Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	blood_n	bull_n	purge_v	993	5	9.4603	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51848	Several discourses tending to promote peace & holiness among Christians to which are added, three other distinct sermons / by Dr. Manton.	Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.	1685 (1685)	Wing M537; Wing T14_CANCELLED; ESTC R8135	192,514	502

partly that we may not rest in them as the better part of our Duty If Men submit never so much to external Institutions about Religion and Worship and think to satisfy their Consciences therewith yet they will not at all be accepted and approved of God No he looketh more to moral Obedience than positive Commands concerning the Externals of Religion And therefore you have Morals of the First-Table or the Second often compared with and preferr'd above the Externals of Religion as 1 Sam. 15. 22. Hath the Lord any delight in Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices To obey is better than Sacrifices and to hearken than the Fat of Rams Rebellion is as the Sin of Witchcraft and Stubbornness as Idolatry 'T was spoken upon the occasion of Saul's sparing Agag and the Fat of the Cattel for Sacrifice when he was to destroy Man and Beast At other times 't is compared with Duties of the Second-Table The Moral Duties of the Second-Table are better than the Ceremonial Duties of the first If we be scanty in the one and abound in the other 't is a Note of an Hypocrite Rom. 14. 17 18. The Kingdom of God standeth not in Meats and Drinks but in Righteousness Peace and Ioy in the Holy Ghost If a Man do these things he shall be accepted of the Lord and approved of Men. There are two Expositions of that place both equally probable the one more general That Righteousness is taken for all new Obedience and Peace for Peace of Conscience resulting from the Rectitude of our Actions and Joy in the Holy Ghost for supernatural Comfort which the Holy Ghost puts into our Hearts by reflecting on our Priviledges by Christ and the Hopes of the World to come Now Christianity lieth not in outward Observances but in solid Godliness The other Exposition is in a more limited sense That by Righteousness is meant just dealing by Peace a peaceable harmless inoffensive sort of living by Joy in the Holy Ghost a delight to do good to one another not dividing from or hating censuring excommunicating one another for meer Rituals but pleasing one another to Edification These Morals are more acceptable to God and approved of Men than a furious Zeal for lesser things which belong to the ritual Part or external Order of Religion It 's an Argument of a better Spirit to be more zealous for Morals and Substantials than Rituals certainly without them we shall be of no account with God And partly to that when Moral Duties come in competition with Ceremonial the Moral Duties at that time must take place of the other and all positive Commands concerning the Externals of Religion give way to them The Lord never appointed the Ceremonies of the First-Table to hinder Works of Mercy prescribed in the Second therefore the Mercy must be done and the Sacrifice left undone as the Sabbath is both broken and kept when there is an evident necessity of preserving the Creature When David fainted 't was a Moral Duty to relieve him though there were no Bread at Hand but the Shew-bread 1 Sam. 21. 4. There is no common Bread under my Hands And Christ urgeth that Mat. 12. 3 4. Have ye not read what David did when he was an hungred how he entred into the House of God and did eat the Shew-bread which was not lawful for him to eat nor for them which were with him but only for the Priests In an extraordinary case of Necessity the Shew-bread is as common Bread Now the Reason is plain because Positives bind only in certain Cases but we are everlastingly obliged to things Moral Therefore Externals must give way both to Obedience and Mercy Internal Acts of Worship are never dispensed with 5. Sacrifices come under a double Consideration as they relate to Christ the substance of them all or as External Performances rested in by that People 1. In the first Consideration their Gospel lay much in Sacrifices and the main Duties of Godliness were exercised about them as brokenness of Heart Psal. 51. 17. The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit a broken and a contrite Heart O God thou wilt not despise And Faith in Christ Heb. 9. 13 14. For if the Blood of Bulls and Goats and the Ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the Vnclean sanctifyeth to the purifying of the Flesh How much more shall the Blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your Consciences from dead Works to serve the living God And Covenanting with God Psalm 50. 5. Gather my Saints together unto me those that have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice And Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you Brethren by the Mercies of God that ye present your Bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable Service In the second Consideration The outward bare Offering considered in it self without Faith and Repentance so God disclaimeth it Isa. 1. 11. Bring no more vain Oblations And Isa. 66. 2 3. He that killeth an Ox is as if he slew a Man He that sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Dog's Neck He that offereth an Oblation as if he offered Swines Blood He that burneth Incense as if he blessed an Idol Their great Confidence was in their Sacrifices God therefore sheweth how loathsome these things were to him without that disposition of Soul which should accompany them being such Persons as those were he would take no Offering at their hands The Lord in all Ages is Uniform and like himself in approving and injoining Duty and in disliking Sin Morals are always prized by him before Externals and an impartial respect to necessary Duties was more to him than the greatest pomp of outward Worship 'T was so then and 't is so now Pride and Malice and Envy are greater Evils than Ceremonial Uncleanness and to fear God and work Righteousness a greater Duty than the best Sacrifices The performance of External Duties is not and never was a sufficient Testimony of true Piety nay without the Love of God and Men and an uniform Obedience to his Holy Will is meer Hyprocrisy 6. When the breach of a Ceremonial Precept bringeth with it the Transgression of a Moral Precept and is without any absolute necessity imposed in neg●lect and contempt of the Law of God then we are to run all Hazards rather than to transgress in the smallest Externals because tho the Matter enjoined be but small yet the Contempt of God is a great Sin and our Sincerity and Obedience to God is a great Matter As for Instance When Antiochus pressed the Jews to eat Swines-Flesh which in case of great Extremity no question they might do yet when he pressed them out of Contempt of the Law they chose rather to be tortured to Death than to yield to it And for this they are registred Martyrs Heb. 11. 35. They were tortured not accepting Deliverance that they might receive a better Resurrection There is a plain Allusion to the Story

the Conscience which we are loth should be touched But if we be sincere with God we will keep our selves from all even from our own Iniquity Psal. 18. 23. such as is most incident to us by temper or custom of Life or course of our Interests to baulk or break with God out of private Reasons of Pleasure Honour or Profit or any corrupt Interest is to prefer these things before God and to set up another chief Good in our Hearts and to prefer it before his Favour Thus in General 2. They place all their Godliness and Righteousness in outward Observances or external Discipline and so their Religion is more in the Flesh and in the Letter than in Heart and Spirit As the Pharisees rested in outward Worship only or some external Rules without the inward and real Duties either of the First or Second Table Mat. 23. 25. They cleanse the outside of the Cup and Platter but within they are full of Extortion and Excess And Vers. 28. Ye appear outwardly Righteous unto Men but within ye are full of Hypocrisy and Iniquity And every where they are represented as painted Tombs without but had much hidden Uncleanness and Corruption within There was an outward formality and shew of Religion when they denied the Power thereof They should join Obedience to God and Love to their Neighbour with their outward Sacrifices but these things were of little value and esteem with them Now what Sacrifices were to them that External Ordinances are to us And what their Rituals were the same is the Mode and Garb of Profession among us And therefore External Profession or the performance of External Duties according to our way is not a sufficient Testimony of true Godliness For Christ saith Mat. 5. 20. Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Their Righteousness was an out-side Righteousness without that inward Constitution of Soul which doth belong to a renewed Heart and yet carried on in such a way and applauded by Men that the Jews had a saying That if but two Men out of all the World went to Heaven the one should be a Scribe and the other a Pharisee Oh Christians 't is one thing to approve our selves to God who searcheth the Heart and another thing to approve our selves to Men who look only to the out-side and f●ir appearance without A renewed Heart that is unfeignedly set to please God in all things is more than all the Pomp of External Duties And therefore we should study to give Evidence of this by making Conscience of Obedience as well inwardly as outwardly growing in Holiness all the days of our Lives This will be comfortable to us and this will be approved of God hereafter even such an Holiness as is manifested in all the parts of our Conversation in outward Carriage and secret Practice common Affairs and religious Duties In the Worship of God and Charity and Justice to Men Phil. 3. 3. We are the Circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and have no confidence in the Flesh. When there is a serious Bent and the true spiritual Affections of a renewed Heart towards God and Man and we do not rest in outward Duties but are still growing in internal Grace Faith Hope and Love and are still purifying the Heart and Life that we may constantly glorify God and do good to Men. This is that which is over and above the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees our Duty is to serve God in the Spirit and to bring the inward Man in subjection to him without which Externals are of little worth 3. They were more in love with Ceremonies than with Substance Sacrifices which belonged to the Ceremonies of the Law were in high esteem with them but Godliness Justice and Mercy were of little regard And as outward things were preferred before Inward so the lesser things before the weighty As to their Duties tithing Mint and Annise and Cummin but they have omitted the weightier Matters of the Law Justice Mercy Faith These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone Matth. 23. 23. Formality and Hypocrisy maketh Men wise about that which is least to purpose They make a business about Ceremonies but neglect the Substance of Religion They enlarged their Phylacteries which were Scroles of Parchment on which the Law was written but took no care of having the Law of God written upon their Hearts Hypocrisy is an odd trifling Zeal which runneth out upon little things So for avoiding Sin Matth. 23. 24. They strain at a 〈◊〉 and swallow a Camel More scrupulous in a little Sin than a great in small Sins very scrupulous in greater Matters very adventurous And because this is one of the main things here intended I shall give you Instances and Reasons 1. Instances to prove that Hypocrites have such an odd Conscience that straineth greatly at a small Sin We have them every where out of the Word of God Herod's making Conscience of his Oath but not of shedding Innocent Blood The King was sorry nevertheless for his Oath 's sake c. Matth. 14. 9. he caused Iohn the Baptist to be beheaded A Sinner is holden in Bonds which he might lawfully break rather than Herod will break his rash Oath Iohn shall lose his Head Of such an odd Complection is the Conscience of Carnal Men. So the Jews when Iudas laid down the hire of his Treason and cast the Mony at their feet Mat. 29. 6 7. It is not lawful said they to put it into the Treasury because it is the price of Blood Pretending to be afraid to offend in the least things when they had offended in the greater They bogled not at betraying Innocent Blood and yet they would not meddle with the Gain when it was thrown back to them Another Instance of the like Conscience is Iohn 18. 28. Then led they Iesus front Caiaphas into the Iudgment-Hall and it was early and they themselves went not into the Iudgment-Hall lest they should be defiled but that they might eat the Passover They were careful to avoid legal Pollution and yet they were at the same time seeking the Life of the Lord of Glory Just such another fit of Conscience cometh upon them a little after Iohn 19. 31. They went to Pilate and desired that the Bodies might not hang upon the Cross on the Sabbath-day lest their great Feast should be defiled And thus you see that through Formality and Custom Men may be strictly bound in Conscience to perform the Duties of Ceremonial or External Worship whose Consciences notwithstanding never scruple to violate the most weighty Precepts of the Law Just of this Nature was that solemn Case of Conscience Zech. 7. 1 2. about the keeping of their Fasts when the Prophet telleth them they had higher Matters to mind the executing of Iudgment and shewing Mercy and breaking off their Oppressions vers 10. The