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45 or, in his name, I enjoin you, that you dare no more speak an ill word of Chriftianity, and the power of religion, and those that seek after it. There are not many higher figns of a reprobate mind, than to have a bitter virulent fpirit against the children of God. Seek that tie of affection and fraternity, on which the beloved Apoftle, St John, lays fuch ftrefs, when he fays, Hereby we know that we are tranflated from death to life, because we love the brethren, 1 John, iii. 14.

But because those hiffings are the natural voice of the ferpent's feed, expect them, you that have a mind to follow Chrift, and take this guard against them that you are here directed, Having a good confcience; the second party we mentioned above, as engaged in contest.

It is a fruitless verbal debate, whether conscience be a faculty or habit, or not; and as in other things, fo in this, that most of all requires more folid and useful confideration, the vain mind of man feedeth on the wind, loves to be busy to no purpose *: How much better is it to have this fupernatural goodness. of conscience, than to dispute about the nature of it; to find it duly teaching and admonishing, reproving and comforting, rather than to define it most exactly †?

When all is examined, it will be found to be no other but the mind of man, under the notion of a particular reverence to himself and his own actions. And there is a twofold goodness of the confcience, purity · and tranquillity, and this latter flows from the former; fo that the former is the thing we ought primely to ftudy, and the latter will follow of itself. For a time, indeed, the conscience, that is in a good measure pure, may be unpeaceable, but ftill it is the apprehenfion and fenfe of present or former impurity that makes it fo; for, without the confideration of guiltinefs,

* Magno conatu magnas nugas.
+ Malo fentire compunctionem, quàm fcire ejus definitionem.

guiltinefs, there is nothing that can trouble it. It cannot apprehend the wrath of God, but with relation unto fin.

The goodness of confcience here recommended, is the integrity and holiness of the whole inward man in a Chriftian; fo the ingredients of it are, 1. A due light or knowledge of our rule: That as the lamps in the temple must be still burning within, as filthinefs is always the companion of darkness; therefore, if you would have a good confcience, you must by all means have fo much light, fo much knowledge of the will of God, as may regulate you, and shew you your way, may teach you how to do, and fpeak, and think, as in his presence.

2. A conftant regard, and ufing of this light, applying it to all; not fleeping, but working by it; still feeking a nearer conformity with the known will of our God; daily redreffing and ordering the affections by it; not fparing to knock off whatsoever we find irregular within, that our hearts may be polifhed, and brought to a right frame by that rule. And this is the daily inward work of the Christian, his great bufinefs, to purify bimfelf, as the Lord is pure, 1 John iii. 3.

And, 3. For the advancing of this work is needful, a frequent fearch of our hearts and of our actions, not only to confider what we are to do, but what we have done. Thefe reflex inquiries, as they are a main part of the confcience's proper work, they are a chief means of making and keeping the confcience good: 1. Acquainting the foul with its own ftate; with the motions and inclinations that are moft natural to it. 2. Stirring it up to work out, and purge away, by repentance, the pollution it hath contracted by any outward act or inward motion of fin. 3. This fearch both excites and enables the confcience to be more watchful; teaches how to avoid and prevent the like errors for the time to come. As natural wife men labour to gain thus out of their former

former overfights in their affairs, to be the wifer and warier by them, and lay up that as bought wit, that they have paid dear for, and therefore are careful to make their best advantage of it; fo God makes the confideration of their falls prefervatives to his children from falling again; he makes a medicine of this poifon. Thus, that the confcience may be good, it must be enlightened; and it must be watchful, both advising before, and after cenfuring, according to that light.

The greater part of mankind little regard this; they walk by guess, having perhaps ignorant confciences, (and the blind, you fay, fwallow many a fly), yea, how many confciences without fenfe, as feared with an hot iron, 1 Tim. iv. 2. fo ftupified, that they feel nothing! Others reft fatisfied with a civil righteousness, an imagined goodness of confcience, because they are free from grofs crimes. Others that know the rule of Christianity, yet ftudy not a confcientious respect to it in all things. They caft fome tranfient looks upon the rule, and their own hearts, it may be, but fit not down, they make it not their bufinefs, to compare them. They have time for any thing but that *; but share not with St Paul, do not exercise themselves in this, to have a confcience void of offence towards God and men, Acts xxiv. 16. Those were his Afceticks, [aoxw,] he breathed himfelf, in ftriving against what might defile the confcience, or, as the word fignifies, elaborately wrought and dreffed his confcience †. Think you, that other things cannot be done without diligence and intention, and is this a work to be done at random? No, it is the most exact and curious of all works, to have the conscience right, and keep it fo. As watches, or other fuch neat pieces of workmanship, except they be daily wound up and skilfully handled, they

*Non vacant bonæ menti. † Ασκησασα χίτωνα, Hom.

will

will quickly go wrong; yea, befides daily infpection, confcience fhould (as thefe) at fometimes be taken to pieces, and more accurately cleanfed; for the best kept will gather foil and duft. Sometimes a Chriftian fhould fet himself to a more folemn examina-. tion of his own heart, beyond his daily fearch; and all little enough to have fo precious a good as this, a good confcience. They that are most diligent and vigilent, find nothing to abate as fuperfluous, but ftill need of more. The heart is to be kept with all diligence, Prov. iv. 23. or above all keeping. Corruption within is ready to grow and gain upon it, if it be never fo little neglected, and from without, to invade it, and get in. We breathe in a corrupt infected air, and have need daily to antidote the heart against it.

You that are ftudying to be excellent in this art of a good confcience, go on, seek daily progress in it; the study of confcience is a more fweet profitable study than of all science, wherein is much vexation, and, for the most part, little or no fruit. Read this book diligently, and correct your errata by that other book, the Word of God. Labour to have it pure and right; other books and works are Teggya, curious, and ragegya, by-works; they fhall foon difappear, but this is one of the books that shall be opened in that great day, according to which we must be judged, Rev. xx. 12.

On this follows a good converfation, as infeparably connected with a good confcience. Grace is of a lively active nature, and doth act like itself; holinefs in the heart will be holiness in the life too; not fome good actions, but a good converfation, an uniform even tract of life, the whole revolution of it regular: The inequality of fome Chriftians ways doth breed much difcredit to religion, and difcomfort to themselves.

But obferve here, 1. The order of these two. 2. The principle of both.

i. The

1. The confcience good, and then the conversation; Make the tree good, and the fruit will be good, fays our Saviour, Mat. xii. 33. ; fo, here, a good conscience is the root of a good converfation: Most men begin at the wrong end of this work; they would reform the outward man firft; that will do no good, it will be but dead work.

Do not reft upon external reformations, they will not hold, there is no abiding, nor no advantage, in such a work; you think, when reproved, Oh! I will mend, and fet about the redress of fome outward things; but this is as good as to do nothing; the mind and confcience being defiled, as the Apoftle speaks, Tit. i. 15. doth defile all the reft; it is a mire in the fpring; although the pipes are cleanfed, they will/ grow quickly foul again; fo Chriftians, in their progrefs in grace, would eye this moft, that the confcience be growing purer, the heart more fpiritual, the affections more regular and heavenly, and their outward carriage will be holier; whereas, the outward work of performing duties, and being much exercised in religion, may, by the neglect of this, be labour in vain, and amend nothing foundly. To fet the outward actions right, though with an honest intention, and not fo to regard and find out the inward diforder of the heart, whence that in the actions flows, is but to be ftill putting the index of a clock right with your finger, while it is foul, or out of order within, which is a continual business, and. does no good. Oh! but a purified conscience, a foul renewed and refined in its temper and affections, will make things go right without, in all the duties and acts of our callings.

2. The principle of good in both is Chrift; Your good converfation in Chrift. The converfation is not good, unless in him, fo neither is the confcience.

1. He the perfon, we must be in him, and then the confcience and converfation will be good in him; the confcience that is morally good, having fome VOL. II.

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