Direct IT. Of Sandi zeatian. to our confciences ; as appeared by Chrla's dying for this end, Heb. ix. 14, 15. and x. t, 2, 4, 14, )7, 22. That confcience whereby aw judge ourfelves to be under the guilt of fin, and the wrath of God, is accounted an evil confcience in Scrip`ure, though it perform its cilice truly; becaufe it is caufed by the evil of fin, and will itfelf be a cacife of our commit t. ing more fin, until it can judge us to be juftified from all fin, and received into the favour of God. Love, which is the end of the law, muff proceed from a good confcience, as well as from any other clean. refs of heart, i Tim i. s. David's mouth could not be opened to Phew forth the praife of God, until he was delivered from blood guiltinefs, Pfalm li. 14, is. This evil guilty confcience, whereby we judge that God is our enemy, and that his juflice is againft us to our everlailing condemnation, by reafon of our fins, doth ftrongly maintain and increafe the domi- nion of firs and Satan in us, and worketh molt mif- chievous effects in the foul againft, godlinefs, even to bring the foul to hate God, and to with there were no God, no heaven, no hell, fo we might ef- cape the punithment due to us. It fo diffaffecteth people toward God, that they cannot endure to think, or fpeak, or hear of him and his law; but ftrive ra- ther to put him out of their minds, by flefhly plea. lures and worldly employments. And thus they are alienated from all true religion ; only, blinding it, and flopping the mouth of it. It produceth zeal in many outfide religious performances; and alfo falle religion, idolatry; and the molt inhuman fuperftì_ tions in the world. I have often confidered, by what manner of working any fin could effectually deltroy the whole image of God in the firft Adam; and I conclude, it was by working firft an evil guilty con- fcience in him, whereby he judged, that the juil God was againft him,and curled him for that one fin, And this was enough to work a thameful nakednefs by diforderly lufts, a turning his love wholly from
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=