Fenner - Houston-Packer Collection BX5037 .F46 1651

A rreatife of Confcience. ple,he calleth him the God of pe4ce; hefanetifieth his people by peace : It maketh them think thus, We mull not do thm or thus as others do ; we fhall lofe the peace of our confcience if we do. This makes them if rive againf} thine, deny their own wills and carnal appetites; If Ishould not do fo (fhauld have no peace. This peace fanftifieth: But the peace which carnali men seem to have doth not ianéfifie the foul : they are never the more holy for the fame.Again,another effcec of the peace of a good confci- ence is,to put life into us in the performance of good duties : it maketh us with gladneffe and delight perform the duties of our generali and particular callings : Bur the falle peace of an evil confcience fuffereth the wicked to be dead and dull to good duties. The true peace keepeth our hearts and our minds: We should lofe our minds in the things of this life, but this peace doth keep them upon God ; we fnould lofe our hearts upon our profits and pleafures and affaires in the world, but the peace of confcience Both keep them upon heaven : Phil. 4. 7. The peace of Cod which pafeth all undemanding, (hall keep your hearts and minds. This doth the peace and quiet of a good confcience but the quiet of a wicked mans confcience doth not do thus ; it keepeth not his mind in this manner, but it is upon earthly things for all that. IV. They differ in refpe t of duration and continuance. The quiet of a good confcience is fettled and grounded in the godly; it never failech them nor forfaketh them; the other peace is fading. Let a feeling Sermon come and rifle carnali men, it taketh away their peace from them ; their confciences then flue in their faces, and then they fee they are not right ; Let Joffe of outward things come and light upon them, or any other af- fliction, it taketh their peace from them ; confcience then breaketh out upon them and fheweth them how they have de- ceived themfeives with false peace, efpecially at their death, then an evil confcience ( that hath been quiet before ) in Bead of comforting will affright and amaze them. But if we have the quiet of a good confcience, it will make us heare the word with comfort, and not to be troubled & disquieted by a fearch- ing 9

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