Sacheverell 
 
 Nature, obligation and 
 measures of conscience
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 FREDERIC THOMAS BLANCHARD 
 ENDOWMENT FUND
 
 THE 
 
 Nature>0bligarion, and Me afar es 
 
 OF 
 
 CONSCIENCE, 
 
 Delivef'd In A 
 
 SERMON 
 
 PREACHD At 
 
 Leicefter , 
 
 AT THE 
 
 ASSIZES Held There, 
 
 July *j- th ' 17 06. 
 
 By HENRT SACHErRRELL, M. A. 
 Fellow of vJMagdalen-College, O x o N. 
 
 Publifti'd at the Requefl of the Gentlemen of the Grand-Jury. 
 
 OXFORD: 
 
 Printed by Leon. Lick fold, fa John Stephens, Bookfeller : 
 And are to be Sold by James Kjtapton at the Crownt in 
 St. Paul's Church-y ard, LONDON. 1706. 
 
 Puce One Shilling.
 
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 5V33 
 
 Tothe RIGHT WORSHIPFUL 
 
 CHARLES MORRIS, Efq; 
 
 HIGH-SHERIFF of the County of 
 
 LEICESTER, 
 
 AND TO 
 
 The Honourable Gentlemen of the Grand-Jury, 
 
 
 
 Sir WtUitm riRiers. Bart. Ckarlc* %?//*</. Efo; I. VI 
 
 "*/*,. Efq; 
 
 w, Efq; 
 
 ffalfert Bar*. 
 Sir George Beaumont ', Bar*. 
 
 Sir ^r 
 
 ', Kn. 
 
 5^. 
 
 MertfTi, 
 Rowland Browe,, 
 Bartlctt Streete, Efq; 
 lf<f, 
 
 ..! E % 
 
 William fPeffes, Gent. 
 Leontrd Pay, Gent. 
 
 ^ , 
 
 , Efij; 
 GENTLEMEN, 
 
 IF TbisDifcoitrfe has any thing 
 Confiderable , to Recommend 
 IJi'JW to the Worlds it is chiefly 
 Owing to Your Favour, </^/ In- 
 
 dul- 
 
 902853
 
 The Epiftle Dedicatory. 
 
 dulgence, as having had the Ho- 
 nour of Your Patience, in itslDc- 
 livery, and Your Joint Com- 
 mands, for Its Publication. 
 
 I JL ./ i. 
 
 / wi/h, J had Treated this 
 Weighty Subjet Equal to Its 
 Dignity : // being fo Neceflary 
 to be Thoroughly Underftood, at a 
 Time, when the Confederate 
 Adverfaries of Our Church, 
 Prefume as much to Found Do- 
 minion in Conference, as They 
 did formerly in Grace : when 
 They not only Pie ad the Liberty 
 of the One , to Refift and 
 
 Qpench
 
 .1 - -....! 
 
 The Epiftle Dedicatory. 
 
 Qgench the Other, but by count e~ 
 naming a Form of Godlinefs, 
 Deny the Power thereof, and 
 Deftroy the very Subftance of 
 Religion, under # Specious Ap- 
 pearance of Defending it. 
 
 But whatever Succefi, my En- 
 deavours in this Matter, may meet 
 with , it is the Peculiar Happi- 
 nefs , and Advantage of the 
 Church of England, that it can 
 yet, notwithftanding all Oppo- 
 fition, Glory in fo many Un- 
 blemilhd Patriots, and Un- 
 daunted Champions for the
 
 The Bpiftle Dedicatory. 
 
 Support of its Conftitution; 
 rphofe Lives are the Beft Illuftra- 
 tions0/ its Doctrines; wbofe 
 Merits are as Great and Con- 
 fpicuous as their Fortunes; whofe 
 Confcience is as Unfullied as 
 their Honour ; and who, by the 
 Juftice, and Regularity of Their 
 Principles, #WA&ions, have 
 Compleated the Charad:er of a 
 True Chriftian, as u>e//asThat 
 of an Accomplifti'd Gentleman. 
 
 \\^Slw\i c ^3 1 
 
 Were the Shining Examples 
 
 You give to Mankind, as Happi- 
 ly Imitated by All Perfons of -the 
 
 fame
 
 The Epiftlc Dedicatory. 
 
 fame Rank, and Condition, 
 neither Our Church, or State, 
 wou'd have Reafon to Fear any 
 Danger from its Avow'd Ene- 
 mies, or Pretended Friends: 
 and that You may Live long to 
 Controul, and Fruftrate the 
 Defigns 0f Both, is the Hearty 
 Wiflof 
 
 GENTLEMEN., 
 
 Your moft Humble Servant, 
 
 HENRY SACHEVERELL,
 
 sslfliq3 
 
 bobrpj; 
 t($rttt 
 
 [ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 K 5 O 
 
 .
 
 > l J 
 
 
 THE 
 
 Nature, Obligation, and Me afar es 
 
 O F 
 
 CONSCIENCE. 
 
 A&s xxiii i. 
 
 eftly beholding the Council, faid, 
 and Brethren, I have livdin all Good 
 CONSCIENCE, before God,until this Day. 
 
 THESE Words are as 'twere a fhort 
 Hiftory, and compendious CharaAer 
 of the Life of That Great Apoftle 
 St. Taul ; and of the Upright and Sincere 
 Confidence, that Adorn'd every Adlion in it. 
 This was his Efficacious and Triumphant Ar- 
 gument, which he fo Boldly urges in his Vin- 
 dication ; that he was Able to infeft upon his 
 Integrity, and appeal for its Proof to a Tryal 
 before GOD, the Searcher of all Hearts, and 
 the whole World, thevifible Witnefles of his 
 Practice ; that He had kept a Confcience void of 
 
 A Offence,
 
 i The Nat ure,iGlf libation, and 
 
 Offence , towards God , and towards Men. 
 'Twas This that Fortify 'd him with fuch a 
 Manly Spirit, and Unfliaken Courage,, to Out- 
 face all the malicious Accufations of his in- 
 fidious Terfecutors, to Bear up with a fteady 
 Chearfulnefs againft the many Miferies and 
 Difafters of a troublefome Life, and put to 
 Silence the Reproaches of his moft implacable 
 Enemies. When we fee him Arraign d be- 
 fore the infulting Jews, from whom he cou'd 
 as little expert Ju/iice, as Mercy, how did This 
 Aftonifh Felix, that Luftful and Covetous Ma- 
 giftrate, who thought to have Condemned him, 
 and made the Affrighted Judge Tremble, in- 
 ftead of his Supposd Criminal** Such is the 
 Power of a pure and unblemifh'd Conference j 
 it cafts a diftinguifhing Luftre, and amiable 
 Regard upon its Poffeffbr, can dignify Chains 
 and Fetters, turn a Trifon into a Talace, i'zn- 
 derTovertyj and even 'Difgrace, Honourable, 
 and command Reverence and Esteem from its 
 moft malignant Adverfaries. To obtain and 
 prefers which invaluable Bleffing, no Difficul- 
 ties or Labours can be fo Painful, no Dangers 
 or DiftrefTes fo Afflicting, no Suffering or Death 
 fo Sharp and Bitter, but what it will Suftain, 
 Alleviate, and moft amply Reward. 
 
 The niceft and moft important Enquiry, that 
 the Mind can be imployd in, both for its Im- 
 prove-
 
 ^CONSCIENCE. 
 
 provement and Satisfaction, is a. ju& Search 
 into its own State and Nature ; whereby it 
 may be capable of Qijcovering its own Graces 
 and Infirmities, to Correfl the Owe, and Ad- 
 vance the Other, and to Ground it felf upon a 
 rational Teace, and fecure Tranquillity. Tho' 
 indeed this requires no fmall j4rt and Car?, 
 thus to make the Soul defcend and retire into 
 her- felf, bend all her Faculties inwards, and 
 become the nearer Objeft of her own Con- 
 templation ; To dive into her own obfcure 
 Recefles and Manfions, and Trace through all 
 the intricate Folds and Windings of the Heart, 
 to Unveil its lurking Hypocrify, Traverfe its 
 Springs and Motions , and to let a Light into 
 thofe dark Corners of Iniquity, where Vice is 
 firft hatch dm& conceivd. Without this Spiri- 
 tual Scrutiny, this 'Domettick Inquifition ( as 
 we may call it ) in our Breaft, a Man's Life 
 can be never juSt and regular, or his Actions 
 even wb&felf-con/iftent, as being Guided by no 
 Law, and Directed by no Conduft. Therefore 
 every Man that pretends to the right Ufe of 
 his Reafon, and does not Live and A6t at Ran- 
 dom, muft think himfelf concerned to eftablt/b 
 a Certain Sett of Fundamental Notions and 
 Trinciples in his Thoughts; which upon a 
 thorough Search, and mature Deliberation, he 
 lays down and fettles, as the eternal Bafts and 
 
 A x Touch-
 
 The Nature, Obligatiort, . and 
 
 Touch/lone of Truth, as an unalterable Scheme 
 and Model of Morality to himfelf, and as the 
 confronting, and governing Maxims of his 
 praflical Behaviour. This is what he Digni- 
 fies with the awful Title of CONSCIENCE, 
 and is That internal Compafs of his Soul, by 
 which he Profefles to fteer the 'whole Courfe 
 and Tenour of his Actions. 
 
 Now from the infinite Multiplicity, and 
 Variety of Opinions , wherein Mens Minds 
 as much differ as their Features, there may 
 feem to Arife as many Sorts of Confidences, 
 as there are Qwerfity of Judgments in the 
 World : Hence we find Vertues and Vices 
 taking their feveral Colours and Denomina- 
 tions, according to the different Capacity, or 
 Ufe of Reafon, thefnndry Tempers, Inclina- 
 tions, Interests 2.n&1)e/igns of 'Parties, that 
 Form and Efpoufe fuch and fuch Jarring 
 Sentiments. So that he who takes an impar- 
 tial Survey of all the multifarious, unaccount- 
 able, and repugnant Conclusions of Mankind, 
 and their 'Deportment Confequent thereupon, 
 and confiders their irreconcileable Contrariety, 
 to each other ; and yet fees with what tena- 
 cious Confidence, and perverfe Obstinacy, they 
 are on allfides embracd and aflerted, will be 
 inclinable to fufpeft, That there is no fuch 
 Thing as True Conjcience in the World ; or 
 
 that
 
 sJMeafures of CONSCIENCE. "$ 
 
 that Men are not yet Agreed in the Meaning of 
 This amufingb\& unintelligible Word: A Word, 
 the Force ot which, is much fooner felt than 
 understood, that ftrikes the Senfes, deeper than 
 the Judgment ; and ufually carries in it all the 
 Mijchief, that Ignorance and Trejudice, blind 
 "Leal, and inveterate Malice, Enthufiajm, and 
 Superstition are able to Attempt and Execute. 
 Upon which account, this mi/iaken Word,Cb#- 
 fcience, has bin often found to be no better 
 than a meer Sound and Shadow, to dijguife the 
 moft Fatal and Devilifh Impostures > to <ww 
 the blackeft Treafon unA /Rebellion, Herefy, 
 Schifm, and Blajphemy ; and (helter^ the moft 
 aStonifbing Impiety under its fpecious , and 
 fanffifyd Umbrage. For what eife is it^ that 
 has bin the Gaufe of ^Imoft all the Cwil ^ars, 
 Perfections, and Maflacres, that for fb many 
 Years involved Christendom in Blood &K& Fury 
 Deftroy'd fo many Trinces^and Churches jwith 
 Regicide, and Sacr Hedge, depopulated To many 
 'Dominions, and Iwiftid fo much Treasure ; 
 and in a manner Overturned the very Founds 
 tions of Chrifiianity, under the Goodly "Pretence 
 of Religion ? What is it, I fay, but this /^W, 
 Confcience, MifunderStood and Mi [apply d 9 
 which like &\\Holy Sham, or rather 'Diabolical 
 Injpiration, has feiz'd and poffefsd the giddy, 
 and [enfelejs Multitude, with Infatuation, and
 
 6 The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 Threnzy, and driven them Headlong into their 
 Own, and their Country s Perdition ? Nothing 
 certainly has brought greater Calamities upon 
 the World/ or led the way to more dangerous 
 Mistakes, than the want of a due f Diftinflion in 
 its Nature, and a just Limitation of it, in its 
 Rights and Tower. Which as 'tis a weighty 
 Subjeft, proper for all Times, as containing 
 the Grounds of our Happine/s or Mifery, as 
 well in this World as the next ; fo I prefume, 
 it may be in no wife Unsuitable to theprefent 
 Solemnity , which may frequently have no 
 fmall Share in the Examination of its Pre- 
 tences, in order to the right j4dminiflration of 
 JuSiice, by the unqueftionable Authority of 
 fuch Legal Magistrates, as we are bound to 
 fubmit to, not only for Wrath, but Conference 
 fake. I fliall therefore within as little a Com- 
 pafs, as the Copioufnefs of this large Toint, and 
 the fmall Tortion of Time allow 'd me will per- 
 mit, endeavour 
 
 I. Firft, To Enquire into the True Nature, 
 and the Juft Bounds, and Meafures of 
 Confcience. 
 
 . 
 
 II. Secondly, To Propofe forne Confidera- 
 tions, whereby a falfe and erroneous Con- 
 /cience may beDiftinguifti'd from zjincere 
 and true One. III.
 
 C ON sc i B N c E. 
 
 . 
 
 III. Thirdly, To lay down thofe General 
 Laws, whereby the Confcience is to be 
 Regulated, and fhew how they ought to 
 be Jpplyd. 
 
 I. And Firft, I will Enquire into the true 
 Nature, and the juft Bounds, and Meafures of 
 Confcience. And this I fliall do, FirSi, from 
 Scripture, and. Secondly, from Reafon. 
 
 Some of the School-Men, as well as Others, 
 of the Ancient , and Modern Writers of Gz- 
 fuittical Divinity, in their Speculations on this 
 Subject have not undefervedly, bin Tax'd for 
 Darkningit with fo many unneceffary frivolous, 
 and intricate Notions, that they feem rather 
 to have endeavour'd to confound, and perplex 
 Mens Minds , with impertinent "Doubts and 
 'Difficulties, than to propofe fuch Remedies, as 
 might effelually/i?/i; their Scruples, zn&Fears. 
 Tho' the Scripture is fo very clear and />/#/ 
 in this Matter, that from the frequent Ufe 
 and Energy of this Word, Confcience, there- 
 in, it will be found to carry this General Im- 
 port in it, namely, The Knowledge of a 
 NATURAL, 0r DIVINE Law, join d with an 
 Application of it, to fome particular Instance 
 of Trattice, to which it is adequately fuited, 
 and adapted. Out of the many Places that 
 
 occur
 
 8 The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 occur in the New Testament* to eftablifh this 
 Notion of Conference, it may be fufficient to 
 quote one or two, which give in the Senfe of 
 the reft. St. Taul, in his Epiftte to the Ro- 
 mans , Chap. II. v. 14* *?> 16- fpeaking of 
 the Gentiles, who had no other Guide of 
 their Actions, but the Law of Nature, or 
 Reafon rightly inform d, exprefly declares,, that 
 this- was to them,, the Rule of their Confcience, 
 whereby they were to be Judgd at the laft 
 Day/ and Acquitted QIC Condemn d. for (fays 
 he ) when the Gentiles which have not the Law 
 (that is the Mofaick or Reveal d Law ) do by 
 NATURE the things contain d in the Law, 
 theje having not the Law, are a Law unto them- 
 f elves j which /hew the Work of the Law 
 written in their Hearts* their CONSCIENCE 
 alfo bearing witnefs, and their thoughts the 
 mean while ACCUSING, or elfe EXCUSING 
 one another, in the "Day when God frail judge 
 the Secrets of Men, by Jefus Chrift, according 
 to my Go/pel. In the fame Chapter, v. ir. 
 Difcourling concerning the State of thzjews, 
 who had the Lively Oracles of Gods written 
 Word , and the Law of Mofes fuperinduc'd 
 upon the Law of Reafon, to illuftrate and in- 
 large it, fays, as many as have /inn d in the 
 Law, /ball be judgd ~by the Law, which ex- 
 tends the Obligation of Confcience, with regard 
 
 to
 
 <i3\4eafures of CONSCIENCE. 9 
 
 to them, from the Law of Nature to that of a 
 further Reveafd, Tofitive Law. But in his 
 Epiftte to Titus > c. i. v. IT- the <Apoftle fpeak- 
 ing concerning the State of Chriftianity , 
 that had the Supream Priviledge of an en- 
 tire Revelation of the "Divine Law, he fays, 
 of Errors in Judgment, and Trafftce, Unto the 
 Ture all things are Pure, but unto them that 
 are T)eflld and unbelieving, is nothing Ture, 
 ~but even their Mind and Confcience is Defifd, 
 where we find tf< Mind added to ^v M o Con- 
 fcience, to Explain and Adjuft its Meaning, 
 denoting the Intellectual Faculty of the Soul, 
 Judging upon any Moral Toint , together 
 with an Application of it to Practice. So 
 that here is a Complex and Relative Idea , 
 carrying a double Notion in it of Confcience, 
 which with Refpeft to its Operation , is 
 alfo Twofold. FirSt , Relating to what is 
 pafs drudging it felf to have either done Well, 
 or 111', or Secondly > Relating to its prefent 
 T)uty, j4dvifing and Ttireffing us, in the Ne- 
 cejjity, Legality, or Illegality of any things that 
 ought to be done, or not done by us. Which 
 Divifion refults from the Two Faculties, or 
 rather Reflex Attions of the Soul, in Contem- 
 plating and Judging what is prefent, or in Z)tf- 
 lilerating on what is Pafs'd, either Justifying 
 and (Acquitting, or <iAccu/ing and Condemn- 
 
 B
 
 io The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 ing us before God and Our Conference. Under 
 one of thefe Two Notions, moft Places in the 
 New TeSiament, and thofe that may feem to 
 correfpond to them in the Old, are Underftood. 
 This is the Short and General Account that 
 Revelation has given us of this Matter ; and 
 it would have bin well, if Men had Refled here, 
 and bin Contented with the plain and eafy "De- 
 terminations of the Scriptures ; which had 
 left no Room for Doubts and <iAnibiguities, and 
 had prevented all thofe Sophiftical Subtleties, 
 which have bin fince Invented by Men of Je- 
 fuitical, and Fanatical Brains ; who have Re- 
 find the exprefs Rules of Human T>uty into 
 Whimfical and Inexplicable Theories ; have 
 Clogg'd and Surrounded it with ufelefs and fur- 
 prizing Questions, Spinofe Ob/Jades, and ab- 
 ftrufe 'Diflmffions, laid in the Dark, as fo many 
 ^MyStical Snares, and Spiritual Gins to catch 
 Men's Consciences, and Plunge 'em into the 
 unfathomable Abyfs of G o D'S Tre/cience, 'De- 
 crees, znATredettination; Things which the 
 Thoughts of Men, 'which are not as Gods 
 thoughts, can never Fix or Determine. Thefe 
 Legerdemain Craftsmen in Divinity, it/ho 
 thus Handle the Word of God deceit/ idly, ought 
 juftly to Inherit the Woes denounc'd by GOD, 
 (Ezekiel, Chap. 13.) againft their Brethren, 
 the falfe Prophets, Who VawVd with un- 
 
 tern-
 
 sJldeafures ^CONSCIENCE, n 
 
 temper d ?J\4ortar, prophefyd out of their Own 
 Hearts, follow d their Own Spirit, faw Va- 
 nity and Qiwrid Lyes, feducing the Teople. 
 Will Te Pollute ?JMe (fays GOD) among my 
 Teople ', for handful s of Barley and for pieces 
 of Bread, to /lay the fouls that /hould not dye, 
 and to fave the fouls alive that Jbottld not live 
 by "Tour Lying to my People that hear Tour 
 Lyes! Wherefore thus faith the Lord God, 
 Behold I am againSt Tour Pillows, wherewith 
 Te there Hunt the Souls to make "em fly^ and 
 lit/ill tear them from Tour <^4rms, and will 
 let the Souls go, even the Souls that Te hunt to 
 make 'em fly. Becaufe 'with Lyes Te have 
 made the Heart of the Righteous fad, 'whom I 
 have not made fad, and Strengthen d the hands 
 of the Wicked, that He/houdnot return from 
 his wicked way by promi/ing him Life. How 
 Applicable is this Character to thofe Men, who 
 inftead of ferving the Great Purpofes of Mo- 
 rality, and Religion, which ought to be re- 
 presented as Eafy, and Tratficable, as 'tis /- 
 viting, and Agreeable ( which certainly Raifes 
 both the Dignity, and Excellency of the Law, 
 and fupream Legtflatour, ) when They Ihould 
 have helpt the Lame, and Blind, out of the 
 Tit they were fain into, and aflifted the In- 
 firmities,, and Necejfities of the Weak, and 
 Impotent, Intangle 'em deeper in the Mire, 
 
 B z En-
 
 The Nature, Obligation, 
 
 Enhancing their dMiferies, Exaggerating their 
 Guilt, Frightening 'em with falje j4f>pehen- 
 Jlons, and Imaginary Scruples, and in a Word 
 Raifing that Devil, which they were never Able 
 again fufficiently to Lay. Thefe are doubtlefs 
 faithful TaSJors, and Stewards of Gods holy 
 Mysteries, who feed his Servants with Stones 
 inftead of Bread, and in lieu of a wholfom and 
 heavenly Repaft of his Word, fet before 'em,, 
 noifome Serpents, and deadly Scorpions \ 
 
 But to Proceed, Let us fee how far the Plain 
 Trinciples ofReafon, and Argumentation, will 
 carry Us in the Difcovery of the True Na- 
 ture of this Point. Upon a Survey of it, 
 We Ihall find, that all the Modes, or jiffeR'tons, 
 of either the Mind, or Confidence, which are 
 only fo many Different States, or "Degrees of 
 its Operation, will be Comprehended under 
 Thefe Four, Namely, 
 
 i. cxf Clear, Upright, and well-Inftrutted 
 
 Conference. 
 x. cxf Trolable Confcience. 
 
 ^A Doubtful , or Scrupulous Confcience. 
 Erroneous Confcience. 
 
 Thefe Four Sorts of Conferences, take thei^r 
 Rife from, and are Grounded upon the Diffe- 
 rent Evidence of any Traftical Objeft, pro- 
 
 pos'd
 
 of CONSCIENCE. 13 
 
 pos'd to the zJMind, and the Clearness, and 
 'Diftinttion, or the Obfcurity, and Confu/ion, of 
 the Ideas that it Frames thereof. 
 
 
 
 i. If the Matter it Deliberates upon, be & 
 Thing in its Nature* Tlain, and Intelligible , 
 not Incumber'd with Difficulties., and Doubts, 
 and fuch as appears either Neceffary, or Law- 
 ful to be done, and confequently a 'Duty ; or 
 Illegal, and Neceffary to be Absiairid from, 
 and confequently a Sin; as on the One Hand 
 'Prohibited, or on the Other Injoind, by 2)/- 
 vine, Human, or Moral Laws; and a Man 
 A6ts accordingly in all thefe Cafes, with a .F&// 
 'Perf'wafion of Mind, and the Stffent of his 
 Conscience, Guiding and Governing it felf by 
 fuch Rules, as are adequate, and fuited to its 
 feveral A6tions ; fuch a Perfon certainly goes 
 upon the Trinciples of a Sincere, Upright, and- 
 In&ruffed Confcience. 
 
 ^. But, Secondly, if the Matter proposed to 
 the Mind, has not this Clearnefs, and Z5w- 
 ^c^ in it felf, either through the Intricacies*,. 
 it may be Involv'd in by its Nature, or the 
 Obfcurity, and Ambiguity of its Circum/lances, 
 or the /^/z/ of a FzJ/, and v^(? DiStinftion,. 
 in the L^7^, Prohibiting, or Injoining : the 
 Underftanding having fully Weigttd\he T^oults, 
 
 and.
 
 The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 and Oty'eftions on all Sicks, and BallanCd the 
 Matter with all the Juttice and Equity that it 
 can ; and finding the Reafons on the One hand 
 Preponderating thofe on the Other: upon 
 fuch an Impartial Survey, and Scrutiny, the 
 Conference Determining on the Trobable Part, 
 proceeds according to Its Judgment, and A6ts 
 upon the Decifion of Argument, and Colour, 
 not Apprehending any Apparent Evil, ex- 
 prefs Illegality, or Inexpediency in its Action. 
 This is the Trobable Conscience , and will 
 Juftify where all proper Means are us 'd for its 
 InftruEtion. 
 
 3. But, Thirdly, if the Mind upon a Sur- 
 vey of All Sides, finds it klfToisd in an Equi- 
 librium betwixt Both ; if the Reafons appear 
 equally clear, fir ong, and convincing on Either 
 Side, and it knows not how to Judge, or Zte- 
 termine its Election, and the Law relating to 
 this Matter, may be either dubious, equivocal, 
 indifferent, or perhaps filent : if the Confcience 
 hangs thus under a State of Neutrality, and 
 as 'twere declines and fufpends its Confent,and 
 yet the Perfon ^/fcSF without it, this is a Doubt- 
 ing Confcience, and the Man under its Cw- 
 rf<3? is Guilty of Sin, if He Does fo. But if 
 it does jlffent, His Aftion is fo fa Justifiable, 
 as it appears not Offending againft any Tq/iti<ve, 
 
 and
 
 CONSCIENCE. 
 
 and plain ^Prohibition^ or Law. For the Ne- 
 gative being of Infinite Extent, and Latitude., 
 makes Great and Juft Room for tiAllowances, 
 in thefe dubious Cafes. But if the Conference 
 apprehends, or fujpeffs, any Evil (tho' per- 
 haps Falje) in the Matter of its A<5tion y 
 otherwife in /"/ felf Legal, which is the Cafe 
 of a Scrupulous Conference, it is under an Obli- 
 gation or Not-jifting, becaufe no A&ion is 
 Justifiable, that is ^/igaint, or Without the 
 Conjent of the Mind. 
 
 4. But, La&ly, if the A^W is not Rightly 
 InSiruEted, or Inform d, as to the Matter of 
 its <LAEtion, and frames a 'wrong Judgment of 
 its Legality , or Illegality, from a /^/I?, or 
 confusd jtyprehenfion of, or Ignorance in, the 
 LtfT*',, and Nature ofthej4ffion, or is diftorted, 
 or mifled, by Taffion y TrejudiceJntere^l^Pride, 
 Luft, or any other finiSIer Means, this is aa 
 Erroneous Conference, bringing always C/n/7/ 
 upon the zAftor, and Involving Him in &"% 
 according to that Received sJMaxim, That, 
 /^^ Ignorance of the Law can ne<ver Excufe a 
 "Delinquent. 
 
 Now th&Firft of thefe Conjciences proceeds 
 upon either Faith, or 'Demonstration, the In- 
 fallible Revelation of God, or the certain .Mw- 
 of Reafon. 
 
 Tte
 
 id The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 \ The Second proceeds upon the Grounds of 
 Probable, or Moral Certainty , a Rational 
 Belief, Perfwafiofi, or Opinion. 
 
 The Third cannot Proceed but according 
 to the Degrees of^lffent, or Election, and 
 
 The Fourth proceeds upon Ignorance or 
 Error. 
 
 This I hope may feem to be no obfcure or 
 indiftinff Account of the Nature of Conjcience, 
 as taking in, all its !Pr0/>r//V.r,confider 'd under 
 the Trinciples of Reafon, and the Gradual 
 Light, and different Advancements, that // 
 makes under Its Conduct ; and 1 prefume, this 
 may be the moll Natural andjult way of Ex- 
 plaining it, and which clears off all thofe sib- 
 ftrufe "Perplexities, other Mystical Inter pet a- 
 tions -bring upon it. For certainly every Man's 
 Conjcience, either is, or ought to be Govern 'd 
 by Rational zJMotives, which are the Supream 
 Commands of the Understanding on its Sub- 
 jeffs , the Will, and slffettions , never to be 
 *DiJputed, never to be Difobeyd without Re- 
 bellion againft their fpiritual Sovereign. 
 
 This being Premis'd, as ^Rational View of 
 the Nature and Obligation of Con/cience in 
 General, and its feveral Tarts, sJModes, or 
 Habitudes in Particular, I come in the next 
 place, 
 
 II.
 
 (/CONSCIENCE. 17 
 
 II. Secondly, To propofe fome Confidera- 
 tions, whereby a Falfe, and Erroneous Con- 
 fidence, may be Diftinguifh'd from a Sincere* 
 and True One. What has bin before Re- 
 mark'd, in Settling the *Di/iinfl Bounds of Each, 
 might be in it felf, fufficient to Difcover the 
 Difference ; but perhaps it will appear much 
 more Evident to Thofe, who for want of Time, 
 or Skilly at firft View cannot fully comprehend 
 Thefe Abftratted Notions, and follow thtMind 
 thorough all the Dark Labyrinth of its fecret 
 Operations, if We proceed more fully to *Dif- 
 play, in their proper Colours, all thofe Falfe 
 "Pretences, that are fo apt to Delude and put 
 upon Our Judgments, and Deceive Us with 
 the Empty Shadows, zn& Vi/ionary Appearances 
 of Religion. Among all which there is none, 
 that with fo much Artifice and Illu/ion, Palms 
 the infnaring Imposture upon Our credulous 
 Faith, as the plauftble 'JDifguife of Interest. 
 This will fo Fatally Over-rule the Con/cience, 
 fo Warp its Judgment, and Blind its 'Difcern- 
 ing Faculties, that in time, it will intirely T)e- 
 pofe it from its "Dominion, and Ufurp its Tlace 
 and Authority : fo that tho it has Eyes, they 
 Jhali not See ; tho it has Ears, it Jbali not 
 He.ar ; tho it has Understanding, it /ball not 
 Understand. In this Cafe a Man Forfeits the 
 Exalted Triviledge of his Rea/on, and Zte- 
 
 C grades
 
 
 Ha Afgues, not from His Under/landing but 
 His /#<?/& and Bloody and 'How weaik the Zte- 
 
 s*, Experience is Tufficient to Convince 
 Us. For, is not this Interest the Graz/ Z>/4 
 of- the World, to wh'ofe &7^r Shrines its Jte- 
 Notaries pay the moft Devout Homage 9 
 implicit Adoration ? What is there that 
 tfie Exorbitant Power of This cannot efFeft, 
 When it lhall teach a Man to Renounce his 
 Senfts, Care/s Fraud, Adorv Nonfence^ Aban- 
 8&% lite Creed, and give the Lye to the Holy- 
 Spirit'of GOD wittiin him ? When 2)//// and 
 7^/^r^Clafli and Interfere, how TurWind 
 does it rerlder Our Judgments? how difficult 
 is it "to view the Difference ? how many .Ar- 
 tificial lHuirfo, Subterfuges, and Equivocations, 
 are immediately found out* \.v keep the Teace 
 betwixt 'em ? Such /brewd Sophzsiers are 
 never at a Lofs forfaving 'Di&in&tons > To Keep 
 what they have, and Get what They can : This 
 being the Grand Maxim, which the Wife Men 
 of this World lay down as the Foundation of 
 all their Politicks; whereby they are fo eafily 
 brought to Comply, and Fall in with fuch 
 Principles and Traffices, as are moil likely to 
 Promote it. It is the MelanchoUy Amufement 
 
 only
 
 sMeafures of C ON s c j E a c JE. 19 
 
 of Ate# of Letters and Vhilofopfy , 
 to Live and Feed upon ldea& atjd D^ 
 pute about; JvqagmW/s&ti&tyft Th0%) wfab 
 can Contemplate cft&*W %w^ 
 without Reward, are; U'ke^tov 
 elfe for thek Latour ; ftwi: i?iA Expbft 
 ^s ;Contemptiblei land ,Deftit,ute, as 
 
 taught, to Jt 
 
 /^ Children of Light ; : they Trouble 
 not themfelves with the AtevV of their 
 or ??^r// ; theiy are not F&tftr!dj 
 .with the Little, Strait*lacd Nottowoi 
 Justice, and Honefty ; they are for a Latitude, 
 both ojf Thought, and Action, z Licentious Jnt- 
 munity from ^// Legal ^ Restraint ; which, 
 with Their Peculiar Talents of Impudence, and 
 Fal/hood 3 \hay ftick not to call L^befty of Con- 
 fcience, and prefume to Challenge^ as T^/ 
 Freedom of Will, which, they fay, is the.Uni- 
 'Privilege of. Mankind. , ,As if That 
 cterfJH of sCanfcicna, ^vihich the Go<vmti?&& 
 
 'd to fuehrer fdns alone', 
 Scruples, will, not periiHt< them to join itii 
 
 to Shelter fe^>Jasiiai^eaiotltisfi 
 
 Socinibns, j^Mtfo 
 4^^^^ 
 C x
 
 The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 Faith, and Church, at theirPleafure, with Im- 
 punity. Thus Villanoufly are Our Laws A- 
 bus'd, and this Sacred Name play'd upon, to 
 the foul Di/honour of GOD, and the ( Di[- 
 grace of Religion; which now a -days is made 
 the Tharifaical, and Turitan Cloak, like 
 Samuels Mantle, to Amufe the Witch, and 
 Cover the 2>m7, and Confecrate All Infidelity, 
 Injuftice, Tride , Luff, Avarice , and jdm- 
 fation, and the moft execrable Vices of Hell, 
 with the Holy Title of Confcience ; which, in 
 fad Truth, is nothing elfe, but the Fizor- 
 Mask of Coufenage, Knavery, and Hypocrify ; 
 it is tfafpiritual Tool to ferve the Turn of all 
 wicked Defigns, meer Tarty-Cant, and Fa- 
 natical Jargon, the very Sound whereof fhou'd 
 be a Warning-piece to Alarm every Honeft 
 Man to ftand upon his Guard, and L00& ^^/// 
 Him. 
 
 Whatever Pretences thefe Time [erring Men 
 may Gild their era//)' Stratagems with, it will 
 be found at laft, that They are Nothing but 
 downright Tolitical Atheists : For they are 
 really Indifferent to every Seft, or Religion ; 
 Efpoufe Neither, but as it Suits with their 
 Advantage ; and, as That changes, are Ready 
 ftill to Obey its Motions, /hift with the Scene* 
 fwim with the Tide, and veer to every "Point 
 of the Compafs, as the Wind that ymw em, 
 
 com-
 
 ef CONSCIENCE. 
 
 commands. They are as Difjonant in their 
 Opinions and T radices, as thofe are Incon/iflent 
 with the Laws of GOD; and, in a Word, on 
 every Occaftonal profpeft of Gain, are their 
 Own Reverfe, and one Continued Trattical- 
 Self -Contradict ion. To Verify this Infamous, 
 and molt abominable Character, which 'tis a 
 Shame fhou'd be found in any Nation profejfing 
 the Name of Christian, have We not, to the 
 *Dil appointment of both Our Laws, Civil and 
 EccleftaSlical, a bett of Mifcreants fuffer'd 
 amongft Us, and Thofe even pretending t 
 more Sanffity and Confcience, than the reft of 
 Mankind, who not only Dare 0/>e7z/x Own, and 
 TraEtice , but even Prefume to Juftify this 
 Amphibious Conformity ; who to Qualify them- 
 felvcs for a paultry Tlace, can .yZx^ cr^/> to 
 thofe Altars they Proclaim Idolatrous, Join 
 in a Communion they Revile as fuperftitious&K& 
 fwatto^M that Sacrament, which at other times 
 they Refufe, as "Damnation. And, indeed, in 
 this Tremendous Cafe, it ought to be the Wifh 
 of every charitable Christian, that they may 
 not, in fuch a folemn and deliberate A<51 of 
 the Worft of Hypocrify, Eat and Drink their 
 Own "Damnation, not Qijcerning the Lords 
 Body. Such Men, like Efau, that Reprobate 
 of GOD, wou'd doubtlefs Barter their fpiritual 
 Birthright fax a Afefs of Tot t age ; like Gehazi 
 
 they
 
 they will Impudently Lj^v,(and not haw fo 
 much Shame as He had to Difawn it,) for 
 Changes of Raiment, and Talents of Silver. : 
 they inherit Naamaris Crime, *teore Odiom 
 and Stinking than His Leprofy ; who, to keep 
 his Poft in the Government, could bow down 
 in the Houfe of Rimmon, and yet acknowledge 
 the God of Ifrael; in a Word, They Out-do 
 that Amazing, and Irremiffible Sin, of the Son 
 of 'Perdition, the Arch-Traytor Judas him- 
 felf, in that, they *Dayty feliand betray their 
 Lord and Saviour \ for Money. And wou'd not 
 (think Ye) the Trimitive Church have Thun- 
 ^rWout its slnathemas, againftfuch "Daring, 
 and Injolent Offenders ? Wou'd it not have 
 fpewd thefe Vipers out of Her Cemmunion, 
 whofe crying Sins call aloud to Heaven, for 
 that y.f? V en g e ance> they have not/?/ found 
 upon Earth? nr 
 
 Thus Fatally can the Dominion of lntere& 
 Sway Mens Faith, and "Practice, audr//^r^ 
 4>oth, to the Mammon ofUnrigh&eo.ufnej's. For 
 a Man to quit his Temporal Honours , attd 
 Eftate in This Life, for another an Reverfion. in 
 the .A&A'/, is fuch an Llneafy J^xchange 
 that Our Blefled -Saviour himfelfV 
 (humanly fpeaking) Perfwade the 
 
 /, to Comply with, tho : Wo are 
 no Ordinary Proficient in Piety. 
 
 And
 
 of C O N S C 1 E N C.E. 
 
 And where Interest* and Religion, come to 
 ftand in Competition, there are not Few who 
 would follow His Example , and TZ^TZ //&*> 
 Bttcks upon their Saviour. Inibmuch that the 
 2)evil. thought himfelf fecure of Betraying 
 the very Son of God, when He gave him the 
 pompous Fiew y and alluring Promife of this 
 World. Which really are Temptations., that 
 induce Good, as well Great Men, fometinaes 
 to Fall down, and Wor/hip, and which require 
 no fin a 11 Pitch of T^ertue, and Resolution, to 
 Baffle,, and Withftand. This is the tendere/i 
 Part of Nature, and no wonder if it fometimes 
 gives way., when 'tis Aflaulted on the Weakest 
 lide. How often have We feen, when a fhining 
 Treferment has Dazfd, and fi^armdtht Con- 
 fcience , of fome Ambitious, or Indigent 
 Perfons, how wonderfully it has Softrid, and 
 Relax "d their Rigid Trinciples, and fuddenly^ 
 and almoft as efFedlually Wrought a Confer/ion 
 in their Opinions, as the Light that from 
 Heaven /truck down St. 'Paul* It requires in- 
 deed a full Conviftion, of the infallible Truth 
 of Our Trinciples , and the Merit of Our 
 Caufe, and a Stanch Refolution, rais'd upon the 
 ferious Deliberation of Both, with a. lively 
 Senfe of Our Obligations to, and an awful 
 Fear of G o D'S Juftice, to keep Men ftedfaSt 
 Unmowable > and inflexibly Per fevering in 
 
 their
 
 The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 their Religious Sentiments. Yet notwithftand- 
 ing the Difficulty, it will be ftill found to be 
 as much our True Interest., as Real Duty, upon 
 which a Good Conference always keeps its Eye 
 fixt and Unwavering, and is like the GOD that 
 it ferves, without Variablenefs, or Shadow of 
 Change. It confults its Innocence, not its Se- 
 curity, Follows Christ to the Crofs, as weH as 
 to the Crown, and is as Ready to fuffer for, 
 as to Reign with Him. It maintains a conftant, 
 and Uniform Courfe of Integrity, never De- 
 viating from it felf, and the plain Road of 
 Truth and Honefty. It knows no Latitude , 
 comprehenfae Shifts, or Troubles, in its Prin- 
 ciples, but is, as the Objefl of its Worfhip, 
 the fame to day, to morrow, and for ever. 
 
 i. The SecondThing that Deceives Us under 
 the Pretence of Conscience is Trejudice *. This 
 is an Infant Trinciple, that takes Root deep 
 in the Man, and fpreads large in the Under- 
 (landing ; like the Mu/lard-feed in the Gofpel, 
 that from a flender, and Minute Grain, fhoots 
 up, and Enlarges into the Boughs, and 
 Branches, of a Tree. From a Little, and in- 
 fenfible Beginning, it rifes up to a Firm, 
 ftrong, and Irradicable Habit in the Soul, and 
 
 4 This Subje& I've treated on at large in another Difcourfe. . 
 
 be-
 
 of CONSCIENCE. 
 
 being join 'd with Pride, Qltflinacy, and Self- 
 Love , is made almoft Infepairable from it. 
 From hence 'tis, that fo Great a Part of the 
 World, owe thofe few Notions of Conference, 
 and Religion, that they have, either to the 
 Fajhions, and Cu/ioms, of the Country they are 
 Born in, or to the Methods, and Ways of Edu- 
 cation, in which They are Bred ; nay, fome to 
 the Callings, and Trofeffions, in which they are 
 Accidentally Train'd up, not a few to the Con- 
 verfation, and Company, that they keep, others 
 to the Authority of fuch Perfons as they Con- 
 fide in, and others to their Own Con/litution, 
 Singularity, and Condition. And how hardly 
 are Men brought to Search Impartially into 
 the Truth, and Foundation of their Opinions; 
 and therefore much more, to Relinquifli thofe 
 principles, which they have cheri/Kd, as the 
 Rules of their Conduct, and Darling Friends 
 fo long ? They had rather Believe with an Im- 
 plicit Faith, take their Creed by Report, and 
 venture its Confequence, than be at the Trouble y 
 and Uneafmefi, vtcanvajfing its Articles. Thus 
 Error being firft Entertained, Vlzz&sPrefcription 
 againft Truth, and injoying a long Trepoffejfion 
 in the Mind, Ufurps its Place, and excludes. 
 its Entrance, Hops up the Paflage of Reafon, 
 and the Avenues of Conviction ; it Ingrofles 
 the Intellectual Man, makes him PeevifB, and 
 
 D Sour,
 
 i6 The Nature., Obligation, and 
 
 Sour, Perverfe, and Reftive, and Incapacitates 
 Him for Reformation. And no wonder,, when 
 his judgment is thus bafely BriVd, and Re- 
 tain 4, that it gives him Wrong Coun/el; and 
 like a Deceitful Lawyer, Betrays that Cau/e, it 
 ought to Defend. A Man may therefore,, in 
 this Cafe, have a full Acquiefcence in his Falje 
 Sentiments, and efteem his Confcience Sincere, 
 and True, while He is Infenfible, that it is 
 Grounded on an Error, becaufe the MiSJake is 
 Early Imbib'd, and has bin long received. And 
 that which makes this Matter, of fo perilous 
 a Confequence, is, that it may Infinuate it felf 
 into Our Fundamental (Articles, vitiate and 
 Diminifh Our Faith, and thereby Endanger 
 Our Eternal Salvation. For it is a Truth 
 (tho 7 feemingly fevere) that can never too 
 often be Inculcated , that an Erroneous 'Per- 
 fw a/ion is as Damnable, as an Immoral 
 Life\ it being, almoft inconceivable, that the 
 Caufe and Effeffi fhou'd not correfpend, that a 
 Bad Tree fhould bring forth Good Fruit, or a 
 Man Believe III, and at the fame time Live 
 Well. So that there's no Queftion, but that 
 any one may really think his Confcience Up- 
 right, and Unliaf/d, when 'tis Govern'd by- 
 thefe "Prejudices j and tho' He A6ls in Con* 
 formity to them, find himfelf after his Death, 
 in a Grofs Mistake in the other World, and
 
 CONSCIENCE. 17 
 
 Recant when 'tis too late. For,, & o D having 
 laid before Us his Law, in the inoft Obvious^ 
 and Intelligible Terms, with a Command to 
 Try, Examine, 'Dire&i and Judge our C0#- 
 Jciences by TTw/ /fa/fc, has left Us without 
 Excufe, for not fo Doing, and may Juftly In- 
 flit an Eternal Tunijhment for Our Negleft 
 in this Matter. Neither wiH here the Pre- 
 tence of a Good Intention any ways Mitigate 
 the Crime, ^4nnul the. Guilt, vi Indemnify the 
 Offender , unlefs only in Cafes of Invincible 
 Ignorance. Such a Dangerous Misfortune is 
 it, to be fet wrong at firft, and feajorid with 
 corrupt Trinciples, which may in: time gain 
 an Abfolute and uncontroulable Dominion in 
 the Soul, derive a Fatal and Inevitable Tro- 
 penfeon upon the 'whole Conscience, which may 
 Debauch the True Faith, and fubvert the very 
 Foundations of Juftice and Piety. How High- 
 flown, and Liable foever, this Doftrine may 
 feem to the Reflexions of fome Latitudinarian 
 *Di<vines y who place Morality above Faith; and 
 who wou'd be thought to Imitate the Example, 
 without Believing in,oxTru/}ing to the Merits, 
 and Satisfaction of their Redeemer ; it is un- 
 deniably evident, from the Exprefs Words of 
 the Gojpel, that the Jews, who crucify d the 
 MeJJiah, and perjecuted him after his Death, 
 in his <^ApoStles, thought themfelves bound in 
 
 D -L Con-
 
 The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 Confcience, to commit thefe execrable Sins, and 
 that they did God good Service thereby. Where- 
 as thofe very ApoStles always Charge 'em with 
 thefe heinous Crimes,z$Unpardonable, without 
 Repentance; for that this Erroneous Judgment, 
 tho' proceeding from Ignorance, was fufficient 
 to confign em over to Everlafting Damnation, 
 unlefs Chrift Interceded for 'em at the Right 
 Hand of G o D, as He did upon the Crofs, Fa- 
 ther Forgive them , for they know not what 
 they do. 
 
 svv^ja. 
 
 3. The Third Instance, that may Cheat 
 Us under the Appearance of True Confcience, 
 is Taffion. This Impofes upon Us in a Thou- 
 fand Shapes, and requires great Sagacity to 
 Difcoyerit. It were not Difficult to Dilate 
 on this Copious Subjeft, and Ihew at large, 
 how the various Reprefentations of Good and 
 Evil, and thofe painted Scenes of Tleafure, 
 and Tain, which they fo Lively Defcribe in 
 the Imagination, Work up thofe feveral Sen- 
 fations, and Ideas, in the Mind, which are 
 as 'twere the Internal Springs, and Wheels, 
 and that fecret kind of Mechanifrn, that Sets 
 the Whole Man a Going. Whoever looks into 
 his Own Breaft, cannot but be Confcious, how 
 from His Admiration and Deftre, his Love 
 and Hatred, his Joy and Sorrow, his Anger 
 
 and
 
 of CONSCIENCE. 
 
 and Tity> his Hope and Fear, \\isjealoufy and 
 'Dejpair, his Shame and Honour, his i;^ or 
 'Difdain, &c. all his siffions, according to their 
 different Objeffs, are Produc'd, and Regulated. 
 Thefe are the Cords of a Man, (as the Prophet 
 Hofea Figuratively exprefles it) whereby He 
 is vehemently Drawn, and Seduc'd, oftentimes 
 againft his Rea/on, by the powerful Force of 
 his Inclination, and ^ffeftion : Which as 'tis 
 varioufly Tredominant in Men, Writhes, and 
 T>i/iorts the Confcience into the fame Irregular 
 Figure. Fear, the ftrongeft, and moft violent 
 of the Tafftons, when once deeply Seated in 
 the Soul, Tyrannizes over it in a very Infolent, 
 and Imperious manner ; railing up Mean, and 
 Unworthy Thoughts in it, and "Degrading it to 
 all the Servile, and Titiful Compliances in the 
 World. Thofe Crude, and Unmanly Notions 
 of Religion, which it produces in fome Per- 
 fonsj may be lookt upon, rather as a Melan- 
 cholly Indifpo/ition in the Blood , than a 7)if- 
 affection in the Under/landing^ which doubtlefs 
 does in a great Meafure Follow, and Oley the 
 Conftitution of the Body, Under fuch a fpleena- 
 tick Complexion^ the Mind cannot Aft brisk, 
 and fprightlyft^QK its Organs , w& Judge, and 
 Reajon perfpicuoujly as it ought to do. On the 
 other hand, Self-fufficiency, Tride, and a bitter 
 Ze#/ make Men Supercilious^ Cruel, <^$/piring, 
 
 and.
 
 go The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 and Pre fuming ; Arrogant in themjefoes, In- 
 folent to their Neighbours, and even impu- 
 dently Familiar ,and Sawcy towards God. Now 
 the Motions of thefe Taffions being fo very 
 Turbulent, and Rapid, \hsyfilence > and 4?r0w# 
 they?/// J^Jc* of Reafon, allow it not Time to 
 Recolleff it felf, but J%rr7 it away blindfold 
 into Sin. Every other Taj/ion has its />#r- 
 ticular Charm to Intoxicate, and way of 0/>^- 
 r#/z"0;/ to 'Deceive, the Understanding, that it 
 may not Diftinguifh betwixt Specious So- 
 phistry , and the true Commands and Laws 
 of an Uribiajsd, and Uncorrupted Confcience. 
 
 . To this of Taj/ion, may be added another 
 <? of Error in the Confcience, not much un- 
 like it in Nature, and that is, Humour,, or 
 Thancjy, which is the fenfual Operation of a 
 Whimfical, and Qepravd Will, which inclines 
 Men through a Sceptical Difpofition, to Hunt 
 after Novelties, fall in Love with odd Hypo- 
 thefes, and Conjectures, Catch at 'Phantoms, 
 and at length fo far Deceive themfelves, as to 
 Credit Their Own "Dreams, and Reveries. A 
 fort of Magick Inchantment in the Under- 
 ftanding, a Romantick Scene of Life, made up 
 of ^#V and Invention, in which Men /F#/& as 
 'twere in their Sleep, and Converfe in a Vifion : 
 It ufually Pofleffes Men of yftwg Imagina- 
 tions,
 
 ^CONSCIENCE. 
 
 lions, zxidi We ok Judgments, and fo Infatuates 
 the Reaforiy that it deprives it of the Power 
 of 'Diflinguifhing betwixt Caprice , and Re- 
 ligion, betwixt the Spiritual, and Natural In- 
 clinations y or the Motions of the Supe- 
 rior, and Inferior SouL This may fpring per- 
 haps from the Irregular Heats of a too Tola- 
 tile and T)i$JurFd Brain, which may put the 
 Spirits into a Confus'd Ferment , a Precipi- 
 tate and Violent Career, and thereby give 
 the Lower Trinciples of Sen fat ion, a Predomi- 
 nancy over the Powers of Right Reafon. This 
 ( as a Learned Writer, with a curious Felicity 
 of Expreilion, ftyles it ) may be calFd an Ani- 
 mal Conscience, Arifing from, and being Go- 
 vern'd by the Imagination, and bearing the 
 fame Relation to the Sen/itive Reprefentations 
 of it, as the True Con/cience does to the In- 
 tellehual Faculties, and Operations : A moft 
 Unhappy , and almoft Incurable Delufion , 
 which GOD permits fome Wilful , Self- 
 conceited , and Headflrong Perfons to fall 
 into ; whofe Tride, and Ignorance, fets 'em 
 above the Wholfom DoCtrines, and Wife Ordi- 
 nances of the Church, and perfwades 'em to 
 Prefer their Own vain and Jottiflo Inventions, 
 before the Eternal Oracles of Truth, and the 
 unerring Light of Divine Revelation. Where- 
 upon the Holy Ghoft has thought fit to Cau- 
 
 tion
 
 gx The Nature* Obligation, and 
 
 tion all fiber Christians, againft the Madnefs 
 of fuch Frantick Zealots, by ftigmatizing 'em 
 with that JuSt, but File Character, of being 
 'Defer ted by his Bleffed Influence, given up to 
 their Own Inclinations, toftrong Delufions, and 
 to the Belief of a Lye : as it is frequently Ob- 
 ferv'd of Men much Addicted to fuch Obftinate 
 Humours, from a long, Habitual Indulgence in 
 em, they come at laft to Impof'e more upon 
 Themfehes than Others ; and which is the molt 
 wretched, and Defpicable Condition, a Mortal 
 can fall under, to [wallow their Own Pal/hoods, 
 and Believe their Own Fiftions. To this Wild, 
 and Enthu/Ja&ick Infatuation , We ought to 
 Appropriate the Rife of Herefy, (which on 
 this very account, is doubtlefs, by St. Taul 
 reckon'd among the Works of the Flefb, tho' 
 it feeins to be an Intellectual Operation) to- 
 gether with Bigotry, zii&Thanaticifm, which 
 fome Fanciful, Wayward, and Contumacious 
 Men Create in their Brains, and Blalphemonfly 
 Chriften with the Holy Name of the Spirit, 
 and Conference. Which in truth are Nothing 
 but Threnzy, and the Lunaticlt Productions 
 of Distemper d Heads : and what are the Fa* 
 tal Effects of thefe Mifchievous, and Diaboli- 
 cal intoxications, if not kept under a Timely 
 Government, and Reftraint, fcarce any King- 
 dom in Europe, but can fadiy Teftify, and Our 
 
 Own
 
 of CONSCIENCE. 33 
 
 Own in particular, even to this Day, may 
 Lament, and for the future Deprecate. 
 
 y. The LaSt Instance, I fhall produce of a 
 Mistaken Conference in the World, is what It 
 calls Honour; which, fince Religion is grown 
 out of Fajhion, is now become the Gentleman V 
 Conjcience. Chriftianity forfooth muft be Dif- 
 carded by fome sJMen ef Honour., as a Narrow 
 Institution, fit only for Booki/b'Pedants, that 
 are unacquainted with the way of the World; 
 their Reafon muft be as Loofe, and Unconfin'd 
 as their Lives ; and they fcorn tamely to fub- 
 mit , to an Incredible , and Myfterious Re- 
 Delation, which to their Rejlrid Understand- 
 ing is meer Nonfence , and TrieSl-craft ; if 
 through an high Strain of Complaifance, they 
 cpndefcend to Own any Natural \ or Moral 
 T)uty 9 'tis well if they mean any thing by it, 
 befides ihsfullfilling their LuSis, and Tleafures : 
 As if they were Born for nothing elfe but Eafe 
 and Luxury ', and the World was made for thefe 
 ufelefs Leviathans to take their TaHime 
 therein: Fortune > Quality and Condition, it 
 Jfeems are fufficient Priviledges to give their 
 PoilefiCors a Difpenfation from the Tower and 
 QMgation of Laws, ( and to Exempt thefe .fiz- 
 wtiriies of Heaven ( as they deem themfelves) 
 from alkjheir Penalties, 'by a "Peculiar Pre- 
 oic: E
 
 The Nature., Obligation, and 
 
 rogative above their Fellow-Creatures: As if, 
 by how much the greater Bounty, GOD has Be- 
 ftow'd upon them, fo much the Lefs Gratitude 
 they Ow'd to him, and their Acknowledgments 
 were ftill to be Lefferid by the Increafe of his 
 Favours. ThefearethePerfons, who, by their 
 Own Authority, wou'd fuperfede the Law of 
 God, and make Themfehes, and their Own Li- 
 centious JPiUs> the fole Guide, and Rule of their 
 Actions ; which , in their 'Dialefl y they are 
 pleas'd to T^arni/b with the Glittering Colour 
 of Honour; a Thing, which thefe Empty, 
 and Noify, Pretenders to, talk as loudly and 
 confidently about, as if they really Underftood 
 what it .Mw//. Whereas ( GOD knows) they 
 want as much to be Inftruled in the true Na- 
 ture of this, as in that Religion, which they 
 fo Ignorantly Laugh at, and fo Trefumptuoufly 
 Defpife. Otherwife they wou'd not, in 'De- 
 fiance of the Wifdom of All Laws, Human, 
 and Divine, fet up a Senfelefs Notion of Bra- 
 very, to Dignify Malice, and Murder; and 
 take that to be the Only Satisfaction of the 
 Gentleman, which muft be the Damnation of 
 the Christian. In Ihort, where Men Abandon 
 their Faith ,and the Fear of God, Conference, and 
 Honour, are infigniftcant Sounds, and Deceit- 
 ful Expreffions, which Men that have Neither, 
 make ufe of to Impofe upon thofe that have. 
 
 There
 
 CONSCIENCE. 
 
 There are doubtlefs many Men, who abftain 
 from the Commiffion of fome Impious., and 
 Deteftable Actions, purely with refpel to com- 
 mon Decency, a Senfe of Generofay, or the 
 Rules of Good Breeding, without any Regard 
 had to thofe of Religion, or the Commands of 
 GOD. That is, to fpeak the plain Truth, they 
 Scorn to be Guilty of any thing that may 
 render 'em Little , and Contemptible in the 
 Efteem of Men of Worth and Gravity ; fo that 
 indeed it is their Character, not Integrity, the 
 Reputation and ^pflauje of Men, not the An- 
 fwer of a Good Conscience, that Governs their 
 Conduct. How little are thefe Gentlemen ac- 
 quainted with the found Notion of True Ho- 
 nour, which is a much more ExaltedTrinciple, 
 than they take it for, and Springs from a more 
 Noble and Beautiful Original} This is not the 
 Degenerate Off-fpring of Sin, or ViUany> does 
 not arife from any Vicious Qualities, as Tride* 
 Hypocrify, Oftentation, Revenge, or Ambition; 
 but is founded upon the Real ffarth, and In- 
 trinfick Goodnefs of Things ; Springs from God> 
 and the Law, the Sole Fountains of Honour, 
 to whole Trecepts, and Injunctions, it always 
 pays a Juft Subordination, and Final Reference. 
 This indeed is not fo much a Single J^ertue in 
 it felf, as the Seasoning Qualification, and Em- 
 bellifhment,of ^11 other J^ertues ; Which (to 
 
 E ^ Draw
 
 The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 Draw a Compendious Defcription of its Lovely 
 Properties) Sets a Man above ^411 Fear, but 
 that of doing any thing Bafe or Di/boneSl ; 
 which makes Him <L/lbhor, as much to 'Detract 
 from his Enemy, as to Flatter his Friend ; to 
 Scorn Hypocrify, tho 'twere for his Interest ; 
 and "Detect Injustice, tho it might Gratify his 
 Revenge ; which renders him Dutiful and Sub- 
 mijfive to his Superiors, ^4ff able, Obliging, and 
 Generous even to his Inferior s and, in a Word, 
 that makes him, on All Occafions, Exemplify 
 his Steady Loyalty to hisTrince, his Inviolable 
 Love to his Country, his untainted Fidelity to 
 his Friend, his open Hofpitality to Strangers, 
 his Terpetual Charity to the Poor, and his Uni- 
 verfal Beneficence to dill the World. This is 
 that charming Character, which alone Con- 
 ftitutes a Man of True Honour, who certainly 
 is the BeSl Man in the World, next to a Man 
 of Conscience , who ftill Rifes higher in his 
 ^Principles, and makes GOD and his Duty 'the 
 Sole, and Ultimate End of All his Actions. 
 
 Thus I have Run through All thofe Caufes, 
 which I take to be the Grounds of an Erroneous, 
 and sMif-guided Confcience ; all which I have 
 Drawn from the Nature, and Motives, of Hu- 
 man Attions , which is Refolding ^ them into 
 theu;Trinciples> and (as I humbly Conceive) 
 
 the
 
 ^Vleajures 0/ CONSCIENCE. 37 
 
 the Beft, and Trueft Way of Explaining them. 
 Such as are Intereft, and Trejudice, the T)elu- 
 yfotfjof Our feveral Pafflons, and ^ffelions, Su- 
 perftition, Pride, Fear, Ignorance, andmiftaken 
 Zeal, Imagination, and Fancy, Reputation, and 
 Falfe Honour : All which are Wrong Grounds 
 of Traffice, and can never properly Justify 
 Our Condufl. We lee how many Ways there 
 are that Lead to Error ; for that (ingle One, 
 that Directs Us Safely, and Infallibly to 7r/^ 
 and how liable We are to be Betray d , into 
 j4ny, or All, of them. And methinks the 
 "Dangerous Confequence might Forewarn Us to 
 Beware of Taking up Fal/e Trinciples at firft ; 
 for if Thefe are founded on an Unfound, and 
 Treacherous Bottom, the whole Courfe of Our 
 Lives being Grounded upon Sin, and Error, 
 muft needs be One continued Mistake, and fo 
 infenfibly carry Us on to, and at length End 
 in Ruine, and Confu/ion. So Bewitching is the 
 Imposture, We may be Seducd into it, and 
 not know what We are Doing: There being a 
 Way (as the Wife Man tells Us) that may 
 feem Right in a Mans Own Eyes, when never- 
 thelefs the End of that way is "Death. And 
 without doubt in this Lamentable Cafe, a 
 Man may Govern the whole Courfe, and Te* 
 nour of his Life and A&ions by a Rule, that 
 
 may
 
 38 Tfojfttrt, Obligations and 
 
 may thro' Trejudice, or a want of due Exa* 
 ruination, appear Juft, and True in his Own 
 Judgment, and notwithftanding find himfelf 
 Judgd of GOD, by a quite Contrary one at 
 the Laft Day. This is the VaSt, and Fright- 
 ful Danger of Founding Our Conference, upon 
 Wrong 'Principles in the Beginning, which is 
 the Great, and moft Common Occalion of 
 Error ; but there is Another, which tho' not 
 fo Frequent , is however of no lefs Perilous a 
 Confequence, and that is a /fo//<? Application 
 of Right Trinciples. In this Cafe, a Mznfets 
 out well for his Journey, but for want of a 
 Guide, or Condutt> Mistakes his jR0<s^, Wan- 
 ders up and down, is at length Bewilder d, 
 and L0.S, and fo Falls Jbort of t\\Q f Defigrid, 
 Happy End, of his Travels. Of fuch Infinite 
 Concern, and Importance is it, if We wou'd 
 Avoid thefe Difmal Mifcarriages , to make 
 Our Selves throughly Acquainted with the 
 Nature, and Obligation, of the ELxatt Rule of 
 Our j4Etions, and the Troper Ufe that We 
 flipu'd make of it in the Application ; which 
 brings Me in the Last Place, 
 
 III. Thirdly, To State thofe General Laws, 
 whereby the Confcience is to be Regulated, and 
 to (hew how they Ought to be as4ppl/d. Now 
 
 the
 
 0/ CONSCIENCE. 59 
 
 the Whole Extent, and Obligation of Con- 
 fcience , tho' ftemingly fo very Copious , is 
 Bounded by Thefe Three Laws. 
 
 i. The 'Divine, 
 
 i, The Tolitical, and 
 
 3. The ^Moral 
 
 i. The F/>y?, being the Immediate Command 
 of GOD, is the Great, Supream, and Tran- 
 (cendent Law of all, wherein is Suinm'd up a 
 Full, and Gomprekenfiwe View, of Our C&r/- 
 y?/#tf 2)#//, and the /^7# ^ God, entirely Re- 
 <veafd to the World. 
 
 a. The Second is the L^w of All Civil So- 
 cieties, by which are to be Tryd All ^tions 
 relating to Government , and whatfoever is 
 Committed betwixt Man, and Man ; which 
 in Subordination to the /^>?, and if not Con- 
 trary to itj lays Great Force, and Indifpenfible 
 Obligation of 'Duty upon every Subjeff, this- 
 Obligation being Ratify d by the *Diwne Law. 
 
 3. TheZ^y? is that Law, whereby We are 
 to Try the Good, QI Evil, of Our sift ions, as 
 they ftand related to Vertue, or Pice, and are 
 founded upon the 'Principles of Reafon, and 
 the i,/g#/ </ Nature. The Other 7V0 Z-^T^J- 
 
 are
 
 40 The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 are Superstructures upon thi$ Law> which be- 
 ing the Dictate of Nature, written by God in 
 Our Hearts, was, and is the Rule of Our 
 Aftionsj when ever the Other two Laws are 
 Silent. ' 
 
 By the Conformity of Our Actions to thefe 
 Three Laws, as thoi^ Actions lie under their 
 Teculiarjurifdiffion, w&Cognilance, We are 
 to take the Meafures of their Reftttude, or 
 Obliquity* and Denominate them Good* or Bad, 
 Fertuous, or Vicious : and a Man's Conference 
 may always Acquit Him , where it does not 
 appear Obnoxious to one of thefe Laws ; ac- 
 cording to That Eternal Maxim of the Scrip- 
 tures, Where there is no Law, there is no Tranf- 
 grefflon: Now tho' the Holy Scriptures are 
 the Grand, Sovereign Law of all,, fo that No- 
 thing can be duthorizdin any Inferior Law, 
 that is any ways Repugnant, or Contrary to 
 That, yet it muft be Acknowleg'd, not to be, 
 the UniverfdT, Adequate Rule of Con faience: 
 neither muft We expeft Every thing to.be Com- 
 manded therein^ which may be \hQ-Injunffwi 
 of T articular Laws ; for this wou'd Super- 
 fede, and Fruftrate their End ; neither is there 
 any <dbfolutt. Necejfity. of Justifying. any;P^ 
 culiar Law with <^4uthont^ drawn from the 
 Scriptures, unlefs as it is txpre/ty 'Prohibited 
 therein ; or by Manifeft, and Undeniable
 
 sMeafures of COKSCIEMCB- 4*1 
 
 duftions, concluded from thence to be Un- 
 lawful. 
 
 That thefe Laws, take in the 'whole 
 Compafs of Humane Duty, is Evident ; in 
 that they Anfwer to the Three Great 
 Branches, or "Diftind Offices of it, relating 
 to God, Qur^Neighbour, and Our Selves. 
 The Fir&, fliewing what We Owe to Our 
 Creatour , as Men, and Chri/iians; The 
 Second, what We Owe to Our Brethren, as 
 Members of the Body Politick, in OurPub- 
 lick Capacities; and the Third, what We 
 0^ to Our Selves 9 in Our Private Ca- 
 pacity; as far as it is Difcovcrable by the 
 Principles of Revelation, the Rules of Civil 
 Juftice , the Light of Nature, and the 
 Dictates of Reafon. 
 
 Thus I have given as ASfor/ , and I hope 
 as Clear a View of this Momentous Point, 
 as the Time wou'd Allow Me, and to Clofe 
 up the Whole, fhall further Intreat Your 
 Patience, whilft I briefly fhew, how thofe 
 Rules may be Apply 'd : 
 
 Ci v ' ' ' \ '''} 3'*"} I ' < ? j' ! C ** 
 
 i. To Settle a Doubtful, 
 
 ^. To i^utet a Scrupulous, and 
 
 3 . To Corrett an Erroneous Confcience. 
 
 i. And
 
 4^ The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 i. And Fir ft> to Settle a Doubtful Con- 
 fcience. In Order to which, this Maxim is 
 to be Obferv'd, That the Commands of Our 
 Con fcience fhould be always Regarded, but 
 the "Prohibitions muft be ftrittly Oteyd. 
 For We ought as much to Abftain from 
 Doing any thing, that is but "Probably < Lawful, 
 as from "Doing what may be Toffibty Unlaw- 
 ful; becaufe the Mind muft Att by its Light, 
 Witt, and Confent. And there is Great Ha- 
 zard lying on That Side j whereas upon 
 the Other, a Man may be Satisfy 'd in what 
 He does, and Runs no great Venture, at 
 leaft Falls into no Sin > if in the Matter of 
 "Debate, He hasus'd Attjutt, zndRequi/ite 
 Endeavours, to fatisfy himfelf about what 
 fliou'd Tojftbly prove Unlawful. Doubt al- 
 ways Implies a Thought of Injuftice, and 
 therefore the Holy-GhoSt Guards againft it, 
 with the moil To/ithe , and 'Peremptory 
 Threat of Hell, and Damnation : He that 
 Doubteth (fays He) is Damrid if He Eat, 
 for whatever is not of Faith, is Sin. Rom. 14. 
 3. But in Cafe of Neceffity, where Two 
 Things are Troposd to Us to be Done, and 
 the Mind hangs in Sufpence as to the 4ppre- 
 hen/ion of Evil, certainly it muft place its 
 Eleffion where there is the Lea& T)anger ; 
 
 for
 
 CONSCIENCE. 4-5 
 
 for here the Lefs Evil puts on the Nature 
 of Good : but where the Choke is Free to 
 j4ft> or not to 4ft, He Flies in the Face of 
 God, and Us Own Conjcience.. that Prefumes 
 without a /<## Terjwafion. The moft 
 EffettualMethod, I know of, to *&///?, and 
 Compofe the Doubts of 0&r Confcience y is to 
 be Contented with thofe Trobable , and 
 Moral Evidences, that Things are Capable 
 of, and to fujpett the Illegality of Nothing, 
 but what Lies under a To/iti<ve Trohibition, 
 ei ther from the inconteftable T^emon/irations 
 of Reafon, or the Exprefs Words of &r//>- 
 /r^ ; according to that Rule of the dpoftle 
 in a C#/ of the /rfw<? Nature > which may 
 be a Standing Direction to Us in all others, 
 I know, and am perf'waded (fays He) ^ 
 //^ jL0r<s? Jefus 9 that there is nothing Un- 
 clean of it Jelf: but to him that Efteemeth 
 any thing to }je Unclean , to him it is Un- 
 clean. Rom. 14-. 14. 
 
 a. Secondly, To ^g/V/ a Scrupulous Con- 
 fcience. And in this Cafe, I think, there is 
 often more need of a Thy/ician> than a Con- 
 feflbr; for the Body (as I faid before) i$ 
 Generally more out of Order, than' the Soul. 
 For thofe Groundlefs Mifap 
 
 F x
 
 44< The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 giving Jealou/ies , and Imaginary Fears, that 
 ufually Difturb its Repoje, are many times, 
 not fo much the Refults of Reafon, as the 
 Natural Effefts of J^apors, and Melancholly; 
 and what are to be Curd, rather by a Corpo- 
 real > than a ^Mental Application. If they 
 are not Trejudicial to the Health of the One, 
 they can fcarceqffeff that of the Other; and 
 Deferve, in Some Cafes,to teAnfwerd with 
 Negleft, and Contempt. However, it is the 
 2)// of fuch Perfons, whofe Ju/i Scruples pro- 
 ceed from the Ignorance of, or Mistakes in, 
 the Knowledge of the Means of Salvation; 
 or from the terrible Thread of G o D'S y4>- 
 mentSy and the Confcioufnefs of their Own 
 Manifold Iniquities ; to have Recourfe to 
 thofe Spiritual Guides only, whom Chrift, 
 and #/V Church has fet over them, to Watch 
 for Their Souls ; that from 77tf#z they may 
 Receive Sound In/irution in their Faith., Fa- 
 therly Advice in their Conduct : , and Ghoftly 
 Confolation in their Troubles. And let all fuch 
 Perfons reft affur'd, that the ./?#/'# of their 
 &/r, will as inevitably follow, as the De- 
 ftruffion of their Bodies, if at any time they 
 Prefume to Truft the State of either, with 
 Itinerant Quicks, and Pretending, Ignorant 
 gmpiricks in Thyfick> or Divinity. 
 
 l.Lafl-
 
 zJMea/ures of CONSCIENCE. 4,5- 
 
 g . LaStly > to Correct an Erroneous Con- 
 fcience. In order to which this ^Maxim 
 rauft be Obferv'd : That \he Conference Mif- 
 apprehending the Nature of any thing, may 
 from its being E/Jentially Good, or Indiffe- 
 rent, render it Occident ally and Relatively 
 Evi/, to the Terfon fo Erring in his Concep- 
 tions. But on the contrary, no Mijappre- 
 hen/Ion of the Conference, can render any 
 thing that is Evil, or Illegal, in it f elf, any 
 ways Good, or &alid. For a Man may be 
 Bound by his Opinion, in the One Cafe, but 
 can never by //, Juftify himfelf, or Alter the 
 Unchangeable, and Intrinjick Nature of 
 Things in the other. It is a moft Wretched, 
 Unhappy, and Slavifb Condition to Follow 
 an Erroneous Guide j for which way foever 
 We take, either With, ors%ain&, This 
 Erring Confcience, We are Concluded under 
 an Unavoidable Necejfity of Sinning : for if 
 We Obey its Commands, WeNeg/effOur 
 Duty, and if We Do Our Duty, We fin 
 againft Our Judgment. And tho' it may 
 feem fafefl to Tranfgrefs upon the Side of 
 Conference, yet the Mi/iake of That, can 
 never be a Tlea for Unjustifiable j4ffions. 
 What a /fcta/ Dilemma does the Devil, and 
 a Man's Own Folly bring Him into in this 
 
 Cafe!
 
 4,6 The Nature, Obligation, and 
 
 Cafe ! He cafts a /jumbling Block, and a Rock 
 of Offence before Himfelf, which He cannot 
 Avoid Falling, and Splitting, upon. So 
 unhappily do fome Men Fetter themfelves 
 with their Own Notions ,and lay fuch Chains, 
 and Burdens upon their Conferences, as they 
 are not Able to bear. There is but One 
 Way to get out of this Hellijh Snare, and 
 that is to Break thefe Bonds, andcaSi thefe 
 Cords from Us : To Examine throughly 
 Our Trinciples, and to Reftify Our Judg- 
 ments ; to Diveft Our Selves of Interest, 
 Trejudice, and Affection ; to keep the Upper 
 Region of the Soul, Clear, and Serene, nei- 
 ther Clouded by Lutt, norDifcompos'd with 
 the Heats of Tajfion; for thefe never fail 
 to Stupify, and Be/of the Mind, and will 
 in time, not only make the Conference Infen- 
 fible, but ( in the Elegant Language of the 
 Scripture ) Sear it with a Red-hot Iron. To 
 prevent which Lamentable Condition, We 
 muft frequently Retire into Our Selves, to 
 State, and Adjuft the Great Accounts be- 
 twixt GOD and Our Souls; that no Crime 
 may pafs Unretraffed, no Slip Unob/ervd, 
 no Infirmity Uncorreffed, no Trefumptuous 
 Sin, Unfubdued. Thus We fhall Preferve a 
 Tender and ^uicf^Sfnfe upon the Mind ; the 
 
 leaft
 
 sJWeafures of CONSCIENCE 4,7 
 
 leaft Approaches office, will Alarm^ and 
 Roufe its Faculties ; that no Temptation 
 may fur prize ,' no Tq/fioti entice it irito 
 Guilt. Since it is fo Ea/lly Betray 4 intOy 
 and fo "Difficultly Reclaimed out of an Error, 
 We cannot with too fevere Circumfpeliott 
 Watch over all its Motions , Ofay all its 
 Checks, and Revere its Verditt and ^tt- 
 tence. Which Labour however, will be 
 Amply Rewarded with the Blifsful, and^te- 
 joicing Testimony of a good Conference, that 
 in Simplicity, and Godly Sincerity, not with 
 Fle/bly Wtfdom, lut ly the Grace of God, 
 We have fo had Our Confer fation in this 
 World, that Our Converfation will be always 
 ( what it has bin in'fome Meafure here too) 
 in Heaven. Upon this Depends all the 
 Tranquillity, Peace, and Enjoyment of this 
 Life ; as well as the Happinefs of the Next. 
 For the Reviling Clamours, and Upbraiding 
 Reproaches of a Wounded Spirit who can 
 Bear} When that which Ihou'd Juftain a 
 Mans Infirmities, is it felf Broken and Con- 
 founded, what can Support him, thus Be- 
 reav'd of his Laft Comfort, and left Defti- 
 tute of the very Tillar, and Bottom that 
 He muft Stand upon ? He muft Inevitably 
 k y that thus Fails in the Foundation. So 
 
 much
 
 4-8 The Nature^ Obligation, and 
 
 much is it Our Interest, as well as Duty* if 
 We ever think to Bear up againft the Cala- 
 mities vtThis World, or go withSatisfaftion 
 into the Next, and Manfully meet Death in 
 its moft Ghaftly Vifage, herein continually 
 toExercife Our Selves, to keep a Confcience 
 void of Offence towards God, and towards 
 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 ' 
 
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