C 0 N S C I E N C E A W I T N E S S. Book IV. God, truly loves Cod; out I do keep the Commandm<nts of God: This is grounded in the Heart of Man, and then draws a Conclufion from both, '1herefore I do love God truly. This Concluf10n, whilfl: holy, and drawn from dtvine Premifes, to wir, the Word .of. God, and true Grace in the Heart, the Spirit of God fl:rikes in with the Soul in making of it, and affifl:s the weak Soul, fo that he concludes with !l:rong Confidence., ' he is fincerc·, or loves God in Trmh; and not only fecretly aflfts, but feconds him, and faith the fame Thing to Man that his own Spirit cloth: 'lhe Spirit bearetb witnefs with our Spirits, that we are the Sons of God, Rom. v. 16. If the Premifes be corrupt which the Unueritanding makes, (for the Heart makes Propofitions fui~able to the .Light that is in the intellectual Part) then the Devil, that lying Spirit, ftr.ikes in, and feconcls the Soul in tlpt corrupt Conclufion, which he collects from corrupt Principles ·concerning himfelf, tiiereby to ruin and undo the Soul in Ignorance and Unbelief. 'Ibirdly; T his Faculty, or natural Power, called Confcience, only appertained' to Men, and not to any irrational Creatures. Brutes want Reafon, and therefore ate not capable Subjects of Confcience; yet againfl: Reafon and ConfcienceMcn often· times do wotfe than a Beafl:. Fourthly; Confciencc is a natural Power in Man, which compares his V/ays and Thoughts by fome Rule; and according as his Ways agree or difagree with that Rllle, fo anlwerably cloth it bear witnefs "ith or againft him. If the Underfl:anding be enlightened with Truth, to wit, the Word of God, then Con– fcience compares the Ways of a M«n by a perfect Rule. But if the Underftanding be enlightened with natural or morai.Principks only, then Conlcience compares a Man's Ways according to thofe Principles only, and fo by an ill!perfeEt Rule. So far Mr.Lockier, and others, as to .what Confcience is. MET AP HOR. I. A Witnefs gives in Teftimony · according to his Light, or that Knowledge he hath ofThings; and if he· ha~h a perfect Knowledge of this or that he fpeaks and tefl:i– _fies, his Tefl:imony is good, and ought to be received. PARALLEL. ·I. so·confcience gives in Tefl:imony according to that Light and Knowledge that is in the Under!l:anding, tor it only fpeaks and makes Pro– pofitions according to its Light; if it be mifguid– ed hy Satan, or corrupt Nature, or falfe Princi– ples, its Tefl:imony is not good, nor to be ·re– garded, but deceives and abufes the Soul, as a ..falfe·Witnefs cloth, who appears to fpeak in the behalf of a guilty Perfon. And on the other band, it may, for want o( a clear Light and U nderfl:anding, condemn fuch as it fhould clear. And hence many that are very wicked and vile, both .in Practice...and .Principle, are wry confident that their State and· Condition is good, and their poor deluded Souls are peremptory many Times, and wifer in their own Conceic, tl1an feven Men that can give a .Reafon. In them is fulfilled that of the Apoll le, '!'heir Minds and Co11jcienccs arc corrupt. And on the other hand, for want of a little Light, fome good Men by the Te!timc:>ny of .their Confciences are ready eo condemn themfelves, and give up all their dope, not– withfl:anding their being jullified and accepted by Jefus Chrifl:. I!. A Witnefs therefore mull: be I!. So mull: a Man fl:riEtly examine his own thorocghly examined, to find out Confcience, how it comes to have Knowledge of how or by what Means he comes Things, of which it either accufeth, or excufeth; to know this or that he gives Tefl:ifor this ought always to be received as an un– mony of. doubted Truth, That the Word of God is the very Rule and Guide by which Confcience fhould be ftcered, and by the clear Light of which it ought at all Times ro give in its Tefti– mony, either for or againft a Man. Saul thought he ought to have done many Things againfl: the Name of Jefusof Nazm·eth; his Heart did not wirnefs againft him, when he confented to Stepben's Death, becaufe his Confcience wanted Light, it had not per– fect Knowledge of Things: And hence he faith, that what he did, he did it igno– ra,Jt/y, in Uubelief, 1 'Iim. i. 13. But fhould another Man, who knew Jefus of Naza– reth was the Son of God, and thofe perfecmed People wer~ the People of God, have done [o, Confcience would have been \Vitnefs againft l1im, and have flown in his Face, yea ·condemned him for it, without Repentance, to the 'lowefl: he of Hell. Ill. A good Wirnefs,onethathath 11!. So a good Confcience, I mean a Confciperfect Knowledge of all Things ence rightly enlightened by the Word of God, if 3 ~
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