Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A01761
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A godly sermon preached in the court at Greenwich the firste Sonday after the Epiphanie, Anno Domini. 1552. And in the sixt yere of ye raigne of king Edward the sixt, the right godly and vertuous king of famous and blessed memory. By. B.G.
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Gilpin, Bernard, 1517-1583.
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1581
(1581)
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STC 11897; ESTC S114032
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27,564
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78
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the vengeance of God smote him with souden death I feare mee a great nuÌ„ber are in England this day which though in wordes they deny not this senteÌ„ce of Christ yet inwardly they can scarse disgeste it else certeinly they would neuer seeke so ambitiously to aduance them selues to climbe by their owne might vncalled neuer seeking the publique weale but rather the destruction thereof for their priuate wealth and lucre which causeth vs to haue so many euil magistrates For all the while that men gather goods vniustly by polling pilling vsurie extorsion Simmonie and therewith seeke to climbe with bribes bying of offices it is scarse possible of such to haue wholsome magistrats S. Bernard said Of a bitter roote commeth a bitter fruite They enter in at the windowe which is vsed aswel in ciuil gouernemente as Ecclesiasticall and therefore may Christes wordes well be verified He that entreth not in at the dore into the sheepefolde but climbeth vp some other way the same is a theefe and a robber And Esaias complainte against Ierusalem taketh place among vs Thy princes are wicked coÌ„panions of theefs they loue gifts altogether and gape for rewardes as for the fatherlesse they helpe not him to his right neither will they lot the widdowes cause come before them They wil not knowetheir office to be ordemed of God for the wealth and defence of al innocentes for the aide of all that be in miserie the time is come that Solomon speaketh of WheÌ„ the wicked man be are rule the people shat mourne When had euer the people such cause to mourne as nowe when the greatest number of all magistrates are occupied in their owne businesse seeking rather the miserie of the people then to take it away rather to oppresse them theÌ„ to defend them their hands be ready to receiue their monie to rob and spoile them but their eares are shut from hearing their coÌ„plaintes they are blinde to behold their calamities Looke in all cuntries how lady Auarice hath set a woorke altogether mightie men gentlemen and all riche men to robbe and spoile the poore to turne them from their liuings and froÌ„ their right and euer the weakest goe to the walles And being thus tormented and put from their right at home they come to London a great number as to a place where iustice shoulde be had ther they can haue none They are suters to greate men and can not come to their speeche their seruantes must haue bribes and that no small bribes Al loue bribes But as suche as be so dangerous to heare the pore let them take heede least God make it as strange to them when they shal cal for as Solomon saith Who so stoppeth his eare at the crying of the pore he shall cry not be heard We finde that pore meÌ„ mighte come to complaine of their wronges to the Kinges owne person King Ioram although he was one of the sonnes of Achab no good king yet he heard the pore widowes cause and caused her to haue right such was the vse then I would to God that all noble men would diligently note that chapter and followe the example It shoulde not then bee so harde for the poore to haue successe to theÌ„ nor coÌ„ming to their presence they shoulde not be made so astonied eueÌ„ speechlesse with terrible lookes but shoulde mercifully louingly be hard succoured gladly for Christes loue considering we are the members of his bodie euen as my hande woulde be glad to helpe my foot when it is annoyed O with what glad hearts cleare coÌ„sciences might noble men go to rest when they had bestowed the whole day in hearing Christe himselfe complain in his members redressing his wroÌ„gs But alas for lacke hereof poore people are driuen to seeke their right among the lawyers And there as the prophet Ioel saith Looke what y e Caterpillers had left in their robbery oppression at home all that doth the greedie Locustes the lawyers deuour at London They laugh with y e monie which maketh others to weepe thus are the poore robbed on euerie side without redresse and that of such as seeme to haue authoritie therto When Christe suffered his passion there was one Barrabas S. Mathewe calleth him a notable theef a geÌ„tlemaÌ„ theef such as rob now a daies in veluet coates and other two obscure theeues and nothing famous the rusticall theeues were hanged and Barrabas was deliuered Euen so nowe'a dayes little theeues are hanged that steale of necessitie but the great Barrabasses haue free liberty to rob to spoil without al measure in the middest of the citie The poore pyrate said to Alexander we rob but'a few in a ship but thou roobest whole cuntries and kingdomes Alas silly pore meÌ„bers of Christ how you be shorn oppressed pulled halâ—d to fro on euery side who can not but lameÌ„t if his heart beÌ„ not of flint There be a number euery terme many continually which lametably complain for lack of Iustice but all in vaine They spende y t which they had left and many times more whose il successe here causeth thousandes to tarry at home beggers and leese their right so it were better theÌ„ here to sel their coats for this we see be y e pore maÌ„s cause neuer so manifest a truth y e rich shal for monyfind 6. or 7. counsellers shall stande with subtelties and sophisines to cloak an euill matter hide a knowne trueth A pitteous case in a christian commoÌ„ wealth Alas that euer manifest falshood should be mainteined where y e God of trueth ought to be honored But let them alone they are occupied in their fathers busines euen y e prince of darknesse You are of your father the diuel Yet I cannot so leaue theÌ„ I must needes cry on Gods behalfe to his patroÌ„s of Iustice to you most redoubted prince whoÌ„ God hath made his minister for their defence with all those whoÌ„ god hath placed in authoritie vnder you Looke vpon their misery for this is out heaueÌ„ly fathers businesse to you apointed by his holy word When I come among the people I call vpon them as my duety is for seruice duty and obedience vnto their prince to all magistrates to their Lordes and to al that be put in authoritie ouer them I let them heare their owne faultes But in this place my duty is my conscience vppon Gods word bindeth me seeing them so miseraby so wrongfully so cruelly intreated on euery side in Gods behalfe to pleade their cause not by forme of mans lawe but by Gods word as an intercessor For as they are debters vnto you other magistrates of loue fear seruice obedieÌ„ce vnder God So are you again debters vnto theÌ„ of loue protectioÌ„ of Iustice equitie mercy pitie If you denie theÌ„ these they must suffer but god shal reuenge theÌ„ He standeth saith Dauid in the coÌ„gregatioÌ„ of