C 0 N S C I E N C E A W I T N E S S. Book IV. METAPHO~ PARALLEL IX. A Witnels is required to IX. So Confcience in the Day of Judgment will fpeak the Truth, when he comes fpeak the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing before a Court of J udicawre, the but the Truth. Though now oft-times it be whole Truth, and nothing bm the blinded, and at a great lofs, for want of Light, Truth; and he that is a true Witor by being miC-guided, it gives in falfe Td1:i– nefs will do it. And hereby many mony, and quits the Guilty, and condemns the times moft horrid Evils are brought Innocent; but in that Day it will recover fuch to light, and publicly deteCted; perfect Light and Knowledge, that it will decide yea, fecret Things are difcovered, the Caufe clearly the right w>y, and will by this that the guilty Perfon thought means bring to light •ll the hidden Things 0f would never have been known, Darknefs, 1 Cor. iv. 5· even all thofe curfed Abo– ivhich makes him afhamed and minations of the Heart, all f, cret Things, that it confounded for ever. and God were only privy to, and will lay open all . the horrid Evils that have bren done in the Dark. Then Men fhall be forced to confefs their fecret Adulteries, Murcers, Treacheries, Theft, Self-Revenge, togecher wit h ail their bloody and black Combinations, Con– fpiracies, and heJ:,r,, Plots, carried on in fecrtt Cabals, managed by ungodly Papifh, or others, notwithllanding all their vaths of Secrecy; ConiCience, if it come not to light before, will in that Day lay all open before the Eyes of Men and Angels, to the Shame and eternal Confufion of all ungodly Ones. X. A juft and impartial WitX. So the Confciences of wicked Men, in the nefs,. that cleady and very fully great Day, will give in fuch ~)ear and Ju"l Evi– giveth in Teftimony again{\ a Perdence againil: them, touching all the Evils they /on, in a fair Trial, finally ftops fhall then be charged with by the juft Judge of his own Mouth, and the Mouths Heaven and Earth, that all Flefh lhall for ever '"of all others, and leaves the Caufc be Glenced, and God !ball be clear when he clear, for the Judge to pafs Senjudgeth. Which ./hew the Works of thr L aw writ– rence againft him. ten in their Hearts, their Confcimces aljo bearing .Jf7itnefs, and their Thoughts in tbe mean while accuf– ing, or elfe excu/tng one another, in tbat Day when God jbal/ judge the Secrets of all i\llm, 'by Jefus Chrift, according to mj Gofpel, Rom. ii. 15· 16. And hereby all the Mouths of Unbelievers will be !lopped, and they all be found guilty before Chrilt. I N F E R E N C E S. -I. THESE Things being conGdered , it may Hir up all Perfons to take heed how ihey act at home and abroad, when thev go out, and when they como in,when th~y lie down, or "rife up, hecaufe Confcience obferves all that i1Iaid or done, nay, is privy to all the Thoughts of our H earts, and one Day will witnels for us, or againil: tlS. 11. Let Chriflians, whatever they do, labor to keep a good Confcience. A good Confcience is betrer than a good Nao1e, it is better than a good Trade, it is better than a good Eflate. And for further Morives to this needful Duty, ' 1. Conlrder, Confcience keeps a Regifler of ?.11 thy Thought,, vVords, and ACtions.; what you forget, and is quite gone out of your Memories, is fet dow.n in the Book of Confcience. 2. ConGder, eonfcience is a Witnef.s, an impartial Witnefs, an Accufer of Evil; and though it lie ftill a great while, it will roufe up at !aft, and with its cruel Charges and Accufations harrals the Soul; as in the Cafe of Joftph's Brethren: And they Jaid one to another, f7erily we are guilty concerning our Brother, in that we Jaw the Anguijh of his Soul, whm he befougbt tts, ami we ·would not hear;. therefore is this Dif lrefs come upon us, Gen xlii. 2 1. 3· Confcience is not only a Witnef.s, but a Judge, and ·hath power to condemn th·e \vicked and the guilty Soul; it fits upon the Throne, as God's Attorney-General, to award Life or Death, as the States and Conditions of Men are. If thy Heart condemn ihee, God is greater, &c. 1 John iii. 20, 21. _ 4· Confcience doth often the Vvo<k and Office of a Torm•ntor; wo .to them that tall into its enraged Hands here, but much more fad will it be with them whom it {hall torment in Hell. 1t is it that is the gnawing Worm that never dies, where the Fire fhall never be quenched, Mark ix. 44• But, 5· There
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