A T reatife of Confcience. 15 5 followed : it will 1h angle it fell, and fmother it fell; you thall hear no more of it. Eïpecially take heed you do not reject con- fcience, nor offer violence to it : It you do, you will make it unfaithful and remiffe ; and then you lofe the bell means under heaven of your good : Then deadnefl'e of fpirit fucceedeth, and hardneffe of heart taketh place, and you deprive your fouls of all poflibility of cure. As long as a lick man bath any poffi- bility of cure he is !till under hope ; but if ever he lofe that,he is gone : Confcience is the poffibility of the foul to amendment and therefore if you dull confcience, and make conicience re- I mifle and unfaithful, you take the ready way to deprive y our 1 felves of all poflibility of riling again. Confider thefe things, and have a care of your confciences. And thus we have handled the office of confcience about things to be done and omitted, with its adjun ls, affeetionsand properties in that behalf. I come now to confider the office of Confcience about things already done or omitted together with the affeaions of confcience in the difiharge of that office. The Office of Confcience about things already, done or omitted. THishath foure parts : i. To approve ; a, To abfolve ; 3. To miflike ; 4. To condemne, according to the good or evil of our aftionsoromiflì.ons. The judgement is not only of the things, what they are ; but whither they tend,and what they will produce. I. An approving Confcience. JIra, when that which is done is good, confcience approveth it ; as `Paul faith, This is our rejoycing, the teftimony of our confcience, 2 Cor. I. 12. When he had lived uprightly and fincerely , his confcience approved of it ; fo when he had great forrow and heavineffe for his brethren his confci- ence approved of it ; my confcience tearing me witnef'e, faith he. So at his latter end we may fee how his con- fcience approved the whole courfe of his life; I havefinilhed my courfe, 1 have kept the faith, tc. there is confciences ap- probation Itom B.t. 7. 8.
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