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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	know_v	knowledge_n	see_v	2,585	5	3.6782	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03759	A short exposition of the 20. and 21. verses of the third chapter of the first epistle of S. Iohn Containing a very profitable discourse of conscience, and of al the actions, sortes, and kinds thereof, wherby euery man may easily know his estate, wherein hee standeth in the sight of his God, and whether his conscience be good or euill, with all things also belonging either to get a good conscience, or else to releiue it out of trouble, being grieued and wounded, as in the epistle to the reader is more specially mentioned, and in the discourse itselfe clearely expressed.	Howesoun, John.	1600 (1600)	STC 13878; ESTC S116556	26,751	68

excellent and sure promises made by God vnto vs of grace life euerlasting in his worde for Salomon saieth Hee that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper Pro. 28 13 but hee that confesseth and forsaketh them shall haue mercie and if wee acknowledge and confesse our sinnes saith Iohn God is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs them 1. Ioh. 1.9 and wash them al away from vs with the bloud of his christ For Gabriell the Angell said vnto the virgin Mary that her sonne Christs name should be called Iesus Math. 1.21 Because hee should saue his people from their sinnes Wherefore it followeth that there is no condemnation to them that are and beleeue in him if they walke not after the flesh but after the spirit To all which persons aryseth a certainty of Saluation And consequently a reformation of conscience which is wrought in all such persons by the holie ghoste when the same ceaseth to accuse and terrifie them and beginneth to excuse them and to testifie vnto them that they are the children of God The which thinge neuer faileth to anie that doe seriouslie humble themselues and by earnest prayer craue mercie and pardon of their sinnes at Gods hands for Christs sake 8 The riches pleasurs of the faithfull which they shuld euer seeke for is a good conscience This is the treasure that far passeth all worldlie pleasures I would to God therfore that the greatest part of this vnhappy age would be as careful to sute and seeke for the same as they are to hunte after the transitory pleasures of this corruptible flesh as honors riches other pleasures worldly which wil quickly depart but this shall euer abide as a continuall and pleasant feast both heere in the world to come Pro. 15.15 And thus much concerning mans firste duetie against the getting of a good conscience As touching mans second duety concerning Consciēce 9 Mans second duety concerning conscience it is to keepe it good when he hath so gotten it to preuente the troubles therof by all meanes possible For it is no lesse vertue to keepe a good Conscience then to get it In keeping of a good Conscience 10 Three thinges to be avoyded 1. ig-norance Pro. 29 2. 2 Kings 17 26 aboue all things three things are to be avoyded To wit ignorance vnmortified affections and worldly lustes As to the first Salomon affirmeth that the minde cannot bee good that is the Conscience of him that is without knowledge yea it is said cap 17.2 Kings that the people that dwelt in Samaria were deuoured of Lyons and wilde beastes because they knew not the manner of the God of the Land And againe Psal 95.10 the Prophete Dauid saith that such as doe not knowe the voice of the Lorde and his will and wayes doe erre in heart and soule neuer enter into the Lords rest Likwise Christ himselfe telleth vs that they that knowe not the scriptures doe but erre goe astray And againe that this is the cōdemnatiō of the world that the light of Gods will declared in Christ being come into the world men notwihstanding loue rather darknes Math 22 29 Rom. 1 28 and to perish therein then the light and to be saued thereby And therefore saith the Apostle as they regarded not to knowe GOD euen so GOD deliuered them vp into a reprobate minde to doe those thinges which are not conuenient and whereby they become full of vnrighteousnes Yea ignorance saith Chrysostome is the worke of the diuils inspiration Chrysost who would not haue vs to see the treasure least wee should possesse the riches And that this is the cause of all euill that the scriptures hath not knowen Of these premisses we see how needful it is aboue all things for al that wil keep a good Cōscience to learn the knowledge of Gods word the ignorance wherof begetteth breedeth in man woman a loathsome sea of all euils whereby their miserable Consciences are drowned in a loathsom sink of all wretched misery vnto the day of their Death when the Lord shal fearefully in his iustice wakē them to their perpetual shame and confusion Secondly it is needefull to be vtterly displeased alwaies with the sinful affections of our flesh As with wrath anger Let vs bee displeased with sinne and the lustes of the fleshe envie malice wandering lustes such like other vnhappy fruits of our wretched corrupt nature And therefore continually to crye with the Apostle O wretched man that I am who shal deliuer me from the body of this death or from this fleshlie lumpe of sinne and death which by nature euerie one of vs do carry about with vs. So that this way in our mind at the least we may euer serue the law of god Rom 7 25 so crop snedde sinne in vs that it come neuer to seede maturity and ful perfection to raigne in vs and rule ouer vs aboue the Spirite Thirdly as to worldly pleasures and honours of this life let vs euer respecte them all as dunge in respecte of Christ the benefites which wee receaue by him and the preseruation of a good Conscience The which wee ought perpetuallie to esteeme and thinke off as of of our Paradise and of the lustes of our fleshe and pleasures of the world as of the forbidden fruite if we desire to liue for euer with perpetuall ioy in our soule and conscience both in this life and in that to come through Christ And thus much touching the keeping of a good conscience when it is gotten As to the remedies of a troubled hart and grieued Conscience The remedies of a troubled consciēce which of al others when it rageth is the greatest wee say that the same must be sought for out of the word and exampels of the faithful as of Iob Ieremy Ezekiah Dauid also of Christ himselfe who felt the extremest anguish that euer eyther was is or yet shall be and notwithstanding perished not there through because they dispayred not therein but trusted stil in God and therefore were deliuered 2 Such must vnderstand as are troubled in Conscience that the way to heauen is euen to goe thither by hell They that go to heauen must saile by hell 3 Let all such as are in this trouble haue recourse to godly pastours who may and will giue them comfort out of the worde 4 Let them confer with such as haue felt the like trouble who will shew them how they got comforte therein and that first of all it is necessary for thē to learne and vnderstand fiue things 1. To knowe and confesse their sins 2. To feele them forgiuen in Christ 3. To looke for power of him to crucifie the same 4. To lay hold vpon iustification by his resurrection 5. To looke for strength of him only to proceede to further sanctification holines of life euē to the end al the which things they shall finde

GOD shall iudge the secreits of men by Iesus Christ 5 Three thinges to be learned Of this duety of conscience we learne three things first that there is a God for seeing it beareth witnesse of all our thoghts vnto the which neither man nor Angell is priuie It must needs therefore be that it is to God alone who seeth knoweth all things to whome our Conscience beareth witnesse and record And therefore let Athiests godles persones barke against this as long as they list yet haue they that within them to wit their conscience the which will conuince and conuict them of the trueth of the Godhead will they or nill they eyther in life or in death and that he hath store of torments and of infernall spirits to punnish them in the ende For many Examples heereof one shal serue A certaine Skoffer and filthie gester who this way gate for the moste parte all his liuing was in a Tauerne where manie were drinking and there to play thee sporter did mock the immortalitie of the soule and offered to sell his soule if any he had to them that would giue him an kanne of wine for it The which when one of them that were drinking there had bought from him giuen to him the said Kan of wine Sathan in mans likenes adioyning himselfe to the Table with them that were in the Tauerne and desired to haue the soule of this gester of the same price of him that had bought it The partie who first bought it granted therevnto and deliuered it vnto him as hee had it for another Kanne of wine The which when hee had deliuered hee tooke him from the Table both body and soule See more of this historie and of the like in Historia tragica The prouidence of God ouer all men whose consience will not suffer them to hide any thing from them 2 We learne heerby that God doth watch ouer all men by a speciall prouidence in that he giueth to euery man a particular Conscience to bee his watchman keeper who in this poynte is like vnto a master of prison who giueth to his prisoners keepers to watch thē to bring them home againe into the prison if at anie time they purchase his licence to goe abroad for their particular turns Euen so haue all men and women Consciences to follow them alwaies as at the heeles and to dog them and to trye all their thoughts words works and affections and to beare recorde and true witnes thereof to God and vnto their owne hearts In such sorte that although we may hide our turnes from men yet is it certaine that our Conscience will shew them all before God Therefore we ought to stand aboue al things to do vprightly and to follow the word of God in all that we doe or leaue vndone which is the onely square and rule of our Conscience that the same may excuse vs and not accuse vs before our God for if our heart accuse vs to our God God is farre greater then our harts to condemne vs but if not then we may haue bouldnes towards him Thirdly The goodnes of god in setting our conscience to tell vs what to doe vnder wha● paines 1 Cor. 12.13 we obserue heere the goodnes and loue of God toward vs who setteth our Conscience to tell vs secretly when we doe amisse to the ende that we should presently repente vs thereof and amend that he may forgiue vs but if not that then oppenly it should accuse vs thereof before God and at the barre of his iudgement seate before al his Angels and saints in heauen Wherefore wee should accuse and condemne our selues heere that we be not accused and condemned there if we desire to be saued in that great day of the Lord. For if we accuse and convict our selues when we doe amisse with repentance amendemēt neither shall our conscience accuse vs to our God nor he condemne vs for the euill which we haue committed And thus much touching the first duety of Conscience which standeth in witnes-bearing to God in accusing or excusing vs. 6 The iudgement of Consciēce what As to the second action or worke of Conscience it is to giue iudgement of things which we haue done and so it is like a iudge causing malefactours to be arraigned at the barre of his iudgement seate and there to suffer for their demerites yea rather it is like a little God sitting in the middle of mans heart araigning and iudging him in this life as hee shal be arraigned and iudged for his offences at the tribunall seate of the Lord God in the day of iudgement So that that iudgement giuen in this life by conscience is nothing else but a certaine and sure fore-runner of the last iudgement to come 7 We are admonished of two thinges 1. Iob 3.20 We are admonished heereby to take heede that nothing past lye vpon vs and that we charge not our Consciences in time comming with any matter whereof they may accuse vs. For if our conscience shall accuse vs much more shall God condemne vs. Because he both seeth all our doings more clearely then doe our Consciences iudgeth more sincerely and secretly then they can do vnto vs. Therefore wee ought to endeuour our selues with Paull to say alwaies 2. Cor. 4.4.18 that we knowe nothing by our selues in our life that wee may euer stand in our Conscience without blame before him Heere we must consider two thinges 8 Two thinges to be considered First the cause that maketh Conscience to giue iudgement and secondly the maner how it giueth i● The cause is the onely binder of Conscience which is eyther proper or improper The proper binder of Conscience is Gods law 9 Acts. 4. Rom. 13. and the improper the lawes of Princes hauing their authority of God to make such lawes for the good of their subiects as ar agreeable with his law or otherwaies they cānot binde Consciēce Wher we learne that gods word is euer to be obeyed 10 Gods worde euer to be obeyed albeit thereby we shoulde offend all men and also loose our owne liues Because wee are bound and oblished thereto in Conscience Secondly wee must take heede 11 What wee ought to take heede vnto that that which we take in hand to doe haue a warrant in our Conscience out of the word to doe it such like that which we leaue vndone if we may leaue it vndone without the wound of conscience or not As for example The knowledge of God and his worde bindeth vs to learne it in Conscience albeit the knowledge of humaine science doth not the like c. For all persons are bound in Conscience to know God aright We are bounde chiefely in conscience to know two things 12 as he hath reuealed himselfe to the world in his word and especially these two things First that all perfite righteousnes and life euerlasting is to be obtained