Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	david_n	heart_n	smite_v	1,341	5	9.6931	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29912	Twenty five sermons. The second volume by the Right Reverend Father in God, Ralph Brownrig, late Lord Bishop of Exeter ; published by William Martyn, M.A., sometimes preacher at the Rolls.; Sermons. Selections	Brownrig, Ralph, 1592-1659.; Martyn, William.; Faithorne, William, 1616-1691.	1664 (1664)	Wing B5212; ESTC R36389	357,894	454

First What 's the occasion of this sudden Perplexity in the spirit of David He was taken up even now into an heavenly contemplation of the works and word of God and the consideration of both these was always delightful unto him 1. For his works Psal. xcii 4. Thou Lord hast made me glad through thy works and I will triumph in the works of thy hands 2. For his word The meditation of it was delightful to him sweeter then the honey and the honey-comb more pleasant then his appointed food it was his song in the house of his Pilgrimage How then comes all this over-casting in David's soul like a sudden thunder-clap from a clear sky I answer The causes of many perplexities and astonishments in the soul of man are not always discernable The spirit of fear as Christ speaks comes not with observation 1. Non cum observatione peccati Not onely some great notorious sin but even some smaller offence that thou little thinkest of may fret and rankle in thy conscience and breed perplexity The pricking of a pin may rankle and fester and prove as dangerous as the wound of a weapon Thus David's heart smote him for an irreverent touch of Saul as well as for the cruel murder of Uriah Slight not the commission of smaller sins thou mayst hear of them when thou little thinkest of them 2. Non cum observatione personae Indeed for notorious debauch'd wretches for them to be put upon the rack of a perplex'd soul 't is no great marvel but even moderate and restrained men yea even mortified Saints are subject to these pangs not onely Saul but David not onely Iudas but Peter have suffered and felt the anguishes of a guilty conscience 3. Non cum observatione temporis Indeed a sin lately committed while the memory is fresh and the guilt of it haunts a man and stares in his face then 't is no wonder if he be perplexed Nay not onely so but some sin past and forgot that thou hast buried in oblivion a sin of many years past even that may turn in upon thee and perplex and affright thee The Clouds may return after the rain Thus Iob complains Thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth Iob xiii 26. Thus the Patriarchs many years after the fact were troubled and perplexed with the sin of selling Ioseph Gen. xlii 21. We are guilty concerning our brother say they Thirteen years at least had gone over their heads since that deed was done they had skinn'd up the fore and yet see it breaks out in their soul again and it bleeds afresh These troubles of soul then come not always with observation But yet what might be the occasion of this perplexity in the Prophet David David was now looking into the law of God considering the great light and glory of it and a beam of that light hath darted into his conscience a spark of that fire hath fallen into that fuel and that ●…ets all on fire casts him into a sudden amazement and makes him cry out Who can understand his errours Observe from hence that the word of God hath a secret unavoydable power upon the soul to convince it of sin and to cast it into horrour Good Iosiah at the first reading of this Word had his heart melted with fear and astonishment Thus S. Paul Rom. iii. 20. By the Law is the knowledg of sin And Rom. vii 11. The Commandment slew him and was found to be death unto him vers 10. And there be divers reasons of this Truth 1. In the Scripture is presented a transcendent rule of holiness the infinite purity and sanctity which is in God himself He is holy in his Works but most holy in his Word He hath magnified his Word above all his Name Psal. cxxxviii 2. In it shines the purity of his Nature not capable of blemish or imperfection Now then the soul seeing this transcendent holiness in God is presently convinced of infinite impurity Mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhor my self and repont in dust and ashes saith Iob chap. xlii 5 6. Probavit aurum reprobavit saith S. Bernard The Angels though as fine as gold are impure in his sight Qui discernit inter Stellas quanto magis inter glebas If the Starrs are not pure in his sight how much less Job xxv 5. man who is but a clod of earth And this makes the holiest men to tremble at his presence Cujus participatione sumus justi ejus comparatione sumus injústi saith S. Augustine They who by derivation from him are made holy in comparison of him are most unholy Nay the holy Angels themselves in their approaches to him do hide their feet and their faces If Sancti Angeli in Propitiatorio quanto magis peccatores prae Tribunali If Angels on the Mercy-Seat tremble what shall sinners do that stand at the Bar before the seat of Justice 2. As in the Scripture there is a transcendent rule presented so is there also an exact rule of holiness prescribed The Law forbids all sin enjoyns all holiness No passage in the life of man but is ordered in it As Theodoret observes in the Ceremonial Law and in the furniture of the Tabernacle that every particular was curiously prescribed Sitales imagines quales veritates saith he If the Ceremonial Law was so accurate and precise how strict is the Law of moral holiness of which that was but a type The Measures and Weights of the Sanctuary were double as much as the ordinary Measures Thine actions may carry weight and be allowable amongst men in common conversation which yet will be found light in the Sanctuary of God Mensurant se in dolosa statera consuetudinis humanae non in statera Sanctuarii saith S. Augustine Bring thine Actions to this standard and thy defects will be discover'd and then that which seems warrantable and commendable amongst men will appear sinful and abominable before God 3. The Law of God it is a spiritual rule not resting only in an outward conformity but requires the exactness of soul and spirit It keeps secret thoughts under awe and judgeth of outward actions according to the heart not of the heart according to outward actions I the Lord search the heart even to give to every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings Ier. xvii 10. Thus S. Chrysostom discoursing of the exactness of Gods Law in the true intent of it saith The Pharises forbade the outward commission of uncleanness the Law of God forbids the uncleanness of the thought They make the Law like Iohn Baptist he had Zonam pelliceam circa lumbos a leathern girdle about his loyns whereas Christ had Zonam auream circa pectus Rev. i. 13. a golden girdle about his breast repressing the first rise and stirrings and motions of sin This makes the Saints mourn for the first conceptions of sin though they prove abortive Libera me

in the nature of man Deut. ix 6. They are a people durae cervicis of a stiff neck not yielding to the yoke of due obedience And how hard and stiff the Prophet Isaiah tells us Nervus ferreus cervix tua Isai. xlviii 4. Not onely a s●…ew though that be naturally strong enough to resist but nerv●… ferreus hardned with iron for stronger resistance Nay the heart of man Ezekiel tells us chap. xi 19. is 〈◊〉 lapide●… an heart of stone represented and resembled as some conceit it by those Tables of stone where the Law was written And yet all stones are not of the like hardness some more yielding and easily broken ours is the nether milstone and it seems that 's the harder of the two Let the seed of Gods word be cast upon it it rejects it presently Nay harder then Milstones Zech. vii 12. Posuerunt cor ut Adamantem as hard as an Adamant no strength can soften it Nay our hearts are harde●… then the hardest stones which occasioned that witty and devout inversion of Ezekiel's Prophecy I will take away their hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh Nay Lord take away our hearts of flesh and give us hearts of stone The stones rent asunder at the cry of thy Son at the suffering of our Saviour our hearts are never touch'd nor affected with it That 's the first collection our hearts are hardned And that implies two things 1. Durum non sentit An hard heart is heavie and sensless The softest tempers are of quickest apprehension Our brawny hearts are dull'd and stupefied 2. Durum non cedit An hard heart it is not yielding and penetrable of its own disposition not admitting nay repelling and if not over-ruled and mollified by an higher power of it self rejecting any offer of grace That 's the first inference that the act of Renting affords durities in objecto the hardness of our hearts it needs a renting And that brings in the second Observation 2. Difficultatem in actu Hardness and difficulty in the act to be performed Repentance 't is no easie light touch of sorrow or weak impression of grief a sudden qualm of melancholy soon dispelled no 't is deep and piercing 't is a convulsion of the soul a racking and torture of the heart and conscience 't is no less then a renting See with what terms of extremity the Scripture describes it 2 Sam. xxiv 10. 't is a smiting of the heart Acts. ii 37. 't is a pricking of the Conscience nay a wounding of the Spirit Prov. xviii 14. an hewing and cutting off Matth. v. 30. no less then mortifying Coloss. iii. 5. and that the most violent and painfull that can be Gal. v. 24. 't is a crucifying torment Zecharie foretells it Chap. xii 10. They shall mourn as for their onely Son and shall be in bitterness as for their first-born Primo-genitus Uni-genitus The loss of the first-born and onely begotten the sorrow of it but in those that feel it it is inconceiveable Yet the sense of this or any worldly sorrow must be farr exceeded in our penitential sorrow and grief for Sin If not affectivè by stirring up and enforcing our sensual affection yet appretiativè in a judicious disallowance and abomination if not respectu corporalis perturbationis as Aquine expresses it yet ratione spiritualis displicentiae if not in outward bodily vexation yet in thy intellectual and spiritual detestation this grief must be the greatest Indeed so great 't is call'd Contrition Psal. li. 17. A broken and a contrite heart saith David O God thou wilt not despise Not only broken but even to contrition Aliud frangi aliud comminui conteri saith Aristotle in the fourth of his Meteors a thing may be broken or cut in sunder and soon set together and joyned again Contrition breaks all in pieces as Hezekiah the brazen Serpent to dust and powder Had Hezekiah but broken that brazen Serpent into some pieces superstition would have reserv'd a relique or have sodder'd it up and made all whole As they report of some living Serpents cut them only into some few parcels they will grow together again and heal up presently and so do we but slightly divide and cut this Serpent of Sin and not hack and hew it all asunder it will easily re-collect and revive it self Repentance proceeds unto contrition Not a weak attritien onely as some Scholemen and Jesuits would moderate the matter a faint wishing that he had not sinned a slight fit of grieving or some sudden pang No it enters to the dividing of the soul and spirit 't is a renting of the heart-strings My heart saith David Psal. xxii 14. is like melted wax not warm'd or heat onely but burnt and melted in the sense of his sins That 's the second Observation Difficultas in actu Repentance 't is a painfull renting of the heart and soul. And that inferrs 3. Vim in agente It requires a strong violent renting Conceive the strength of it to consist in these particular degrees Repentance requires 1. Vehementiam action is A man that will set upon this main work of repentance he must be all spirit and life Not like S●…ul sparing the life of any of his sins but as zealous Samuel wounding and hewing his sins in pieces The half-mortified civil Moralist will suppress and abate but in no case root out and extinguish sin It may be he will keep under his sins when of delightfull Passions they become turbulent and violent perturbations When his darling Absalom becomes a rebel then he can be content to subdue him but yet Spare the young man for my sake in no case kill him Whereas every valiant Ioab strikes and stabs him to the heart without compassion In this case S. Augustin advises us to handle our sins as Iob did his soars violently and vehemently Non molli linteo sed durissima testa He wiped them not gently with a soft cloth but scrap'd and vext them with an hard potsheard See the strength and violence of this penitential sorrow in repenting David I roared for the disquietness of my soul I have washed my bed with my tears His bed the place of his rest and quiet repose even that 's overflown with flouds of tears Mine eyes pour out rivers of waters because men keep not thy Law If tears of compassion for other mens sins were thus plentifull how did he set ope the floud-gates to his tears of compunction for his own transgressions That 's the first step of this violent repenting it requires Vehementiam actus 2. Frequentia actionis That 's a second degree This renting and breaking of an hard heart requires many and frequent violent impressions all little enough to mollifie the heart In this case it is otherwise with our natural heart then with our sinfull Unico vulnere cor hominis the least prick of a wound kills the heart of man Deep and often stabbings are scarce able to enter into the heart of

his ear unto me therefore will I call upon him as long as I live So Psal. civ I will sing praise to my God while I have my being my meditation of him shall be sweet I will be glad in the Lord. A SERMON ON PSAL. xix 12 13. Who can understand his errours c. THIS Psalm is a pious and devout Meditation of the Prophet David Now Naturalists observe that there be two acts of the soul of hardest performance 1. The act of Reflexion to make the soul look inwards and to recoyl upon it self Motus reflexus it is duplex motus a double motion 2. The act of Meditation to make the soul ascend and look upwards to keep it still upon the wing And therefore the Psalmist to maintain and strengthen his meditation uses an inspection into a threefold Book 1. Is Inspectio libri Creaturae into the book of the creatures Vers. 1. The heavens declare the glory of God c. He looks upon that great Volume of Heaven and Earth and there reads in Capital Letters the Prints and Characters of Gods glory Aliter pictura aliter scriptura placet he gazes not as children upon gaudes in books but reades and meditates and deeply considers them 2. His Meditation ascends higher by a second Inspection and that is Inspectio libri Scripturae verse 7. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul c. And this Book is more precious then the former The other the Book of the Creature is but as the Inventory of the Goods this of the Scripture is the Evidence and Conveyance and Assurance of all to us In it he sees the riches of Gods wisdom and his precious promises As S. Ambrose observes of Abraham's journals he came out of the land of Chaldea into the land of Promise God bids him look up to the stars and the Chaldeans were great beholders of the stars and firmament but yet Abraham asks In quo cognoscam How shall I know that I shall inherit it He could not gather that by beholding the Creatures the Word of Promise and the Book of the Scripture must give Assurance of that 3. He proceeds further and feeds his Meditation by a third Inspection and that is Inspectio in librum Conscientiae he unclasps that which is the compendium and sum and transcript of the other Book the Book of the Scripture and there dwells upon a serious and sad Meditation Who can understand his errours 1. He looks up to Heaven and wonders as it Who can comprehend the number of the stars Quis intelligit potentiam Who can understand his power 2. He looks into the Scriptures and finds this a more large Book The former is but a shrivelled Scrole to this sacred Volume as Christ compares it Who can understand those sacred Truths and profound Mysteries Who can conceive the Perfection of the Law 3. He looks into his own heart makes a search into his Conscience brings that Book out of the Rubbish as they did the Book of the Law in Iosiah's time who can count and number up the blemishes of his soul who can understand the errours of his life 1. The first Book Convincit it hath a power of Conviction Meditate on it and observe Gods Power or thou art an Atheist 2. The second Book Convertit it hath a power of Conversion Meditate upon it and learn his will and worship out of it or thou art an Infidel 3. The third Book Accusat it hath the power of Accusation Look and meditate upon it and there discover and bewail thy sins or thou art an Hypocrite The Text then contains David's Meditation upon that third Inspection into the Book of his Conscience Wherein we may observe four Particulars 1. An holy Perplexity in the soul of David which makes him cry out Who can understand his errours 2. An holy Redress he seeks in this perplexity O cleanse me from my secret faults 3. An holy Prevention for the time to come Keep thy servant from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me 4. An holy both Resolution and Consolation Then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the great Transgression 1. In the first Part we see the nature of Sin it casts a man into Perplexity it breeds gripings and anguishes in the soul and conscience 2. In the second we see the nature of Mercy that pardons and purges and pacifies the conscience that rebukes the storms and brings in a sudden calm into our souls again 3. In the third we see the nature of Grace that prevents keeps us from presumptuous relapses that preserves us so that no wickedness shall have dominion over us 4. In the fourth Part we see the nature of Integrity that gives comfort and consolation that strengthens it self in all good purposes and resolutions And these Particulars represent unto us the whole life of a Christian they set in order the motions of the soul in the beginnings and progress of his conversion 1. What is the first Motion and quickning of life in a Christian Examen Conscientiae a searching out of his sins not a confident stepping into Heaven in a present assurance but a sorrowful penitential perplexity 2. The second Motion in the heart of a Christian is Supplication and Suit for pardon and peace Cleanse me purge me 3. The third Motion is imploring of help Prayer for grace and assistance against Relapses establish me with thy spirit Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins 4. The fourth Motion is Studium integritatis and Gaudium in studio resolutions and endeavours for integrity and all possible innocency and the keeping of a good conscience towards God and man Now put these together and then we may discover three Combinations 1. A Combination of two sorts of Sins not all of the same size and magnitude here are Errores and Contumaciae sins of Infirmity and sins of Presumption sins of a weaker tincture and sins of a double die Lapsus in via and Excursiones extra viam Slips and lapses in the way and voluntary departings and forsakings of the way 2. A Combination of two sorts of Graces here is Gratia purgans and Gratia custodiens 1. Pardoning and purging grace 2. Preserving and protecting grace That is the grace of subvention when we have sinned this the grace of prevention that we may not sin 3. A Combination of two states and conditions of a Christian 1. Purgandus à secretis for sins of Infirmity who can avoid them 2. Custodiendus à contumacibus for sins of Presumption we must not come near them We cannot be free A Culpa from sins of daily Incursion but we may and must be free A Crimine from sins that waste the Conscience and havock Piety The first thing considerable is David's holy Perplexity Who can understand his errours And of it take a double Consideration 1. Quae occasio What 's the occasion of this Perplexity 2. Quae conditio What 's the nature of it

Rom. iii. 13. c. Not that every man is guilty of these actual sins but because the spawn and original of them is inbred in every one That 's the fourth thing the Consequences V. Qui usus What are the Uses to be made hereof They are of three sorts 1. Of Conviction 2. Of Caution 3. Of Consolation 1. Of Conviction Is David thus troubled and perplexed upon examination and search into his heart 1. In what case are they Qui nunquam inquirunt who never so much as call their hearts to examination If David who hath so often reckoned with God and by frequent Repentance labour'd to make all even with him yet finds so many back-reckonings how fearful is their case who multiply their arrearages and run use upon use and never account with him 2. And worse In what case are they Qui peccata abscondunt If David searches and sorrows for unknown sins how desperate are they who when Conscience accuses and would ease it self by sorrow and confession do smother and silence it See the least grudgings of Conscience affect David how forlorn are they then who when their Sin like the Pox would break out they drive it in again as Felix did and strike it back to the heart 3. And worst of all are they Qui palam profitentur who are sinners and know themselves so and glory in it David mourns for secret sins and these boast themselves in manifest Impieties They who are Saints and Angels and already in Heaven in compare with thee mourn for suspicious sins and thou shewest thy sins like Sodom and triumphest in thine abominations 2. Of Caution Is this true no man understands his errours Then 1. Non sufficit Iudicium alienum What though no man can accuse thee of sin That will not acquit thee Many think to go to Heaven by the voice of the Country if no man can blame them No we must distinguish betwixt a good name and a good conscience Fama propter homines Conscientia propter Deum saith S. Augustine A good name will carry it amongst men but it is a good conscience only that can acquit us before God Quid prodest tibi neminem habere conscium habenti conscientiam saith Lactantius What though thy neighbours and brethren absolve thee yet God and thy conscience can condemn thee The good Centurion Luke vii carried it clear by the voice of his neighbours Dignus est vers 4. He is worthy that thou shouldst come to him Ey but his own conscience reproves him vers 7. Domine non sum dignus Lord I am not worthy to come unto thee 2. Is this true none can understand his errours Then non sufficit Iudicium proprium the absolutions of thine own conscience cannot fully discharge thee I know nothing by my self saith S. Paul 1 Cor. iv 4. Yet am I not hereby justified but he that judgeth me is the Lord who can find fault with those actions which we account unblameable and very commendable Aliter judicat peritus artifex aliter imperitus inspector saith S. Aug. A skilful workman will find great fault there where an unskilful smatterer can see no failing 3. Non sufficit Iudicium Satanae It is possible Satan may not be able to accuse us and yet notwithstanding his silence cannot acquit us As in his siftings of Iob he could find no matter of any just accusation In that Plea against Iob the Devil non-suited himself he had nothing to object against him As S. Chrysostom observs when God asked Satan the second time Whence comest thou Satan The Devil answered From compassing the earth he doth not say from tempting of Iob he had no complaint against him But though Satan could not yet God could and did lay many things against him Thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth That 's the second sort 3. Of Consolation Art thou cast into this perplexity with David Cryest thou out with him Who can understand his errours Then ease and comfort thy self with these three relieving Considerations 1. Quis intelligit multitudinem misericordiarum Who can understand the multitude of Gods mercies and compassions They are not onely over all his good works but they are farr beyond and above and over all our evil works Thus S. Chrysostom discoursing upon that passage Psal. iii. 5 6. Thy mercy O Lord is in the heavens and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds Thy righteousness is like the great mountains thy judgments are a great deep See saith he the dimensions of his mercy are farr beyond the bounds of all his other Attributes The height of the Clouds the bigness of the Mountains the depth of the Sea they may be fathom'd but who knows the largeness of the Heavens or who can comprehend the multitudes of his mercies 2. Quis intelligit vim virtutem meriti Christi Doth thy heart cry out Who can understand his errours Quiet and comfort it with this Meditation Who can understand the virtue of Christ's bloud the price of his merits the plenty of his redemption He is able to abolish all kinds of sin His bloud is compared to the depth of the Sea I will cast all their sins into the depth of the Sea Micah vii 19. and that can drown Mountains as well as Mole-hills The strength of his mercies is like the strength of the Sun and that can dispel the thickest clouds as well as the thinnest vapours Isai. xliv 22. He will blot out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins 3. Quis intelligit vim poenitentiae Answer these doubtings of thine own heart with this Meditation Who understands the virtue of Repentance 1. Of general Repentance for sins known and unknown In this case if upon search thou canst not discover all thy sins deal as the Israelites were to do in finding out of a Murther Deut. xxi 1. They were to search into all their Cities and to measure round about them and if they could not find it out they were to pray Lord be merciful to thy people So measure thou and search thou into every corner of thine heart and say unto the Lord Forgive me mine unknown sins Look upon the whole Law of God and acknowledge the whole Indictment plead guilty to all With the Publican confess thy self a sinner with David confess thy self a great sinner Psal. xxv with S. Paul confess thy self the greatest of sinners This very general Repentance will much ease and comfort thee 2. Who understands the virtue of daily Repentance There is great use of that to ease thee of these anxieties For 1. It hath a virtue of Prevention of greater sins The daily pumping of a leaking Ship will keep it from sinking As they do who would prevent the Stone they will daily use helps to carry away the smaller gravel so labour thou by daily Repentance to purge away thy smaller sins and thou shalt never be troubled with the Stone