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
A91898	Panoplia. Universa arma. Hieron. Or, The Christian compleatly armed: being a treatise of the Christians armour, clearly opening every part thereof, both pressing to the putting of it on, and instructing us so to use it, as we may not be soyled in time of temptation. / Delivered by that late reverend, and faithfull minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Ralph Robinson, pastor of Mary Woolnoth, London, to his congregation there, in several lectures: and now published for the further benefit of the Church of God.	Robinson, Ralph, 1614-1655.	1656 (1656)	Wing R1710; Thomason E1586_2; ESTC R208953	180,905	372

did not say unto any Command of God stand by but did desire to obey universally True holiness saith not as Naaman In this thing the Lord pardon thy Servant c. 2 Reg. 5. 18. but saith with David Concerning thy precepts I account them in all things to be just and therefore I hate every false way Psal 119. 128. little duties as well as great small lies meer omissions c. It is not one action which denominates a man righteous but universality of obedience God gives this commendation to Caleb the Son of Jephunneth that he wholly followed the Lord Deut. 1. 36. and Moses gives the same testimony to Joshuah Josh 14. 9. A righteous person knowes 1 That there is the same purity in all Gods Commands And 2 that there is the same obligation for every Command He that saith do not commit Adultery saith also Do not kill c. Jam. 2. 10 11. And 3. that one sin allowed will ruine and sink his soul and disturb his peace as well as many And 4. he hates sin as sin and he loves obedience as obedience and therefore applies himself to all holinesse 2. He that lives a righteous life doth cordially bewail every Act of unrighteousnese His sin is his sorrow and burden and his Conscience is wounded for the least iniquity not onely that which is known to men but even that which is known to God onely his secret wandrings produce both secret and open grief It s said of David that his heart smote him for the cutting off of the lap of Sauls Garment 1 Sam. 24. 5. and 2 Sam. 24. 10. the same is said of him for the numbering of the people Neither of these were sins of any high or scandalous nature and yet they occasioned great trouble to Davids soul Yea true holiness doth much lament the body of sin that dwells within him though it do not break forth into actuall exorbitancies Thus it was with Paul Rom. 7. 23. 24. I see a Law in my members c. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me c. yea and secret sins as well as known sins And all this sorrow in the heart of a righteous person is not onely or principally for the mischief sin hath or may work unto himself here or hereafter but chiefly out of that Antipathy which is in his heart against sin and out of respect to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost who is offended and wronged by his sin An unrighteous person casts his sins behinde his back never remembers them unless it be with sensuall delight or at most legal sorrow and that not so much for hatred of sin as fear of Hell but a truly righteous person sets them continually before his face And that not onely before but after pardon Psal 51. 3. and yet Nathan had told him before that God had put away his sin he should not die 2 Sam. 12. 13. And so Mary Magdalen 3. He that is of a righteous life is as careful to abstain from appearances of evill as from apparent and direct evill He dares not touch any thing that looks sin-like or that hath the least affinity with it If any thing be propounded to him which hath the face of vice he dares not for all the world have any thing to do with it he will not eat swines flesh or drink the broth Isay 64. 4. If the thing be doubtful whether it may or may not be done he will do that which is most safe and leave it undon Any thing which may be justly an occasion of sin to others Any thing which may have sinful consequences Any thing which may be liable to misconstruction Any thing which may prove detrimentall to others Any thing which may strengthen confirm and settle wicked men in sin though the thing should not perhaps be a sin in it selfe yet he that hath the Breast-plate of righteousness dares not do it because it hath the appearance of sin Any thing that is of evill report It was lawfull for Paul to eat flesh whatsoever is sold in the Shambles that eat asking no question for Conscience sake yet when that action might have an appearance of evill and be a scandall to others he resolves not to do it 1 Cor. 8. 13. Paul might as lawfully have circumcised Titus as he did Timothy but when he foresaw that it would have produced an evill consequence viz. it would have confirmed the Jews in the errour of the Circumcision he would not do it Gal. 2. 3 4 Holy Daniel Cap. 1. 8. would not eat of the Kings meat nor drink of his wine there was an appearance of evill he did not know but something might be in it which was uncleane to a Jew by the Law or something which had been consecrated to Idolls Tertullian will have no lights in the worship of God because mos erat haereticorum Heretiques used so to do 1. A righteous person hath an Antipathy against sin and this makes his heart rise against any thing that is but like it 2. A righteous person is acquainted with the subtlety of the Devil and the incroaching nature of sin he that gives way to the appearances of sin will in a short time yield to that which is apparently evil LECT XII Decemb. 26. 1649. 4. HE that leades a life truly righteous Lect. 12. desires and endeavours every day to be more righteous He is one whose care is to cleanse himself from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. This Character the Holy Ghost gives of the righteous man Rev. 22. 11. He that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still The particle Still denotes not onely continuance but progress in holiness He desires not onely to bring forth the fruits of righteousness but to be filled with the fruits of righteousness and to abound more and more he doth desire daily to put off the old man and to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Ephes 4. 22 24. First he seeth the vileness and odiousness of sinne and therefore would have it further mortified he seeth the excellency and beauty of holiness and therefore he would have it increased and to this purpose desires to make conscionable use of all meanes of Mortification and Renovation Secondly he seeth what a little measure of holiness it is which he hath yet attained unto and this makes him mend his pace 5. The righteous man is one who workes righteousness in all times Not onely when it is gainful but even then when it is dangerous and prejudicial This is David's character of himself Psal 119. 20. My soul breaketh for the longing i● hath to thy judgments at all times And this is that character which he makes of others Psal 106. 3. Blessed are they that keep judgment and he that doth righteousness at all times A righteous person

a practical transforming knowledge His knowledge is diffused into every step of his life into every action his life is reformed by his knowledge and conformed to the truths of God whereas the knowledge of an unbeleiver neither changeth his heart nor life except it be from evill to worse his knowledge puffeth him up 1 Cor. 8. 1. it makes him more proud and more sensual It s said of the Heathen that they retained nor God in their knowledge Rom. 1. 28. but became vain in their imaginations the one hath onely the form of knowledge Rom. 2. 20. the other hath not onely the form but the power and the life also 3. The knowledge of faith is a knowledge which raises the heart nearer to God The knowledge of a Beleiver crucifieth the world unto him and him unto the world Gal. 6. 14. vide Phil. 3. 8. 10. whereas the knowledge of an unbeleiver bows down his soul nearer the earth 2. Concerning the assent of an unbeleiver it differs from the assent of true faith thus 1. The assent of faith is a chearful assent It s free But the assent of an unbeleiver is without joy Jam. 2. 19. The devils beleive and tremble so do the unbeleiver at least concerning some truths 2. The assent of faith is universal So is not the assent of an unbeleiver at least his chearful assent There are some truths in the Scripture which threaten ruine and destruction to all in his condition these he cannot assent to at least joyfully There are some truths which call him to the practise of such things which he hath no affection to the crucifying of sin the mortifying of corruptions cutting off the right hand c. he had rather these were not truths than real truths he hath secret wishes that these truths were either raced out or else that they had been propounded with a greater latitude 2. Mistake is about Application He that can truly apply Christ to himself hath true faith in Christ for this is the Ratio formalis the special act of faith Now many an unbeleiver thinks he can apply Christ as well as any other Those in Luk. 13. 25 26 come to Christ with much seeming confidence as if they had been of intimate acquaintance with him Lord Lord open to us and yet never had saving faith in him I shall here shew a threefold difference between the Application of a Beleiver and an unbeleiver 1. The Application of saving faith is from something of Christ wrought savingly within him He finds the Image of Christ in him he hath well grounded hopes of it and therefore applies Christ to him As Thomas in another case sees the print of the nails and then saith My Lord and my God So a true Beleiver sees upon his soul the print of the nails the dyings of the Lord Jesus the Characters of his death burial resurrection and therefore applies him to himself Whereas the application of Christ made by an unbeleiver is meerly from that discovery which is made of Christ in the Scripture and not from any intrinsecal worth which he finds upon his own heart vide Galat. 2 20. there you have Pauls application I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me c. What ground can you shew within you why Christ is yours 2. The Application of saving faith is alwayes agreeable to the tenor of the Promise and Covenant wherein Christ is held forth Vide Ezek. 36. 25 26 27. Faith applies the grace of Christ as well as the merit of Christ applies Christ for sanctification as well as for justification applies the water as well as the bloud the application which an unbeleiver makes is onely or chiefly of the comforts and of the purchase of Christ c. he applies the Merit of Christ not the Spirit of Christ the Promises not the Commands c. whereas true faith applies him universally his Kingly and Prophetical Office as well as his Priestly vide Phil. 3. 9 10. 3. The Application of faith is alwayes accompanied with self-Resignation The true Beleiver doth as chearfully surrender himself to Christ as applies Christ to himself So did the Apostle Phil. 3. 12. he would not onely apprehend but be apprehended And so the Church Cant. 2. 16. My beloved is mine and I am his He doth not onely apply the sin offering but he offers also the burnt Offering The Apostle Rom. 12. 1. would have Christians to yeeld themselves to God c. The unbeleiver he onely applies Christ to himself he doth not voluntarily yeeld himself to Christ he doth not dedicate himself to Christ by holiness and obedience 2. I shall now give some positive evidences of true faith I shall ground them upon several places of Scripture 1. That of the Apostle Acts 15. 9. Purifying your hearts by faith Heart purity is a necessary concomitant and consequence of saving faith Jesus Christ saith the Apostle is made unto us of God wisdom righteousness sanctification c. 1 Cor. 1. 30. If by faith thou hast Christ for thy righteousness he is also thy sanctification He whose heart is unpurified is destitute of the grace of faith Now the purification of the heart may be known by these five evidences 1. A purified heart is a heart that truly bewails all pollutions and impurities The most clean heart hath some pollution unmortified but he hath no defilement unlamented his stains and sores and spots are his greatest burthen his heaviest sorrow Pauls body of death put him to more grief than all the troubles which befel him in his whole life Rom. 7. 23 24. Is it so with thee Dost thou bewail the uncleanness of thy heart cordially sadly secretly Thou wouldest gladly be delivered from it Thou canst neither eat nor drink nor sleep quietly with it The impurity of thy heart turns thy sweetnesses into bitternesse This is certainly an effect of true faith Vide Zech. 12. 10. Looking upon Christ is beleiving in him this beleiving is expressed by sorrowing And if thou wouldest in truth be rid of thy corruptions thou wilt then diligently make use of all meanes be they never so painfull never so costly that may cleanse them away 2. A purified heart will kindly accept of brotherly reproof for his impurity or any advice that may make him clean He will love a person better all his life for any faithful rebuke or counsel Psalm 141. 5. Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness c. David shews the purity of his heart by his accepting the rebukes of Abigail 1 Sam. 25. 32 33. A heart that is purified is best pleased with that Sermon that comes closest to his conscience he would have all his heart discovered to himself Hide nothing from me said Eli to Samuel 1 Sam. 3. 17. Yea he begs that God would search his heart for him Psalm 139. 23 24. Whereas a heart that is unclean cares not to have any spot discovered he either openly flies in the face or else secretly hates

an unlawfull meanes to work a miracle at the direction and command of Satan Thus was Nehemiah assaulted Neh. 6. 10. which was doubtlesse from Satan though not immediatly but by the hand of a pretended friend Thus he tempted Abraham to equivocate and deny his wife in a day of outward trouble vid. Gen. 12 11. 12 13. 2. The day of Church-calamity especially when cruell Heretiques and cunning Seducers are risen up This is one speciall time of Satans assaulting such as are truely godly And indeed this is I suppose the evil day of which the Apostles speaks more particularly in this place We read Act. 20. 29 30. that the Apostle taking his last leave of this Church of Ephesus doth by the Spirit of prophecy give them to understand in his farewell Sermon That when he was gon away there should enter in grievous wolves which should not spare the flock and that there should arise seducers from amongst themselves which should preach 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preserve things to draw away disciples after them And now writing to this very Church he doth put them in mind of this evill day Zanchy in his Commentaries upon this Text gives us this Interpretation making this day to be meant especially of that time when God permits Satan quasi solutum grassari et Ecclesiamturbari per tyrannos per haereticos tam occultos hppocritas quàm manifestos And indeed as this day is an evill day so it is a fit day for Satan to assault and make his Onset In such a Day 1 He doth endevour to prevaile with christians to doubt of the truth which they had receivved embraced and many times to cast it off and to run after fables You shall find that in such a day as this Satan hath carried many captive by this temptation vid. Gal. 1. 6. In this evill day there was a great Apostacy from the faith of the Gospel And 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. we have a prophecy of the defection which should be made in such times vid. 2 Cor. 11. 2. 3. 2 He tempts many in such a day to revile speak evill of the truth 2 Pet. 2. 2. Satan is no doubt very busie at such a time both by feare of persecution and by promise of rewards and by hopes of sinfull liberty to draw off men from the simplicity of the Gospel to embrace his delusions We find in our own Church by the lukewarmnesse of most and the defection of many that such a day is a great assaulting day 3 The day of sinfull miscarriage When a child of God slips through infirmity and frailty into some enormity this is a speciall day of temptation to the soul Satan makes many onsets in such a day viz. 1 He assaults the soul by temptations to Conceale and hide the sin commited thus he assaulted David Psal 32. 3. Satan that drew him into the sin assaulted and tempted him afterward not to confesse his sin And David lay a long time in that snare till God sent Nathan to set conscience a speaking 2 He tempts the soul to Excuse the sin at least in part Thus he assaulted our first parents first he drew them into sin then tempts them to make excuse The Serpent saith the woman beguiled me and I did eat Gen. 3. 13. And saith the man The woman which thou gav'st me she gave me of the tree I did eat Gen. 3. 12 And thus was Aaron assaulted by Satan when he had sinned vid. Exod. 32. 22. 23. 24. We may see how irrationall his answer is he would have excused his sin and he doth indeed by all he saith aggravate his sin Thus he tempted Abraham to make an excuse for his lying Gen. 20. 12. She is the daughter of my Father but not the daughter of my Mother c. 3 He tempts them in such a day to call in question their Conversion Regeneration because of their sin David seems to be under this temptation when he had fallen into the sins of murther and adultery Psa 51. 10. Create in me a cleane heart ô God and renew a right spirit within me He was tempted to believe that such sins were inconsistent with conversion therefore he calls for a new Creation 4. He tempts the soul to despaire of remission and pardon and reconciliation with God Under this tempation was the Church in Lam. 3. 42 They prayed and had not present sense of forgivenesse therefore they were ready to question whether God had or would forgive their sin 4. The day of spirituall desertion when God for sin hides the light of his countenance from the soul Such a day is a peculiar day of temptation Satan will rage with violence at such a time 1 He will perswade the soul that God hath utterly cast him off Thus it was with Jonah Cap. 2. 4. And under this temptation was Asaph in such a day Psal 77 7 8. 9. Wil the Lord cast off for ever will he be favourable no more Is his mercy gon for ever hath God forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies And so it was with Heman Psal 88. 14. Lord why castest thou off my soul why hidest thou thy face from me 2 He perswades the soul at such a time to cast off God and to cast off duty and to leave waiting upon God He perswades the soul that all religion is in vaine and to no purpose that he doth but dishonour God in making mention of his name c. 5. The day of extraordinary Enlargement and inward manifestations of God When the soul hath had more then ordinary communion with God then Satan usually tempts And in such a day he assaults the soul 1 Which spiritual security vid. Cant. 5. 1 2. In the former verse we see Christ and the Church feasting together Jesus Christ had shewed her more then ordinary favour now Satan takes occasion of tempting the soul and the next news you heare she is sung into a spirituall slumber I sleepe but my heart waketh 2 With spirituall pride Satan then sets the soul upon applauding it selfe as if for some worth in it self it had enjoyed such great enlargements vid. 2 Cor. 12. 7. The Apostle in that story discovers to us what snare the tempter useth after great Revelations Euge Barnarde 6. After some great temporall Advancement or Deliverance When God had given David many victories and had made his name dreadfull to the nations then doth Satan set upon him 1 Chron. 21. 1. In the former Chapter you may read of his great successes over the Philistims and Moabites and the King of Zobah and the Syrians and Edomites vid. Cap. 18. Cap. 19. over the Moabites and Cap. 20. you have a list of his worthies Then Cap. 21. 1. Satan tempts him c. And the Temptation of such an evill day is To swell up the heart with pride and vain glory so it was with David Satan tempted him to number the people And