1 A l reatife o f Confcience. can omit good duties as though they had no confcience at all : ;they can deferre repentance and turning to God as though they had no more confcience then a beaft : but one day confci- ence will appear , and thew plainly that it was prefent with them every moment of their lives , and privy to all their thoughts, and all their ways, and let before them all the things that they have done. Be men never fo fècure and fenfelefle, and feared for the prefent, confcience will break out either firfl or !aft : Either here or in hell it will appear to every man , That he bath and ever had a confcience. Rea on: Now the reafons why God did plant a confcience in every man living,are, t, a. Becaufe the Lord is a very righteous Judge: And as he commandeth earthly Judges not to judge without witneffe : fo he himfelfwill not judge without witneffe, and therefore he planteth a confcience in every one to bring in evidence for him or againft him at Gods tribunal. 2. Becaufe the Lord is very merciful. We are wondrous for- a getful and mindlefl'e of God and of our own fouls, and have need to be quickned up to our duties; therefore the Lord hath given every one of us a confcience to be a continual monitour. Sometime we forget to pray, and then confcience putteth us in mind to go to God : fometime we are dull in the duty, and confcience is as a prick to quicken us. Sometime our paffions are diftempered, and then confcience checketh and command - eth us to bridle them. We fhould never be kept in any order if it were not for confcience : Thérfore path the Lord in mercy given us a confcience. 7lfe -i, 1 The firli ufe is to condemn that diabolical Proverb com- mon among men ; Confcience is hanged agreat while ago. No,, no ; Achitophel may hang himfelf, but he cannot hang his con- fcience: Saul may kill himfelf, but confcience cannot be kil- Mar.9.44. led.. It is a worm that never dietb. As the reatonable foul of man is immortal, fa . confcience alto is immortal. Vfe 2, 2.. his condemneth fuch as go about to fuppreffe confcience their confcience maketh them melancholick & lumpifh now & then,
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