76 l .A T reati f o f Con f cience. fearfulnes which is in many : who dare not be in the dark dare not go through a Church-yard in the night, Some will quake at the very [baking of a leaf, as the wicked in 74:which is nothing but a guilty cordfcience.I grant this fearfulnes is natural to fome; yet I fay the true peace of confcience will cure it. I do not fay this is a reciprocal) ligne of true peace of confcience : for many wicked men may be bold enough : but I fay true peace ofcon- fcience will cure this immoderate fearfulneffe in the godly. But here two queftions are to be asked, I. Whether every true child of God that bath true peace of confcience can think of death with comfort and be deirous to die. An(w. r. Peace of confcience Both not take away natural fear. It is the nature of every living creature to be very fearfull of death. The Philofopher calleth death 0oßegw ga3=pmrawc, the fearfuleft thing of all fearfull things. Bildad calleth it the kng of terrours. Nature loveth its own prefervation ; and therefore feareth the deflruaion of it. Peace of confcience doth not take away all this feare. 2. Beides, peace of confcience doth not take away alwayes all degrees of Ilavifh'fear of death. The reafon is, becaufe peace of confcience may be-weak,mixed with much troubles of confcience.For as faith may be very imperfea, fo peace of confcience may be in fome very imperfea Good old Hilarion was very fearfull to die : Hecryed out to his foul when he lay on his death bed, O my foul, haft thou fer- ved Chrift the(e fourefcere years, and art thou now afraid to die ? fob 4.18 Again, a mans love may be very imperfect. `Perfeil love indeed cafteth out feare ; but imperfect love doth not. Hezekiah had peace of confcience : Remember Lord, faith he, 1 have walked n Kings before thee in truth, and with aperfe6i heart. Mark ; He had the za. 3. peace of a good confcience; his confcience told him he had a fincere heart, and that his wayes pleafed God : yet he was afraid to die: I do not chink it was onely becaufe he had no'iffue, though that might be tome reafon of it '3. When a child of God is afraid to die, it is not fo much for love of this life a$ out Pfá 39 13 of a delire to be better prepared. This made David cry out, O )pare me, that I may recover ftrength, before 1 go hence and be no more Job. 1 S.a 1 Iob.r 8,14.
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