54 A Treatife o f Confcience. ries offered unto it,beginneth to provide for its own eafe, & (o either it is filent and faith nothing,or elfe is loon anfwered and rebuked ; as it was with Mofes : When Pharaoh would never hearken unto Mofes, but {till fe'1 to excufes, and at Taft to de. ny all, he would not let Ifrael go, notwithftanding all that Mofes could urge, but Paid to Mofes, Get thee from me; ta/ee heed to thy felf ; fee my face no more ; Mofes then anfwered, Thou haft fpokeoswell; Ievillfeethy face no more. So it is with confcience; When men have been obftinate, and have refufed to hear it, and would have it fpeak no more. Thon haft well- (poken, faith confcience : henceforth I ìrill trouble you no more, but let you alone to take your corerte: I will advi fe you no more; or if I do, I will not be any more importunate. 4, A fourth caufe is, that men do wilfully ftop the mouth of confcience : If it beginneth to fpeak, prefently they bufìe them - felves about other things ; or if that will not do, they run into company, and there fpend their time, that the howlings of confcience may not be heard ; and if ail' it be loud, they ftrike up the drum, and ring all the bels, that the voice of it may be utterly drowned : and fo confcience at !aft is content to Ptand by, to heare and fee and fay nothing. By this means many times it falleth out that thofè who have had very turbulent and clamorous confciences not fuffering them to be quiet, have at la{t tamed them and put them quite to filence ; or if they do fpeak: it is fo coldly and remiffely that they care not whether they be obeyed or no. Ohthefe are damnable and de- villifh devices ! Whoever ye be that do thus, ye are in a dange_ gerous eftate, and ye carry the brands of hell and damnation upon you. If ever you delire to avoid this dangerous eftate, then (bun the caufe Labour to have your confcience throughly illightned and informed by the Word of God, that it may read you your duty. A friend that knoweth but little can give but little counfel. Again, give heed evermore to the counfel of confcience. You know Achitophel took it ill that his counfel was not followed ; therefore he made away himfelf in dif_ pleafure : So confcience will take it very ill if its counfel be not followed Exod. 29.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=