Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	arise_v	peace_n	quiet_a	1,003	5	9.8165	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49314	A discourse concerning the nature of man both in his natural and political capacity, both as he is a rational creature and member of a civil society : with an examination of Mr. Hobbs's opinions relating hereunto / by Ja. Lowde ...	Lowde, James.	1694 (1694)	Wing L3299; ESTC R36487	110,040	272

not of any thing really extant in Nature These were their undoubted opinions and apprehensions herein but whether their own natural Pride of temper was the cause of these their extravagant opinions or whether some other false Scheme of Principles which they had entertain'd had in some sort betray'd 'em into this excess of self-conceit I shall not here determine Tho' perhaps the ignorance of a future state of Rewards and Punishments after this life joyn'd with their attempt to give an account of that great question which so much puzled the Heathen World Cur bonis malè malis bené This perhaps might in some measure oblige 'em being not fully assur'd of a future State to entertain such false opinions of Man's self-sufficiency so placing all things within his own power that he needed not to be beholden to any other assistance but from himself or to any future expectations to make him happy As for the calamities that befal Men here in this Life they no ways alter the case in reference to happiness or unhappiness for those they say only reach the Body which according to them has no nearer relation to the Soul than their Cloaths have to it Thus the Stoicks plac'd their happiness where some sort of Phanaticks among us place their Holiness meerly in the inward Man without any regard to the outward as if we could be either Happy or Holy without any respect at all to one of the essential Parts of our Constitution as if the inward Man of the one could be holy in the midst of all outward Debaucheries and the inward Man of the other happy in the midst of bodily torments Thus tho' we grant the Soul to be the Soveraign yet the Body may justly challenge the Liberty of the Subject The other Sect of Philosophers who have erred in the other extream is that of Epicurus who attributes too much to the Body But this may some say is too favourable an expression when as indeed he doth destroy both all Soul in Man and excludes God out of the World But my charge here doth not rise so high it is sufficient for my purpose what is generally granted by all that in the account he gives of Man the Body is too predominant and the indolency of the Body seems far to surpass the tranquillity of the mind For it cannot be made appear That Epicurus by his tranquillity meant that peace of Conscience and Serenity of Soul which is the result of a Vertuous and Holy Life but only that quiet of mind in opposition to the disturbance of business or those perplexities of mind which may arise either from Bodily Distempers or some secret fears and jealousies Now if that peace and comfort of a good Conscience in the sense before described be not meant by tranquillity of mind then tho' perhaps the word may sound well yet indeed it falls short of the true and real happiness of the Soul and rises little higher than the concerns of the Body We do naturally either make our selves in some measure like him whom we worship or we fancy him whom we worship like our selves Thus Epicurus placing the happiness of the Deity in an idle unconcern'd freedom from business did hence probably assert ours to consist in the same or else being first strongly perswaded of the excellency of the thing and being mightily pleased with the agreeableness thereof himself did thence ascribe it also to the Deity as that wherein all happiness both Humane and Divine did consist It is indeed unreasonable and uncharitable to urge the consequences of an opinion upon the Author when he does expressly deny those consequences to be his opinion yet I think that he that in words acknowledges a God and yet his Principles are such as are generally embrac'd by real Atheists such an one is not capable of any just Apology For there is not the same Reason of all consequences some are next and immediate others are distant and remote these of the last sort ought not to be urg'd upon the Author of the opinion but those of the former may That Epicurus did assert the Being of God and entertained great and honourable thoughts of his Nature is very certain as appears out of Diog. Laertius So that none so charge him with Atheism as if he did not in words acknowledge a God that which is here asserted is this that that opinion of God which flatters him with high and honourable thoughts concerning himself his own intrinsick excellencies his own happiness and immortality which yet are but irrespective Attributes such as bear no relation to us and in the mean time to assert that he no ways concerns himself at present nor will hereafter take any notice to punish or reward Humane Actions This notion of God lays no Obligation on a Man to holiness of Life or Obedience to that God whom in words he thus admires and is such a Notion of God as even an Atheist provided he be not a perfect Mad Man ought to assert both because perhaps it may some ways tend to still and quiet the clamours of natural Conscience and also as it is safe and customary in respect of those with whom he lives For we never yet heard of a Kingdom or Common-wealth of Atheists such as make it their business positively and openly to assert and defend the Opinion of Atheism But here 't is reply'd That whatever his Principles were in themselves or what ever bad use others might make of them yet that he for his part was a severe practiser of Vertue and Religion But it may be justly questioned whether the joynt belief of a Corporeal God and a mortal Soul had ever any good influence upon an holy Life But suppose Epicurus in general to be a very Vertuous and Pious Person and that those contrary imputations of Vice and Luxury were mere Scandals cast upon him by the Stoicks yet we must consider how far and upon what grounds and for what ends he thus led a vertuous life Now it doth not appear that it was any further than only in order to a pleasant Life and tho' 't is true that Religion and Vertue are the most proper means in order to this end yet it is not probable that he so understood his own principles nor indeed were they capable of being so understood For supposing that there lyes no obligation upon us to any duty any further than as it promotes a pleasant Life in that sense wherein he takes it it is easily conceivable how some degrees of Vice may consist with these Principles provided that they so partake of this days pleasure that they do not incapacitate themselves for those of to morrow And tho' he tells us that the Gods are delighted with the Vertues of Men yet this is but cold encouragement to the practice of the more difficult Duties of Religion seeing tho' they do so far take notice of Mens vertuous actions as therewith to delight themselves yet not so