A Treatife of Confcience. 57 humbled his foul before God, and obtained pardon, his con - fciencetelleth him as much,and abfolveth him, Bleff'e the Lord, Pfi.to3.3. O my foul, &c. Who forgiveth all thy fins. Nay, though a child of God have many infirmities daily and hourly, yet his conscience doth abfolve him : It is no more I that do it, faith his confcience, but finne that eiWelleth in me. If I difirut, it is no more I ; for I fight againfl it : If 1 be overtaken by any weaknefe, it is no more I; for ¡laboured againfl it, and do bewail it. III. Amiflikjng confcience. THe third part of confciences office in things done, is to miflike if we have done ill. There be imperfections in the bell obedience of Gods deareft fervants : what I do I allow not, faith 'Paul: His confcience mifliked fomething done by him. But that miflike of confcience which now I fpeak of, is of things that are ill done, that is not done in truth and fincerity. Thus it is in all that are not renewed by the Holy Ghoft : The office of their confcience indeed is to miflike what they do : nom. 7 When they have prayed, their confcience can miflike it, and 15. fay, I have not prayed with a heavenly mind, a holy heart: When they have been at a Sacrament , confcience can truly miflike its and fay , 1 have not been a fftguefl at Chrifls Table, &c. When they are croffed and tempted, their lonfciences truly miflike their carriage , and fay, I do not fight and rejifl , but red. dily and willingly yield to every invitation to evil. Do ye not think that 7eraboams confcience mifliked his altering Gods worlhip, his innovating religion, his making (rat! to (inne? do not ye think his confcience mifliked him for thefe things ? Do not ye chink that Nabals confcience mifliked his griping? and Doegs confcience mifliked his flandering ? and Pafhurs confcience mifliked his oppofing and mifufing Ieremie? and the old Prophets confcience mifliked his lying ? Who would have thought but Balaam Paid well, whatfoever the Lord faith unto me that will I fpeak, and, I cannot go beyond the command- ment of the Lord to do lefe òr more ; no, not for Balaks houle full of gold ; who would have thought but that this was weil fad yet ins own confcience could not chufe but miflike it, being not I fpoken
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