A Treatife o f Corrffience. unrighteous,becaufe your Synterefis can tell you that the un- righteous (hall not inherit the kingdome of God. This is the reafon why we fay that there is a naturals confcience and there is an illuminated confcience ; becaufe force have no light but onely the light of nature, Come have betides the light of Gods word, which {heweth that which nature (heweth , and much more clearly, and teacheth many things more which nature can- not teach : And hence the confcience of the illightned condem- neth for fach things as the natural! confcience never ftirreth about. Secondly, the knowledge of our lelves is needfull; elfe con- fcience cannot a& 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 againil it, confcience cannot accule nor excufe. As for example; A dole hypocrite,he know - eth well enough that the Lord hath condemned hypocrite, and that hypocrites mull 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 neceffary, as well the knowlege of a mans Pelf as of Gods Law. Many who had a hand in crucifying our Saviour, finned grievoully ; yet they finned riot againft nowledge, be- Luk.Z3ß + caufe they knew not what they did : Father, forgive them, they /know not What they do. Thirdly, It is a contradiction to fay a blind confcienee in ad. The confcience cannot be blind and yet actually condemne. In- deed the confcience it fclf may be blind, but it can never ad and be blind;If it truly accule or excufe it muff have force light. It is true,it may erroneoufly excufe or accufe, &yet haveno true ligh; Seeming light is enough to do that;feeming knowledg is enogh to make confcience erroneoufly exuife; As they who killed the ioh, 16.z. Apoftles,their confciences excufed them, & told them they did God good fervice; they Teemed 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. VJe. 1. The ufe of this point is firft,to let us fee the infinite neceffity of knowledge.
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