Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	effect_n	faith_n	justify_v	3,373	5	8.7473	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00643	The souls looking-glasse lively representing its estate before God: with a treatise of conscience; wherein the definitions and distinctions thereof are unfolded, and severall cases resolved: by that reverend and faithfull minister of the Word, William Fenner, B.D. sometimes fellow of Pembroke-hall in Cambridge, and late parson of Rochford in Essex.	Fenner, William, 1600-1640.; Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1640 (1640)	STC 10779; ESTC S101939	116,565	318

difference between the holy and the profane Now the question is this Where in lieth the difference between the qui● conscience of the righteous and th● quiet conscience of the wicked Answ The difference between them lieth i● foure things 1. In the thing it self 2. In the cause 3. In the effect 4. I● the continuance I. In the thing it self The quiet conscience in the godly is double not onely apparentiall and nominall but rea● and substantiall It is quiet and qui● too Isai 57.19 peace and peace too I create t● fruit of the lips peace peace Mar● peace and peace too peace in appearance and peace in truth and substance also But the peace and quiet of conscienc● which the wicked have is not such peace It is peace and no peace peace ●n appearance but no peace in truth Their god is the god of this world ●nd he perswadeth them they have peace But my God saith the prophet ●peaketh otherwise vers 21. There is no peace to ●he wicked saith my God They talk of a good conscience sometimes and boast they have a good conscience but the ●ruth is they cannot have true peace within for saith the prophet the wick●d is like the troubled sea which cannot ●est whose waters cast up mire and dirt So doth a wicked mans conscience se●retly cast up mire and dirt in his face His peace can onely be outward and apparentiall II. There is a difference in the cause The quiet of a good conscience ariseth ●rom one cause and the quiet of a bad ●onscience ariseth from another 1. The quiet of a good conscience ●riseth from a distinct knowledge of the word of God and of the precepts and promises conteined in it But the quiet of an evil conscience ariseth from ignorance When men know not Go● nor his holy word which should bin● conscience they fear nothing becaus● they see nothing they know not th● danger of sinne Like a blind ma● standing before the mouth of a cannon he feareth no danger because h● seeth none so carnall men fear not because they know not what cause the● have to fear Their very prayers th● they make are an abomination to Go● and they know it not their good duties they do are all like cockatrices eg● and they know it not they know no● that they are in the bond of iniquitie i● the snare of the devil Their conscience● are quiet because they know not wha● cause they have to be otherwise Thi● is one difference The quiet and peac● of a good conscience ariseth from ligh● and from knowledge the quiet an● peace of an evil conscience from darknesse and ignorance Heb. 10.22 2. The quiet of a good conscienc● ariseth from a due examination of ou●selves by the word and purging of ou● consciences Conscience never can be● good without purging and sprinkling ●o nor without a due examination the ●uiet of a good conscience ariseth from ●is Whereas the quiet of a wicked ●ans conscience ariseth from want of ●is He never examineth his consci●ce but letteth it sleep till God awake ● with horrour I say a wicked mans ●onscience sleepeth and that maketh it ●uiet and he is not troubled nor mo●sted with it Like a baillif or sergeant ●●llen asleep by the way the desperate ●btour whom he lieth in wait for may ●sse by him then and find him very ●iet and not to offer to arrest him ●r like a curst dog fallen asleep a ●anger may passe by him then and not 〈◊〉 meddled with Such like is this quiet ●il conscience 3. The quiet of a good conscience ●iseth from a good ground from the ●ork of Gods Spirit from true saving ●ace from righteousnesse Rom. 14.17 ●e reade of righteousnesse and peace ●rue peace of conscience ariseth from ●ghteousnesse Whereas the false peace ●f the wicked ariseth onely from vain hopes and conceits They are not guil● of such and such great sinnes or Th● are not so bad as some others As the Ph●risee's conscience was quiet why ● God I thank thee I am not as other m●● are no drunkard extortioner nor li● this publicane Or perhaps from thi● ground their peace ariseth The Lor● is very mercifull and The Lord Jes●● died for sinners Or perhaps this i● their plea They are good comers to churc● They have prayers in their families Th● have been professours of Christ Jesus 〈◊〉 many yeares From hence they drea● of peace upon false grounds when ● the way of peace they have not know● When conscience shall be awaked the● it will tell them how they have by flatery deceived their own souls and tha● having no true righteousnesse they could have no true peace 4. The quiet of a good conscienc● ariseth from tendernesse and from life Therefore the Apostle joyneth together life and peace Rom. 8.6 Tru● peace of conscience ariseth from life ● whereas the quiet of a wicked conscience ariseth from searednesse and be●mbednesse and deadnesse when men ●eing past feeling of sinne are not trou●ed at the committing of it Thus ye ●e the second thing wherein the diffe●nce lieth namely in the cause III. They differ in the effect First ●he effect of the quiet of a good con●cience is comfort and rejoycing Rom. 5.1 Be●●g justified by faith we have peace with ●od through our Lord Jesus Christ What followeth By whom we have ac●sse by faith rejoycing c. Mark The ●eace of conscience bringeth forth re●ycing And so in other places peace ●nd joy are joyned together Rom. 15.13 Gal. 5.22 But the ●vil conscience though quiet wanteth his rejoycing If carnall men had no ●ore mirth then what the quiet and ●eace of their consciences doth help ●hem to they would not be so merrie ●s most of them be Secondly Ano●her effect of true peace of conscience ● It sanctifieth the soul it purgeth the ●eart purifieth the life and reformeth ●he whole man It is the instrument whereby God sanctifieth his people more and more 1. Thess 5.23 The God of peace sanctifie you wholly Observe the title which the Apostle there giveth unto God when he sanctifieth his people he calleth him the God of peace he sanctifieth his people by peace It maketh them think thus We must not do thus or thus as others do we shall lose the peace of our conscience if we do This maketh them strive against sinne denie their own wills and carnall appetites If I should not do so I should have no peace This peace sanctifieth But the peace which carnall men seem to have doth not sanctifie the soul they are never the more holy for the same Again another effect of the peace of a good conscience is to put life into us in the performance of good duties it maketh us with gladnesse and delight perform the duties of our generall and particular callings But the false peace of an evil conscience suffereth the wicked to be dead and dull to good duties The true peace keepeth our hearts and our minds We should

peace also If we know once that God loveth us then we may set our hearts at rest As long as we doubt of his love our conscience can never have true peace And therefore if we would maintein true peace of conscience let us labour to be assured of Gods love Answ 3 Thirdly We must use the exercise of faith in applying the bloud of Christ we must labour to purge and cleanse our consciences with it If we find that we have sinned we must runne presently to the bloud of Christ to wash away our sinne We must not let the wound fester or exulcerate but presently get it healed As there is a fountain of sinne ●n us so there is a fountain of mercie ●n Christ Zech. 13.1 set open for Judah and Jerusalem and for every poore soul to wash ●n As we sinne dayly so he justifieth dayly and we must dayly go to him for ●t As every day we runne into new debts so the Lords prayer teacheth us every day to beg forgivenesse We must every day eye the brazen serpent Justification is an ever-running fountain and therefore we cannot look to have all the water at once A fountain ever runneth anew so justification ever floweth anew and we must go to it Christ is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec O let us sue out every day a dayly pardon of course Let us not sleep one night without a new pardon Better sleep in a house full of adders and venemous beasts then sleep in one sin O then be sure with the day to clear the sinnes of the day Then shall our conscience have true peace Object But how if I have relapsed what shall I do then Sol. I answer Every man that falleth doth not fall on all foure as we use to say he doth not fall quite There be degrees of falling As in a sick man though he be ill yet he is not by and by dead some life remaineth still which will look out towards health again so there is so much life in justification as to recover thee again Be constant therefore in this course Ever go to Christ ever wash in this fountain ever bring thy soul hither to be cleansed and then thy conscience ever shall have peace Answ 4 Fourthly If we would maintein our peace then let us labour to be constant in obedience to Jesus Christ Whosoever keepeth his word in him verily is the word of God perfected and hereby know we that we are in him 1. John 2.5 Mark Hereby our conscience may tell us that we are right and speak peace to us if we keep his word II. Question How the peace of our conscience doth depend upon our care and our obedience The reason why I raise this question is this Because as our justification is onely in Christ so our peace is onely in him how then doth the peace of our conscience depend on obedience The place of scripture that occasioneth the doubt is 1. Pet. 3.21 The answer of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ It is by Christ how dependeth it then on our obedience Answ 1. A good conscience doth not depend upon our obedience as the principall cause of it but upon justification which we have by Christ if we be in him Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Ye see then that our peace is grounded upon our justification as the principall cause of it If we should seek for peace from our works and obedience alas they are sinfull and defective there is no peace to be found in them Our conscience would be troubled at our best duties at our weaknesse in prayer our frailties in hearing our slips in every holy service There is nothing we do but our conscience might find fault with it and pick a hole in it and therefore we had need to flie unto Christ for true peace No wonder then that Papists have not true peace but professedly say that every man must doubt and no man can be sure of his salvation They must needs doubt indeed who trust to their own works which can never bring true peace The conscience must ever be quarrelling and finding of fault and be without peace if we trust to the best works So that this is the first answer All true peace dependeth upon justification by faith in Christ as the principall cause Secondly We answer That our peace dependeth upon our obedience in this sort that we can have no peace except we be given to obedience Those men that can sinne and yet be at peace were never justified in their lives A child of God when he sinneth as for example if he should be tempted to lie or to omit a good dutie which he knoweth he is bound to perform yet this would much trouble his conscience his soul would be ashamed his heart perplexed he would not know how to look the Lord in the face I have sinned what shall I do unto hee O thou preserver of men When David had sinned against God Psal 38.6 I am troubled saith he and I go mourning all the day long And therefore peace of conscience doth depend thus farre on obedience as that a man cannot have peace ●nlesse he be obedient and take heed of sinne and labour in all things to be up●ight before God Now if you ask me But how doth our peace depend upon our obedience I answer Dub. Sol. It dependeth upon obedience as the removing cause It removeth that which would hinder our peace Sinne would interrupt our peace now obedience removeth sinne To this purpose the Apostle speaketh 1. John 3.18 19. My little children let us not love in word and in tongue but in deed and in truth For hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before God Hereby we shall assure our consciences that we are in him if we take heed of hypocrisie If we love in truth and be obedient in truth we shall thereby remove all our doubts and our fears our troubles and perplexities of conscience So that peace doth depend on obedience as the removing cause It removeth that which otherwise would hinder peace This is the first Again our peace of conscience dependeth upon our obedience as the witnessing cause of it Obedience is one of the witnesses of true peace it witnesseth that we have peace with God 2. Cor. 1.12 This is our rejoycing even the testimonie of our conscience that in simplicitie and godly sinceritie we have had our conversation in the world See here it is the witnessing cause of it Paul had peace of conscience his conscience was able to make him rejoyce How Because it gave testimony that his conversation was godly and simple and gracious Though we be in Christ yet we can have no peace unlesse holy obedience doth witnesse the same Obedience is not the cause of the peace of our consciences before God