Page:Black book of conscience, or, God's great and high court of justice in the soul (1).pdf/8

made myself sure of eternal and everlasting condemnation, saith the mere moral, formal, and profane Christian’s conscience. Ah! Lord, saith the dissembling hypocrite’s conscience, I have been but an outside Christian; I have gone to church, but only as dogs do, for fashion’s sake, and to be looked upon and esteemed among my neighbours; I have made a shew indeed, and pretence of religion and holiness; but it hath been but a mere show: I have altogether denied the power and practice of it by my life and conversation, as it is, Tit. i. 16. They profess that they know God, but in works, they deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate. And why so? Because, as he saith in verse 15th, their minds and consciences are defiled. Ah! my conscience told me several times that I was but an hypocrite, a mere painted sepulchre, fair without and foul within. O! but I would not hear conscience then, but neglected him. Ah! now my conscience makes me fear him whether I will or not; therefore, Lord, do with me what thou pleasest: True and righteous art thou in all thy doings towards me, be they ever so harsh, they are but the just rewards of my iniquities. And saith the covetous man’s conscience, the gripping, cruel extorting usurer’s