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I have now mentioned some of the principal rules, by which Holy Scripture and the church of God would teach a man to make the most of the witness of his own heart; that is, of God's Holy Spirit there condemning him. I will but add one remark, arising naturally out of the consideration of the inward warning voice, as the token and rehearsal of the great trumpet, which is soon to sound, and call us all to that judgment, which will at once be outward and inward, and the event of which will be for ever. I say then, it may be well to remember, that although we see our sins but one by one, God sees them all together in a body; how they join to make a bad habit, and those bad habits again to make a bad character, and all the bad characters of all times and nations to make up the devil's kingdom, the mys tery of iniquity, which the Lord will destroy with the brightness of his coming. Thus God sees our sins now; and thus he will show them, by and by, to the world and to ourselves; unless we first apply the blood of Christ to them, by all the means of penitence and grace.

What St. James says so fearfully to certain proud covetous men, will be fulfilled quite as fearfully in all, who any how despise God's warnings within them: "Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days; a treasure of unholy desires and evil deed: and now, it will be heaped on you, and overwhelm you utterly." God grant us better things, things that accompany salvation; through Jesus Christ.

SERMON LXIX.

CONSOLATIONS OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE.

PREACHED ON THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT.

1 St. JOHN iii. 21.

"Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God."

HAVING Considered at large, in two former sermons, the case of people whose hearts condemn them, I wish now to consider what the blessed apostle goes on to tell us of the contrary case; the case of people whose hearts approve and acquit them. His words seem to tell us, that here, as well as in the other case, what we perceive to be inwardly whispered is far more than a present touch of comfort or anguish, it is a true voice from Heaven, a faint token going before of what we may expect to hear openly at the last day. It is a mysterious pledge or token, a kind of sacrament of acquittal, as the other of condemnation; and both from God.

I will endeavor now to unfold this notion, and show more at large what I understand by it: and what Christian care is necessary, to guard us from the abuses to which it is plainly liable.

All of us, it is to be hoped, know something of the testimony of a good conscience; all have some faint notion at least, what joy it is, when a man's heart fairly tells him, "You are on the whole doing your duty: you may reasonably hope that you are in a good and a right way." Why, even in any small matter, merely concerning this world, we know what a difference it makes, when a man is quite sure he is in the right: when, as the common saying is, he can hold up his head, and look the other party in the face.

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Why is this, but from an inward confidence, which all men feel, even the worst, in the strength of a good cause? They feel, in spite of themselves, that there is One above, in whose strength that which is good and right is stronger than that which is unfair and unjust. We are all of us but too apt to make the most of this feeling, when we are engaged in disputes with others; and to encourage ourselves in pride and inconsideration toward them. But surely we may, if we will, put it to a much better use. When we feel the sort of inward strength, which is given us by the consciousness that we are on the right side, in any small indifferent matter, surely we may be led to reflect upon the much greater strength and firmness of heart which it would give us, could we truly and honestly, on fair examination, feel that we are on God's side; that we are, on the whole, night and day, steadily endeavoring to do our duty and please him in all things, in thought, word, and deed, and so to make our calling and election sure.

If, when you are disputing about some insignificant bargain, you feel so much the more courageous, as you are more certain of being in the right; think what would be the joy of heart, the rest and calm, the quietness and confidence, did a person's conscience tell him, that he had truly and really loved knowledge, and chosen the fear of the Lord all his day: could he humbly, yet reasonably, and really, take to himself the promises in the book of Proverbs: "Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from the fear of evil. Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken."

All which are summed up in that one gracious promise of our Lord: "Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: he is like unto a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a

rock; and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded upon a rock."

These are the words of our Savior and Judge: surely they speak of something real, not of a mere representation, of a state of things too happy for any one here on earth to obtain. Surely it were a great pity, were any Christian soul to imagine, that it is in vain for man to strive after this testimony of a good conscience, this acquittal of his own heart, because there are other texts, which speaking of such as never came to Christ, say that "every imagination of the thoughts of their heart is only evil continually;" that "their heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:" or again, because St. James says, "that in many things we offend all;" and St. Paul, "that his knowing no harm of himself in his office as a Christian minister did by no means justify him he must wait for Christ's judgment." Undoubtedly these things are written in Scripture, and are to be considered by us: but they cannot be intended to do away with the effect of our Lord's plain words, assuring us, that doing his will, or not doing it, is that on which, to us his disciples, everything entirely depends.

What use then, some one will say, are we to make of such texts as these, describing so earnestly the wickedness of the natural heart, and the weakness even of that which is regenerate?

Why, in the first place, they remind us, that whatever portion we have in the testimony of a good conscience, is not our own, but the gracious gift of him, who having united us to his Son by his Holy Spirit, has thereby given us power to become like that Son, to do things which are really good and acceptable in his sight; to have holy desires, good counsels, and just works; to purify ourselves even as he is pure.

In the next place, these texts teach us to be very much afraid of ourselves, as knowing that the seed of mischief, natural corruption, still remains in us, though united to Christ, and will spring up and bear fruit, if we be not careful to mortify it by strict obedience, and continual

seeking for grace. In this manner we may bear in mind, and use to a godly and religious purpose, the sad truths, that we are naturally corrupt, and even as Christians, full of infirmity. These things we may sadly remember, and yet not lose the comfortable hope of a good conscience and of joy in God, which our Lord himself in so many places so graciously offers to us. Whatever fruit in holiness a Christian man has, he knows it is not his own; he knows it is and must be blemished with many infirmities. Yet since, being born again in baptism, he knows that he has come to Christ; if his conscience tell him that he has not wilfully gone on in disobedience to Christ, he may with trembling hope and fearful joy accept that comfortable witness, and use it as an encouragement to stand firm on the rock, whereon our Savior has set him.

In this way, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God; a sort of freedom of speech toward him; the will, and the power too, to cast all our care upon him, and open to him all our hearts, not as servants merely to a master whom they respect, but as children to a most kind and condescending father. This would be the natural and ordinary fruit of Christian obedience, continued from baptism unto death.

And it has this great and peculiar blessing, that instead of decaying and wasting away, like mere feelings and impressions, as people grow older, it becomes the stronger, and is felt the more deeply, for every year of sincere and continued obedience. Of which St. Paul is a remarkable instance: concerning whom it has been well observed, how his manner of speaking of his own spiritual condition, on writing to Timothy his friend, close upon his death, differs from that which he adopted, years before, writing to the whole church of the Corinthians. His earlier tone was-"I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway :" and again, "I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified:" and again, some years later, speaking to the Philippians, "I follow after, if that I may apprehend that

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