them at the last day of the term of their lives; as soon as ever their souls are departed from their bodies, sentence shall be passed against them, according to their ⟨light⟩, and the testimony of their own conscience.
Seeing then conscience will give an account of every one’s ways, let us not slight conscience; let us not stop the mouth of conscience, seeing conscience can and will speak, and tell us what we are. Many there are that go about to stop the mouth of conscience, when conscience deals plainly with them, and tells them of their sins: O! they cannot endure to hear of that. But remember the miserable end of Judas: What said, Judas’ conscience to him? Thou hast betrayed thy Lord and Master for a ⟨little⟩ silver: Ah, covetous wretch! But, could Judas’ silver stop the mouth of his conscience? No, Judas’ conscience so terrified him, that he flung in the money again, and went and hanged himself.
So likewise, remember the fearful state of Spira, and many others, whose conscience made them possess the wrath of God here on earth. ‘A wounded spirit,’ saith Solomon, ‘who can bear?’ A tormenting and condemning, conscience who can endure? O! there is no resisting of conscience! it is God’s vicegerent in the
