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	keep_v	sabbath_n	1,672	5	10.1381	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70812	The glasse of Gods providence towards his faithfvll ones held forth in a sermon preached to the two Houses of Parliament at Margarets Westminster, Aug. 13, 1644, being an extraordinary day of humiliation : wherein is discovered the great failings that the best are liable unto, upon which God is provoked sometimes to take vengeance : the whole is applyed specially to a more carefull observation of our late covenant, and particularly against the ungodly toleration pleaded for under pretence of liberty of conscience / by Herbert Palmer ...	Palmer, Herbert, 1601-1647.	1644 (1644)	Wing P235; ESTC R5391	64,078	71

faces in former times it doth much more now when so many solemne dayes of Humiliation kept by them publikely and privately hath wrought no amendment but while many complaine of their being poorer every one may see them as proud as ever if not rather more 2. Those that some yeares ago made great conscience of the Sabbath and of Family-duties are now many of them come even to question Whether the Sabbath be at all to be observed or no and though they deny not that family-devotions are duties yet they themselves doe little regard that their families should observe them and their families scarce seem to have any desire of them 3. Some that were by their own confession so greatly conscientious of secret Prayer as that they could never omit it without an inward check now doe not make any the le●st shew that they take any time for it day or night I am afraid I am now in the bosomes of some that heare me this day and I wish every conscience to examine themselves whether in these things they are not grown worse then they were wont to be whether I say though they keep many a solemn Fast not only publikely at home and abroad yet they doe not pray lesse at home with their families and lesse in their clossets And it is said that some are growne such enemies to sanctification and duties of holinesse and so impudent that they dare professe openly They thanke GOD they can now goe a whole fortnight without prayer and it never troubleth them Is this think we the amendment that GOD lookes for at our hands Are not here fearefull inventions for Him to take vengeance upon 4. Is there not much selfe-seeking apparant in all kind of undertakings ambitious putting themselves forward and practises to make themselves rich by every imployment 5. How many Errors and strange opinions are there to be found even among such as are all pretenders to the way of Truth besides many usurping Ministeriall Offices and exercising Ministeriall acts without any Calling and not a few without so much as a shew of any competent Gifts 6. Is there not extreme censoriousnesse and a spirit of bitternesse in very many seeming good against all those that agree not with them in every one of their opinions even so far as to throw them off as no Christians how much soever they evidence of vertue and piety in other respects Certainly this is not according to the word of Christ Nor are these behaviours becomming a people that desire to Honour that Royall Name by which they are called And therefore these call for speciall Humiliation at our hands In conclusion this I am forced to say with the great griefe of my soule that so farre as I am able to judge by all that I see and heare where ever I come The Religion and devotion of a great many even of those who formerly gave better hopes of their being sincere doth now empty it selfe into formalities solemne Fasts and speaking for the publike Cause and withall being violent for their own opinions and interests and those that maintaine them with them But withall this I must needs adde that the more any of us is convinced that this is true the more cause have we and all that truly feare GOD to be humbled before Him for these generall evils of the Religious part of our Nation and the more cause to be afraid that we are not so neare a deliverance as we sometimes would gladly thinke But rather to be perswaded that before GOD will deliver us He will put us into another frame and temper of spirit then we are now in that He will marre our pride and tame our wildnesse and curbe us in our pursutes of selfe-respects quell our scandalous behaviours and as He promises more then once by His Prophets give us one heart and one way All which as yet after all warnings and shewes of humiliations and blowes and favours we seeme very farre from and therefore still it is fit to call us to sad humiliation for these provocations in the first place The second consideration of Nationall sins referres to the body of the Nation Of whose sins I will not now take upon me to give you a large catalogue But they generally empty themselves into these three capitall evils Ignorance Covetousnesse and Profanenesse Of the first I confesse I can never thinke seriously without trembling and scarce with any patience that no more is done anywhere to dispell that horrid mist of darknesse that covers the faces and hearts of very many thousands in these dayes of light while in the meane time they themselves scorne and hate knowledge specially because they see they may be let alone in it For the second It is apparantly the sinne of the Country and of the City too and the generall sin that at least all men well nigh are accused of and cried out upon for And apparantly in the most there is too much reason for such a cry Goe but into any place and what is the great businesse that you find every one almost set upon studying how to be a gainer even by others losses at least to ease himselfe in publike payments and taxations and lay great loade upon others specially upon those that are faithfull If they can but get into an Office have any thing to doe in Sequestrations what is the improvement that is made of it by too many alas but to fill their own purses with extortion oppression delaying and perverting Justice and withall ordinarily to favour Malignants and overburden the best Affected and most forward for the publike Service And above all others setting themselves to make the faithfull Ministers that are among them beare the greatest loade that may be If there be any way to eate out the heart of his meanes of subsistance and even of all his comforts he shall be sure to find this measure at their hands his Taxations shall be heavier then any other Store of Souldiers biletted and quartered in his house and withall his Tithes and dues withheld and denyed with pretence one while that they are Jewish another while that they are Popish any thing that they may weary him out and that they may either have no Minister at all or only one altogether according to their own lusts 3. And this falls into the consideration also of their Prophanenesse which is most notorious every where Formerly even in the ill times a conscionable Minister in some places could doe somewhat toward the bringing his people to knowledge who now wholly cast off the yoake because there is no Government neither Ecclesiasticall nor Civill that they think will at all meddle with them how refractory soever they be and grow more brutish and barbarous every day then other And now above all former times whoredome and adultery doe fearfully abound and grow impudent even Incest is to be found in divers places

Die Mercurii 14. Augusti 1644. ORdered by the Commons assembled in Parliament That Master Rous doe give the Thankes of this House to Master Palmer and Master Hill for the great paines they tooke in the Sermons they preached before both Houses on Tuesday the 13. day of August 1644. being a speciall and peculiar day of Humiliation appointed by both Houses and that they be desired to print their Sermons and that none presume to print their Sermons or either of them but such as shall be authorised under their hand writing H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I doe appoint Thomas Vnderhill to print my Sermon HERBERT PALMER THE GLASSE OF GODS Providence TOWARDS HIS FAITHFVLL ONES Held forth in a Sermon preached to the two Houses of Parliament at Margarets Westminster Aug. 13. 1644. being an extraordinary Day of Humiliation Wherein is discovered the great failings that the best are liable unto upon which GOD is provoked sometimes to take Vengeance The whole is applyed specially to a more carefull observation of our late COVENANT and particularly against the ungodly Toleration pleaded for under pretence of LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE By HERBERT PALMER B. D. Minister of GODS Word at Ashwell in Hertford-shire A Member of the Assembly of Divines Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth much more the wicked and the sinner Prov. 11. 31. All these things happened to them for ensamples and are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come 1 Cor. 10. 11. Whatsoever things were written afore-time were written for our learning that we through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures might have Hope Rom. 15. 4. LONDON Printed by G. M. for Th. Vnderhill at the Bible in Woodstreet 1644. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE The House of PEERES AND TO THE HONOVRABLE The House of COMMONS Assembled in Parliament at Westminster THe Records of Holy Scripture whether they concerne the Actions of GOD or Men are not onely Stories of things done in that Age but Prophesies also of future events in succeeding Generations This GOD hath been pleased to exemplifie particularly in that Word which divers weekes agoe on a Solemne Day appointed for extraordinary Humiliation He sent to be preached in your Eares While some bodily Indispositions hindred me from a speedy obeying the Call of tendring it also to your hands and eyes It seemed good to Him who doth all things wisely and faithfully to give Instances of His fulfilling both parts of it affording some answers of Grace and expressions of Pardon and favour in Wales and the parts thereabouts and yet withall taking some Vengeance upon our untowardnesses by the sad blow given us in the West I hope that as we shall all learne by it even more and more that a GOD lets none of His Words fall to the ground but whatsoever He speakes to us hath its effect upon us and b takes hold of us even whether we take hold of it or no So we will beleeve also that the effect of it will never be spent as long as we live or any of mankind in as much as all the Word of GOD lives and abides for ever as both the c Prophet and d Apostle tell us And this Beliefe will both make all the Word profitable to us and make us Happy by the Word The Promises and Expressions of Grace in the Word never doing us good never being fulfilled to us compleatly but by our beleeving them And the Threatnings or Expressions of Severity never endangering us never being fulfilled at all upon us but when we beleeve them not We have all need to Pray e LORD Encrease our Faith even in relation to Terrifying Truths as well as to Comforting And though Faith most commonly comes by Hearing yet unquestionable Experience telling us that it is partly encreased by Reading also specially of what was once attentively heard I cannot doubt but this Paper-remembrance of matters of so grand Importance will be blessed by GOD as to some others into whose hands it shall come so specially to your selves according to Your Leasure for making use of it unto your Furtherance and Joy of Faith Which that it may be continually augmented in You who have so great businesses to goe through and so great Adversaries to encounter and all Calling for Faith in the strength and Glorie of it through Iesus Christ the Author and Finisher of our Faith is and shall be the earnest Desire and Prayer of Him who is for IESVS sake Your ever most Devoted and Humble Servant HERBERT PALMER THE GLASSE OF GODS Providence TOWARDS HIS FAITHFVLL ONES PSAL. 99. ver. 8. Thou answeredst them O LORD our GOD Thou wast a GOD that forgavest them though Thou tookest vengeance on their inventions BEhold an Apostrophe to GOD in the midst of an Exhortation to Men whatever else we learn from it this we should improve it to to make us remember That we have now to doe with GOD that looking Him in the face may awe us and the Consideration that we are now speaking to Him and from Him and of Him may Affect our spirits to Regard what He doth toward the children of men For these words are the Glasse of GODS Providence towards men towards His Owne those that are most faithfull to Him Would you know who they are See ver. 6. Moses and Aaron among His Priests and Samuel among those that call upon His Name c. Their Faithfulnesse is exprest not only in their Calling upon GOD in the next words They called upon the LORD and He heard them but also by their Obedience ver 7. They kept His Testimonies and the Law that he gave them and then followes GODS Dealings with them in the words of the Text Thou answeredst them c. I will sing of Mercy and Judgement unto Thee O LORD will I sing saith the Royall Psalmist Psal. 101. 1. He doth so here his song is plainly of Mercy and Judgement and that Vnto the LORD as he there also expresses it GODS Great Mercy is set forth towards His Servants in Answering and Forgiving them and with all His Judgement His Heavie Judgement in taking Vengeance on their inventions Behold then the Goodnesse and severitie of GOD saith the Holy Apostle Rom. 11. 22. so say I and that not relating to two sorts of persons as there Transgressours and Beleevers But both towards men of approved avowed faithfulnesse even toward one and the same person in Goodnesse answering and forgiving and yet in some severity taking Vengeance also There are but two maine Dispositions in mens minds that sway our practises and regulate our lives keeping them within compasse that is Faith or Comfort and Feare according to the intimation Act. 9. 31. They walked in the Feare of the Lord and in the Comfort of the Holy Ghost The Comfort of the Holy Ghost or Faith which is all one in Effect on the one side and Feare on the other doe compasse us in We walke

faithfull with Him Some vigilancy and some resolution all the faithfull servants of GOD have to keep themselves from those wayes and practises which displease GOD and would provoke Him against them But they are often wanting in both and sometimes specially in the one and sometimes in the other We are not alwayes so watch full over our selves and mindfull of our duties as we should be and sometimes when we are not ignorant or forgetfull altogether yet we are transported with sinfull distempers whereby we offend GOD and draw downe His Judgements As therefore we are apprehensive of our own sinfull corruptions inclining us to transgresse and as we love GOD who hath been ever kind to us and answered and even pardoned us many a time forgiven many a sinfull invention of ours and as we dread His severe correction the vengeance that may light upon our untowardnesse As we acknowledge our selves to be either in GODS debt or in His danger as indeed our Text and all experience tells us we are both Let us ●emember to walke circumspectly and watchfully over our selves and humbly with GOD in His feare all the day long and all our lives long And as our Saviour speakes to His Disciples He speakes to us Mark 13. 37. What I say unto you I say unto all watch GOD hath deserved it at our hands and He will doe againe And if we will not regard it we shall be made weary of the contrary Let me therefore pursue this Exhortation unto some speciall Applications In which I may be I hope a little bolder then might perhaps seeme fit in the former Use If we be wanting but in a degree Exhortation is not only necessary but the least that can be in the totall silence whereof besides the sinne of it there is no ground of hopes of amendment And if we be already forward we shall yet be the better if the wise man have any skill in reason or experience when he faith in the Name of Wisedome that is of Christ Himselfe Give instruction to a wise man and he will yet be wiser teach a just man and he will increase in learning Prov. 9. 9. Let me therefore againe put you in mind of that which undeniably we ought all to remember this day namely Our Solemne Covenant our Nationall Covenant wherein specially we are engaged both to GOD and to His people even to three Nations to expresse our faithfulnesse both in generall and in maine particulars which doubtlesse it well remembred and effectually applied to our consciences and practises will prove a matter of very great blessing to us and of prejudice and mischiefe otherwise You had many excellent remembrances in the morning Give me leave to adde a few more And as I desired before that the Exhortation to Humiliation might be constantly read and commented upon I meane the matter of it every Fast day So let me now make an other humble motion for the Covenant to be also read in the close of every such day I cannot but againe say I am much afraid it hath been little pondered by the most of us since we have taken it And undoubtedly the great businesse aimed at in every rightly observed Fast is the renewing of a Solemne Covenant with GOD It is a duty altogether indispensible And unto this Covenant we have very great bonds lying upon us to tye us most strictly We lifted up our hands to GOD in it in the day of our calamity in the time of our feare and trouble when we were very low And since that time GOD hath raised us up very high in comparison of our condition then and afforded us a great deale of helpe from men and from Himselfe and it containes both the generall of all our duties to GOD and man and very maine and most necessary particulars justly and wisely limited We may then assure our selves that GOD will require it in whole and in part at all our hands And we cannot think lesse in reason and Religion then that this is one of the causes why the warre continues to fulfill the threatning Lev. 26. 21 I will send a sward among you to avenge the quarrell of my Covenant I doe not forget that the sword was unsheathed and raging among us before this Covenant was entred into But I must needs beleeve that the cause why the Covenant hath not overcome the sword is because we have not kept it so faithfully as we should and that upon this not keeping it me are to charge all the vengeance that we have smarted with ever since we tooke it and so it will be fit for us to doe ever hereafter Let me beseech every one therefore againe and againe to be watchfull and resolu●e in cleaving closer to it hereafter and to GOD in it We all pretend all our hopes to be in GOD and doubttesse we have reason to place them all upon Him and His keeping Covenant with us If we then doe not keepe Covenant with Him He will make us know that it is even a part of His Covenant Psal. 89. 30 ● 〈◊〉 scou●ge us and correct us for it And this may be 〈…〉 If we put Him to it any one of us may be made an example and even all of us if we will needs provoke Him Let us therefore I humbly pray every one that heares me this day Take he●d of that s●a●e mentioned Prov. 20 25. Of making inquiry after we have made so solemne a Vow to GOD that is of setting our wits upon the rack and our consciences upon the tenterhookes how we may invent shifts to be loose from the bond of it in generall or in any particular Let us not seeke evasions to elude the plaine meaning of the words in any phrase nor the known sense of those that offred it to us or our own reall meaning according to both those when we first entred into it We would not we doe not I am sure in any thing that concernes ourselves endure this in any other Can we think then that GOD will endure it in us We know each one of us must needs be undone if others whom we suppose firmely tyed to us even by this Covenant in City and Country should prove treacherous to us Yet what juster vengeance can there be then that GOD should punish our falsenesse to Him if we should preve false with other mens treacherousnesse towards us Let us not then put off the observation of it to others we our selves being engaged in it as deeply as they and specially those that have been Authours and promotours of others to take it are to be mindfull of their own greater obligation to be exemplary in the keeping of it Else that of the Apostle Rom. 2. 1 c. will be unhappily applicable to us Thou art therefore inexcusable ô man whosoever thou art that judgest for wherein thou judgest another thou condemnest thy selfe for thou that judgest dost the same things