Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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B08263
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An alarme to awake church-sleepers. Describing the causes, discovering the dangers, prescribing remedies for this drowsie disease.
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1644
(1644)
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Wing A826A; ESTC R119
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53,648
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177
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rags Pro. 23.21 Pro. 20.18 As hee that loveth sleepe commeth to poverty So he that loveth to sleepe at Church cannot but bee poore in grace and seeing the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleepe Eccles 5.12 thy sleepe bewrayes thy povertie 10. They receive no benefit by the Word preached the same being unto them wholly unfruitfull CHAP. V. Objections for Church-sleeping answered THey are of divers sorts some justifying it others extenuating it others translating the fault thereof on others all which may bee reduced into these five Objections Whereof the 1. may be taken from The sinne it selfe The 2. from The person committing it The 3. from The Preacher The 4. from The matter delivered The 5. The persons reproving it Sect. 1. The sinne it selfe From the sin itselfe I. It is no great sinne It is at the most but one of the little ones A. and so not worth the regarding A. 1. If it bee a sinne it is to be avoided how small soever in it selfe How small soever in comparison of other sinnes Ier. 4.14 Isa 3.16 The Lord taketh notice even of vaine thoughts disdainfull and proud lookes wanton eyes walking with stretched-forth necks and such other unseemly gestures Mat. 12.36 and of every idle word that men shall speake they shall give an account on the day of judgement how much more then taketh he notice of this sinne How much more shall wee be called to an account for the same Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepè â—adendo 2. Even small sinnes continued in and unrepented of becomming at the length sinnes of customeare most dangerous A drop of water by falling on the hardest stone maketh it at the length hollow and the smallest sinne continued in doth at the length no lesse wound the conscience then the greatest yea those which at the length prove hainous crimes were but as we may so speake pettie offences Did not Mariners daily pumpe out the water that by little and little unperceived entereth the ship it would be thereby no lesse endangered then by some sudden great leake so did not Gods children daily mortifie their smallest corruptions they could not but at one time or other make shipwracke of Faith and of a good conscience 3. It is even in it selfe a great sinne and in like manner the cause of others as hath beene already shewed 4. Gods children make conscience even of their smallest sinnes 1 Sam. 24.5 If David doe but but off the lappe of Sauls garment his heart smites him for it Exod. 10.26 As Moses would have the cattell to goe with them and not an hoofe to bee left behind for Pharaoh that thereof they might take to serve the Lord their God in the wildernesse so must not we employ any one member on the service of Satan Rom. 12.1 but our whole man in every part and facultie thereof on the service of God at all times 5. Even for small sinnes as wee may so speake hath God inflicted fearefull judgements Gen. 20.2 6.18 as on the familie of Abimelech who had taken but not touched Sarai Abrahams wife 1 Sam. 6.19 2 Sam. 6.7 On the men of Bethshemesh for looking into the Arke and on Vzza for putting his hand thereon when the oxen shaked it 6. As the least sinne displeaseth God and for the least wee are to call upon God for mercy as David for the sinnes of his youth so ever the least occasioned the death of Christ Psal 1.25.7 II. Jt is an ordinary usuall thing and so the lesse to be regarded A. A. Therefore it is the more dangerous the more to be avoided 1 Pet. 3.20 Gods judgements being chiefly inflicted because of Nationall sinnes Was not disobedience the common sinne of the old world yet was not it left unpunished 2 Pet. 2.5 God spared not the old world saith S. Peter but saved Noah the eight person a Preacher of righteousnesse bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly Ezek. 16.49 were not pride fulnesse of bread abundance of idlenesse and unmercifulnesse to the poore the common sinnes of Sodome 2 Pet. 2.6 yet â—urned he it into ashes and conâ—emned it with an overthrow Agreeable hereunto is that of he Prophet touching Israel Hos 411. The Lord hath a controversie with the inhabitants of the â—and because there is no truth â—or mercy nor knowledge of God in the land Verse 2 By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing of adultery they breake out and blood toucheth blood Therefore shall the land mourne Verse 3 and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish The Benjamites one and all tooke part with those wicked men in Gibeah Iudg. 20.14 and did they not notwithstanding smart for it Though then Church-sleeping bee common it followeth not that therefore it is warrantable The rifer any evill is in the places or ages we live in the more carefull should wee be to shun and avoide the same See then saith the Apostle that yee walke circumspectly Eph. 5.15 16 not as fooles but as wise redeeming the time because the dayes are evill Arâ— the times then wee live in oâ— the places wee abide in morâ— then ordinarily evill in thiâ— kind That giveth us no liberty but should make so much the more wary lest wee bâ— taken napping Gen. 6.9 Noah was a just man in his generation even in that generation wherein the whole world was over-grown with wickednesse so should wee watch at Church though others be thereat taken with the sleeping evill III. To sleepe at Church is not hurtfull or prejudiciall unto others A. A. But what good is there hereby done unto any Malum est non fecisse bonum Chrys de virt vit To doe no good is in effect the same with to doe evill yea thus doing thou dost both hurt thy selfe and others Thy selfe as being hereby deprived of the sincere milke of the Word Others as being unto them through thy evill example a stone of offence IIII. To sleepe at Church is not so bad as then and there to have thoughts of covetousnesse Ezek. 33.31 eyes of adultery revenge disdaine and the like by being awake A. 1. A. The question is not which of the two are the lesser evill this or that 2. If thou didst seriously consider in whose presence thou art even in his who is a God cloathed with majestie and honour Heb. 12.29 a consuming fire and an everlasting burning who cannot away with sinne the least sinne in any and to what end thou didst come into Gods house thou wouldst neither sinne so nor so 3. Thy thoughts and lookes being such it appeares that thou makest but small conscience of thy wayes 4. If thou wouldst pray with the Psalmist Psal 119.36 Jncline mine heart unto thy Testimonies and not to covetousnesse Verse 37 And Turne away mine eyes from beholding vanity and
By what meanes an hunger after the Word may be wrought in us Take a tast thereof in private by reading and meditation Hereby the soule cannot but get much both instruction and consolation 2. Consider the excellencie necessity and utilitie of the same whereof I have already spoken at large Psal 19.10 Prov. 3.15 and 8.10 and wereof both David and Salomon did make so much account that they esteemed it above gold silver rubies and what not 6. Resolve to attend unto and make conscience of the sacred ordinance of preashing there delivered as Job Job 31.1 J have made a covenant with my eyes why then should I thinke upon a maide So doe we make a covenant as with our eares to heare so with our eyes not to sleepe at Church Such was Davids religious care for the Arke Psal 132.4 that hee would not give sleepe to his eyes nor slumber to his eye-lids untill he found out a place for the Lord and habitation for the mighty God of Jacob And such must ours bee at the Word if wee would have any communion with God in that sacred ordinance Jacob being Labans shepheard Gen. 31.40 and making conscience of his duty his sleepe by night departed from his eyes and assuredly so would sleepe depart from ours especially by day if we made conscience of hearing the Word 7. Vse the creatures sparingly both sleepe for what is said of drinking water may be said of this Quo plùs sunt potae plùs sitiuntur aquae the more it is taken the more it is desired and meate and drinke for when men have over-liberally eate and drunke they are wont to bee heavie and drowsie ready to slumber as they sit fit for nothing but for sleepe Such excesse as it is a meanes even to drowne the mind and by casting reason and understanding into a deepe and deadly sleepe to make men unable to watch against the motions of sinne to shut the doore of the heart against all vertues and to set it open to all vices so much more stupifieth it the body contrarily 1 Thes 5.6 Sobrietie is an especiall helpe to vigilancie 1 Pet. 47. which therefore the Apostles are usually wont to joyne together 8. Consider whither wee are going before whom to what end and who wee are To Gods house into the presence of the God of heaven to bee made partakers of the Word for the good of our soules wee being as of our selves of all others the most unworthy 9. Pray as for the Preacher that his lips may preserve knowlede Mal. 2.7 he may be faithfull in delivering the whole Counsell of God unto us Act. 20.27 and hee may powerfully and wisely speake to our consciences Rom. 1.16 and the Word read or preached that it may bee unto us the power of God unto our salvation 2 Cor â—2 16 the savour of life unto life and as good seed sowne in a good ground so for our selves and others that our eares may be attentive our eyes fixed on the Preacher our mindes bee opened to understand and our hearts and affections sanctified to obey the holy Word Ob. Ob. I cannot possibly spare so much time from my Calling as to thinke on these things or be thus prepared A. Sol. 1. As our Saviour unto Martha Martha Martha thou art carefull Luk. 10 41 4â— and troubled about many things but one thing is needfull and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not bee taken away from her so may I unto thee The soule is to bee preferred unto the body and thou art more carefull of this then that 2. Bodily exercise profiteth little but godlinesse is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come 3. Seeke ye first the kingdome of God 1 Tim. 4.8 and his righteousnesse and all these things shall bee added unto you 4. Even in the doing of the workes of our Calling wee may both meditate pray resolve c. and so that bee no let to this Wee omit not our bodily recreation notwithstanding the workes of our calling and why should wethis 6. Wee take time to finne and why should wee not take time to prevent sinne Sect. 2. When wee come to Church When wee come to Church wee must In Generall In generall 1. Take heed unto our affections which the Preacher signifieth by these words Keepe thy foot when thou goest to the house of God Eccles 5.1 and be more ready to heare then to give the sacrifice of fooles 2. Get our eyes to bee anointed with eye-salve that we may see Rev. 3.18 and our eares open that wee may heare Remembring that as God hath bestowed upon us eyes and eares so when wee are come into his house both must be set on worke As our eyes must bee seeing so must our eares bee hearing and obedient as we our selves swift to beare Iam. 1.19 to this purpose is that so often reiterated phrase Hee that hath eares to heare Mat. 11.15 let him heare Yea as it is usuall for one that is drowsie to wash and rub his eyes or that feeleth any impediments in his eares to picke them so when wee perceive drowsinesse to creepe on us at Church wee must then rouse up our selves 3. Bee possessed with Gods feare Isa 66.2 1 Sam. 4.13 that wee may tremble at the Word As Eli whilst hee sate on a stooleby the way side watched because his heart trembled for the Arke of God So if when wee are at Church our hearts shall tremble in respect of our present danger through Satan wee shall be kept waking Dan. 2.1 Nebuchadnezzar being troubled his sleepe went from him so were wee troubled for sinne or did stand in awe of god because of the same it would not fall on us Griefe and sorrow occasion sleepe Luk. 22.44 Vigilabis si timebis August Timor domini janitor animi Ber. formido facit solicitudinem Ter. Psal 4.4 Pro. 16.6 but feare and care make vigilant and watchfull This is as a Porter set at the doore of our soule and will also keepe our eyes waking There is no affection more watchfull then this Stand in awe and sinne not yea as by this men depart from evill so shall wee through it from this of sleeping at Church This being kept fresh in our hearts will make us carefull to shunne and fearefull to doe ought that may offend him whom we feare In feare of invasion men are wont to keepe due watch and ward but when there is no such danger misdoubted like the men of Lachish Iudg. 18.7 they are the more carelesse and secure and thereupon are often upon the sudden oppressed At the hearing of the Word wee are at all times in danger of the assaults of Satan there is then neither time nor place to sleepe thereat The Crane which is by the rest appointed for Sentinell