Page:Black book of conscience, or, God's great and high court of justice in the soul (2).pdf/6

6 knoweſt it altogether.’ And although the ‘heart of man, as Jeremiah ſaith, Jer. xvii. 9, 10. ‘is deceitful above all things;’ yet God doth exactly know every turning and corner thereof; ‘I the Lord, ſearch the heart,’ ſaith he, ‘I try the reins.’ There is nothing can be hid from his eternal all-ſeeing eye.

And then, 2dly, There is the book of conſcience, in which is exactly written all our actions, thoughts, words, and deeds; and according to this book of conſcience, and what is there written, will the Lord proceed in judgement, and every man’s conſcience ſhall be his own judge. Saith God, What haſt thou done? How haſt thou lived in the world? Why thus and thus have I lived, ſaith conſcience. Conſcience will then ſpeak the truth, and nothing but the truth. O Lord, ſaith a wicked man’s conſcience, I have diſhonoured thy name, I have abuſed thy grace and mercy, in turning it to wantonneſs; I have abuſed thy creatures by waſteful and riotous ſpending, to pleaſe and ſatisfy my luſt, ſaith the prodigal man’s conſcience. And by chambering and wantonneſs, by gaming and dicing away my precious time, ſaith the laſcivious and voluptuous man’s conſcience. Thou gaveſt