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
A61667	The voice of the rod, or, God's controversie pleaded with man being a plain and brief discourse on Mich. 6, 9 / by Samuel Stodden.	Stoddon, Samuel.	1668 (1668)	Wing S5716; ESTC R26260	166,900	354

cructations of thy conscience Is there nothing that Conscience doth begin to accuse thee of that thou couldst wish had been done or left to doing When David had numbred the people see how conscience did presently begin to work within him His heart smote him 2 Sam. 24.10 What ever thou doest take heed of overlaying thy conscience or stifling the operations of it If this lye speechless in such a case it s a signe the disease is dangerous when the Stomack is overcharged either in Quantity or Quality it loatheth the very thoughts of meat but especially of that whereon it surfeited My Sin is ever before me saies David Psal 51.3 'T is true the sin of his nature comes into his thoughts as the root and spawn of all the rest but 't is this particular guilt that alwaies returns with its gashly and dreadful aggravations upon him 3. Sometimes the Punishment bears resemblance with the Sin Suffering is the Off-spring of sin and oftentimes it begets children in its own likeness God sometimes deals with us Lege Talionis and requi●eth us like for like So he dealt with Agag 1 Sam. 15.33 As thy sword hath made women childless so shall thy mother be childless among women Such was that Judgment of God on those Sodomites the Apostle speaks of Rom. 1.27 Receiving in themselves that recompence of their errour which was meet He meted out a punishment that should suit with their impiety and made their very sin to be their snare Thus he doth often as it were write our accusation on our cross and cause the suffering to bear the very picture of the Sin Nay after this manner God dealt with David himself When he began to glory in or to trust to the multitude and strength of his forces God shortned them by seventy thousand men 2 Sam. 24.15 So when he had sinned by Adultery and Murder Murder and Adultery was his punishment 2 Sam. 12.10 11. Thus also God met with Ahab 1 King 21.19 But to mention no more this is one of the commonest and clearest Rules we have to judge by in this case Hath God crost thee in any of thy delights Consider whether thy delight were lawful in its self and in its circumstances or the use of it moderate and subordinate Hath he smitten thee in some dear Relation Consider whether it had not too much of thine heart or of thy time thy care or fond Indulgence Hath he afflicted thee in any part of thy Body Consider how thy Body or it may be that part especially hath been employed either to Gods honour or dishonour Hast thou met with any frustration danger or evil success in thy enterprize Consider what were thy ends Of whom didst thou ask counsel or crave assistance See whether there be not some offence near thee of which thy punishment may claim parentage The first Question we use to ask the Patient is this Where doth your pain lie Wherein are you grieved most And then examine whether that part be not suffering under its own guilt It may be thou art in a languishing pining case under som hereditary distemper and hast alwayes somthing to complain of Why may not God then be presenting to thee the Condition of thy ●oul by the estate of the body and visiting for ●he sin of thy enstome or Constitution When God enters into a Course of Physick with thee ●●s an Argument that the disease is rooted in thee and let me add this as a sure Rule by the way Every Affliction hath a general if not a special eye and aime at thy most beloved habituated or accustomed Sin Though particular miscarriages be often times attended with particular corrections yet both it may be are properly reducible unto thy master-Last the sin that doth so easily beset thee as the root of all for one and the same sin may discover its self diverse waies that seem aliene from its own nature For illustration take this plain example A man that is naturally Scorbutical and lies under the Physitians hands for that disease but while this is under cure he falls into a Feaver or Plurisie or Dropsie or the like unto which the Physitian applies his art diversly yet in all he does hath a due respect unto the former and great infirmity which is as the fountain of the rest and creates him all this toyl and variety of Methods and Compositions Hence I conclude then that he that is not acquainted with his Master-sin the King or Prince of his corruptions is not like to go farr with any success or real advantage in his search 4. It may be God afflicts thee for prevention of a worse evil I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her pathes Hos 2.6 God will set thorns in his sheeps paths to keep them from breaking from him This was the course God took with St. Paul 2 Cor. 12.7 Left I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations there was given to me a thorn in the flesh a messenger of Satan to buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure God sees sometimes that prosperity would hurt us ease and worldly contents would prove snares to us and therefore in mercy he may deny or remove them It may be that God is fitting thee for some more than ordinary mercy and laying the foundation for some fair building if so marvail not nay bethink it not if he digg deep in thee 5. Consider what is thy Patience under the Rod An impatient high colour and the thick and eager beating of the Pulse of thy complaints are the Symptoms of a Feaver and gives cause to think that unbelief and impatience is at least an Assistent if not the Principal cause Pelluntur ignibus ignes 'T is an ordinary thing with God to drive out one heat with another Wonder not to see God setting his weak children on their leggs and teaching them to go though they be froward and unwilling He knowes that exercise is the way to beget and to strengthen habits If thou wouldst that God should give over his afflicting thou must learn to give over thy fretting The quiet Patient is either the most hopeful or the most desperate Patient 6. It may be Gods design is only or chiefly for thy tryal To discover to thy self that which was hid whether it be grace or corruption Though sin be ever at least the remote cause of the Rod yet it is not alway the main Cause though it be cum causâ yet not alway n causâ Neither hath this man sinned nor his parents but that the works of God should be made manifest in him Joh 9.3 Doubtless both the man and his parents were sinners both originally and actually but that was not it for which the man was born blind 7. Go and ask it of God by prayer No man in heaven nor in earth is able or worthy to open this Book unless the Lyon of

Pulse and Water Feed thy people with thy rod Mich. 7.14 And in this sense we may call it the Bread of adversity and the Water of affliction Isa 30.20 which are as absolutely necessary though not per se but per accidens and as the case stands unto our spiritual life and growth as bread and water are to our natural Alas Christian I Thou canst not live without sufferings You say 'T is pity that fair weather should ever hurt But it 's certain a continual Summer would wither thee branch and root the Winter must succeed in its course or thou must dye This necessity proceeds not from the Arbitrariness of Gods Sovereign dispose but from thy own temper and constitution God is not like those Physicians that covet to in●ich themselves by their Customers and will physick them right or wrong that they may live upon them though their poor Patients dye under them Oh 't is well for us that we have to do with a God that knows how to chastise us in Judgment and immeasure and will correct the poysonous Ingredients of the Fury and Envy of unreasonable men ●● that will pare his rod lest it should fall too heavy or too many wayes at once Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain Psal 76.10 5. Improving rod. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit Joh. 15.2 God doth not onely lopp off the dry boughs but pares●p the green and this is the way to make a fruitful tree more fruitful That tree onely is in good case that is full of fruit let the husbandry be what it will Affliction is the watring of Gods Garden though the drops may fall so heavy and thick that they may beat all flat to the ground as if it should never rise more yet it quickly recovers and with the fresher vigour and beauty What an odour doth there result from every odoriferous herb in its nature and kind after a soaking shower Every Grace thrives under a sanctified Rod. Stellae nocte splendent quae die non videntur Bern. Humility never lookt like its self till now Heavenly-mindedness had never such a face as now that it is washt in its own tears from the filth and polluting scum of this Earth Faith was never so active and clear-sighted Patience never so strong at the Ancles Charity was never so heart-whole as now that God hath dieted them with his rod. The Judgment never so settled The Will never so deliberately resolv'd The Conscience never so tender and clear The Affections never in such a posture and temper The Temple of the heart never so kept as now that God hath made a scourge of small cords and driven out all those Merchants that held their Exchange there Ioh. 2.12 Hitherto for the Doctrinal part Let me apply it now for Information Exhortation Consolation A word to each of these and so I proceed If this be so Then the wicked are sadly deceived Vse 1 and that 1. In themselves Howbeit he meaneth not so neither doth his heart think so For he saith are not my Princes altogether Kings Isa 10.7 8. With our tongues we will prevail Our lips are our own who is Lord over us Psal 12.4 Alas Sinner this is thy day and it is but a day Mistake not thou art but a Rod though it hath pleased the Father to set thee on high in his house for the terrour of his children thy use is no longer than while the child is under age when once the Heir is of years this penal Discipline shall cease for ever and then all thine arrows shall return on thine own head tipt with that vengeance that thy Pride and Cruelty hath deserved 2. In the people of God They are not the persons thou takest and accusest them for the Fools the Hypocrites the Troublers of Israel The World knoweth us not Now we are the so● of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him 1 Joh. 3.1 2. Oh Sinners● what will ye say when ye shall see those whom now ye hate and persecute and brand with hypocrisie and sedition coming in the Clouds and in the Glory and Power of their Father to pas● Sentence and Judgment upon you Do ye unknow that the Saints shall judge the World ●● 1 Cor. 6.2 Go on then arraign condemn execute But know thou that for all these thing God will bring thee into Judgment Eccles 11.9 For a good work say they we stone thee not b●● for Blasphemy c. Joh. 10.33 But wilt tho● adventure thy soul on●t that thou art not mistaken Was not Saul once of thy mind before God from Heaven convinc'd him what he was doing He little thought it had been Christ he was persecuting Oh! don't thy Conscience sometimes tell thee when thy Interest and Malice ●s at an Ebb that the Question deserves thy better consideration whether it be Dagon or the Ark thou art fighting against the Fox or the Lamb thou art hunting and smiting Yea the ●ime cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doth God service Joh. 16.2 ●Twere very strange indeed if any one should ●hink to do Christ a service in destroying his Members eo nomine but under other notions ●nd accusations Well Sinner if thou wilt not ●ebate the case now God himself shall shortly ●ebate it with thee and shall judg uprightly between us Now to the people of God Vse 2 Is all that you ●mplain of and groan under but a Rod and ●●ch a rod then be exhorted 1. To bear the rod. Nay you must bear it ●he yoke is pinn'd-on that it cannot be shaken ●● But that you may not lose your labour and ●●pes bear it 1. With Faith the affiance confidence and ●●quiescence of Faith 2. With Patience 3. With Resolution 4. With Joy 5. With Perseverance Matth. 16.24 Then ●●d Jesus unto his Disciples If any man will ●●e after me let him deny himself and take up 〈◊〉 Cross and follow me If you will be Christians you must bear the Cross and for your help and encouragement consider 1. 'T is the Cross of Christ He hath born it before you He hath born it for you He bea●● it in you He layes it on you And in his time He and he alone can and will take it from you 2. 'T is thy Cross The burden that is weighed out for thee The rod appointed thee there is a necessity praecepti medii and thou 〈◊〉 bear it 3. 'T is a gainful though a painful Cross like Aesop's Load the burden that threatens th● death is the bread that maintains thy life 4. 'T is an honourable though a dishonoured Cross The Vexillum Insignia Christi I b●● in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus G●● 6.17 The wounds and scars