-------------------------------------------------- 0[ the Nature, Corruption, and 662· fcimce ufually gives rife ~o mifiuided_ Ze~d, and Zeal without ~now ledge is but a Rc- .ligiotu Phrtnji, , that fafh10ns out to It !elf ftrange Jhapes of Sm and Duty of Good and Evil, and ufually it takes the one for the other , until it falls under 'that Wtle denounced by the Prophet, lfa. 5· 20. Woe to them thttt eaU Good, Evil; and Evil Jgn~r"nce Good; that put Darknejsfor Light, and Light for Darlcneji; tl1at put Bitter for Sw 1 u and vitiates . Sweet f~r Bitter, . Now Ignm:ancc doth vitiate and c~rrupt t~e Con~ience two ~ays; :!~;~:~· either It makes 1t unneccffanly fcrupulous, or elfe rt makes It danngly prefuruptu.. way\ . ou~irft, Ignorance fetters an~ b~nds ?P the Confc"ienc~ either to the doing of, or ab.- BJ making ftaining from that concerntng which GOd bath lafd no Law and Obligation at all it ~nn~uf. upon it : This is an encroaching Confcicnce t hat makes that an enclofure that God fa;;Z{~rll· h~th left com"?on, and rigoroufiy exaCts fro!l1 us what God ha.th p~rmitted as in· P dttfercnt. It ts a very fad Judgment to be gtven up to the domtncertng Impofitions of a fcrurulom Confcience; fuch a Confcience as this is will certainly make much more Sin tha11 ever the Law made; for whatever we do againft the Comm:~nds of Con· Rom. •4. fcimce is Sin, though it: be not immediately and direCtly againft the Commands of 2~. God: Why now fame there are that do fa needlefiy pin and coop up themfelves that they cannot ftir, nor moderately ufe that lawful Liberty that God bath indulged them, but prefently they are entangled in Sin, becaufe of the imperious Prohibitions of their own Confciences. 2., Secondly, Sometimes IgnQrance makes Confcience licentious, indulging it felf in ~.1 !"aking thofe Aft ions that the Law of God condemns, making it daringly prcfumptuous. ;:o!::en;nd a.nd this is a qui~c contrary cxtrea_m; and yet as oppofire as thefe arc, we often~ d.tri;gl.f. umes find them )oyned t~gether Jn the fame ~crfons, the fame Perf~ns that have prefump- a needlcfiy fcrupuioU& Con[ctmcc, ha:re alfo·a danngly prefu~tuout Con[ctence, and this ruous. proceeds from an Ignoran~~ of their d~e Bounds and LtmHs. Who ordinarily fo prophane as the Sup·edhuous? Theu Ignorance makes them fcrupu lous Obfer~ vcrs of little Circumftances, and yet bold Adventures upon notorious Sins. What a ftrancre wry Confcience have fuch Men, that tie up thcmfelvcs ftriCHy where God gives them fcopc, and yet run riotoufiy where God's CommJnds and Threatnings reftrain, dreading more the tranfgreffing One Law of Man, than they do the tranfgreffing of the whole moral Law of God. This is now from Ignorance, whereby Men do not know the due Bounds either of that Liberty that: God indulcreth them or that Reftraint that God lays upon them. And this is the firft Thing that cor: . 1 ' . rupts Confcirnce, namely IgnorAnce. . . . :;;y~~~~n- Secondly, Wrljul Sinning. corrupts and '!Jititttts the Confcience; and that two rupu Cnp w.sys. [cie11ct 1 andth.a nr,; RIJ_1s. 1,. Firjl, Sometimes filch Sins ftupifi~ and deaden the Coll[citnce, efpecially if they ~yflup,fJ. become frequent and cuftomary, and therefore we ufually cJO them Canfci.enced"~d:·;~ \vaftingSins. Believe it, through a continued courfe of known and prefumptuous of con/ri~ Sbs, you will.bring your Conjciences into very fad C<?nfumptions, thlt they will ente. piae away under Iniquities; and how many are there that have their ConfcienceJ already lying Spcechlcfs, Senfelefs and Gafping, ready to give up the Ghoft? The Apojlle in Ep:;. 4· 19. fpeaks of them, thi!t being.paft feeling, ha".le ,tivcn"tbemfelves o· ver to Lafcivioufnefs. 2. Secondly, Sometimes fuch Sins do affright, terrific and enrage the Confcience, filling BJterrif!· it with dr-~adful Thoughts of eternal, future Venge;~nce. Wilful and known Sins [omeing~nd:;- times terrific and enrage the Confcicnce ; and this is a Corruption of the Confci- '/agm~ :ce encc, when the Terrors of it are fo overwhelming as to link Men intoDefpair; nfm • for mark it, it is its Office to accufe and to threaten for Sin, a11d the greater the Sin is, the more iharp and fringing ought to be its Reproofs; but be the Sin never fa great for which Confcience reproves, if yet it dcnounceth Wr~th with· out making mention of Repentance and hopes of Mercy, it exceeds lts Cam· million that God bath given it, and becomes an evil and corrupt Confoimce. And therefore we have that Expreilion, Heb. 10. 1 r. Let us draw near, fays the Apoftle, havi.ng our Hearts .!jrinkled from an r;it Confciencr; By an evil Confcience here is meant a defp;~ring Conjcience, from which we are freed only by the Blood of Sprinkling; to be convinced of Sin and not at all to be convinced of Righteoufnefs, is fuch a Convil.lion as conllitutes one part of the Torments of the dam~
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