498 The Nature and Necejfity of Regeneration: Fithct· in Prcfumption, and in the fecurity of their Hearts only; .:md their difa pointment _will b~ fad, when infte~d of finding him t_heir God and Father, they {h;!t only find Jutn thc1r Judge. Now It appears that this Peace of a carnal Man's Con· fcience is only from a deep fpiritual Security, becaufe if you come w examine the grounds of it, '""hat is it that fu<.:h plead, only the goodnefs of their Hearts. the\· blcfs God their Hearts :1rc good, and in this they trufr, and of this they b~ft and glory; though they live in the confrant negleCt of holy Du ties, and though thcv· wallow in the filth of cufi:omary fins, yet frill they bo.1fi: of this, that they have good Hearts: But tbis is a meer felf-dclufion, for it is as utterly impoO"ibie that the Hclft fh~nld be good ~vh~re.the Life is wicked and pr~phane, as tha.t a good Root fhould bnng forth evil Frlllt. Such a fecure Peace 1s no good Evidence that this great change is. wrought upon the Heart by Regeneratiori, but is only founded upon me~r obfhnacy and carclcfi1cfs of the great Concernments of Mens Evcrlafring Sal~ vat iOI\· ~ . Secondly, As Peace of Confcimce is tJot, fo mit~tr is the 'frouble of Confcienceagood l'r~,~,.:c ~r ~ ~,;·idtm;_e l)f a Man)s Rrgmtrt!tion. A dull Lethargtck Confctence that bath lain long <;onfl ,mct mfenhble under the comnuffion of grof~ fins, may at length by ftrong ConviCl:ions 11 ~o_r;Md {be ftartled, awakened, and troubled With the fence of fin, and frighted with the ~:~;::/ light of\Vrath, and yet all this whil~ remain an impure and J:l?lluted Confcience. God may fct an unregenerate Man upon the Wrack, break all his Bones, and give him fame foretafrcs of that Cup of tref!Ibling that he mufi: for ever drink of; and as he made himfelf a Devil Incarnate by hts fins, fo God may make his Confcicnce an Ht!llncarnate with his Torments. You hear Cain, that Primitive Reprobate crying out, ft1y punijiJmcm U greater than I can bear. Nor could Jud.u find any other way to choak his Confciencc than with l Hal;er. Thoug~ in a courfe of. finning Confciencc may be dead and feared, yet God will awaken thts fieepy Confclence, and when it ibJ\1 then fee that it bath fiept only on the top of a Mask, and on the brink ofHell and that it is fa\Jin~ into it irrecoverably, what fears and terrors will this cramp i~ \iVith ? And yet it may leave it fhort of true Grace ; under the horrors of Sin, and yet fl10rt of Grace; torment it here, and yet poffibly be for ever tormented here~ after. Take heed therefore of colletling evidences of Regeneration only from the troub~e ?f your ~onfciences, w~ich deceiv~s many W~o take up. with preparatory ConviCbons, which do often vanrlh away Without leavmg any f.wmg tfteci:s of true Grace. Many if their Confciences are awakened to adrnonilh, reprove, and threaten them, they think this a good Argument of the goodncfs of their Conditions. St. Paul f.1ith of himfelf in his l!nregen:r~te State, Touching rhe righttoufntfs which iS of the larv he wm blamcltfs; fo fi:net and ngtd an _obferver was he of the Law, that his Confcience had little to J.Ccufc him of; and wtll you build your hopes upon a worfc Foundation than he did in his unregeneracy? Not that Confcience hath nothing to accufe you of, but that it cloth accufc you; not that you are not guilty, but that you arc fenfible of your guilt: What is this more than Sinners !hall find in Hell? It is a great and an infuffcrable ~rr of tho~e T?rments to be purfued with the !tinging regret of an enraged Confc1ence, whtch lS that ~f!orm that nt1.Jtr die;; and will you take that for an evidence of Grace that mull:: be for ever the pnnifhment of Sin? And yet do not many of us rcft only on this that C.onfcience is awakened, frie:hting us in fin, and deterring us from fin? Thofe fi.ns that before we coulc\. i\villow down without,ftraining at, and digefr without nauceating, now Confciencc rifcth at ·them, and .we dare not commit them for a World ; and thofe Duties that formerly we li.ved in the neglect of, Confcience now ftraitly enjoyns, and we dare not for 3 W.orld negleCt them; thofe fins that heretofore we committed quietly, Confcience now returns upon us with torment, and is not this a work of Grace ? Is not this Regeneration? No, it is not, if there be no more; all this only proves Confcicnce to be awakened, but not to be fantl:ified; Confcicnce may be defiled, though it be not feared. A filthy puddle may be ftirred and troubled as well as a clear fi:rcam; and Confcience may work horros and terrors in that Soul where the Spirit of God never yet wrought Grace; fo that you fee we cannot argue from the Peace of Confciencc, nor yet from the Trouble ofConfcicnce, that we arein a ftate of Reeeneration, which is of abfolutc necellity to obtain Heaven. Thirdly,
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