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
A70719	A plain discourse about rash and sinful anger as a help for such as are willing to be relieved against so sad and too generally prevailing a distemper even amongst professors of religion : being the substance of some sermons preached at Manchester in Lancashire / by Henry Newcome ...	Newcome, Henry, 1627-1695.; Howe, John, 1630-1705.; Starkey, John, 17th cent.	1693 (1693)	Wing N898; ESTC R18504	45,498	96

A PLAIN DISCOURSE ABOUT Rash and Sinful Anger AS A Help for such as are willing to be relieved against so sad and too generally prevailing a Distemper even amongst Professors of Religion Being the Substance of some SERMONS preached at Manchester in Lancashire By HENRY NEW COME M. A. and a Minister of the Gospel there LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside near Mercers Chappel 1693. TO THE Christian READER I Have of late been much pressed by a dear Friend not only to me and mine but to all good Men and to the Church of God that I would have done something this way about Family Worship A thing sadly dis-used even amongst great Professors of Religion A thing greatly to be complained of and lamented as that which betokens decay of Piety amongst us and that Hypocrisie in the Professors of Religion herein expressed joyned to the professed prophaneness amongst us may portend Ruin and Destruction unto us I confess I have upon occasion insisted oft on this Subject but it having been still by the by and of no one Subject on purpose it seemed too much for me both for want of strength and leisure to gather into one what lyes so dispersed And besides I could not per swade my self into any opinion of such a Performance if it had been done by me especially when so much is extant already on that Subject Besides some of former date as Mr. Paget's Demonstration of Family Duties and Mr. Ambrose in his Media so of late the Reverend Mr. Baxter in his Christian Directory hath spoken fully to it and proved the Divine Appointment of it p. 489. and p. 594. to this Question Is a Man bound to pray ordinarily in his Family He answers I have answered this affirmatively and proved it One grain of Grace would answer it better than Arguments can do And the truth is if Men out of wicked partiality and love to their neglect of their Duty will take it for granted and venture to go on and will not so much as consider what is thus offered against their Course they may die in their sin and be damned and who can help them or will pity them And the latter answer about one grain of Grace is mighty startling I should think Implying a total want of true Grace where these Duties are wilfully neglected True Grace sets upon Prayer naturally a new-born Child is not better known to be alive by crying than a new-born Soul by praying Acts 9. 11. Behold he prayeth and therefore doubt not but he is converted And this grain of Grace doth so naturally carry the Soul out unto God for assistance and only satisfaction that it is rather inclined always to be in Prayer than to neglect it at any time when it may lawfully do it And his Zeal to God and the good of Souls disposes him to take his Family with him and if there were not a Duty to God to do other Business which God allows of and is mediately served in he would do nothing but read and pray and praise much less refuse it when he is permitted as oft as he can There is a great deal of difference between them that would always be in these Duties if it were lawful and those that are so apt to neglect them as much as they can as not necessary And worthy Mr. Doolittle in his Sermon on that Subject in the Morning Exercise in p. 74. Serm. 15. hath so learnedly exactly and pathetically spoken to that Subject that I know not what can be added to it I did sixteen or seventeen years ago my self earnestly move him that he would print that Sermon by it self as that which I was desired to press him to by some in the Country that thought it might do much good in a single little Book by it self whereas as it was it lay out of the reach of the most especially that most needed it as not being able to come up to the Price of the whole Volume His answer was That the Copy was the Booksellers and not his and so it could not then be done But I would humbly renew my Request to my Reverend Brother thinking that that Objection in this time should cease to be of any force and that the Bookseller might have no cause to complain if he had the Profit of it in a single Book of which it need not be doubted there would be a ready Sale I cannot but be grieved at what I remember I was affected with to hear when I was but a Youth concerning London that it would have ravished a Man's heart almost to have gone in the Streets on a Lord's-day at night and to have heard them almost in every House singing or reading or praying that one would have thought himself almost in Heaven I was much surprized and troubled when many years after I came first to London and found so little of these practises Singing of Psalms almost quite disused in Families and prosessing Families too a practice that obtained from the very beginning of the Reformation and that whereby Bishop Burnet hath observed the Protestants were distinguish'd from the Papists the Lord's-day much neglected and made common and it is so in most other Towns whereas it was the Badge of a Primitive Christian without which he could not assume the name implied in that Dominicum Servasti Christianus sum if not misapplyed and true it had been a great Charge This Man is not of God that doth not keep the Sabbath-day Joh. 9. 16. It is observable that in times when these practices were least favoured that a Law should pass That all and every Person and Persons whatsoever shall on every Lord's-day apply themselves to the Observation of the same by exercising themselves thereon in Duties of Piety and true Religion publickly and privately How this is consistent with unrestrained walking about the Streets that Day many making their Visits and discoursing of Dogs and Horses and such like that have so heavily reflected on others for not observing the Laws which have been of disputable matter and yet this Law to be no way binding it remains un-understood It hath been observed that Nations and Places have flourished or not flourished as the Lord's-day hath been more or less observable See the Epistle to the Reader to Sabbatum Redivivum the first part Some may be sure that Religion shall never keep up in that Town Family or particular Soul where the Lord's-day is prophaned or neglected Famous Judge Hales was so strict an observer of the Lord's-day that he observed things went well or ill with him in the Week as he had been strict or negligent on the Lord's-day And let Men observe it in their Families and in Persons that Religion shall languish and sensibly go back where the Christian Sabbath is neglected I shall take it for a sign and a means of Proficiency or Non-proficiency in Religion as this holy Day is observed And let me here suggest a word of humble Advice 1. That all Persons would make Conscience of

needless neglect of their Attendance on the Publick on the Lord's-day Not to make necessities nor easily and pleasingly to admit them but to account it a burthen and a loss to be hindered Pray ye that your flight be not on the Sabbath-day Mat. 24. 20. Some make this savoury and likely sense of it That though if necessitated they must fly for their Lives on that Day yet it would aggravate their Grief and Misery that it must be on that Day to deprive them of the Comforts of the Ordinances of that Day in the full Liberties of it Psal. 65. 4. 27. 4. As the good Woman that when with Child prayed still that if the Lord pleased she might not Travel on that day as if she were desirous that others might not be hindered for her necessary help and that she herself might have the Comforts of the Sabbath to help her to bear up under her Pains It is very sad when People cast to set out or to keep on a Journey on that day as if they counted it so much time gained or to cast to take Physick that day c. The conscience of never having needlesly or willingly neglected the Publick when in a capacity for it will be a great Relief when by sickness or weakness a Person is under an unavoidable detention And on the contrary it will gaul sadly when a Person cannot go that he has wantonly and carelesly neglected to go when he might have gone And 2dly when the Publick is done to make conscience of keeping within the rest of the day to attend to Catechizing the Children and Servants and to secret Duties c. There needs no part of this holy Time to lye upon your hands if you consider your own Needs and the Advantages of a total and thorough Improvement of it Renowned Judge Hales was so afraid of loosing any part of that holy time that wherever he was he pursued some pious Subject for holy Meditation the product whereof mostly are those excellent things of his that are printed And this I will subjoyn as a matter of true though sad Observation That as many have at the Gallows acknowledg'd that the beginning of their Ruin was in the prophanation of the Sabbath and in the total neglect of it and many on their sick Beds have been loaden with their sin this way in a chief place So the Scandal that some Professors have run into hath been justly ascribed to their too much Liberty on that Day being either needlesly going out or having Company coming in for Diversion or common Converse without the respect due to that holy Time And for Family Duties I desire it may be considered and observed 1. Whether Success in Affairs can be expected when not prayed for 2. If Crosses unexpected befal you you could look for no other when you did not commit your self and Family and Affairs to God's Blessing and Protection by solemn Prayer And 3dly for your Souls how should they thrive when no Worship of God among you No marvel if unfaithfulness be in Servants disobedience in Children drunkenness and bastardy and what not break in upon the House where there is neglect of Religious Duties in it what is there to keep such Mischiefs out As I remember a holy Man once to a Family related to him where he called at the Door to enquire of their health and welfare asked Whether there was any thing done to keep the Devil out of the House meaning was there any religious Duties in the House to entitle and relate the House and Family unto God If it be Carnality and Flesh-pleasing and love of Ease that makes you lye in Bed so long that you have not time for Duties when you get up and it may be you cast for it that it may be so because you love it not I remember what I have heard a reverend Minister say that knew the famous Mr. Bruen that he had-heard him say That it was better to deny the Body a little rest than deprive the Soul of the benefit of a good Duty Old Christians would have got up on purpose that they might be ready to worship God in the first place with all their Family Good Men in the former Age they would have robbed themselves of rest at a night to have read the Scriptures and good Books whereby they became brave knowing Men and got up early in the Morning to have Duties with their Families and so had orderly and religious Families If worldly Business croud in upon you and hinder religious Duties to neglect them or shorten them you must cast to be up before them and be afraid lest any thing should come in before the Blessing But if these Necessities are consented to and frequently hinder your Duties it will be a load to you when you come to die A good Man on his Death-bed dying from home desired me to warn People of their being too busie and eager in the World to the neglect of Prayer in their Families as what he found then a burthen to him And for Duties at Night I will suggest one thing that Men should make conscience of keeping good hours in coming in that by tarrying out late they do not unfit themselves for performing them or unfit the Family for joyning in them And for Friendship and good Neighbourship I should never be against it provided you consider the time with respect to Family Duties to be performed both in the House you are in and at your own House too But there is another great Fault and sadly general and that amongst Professors of Religion who do keep up Family Worship and that is of rash and sinful Anger of which the Men of old and Women too professing Godliness made conscience as well as of the Sabbath and Family Duties and to be guilty of such Outrages as many of us are was counted little less than scandal I have therefore very lately taken up that Subject to testifie and help against it if it pleased God The same Friend requiring at my Hand to publish these Notes I was not willing to deny it Out of my great and deserved respects and deference to him whom I rejoyce to oblige and for that being so lately preached I could with some more ease recollect what I have on the Subject but chiefly for that I am satisfied in his Reason for such a Work for the great Necessity of it only a better Hand for it had been desirable I have oft said it That there is scarce any sin that prevails so generally as this does that does so much mischief as it does and that so little conscience is made of as is of this They generally make it the Professors sin and set it against the Prophaneness and Drunkenness that abounds amongst the Irreligious And though under favour we may say it is not only the Professor's sin for there is Rage and Wrath