A Tredtife o f Gonfcience. any point in Gods word with joy and delight. A wicked heart can hear points ofmercrand comfort with joy : fo long his peace lafteth : Every man that calle.th upon the name of the Lord fkallbelayed; If ore confe ff e our finnes, God is juft to forgive us our jinxes ; l f any man finne, We have an Advocate with the Father, ]ecru (brifi the righteous ; whover (hall confeffe that Jefus is the Sonne of Cod, God deWellei h in him and he in God : Such points as thefe a wicked heart can read with delight (though if they were truly opened and expounded they would yield him cold comfort, yet he can hear them with delight in the lump :) But if a fearching point or fome terrible point cometh, he is afraid to hear that. Ahab had a quiet confcience but only when Micioaiah did preach : Felix had a quiet con- fcience no doubt; yet he trembled to hear Paul preach of death and of judgment, As 24. 25. One would have thought that Paul ( a pnfoner) fhould rather have been afraid : but 'Paul had true peace of confcience, and therefore he could think and (peak of death with great comfort, and of judgment with joy ; So could not Felix, Beloved, this is a fIrong ligne of a falle peace, when force points of Gods word lay us flat and bereave us of our hold. Ye (hall have many fay, O they have fach peace, and they have fuchagood confcience, as quiet as can be, and as heart -whole as can be : By and by a found fearching point com- eth and ranfacketh them to the quick, and they are gone. I confe(fethey go and get force untempered morter or other, and dawb up their consciences again ; but they are gone for the time. This is a ftrong figne of a rotten peace, But a child of God can hear any point, hear of death, of judgment, of any thing contained in the word, with delight and comForr. It is true, he may be amazed thereat : but he is glad at heart that he heareth it, and will make ufe of it, be it mercy or judgment. Sweet or bitter points all are welcome to him : even the bit_ tereft points are fweet to him, becaufe God and he are at peace; and therefore he knoweth there is no news from God but it is good. IV.. If our peace of confcience be good,it will heal that bate L a fearful-
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