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	good_a	sprinkle_v	1,518	5	10.9497	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13534	Circumspect walking describing the seuerall rules, as so many seuerall steps in the way of wisedome. Gathered into this short manuell, by Tho. Taylor, preacher of Gods word at Aldermanbury Church in London.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1631 (1631)	STC 23824; ESTC S100151	74,039	378

conceiue a sweetnesse in earthly things and are presently distracted from the loue of the Creator to the loue of the creature Now spirituall wisedome requireth that wee diminish the loue of the creature that we may in crease our loue of the Creator But if they will run vpon the world then turne the course of them a little to consider the va●ity and misery of this euill world the painted vizor of the pleasures of it the vncertainty of life the deceitfulnesse of riches how they be not ours what euils and incumbrances we haue receiued from the world what fools they haue made vs in treasuring on earth whose home and expectation is in heauen 4. If thy thoughts concerne thy selfe or others thy brethren labour to think better of others than thy selfe for thou seest no such thing in them as in thy selfe Phil. 2. 3. Let euery one esteeme better of another than of himselfe Yea the more thou seemest to excell others in gifts the more humble labor to be An hard rule and difficult to be practised and therefore it is often cōmended to vs as Rom. 12. 16. Make your selues equall to them of the lower sort and elswhere For this purpose conceiue not onely what thou hast receiued but what thou wantest and what good things thou art without and then with Paul say thou hast not yet attained to perfection 5. If thy thoughts concerne any sinne be sure it be to hate and reno●nce to bewaile and mourne for it in thy selfe or others For there is a slynesse and subtilty in sinne which while we thinke of it easily gaineth some tickling and consent which at least hindreth that through-hatred that wee ought to maintaine against it The third rule for the inner man concerneth the will namely that our care must be there bee but one will betweene God and vs for so hath the Lord taught vs to pray Thy will bee done 1. Wherein soeuer God hath reuealed his will to vs in that we must rest 2. Whatsoeuer his will determineth of vs that wee we must account holy and iust whether with vs or against vs. 3. Whatsoeuer his will prescribeth to vs whether obedience to the law or faith of the Gospel wee must hold our selues fast bound in conscience vnto it let it seeme neuer so crosse to vs or contrary to his law as Abraham did in offering his sonne 4. Whatsoeuer his will disposeth to vs prosperity or aduersity sicknesse or health life or death or whatsoeuer else all is from a most wise hand disposing euery thing for the good and saluation of his elect and so should bee entertained Thus Eli said It is the Lord let him doe what is good in his eyes and Hezekiah The word of the Lord is good euen when it threatned the ouerthrow of his house and Kingdome So Dauid Psa. 39. 9. I held my tongue and said nothing because thou Lord didst it and Iob The Lord giueth and the Lord taketh blessed be the name of the Lord. CHAP. IX Rules for the conscience THe fourth sort of rules for the inner man concerns the conscience 1. Beware of doing any thing with a blind conscience A blind man swallowes many a gnat and a blind conscience swalloweth any sin This is a wicked conscience to which no sinne so great shall come but a man shall thinke hee doth God good seruice in it as Christ speaks of them that would s●ay his Disciples Why doe heathens persecute Christians and Papists pursue Protestants euen to death but out of blinde zeale and conscience that they root out a false religion And whatsoeuer a man doth by an erroneous and seduced conscience is sinne the rule of conscience to heathens being the law of nature and to the Church the law written euen the whole word of God as a pillar of cloud and fire to direct it in all the way to heauen Therefore let the word of God dwell plenteously in you in all wisedome Col. 3. 16. 2. Doe nothing with a doubtfull conscience for whatsoeuer is done with a scrupulous conscience is sinne and is not onely an offence of God but of the conscience too which is as a little God within vs for it is not of faith nor obedience to the knowne will of God Rom. 14. vlt. Hee that doubteth is condemned because his action is not of faith Therefore vers 5. he saith Let euery man bee fully perswaded in his minde 3. Labour to get a good conscience aboue all things Act. 23. 1. I have endeuoured in all good conscience till this day A pure conscience by nature hath no man but made pure by the bloud of Christ sprinkled vpon it by faith in that he hath obtained full remission of sinne and by his bloud also merited the Spirit of Sanctification by which the conscience of the beleeuer is daily cleansed 4. Labour to get a pure conscience in all things A man by obseruing many things may get himselfe good credit but a good conscience must bee in all the things of God The Pharisies might not goe into Pilates iudgement hall lest they should bee polluted and yet at the same time they could dispence with their conscience to crucifie the Sonne of God a sinne defiling heauen and earth whiles the Sunne was ashamed and the earth trembled at it The Papists may not eat flesh in Lent their consciences will not suffer them but to kill Kings and blow vp Parliament-houses their consciences giue them good leaue Many Protestants will not steale kill commit the act of adultery but their conscience can dispense with couetousnesse vnbridled anger wantonnesse filthy speeches c. But if Gods word be the same so must the conscience and hee that serues God as Paul did in pure conscience 2 Tim 1. 3. will doe so at all times in all places and things and will auoid sinne in his closet as much as in mos● publike meetings yea small sinnes as well as great 5. It is as great wisdome to keepe things well as to purchase them therefore we must if we would wall● wisely bee as carefull to keepe good conscience a● to obtaine them and therunto obserue two things 1. Daily take away matte● of accusation which is sinne by repentance 2. Rather displease all men than thine owne conscience thy friends thy family thy rulers nay thy owne selfe before thy conscience So did Daniel and his fellows So did Cyprian as Augustine relates it when the Emperor in the way to his execution said Now I giue thee space to consider whether thou wilt obey me in casting a graine into the fire or be thus miserably slaine Nay saith hee In re tam sanctâ deliberatio non habet locum there needs no deliberation in this case The like we reade in the hystory of France In the yeare 1572. presently after that tragicall and perfidious slaughter and massacre of so many thousands

1. Gods glory 1 Cor. 10. 3. Let all be done to the glory of God 2. The good and edification of our brethen 1 Cor. 14. 26. Let all be done to edifying yea seeking their profit in some cases aboue our owne Then Secondly if by examination wee finde the actions good in themselues in vs in circumstances and ends wee must bee carefull wee spoile not good actions by ill handling but endeuour to doe good actions well and to good matter adde a good manner of doing Now the right manner of doing a good action well stands in three things To vndertake them holily To doe them sincerely And to finish them humbly The first is when we begin them with prayer for as in all matters small and great wee are to take counsell at Gods mouth so wee are to begge leaue and blessing at least secretly to our selues without which nothing is sanctified vnto vs. The second is when wee doe things sincerely as in Gods sight with a good heart and keeping good conscience that a man if he be questioned in any thing may be able to say with Abimilech Gen. 20. 5. With an vpright heart did I this thing and whatsoeuer may befall him for well-doing hee may appeale to God with Hezekiah and say Lord remember that I haue walked vprightly before thee The third is when in affecting all our best actions wee labour to see our defects and wants and mourne that wee neither doe that wee should doe nor in the manner we should Wherof there will bee three notable fruits 1. This will breed and nourish humility 2. It will driue vs out to Christ to get a couering 3. It will make vs ascribe all the glory of our actions to God of whom we haue not only all the power but euen the will and purpose Phil. 2. 13. For it is God that worketh in you both the will and the deed according to his good pleasure CHAP. XVII Rules to carry workes of mercy wisely IF our actions concerne others then they bee works either of mercy or of iustice For workes of mercy much wisedome is required and that is shewed in these particulars 1. See thy charity come from a good ground namely from a heart qualified with two graces 1. Faith for whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Rom. 14. 23. Thou must first giue thy selfe to the Lord and then to his Saints 2 Cor. 8. 5. Thy mercie must issue from the sense of Gods mercie in Christ to thine owne soule apprehended by faith in Iesus Christ. Bring forth fruit in this vine 2. It must proceed from loue Works of mercy must come from the fountaine of a mercifull heart Rom. 12. 8. He that distributeth let him doe it of simplicity that is out of meere compassion not out of any by and sinister respects For if I feed the poore with all my goods and want loue it profiteth me nothing 1 Cor. 13. The reason is because the Lord lookes more at the affection than the action Whence many not giuing out of a tender heart sympathizing and fellow-feeling their brethrens misery lose both their gift and reward What comfort or helpe is in that worke of mercy which is wrung out by importunity or by strength of law or for shame lest a man should be noted or by terrour of conscience when a man would heale the gripes of a galling aud accusing conscience by giuing away at his death a little ill-gotten goods to the poore which were none of his to giue but to the right owners or when out of desire of praise or out of superfluity when a man knowes not else what to doe with his wealth but some must haue it if out of any of these respects all is lost 2. Concerning the right subiect of workes of mercy Doe good vnto all but especially to the houshold of faith Gal. 6. 10. To all viz. the poore that are not able to recompence vs not looking for recompence of man but casting our bread vpon the waters where there is no likelihood of euer reaping it againe And to all euen our enemies who stand in need of vs and such as vsually doe and will recompence our good with euill Rom. 12. 14. Mat. 5. 44. And good reason for first all haue our flesh Isa. 58. 7. from which wee must not hide our face 2. A●l haue Gods image on them which wee must not refuse 3. Hereby wee shall be likest to God who doth good to al● and to vs being enemies and attaine the most difficult practice of the law 4. Wee shall hereby master the corruption of our owne heart which lusteth after reuenge and perhaps ouermaster the malice of our aduersaries at least make them inexcusable But especially to the houshold of faith because here is Gods image renewed here is one of the bloud and kindred of Christ and if the good Samaritan was commended for mercy shewed to a stranger how much more will the Lord Iesus accept that which is done to one of those little ones that beleeue in him as done to himselfe 3. Concerning the matter of mercy The greatest mercy we can shew to any is toward their soules which stands in instructing the ignorant in counselling the weak in forgiuing offenders in admonishing or correcting him that erreth comforting distressed consciences and confirming them that are in good wayes This therfore must be obserued in all corporall mercy to ioyne spirituall labouring in all the other the good of this and especially to pray for such mercies from God for them as neither we nor other men can minister vnto them And though that be to be done yet the other also must not bee left vndone but wee must bee mercifull to the outward man of our brother in giuing lending freely clothing feeding visiting protecting from violence c. For this is mercy actuall and acceptable fitted to that rule 1 Ioh. 3. 18. that wee shew mercy not in word and tongue but in deed and in truth This age aboundeth with mouth-mercy which is good cheap but a little hand-full were better than a great many such mouth-f●ls 4. Concerning the measure of our mercy Wee must bee mercifull in the highest degree that we can get our hearts vnto and be as like our heauenly Father in mercifulnesse as may be This rule is 1 Cor. 16. 2. that euery man lay vp and distribute as God hath prospered him that is according to his ability for he that sowes sparingly shall reape sparingly Doubtlesse men would not bee so niggardly and sparing if they knew that what is mercifully bestowed is safest kept the bosomes bellies and mouthes of the poore is the best treasury to lay our goods in and if we expected to reape after the measure of mercy at the last day wee would more liberally sowe Hos. 10. 12. Yea a poore man may be bountifull in a little which was the commendation of the poore