against it; that they cannot be obnoxious to his wrath, because they have not committed any heinous sins, 01% if they havevJthey were only such as the fashions of the world, and the frailties of their nature might well excuse. By such principles as these they per- suade themselves that they have no ground for fear : like some of the Jews of old, they " heal their wounds slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace," or, like others of them, they affirm boldly, " I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart."
There is yet another description of persons who have at times been harassed with remorse of con- science; but they have so often resisted their con- victions, sinned against the light, and done violence to all their own feelings, that they have, as the Apostle says, " seared their consciences as with a hot iron," and rendered themselves " past feeling."
Now it will be needless to prove that such persons have not a conscience void of offence ; they may be rather said to have no conscience at all ; or, if they have, it must be called, what the Apostle does call it, an evil conscience.
As a conscience is not void of offence merely be- cause it does not accuse, so neither is it necessarily so, even if it should approve.
Many propose to themselves a false standard of right and wrong. Even among those who bear the Christian name, how many are there who think that religion consists in penances and pilgrimages, and in the observance of superstitious rites and ceremonies ; yea, who would think, that the extirpation of heretics was the most meritorious work they could effect! Yet, if they were to abound in such works as these, and thereby gain the approbation of their own con- sciences, must we therefore say that their consciences were void of offence ? Surely not. St. Paul has told us with respect to himself, that he verily " thought he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus :" but does he assert his innocence upon that ground ? No ; he calls himself " a blasphemer and