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SERMON

IX.

A Conscience void of Offence.

SERM.
IX.

ACTS xxiv. 16.

And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a Confcience void of Offence toward God and toward Men.

N the Beginning of this Chapter, we find St. Paul accufed before Felix the Governor, by Tertullus a mercenary Orator, in the Behalf of the Jews: The Crimes which were objected gainst him were Faction and Sedition ; that he endeavoured to ftir up the Jews to fhake off the Roman Yoke; which was a Crime of the highest Nature, and a Point which touched the Roman Governor to the Quick; there being nothing he was more jealous of, and more defirous to pre

Ver. 10.

vent, than an Insurrection amongst the SERM. Jews. St. Paul has Liberty given him to IX. answer for himself; and he doth it by denying that he was guilty of those Crimes which they bafely and falfely laid to his Charge, Neither can they prove (fays he) Ver. 13. the Things whereof they now accufe me; and then he goes on to fhew the true Reafon why the Jews brought this malicious Accufation against him, because he was a Preacher of that Doctrine profeffed by the Nazarenes, which, as he presently subjoins, was agreeable to the Law of Mofes, and to the Writings of the Prophets; and particularly, that he believed and taught the Refurrection of the Dead, a Doctrine acknowledged to be true, by all the Jews, except the Saducees; and which had a very great Influence upon the Lives and Converfations of those who believed it; for it was upon this Account, and for this Reafon, i. e. because he believed a future Life, and eternal Rewards and Punishments, that the Apoftle exercifed himself in having always a Confcience void of Offence, both toward God, and toward Men. In my Discourse upon these Words, I fhall proceed after this following Method.

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SERM.

IX. I. I SHALL explain to you, what is here meant by Confcience.

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Prov.

II. WHAT by a Confcience void of Offence toward God and toward Men.

III. WHAT by exercifing ourselves in keeping a Confcience void of Offence. And, IV. I SHALL conclude with fome Directions for the better Performance of this Duty.

I. WHAT is here meant by Confcience. And here it is to be noted, that this Word. is not to be found in the Old Testament, but is expreffed, in the Hebrew, by two Words, one of which fignifies the Spirit, Prov. iv. the other the Heart: Keep thy Heart with all Diligence, i. e. Keep thy Confcience. The Spirit of a Man will fuftain his Infirxviii. 14. mity; but a wounded Spirit who can bear? And, in the New Teftament which abounds with Hebraifms, the Heart is put Joh. iii. for the Confcience, If our Heart condemn us not, i. e. our Confcience; the Greek Word, Evvidnos, and the Latin, Confcientia (from whence our English Word Confcience is derived) import the fame Thing, and fignify, conjuncta multorum Scientia, and may denote, either First, that feveral diftinct Perfons know, or are conscious

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conscious to the fame Thing: Or, Se-SERM. condly, that feveral diftinct Things are IX. known by one Perfon. In the first Sense, the moft fecret Thoughts of the Heart are known to God, he tries the Reins, and is a Witness not only to our Words and Actions, but to the most fecret Purposes and Intents of our Hearts. In the fecond Acceptation of the Word, when a Man has Knowledge of the Law, and what his Duty is, and confiders how he has behaved himself, and compares his Actions with the Rule, the Refult of this Operation is called Confcience; which is therefore defined, An Habit of the practical UnderStanding, by which the Mind of Man applies that Light which is in it, to its particular Actions.

To make this more plain, let us confider, that there is a two-fold Knowledge in Man; the Firft is the fimple Apprehenfion of Things, whereby we know Things to be as they are at first represented to the Understanding; the Second is the Reflection on, or the Confideration of this Knowledge which we have obtained, and comparing it with our particular Actions. For it is one Thing to know, and another to know that we know; and, when this reflex Knowledge is converfant about

moral

SERM. moral Actions, then it is called Confcience. IX. Thus we know that the Law of God doth forbid the Defrauding our Neighbour, by any Means, of his Goods; and, by comparing our Actions with this Law, we know whether we are guilty of this Sin of Theft, or not. So that Confcience has a three-fold Office,

First, By reflecting upon the Rule, it teaches us our Duty, and in this Respect it is a Law to us.

Secondly, By the Help of the Memory, it calls to mind those Actions which a Man has done, and in this Respect it is a Witnefs.

Thirdly, ACCORDING to the Quality of the Fact it pronounces Sentence, and either juftifies or condemns, and in this Refpect it is a Judge. So that, in short, the Nature of Confcience doth confift in a Reflection of the Understanding upon those Actions which we have already done, or are about to perform; and determining whether the first are either well or ill done whether the latter are lawful or unlawful. And now, having explained what Confcience is, it will be the more eafy to fhew,

; or

II. WHAT it is to keep a Confcience void of Offence toward God and toward Men, i. e. to offend neither God nor Man, to do nothing contrary to the Law of God or Man, to live

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