Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	heart_n	see_v	2,559	5	3.3012	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16503	The anatomie of conscience Or a threefold reuelation of those three most secret bookes: 1. The booke of Gods prescience. 2. The booke of mans conscience. 3. The booke of life. In a sermon preached at the generall assises holden at Derby, in Lent last. 1623. By Immanuel Bourne ...	Bourne, Immanuel, 1590-1672.	1623 (1623)	STC 3416; ESTC S106813	35,564	48

conscience with what corruption they obtain the Cure of soules so they may get it and then they care as little for to feed them except it bee with meat that is worse then poyson their own bad example by which they bring themselues and others to destruction Luc. 11.35 Mat. 5.13 14. A wofull thing when that the light is darkned and the salt hath lost his sauour when as the Preachers life should lead to heauen it leads men to perdition Sometimes amongst the Lawyers it is entertained of such who make no conscience to excite and stirre vp men to needlesse suites Luc. 11.46 encouraging to warre when peace is better entertaining Causes with their armes wide open and receiuing fees with both hands with one to speake with the other to hold their peace And when they haue got a man to bee their prisoner they feed him then with bread and water of affliction vntill his purse bee emptie or his state consumed what time they send him home amongst his neighbours to end the controuersie with two honest men in stead of twelue Sometimes this large and spacious Conscience is amongst the Gentry where it is entertained of such who make no conscience of most vile oppressions grinding the faces of the poore racking their Tenants at so high a rate that though themselues their wiues children are their Land-lords slaues yet can they not be kept from beggery And as little Conscience doe they make of Sacriledge a sin as common and worse then the former whiles they are not content to robbe the Church of all her ancient rights but in prophane and wicked manner by symoniacall compacts sell both themselues their Priests and people to the Deuill and this they thinke is no sin it is so ordinary because their Conscience is now asleepe but they shall one day finde it so when as the booke of Conscience shall bee opened Sometimes amongst the Iurors and that at time of Assise and Sessions you may easily finde this Conscience to bee in those who make no conscience of an oath but contrary to their oath will giue their verdict not as truth and conscience would direct them but as malice or affection leads them But woe to such for their conscience one day shall bee both a witnesse and a Iudge against them when once the Booke of Conscience shall bee opened And commonly this Conscience is amidst the Common sort especially inferior Officers who should be euen the life of Law in bringing wickednesse before the Iudge and after sentence giuen in seeing Iustice executed But they haue Consciences as wide as hell either for feare of greatnesse or for loue of baseness smothering vile enormities which not being kild in time haue filled the land with sinnes that cry for vengeance And this though men be sworne yet doe they suffer because their booke of Conscience is not opened And thus you see the large and spacious Conscience and the seuerall sorts of men by whom it is entertained Conscience 4 There is yet Conscientia superstitiosa a superstitious Conscience most commonly amongst our ignorant Papists blinded with shadowes circumstances ceremonies deceiued with shewes and selfe-conceited opinions of Antiquity vniuersality infallibility of iudgment succession of gouernment and the like being wedded to will-worship Isay Coloss 2.18 and sporting themselues in the prison of ignorance vntill it pleaseth God to bring them as he doth many of them before they die out of darknesse in●o light and from the power of condemning error vnto the sauing Truth of God Conscience 5 And there is Conscientia scrupulosa a scrupulous or dubious Conscience 1 A dubious Conscience in matters of substance which if it be in Substance in the tender-hearted Christian assaulted with the violence of Satans sleights or ouer-burdened with the sight and sense of selfe-corruption or terrified with too much contemplation of Gods fearfull iudgments due to sinne for the guilt of which the Conscience is accused and affected with too little of Application of Christs precious merits and those gratious promises of pardon and freedom from Gods direfull vengeance vpon The causes of doubting in a tender Conscience true repentance and faith in Christ If this bee the cause of feare and scruple in this kinde of Conscience which sometimes brings the weake and feeble Christian to the mouth of Hell and pits-brinke of despaire Then though in the end it turneth vnto the good of Gods Elect to moue them to a tryall of their states to search and proue their hearts and consciences to finde out what 's amisse and what 's the cause of this their doubting whether their sinnes which perhaps haue long lien hidden kept secret in the closet of their hearts not truly seene nor felt nor yet repented of or their security in which before they were lulled asleepe being idle and neglecting to vnfold their Booke of Conscience Or their want of faith in Christ and firme affiance on Gods true and neuer-failing promises Or their trust too much vnto themselues seeking for peace and comfort more in the measure of their owne righteousnesse then in the free imputed righteousnesse of Christ Or lastly in their ignorance and erroneous iudgment of a Christians state here in the Church that 's militant and those many combats we must vndergoe before we passe from all our enemies or get within the gates of Paradise for any one of these may bring a Christian from the rock of stedfastnes to a world of doubts and feares Though in the end I say these feares and scruples may procure this good vnto the soul to see it selfe and find the cause of this distresse yet is this sicknesse dangerous and the cure is difficult And therfore here the weak and tender conscience had neede to pray and seeke a wise a holy and a good Physitian who like Christ may poure in wine and oyle the Law and Gospell tempered together with piety and discretion Luc. 10.34 and applyed with a soft and gentle hand vntill the Conscience being rightly informed may see the cause and labour to remoue it that so a setled stedfastnesse may bee obtained A dubious conscience in respect of circumstance And how this may bee I shall shew the meanes God willing when I come to speak of Conscience as 't is good to which I rather refer this Conscience though it be sicke weak and doubtful because it may be in the best dearest saints of God But if this Doubting bee in Circumstance as t is often in the selfe-conceited Separatists who are ouer nice and curious in tything Minte Annis and Cummin in standing vpon shadowes ceremonies and things indifferent But too carelesse otherwise letting the greater matters of the Law alone as our Sauiour sometimes told the Pharises in this respect their predecessors Mat. 23.23 Then though their desire bee good to doe nothing contrary or against their conscience yet were it farre better to seeke and labour that their Conscience may bee rightly

and carelesse running on to wickednesse without restraint But a good Conscience is so at peace that yet it is fearefull of the least impiety lest by admitting the pleasure of sinne it should procure the displeasure of God who is so good and louing a Father in Christ Lastly a blinde or dead or carelesse Conscience though it be quiet yet it comforteth not nor can it get any true or found ioy vnto the soule Rom. 5.1 2 3 4 5 6. But a Conscience pacified with the hope of pardon and assurance of Gods fauour begets a ioy of soule which is vnutterable cherishing the heart with diuine and heauenly mirth euen in the middest of many dangers Saint Ambrose hee obserueth an euill conscience is a Bed Ambros lib. de interpellat c. 3. that when a man should sleepe it giueth him torments feares and terrors in stead of quietnesse Bern. in Vigil Natiuit serm 3. Foelix conscientia in qua luctamen timoris laetitiae reperitur c. Etsi ●imet à Iudice sperat à Saluatore c. Quia non timor sempiternus sed laetitia sempiterna 1. Sam. 24 4 5. A Conscience that is good procures the contrary not that a Conscience good is alwayes free from sense of trouble for as Saint Bernard saith happy is that Conscience in which is found the combate of feare and ioy feare when it looketh on God as a iust Iudge punishing for sinne and ioy when it beholded him as a louing Father pardoning sinne to his Children in Christ and for the merits of his death and Passion And the tender conscience which is deare in sight of God is like a Spider that sitteth within the Center of her web and if a fly but touch the out-most thread shee feeleth it instantly Iust so the child of God is touched in Conscience for the smallest sinne like Dauid but for cutting off the lappe of Sauls garment This is a Filiall Feare which is and ought to bee in all the Sonnes of God and t is the meanes for to preserue a good and quiet Conscience Quest. But how may this good conscience be obtained what must we doe to get it that so we may take care to keepe it Answ I answer A good and quiet conscience is a speciall gift of God to him therefore we must pray from whom comes euery good and perfect gift Iam. 1.17 and vse the meanes which is the readiest to procure it But before I shew what this meanes is Christ Iesus the foundation of true peace of Conscience 2. Thes 3.16 obserue this by the way There is now but one foundation vpon which this peace is builded and without which there can bee no true peace vnto the soule Adam before his fall had a good and peaceable conscience because hee was free from sinne remayning in his perfection Rom. 4.25 But now onely Christ Iesus and the merits of his death and resurrection is the meanes of peace God the Father being well pleased with vs in him Mat. 17.6 and Christ purchasing and procuring our peace by the blood of his Crosse Coloss 1.20 And this if wee apply rightly vnto our selues by a true and liuely faith we are iustified and being iustified by faith we haue peace with God Rom. 5.1 There is nothing that can make a good and peaceable conscience but the vertue of his blood Gen. 8.9 the soule like Noahs Doue can find no rest but in this Arke Though our conscience condemne vs not yet is God greater then our conscience 1. Iohn 3.20 and can easily find a cause of warre against vs if he looke not vpon vs in his Sonne It is this blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then did the blood of Abel Heb. 12.24 It is this blood of Christ who thorow the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God that can purge our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God Heb. 9.14 It is this onely that begets a good and quiet conscience Rom. 8.1 Rom. 6.4.6 Philip. 2.12 2. Pet. 1.10 taking away sinnes guilt from vs and crucifying sinnes power in vs that we may walke in newnesse of life working out our saluation with feare and trembling and labouring to make our calling and election sure If thy conscience sting thee Numb 21.9 Christ is the brazen Serpent that can cure thee If the Law of thy conscience like Mount Sinai affright thee with terrors Exod. 10.23 worse then Egyptian darkenesse in Christ is the Gospell of light that can enlighten thine vnderstanding and lighten thy heart with ioy and gladnesse If the red Sea of thy troubled conscience hinder thy passage to escape thy enemies that follow thee and to come to the happiness before thee Christ is the way the truth Iohn 14.6 and the life by whom thou maist passe boldly through the middest of dangers to the Canaan of peace and freedome This is the good Physitian who can cure all diseases and therefore easily procure peace vnto a troubled Conscience The meanes to get and keepe this peace of Conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 First therefore to get and keepe this blessed peace of Conscience it is not to keepe merry company to driue away melancholy as some imagine but to keepe thy most holy faith and preserue the memory and application of this bloud of Iesus as a rich treasure in thy soule It is an Antidote to expell all the poyson of Satans temptations or thy owne corruptions there is no sinne thou hast committed can be more powerfull to plead against thee Orizen ●●ulla species peceati tanta est qua non sit superior Iesus 1 Iohn 1.7 then vpon faith and repentance the merits of this bloud is to plead for thee before the throne of Gods Iustice nor any thing more effectuall to clense thee from all thy sinnes and therefore being rightly applied to free thee from conscience of iniquity and settle in thee a most sweet and blessed peace A direction to peace Bern. super Cant. Serm. 46. 1. Emundes conscientiam ab omni inquinamen●o c. 2 Circundare tibi flores c. 1. Meanes to procure peace 2 Cor. 13.5 1. Hinderance of peace And to direct thee further follow Saint Bernards counsell first clense thy Conscience from all kind of pollution from whatsoeuer hath or may offend thy conscience or procure the trouble of it and next gather those sweet flowers of spirituall graces of faith and good workes of all heauenly vertues to decke thy soule that it may be a pleasant temple for the good Spirit to dwell it This is the way for to enioy a good and quiet conscience Remedy 1 And for the first of these to put it in practice trie and examine thy selfe search into the secret of thy heart and if thou find that thy sinnes vnseene or vnfelt haue procured thy woe then is repentance the meanes to take away the doubt and scruple of thy Conscience for as a