Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	authority_n	bind_v	law_n	5,614	5	5.6419	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93694	An answer to one part of the Lord Protector's speech: or, A vindication of the fifth monarchy-men, in reference to an accusation of evil charged upon them in his speech to the Parliament in the Painted Chamber, the 4 of September, 1654. / Published by John Spittlehouse, to the end all men may see the strong endeavours that have been used to obstruct the kingly interest of Jehovah the Lord Christ in the world, by blowing the bellows of a persecution against those that desire he should reign over all nations of the earth, by his holy, just, and perfect laws and ordinances recorded in the sacred Scriptures to that very end and purpose.	Spittlehouse, John.	1654 (1654)	Wing S5003; Thomason E813_19; ESTC R211046	21,496	28

magnifie the laws of Heathens and Antichristians above them is to admiration But I hope it will not be so for the future And hence it was that godly David complaineth of such persons saying How long will ye judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked Selah Psal 82. 2 c. Again saith he They know not neither do they understand they walk in darkness Again Solomon speaking to the whole pack of those Magistrates that contaminate the Laws of God in chap. 6. of his book titled Wisdom saith Hear O Kings and understand learn ye that are Judges of the earth give ear ye that rule the people and glory in the mult●tude of nations for power is given you from the Lord and soveraignty from the Highest who shall try your works and search your counsels Because being ministers of his kingdom ye have not judged aright nor kept the law nor walked after the counsel of God horribly and speedily will he come upon you for a sharp judgement shall be to them in high places For mercy shall pardon the MEANEST but MIGHTY MEN shall be MIGHTILY TORMENTED For he that is Lord over all shall fear no mans person neither shall he stand in awe of any mans Greatness for he hath made the small and great and careth for all alike BUT A SORE TRYAL SHALL COME UPON THE MIGHTY Unto you therefore O Kings saith he do I speak that ye may learn wisdom and not fall away For they that keep holiness holily shall be judged holy and they that have learned such things shall learn what to answer Wherefore set your affections upon my words desire them and ye shall be instructed And doubtless the refusal of such Instructions will be the cause of that HORRIBLE DAY upon the Kings of the earth and the Great Men and the Rich Men and the Chief Captains and the Mighty Men Rev. 6. 15. where they are said to hide themselves in the dens and rocks of the mountains and to say to the Rocks and Mountains Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne and from the face of the Lamb for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand And me thinks there is very much reason for such a judgment to fall upon them For are they any more then the Ministers of God as aforesaid as also in Rom. 13. 4. And is it possible they should be Gods ministers as they pretend whilst they make and execute their own vain Traditions and Inventions Surely no. And therefore seeing the Judicial Law is that which they are bound in duty and service to administer as they account themselves Gods ministers in reference to Civil affairs why ought not all Kings and Laws Psal 7. 10. Zeph. 2. 11. bow to it as the onely Rule of right judgement For as Mr. Aspinwal upon Dan. 7. well observeth The Laws of men do binde us to be subject to Authority for conscience sake either actively in doing what they command according to Christ or else in suffering And their Law is satisfied if we suffer the penalty to preserve our consciences undefiled But it is not so with the Law of God If God command we may not say We will suffer the punishment for conscience sake for there can be no conscience or pretence of conscience against any Law of God And therefore all humane laws ought to be slighted and contemned as fancies in comparison of the foresaid Royal law of Jehovah the Lord Christ Speech Though now by some mis-applied Resp To this clause let Mr. Owen speak for us in his Sermon upon All the rest were Babylonish and Antichristian Ezek. 17. 24. page 20 c. where speaking of mis-applying of things by the Potentates of the world he saith That from the corruption of the hearts of men squaring the works of God to their fleshly reasonings corrupt interests and principles they are bold with the wisdom of God and conclude Thus and thus things ought to be ordering their thoughts for the most part according to their corrupt and carnal advantages c. And this saith he makes them frame a way for God to proceed in which when he doth not how are they surprised Men take up Principles they will adhere unto wise principles forsooth yea and very righteous too all things whatsoever must be squared according to their principle and if any thing be wrought con●rary even by God himself how disappointed are they The most tremendous judgement of God in this world is I wish some one be not now in Pharoahs then Condition the hardning the hearts of men this seals them up for the most part for destruction c. As for instance look on Pharaoh of whom it is most signally spoken that God hardned his heart How did the Lord accomplish this Pharaoh sets himself upon as righteous Principles as ever any of the sons of men could do one is That it belongs to the chief Ruler of a Nation to s●e the profit and glory of the Nation c. Hence he conclude That if it be incumbent on him to see that the Realm receive no detriment he must not let the people go God confirms his heart in this Principle which was good in it self but abominable * When done in opposition to the fifth Monarchy when taken up against the mind and will of God and whence he and his perished in their Principles acting against the appearance of God c. Thus it is with many they fix on Principles good in general and in their season Old bounds must not be broken up Order must not be * Our known Laws must not be spoken against let them be never so contrary to the Law of God and of Christ. disturbed let God appear never so eminently so mightily they will keep up their Principles What is this but judicial hardness And this I say is one reason why the actings of God in such a day as this are so unsuted with the expectations of men they square his work to their interests and principles which it will not answer Now Reader compare the present work of Christ in the world with the present state of affairs in this Nation and then judge whether the Fifth Monarchy-men or their Accuser be the misappliers he speaketh of Whether the known laws of Jehovah the Lord Christ or the known laws of England be fittest for the fifth Monarchy or Government of the kingdom of Christ which he himself hath so long contested for or at least pretended for as his Declarations and Remonstrances do clearly evidence Speech Especially where every stone is turned to bring in Confusion this will be worth every Magistrates consideration Resp It were good it were known by whom or how every stone is so turned If by the Fifth Monarchy-men let either himself or any for him shew in what that we may make our defence thereunto and let us not be accused and condemned

sense p. 14. of that Sermon where he saith It is not a destruction or total amotion of the great things of the Nations but a change translation or new molding of them that is here intimated they shall sai●h he be shuffled together * Not altogether it seems almost into their primitive confusion and come out new molded for the interest of the Lord Jesus Again all the present States of the world are cemented together by Antichristian lime c. that unless they be so shaken as to have every cranny searched and brushed they will be no quiet Note the Brush habitation for the Lord Christ and his People I thus answer 1. In that the holy Ghost speaking of the time wherein these things shall be accomplished as in Isa 65. 17. saith Behold I create new heavens and a new earth Mark and the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind And Rev. 21. 1. I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away If then they are so to pass away as not to be remembred nor come into Gods nor his peoples mindes how are they in the least to be retai●ed Is it the intent of God in that text think you onely to pull down the Titles of Kings and to set up a Title of Protector in stead thereof or to pull down Bishops and set ●ehold Mr. Owen's new heaven and new earth up a Scoteh Synod or Court of Tryers in stead thereof Is that your brush whereby the Antichristian lime is to be taken away I am sure the holy Ghost speaking of the destruction of Babylon Isai 13. 19 c. saith that it shall be as when God over threw Sodom and Gom●rrha that it shall NEVER be inhabited nor dwelt in from generation to generation c. as also that he will not make use of one stone thereof either for a Foundation-stone or a Corner-stone but to be an everlasting desolation Jer. 51. 25 26. And yet it seems he would have the whole fabrick to stand onely the ●rannies thereof to be searched the lyme onely to be brushed off The old Tower he mentioned it seems is not Babylonish no it is onely the lime or mortar wherewith it is daubed together A very Scholastical Exposition And thus have I laid down some of the Grounds and Reasons why we desire the subversion of whatsoever is of Man either in our Civils or Spirituals unless in things circumstantial as dependencies upon the Statute● Judgments and Ordinances of Jehovah the Lord Christ and that from the testimony of the holy Scripture which we take to be sufficient to perswade all that are real Christians to own embrace and put in practice and consequently that whosoever pretendeth that they are Christians and yet refuse so to do do thereby clearly declare themselves notorious hypocrites as also professed ex●mies to Jehovah the Lord Christ and that by his own attestation Luke 19. 27. Speech And perhaps would bring in the Judaical Law in stead of our known laws and setled among us Resp I had thought the Laws of God had been as well known unto those that profess themselves Gods people as any other Laws whatsoever yea above all other Laws whatsoever and especially by such an one as accounteth himself to be a father to the family of Gods people I remember it was a duty incumbent upon fathers of particular families in the Israel of God to teach the Laws Sta●utes and Judg●●●ats of Jehovah diligently unto their children and to talk of them when they sate in their houses and when they walked by the way and when they lay down and when they rose up and to binde them for signes upon their hand and as frontlets between their eyes and to write them upon the posts of their houses and on their gates Deut. 6. 6 7 8 c. I read it was also the custom of their Magistrates to instruct the people in the said Laws as in Neb. 8. 1 2 3 c. It is also said of godly David that the Laws of God were his meditation day and night and that he desired them more then gold yea then much fine gold * Then the king of Spain's gold in the Indi●s yea that they were sweeter un●● him then honey or the honey-comb And therefore I admire to hear one so seemingly-eminent to plead a greater knowledge to the Laws of Heathens and Antichristians Yea I appeal to any Rational man whatsoever whether any man would be thought to be in his wits to give those Characters to the known Laws of England as he is pleased to term them though I think they were never yet defined as David hath done to the Laws of God And if not then I desire to know whether of the two ought to be best known unto us and put i● practice by us or why the Law of Nature ought not to be the Rule and Square of natural actions which that the Judicial Law is is clearly proved from Rom. 2. 14. For when the Gentiles that knew not the Law did by nature the things contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law unto themselves which sh●w the works of the Law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing them witness and their thoughts in the mean time acc●sing or excusing one another And what other Law was this he speaketh of then the Law of God Again what other Law was the old world judged by then the aforesaid law of Nature Doubtless they were not condemned and executed by the righteous Judge of all the world Gen. 11. 25. without a Law and is it to be conceived that he would judge by any other Law then his own and was that Law as to the Civil part thereof ever yet repealed by God or Christ Nay doth not the Lord Christ tell us himself that he came not to destroy the Law Matth. 5. 17 18 19. Yea so far was he from so doing as that contrariwise he affirmeth that whosoever should break the least of them and teach men so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven I would gladly know then by what authority from God any that account themselves Christians do make Laws for their fellow-servants and subjects yea is it not clearly evident that by so doing they usurp the Authority and Power of Christ the alone Law-giver And if but one then not two or more Yea do they not by so doing d●thro●e and degrade the Lord Jesus of his Legislatorship and Judicature which the Father hath given unto him Joh. 5. 22. Isa● 9. 6. Dan. 7. 13 34. 1 Tim. 6. 13 14 15. Rev. 11. 15. and 17. 14. and 19. 11 16. Indeed were I at Constantinople I should not much wonder if the Great ●urk and his Mahometan Clergie should question me for what I have said in reference to the law of God but to hear a Christian Magistrate c. contaminate the laws of God and