Heaven upon earth in the serene tranquillity and calm composure, in the sweet peace…

The Use is, To exhort you to lay more weight on Conscience, and on it's Testimony, and less weight on any other thing; for it will not be your good meaning, nor good hopes (as ye use to speak) but a sanctified Conscience, in a sanctified Frame, that will be found fittest to decide in any Action.

4ly. Observe, That the Testimony of Conscience speak ing for a man, and his performing of a good Action on the matter, are separable; That is, a man may do that which is good in it self, and yet not have a positive and approbative Testimony from his Conscience concerning it; otherwayes Paul needed not to have attested his Conscience, if he had not known, that Conscience it's Testimony might have been separate from what he speaks; It's well enough known, that he was saying, his heart was grieved for the rejection of the Jews; but the question was, if he had said it honestly and sincerely; and he asserts, that he hath Conscience it's Testimony for that, as a distinct thing: There are but too many proofs of the truth of this Doctrine; are there not many, who speak good words, and do good deeds on the matter, who yet have not a good Conscience in the speaking, and doing of them? As it's said of Amaziah, 2 Chro•. 25. 2. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart▪ So it may be said of many others, that they do that which is good for the matter, but they want the Testimony of a good Conscience ⟨p. 174⟩in the performance of it: This will be further clear if we consider these two things. 1. That there are many things that concur to make an Action Truly, and Christianly good, such as we spoke of the other day; many care for no more, but that the Action be good for the Matter, but it's moreover requisite, that it be good as to the manner of performance, that it be from a right motive, to a right end, done in Faith, by strength drawn from Christ, and with an eye to acceptance on his account, a corrupt end in Prayer, in coming to the Church to hear, in reading the Word, or in any other Duty, will spoil the Action. 2ly. That there are different Rules to try these by; there is one Rule to regulate us, in the matter of our Actions, and another to regulate our manner of going about them; and a good Conscience looketh to both these Rules; And if any of the requisite qualifications to the suitable and acceptable performance of them, be absent and wanting, in so far Conscience will withhold it's positive approving Testimony: a good Conscience it's Testimony is like the harmony of a well tuned Instrument; It's one thing to have all the strings on the Instrument, and another thing to have them all in tune;