VII.

SERM.diately ftruck with when it reflects on its own wickedness; as, on the contrary, there arifes an inward security and confidence from a confciousness of our own innocence and integrity. Especially the mind, which is firmly perfuaded concerning God the fupreme, the infinitely wife, the perfectly. righteous, and good governor of the world, must feel in the most affecting manner the accufations, and the acquittals of conscience, which pronounces its judgments with an eye to his fuperior tribunal, and with an expectation of their being confirm'd by him; as the work of the divine law is written on every human heart, we naturally have pre faging thoughts of the account which we must give of our own actions, and that every work fhall be brought into judgment, and every fecret thing, whether it be good

or evil.

It is to be obferved, that by the conftitution of the human mind, which compre hends a variety of principles or springs of action, conscience is properly the fuperior controuling faculty, because the power of approving or condemning belongs to it. Every affection, every appetite, is a distinct and direct spring of action; but as there is

a

a regular oeconomy, and one common end SERM.”
intended in the whole frame, and an enjoy

ment fuitable to fuch a being, refulting from
the regular use of all its parts or exercise of
all it's powers, there must for this purpose
be a confiftency or harmony of the whole,
or the creature must be easy in itself, which
it cannot poffibly be, unless the self-reflecting.
power, or confcience be fatisfied. Hence
arifes a proper obligation, the fovereignty of
confcience ought to be acknowledged, and
its dictates obey'd; for he that hearkens to
its voice, and complies with it, poffeffes an
inward tranquillity; he that acts in oppo-
fition to it is by the very frame of his na-
ture uneafy and discontented in himself. Still
it is to be remember'd, as was hinted be--
fore, that to minds poffefs'd with the fe
rious belief and fear of the deity, this has
a reference to his fuperior tribunal, where
we cannot help expecting that the sentence
of our felf-reflecting power will be affirm'd;
for if we confider God as the voluntary de- -
figning author of our conftitution, 'tis im-
poffible, I think, for a reasonable attentive
perfon to doubt but he intended we should
act according to it's direction; confequently,
that our obeying the voice of conscience

pleases,

4

VIL

!

SERM. pleases, the contrary difpleases him. If VII. our hearts condemn us, that is, if conscience difapprove our difpofitions and the habitual course of our actions, or any deliberate defigned work, we have then reafon to dread the vengeance of him who is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things: * if our hearts condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God.

It follows, that to all the purposes of virtue and religion, to satisfy the obligations of our nature and to please God, which is the great aim of piety, the short and comprehensive rule of conduct is always to act according to confcience.

But, the queftion is concerning the certainty of this rule; will it bear us out in every cafe? Is confcience infallible? I answer it is not, nor did God intend we should have an infallible direction in this imperfect ftate. We are here in an infancy of being, training up to a more perfect condition, in the mean time liable to fome errors in judgment, and in practice pursuant to them: but the direction propofed, if it be rightly understood and impartially

impartially follow'd, is fafe and abfolutely SER M. the best. In any cafe propos'd relating to VII. practice, let the mind free from the importunities of appetite and the tumults of paffion, both which it is the province of confcience to correct and restrain, let a man, I say, calmly put the question to himself what is right? and, I believe, his first thoughts will generally fuggeft to him the proper answer in following which he is fafe. After-confideration very often gives opportunity for flesh and blood, intereft and paffion, to infinuate themselves, and mix in our counsels, and lead to tedious reafonings, the effect of which frequently is to mislead or perplex the mind.

There are two fources of error to which our practical judgment in matters of confcience is liable, and of which we should always be aware, and they are, felf partiality, and falfe notions of religion. The former our experience, if we be attentive, must make us fenfible of. We always make allowance for it in the cafe of other men, who are not fuppofed to be fair enough judges, in the causes wherein they are interefted; and cool reflexion would fatisfy us, that it is often fo in our own case.

There

is

SERM is a remarkable example of this in the hif VII. tory of David, who, after committing the

heinous crimes of adultery and murder feems to have been for a long time quite infenfible of his guilt; a whole year pass'd without any discovery of his remorfe or contrition of heart. But, when the prophet Nathan came to him, and in a parable reprefented to him a case of inhumanity and injustice fome way parallel to his own, but far inferior immediately, he was fir'd with indignation against the supposed offender. What ftrange partiality was this, to have fo high resent ment against the leffer tranfgreffion of ande ther, whilst he was ftupidly unconcerned about much greater guilt of his own? The application of the parable, however, was the means of David's conviction and being brought to repentance. But after all, the remedy against this evil is in ourselves, and it is the proper office of confcience to extiral pate it. For what is felf partiality, but dif honesty of heart? And therefore it is plain ly contrary to confcience, not an exception to the rule propofed, but a direct violation of it, just as any other vice is, or an unruly! paffion indulged. And if we will refolutely follow