of Ctrs fcience. 143 ofgoodconfcience. For when the mindc truth or niifconceiucth,itdoth milked theconfcience , anddeceiue the whole man. The way to auoide this impcdimentis, todoe our Weeuourthat we may daily incrcafein the knowledge ofthewordeof God, that it maydwell in vs plentifully,to thisende we muftpraywith Dauid, that he would openour eyes, that we tnightvnderftand the wonders ofhislawe:andvvithall we mutt daily fearch the Scriptures forvnderflanding asmen vfe to fearch themines of the earth forgold ore,Prov. a,4.Laftly,wemull labour Forfpirituall wifdome,that we may haue the right vie ofGods word in entry particular action: that being by itdirthed,wemaydifcerne whatwe may withgood confcience doeor icaue vndone. The fecond impediment, is vnflaied and vnmortifiedaffeetions;which, iftheymayhaue thcirefwing, as Wilde horfes ouerturne the chariotwith men and alI,fo they ouerturne andouercarrie the judgement and confcience ofman:and therfore when they beare rule.good confcience taks no place.. Now to preuent the daunget that comes hereby , this courfc mull be fol. lowed.Whenwe would haue a (wordor a knife not to hurte our felues or o thers,we turne the edgeof it.And fo,that we may prevent our affedlions fromhurting&annoying the confcience,wc mull turne the court ofthcm, bydireeting them from our neighbours toour felues and our owne Ganes, . or by inclining them to Godand ChrifLFor example; choller and angcr di- re& it felfe vpon eueryoccafion againfl ourneighbour,and thereby greatly. indamageth the confcivnce.Now,the courfeofit is turned, when we begin tobe difpleafed and to be angrie with our felues forour owne finnes . Our loue fetvpon theworld is hurtful] to theconfcience,but when we once be- gin to let ourloue onGod in Chriít,and to loue the blood ofChrifi about al the world, then eontrarivvifeit is a furtherance ofgondconfcience. The third impediment, is worldly lulls, that is , the loue andexceeding delire ofriches,honours,pleafures. Euery ratan is asAdam, his good confci- ence ishis paradiíe; the forebidden fruit is the thong delireofthefeearthly things;thefèrpent is the oldeenemie the diuili:vvho ifhe may be fuffered to intanglevs vvith the loueofthevvorld, vvill ftraightvvay put vs out ()four paradife,and barrevs from all good confcience The remedie is to ]tame the lefion ofPaul,Philip. ,.t a. Which is in euery eftarcin vvhich God (hall . placevs,to be content; dteem ing euermore the prevent condition the bet! for vsofall.Novvthatthisleffon may be learned, vve rnuí+further labourto be refoluedof Cods .ipecìallprouidence tovvards vsin euery cafeand condiL tianof life:and vvhen vve haue fo vvell profited in the fchoolofChrifl,that vvecan feeand acknovvledg Gods prouidence andgoodnes, as vvell in ficknes as inhealth,in pouertie as in vvealth,in hungeras in fulnes,in life as in death, trve ihall bevery vvell content , vvhatfoeuer anyvvay befalls voto s. The preferuatiues ofgood confcience are tvvo,the frft is to preferue chetilh that fauing.faithvvhereby `eve areperfvvaded of our reconciliation vvith,.
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