The Third Sermon.

ACTS xxiv. 16.

And herein do I exercife my felf to have always a Confcience void of offence towards God, and towards Man.

D

ID I defign to entertain you with the Character of St. Paul, I am fenfible I could not begin it more advantageously than with that of Felix, Tertullus, and the Jews his Profecutors; the Abilities and Corruption of the one, the Eloquence and Mercenarinefs of the other, the Bigottry, Malice, and ill Arts of the laft, ferving moft fitly as foils or fhades to fet off and adorn his Vertue and Integrity; but purpofing to confider these words, not so much as the Character of St. Paul, as the Rule and Standard of Christian Life in general, and confequently not to furvey the Hiftory of his Life, which in all the feveral instances and parts of it would apparently juftifie and make good this fhort Account he has G given

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given us of it, but to affift you to regulate and conduct your own. I will advance directly to the body of the Text, without stopping you by any Remarks or Reflections on any thing in the Con

text.

The words are part of the Apology which St. Paul made for his Religion and himself before the Tribunal of Felix. In the 14 and 15 Verfes he wipes off the Afperfion of Novelty and Schifm caft by Tertullus on his Religion,afferting that it was no other than what was taught by the Law and the Prophets; in this he frees himself from the Calumny of Turbulency and Sedition, avowing boldly the Innocence and Integrity of his Life, herein do I exercife my felf, &c. Where we have,

First, The great Business and End of St. Paul's Religion, to have a Confcience void of offence towards God and towards Man.

Secondly. His Diligence and Industry in the pursuit of it; herein do I exercife my Self.

Thirdly, The close connexion of this Verfe with the former by way of inferrence and deduction, fhews us the ground and motive of all this; namely, the be

hef

lief of a Refurrection, ver. 15. And have hope towards God, which they themfelves alfo allow, that there fhall be a Refurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

Suppofing now that the Example of St. Paul paffes, as indeed it does, an Obligation upon all Chriftians, to imitate it; for it behoves us to be followers of him, as he was of Chrift, 1 Cor. 11. 1.

Accommodating all this to our felves,[ will begin with the Duty in my Text, and fhew you,

First, In general, what it is to have a Conscience void of Offence, and then more particularly, what it is as it relates, firft, to God, and next, to Man.

To have a Conscience void of Offence, fpeaking in general terms, is to have a Conscience neither abused by falfe Principles, nor overpower'd by inordinate Affections: a' Confcience that neither mifleads nor difturbs and tortures us; a Conscience that neither renders us secure and confident in the wrong, nor upbraids us with any Hypocritical prevarication or willful violation of the right. To fuch a Confcience you will eafily refolve two things neceffary, Il lumination and Obedience. Illumination G2 makes

makes a right Confcience, Obedience a good one; both together a Confcience void of offence. I fay, both together; for first, as to the neceffity of Obedience, in vain are the Dictates and Commands of Conscience, be it never so well informed or enlightned, if Avarice and Ambition, Luft or Revenge, or any other irregular Appetite cannot pleasure, baffle, and infult them.

Nor is the neceffity of Illumination lefs evident; Religion and Property are no more fecure from the Invafions of a feduced than a feared Confcience; falfe Principles may betray Men into all the Crimes, and give birth to all the Mifchiefs which Lufts and Paffions do; Men may be led by an abused Conscience to rend and divide the Church, to fubvert and betray our Laws and Liberties, and to expose our Religion and our Country; i. e. in one word, all that is dear to us, to the Infolence and Cruelty of a Foreign Enemy and a Popifh Perfecution; this an abufed Confcience may do, what can Luxury and Irreligion, the Luft of Money, the Luft of Power do worfe? This I have faid to convince fuch as would have a Confcience void of offence, of the indifpenfible Ob ligation

ligation they lie under, not only to act and live up to the Dictates of Confcience, but also to endeavour with all Meekness, Sincerity, and Impartiality to inform it aright; without the one you will fall under the many ftripes of the Servant in the Gospel, who knew his Mafter's will and did it not, Luke 12. 47. Without the other, under the Woe pronounced by the Prophet against such as call good evil, and evil good, Isai. 5.

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I easily foresee this general Account of the Duty in my Text will be encountred with two Objections: First, How fhall we find out Truth and Right, when the Cunning and the Learned have raised fuch a Mift about it, when the Lufts and Interest of Men have perplexed and entangled it with fo many endless fubtilties and diftinctions? Where fhall we find a certain Rule, when Divinity and Law, how conftant and inflexible foever they may be in themfelves, are accommodated to every Defign, forc'd to yield Patronage and Countenance to every Caufe; and in a word, feem to speak no Language but fuch as Power and Interest inspire? Without examining the Juftice of this Objection, G 3 whether