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therein: We may fee the woful mifery of all those that have defiled Confciences, wicked and unclean hearts. For look how their Consciences do accufe them, even fo will God condemn them. And having not repented of their fins; they carry a torment with them; namely, a guilty and accusing confcience, which is their judge to condemn them, and their Hell to torment them.

Fourthly, Here is condemned that wilfulness of many in our days, who never think of this; but if they can conceal their fins from the World, they think they have done wifely. But alafs,alafs, deceive not thy felf, nor thy own Soul, God taketh a view of all thy actions; he noteth thy dark fhop, thy falfe weights, and mixed wares. He is light it felf, and fhall not he fee? Juftice it felf, and shall he wink at unrighteous dealings? He knoweth the Heart; and can the deceitful Tongue of mortal Men deceive him.

If then this be fo, what manner of Men ought we to be in holiness of life, and blameless Converfation? How fhould we fet a watch over our tongues, and be fure to have an Eye to our Feet, to abandon all our evil thoughts, But alafs! We think not of this day, it doth not enter into our Hearts; for if it did, would Meń lye,steal, commit adultery? I were impoffible. Call to mind then betimes this day of reckoning and accompt, that if thou goeft on in an evil courfe and way of fia, that one day thou must come to accompt, when all thy fins fhall be difcovered and laid open to all, to Angels and to Men. We pity that Man's Cafe whofe Canfe being

bad,

bad is like to be heard before the Judge that will do Juftice, and fo can look for nought, but to be undone for ever; and yet never confider what reckoning we have our felves to make at this day of the great Affize of all the World. Fifthly, Secing the Books muft be opened, and every Man's Confcience must come to fcanning, becaufe Sentence fhall pafs, and Judgment hall be awarded according to the things written therein: How fhould this caufe us all, both Minifter and People, to labour to get a good Confcience? If thy Confcience be good, thou halt no doubt be bleffed; If thy Confcience be filthy and polluted, thou art curfed: And therefore it thould be cur chiefeft care, ftudy, and defire all our life time, to keep a good Confcience. Now if you ask how it is poffible to get a good Confcience; I answer, for the getting and keeping of Faith and a good Confcience, we must know it is done by the ufe of the Word of God, Sanctify them by the Truth, thy Word is the Truth. And therefore we must intreat the Lord to exhibit unto our Minds the certain Teftimony of his faving Grace, which he hath begun to work in us, which will make our Confciences tender and good Confciences, when thofe Books fhall be opened, and fo pour out his holy Spirit into every one of us, that it working in our hearts, we may do that which is pleafing in his Eyes to walk in his Commandments, and to keep his Judgments, and that by the Ministry of the Holy Word and Scraments (indued with a juftifying Faith) to believe in

the

the Name of thy Son, and fo being made partakers of Chrift's Righteoufnefs, we may have the Books of our Confciences found perfect, and all our misdeeds cancelled, and that then no longer we may have the fpirit of bondage and of fear, but the fpirit of thy gracious adoption which makes us cry, Abba Father, which we cannot do without this, in having a good Confcience before God and all Men. All Graces of God's Spirit are wrought by his Word. But that we may get a good Confcience, we muft, Firft, Repent of all our fins; we must know by the Law of God, what is fin, and what is not.

Secondly, We must know the heavy curfe of God even for fin, that the reward of fin is death eternal, both of body and foul, for men do by Nature footh themselves in their fins, and tho' we hear of God's Judgments against fin, (yet whofe heart is touched or troubled ?) Thus we run on ftill in fin, and fear nothing; they mean well they fay, but live ill, and think all well.

Thirdly, till we fee what fin is, and then fee the curfe of God due to fin, we fhall never fe riously try our Confciences, and see how our fins have wounded them, that fo we may repent us of fin.

Fourthly, We must be grieved for our fins,we muft acknowledge and confefs them, begging for the pardon of them; and to hunger and thirst after Chrift Fefus, For there is nothing that can purify the Confcience and quiet the heart, but only the blood of Jefus Chrift applied to our Souls by Faith, with perfwafion of the forgiveefs of them.

Mark

Mark then here (beloved) when a man is thus truly humbled for his fins, and beggeth the pardon of them with fighs and groans, then will the Lord fend down into his Scul his bleffed Spirit, to affure us of God's mercy, of the pardon of our fins, that our wounds in Confcience are healed: And this is done by the means of a lively Faith, which purifies the Confcience.

Hereby we may perceive that moft men and women are in a woful cafe; for (alafs) the greatest part are ignorant of the Law of God, and know not what fin is, and what is not fin, and therefore cannot poffibly have a clear Confcience; for whatsoever is not of Faith is fin.

Again, tho' men fee their fins, and oftentimes their Confciences check them for fin, yet how few do bewail their fins? For I am perfwaded that there is not fo wicked a finner living, but fometimes his Confcience checks him: indeed. Men fee not the danger and feel not the wounds of the Confcience, because now their Books be clafped, they be thut up, their feared Confciences be now afleep; but the day will come that their Books must be opened, and their fecrets declared, and then their Confciences will accufe, condemn and torment them fo, that they will with they had never been born.

Again, when a Man or Woman bath got a good Confcience fo as being truly humbled for their fins, and begging pardon, they find fome afluance of God's love in Chrift, and that now their Confciences do not accufe them; even

then

1

then muft Men take no less pains to keep and H preferve a good Confcience, to do nothing to wound their Confcience, O Lord, faith David, a wounded Confcience who can bear? A man's Confcience is a very tender thing, it is like the Apple of thine Eye, if it be prickt but with a pin, it will not only blemish the Eye, but en-G danger the fight, fo the Confcience is a tender thing, if ye prick it by fin it will blemish thy Confcience, wound it, and make havock of thy Soul. And therefore faith Solomon, Counterguard thy heart, and watch over thy foul, Prov. 4. 6. That thou do nothing that may wound thy Confcience

Means to preferve a good Confcience.

Now that we may keep thefe Books of account (our Confcience) pure and good, we must do two things. First, avoid all things that may any way hurt a good Confcience. Secondly, Ufe all good means and help to cherish a good Confcience. In truth all fin hinders a good Confcience. Sin is that which does wound the Soul, maketh Shipwreck of a good Con fcience, that is the very overthrow of Mans Soul. And therefore if you would keep a clear Confcience, take heed of fin, which wounds a good Confcience, and makes it unable to stand be fore God at the last day.

But there be two fpecial lets and impediments of a good Confcience: First, Ignorance of the Law, and of the Word of God: For when a man knows not what is fin, and what not, how can he take heed left he wound his own Soul: And therefore we fee, let a man come into his House

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