Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	day_n	holy_a	sabbath_n	1,012	5	9.4280	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67153	A practical commentary or exposition upon the Pentateuch viz. These five books of Moses Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Wherein the text of every chapter is practically expounded, according to the doctrine of the Catholick Church, in a way not usually trod by commentators; and wholly applyed to the life and salvation of Christians. By Ab. Wright; sometime fellow of St. John's Colledge in Oxford.	Wright, Abraham, 1611-1690.	1662 (1662)	Wing W3688; ESTC R221054	292,675	224

breach of Piety punishable with Death Let them also think of those Infernal Ravens and Vultures that shall torment them in Hell and continually feed upon their Souls Verse 10. Because Marriage was appointed a remedy against Fornication therefore the Law of God inflicted a sorer punishment upon him which did commit uncleanness after Marriage than upon him which was not Married because he sinned although he had the remedy of sin like a rich Thief which stealeth and hath no need So Deut. 22. 22. Verse 25. Ye shall make this difference between the clean and unclean Beast saith God First because ye may be at my appointment for your very meat as who am chief Lord of all Secondly that there may be a difference between you and all other People Thirdly that ye may be taught to study purity and know that the very Creatures are defiled by mans sin It is hard to deal in the World and not be defiled with the corruption that is in the World And therefore we are taught by this Law to abstain from the communion of unclean and wicked men in whom are found the malignities and evil properties of all other Creatures CHAP. XXI Verse 17. THis was done to preserve the Dignity of the Priests Calling in that infancy of the Church which otherwise might have come into contempt together with the holy things for the contemptible shew of the Priest Yet thus much we may learn by it further that if these infirmities of body which they could not help made them unfit then to be Priests may not now wilful impiety being a blot in Soul and Mind disable a man from being a Minister to God in his own Conscience although he have the outward calling of men Verse 18. Blind is he who wanting light from above is wholly drowned and overwhelmed with the darkness of this World Lame is he who seeing whither he should go yet is not able through weakness of understanding to get thither but fainteth and faileth stumbleth and trippeth in his going and cometh short of his right end By a flat nose may be noted a weakness in Judgement and Discretion because the nose discerneth good savours from ill as the mind should also do things fit and unfit In the Canticles 7. 4. among the praises of the Spouse it is said her nose is like a tower in Lebanon because by Judgement she discerneth afar off temptation and evils coming as out of a Tower Verse 20. The scab is a foulness arising of an itch and spreading broader and broader if it be not look'd into and thereby is set down the vice of Covetousness which first beginneth with an itching desire and afterward for want of looking to spreadeth to a great foul Vice deforming any man but most unseemly in a Priest who ought to be clean L●●●ly by him that hath his stones broken are noted such as though they do not act yet have ever in their minds lewd and unclean thoughts whereby they are so desperately carried away as pure and clean and holy meditations can take no place Verse 22. Albeit blemished persons might not stand at the Altar yet were they allowed to eat the Sacrifices and to be in the Congregation shadowing unt ous that the Church although blemished nevertheless is admitted to the communion and participation of those things which Christ by his eternal Sacrifice hath obtain'd for us And although some one or other infirmity may justly disable thee for such a place either in Church or Common-wealth yet from a place with the Elect either here or for ever it shall not hinder thee No nor ten thousand blemishes if thou art grieved for them and fighting against them dost take hold of thy spotless Saviour as thy help and safety against them all CHAP. XXII Verse 6. NOne but those that were clean might eat of the holy Things nay those that did but enter into the Tabernacle being unclean were threatned with death by God Now what should this solemn preparation under the Type put us in mind of but the true and inward preparation required still of us in the Anti-type that is to teach us that we ought carefully to sanctifie prepare and purifie not our clothes and external parts but our hearts from all sin and impurity before we presume to approach into the presence of God either to eat of Christ our spiritual Passover or to hear and receive his most holy Word And certainly the neglect hereof is the very cause why that Sacrament which is to some the Bread of Life is to others the Bread of Condemnation and that Word of God which is to some the Saviour of Life unto Life is to others the Saviour of Death unto Death Verse 19. A good Work without the heart is but a glorious sin for not so much the things themselves as the affections of men are considered of God One may have a free mind in poverty and a sparing mind in riches so it is not the Work but the Mind Thus the Lord regards not so much the thing done as the heart and mind of him that did it If we build only on the Work we have no better evidence to shew for our salvation then the Devils and Reprobates Not the Work then but the Heart is that that will stand and go for currant to shew this the Lord would have a free-will Offering among all the rest of his Sacrifices hereby shewing that the heart must be joyn'd with obedience nay so much did the Lord regard the Heart that he would not admit of any Gift for the building of the Temple but what came from a free will CHAP. XXIII Verse 2. IN that they were called the Feasts of the Lord men are taught in them to seek and attend such things as belonged to God and not their own business pleasures and sports And in the fourth verse they are called holy Convocations think therefore in your Conscience whether gadding and rioting be holy exercises and meet for an holy Convocation To this end they are still call'd in the Christian Church Holy dayes to put us in mind of the right use of them Verse 3. It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings Wherefore saith St. Augustine learn that no place priviledgeth thee to break Gods Law but as being a sinner whithersoever thou goest thou carriest the yoak of sin so being the servant of God in all places obey his Will Verse 5. O marvellous accordance betwixt the two Testaments in the very time of their delivery there is the same agreement which is in their substance The ancient Iews kept our Feasts and we still keep theirs The Feast of the Passover is the time of Christs Resurrection then did he passe from under the bondage of Death Christ is our Passover the spotless Lamb whereof not a bone must be broken And so likewise the very day wherein God came down in Fire and Thunder to deliver the Law even the same day came also the Holy Ghost

of the Spirit of God Verse 3. In the first the old Creation God the Father said Fiat lux let there be light in this greater World in the Second the New Creation or Regeneration of Man God the Holy Ghost said Fiat cognitio Dei in anima hominis let there be the knowledge of God in the mind of man of man this lesser world God the Father said Fiat Firmamentum let there be a Firmament God the Holy Ghost said Firmetur volunt as in bono let the will of Man be confirmed in that which is good God the Father said let the Waters be gathered together in one place God the Holy Ghost said let many graces be united in one soul. God the Father said Fiant luminaria in Coelo let there be lights in Heaven God the Holy Ghost saith let the lights of Faith Hope and Charity be fixed in a believing Soul God the Father said Fiant volatilia let there be flying Fouls God the Holy Ghost saith let there be religious Meditations in the mind of man soaring upward And thus in every thing the work of our spiritual Creation is answerable to the Work of our temporal in the beginning of the World and the operations of the Third Person in the blessed Trinity upon our Souls now are but as so many parallel Lines drawn from the actions of the First Person of the same blessed Trinity upon our bodies then Verse 10. In this and several other Verses of this Chapter it is said that at the dayes end God looked upon the whole that he had made and he saw that it was good and at the end of the week taking a view of all his works together he saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good Gen. 1. 31. which sheweth that after God had done his Works he did reflect upon them and considered the quality and the condition of them In imitation hereof Wise men do wish us that at every dayes end we should reflect upon our Works and take a view of what we have done that day and at the Weeks end take an account of all our doings for that space of time and fo further as further occasion shall require And this enquiry or account taking of our Works they call the examination of our Souls or Consciences And surely if we did observe this rule though we could not find our Works as God did his Works to be good and very good but rather naught and very naught yet by this searching into our Works we may without all doubt make our Works for the future much better than they are for the present Verse 16. God here calls the Sun and the Moon two great Lights because though there be greater in the Firmament they appear greatest to us those Works of ours are greatest in the sight of God that are greatest in the sight of men that are most beneficial most exemplary and conduce most to the moving of others to glorifie God Verse 26. In other passages of the Creation we find a kind of commanding Dialect with a Fiat lux and a producat terra let there be light let the earth bring forth but in this of Adam we meet with words more particular of deliberation and advice Let us make man Man a Creature of those exquisite dimensions for matter of body of these supernatural endowments of Soul that now omnipotency bethinks it self and will consult the privy counsel of Father Son and Holy Ghost is required to the moulding and polishing of this glorious peece no doubt something of wonder was in projecting when a compleat Deity was thus studying its perfection something that should border upon everlastingness when the finger of God was so choicely industrious and loe what it produced Man the master-peece of his design and workmanship the great miracle and monument of Nature the abstract and model and brief story of the Universe the Analysis and Resolution of the greater world into the less having little to divide him from a Deity but that one part of him was mortal and that not created so but occasioned miserably occasion'd by disobedience Verse 27. When God had created all the other species of the Creation it is still said as the complement and perfection of each And God saw that it was good but here when Man was created there is no such Eulogy no such acclamation and why because there is no Creature but Man that degenerates willingly from his natural dignity these degrees of goodness which God imprinted in them at first they preserve still as God saw they were good then so he may see they are good still they have kept their Talent they have neither bought nor sold they have not gain'd nor lost they are not departed from their Native and Natural dignity by any thing that they have done but of Man it seems God was distrustful from the beginning he did not pronounce upon Mans Creation as he did upon the other Creatures that he was good because his goodness was a contingent thing and consisted in the future use of his free-will Verse 28. In the former Verse it is said that God created them Male and Female not both Male nor both Female but one Male the other Female as if purposely for the propagation of Children and therefore when he had created them so he said unto them in this Verse Encrease and multiply bring forth Children as other Creatures bring forth their Kinde Nor was this all the blessing bestowed upon Man at his Creation but God hath here also joyned Man in Commission with himself in the word Dominamini when he gave Man power to possess the Earth and subdue the Creatures and exercise soveraignty and dominion over them And further God hath made Man so equal to himself as not only to have a soul endless and immortal as God himself but to have a body that shall put on incorruption and immortality too which he hath given to none of the Angels insomuch that Man is higher than the Angels who want that glory that he shall have in his body CHAP. II. Verse 7. AS when Man was nothing but Earth nothing but a body he lay flat upon the Earth his mouth kiss'd the Earth his hands embraced his eyes respected the Earth and then God breath'd the breath of Life into him and that rais'd him so far from the Earth as that only one part of his body the soles of his feet touches it nd yet Man so rais'd by God by Sin fell lower to the Earth again than before from the face of the Earth to the Womb to the Bowels to the Grave so God finding the whole Man as low as he found Adams body then fallen in Original Sin yet erects us by a new breath of Life in the Sacrament of Baptisme and yet we fall lower than before we were rais'd from Original into Actual into Habitual Sins so low as that we think we need not a Resurrection and this is a

divinity our beloved sins Supernatural dreames are sent by God and his Angels and that either to comfort us as Mat. 2. 19. or to chasten us and fright us as here Such fearful dreames cause a bad sleep and a worse waking And therefore Job in his 7 chap. and 15. verse made choice of strangling rather than such dreams Hippocrates tels us that many have been so afrighted with dreames and apparitions that they have hanged themselves leaped into deep pits or other wise made themselves away Let those that either have not been so terrified or so tempted or so deserted of God blesse him for that mercy Verse 11. It is just in the Sacrament as it was in the dreames of Pharaohs Butler The clusters of the Vine brought forth ripe Grapes and Pharaohs cup was in his hand and the Butler took the Grapes and press'd them into Pharaohs cup. The Sacrament is as a Vine set before us full of clusters of ripe Grapes and these Grapes full of juyce Christ with all his fulness offered to us in the Sacrament Now our care and course should be to have the liquor and bloud of these Grapes poured into the cup of our hearts How may that be done now as Pharaohs cup came full'd he took the Grapes press'd them crushed them into Pharaohs cup so the cup was fill'd So must we take these Grapes and press and crush them we must squeeze forth the liquor of them That we do when faith is actuated and is set on worke in the use of the Sacrament Actuated faith takes these Grapes and presses them and wrings out of the Sacrament that which fills our hearts Verse 13. Pharaohs Butler and his Baker went both out of prison in a day and in both cases Ioseph in the interpretation of their dreames cals that their very discharge out of prison a lifting up of their heads a kind of preferment death raises every man alike so far as that it delivers every man from his prison from the incumbrances of his body both Baker and Butler were delivered of their prison but they passed into diverse states after one to the restitution of his place the other to an ignominious execution Of thy prison thou shalt be delivered whether thou wilt or no thou must die fool this night thy soul may be take from thee and then what thou shalt be to morrow prophecy upon thy self by that which thou hast done to day Verse 16. He desired an interpretation of his dream not because he had a mind to be instructed thereby but for that he expected some good as well as the Butler so some have a regard to the preaching of the word not for conscience sake but onely seeking thereby their own ends which if they misse they goe away as the young man in the Gospel sad Mark 10. Verse 23. The Cup-bearer here admires Ioseph in the Jayle but forgets him in the Court how easily doth our own prosperity make us both forget the deservings and miseries of others But as God cannot forget his own so lest of all in their sorrowes For after two years more of Iosephs patience that God which caused him to be lifted out of the former pit to be sold did call him out of the dungeon to honour and of a miserable Prisoner made him Ruler of Egypt How happy is it with good men that they have a God to remember them when they are forgotten of the World CHAP. XLI Verse 14. SO long as God is with Ioseph he cannot but shine in spite of men the wals of that dungeon cannot hide his vertues the Irons cannot hold them Pharaohs Officers are sent to witness his graces which he may not come forth to shew without a Miracle for God now puts a dream into the head of Pharaoh he puts the remembrance of Iosephs skill into the head of the Cup-bearer who to pleasure Pharaoh not to requite Ioseph commends the Prisoner for an Interpreter he puts an interpretation into the mouth of Ioseph he puts this choice into the heart of Pharaoh of a miserable Prisoner to make him the Ruler of Egypt Verse 35. When we have enough for to day it is but honest prudence to lay up for to morrow The poor contemptible Ant gathereth that food in harvest that may serve her for the Winter It is good for a man to keep somewhat by him to have something in store against a rainy day A good saver makes a well doer is a Dutch proverbe Care must be taken that our layings out be not more than our layings up Let no man here object that of our Saviour Care not for to morrow there is a care of diligence and a care of diffidence a care of the head and a care of the heart the former is needfull the latter sinfull Verse 40. Worldly men may advance dignify and honour Gods People and yet not love them as godly men should be loved Besides Gods sanctfying Graces there are oft-times in Gods Children as here in Ioseph other gifts of wisdome prudence learning fidelity skill and activity in secular imployments all which may gain them great respect in other mens hearts So Pharaoh here honoured Ioseph and we see his ground in the foregoing verse So many a master loves a godly Servant not because he is a good man but because he is a good Servant this is selflove they love them because they love themselves such men are for their profit and advantage and for their turnes and therefore out of a selflove selfrespect love and respect them That their love of them is not for their godliness appears by this because though there were not one dram of grace and godliness in them yet for their other abilites they should be no lesse dear unto them then now they are with all their graces Verse 44. Behold how one hour hath changed Iosephs Fetters into a chain of Gold his Rags into fine Linnen his Stocks into a Chariot his Jayl into a Palace Potiphars Captive into his Masters Lord. He whose Chastity refused the wanton allurements of the Wife of Potiphar hath now given him to his Wife the Daughter of Potipherah Humility goes before Honour serving and suffering are the best Tutors to Government How well are Gods Children paid for their Patience how happy are the Issues of the Faithful never any man repented him of the advancement of a good Man Verse 46. There is mention made here of Iosephs age first that by this it may be gathered how long Ioseph was a Servant in Egypt Secondly his age is expressed that it might appear what wonderful Graces he had received at those years of Chastity Patience Wisdome Policy and Government Thirdly by this President of Ioseph made a Governour at thirty we see that at this age a man is fit for publick imployment David at that age began to reign Ezekiel prophesied Christ and Iohn the Baptist began to preach Verse 56. Pharaoh hath not more preferr'd Ioseph then Ioseph

it speak that which it never thought causing it to go two miles where it would go but one knawing and tawing it to their own purposes as the shooe-maker wretches the upper Leather with his teeth Tertullian calls Marcian the Heretick Mus Ponticus from his arroding and knawing the Scripture to make it serviceable to his Errors And too many of these kind of Mice have we at this day in this Nation who wrest Texts of Conscience into Factions Texts of Obedience into Rebellion ravishing Scripture to force out Doctrines for their own ends and then emptying their rancor by turning them to uses Verse 8. By Statutes here we may understand the Moral Law by judgements the Judicial which was fitted to the temper and disposition of the Jews like as Solon being ask'd whether he had given the best Laws to the Athenians answered the best that they could suffer And certain it is that Moses spake here as ever most Divinely and like himself or rather beyond himself the end of a thing being better if better may be than the beginning of it as good Wine is best at last and as the Sun shines most aimiably when it is going down This Book of the Law it was that the King was to write out with his own hand Deut. 17. 18. that it might serve as his Manual This was that happy Book that good Iosiah lighting upon after it had long lain hid in the Temple melted into tears at the menaces thereof and obtain'd of God to dye in peace though he were slain in War This only Book was that pretiously purling Current out of which the Lord Jesus our Champion chose all those three smooth stones wherein he prostrated the Goliah of Hell in that sharp encounter Mat. 4. Verse 11. God would have Israel see that they had not to do with some impotent Commander that is fain to publish his Laws without noise in dead Paper which can more easily enjoyn than punish to descry than execute and therefore before he gives them a Law he shews them that he can command Heaven Earth Fire Aire in revenge of the breach of that Law that they could not but think it deadly to displease such a Law-giver or violate such dreadful Statutes that they might see all the Elements examples of that obedience which they should yeild unto their Maker Now this fire wherein the Law was given is still in it and will never out Hence are those terrors which it flashes in every Conscience that hath felt remorse of sin Every Mans heart is a Sinah and resembles to him both a Heaven and Hell The sting of Death is Sin and the strength of sin is the Law Verse 12. That they might see he could find out their closest sins he delivers his Law in the light of fire that they might see what is due to their sins they see fire above to represent the fire that should be below them that they might know he could waken their security the thunder and lowder voice of God speaks to their hearts That they might see what their Hearts should do the Earth-quakes under them O Royal Law and mighty Law-giver How could they think of having any other God that had such proofs of this How could they think of making any resemblance of Him whom they saw could not be seen and whom they saw in not being seen infinite How could they think of disobeying his Deputies whom they saw so able to revenge How could they think of killing when they were half dead with the fear of him that could kill both Body and Soul How could they think of the flames of Lust that saw such fires of vengeance We Men that so fear the breach of Humane Laws for some small mulcts of Forfeiture how should we fear thee O Lord that canst cast Body and Soul into Hell Verse 24. If the Law as we read before was given in Thunder and Lightning how shall it be requir'd if such were the Proclamation of Gods Statutes what shall the Sessions be O God how powerful art thou to inflict vengeance upon sinners who didst thus forbid Sin and if thou wert so terrible a Law-giver what a Judge shalt thou appear what shall become of the breakers of so fiery a Law O where shall those appear that are guilty of the transgressions of that Law whose very delivery was little less than Death If our God should exact his Law but in the same rigour wherein he gave it sin could not quit the cost but now the fire wherein it was delivered was but terrifying the fire wherein it shall be required is consuming Happy are those that are from under the terrors of the Law which was given in Fire and in Fire shall be required Verse 29. It is a kind of denying the Infiniteness of God to serve him by pieces and raggs God is not infinite to me if I think a discontinued service will serve him It is a kind of denying the unity of God to joyn other Gods pleasure or profit with him he is not one God to me if I joyn other Associates and Assistants to him It is a kind of diffidence in Christ as if I were not sure that he would stand in the favour of God stil as though I were afraid that there might rise a new Favorite in Heaven to whom it might concern me to apply my self if I make the ballance so even as to serve God and Mammon if I make a complemental visit of God at his House upon Sunday and then plot with the other Faction the World the Flesh and the Devil all the Week after CHAP. V. Verse 1. IT is not enough for us to Learn the Law but we must keep it and do it we must lay it up in our hearts as well as in our heads and practice it also in our lives and Conversations For not the hearers but the doers of the Law shall be justified Rom. 2. 13. Too too many in this Rotten Age wherein we live are Speakers not Workers as if Ostende re fidem St. Iames his Shew thy Faith by thy Works were Ostendere to stretch the Jaws to shew our Faith by strong Protestations But this must not be a work of the mouth but hand If a Man question thee of Faith spare thy Lips and let thy Life make answer If words might be credited if a bare profession of the Gospel might be believed no Man would want Faith every one would cry with the blind Man in the Gospel Lord I believe what Mouth would not make one Lye for its Master Unless I see said Thomas of Christs rising so unless I see and feel thy Faith I will not believe If we are good Trees by our Fruit men shall know us Mat. 7. By our Fruit not by our blossoms of good purposes or our leaves of good profession but by the Fruit of our actions Verse 9. Parents are hence admonish'd to take heed of sinning against God lest they be found unmerciful unnatural and