Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	child_n	spirit_n	witness_v	1,106	5	9.8469	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57248	The saints desire, or, A cordiall for a fainting soule declaring that in Christs righteousnesse onely ... there is life, happiness, peace ... also the happy estate of a man in Christ ... / by Samuel Richardson.	Richardson, Samuel, fl. 1643-1658.	1647 (1647)	Wing R1413; ESTC R35326	159,266	436

thou doest that which thou wouldst not as Rom. 7. 14. to 25. in our selves we are imperfect at the best Gal. 6. 1. The strongest is not able to stand alone also some of the Lords partake more of naturall choler which increaseth naturally and as that choler is we are more or lesse hasty and passionate A wicked man may be naturally patient and a childe of God may be sinfully passionate Jam. 5. 17. Thou shouldst not measure Gods love to thee nor the truth of his grace in thee by thy mortification of sin consider Rom. 7. God may for ends best knowne unto himselfe suffer corruption to be too strong for thee it may be to abase thee more as Paul Rom. 7. that thou maist see what need thou hast of a Lord Jesus to pardon and heale thee who knoweth but God may leave thy personall sanctification the more imperfect that we may minde and behold Jesus Christ and our righteousnesse in him and so live the more in him and our joy the more in our justification by him Rom. 4. 6 7. It 's one thing to have thy sinnes forgiven or not imputed Psal 32. 1 2. and another thing to be clensed from it live in the apprehension of the love of God and down goeth sin and all discouragements so live in discouragements and sinne prevailes as Psal 77. 2. 7 8 9 10. Wee ought not to fetch our comfort from our subduing of sinne but in Christ in whom we want no righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1. 30. Christ is ours and we are Christs and Christ is Gods When we are at the best we may not live in our selves nor by sight but by faith and when we are at the worst we are to live upon Christ by saith and comfort our selves in him and in him onely many when they want strength or comfort they seek what they want from their duties and comfort themselves in their abstainings from sin but for Christ he is not in all their thoughts Psal 10. 4. What I once felt is now decayed The ground of our faith is God in his Word and not our sight and feeling that is sensuall 2 Cor. 5. 7. We live not by sight and feeling but by faith Whilst thou maintainest feares and jealousies of Gods love to thee it is no wonder it is so with thee call to minde the dayes of old as Psal 77. It 's certain if ever God manifested his love unto thee he is still and ever will be the same unto thee having loved his owne he loved them unto the end Joh. 13. 1. With him there is no variablenesse or shadow of turning Jam. 1. 17. A child of God may decay in parts sight feelings and exercise of grace for a time as Phil. 4. 10. these are sometimes more and sometimes lesse but alwayes as God seeth best that wee might rest and relie upon nothing but Christ I see and feele nothing in my selfe or all is as nothing to me save onely Jesus Christ who is all in all to me We ought to beleeve that we neither see nor feele faith is the evidence of things not seene Heb. 11. 1. To live by faith is to walke after the Spirit and to live by sight and feeling is to live after the flesh Rom. 8. 1. I am discouraged because nothing is made good to me I doe not possesse it If thou beest included and art under the promise of it and under the hope of it thou shalt possesse it It may be made good unto thee without thy possession of it for wee must not ground faith in the possession of what it beleeves possession is sutable to sense and there is neither faith nor hope in what we possesse To have right in it and to possesse it are two things they died in faith and yet they did not possesse what they beleeved Heb. 11. 17 18. The possessiō of things gives no being unto faith nor is essentiall unto it no otherwise then as faith gives being unto it Abraham beleeved he should have a sonne here was his faith Rom. 4. 3. 17. 18. yet he did not possesse his sonne his sonne had no being but in the promise of God therefore to place enjoyment to be essentiall to faith is a very great mistake As a man must first beleeve God is before he can goe to God Heb. 11. 6. so a man must first beleeve in Christ to have remission of sinnes by him and after receive remission of sinnes as appeares Acts 10. 43. It thou hast power to close with God in the truth of his Word as Sarah did that shee should have a sonne not onely before shee had him but against reason shee beleeved shee should have him thou hast faith But I am not assured that I shall be saved therefore I have no faith Faith and assurance is not one thing but are differing and distinct assurance cannot be without faith but faith may be without assurance for assurance is not the proper act of faith assurance is an effect of faith and a higher measure then that is and the greater our feeling of assurance is the lesser our faith is Faith in the act is an assenting or cleaving to the truth and faithfulnesse of God in his promise not from any thing shee feeles in her selfe but from something it apprehends in God in his word Rom. 4. 20 21 22. The act of faith is sometimes attended with much strife and strugling for Satan saith to the soule it 's in vaine for thee to looke to Christ to beleeve in Christ Christ saith Come unto me beleeve I will ease thee Now for the soule to rest upon the fidelitie and abilitie of Christ in his promise is no small measure of faith assurance is not from the habit of grace nor from the direct act of faith but from the reflect act of faith which is for a man to see and know that he beleeves which assurance is from the immediate testimony of the Spirit of God in the conscience of one who is already a beleever causing the soule to know it beleeves The Spirit it selfe beareth witnesse with our Spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8. 16. Now abideth faith 1 Cor. 13. 13. therefore faith doth at all times one way or other sufficiently evidence the truth of our estates if we did at all times truly discerne the testimony or true act of faith and the reason why we discerne it not is for want of a full measure of faith to withstand all that is opposit to faith for some there be who have faith yet by reason of their ignorance and unskilfulnesse as Heb. 5. 14 15. 10. 15. forgetfulnesse babes are unskilfull and have not experience of Gods dealings with his both for order and manner so that when faith doth not so lively act and when Christ doth not clearly appeare in the soule he begins to doubt whether he be not deceived and when

to wound thy faith and confidence in God not onely for an answer of thy prayer but of thy persons acceptance Nay rather charge all upon thy corruption and want of preparation exercise of grace and be the more carefull and watchfull for time to come and learne to distinguish between a nullity and a defect and in a word if thou art sensible of thy sin in praying and art sorry for it thy imperfection is passed by and thou doest not pray in fashion The Spirit of God discovers deadnesse indisposition and unbeliefe and the like in prayer flesh and bloud cannot discover these and the Spirit of God onely makes the conscience tender and pliable 4. Let the frame of thy Spirit be alwayes thankfull and chearfull after prayer whether thou beest inlarged or straitned inwardly or outwardly alone or with others for when thou art at the best thou standst in need of a Jesus looke upward then by faith upon thy Advocate and when thy defects are most and thou art at the worst will not the same Jesus save thee yea surely and if thou groundest thy comfort upon a right bottome rightly thy comfort and the cause of it is the same because Christ is the same Heb. 13. 8. And if Christ be thine shall not he disanull all thy sinnes as well as one seeing he is able and willing But this is the childrens bread this pearle is not to be cast to swine 5. If in prayer thy heart have been opened and inlarged thy faith strengthned and thy conscience eased c. count it a sweet mercy be thankfull to God for all for want of taking notice of Gods goodnesse and thankfulnesse for it it is just in stead of light to possesse darknesse and for feeling to finde deadnesse c. 6. Presse after what thou hast prayed for in the use of meanes Pro. 2. 3 4 5. there is the prayer indeavour and blessing As he that makes prayer the end of his prayer rests in his prayer and prayes to no purpose So he that doth not in good earnest pursue with zeale and conscience the grace good things he prays for Ioseth his prayer The Saints pray to put their prayers in practise we tempt God to aske that wee use not meanes to attaine our indeavours must second our prayers Pro. 20. 4. It is for hypocrites to pray and returne to their lusts with more freedome as if they intended to have libertie to sinne Such prayers are odious to God take we heed that what we build up with prayer wee pull not downe by our practice by remisnesse sleightnesse frothinesse of Spirit it had been well if this knowledge had not been experimentall but a word is sufficient to the wise 7. Expect and wait patiently for a full answer of thy prayers in Gods time and way consider Psal 40. 1. Rev. 3. 10. Hab. 2. 2 3. Wee should be loth to lose any part of the answer of our prayers and that we may wait wee must first be sure we have a promise that wee shall speed that wee may feed our minds with the meditation of it this is necessary for the time of fulfilling may be long lest wee faint Psal 147. 11. Psal 135. 6 7. Have patience and tary that comes hardly is oft most prized but lightly come lightly goe God knows the fittest season to doe us good take not a delay for a deniall many things God hath promised he hath not set down the time or yeare but when it 's best for us let God alone for the time and ye shall see what God will do Watch we what event our prayers have and observe Gods dealings with our selves and others both with his and his enemies and be thankfull for any answer of prayers The Saints are often afflicted that they may often pray and that often praying they might pull downe many benefits from the Lord and returne many praises unto him wee sinne against God and hurt our selves for want of thankfulnesse For hearing the Word 1. Labour to be informed of the excellency and preciousnesse of the mercy to heare the Word and that no treasure of this world is like it for goodnesse beautie and truth there is nothing like the Word it informes convinces comforts what comfort is like to this if the heart be not lost in profits pleasures forth and ease 2. Prize the Word 1 Pet. 2. 3. Above all things we prize precious things and for such as love their lusts let them consider Ezek. 14. 7 8. 3. Heare not for noveltie c. but let your ends be good in obedience to God to know and practise 4. Deny thy selfe thy own wisdome see the Lord in all be a foole that thou maist be wise set God above all and say Speake Lord for thy servant heareth 5. Come in faith beleeve God can speake in particular to thee whether weake or strong and supply thy wants Micah 2. 7. to the end Isa 48. 17. eye the promise If any man will doe his will he shall know whether the doctrine be of God or no Joh. 7. 17. Heare and your soules shall live Isa 55. 3. Beleeve the promises meditate on them plead them apply them as thy own portion and rest satisfied and contented with them they that have the promise are sure enough 6. Come with a resolution to learne and a heart resolved to practise what God saith say as David Psal 119. 33 34. Psal 86. 11. And covet earnestly the best gifts 1 Cor. 12. 31. Consider 1 Cor. 12. 4. 1 Cor. 3. 4. 22. 7. Come emptie in the sense of want he filleth the hungry but the full are sent emptie away Luk. 1. 51. Pro. 27. 7. Emptie of distractions and worldly thoughts and affections Exod. 3. 5. Emptie of prejudice of man gifts or meanes be humble the humble he will teach Psal 25. 9. 8. Pray to God to prepare thy heart and to open thy eyes Psal 119. 18. Shew me thy truth and blesse it to me pray that he that speakes may not seeke himselfe and so rob God and that he may speake as he ought to speake Col. 4. 4. In hearing take heed to your eyes eares hearts Luk. 8. 18. Ezek. 40. 4. 1. Consider thou art in the presence of God and consider Job 21. 6. Psal 16. 8. Acts 10. 33. 2. Attend diligently Isa 55. 23. Watch that nothing come between thee and it sleepe not wander not gaze not Luk. 8. 18. Consider Act. 8. 6. And the people with one accord gave heed to those things that Philip spake 3. Heare for thy selfe and mind especially that which most concernes thee 4. Heare with understanding and judgement Mat. 13. 13. Mat. 15. 10. Joh 21. 11. Put a difference between truth and error The simple beleeveth every word Prov. 14. 15. Take heed what yee heare Mark 4. 24. and whom yee heare and how yee heare 5. If thou canst observe the methode and scope of the speaker to helpe memorie 6. Heare with thy