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	dead_a	spot_n	1,206	5	9.7583	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09981	A liveles life: or, Mans spirituall death in sinne Wherein is both learnedly and profitably handled these foure doctrines the spirituall death in sinne. The doctrine of humiliation. Mercy to be found in Christ. Continuance in sinne, dangerous. Being the substance of severall sermons upon Ephes. 2. 1,2,3. And you hath he quickned, who were dead in trespasses and sins, &c. Whereunto is annexed a profitable sermon at Lincolnes Inne, on Gen. XXII. XIV. Delivered by that late faithful preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes-Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1633 (1633)	STC 20235; ESTC S122552	73,904	134

A LIVELES LIFE OR Mans Spirituall death in Sinne. Wherein is both learnedly and profitably handled these foure Doctrines The Spirituall Death in Sinne. The Doctrine of Humiliation Mercy to be found in Christ. Continuance in sinne dangerous Being the substance of severall Sermons upon EPHES. 2. 1 2 3. And you hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins c. Whereunto is annexed a profitable Sermon at LINCOLNES INNE On GEN. XXII XIV Delivered by that late faithful Preacher and worthy Instrument of Gods glory IOHN PRESTON Dr. in Divinity Chaplaine in Ordinary to his Maiesty Master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolns-Inne ROM 7. 9. For I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandement came sinne revived and I dyed LONDON Printed by I. Beale for Andrew Crooke at the Blacke Beare in Pauls Church-yard 1633. AN EXCELLENT TREATISE OF THE SPIRITVALL DEATH IN SINNE EPHES. 2. 1 2 3. And you hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sinnes Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the ayre the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Among whom also wee all had our conuersation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath euen as others THe scope of the Apostle in the former part of this Chapter is to stirre vp the Ephesians to a high estimation of their redemption by Christ and that hee might the better doe this hee sheweth ●hem their estate without Christ That they were children of wrath and dead in sinnes and trespasses and that they were dead in sinne hee proueth Because they walked in sinne That they walked in sinne he proveth Because they had amongst them some false guides which here hee reckons up and declares them to be these three First the World They walked according to the course of the world Secondly the Devill According to the prince of the power of the aire Thirdly the lusts of the flesh Among whom also we all had our conuersation in times past in the lusts of our flesh c. The first point that we will observe as naturally arising out of the words is this That all men by nature are dead in trespasses and sinnes This point is to be considered of all men both those which are alive and quickened out of this Lethargie and those which are yet dead in their trespasses and sinnes That wee are thus dead in sinne it plainly appeares by this reason All mankinde were represented in our first parent Adam of whose fall this death of sinne and of nature was made a part of the punishment now he being the root of us all and that being dead all the branches must needs be dead also It is also plaine by places of Scripture as Ioh 5. 25. The dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and they that heare shall live so againe Ephes. 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Also in the Gospell our Saviour Christ saith Let the dead goe burie the dead that is let such as are dead in trespasses and sinnes goe burie those that are dead through sinne By all which places it plainly appears that all men by nature are dead in sinne This men consider not You would thinke it a gashly sight to see Churches streets and houses for to lye full of dead corpes but for to see places full of men spiritually dead which is farre the worse is a more gashly sight and yet who amongst us is there almost that doth consider it In this death in trespasses and sinnes for our fuller understanding of it I will shew you these five things 1. What this death is 2. The kinds of this death 3. The signes of this death 4. The degrees of this death 5. The use to be made of it First What this death is To know this we must understand that as a corporall death so a spirituall death hath two things in it First As in the naturall death there is a privation of life when the soule is seperated from the bodie so in the spirituall death there is a privation of the life of the soule namely the extinction of originall righteousnesse by reason of which a man can neither set hand nor foot forward in the waies of goodnesse as Paul confesseth of himselfe for as the seperation of the soule makes the body to dye so the extinction of originall righteousnesse makes the soule to dye Secondly As in the death of the bodie there is a stinking carkasse left when the soule is departed thence so in the death of the soule there is a positive corrupted qualitie left called the flesh whereby a man is prone to doe all evill And therefore they are called dead workes Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ let us goe on unto perfection not laying againe the foundation of repentance from dead workes c. Heb. 6. 1. And so againe in the 9. chapter of the same Epistle and 15. verse where it is said How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your conscience from dead workes to serve the living God Now it seemes a contradiction that they should be workes and yet dead but yet it is so because besides the privation of good there is a positive evill and stirring qualitie which is active and bringeth forth these evill and dead workes Now for the chiefe seat of this death It is chiefly seated in the minde and understanding and not in the will The Understanding is primum vivens moriens primum the first living and first dead for although the will bee corrupted yet whatsoever is in it is carried through the understanding And this death of the understanding is such a darkenesse of judgement as thereby a man esteemes not but dislikes the wayes of God and goodnesse and approves the wayes of sinne and wickednesse And in this facultie of man the understanding is this death of sinne chiefly seated therefore it it is said Ioh. 1. 4 5. In him was light and that light was the life of men So also Ephes. 5. 14. the place before mentioned Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall give thee light where hee sayes not life but light for if there be light life will certainly follow So againe Acts 26. 18. To open their eyes that they may turne from darknesse to light One would thinke that in these places it should bee life and not light but it is so put to shew that the chiefest seat of this death is in the understanding Therefore also is it said Be renewed in the spirit of your mindes Rom. 12. 2. And to

godly sometimes cannot speake godlily and holily as a Fountaine sometimes is stopped up so that it cannot send forth pure streames yet take away the rubbish that stopped it and then it will runne cleare againe even so it is with the godly and therefore consider your ordinary speeches if they be not holy and good it is a signe that you are a dead man The second privitive signe is Coldnesse when a man is dead he growes cold so is it with men dead in sinne they may pray but it is coldly and so in all other holy duties they are very cold But some man will be ready to object and say You tell us of coldnesse but for any thing I can see there is as much coldnesse in the best men for your godliest men are sometimes cold in their prayers It is true but there is this difference betweene the coldnesse of a godly man and a dead man If the meanes be used to a godly man it doth bring life to him againe if he be rubbed and chafed with admonitions or hath the aquavitae of the Word he will recover his heat because the inward principle of heat still remaines within him But to a wicked man use never so many reproofes or admonitions hee will still remaine cold Let this therefore bee a certaine tryall if after all admonitions you still remaine cold you are dead The third privitive signe is Stiffenesse a dead man growes stiffe and in what position his body is in when it is dead in the same it will remaine you cannot bendit so is it with men spiritually dead what course they take what opinions they hold what company they keepe they will not bee changed from them Rev. 22. 11. He that is filthy let him be filthy still that is he will be filthy still they will not be changed If that they hold to be Gods will be Gods will so it is then they are right but it is not because it is Gods will but because his pleasure fell on what they held As a rustie hand of a clocke it turnes not with the day but stands still but if the time of the day chance to be such as it stands at it is true not because it moveth with the day as it should but because the day hath fell jumpe with it So these men if Gods will hit with theirs they will doe it if not they will crosse it This is a signe of a dead man The fourth privitive signe is Senslesnesse hee that is dead is senslesse so it is with the spirituall death there is no sense in it they can neither see heare nor taste I but some man will object and say that is not true alwayes for even the wicked sometimes know m●tters of faith nay and sometimes they rellish them too To this I answer As it is said of the dead Idoll so may it be said of them Mat. 13. 13. Eyes they have and see not eares and heare not First for seeing they see not aright Gods children see experimentally the wicked only by contemplation and there is a great difference betweene them for as wee see there is a great difference betwixt knowing fire to be hot and the feeling of it so betweene a meere notionall knowledge of Gods will and a knowledge that doth like and approve it Secondly for taste they finde no taste in Gods Word or if they finde any like a vitiated pallat they account that which is most sweet to bee very bitter Thirdly for smelling they smell no sweetnesse in Christs name whereas to his Saints it is a sweet oyntment poured out that perfumeth all the roome Fourthly for feeling they feele not whether the Law or Gospell be applied to them rub over their skarres and make them runne downe with blood they are notwithstanding all that senslesse still they may have a counterfeit feeling arising from a naturall conscience but to have such a feeling as may drive them to Christ they cannot and therefore still they are but dead men The fifth signe is this A living member if the body be in danger will have a sympathizing and feeling of the danger as the hand will lift it selfe up to save the head so now if we hearing the case of Gods Church in what danger it is if wee take it not to heart or be not affected with it especially now we are put in minde thereof it is a certaine signe we are dead men We should have the spirits that Moses and Paul had who even wished to be stroyed so they might save the Church Moses rather than that should perish would have his name raced out of the booke of life Paul for the Churches sake would bee anathema It is a true signe of a living member to bee touched with others miseries this was an extasie of love in which out of love to the Church they forgate themselves This here we must know that if the creature could destroy it selfe for God it could not but be well because the good of the creature is more contained in God than in it selfe as the beame of the Sunne is more contained in the Sun than in it selfe Now is the time of considering this now is the time of more than extraordinary fasting now if you have any feeling you will shew it if you are living men now you will shew your selves now the Church lyes in tents and wallowes in blood now the foundations thereof are shaken never was the face of Christendome in such danger as now it is Doe wee thinke to stand now others fall If the fire be at one end of the building shall we be safe which are at the other end for all Gods house is but one building Are not they our brethren and sonnes of the same father have they not the same spirit are they not of the same profession shall wee not then bee ready to helpe them wee cannot send armes over to them but wee may send up prayers unto God for them Christians are stronger than Politicians and their prayers are armies Let us therefore doe what wee can the storme is not yet quite over Now there are two things that may move us to this 1. The greatnesse of the Judgement 2. Our ability to helpe them First The greatnesse of the Judgement It will prove the extinguishing of Gods Church and the Gospell and when that is once gone what are all other things It was a good saying of that Saint That browne bread and the Gospell was good cheare what are all our houses lands c. if this Spirituall food be wanting Secondly Consider our ability to helpe them We may doe much by our prayers hee that knoweth not his strength useth it not Did not one Moses one Eliah stand in the gappe They did not these things as they were extraordinary men but as they were Gods children We may by our prayers doe as much though one childe may have better gifts than another