the Author himself (if he had contracted a Debt which he cou'd not discharge, but had a Brother, or Friend, able and willing to become his Surety, and to engage at a Day fet, to discharge his faid Debt for him) wou'd think himself lefs a Debtor, even before actual Payment, than if no fuch Provifion had been made for him: Because there wou'd be good Security for the Payment of his Debt, at the Time appointed; and, in the mean while, his Perfon wou'd be free from Arrefts and Imprifoments: How much more (after the actual discharge of his Debt, and Cancelling of the Securities, as above) wou'd he look upon himself to be really lefs a Debtor than he was before? But, I truft, I have, in the Difcourfes, fufficiently fhewn, that his Suppofitions, of every Sinner's being what he is in himself; and, of the Divine Propitiousness being what it is in itfelf (upon which the rest of these Chimera's do depend) are ftill but Suppofitions, taken up upon Truft, without any fort of Foundation, but in his own Conceit; and, that these, therefore, are not, in any refpect, to be admitted for Arguments; much less for Arguments to convince even an infpired Apoftle of Reasoning wrong: Nor, indeed, can I imagine the Author himself cou'd ever take thefe Sick-Man's Dreams of his for well and waking Thoughts; only, having a Mind, in his fcoffing Way, to be Focofe, he was willing to try if he cou'd impose them upon his Readers for fuch. His ་ His other Imaginations, of a piece with the former, about Sacrifices and their Effects, thofe of the Law," defign'd, as he talks, imperfectly to point out the Divine Propi"tiousness to his true Penitents, and, by that means, faintly and imperfectly to purge "their Confciences; and, that of Chrift once "made in Confirmation of that Doctrine of Repentance; and, fo, defign'd and fitted to "be a prevailing Argument with many Sinners to Repent; by which means the faid Sacrifice of Chrift is alfo faid, in a Figura"tive Senfe, to render the Deity propitious to "Sinners, and to take away Sins." I fay, all thefe Conceits, with his, or any Man's thinking," this, or that, was all that the faid "Sacrifice of Chrift cou'd POSSIBLY do," are ftill but Thinking: And, as this Thinking gainft Revelation, proves nothing, but that himself can think any Thing, without, or againft, both Reafon and Evidence; fo, can it not be worth any more Thinking or Reafoning about. Only, For the fake of his Readers and my own, I will endeavour briefly to State and Answer this Question, viz. How they under the Law, had, and how we under the Gofpel, have not, Confcience of Sins: Or, how the Sacrifices of the Law cou'd not Purge thofe who worship'd God by it, fo as that they fhou'd have no more Confcience of Sins: But, how the Sacrifice of Chrift Chrift hath purged the Confciences of Believers under the Gospel, from Sins. Now, That Species of Knowledge, Perception, Opinion, or Perfuafion, which we call Confcience, is not barely to have Knowledge, Perception, &c. as is commonly fuppos'd, within a Man's felf: By no means, but, it is to have fuch Knowledge, Perception, &c. by fome Reafon, Law, or Rule, from without, reflected inward by Cogitation on the Mind; fo that, it properly is, what it's compound Name denotes, viz, Co-Science or Co-Perception; that is, joint or comparative Knowledge or Perception. Moreover, fuch Reason, Law, or Rule, may be by means of fome fenfible Indices or Signs given for Inftruments of Monition to affift or direct the Mind in forming the faid CoScience, or Co-Perception; as by fome Emblematical Figures, or by fome Religious Rites, Types, Sacraments, &c. And, in either of these Cafes, the Confcience fo form'd will be as the faid Law, or Rule, is; or, as the said Indices, or Signs, are. That is, it will accordingly be either right and exact, or the contrary. For thus, St. Peter mentions Confcience of God, which purifies and faves; and St. Paul, that of Idols which defiles and deftroys. Then, Confcience of Sins, form'd by the reflecting of fome outward Reafon, Law, or Rule, upon the Mind; or, by means of fome fenfible Index or Sign, as aforefaid; may be either general or special. ft. Conscience of Ꭰ Sins Sins Special, is each Man's Confcience, of each particular Offence or Crime committed, or incurr'd by himself; whether it be to Repentance and Pardon, or to Obduration and Condemnation. 2dly. Confcience of Sins general, is Confcience of original Corruption of Nature, common Infirmity, Pravity, &c. Now, of thefe two Species of Conscience, that of Sins fpecial, is not taken away without Repentance and particular Application, by Faith, of the Merits of Chrift, to the Perfon and Cafe (in every Inftance) of the Criminal or offending Party: Whereas, that other Confci ence of Sins general, that is of original Čorruption of Nature, Infirmity, Pravity, &c. common to all Mankind, is purged and done away, by the Merits of Chrift, to all that are regenerated by his Spirit in Baptifm. Thefe latter therefore, are thofe dead Works from which the Apoftle tells us, our Confciences are now cleanfed by the Blood of Chrift, Heb. x. 14. And, from which, their Confciences cou'd not be cleanfed, by the Purifications of the Law: But, on the contrary, as the Indices or Signs. of the Law, generally pointed, in the first Place, at Death due to Mankind for fuch Corruption and Pravity; fo, was the Law itself, fo far from taking away fuch Confcience, that it even fix'd it the fafter in the Mind, and awaken'd it the more. And, this the Pamphleteer, if he had not been wilfully Blind, wou'd cafily have difcovered to have been the Apo ftle's ftle's Meaning, throughout the Paffages referr'd to by himself. Heb. ix. 9, and x. 1. Where the Apoftle informs us, in the whole, that-The old Tabernacle was a Figure for the Time then prefent, in which were offer'd both Gifts and Sacrifices, that cou'd not make him that did the Service perfect, as pertaining to the CONSCIENCE, which flood only in Meats, and Drinks, and diverfe Wafbings, and Carnal Ordinances, impos'd on them until the Time of Reformation: But, Chrift being come an HighPrieft of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle, not made with Hands, that is to fay, not of this Building; neither by the Blood of Goats and Calves, but by his own Blood, he enter'd in once into the Holy Place, having obtain'd eternal Redemption for us. For, if the Blood of Bulls and of Goats, and the Afbes of an Heifer Sprinkling the Unclean, Sanctifyeth to the purifying of the Flesh; how much more ball the Blood of Chrift, who thro the eternal Spirit, offer'd himself without Spot to God, purge your Confciences from dead Works, to ferve the Living God! Thus again-For, the Law having a Shadow of good things to come, and not the very Image of the things, can never with thofe Sacrifices, which they of fer'd Year by Year continually, make the comer's thereunto perfect: For then, wou'd they not have ceafed to be offer'd? Because that the Worshippers once purged, fhou'd have had no more CONSCIENCE of Sins: But, in thofe D 2 Sacrifices |