XIII.

SERM. Mifery, and frightful Prefages of what will come hereafter; for his Life is now become a Burden too heavy for him to bear; and, which is the greatest Misfortune, it is not in the Power of Riches, Honour, or any thing in the World to do him any Service, to filence the Clamours of Confcience, or relieve a diftracted Mind: And when he comes to depart this Life, and launch out into another World, to fill up the Measure of his Sufferings, Who can tell what Grief he muft endure? what Pain? what Sorrow? what Reluctance? And yet he is equally frighted at the Thoughts of Life; he is afraid to live, and afraid to die; a whole Eternity of Sorrow lies before him, behind him is the ghaftly Vifage of Despair, and fad Remorfe on either Side. In fhort, he dies in Distraction, and goes headlong into another World to receive the Remainder of that Punishment which he felt in this. ving fhewn what it is to have a Confcience void of Offence towards God and towards Men, and the Happiness that refults from it, and the Mifery that attends the Want of it, I come now,

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Thirdly, To lay down fome Rules and Directions in order to our obtaining fuch a Conscience.

Conscience. And here these two Things SERM. are most natural to be obferv'd. 1ft, To XIII endeavour all we can to understand our Duty right; and, 2dly, To practife it.

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First, then, We fhould endeavour to underftand our Duty right; for he that does not endeavour to inform himself aright in the Nature and Extent of his Duty, muft anfwer for all the Confequences of a mifguided Judgment. A Man, indeed, is obliged not to act contrary to his Confcience, because that would be to act against the Light and Conviction of his own Mind, which being the Rule of his Actions, and the only Guide he has to walk by, it would very finful not to do it: But then it will by no means follow from hence, that he is not oblig'd to get what Knowledge he can of his Duty, and to take care that his Confcience be rightly inform'd; for as a Man is guilty of Sin, if he acts contrary to his Conscience, fo is he equally guilty by acting according to it, if he refufes to make ufe of the Means of Information: Not that a Man is guilty of Sin by acting according to his erroneous Confcience, merely as erroneous, for he has no other Rule to act by; but because he has brought himself under

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SERM. Neceffity of being in the wrong, and has XIII. been himself the Cause of his erroneous Confcience by refufing to use proper Means of getting it rightly inform'd. Therefore, for a Man to do a Thing contrary to the Will of God, when, if he had made ufe of proper Means, he might have prevented it, and then to cry out, He has acted according to his Confcience, and to think that that will be an Excufe for him, is very abfurd and finful; because, if he had us'd his Endeavour, his Confcience would not have directed him to the doing of it, but quite the contrary. What a dismal Condition then must a Man be in who has brought himself to a Neceffity of finning do what he will, whether he acts according to his Confcience or against it! And this, by the way, is one fad Effect of neglecting to inform our Consciences aright; whereas he who does his Endeavour to get the beft Knowledge and Information he can, and after all his Care cannot get rid of his Error, will be fure always to find this Satisfaction, that he has done what he can to find out the Truth, and tho' he is ftill in an Error, yet he is fure it is not a wilful one, and therefore a good God will not punish him for it. Now, in order to help our Confciences to a true Know

Knowledge of things, we should take care SERM. to keep them clear from Scruples; for how- XIII. ever fome may flatter themselves with a too good Opinion of a fcrupulous Conscience, and fancy themselves the better Chriftians for having fuch a one, yet it is certainly an Argument of a weak Mind. And here a Man ought to ufe his utmoft Care and Diligence in this Matter, becaufe without it his Scruples will remain, and the Fault will lie at his own Door. He fhould examine; whether these Scruples are not owing to Prejudice, or are cherish'd by an idle Humour of raifing Scruples purely for the Sake of doing fo; for these are not Scruples of Confcience, but downright Hypocrify. Indeed one Man is not to be tied up to the Confcience of another, but then it is his Duty to keep his own as clear as he can ; for tho' one Man may differ from another, yet every one must be perfuaded of the Lawfulness or Unlawfulness of what he does, as much as he can. One Man efteemeth one Day above another, (fays St Paul) another efteemeth every Day alike; but then (says he) let every Man be fully perfuaded in his own Mind. But if a Man can't conquer his Scruples, tho' he's much to be pity'd for it, yet he muft fo far overcome them as

SERM. to make them give way to all positive Laws XIII. of God, or the lawful Commands of his

Superiors; for when a Man is convinc'd in general of his Duty in thefe Cafes on the one Side, and has however a few Scruples, which will not on the other Side prove the contrary, if he does not incline to that Side that has the greatest Evidence, he makes his Humour the Rule of his Actions, than which nothing can be more abfurd. Befides, 'tis a Rule allow'd of in all Cafes, that to Demonftration on one Side, there ought not to be oppos'd any Difficulties on the other. But,

Secondly, After we have done what we can to know our Duty, we must be fure to be as diligent in the Practice of it; and the great Motive for doing fo is, as St Paul tells us, a Belief of the Refurrection; for this will teach us to lead good Lives here, that we may be happy hereafter. The Knowledge of our Duty, without the Practice of it, is of no Ufe, unless it be to make the Omiffion and Neglect of it the more finful; but both together argue a good Conscience, and make a Man perfect and compleat, as far as he can be fo in this Life.

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