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
A66598	Conscience satisfied in a cordial and loyal submitting to the present government of William and Mary in three discourses justifying the Williamites against the Jacobites : the first being animadversions on a book intitutled The doctrine of non-resistance, or, Passive obedience no way concerned in the controversies now depending between the Williamites and the Jacobites, the second on I Sam. 23.30 ... the third on Dan. 5.20 ... / by Tim. Wilson, rector of Kingsnoth in Kent.	Wilson, Timothy, 1642-1705.	1690 (1690)	Wing W2949; ESTC R38313	57,754	74

an offensive way especially such a King who had his Call immediately from Heaven what farther Consequence that concerns our business in hand let any shew from this place that can And some say That David arose with a purpose to slay Saul but changed his Mind in the midst of his Proceedings But I think that David was but a private Person and so had no Authority It is plain that David's heart smote him because he had cut off Saul's Skirt v. 5. Some think his Conscience checked him for the thought of his heart to kill the King But still his Conscience never checked him for keeping men in Arms to defend himself from Saul's oppression for this he did many Years The Person of the King ought to be Sacred but our persons and lives also ought to be defended We may zealously defend our own Innocence Secondly The Subjects may be said to take up Arms as against the King's Command for their own Preservation so we affirm it That it is lawful for Subjects Conjunctively considered or when the Laws of the Country are generally violated and the Oppression is almost Epidemical to take up Arms for Self-preservation against the King's Commands And justifie their Cause by the Law of Nature and right Reason which is not only the Common Law of England but of all Nations For the Law of Nature as Alex. de Ales saith is in us without our Cooperation and of God's putting in and impression Thus having heard my Judgment and our present Cause defended pray have a little Patience to hear my Affection It is written Psal 2.11 Rejoyce with trembling First Let us rejoyce that God of his infinite goodness hath delivered us from our merciless Enemies from a Religion so false and from such foolish Counsellors as would have made us Slaves But Secondly Let it be with trembling when we consider First Our own sinfulness and unworthiness of so good and gracious a Providence Secondly When we consider the dismal Calamities that have befallen His Sacred Majesty through evil Counsellors Let us rejoyce that the snare is broken and we are delivered let us tremble to think of God's righteous Judgments O that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night for the calamities that have befallen this Nation and the Royal Family as the Prophet speaks Jer. 9.1 Our Religion teacheth us Love Goodness Mercy and Compassion Let us not rejoyce at the Calamities of our Enemies but at God's wonderful Mercy to us that our Religion our Laws our Liberties our Lives and our Posterity should be freed from the sink of all Mankind the Tyranny of Jesuits and blood-thirsty Papists Let us bewail our Sins the Cause of Afflictions Necessity nothing but Necessity to defend our selves and our Religion and our Posterity from Popery and Slavery forced us to this last Remedy I rejoyce that we are escaped I am sorry even for the trouble of our very Enemies Well then let us Sin no more lest a worse thing befall us It is true as the Prophet saith The whole head is sick and the whole heart faint From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores Isai 1.5 6. Sacred Majesty laid in the dust requires our Tears our Religion and our Laws revived require our joy Let us be grieved that the Crown is fallen from our Heads for we have sinned Let us rejoyce that God's Honour and Glory is manifested in the Salvation of his Church And as a Testimony of our Thankfulness to God First Let us be humble and lowly in heart ascribing all our Deliverances to God's gracious Providence over his Church Secondly Let us be merciful to others in their distress Let us lighten every burden and break every yoke Let us be patient towards all men and zealous of nothing more than good works and easie to be intreated in a good Matter Let us not oppress the Poor and Needy Let us ease Tender Consciences and perform our Vows made in our distress and do as we would be done by Let us be wise as Serpents and harmless as Doves Let us practice that Religion which we have defended with our utmost Zeal and Lives And this consists in Faith and Good Works Love and Peace Courtesie and Mercy that Glory may be to God in Heaven on Earth Peace and good Will towards Men. Thirdly Let us strive for Union among our selves A Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand Let us joyn against the common Enemy of our Faith and Religion Let us lay aside our Animosities and not strive for private Interest but for the Publick good Let us seek Peace and insue it as those who love life and may see good days Let us imitate David's Example not seeking private Revenge but the Peace of our Jerusalem and the Prosperity of our Sion that is the Happiness of Church and State Let us heap Coals of Fire on our Adversaries giving them what they denied to us the tenderest thing in the World except God's Glory even Liberty of Conscience It is true as Solomon saith He that winneth Souls is wise But this must be done by Arguments convincing the Judgment not by force and violence He that wins the Heart gains a sure Friend but he that forceth the outward man loseth with great disadvantage what he seemed to have gained when the Compulsion ceaseth Faction may be promoted by rigorous Execution of Laws but Religion never got footing but by Reason and Argument Not that I am against preserving true Religion by Civil Laws if any be so wicked as to invade the Rights of the Established Religion but I am against Persecution for Conscience sake We have all suffered for our Divisions Let this not be a price in the hand of a Fool as Solomon saith Prov. 17.16 to get wisdom seeing he hath no heart to it I hope God hath taught all Protestants by their Afflictions to lay hold of this present Opportunity to Unite else we are very mean Proficients in the School of Christ It is true very few or perhaps none of us here present this day before God have suffered in our Persons Estates or Livelihoods But if we are Christians we should have a Sympathy and Fellow-feeling with our Brethren in Affliction we should be grieved for the Afflictions of Joseph I mean for the Calamities Disgraces Reproaches and Imprisonment of our Fathers and Brethren of the Nobility Gentry Clergy and Commons who opposed Popish Innovations and Arbitrary Power And even we our selves were just at the Pits brink almost fallen but God who heard the Publican's Prayer hath been merciful to us Sinners If we are stubborn obstinate and will nothing relent God can yet consume us by sending an evil Spirit among us but I hope there is a Blessing behind for us and our Posterity If we are Atheists Neuters or Luke-warm like the Church of Laodicea neither hot nor cold if

Reign being the first King of Israel he was very prosperous against the Ammonites and other Enemies of God's People and all the Men of Israel rejoyced greatly But Saul did not long continue in this happy Condition He rebelled against God to whom Kings ought to be subject and did not hearken to his Commands Whereupon God rejected him and determined to translate the Kingdom to David The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and a evil Spirit from the Lord troubled him Which melancholick Distemper occasioned him to seek out a Skilful Musician to divert his perplexed Mind And one of his Servants mentioned David as an excellent Artist and a mighty valiant Man and a Man of War and Prudent in Matters and a comely Person and one much in God's favour This wrought upon the King and he sent for him and was well pleased and much refreshed with David's Musick David had not been long at Court but by his Prudent Behaviour Integrity and great Valour he became very renowned Saul made him General and he was accepted in the sight of all the People and also in the sight of Saul's Servants And after David's Victory over the Philistins they Playing on Instruments highly exalted David in their Songs of Triumph This filled Saul's heart with envy and from that day forward he eyed David The King greatly jealous of him would have killed him with a Javelin and was very angry with his Son Jonathan for holding Correspondence and making a League of Amity with him When David understood the King's wrath he fled But Saul's envy and malice increased and he persecuted him from place to place David still protested his Innocence and Loyalty and not only barely protested but sufficiently manifested it by saving the King's life when it was in his power to kill him In this his Distress David being a Man of Valour gathered together about Four hundred Men and became Captain over them And did good Service to his People against the Enemies of the Lord. Particularly in this Chapter he saved the Inhabitants of Keilah from the Philistins When Saul heard that David was at Keilah he resolved to Besiege him David being informed of this inquired of God whether King Saul would certainly come down with his Army and whether the men of Keilah would deliver him up into Saul's hands The Lord answered him and said Saul will come down and that the men of Keilah would deliver him up The words are a Question proposed by David to God And from this place some both Divines and Statesmen have been of Opinion That it is very lawful for Subjects to defend themselves by force of Arms against the oppression and violence of their Kings Which matter being very great and weighty and of present practice is worthy of most serious Consideration This may well occasion two Questions First Whether it may be deduced from this Text that it is lawful for Subjects to defend themselves by force of Arms against the Oppression and Violence of their Kings Secondly Whether it may be deduced from any other grounds First I shall consider whether it may be deduced from this Text. They who are for the Affirmative say That it is very clear that David did intend to defend himself against King Saul by force of Arms. And to this purpose desired to know of the Lord whether the Keilites would prove treacherous to him or would stand by him and fight to defend him They say that David would not have fled if he had not understood their design to deliver him up into the hands of Saul Now it cannot be denied that David was the Servant of God a very good and religious man and therefore if this had been Rebellion and Rebellion so hainous a Crime David would not have intended that which they say he did intend to defend himself by fortifying the place yea and giving Saul Battel Again it cannot be denied that David was Saul's Subject that he was injuriously treated oppressed and persecuted by Saul And upon the whole matter they conclude That this example or instance of David will justifie Defensive Arms in case of Oppression of Governours And I must confess that I cannot answer the Arguments if what they who maintain this Opinion say be true to wit That David did intend to oppose Saul by force of Arms. I am of Opinion and fully convinced that David intended to defend himself against his King in Keilah if he could have been sure that they would have helped him Because he might have fled before the Inquiry seeing David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him v. 9. Whether David saith no mean Divine would have defended Keilah against Saul I leave to the Conscience of the Reader considering that this only is made the reason of his removing from Keilah because the men of Keilah would not be faithful to him For he did not inquire of the Lord whether it were lawful for him to abide in Keilah but having inquired whether Saul would come down against him and whether the Keilites would deliver him up into Saul's hands he removed from Keilah because the Lord answered him that they would deliver him up not because it was unlawful for him to keep the City but because the City would be false to him And the end why he desired to know whether the Keilites would deal falsely with him or no was that he might by his more early flight prevent their design of delivering him up into the hands of Saul It is certain by the event that as soon as their ungrateful treachery was discovered to David he forthwith arose departed out of Keilah and escaped And Pelacher a very Learned Analyzer saith that this flight was commanded to David by the Divine Oracle at which he inquired The Supposition then is plain and clear that David would have defended himself in Keilah against Saul if the Keilites would have been true to him Which may be proved by these Considerations First It is certain by Scripture that David had a Company Six handred men at least And why should he gather so many men together or what use of such an Army if not to defend himself by force of Arms against the injustice of Saul This will be more plain if we reflect on Chap. 22. the Chapter before the Text. Where we read that David departed from Achish King of Gath and escaped to the Cave of Adullam and when his Brethren and all his Fathers house heard it they went down thither to him It is supposed to be a Town in the Tribe of Judah fortified by Nature and Art He received all that came to him and was their Captain He secured his Father and Mother with the King of Moab to whom Saul was an Enemy at that time 1 Sam. 14.47 Which had been needless if there had not been an Association to defend themselves The Prophet Gad one of God's holy Prophets was on his side and commanded him in God's Name to go into the