The Almoft-Chriftian Difcovered. 727 Deut. 29. 19· .And it come to paft whrn he hearuh the words of thil Curfo, that he blefs bimfoif in hi; Herm, [aJing, l jhall have peace though I walk in the lmttgination of mine Heart, &c. .Now this Peace is founded only upon bold and confident Perfua.:fions of God's infinite Mercy, and gracious Difpofitiori; and becaufe God will exalt his Mercy abo-ve all his Name, therefore they conclude, that as God hath exalted his Power in creating and foftaining them, fo he will much m?rc exalt his Mercy jn faving them. Thus as Mad-men often fanfie themfclves K1ngs or fame great Perfonagcs, when indeed they are but wretched and miferable SpeCtacles, fo do thefe fpirirual Mad-men ; and as the Devil appropriates to himfelf all the Glory of the Earth, fo thefe look upon Heaven, and all the Glory of it, and boldly caJI it all their own; yea, and through their wretched Security, are bold to cry ou t with 'Thonuu, my Lord, ttnd my God. To filch 1 may fay with our Saviour in ano~ ther Cafe God h not the God of the dMd, but the Gvd of the Living. God is not the God of f~ch as love, and live in their Sins and Lufts; and that call him Father, w horn yet they difhonour by a lewd and diJfolute Life : This is but to Fath~r on~ of ])cv:Ts 0/f-foring upon the hoLy God. Indeed Men by enormous and flagitious Crimes have fo wOlinded and wafted their Confciences, that now they retain not ftrength enough to accnfc, mol eft, and frouble them; and this they call Peace of ConfdenCe: Such a Peace as GallicU& (in Tacitm) exprobrates the Romans with, when they have laid all wafte. Th1s they call Peace; but this Peace is rather deadntfs of Conftiencc, and is far from that which arifeth from the true Grace of God; and that is the work of the _Holy Ghoft in ConviC\-ion, which deftroys this ill-grounded Peace; and it works 1n the Soul Horrors and Terrors, and afti·igh's the fccure Soul when it !hews it how: it flept upon the Top of the Maft, and lay on the very Brink of the Infernal Pit; As therefore wc muft not difcourage a broken Spirit, bllt embolden it to appropriate Chrift, and all the Promifcs o{ the Gofpel to it felf in parti~ular; fo we m~ft let wicked Men kno~, th~t when they prefume to call God, the1_r God and ~be1r Father? and yet contmue 111 _their Sins and Wickedncfs, they wtll find that 10ftead of betng their Father, he wJU only be their Judge. . Now it will appear that tins Peace of a carnal Man is only from deep Security and the Spirit of Slumber that bath feiz)d upon them; becaufe when wc comet~ examine the grounds of it, they plead only the goodncfs of their Hearts, and there is nothing more familiar and frequent than this they boalt of; and though they Jive in a confta1!t ncgleCl ?f holy Duties, and wallow in the Filth of cultomary Sins, yet fiill chey boaft of tlus, tha~ ~hey have ve~y go~ Hearts, upright Intentions. This is a meer delulion; for tt 1s as utterly unpofiJble that the Heart Jhould be good when the Life is wicked and prophane, as for a good Root to bring forth evil and cOrrupt Fruit. . Secondly, As Peace of Confcienct may be attained by natural Men, fo many times fuch may lie under the Regrets and Troubles of Confcience. It is not Trouble of Confcience that is th.e Attainment wherein true Grace doth confift: A dull and a Jethargick Confcience that hath long la it~ under the cuftomary Commiffion of grofs Sins, may at lefl:~th, by ftrong Conv1Cbons, be frartlcd and awakened to a fenfe of Sin, and be at raid at the fight of it; but )'Ct may retain an impure and defiled Confcience: God .may (even in this Life) kindle in their Brcafts fome Sparks of the unqu~nchabtc Fir~, and may give them fame fore-rafts of that Cup of Trembling that they mnft tor ever drink of. As he hath made himfelf a De· v.il incarnate by his Sin, fo God may make his Confcience a Hell incarnate. By his Confcience you hear Cai11, that Primitive Reprobate, crying ant, my Punilh~ meflt is greater than 1 can hear; nor could 'JudM find any other way to check his Confciencc but with an Halter: Thefe Regrets of Confciencc may proceed from a preparatory work of Convia:ion, which becanfe of Men's wilful dcferting them, often vanifh away without any faving effeCt; and fall as far lhort of true Grace, as t~1e Region of the Air where Storms, Tempefts, Thunderings and Lighmings are tngendre<i, falls fhort of the Heaven of the Bleffed, and that Eternal calmnefs and ferenity: And as Worms ufnally arc the otffpring of corruptton and putre- _ faC\-ion; fo this r~e1.:er dying Worm, that mull: ever fting them, oftentimc~ in this life, is bred out of a rotten and corrupted Confcience, the Confcience therefore may be defiled, when it is not feared; it may be awakened, when it is not fanCtified ;· a filthy puddle may be fUrred as well as a clear running ftream, the Confcience may
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