Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	darkness_n	light_n	shine_v	1,422	5	9.5903	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54052	The scattered sheep sought after 1. In a lamentation over the general losse of the powerful presence of God in his people, since the dayes of the apostles, with a particular bewailing of the withering and death of those precious buddings forth of life, which appeared in many at the beginning of the late troubles in these nations, with the proper way of recovery for such, 2. In some propositions concerning the only way of salvation, where is an answer given to that great objection, that the light which convinceth of sin, is the light of a natural conscience, and a brief account rendred of the ground of mens misunderstanding Scriptures, 3. In exposing to view the fundamental principle of the Gospel, upon which the redeemed spirit is built, 4. And in some questions and answers, by way of catechism, for the sake of the simple hearted, directing to that principle, and fixing in it / by Isaac Penington.	Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.	1665 (1665)	Wing P1188; ESTC R18193	27,955	34

bad deceit but if in the result it should prove to have been the light of the Spirit and thou all thy life time hast took it for the light of a natural conscience and so hast despised or at least neglected if not reproached it thou wilt then find that this was a very bad deceit 2. I can shew thee by express Scripture that it is the work of the spirit to convince of sin Joh. 16.8 And again that the Law which is spiritual manifesteth that which is corrupt and carnal Rom. 7.14 But where canst thou shew me from Scripture that a natural conscience can convince of sin 3. Let any man give heed to the light in his heart he shall find it to discover his most inward his most secret his most spiritual evils which a natural light cannot do for that which is natural cannot discover that which is spiritual 4. The Apostle saith That it is the grace which hath appeared to all men which teacheth not only godlinesse but also sobriety and righteousnesse Tit. 2.11 12. The light of the falne nature is darknesse can teach nothing of God what any man learns now of the true knowledg of God he learns by grace which shines in the darknesse of mans nature to leaven it with the true knowledg though man being darknesse can by no means comprehend it and so cannot give it its true name Therefore take heed lest through ignorance ye blaspheme the holy light of the pure Spirit calling that natural looking on it with the carnal eye which with the spiritual eye is seen to be spiritual For thou that dost this wilt be be also erring on the other hand calling thy carnal meanings and conceivings about the mind of the Spirit of God in Scripture spiritual And he that thus puts darknesse for light must needs put light for darknesse and then call evil good and good evil and so err from the Spirit of God in the whole course of his Religion even in the most inward exercises of it Man by nature is dead in trespasses and sinnes quite dead and his conscience wholly dark That which giveth him the sense of his death and of his darknesse must be another thing then his nature even the light of the spirit of Christ shining in his dark heart and conscience It is the seed of the woman which not only destroyes but also discovers all the deeds of the Serpent Now this seed this light is one in all though there have been several dispensations of it One to the Heathen in whom it springs up after an hidden manner even as it were naturally from whence it had the name of the Light of Nature though it be the mistery of life and salvation hid in them Col. 1.27 this mistery in the Gentiles it is ill translated among another to the Jews in whom it was more vigorously stirred up by a Law given who by types and shadows and righteous exercises according to the Law were to be awakened to the living principle Mich. 6.8 Another to the Christians in whom it was livelily brought forth to light and life by an especial dispensation of grace in so much as that which was the Mistery in the Gentiles and vailed from the Jews being opened in them was found to be Christ the hope Col. 1.27 But under all these dispensations the generality of men have fallen short of the glory of God and missed of the substance Therefore the Lord God is now bringing forth the substance it self but under such a vail as hides it from the eye of mans wisdome under what dispensation soever he be and how high soever in that dispensation To some it seems natural to others legal to some it seems from the power of Satan or at least they pretend so to others it seems the ministry of John Baptist Thus men guess at it in the wisdome of their comprehensions waiting the true line and plummet to measure it by Now to you who have not waited to learn in the wisdome of God the names of things which there are given according to their nature but in the forwardnesse of your spirits from your gathered knowledg without the living power have ventured to call that natural which in the eternal wisdome is seen to be spiritual and which hath been able to effect that which all that knowledge which ye call spiritual could never do let me propose th consideration of one Scripture to your Consciences in the sight of God The Scripture is that in Job 28.12 to the end Where shall wisdome be found and where is the place of understanding Man knoweth not the price thereof neither is it found in the land of the living The deep saith it is not in me and the sea saith not in me It cannot be gotten for gold neither shall silver be weighed for the price thoreof c. Whence then cometh wisdome and where is the place of understanding seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living and kept close from the fowls of Heaven Destruction and death say we have heard the fame thereof with our ears God understandeth the way thereof and he knoweth the place thereof c. And he said unto man Behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdome and to depart from evil is understanding Now consider well First Is this natural wisdome or spiritual wisdome that is thus precious What is this that destruction and death have heard the fame of Is it the wisdome of nature or is it Christ the wisdome of God Secondly Where is the place of this where doth God point man to find this wisdome He points him to the fear Unto man he said he hath shewed thee O man what is good Behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding Go to the fear there it is taught that is the wisdom learn by the fear to depart from evil that 's the understanding This is it which is so precious which nothing can equalize or value here is the place of it thus it is to be learned Sin overspreads all the land of darknesse there is no fear of God before mens eyes there there is no learning of the fear there all the wisdom that man can come by cannot teach it he that learneth to fear God to depart from evil must learn of Christ the wisdom of God and must deny all the varieties of the wisdome of men which undertakes to teach it but cannot Thirdly What is that in every man which teachech the fear which teacheth to depart from evil Every man hath in him an eye that sees the evil what is that eye which the God of this world doth so strive to blind and doth so generally blind Every man hath in him an enemy to evil one that never consented to it but still reproves it and fights against it even in secret what is this This is no less then a ray from Christ the wisdome of God out of the seat of the fear in

A. Letting in the light which convinceth of and warreth against sin the life stirs and is felt and the life leads to the word which was in the beginning and gives the feeling of that also And in the word the righteousnesse the peace the wisdom the power the love is felt and he is made all these to those who are led into and kept in the light And when the powers of darknesse appear with mighty dread and there is no strength to withstand them this lifts up a standard against them and calms all the tempests and cures all the wounds and diseases of the soul anointing it with the everlasting oil so that now I can sensibly and with clear understanding call it my Saviour the Captain of my salvation my Christ or anointed my Husband my King my Lord my God Q. Where doth this light shine A. In the darknesse at first but when it hath vanquished expelled and dispersed the darknesse it shines out of it Q. What is that darkness wherein the light shines A. Man mans heart mans conscience mans spirit This is the world which Christ the Sun of righteousnesse is the light of in every part whereof he causeth the rayes or beams of his light to shine at his pleasure though in no part the darknesse can comprehend the least shining of his light Q. How then can it ever be converted thereby A. The darknesse is not to be converted Every man in this state is reprobated and the wrath abideth on him So that the darknesse is rejected and man in the darknesse but man touched by the light made sensible of it and following it in the life and power which it begets is drawn out of the horrible pit and saved Q How may I do to find the light in the midst of the da●kness of my heart which is so great and this seed so small A. By its discovering and warring against the darknesse There is somewhat which discovereth both the open and secret iniquity of the corrupt heart following it under all its coverings of zeal holinesse and all manner of voluntary humility and self righteousnesse with which the true light ●●ver had unity and sometimes may cause secret misgivings that all is not well but there may be a flaw found in this covering and in the end it may prove too narrow for the soul This which thus warreth against the darknesse to bring people off from all false foundations to the true and living foundation this is the light and thus thou maist find it at some time or other at work in thy heart if thou mind it Q. Having found the light how may I come to feel the saving vertue and power of it A. By believing in it For the vertue and power springs up in the heart that believes in it Q. How can I believe in it am not I dead A. There is a creating a quickning power in the light which begets a little life and that can answer the voice of the living power Q. Yea If I could finde any such thing begotten in me then I might be drawn to assent that that though never so small might believe but surely my dead heart never can A. Hast thou never found a true honest breathing towards God hast thou never found sin not an imaginary but a real burthen This was from life there was somewhat begotten of God in thee which felt this It was not flesh blood in thee but somwhat from above And if this had known the spring of its life and not been deceived from it by the subtilty it would have fed upon and have grown up in the vertue and power of the spring from whence its life came Q. Why then by this all men have power to believe A. In the light which shines in all and visits all there is the power and this power strives with the creature to work it self into the creature and where there hath been the least breathing after life there hath been a taste of the power for this came from it But the great deceiver of souls lifts up mens mind in the imagination to look for some great appearance of power and so they slight and overlook the day of small things and neglect receiving the beginnings of that which in the issue would be the thing they look for Waiting in that which is low and little in the heart the power enters the seed grows the Kingdom is felt and daily more and more revealed in the power And this is the true way and door to the thing take heed of climbing over it Q. What is it to believe in the light A. To receive its testimony either concerning good or evil and so either to turn towards or from in the will and power which the light begets in the heart Q. How will this save me A. By this means that in thee which destroys thee and separates thee from the living God is daily wrought out and the heart daily changed into the Image of him who is light and brought into unity and fellowship with the light possessing of it and being possessed by it and this is Salvation Q. We thought salvation had been a thing to be bestowed hereafter after the death of the body but if it be thus then salvation is wrought out here A. So it is even in all that are saved for there is no working of it out hereafter but here it is wrought out with fear and trembling and the believer who is truly in unity with the life daily changed from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord. Q. But shew more particularly how Faith or believing in the light worketh out the Salvation A. First it causeth a fear and trembling to seize upon the sinner The Lord God Almighty by the rising of his light in the heart causeth the powers of darknesse to shake the earth to tremble the hills and mountains to melt and the goodly fruit-Trees to cast their fruit And then the plant of the Lord springs up out of the dry and barren ground which by the dews and showers from above thrives grows and spreads till it fills Gods earth 2. In this fear and trembling the work of true repentantance and conversion is begun and carried on There is a turning of the Soul from the darknesse to the light from the dark power to the power of light from the spirit of deceit to the Spirit of truth from all false appearances and imaginations about holiness to that which the eternal light manifesteth to be truly so And now is a time of mourning of deep mourning while the separtion is working while the enemies strength is not broken and subdued and while the heart is now and then feeling it self still hankering after its old lovers 3. In the belief of the light and in the fear placed in the heart there springs up an hope a living hope in the living principle which hath manifested it self and begun to work For the Soul truly turning to