Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	according_a	judge_v	judgement_n	1,294	5	6.0040	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14464	An epistle to the faithfull necessary for all the children of God: especially in the s[o] dangerous dayes. Written by Maister Peter Viret in french, and englished by F.H. Esquier.; Epistre envoyée aux fidèles conversans entre les chrestiens papistiques. English	Viret, Pierre, 1511-1571.; F. H., Esquier.	1582 (1582)	STC 24779; ESTC S104301	66,070	144

thinke what cause we haue to glorifie and magnifie GOD our father seeyng that wee see hee is come to elect and choose vs from amongest all other not onelye to be his seruantes but also to bee his children and to bee kinges and heyres of his kingdome and that he leaueth a greate number of others that bee wyser richer and that beare a greater shewe then wee to put the treasures of his grace into so poore vessels of earth as we be so vyle so base so weake so frayle and brittle And therefore wee ought greatly to feare Sect. to abuse this greate goodnes of GOD towardes vs and the giftes which wee haue receaued of him we must take good heede wee hyde them not in the earth as the slouthfull and vnfaithfull seruant did hide his talent but as the other good and faithfull seruauntes did we must put them to some vse to the intent they maye bring foorth fruite to their Maister and Lorde who to this ende hath pu● them into our handes for why doth GOD call vs into his seruice but to serue him why doth GOD communicate his graces vnto vs but that wee shoulde employe them to his honour and glorie and to the edifiyng of his Churche howe can wee bee Gods seruantes and remayne idle in his house and doe nothing but which is worse how will he suffer vs there if in steede of seruing Christ Iesus we serue Antichrist and the Deuill his aduersaries Let vs therefore remember that which the Lorde sayth To him that hath it shal bee giuen and to him that hath nothing it shal be taken from him euen that he hath Wee see this by experience before our eyes euerye day to come to passe wee see Sect. howe GOD encreaseth his graces towards them which vse them as they ought and how on the contrary he depriueth them thereof which abuse them and howe hee giueth them vp into a reprobate sense for when they knewe GOD they glorified him not as God but gaue the honour which apperteyneth to him onelie to creatures and Idols Wherefore we ought not to maruell if we see many to whō God hath giuē some knowledge of truth which become godles mockers of holy scriptures to become as dogges to eate that which they once vomited and as swyne to wallowe themselues in the myre and filthe out of the which God had drawen them wee cannot doubt but such a curse is the most horrible most fearefull iudgement of God which can come to man it is the iudgement which he is woont to execute vpon the ingratefull and contemners of his word and blasphemers of his graces therefore let vs take heede that we neither dally of him nor with him let vs hearken how the Apostle warneth vs let vs not abuse our selues for God can neither be deluded nor mocked And therefore let vs learne to walke with Sect. him in all feare honour and reuerence let vs make our profite of his seuere iudgement whiche hee setteth before our eyes as in a glasse when hee punisheth so sharply those which after they had known him haue forsakē him and despised his worde let vs beware we esteeme not lightly anye thing that hee hath commaunded or forbidden but let vs feare to offende him in anye thing whatsoeuer eyther in omitting that which hee hath commanded vs to doe or in doyng that which he hath forbidden Let vs looke more to the authoritie of the Sect. Lawe maker and to his will then to the naked lawe and let vs iudge thereof according to his will and not according to our owne let vs consider with our selues that we cannot transgresse the left commandement that euer he gaue without despising his maiestie and authoritie For if we regard not his commaundements we declare manifestly thereby that wee feare him not but that we dally with him as though wee helde him in our sleeue to doe with him as pleaseth vs or els we giue to vnderstād that we wil correct him as not well aduised and as though he had fayled eyther in cōmaunding or forbidding things vnworthy to be cōmaunded or forbidden Ought this arrogācy presumptiō despising of god his authority to be esteemed a smal fault Is it not greater then high treason seeing that the Maiesty and authority of God passeth all authoritie and excellencie of man What lesse punishment then can he deserue then death and eternal dānation if God wil condemne him according to the rigour of his iudgement And therefore my brethren wee must take Sect. Seducing of himselfe good heede that wee deceaue not our selues or that we suffer not our selues to bee easilye seduced by others which may bee among vs for many doe boast of the knowledge of God which notwithstanding make no great conscience to doe contrary to his will in all things which are of no small importance which notwithstāding seeme to them very smal because they perswade themselues so and that they iudge thereof according to their owne affectiō But if they did iudge of them according to the iudgemēt of the spirit of God they should know that they are very vnpleasant detestable before God of that nature that there is nothing that he doth more abhorre detest nor that hee hath punished more grieuously at al times It is not a small matter to prouoke God to anger and we cannot more prouoke him then by Idolatrie and superstition which is the fountaine of all other euils and a sinne which doth estrange and draw vs wholly from God Let vs not abuse our selues for it may seeme to vs that the thinges which wee doe Sect. to keepe vs in league with the children of this worlde are not of great importance Let vs beware that Sathan drawe vs not from obeying the commandement of GOD by the deceaueablenes of our fleshe as he withdrew Adam by the meanes of Eue after that by his Gen. 3. lye she was seduced he thought with himselfe it was no greate faulte to eate of the fruite of a Tree but it was very great sith GOD had forbidden it as experience taught it afterwarde for by this transgression all the lynage of man was destroyed and all creatures were made subiect to Curse Let vs neuer suffer therfore the word of God Sect. To hold the word fast to bee snatched out of our handes whatsoeuer reason or whatsoeuer colour or cloke fleshe can alleadge vnto vs let vs bee as warye as wee woulde bee to fall into the fire to drawe backe from this worde and to abandon it one only steppe For wee neede not goe farre aside to misse the waye to set vs altogether out of the way and when one is once fallen out of the way the further hee goeth on the further hee wandreth and multiplyeth errour vppon errour so that after it is verye harde for him to finde his right waye and to come thither whether hee purposed Wherefore to auoyde the falling into

the Idolaters and strengthen the faithfull and woulde take away all cause of offending the good and woulde leaue no matter to the Idolaters wherin to glorifie but the cause why we goe it is to doe farre contrary it is to couer vs and not to vncouer vs. Yet notwithstanding if wee shoulde doe as Sect. Naaman did yet ought we no more to iustifie our selues then he but wee ought to aske pardō of God for it as he did And if Naamā were afraid to offend God by that act although he had a goodly cloke to excuse himselfe I ashamed of those with are quite cōtrary to him that they dare so assuredly defend their worke as if there were no sinne in it And to make their matter better after they had red that which was written against their opinion seene themselues bereft of that weapon which they tooke from the example of Naaman to defend their cause they sought another starting hole wherein there is slender foundation they haue imagined that when Naaman made y● confession to Elizeus which was spokē of before that it is very like he was alone that he said it not before al the cōpany which was with him they proue their imaginatiō by this that it is the custome of great Lordes to speake in a Maiestie of their affaires in the absence of their seruants rather then in their presence Wherefore they cause thē to depart for better confirmation hereof they alleadge that when Geazi ran after Naaman that Naaman descēded out of his chariot that hee came before him Wherefore they conclude that he spake to him apart in absence of his seruants and that hee might well do as much to Elizeus when hee vsed that talke with him wherof the holy scripture maketh mention This is the sophistrie whereby some wil now Sect. adayes make this exāple of force to helpe an euill cause but I know not to what ende it may serue them but to shew that those which are so seene in speculation to imagine these starting holes know wel what they haue to doe that it seemeth they are desirous to finde some cloke in scriptures to couer their matter that they would gladly make the spirite of God which speaketh in his holy scriptures to thinke that he would speake vnderstande things as they would haue it For as for the first all their reason is grounded but vpon imagination which it is as easie to disproue as to allowe but of thinges of so great importance wee must not iudge vpō presumptiōs imaginatiōs Moreouer the scripture doth manifestly witnes that he promised cōfessed he would serue none other God but the Lord woulde declare it by sacrifices and by outward confession publike testimonie to giue this testimony he desired these two mules charged with the earth of Israel as his wordes do manifestly witnes For to what purpose should that earth serue him more then the earth of Syria but to this end then wee haue no cause to doubt but that that matter is easie as he hath purposed demanded it For that which the prophet answered him after the maner which the Hebrwes vse in their salutations whē they bid a man farewell saying to him goe in peace ought not that only to be reserued to the last speech that Naamā vsed touching his worshipping in the Temple of Remmon but to all his former woordes wherein the Prophete consenteth to him The matter then is plaine that his confession was not secrete but publike and therefore his example serueth to no ende for them which content them selues to haue confessed Iesus Christe in secrete before a fewe and blaspheme him publikely It is easie to vnderstande all these thinges Sect. but we seeke these cloking starting holes because we wil not be vnfurnished And what is the cause if we should discouer our selues we shold yeeld our selues all vnto death and shoulde bee murtherers of our selues But those which are out of this danger may babble at their ease our life costeth them little I know some vse suche speech but yet their life is dearer to vs then they thinke for we are no lesse afraide to put them in danger then themselues for wee are not out of pryson without being mindefull of them feeling the afflictions of our brethren as if we were there our selues and therefore it is more safe to followe the iudgementes of those which are out of danger thē those which are in it it is very hard that the sicke man shoulde be a good Phisitiō to himselfe but he hath need of another for it is doubtfull hee would rather make the medicine serue his affections thē rule his affections by the art of Phisicke for sicknesse desireth to entertaine it selfe willeth alwaies that is contrarie vnto it the sicke man also beleeueth rather the phisitions which accord vnto his will then they that gaine say it It is very hard also that a man should bee a good iudge of his owne cause for hardly could he auoide but his affections woulde cary him away hinder him frō seeing the right giuing good iudgement wherefore it is requisite to seeke iudges which be not ouermuch affectioned to the matter do not iudge at randon according to their fancie but bee of good cōscience with out looking to the affection of any but to God only to right and equitie And therefore my brethren consider whether Sect. I speake of mine own head or whether I bring my minde or the mind of God If I speake any other then the word of god my reasons ought not to moue you nor trouble you but you ought to let thē passe as vaine friuolous If I offer vnto you the coūcell of god you haue no cause to be angry or to cōplaine that we are too sharp our iudgement is too hard for would you that wee should change the meaning of god should belie him I haue vnderstood the cōplaints the attestations that som make to cause vs to bethink our selues what we write of these matters They say it is true that the cōtrouersie matter is not of the shadow of an Asse or the wooll of a goate as the olde Prouerbe is but of that they account most deare in this world that is of a thing for which we must forsake our countrie our wife our deare children our goods and all that euer wee may haue delight pleasure in this worlde yea to the loosing of our life running straight vpon death and I denie not but these things are very sharpe and hard to flesh wherefore I cannot thinke therof without great compassion of these which are in such a straight but what shoulde we doe there wee ought to think it more strange and fearefull to forsake Iesus Christe the heauenly habitation and the eternall felicitie then these transitorie thinges which without that we must once forsake Wee would gladly