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
A94748	A short work, but of greatest concern. By William Tomlinson.	Tomlinson, William.	1696 (1696)	Wing T1852; ESTC R185374	15,317	74

Prophets among them to raise their Minds and Hearts a little higher after a more Spiritual Walking with him Then after that he sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for greater things which were to follow For the Kingdom of Heaven was then at hand And thus way was made gradually for the coming of Christ Jesus that Men might believe on him when he came Thus the Lord carried on his publick Work gradually and thus also he frequently carries on his Work in particular Persons from step to step And it is well for them that follow him in his Leadings and Drawings and take not up their Rest or stop in the Way but hold on to follow the Lord. For he doth not usually communicate all at once to his People altho' he may give much Comfort sometimes at the first turning of Man's Heart faithfully to him But he communicates by degrees to them that truly follow him and as they are capable to receive and able to bear To his Disciples Christ said I have many things to say unto you but you cannot bear them now John 16.12 so he communicated to them as they could bear And so he did to Paul Acts 26.16 he did not make him a Minister and a Witness of all at once but appeared to him to make him a Minister and a Witness of those things which he had seen and of those things in the which he would afterwards appear to him Thus the Lord doth condescend to take us by the Hand as it were to lead us on from one degree to another where there is a willing Heart to follow him And there may be still a going forward and growing up in the Lord while we are in this Life Paul that Eminent Servant of the Lord after all his Visions and great Attainments and Perfections still saith I press forward Phil. 3.14 15. And thus the Ministry of Christ was and is to lead us forward by degrees Not only to bring us on thorough the Ministration of the Law or of the Letter as it 's called but to bring us under the Ministration of the Spirit so as to be led thereby and to grow up therein and so to establish us in the Sonship or Adoption Thus under the Ministration of the Gospel the Work is cut short in Righteousness namely in subjecting the Heart of Man to the Spirit of God which works all Righteousness in us gradually if we be faithful thereunto And it will admit of no Iniquity if we faithfully follow the guidance thereof For God hath comprehended all Righteousness in the Spirit and in the Fruits thereof It is the Spirit that leads into all Truth This is the great Dispensation of the Lord under the Gospel This Satan knows and therefore was he and yet is so busie to suggest other Spirits whereby to divert Men and turn them aside from the true Spirit by appearances of other Spirits and with some resemblance of the true This he did very early in the Apostles Days as we may observe by the Writings or Epistles of the Apostle Paul in which we may see how he was constrained to vindicate himself and his Ministry against those false Teachers who desired occasion against him 2 Cor. 11.12 False Apostles may despise and vilifie them that are in the Truth and may transform themselves as the Apostles of Christ Satan himself can transform himself into an Angel of Light therefore it is no great thing if his Ministers also be transformed as the Ministers of Righteousness 2 Cor. 11.12 13 14 15. I do not speak this to vilifie any faithful Ministers but to shew the great subtilty of Satan And for this end that we may be all careful to keep close to our true Guide the Spirit of God which leads into all Righteousness and out of all false Appearances and gives the comfortable Testimony of his presence in the Hearts of those that faithfully obey him and walk humbly with him But some perhaps may say How shall we know these deceitful Workers these false Spirits I Answer I write not this so much to discover any such but that every one may be careful to examine themselves and be stirred up to beware of Satan's Wiles It is a hard matter to know deceitful Workers by their good Words or fair Speeches or Ministerial Gifts and Parts which they once had given them It 's said That Gifts shall be given also even to the Rebellious Psal 68.18 Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led Captivity Captive thou hast received Gifts for Men yea for the Rebellious also that the Lord God might dwell among them And some will so rest upon their Ministerial Gifts and not upon the Giver that they will make them a plea for themselves when the Lord comes to judge as hath been shewed before from Mat. 7.22 But the Excellency of Ministerial Gifts will not shelter Workers of Iniquity altho ' such Gifts be very serviceable and worthy to be desired And it is the Apostle's Exhortation 1 Cor. 12.31 to covet earnestly the best Gifts But yet saith he I shew unto you a more excellent way and that more excellent way he expresses at large in the whole Chapter following that is in Chap. 13. where he saith thus Though I speak with the Tongue of Men and of Angels and have not love for so it may and ought to be Translated from the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and have not Love I am become as sounding Brass or a tinkling Cymbal That that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought to be Translated Love in this Chapter I shall shew by and by with Reasons for it If any insist still upon that Query before mentioned and say How shall we know these false Spirits these deceitful Workers that have been spoken of We would fain know them I Answer still Where it may be a hard matter for us to distinguish aright of others Our best course is to approve our own Hearts to the Lord and to walk so that we may have the Testimony of a good Conscience in our selves that we are approved of the Lord Then shall we have rejoicing in our own Bosoms from the comfortable Witness of the Spirit of God For the Spirit will witness with our Spirits if we walk in Obedience that we are the Children of God Rom. 8.16 As for others it will be a hard matter to distinguish aright between Tares and Wheat They may take Tares for good Wheat or good Wheat for Tares if they keep not to the Holy Spirit True it is that some Mens Sins are open beforehand and go before unto Judgment and some Mens they follow after 1 Tim. 5.24 Some are so openly and manifestly wicked that they are judged of all Men but others they follow after I come now to shew that the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mentioned before ought to be Translated thus in my Judgment viz. And have not love And in the first place I shall shew that the word