66o SERMON XXVI. A DISCOURSE 0 F THE Natare, Corrnption and Rcneroing 0 F THE C 0 N S C I E N C E. ACTS. xxiv. x6. Herein do I eJurci{i my felf, to. havt always a Confcience void of Offence towards God and toiVards Man. . IN this Chapter St. Paul gives an account to Ftlix of the general courfe and Demeanor of his former Life, being accufed by Tertullw, a ft:lttering Orator, as one who wa5 Prophane and Seditious : After that he had purged himfelf iu fu:1dry Particulars, . he comes to the Text, to fhew, that he was far from thofc Crimes that were laid·to his Charge, having made it llis conftant Exercife all his Life-time to keep a good Confcicnce. The Words hav e little or no Difficulty in them; and therefore, infte.1d of giving yoa an elaborate Ex_pofition, 1 fh1ll only run them over with a brief Pl!raphrafe. 1le E~!li- Herein do I ~-wrciJe. my [elf; that is, I_ make it my confrant ~are and lmplo~ment, carion Of to lun:e a Confcunce 'IJold of Offince; that IS, to keep my Conf<.tence clear that it may Jbe Wonls. not ju!l:ly accufe me of any Offm~·e done eirher agllnfr God or aeainfr Men; that is, I labour confcient iou il y to pratl:ife as well the Duties of the fecond, as the Du~ tics of the firft Table ; to be Jufr towards Men as well as to be Religious cowards God, knowing £hat the 0 1 e without the other, to be without Offence tm'Vards Men only is but meer Montlity, and to be without Olfence only towards God is but 'IJain HJpocrijir:. \:Vithout fanher Explication, the ~ords'do, of their own accord, deliver to us this Dotl:rine : DoChin. That it jiJould be our contiiJual Care and Employment, in all Things whtther relati11g to God or Man, to luep clear and inoffinftve Co11foiences. Wh~tt C~- Confcirflct is nothing but a praCtical Syllogifm or Argumentation, and always (&Jenre 18 • infers a perfonal. Conclufion , either excufing or accuJing; and it bath three Offices. 1'he Office Firft, It difcovers to us what is Sin and what is Duty, and the Reward that is ofConj,i~ entailed upon both, and thus it gives in its VerdiCt accordi ng :-o tlllt Liglit that clue. Jbines into it: If it bath only the twilight of Natur e to illufcrace it, as the He.t· It ;,forms them h~d no other, then it can pafs Judgment only upon natural. Duties and ~n.na ,.hlt if tural Stns. Thus the Confoiences of Heathens, through fome rema1nders of ongmal Sin, and Knowledge, informed them that \Vor{hip I>' aS due to God and ] urtice to Men, wi.at U and that alllmpieties againft God, and all Injuries azai nfr Men, Ihcu ld in the end DurJ. be feverely punilhed. But if Conftit11ce enjoys t he fu peraddcd Li ght of Scripture, it judges then of thofe Du~ies and thofe Sins that could only be known by Di~ine ReveiAtton:
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