8 .A rreatife o f Gonfcience. fpoken in fincerity. Many a man bath gone for a Chriftian twenty or thirty years, and every one liketh him,and yet it may be his confc ience bath difliked him all the while. IV. A condemning Confcience, `Tr He fourth part of confciences office in this behalf, is to _L condemne if we have done evil and contrary to Gods law. Confcience bath an office not only to miflike us but all° Gen. to condemn us : nay, it will haften more to condemn us then ' ' God. We fee it in Adam : when Adam had finned, his confci- ence condemned him before God did : he knew that he was naked, that he had made his foul fhamefully naked ; his con - fcience condemned him for an Apoftate before the Lord came Ito paffe fentence upon him. Nay,it condemneth us oftner then I God ; God will condemn a (inner but once for all, viz. at the laft day ; but confciencecondemneth him many thouiand times before that. Many men and women who do feem godly in the worlds eyes, God knoweth how many of them have condemn- ing confciences in their bofomes, for all their civilities, and formalities, and crying God mercie, and patched up hopes; many who would fay that man were uncharitable who fhould condemne them for fuch and fuch, who (it may be ) find con- fcience within fo uncharitable, and laying plainly; Ye are fo ; Tit. 3. r r. like the confcience of Palls heretick, who is laid to be condem- ned of him(elf. Vfe, I. I. This ferveth for the praife of the juftice of,God : That he may be juft when he judgeth, the Lord needeth no other wit - 1 nef a againft us but our own confciences : they make way for Rom.a.a 5 the juft judgment of God. Ye may fee this in this portion of Scripture which we have in hand ; wherein is (hewed both that God bath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world, vet!: t 6. In the day Wien God (hall judge the fecrets of all men acy, cording to my Cofpe1: and then in the verle going before the Apoftle fheweth that now in the mean while every mans con- fcience maketh way for this juft judgement of God ; their con- fcience. ii
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