! treat fë ofConfctence, renewed consciences. The end of the commandment is love, out of :a pure heart and good conference and faith unfeigned, I. Tim.. i. 5. See how tie Apostle compounded) them to- gether, a pure heart and agood con resents. W e muff get our hearts purged and quickened, that they may be fenfible of the leads evils ; and then our consciences will be good and be as a bridle to hold us from evils. A hard heart and a good confci- ence can never Rand together. 4. The fourth is the cleannelfe of confcience by the walking of Chofts blond. This is the main and the principali of all : Yea indeed the blood of Chrift is the foie and onely eaufe of a good confcience. J would not be miftaken : J named indeed other caufes ; Knowledge, and Humbling, and a holy Fear, a Combat agafnit fume, and Tenderneffe : but J do not mean as though a good conscience were partly beholding to them and partly to Chrifts blond : For it is wholly and onely be- holding to Chrifts blond for its goodneffe ; his blond is the onely price of it : But my meaning is this , That though Chrifts bloud be the one only caufe of redemption, yet in the application of redemption the Lord ufeth all thofe forenamed graces while he applieth it to the confcience. Therefore this now J adde; The wafhing of Chrifts blood, this is chiefly re- quired to thegoodneffe of conscience. We have two places of Scripture to prove it : The one, Heb. a, 74. How much more fhall the bloodofCbrifF purge our conferences from dead works? I t is that onely can do it. The other text is z . Pet. 2 . i 1. The anfwer of agood confcrencs towards God by the refirrethrsn of JefurChrift. Where the Apoflle firfigiveth this tide to re- newed confcience, to be called a good conference : Secondly, he nameth the mile that maketh it to be go . d, the power of ChrIIs refurreoetron : When the refurreéion of Chrift Jefus is powerful upon us, then confcience becometh good. c. The fifih is quietneffe. By nature nothing is fo fierce and violent, if it be once awaked, as confcience is.: O it is un- fpeak,bly furious. Thus is confcience by nature : and there- fine it can never be good untill we get it appealed. with the affurance i133
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