Confcience, can never efcape the Condemnation of a juft and righteous Judge, if he know his Guilt.

Did Earthly Princes or Judges as certainly know the Crimes which every particular Man is guilty of, as God knows the Sins of all Men, with their particular Circumftances and Aggravations, every Malefactor, who knows what Law he has broken, and what is the Punishment of the Breach of fuch Laws, might certainly know what his Condemnation will be, if he meet with a righteous Judge.

But Earthly Judges do not always know Men's Perfonal Guilt, or want Evidence to prove it; and thus many Criminals, whose own Confciences condemn them, may escape the Condemnation of Men; but God knows more of us than our own Confciences, and needs no other Evidence against us, but our own Confciences, to condemn us. Earthly Judges are not always upright in their Judg ment, Fear or Favour may pervert their Justice, but God is the Judge of all the World, and therefore Supream Rectitude and Justice; that no Sinner can hope to escape his Justice, whofe own Confcience condemns him; for if God fhould not condemn fuch Men, he would be lefs juft than the Conscience of a Sinner..

But you'll fay, the Mercy of God, and the Merits of our Saviour, may pardon a Sinner, whofe Confcience condemns him, though Juftice can't. I anfwer, No: If Confcience condemns according to the Rule of the Gospel,

it condemns both for the Juftice and for the Mercy of God; for the Gofpel is the Gospel of Grace, and contains all the Mercy that God hath promised to Sinners, and if Confcience judging by this Rule condemns a Sinner, the Mercy of God will not fave, to be fure Gofpel-Grace and Mercy, his own Confcience being witnefs, cannot fave him; and therefore his Salvation is hopeless, while he continues in this ftate. No Man's Confcience which is not disturbed, or misguided, of which more presently, will abfolutely condemn him without fome notorious and manifeft Guilt, and the Mercy of the Gofpel cannot fave fuch a Man. He must be confcious to himself, that he lives in the Commiffion of fome known Sin, or in the habitual neglect of fome known Duties, without Repentance and Reformation, before he will peremptorily condemn himself; and the Grace of the Gospel will not pardon wilful, impenitent, unreformed Sinners.

Thus on the other hand; if our Confciences do not condemn us, then have we confidence towards God. If we have a Confcience void of offence both towards God, and towards Man: If we have the Teftimony of our Confciences, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, we have had our Converfation in this World.If we ferve God with fuch Zeal, and Vigour, and Activity, if we fo abound in the work of the Lord, in all the Fruits of Righteoufnefs, Goodness, and Charity, that our own Confciences approve and commend us for it, this will give us a fecure hope,

in God's Mercy, fuch a Hope, as will not make us afhamed, as will not deceive us. Though we know nothing by our felves, as St. Paul speaks, yet are we not hereby juftified, he that judgeth us is the Lord, I Cor. 4. 4. In this Cafe it is true alfo, that God is greater than our Hearts, and knoweth all things, and therefore he may obferve thofe Defects and Imperfections in us, which we do not observe in our felves, that the moft innocent and vertuous Man dares not challenge Heaven as his Merit and Defert, but yet expects and hopes for a Reward from the Mercies of God, has Confidence towards God.

A Man's own Confcience cannot deceive him in this. Every Man muft know, whether he carefully avoid all known and wilful Sins, whether he discharge all the effential parts of his Duty to God and Men, especially when he does any eminent Services for God, and becomes an Example of Piety and Vertue. A Man, whofe Confcience gives this Teftimony to him, may fecurely hope and rejoice. in God; for whatever other Defects the pure Eyes of God may fee in him, they are all within the Grace and Mercy of the Gofpel, and therefore cannot hinder his Pardon or his Reward.

Thus we fee, that when Confcience abfolutely condemns, or when without any doubt or heftanfy it commends, acquits, and abfolves, its Sentence is a Divine Oracle, and affures us what our Judgment fhall be at the last Day, if we be then found in fuch a flate: But there is a middle ftate between thefe two, which

D d

which deferves to be confidered: When Men are neither fo wicked, as to be abfolutely condemn'd by their own Confciences, nor fo good, as to be acquitted and abfolved, which is an uncertain ftate between Hope and Fear. This is the cafe of thofe Men, who have been guilty of very great Sins, which they had lived in many years; and though they are very fenfible of their paft Wickednefs, and heartily forry for their Sins, and feriously refolved by the Grace of God to forfake them; yet they are not fatisfied of the fincerity of their Repentance, because they have not with all their Sorrow and Refolutions conquered their Inclinations to fin, nor broken the Habits of it; but are guilty of frequent Relapfes, and fall into the Commiffion of the fame Sins again; and then repent and refolve again; and as time wears off their Sorrow for their last Offence, their old Inclinations revive, and a new Temptation conquers again: Now fuch Men's Confciences neither abfolutely condemn, nor abfolutely acquit them, for the Event is doubtful: They are not Conquerors yet, and it is uncertain, whether ever they will conquer; and therefore there Confciences cannot yet speak Peace to them; and yet they are not perfect Slaves and Captives to Sin, but contend for their Liberty, and therefore their Consciences do not abfolutely condemn them; but as they prevail or yield, fo their Hopes or Fears encrease.

And this alfo is the Cafe of thofe Men, who, if they commit no notorious Wickedness, yet

do

do very little Good, nothing that their Confciences can commend them for: Who wor fhip God rather in compliance with the Custom of the Place they live in, than from a vital Sense and Reverence of God, and therefore are not for any Works of Supererogation: A little will content them, and they are glad of any Excufe to leffen that little; and all Men, who pretend to greater Devotion, they fufpect of Hypocrify, and fome fecular In

terefts.

As for Charity, though they must own Charity to be a Vertue, yet when any particular Act of Charity is preffed on them, they never want Arguments to prove, either that it is not Charity, or that they are not concerned in it; whatever Kindneffes they do for others, are extorted by great Importunity, and done very thriftily, juft as Men do, what they have no Mind nor Inclination to. Now these Men are commonly pretty quiet and fecure, unless fomething extraordinary awaken them; for they do nothing greatly to terrifie their Confciences, nor any thing to please them; and therefore their Confciences neither abfolve nor condemn. Such Men don't well know what to think of themselves, nor do they much think of these matters: If they be gay, and in good Humour, all is very well ; if any crofs Accident difturbs them, and makes them thoughtful, and fall out with this World, or works upon a melancholly Constitution, then they are over-run with black and dismal Thoughts, and all the Ministers in the NeighDd 2 bourhood