4. It is an evil that involves us in the greatest danger —
[If we will not receive the truth in the love of it, we have reason to fear that God will give us up to our own delusions, that we may believe a lie, and receive tlie condemnation due to our perverseness^. He sometimes suffers the light itself to have no other effect than to blind our eyes'^. And what a tremendous judgment would that be ! We should only wander further and further from God, till we had " filled up the mea- sure of our iniquities," and be thus " treasuring up for ourselves wrath against the day of wrath." Should we ever be left to this state, " better were it for us that we had never been born."]
Having thus explained the reasons of this caution, we shall conclude with a few words of advice —
1. Get your conscience truly enlightened —
[It needs the illumination of God's word and Spirit. Without that it will be but a blind guide at best. God however has promised, for the comfort of those who seek him, that " The meek he will guide in judgment, the meek he will teach his way."]
2. Regard the dictates of conscience in Uttleihm^s — •
[Conscience must maintain an uncontrolled, unlimited sway. You must " exercise yourself daily to keep it void of offence towards God and man." If you violate its dictates in small things, you will soon cease to reverence it in greater matters. But listen to its voice on all occasions, and it will never suffer you to err materially. There shall always be a voice behind you, saying, " This is the way, walk ye in it'."]
3. Guard against worldly and carnal lusts —
[It is astonishing to what a degree even the most sensible men, as David and Solomon, may be blinded by " foolish and hurtful lusts." The love of money, of pleasure, or of honour, alas ! how will they warp the judgment, how will they divert us from the path of duty ! Love not the world if you have any wish to possess the love of God. The two attachments are inconsistent and incompatible with each other*^.]
4. Set the Lord Jesus ever before you —
[He is the light of the world ; and if you will follow him, you shall never walk in darkness ^ If you can find what Christ would have done in your situation, do that resolutely and universally.]
g 2 Thess. ii. 11, 12. ^ isai. vi. 9, 10. ' Isai. xxx. 21.
•^ 1 John ii. 15. ' John viii. 12.