Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A03507
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The safegard of the soule Declaring sundry soueraigne salues tending to the comfort and saluation of the same: very necessarie to bee learned and obserued of all men, and at all times, but chiefely in the extremitie of sicknes, and grieuous pangs of death. Composed by Lawrence Bankes, preacher of the word of God: and parson of Staunton, in the county of Glocester.
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Bankes, Lawrence.
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1619
(1619)
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STC 1363; ESTC S114914
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78,218
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435
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not any respect either of person people or place Hee regardeth no more the Princes Palace then the poore mans Cotage a blunt Messenger and therefore goeth bluntly and boldly to worke with vs his condition is come he earely come he late he will giue neither day nor houre but speedily and readily he wil dispatch his errant and serue such a Sub poena vpon vs that hee wil haue our personall appearance before the eternall Iudge without surety bayle or mayne-prize He will not be bribed of the Rich he will not be intreated of the Poore hee weigheth not friendship he careth not for rewards he will pardon no person be he neuer so mighty he feareth no mans face look he neuer so lofty there is but a word and a blowe with him he killeth downe right where he hitteth Let vs therefore keepe our selues continually in that estate wherein we desire to die for although this Messenger come and tell vs not when hee will fetch vs whether in our nonage middle age olde age or dotage yet notwithstanding our mercifull and good God by diuers meanes doth warne and summon vs before by other Messengers Gods summoners before Death are foure First his preachers exhort vs. Secondly his plagues doe threaten vs. Thirdly old age admonisheth vs. Fourthly Sicknes calleth vs. Finally death arresteth vs and taketh vs with him And then the earth wherof we are made deuoureth vs Magots breed vpon vs corruption rotteth vs and the Wormes eate vs. This is the life and end of all flesh good and bad The body then putrifyeth and consumeth to dust But the Spirit returneth to Eccl. 12. 7. the Lord which gaue it Now when Death is about to doe his office which is to separate the Soule and the Body of Man Then our second Seruitor or Secretarie although it haue been mute all our life time and as it were a clasped Booke that is alwaies shut and too seldome opened yet towards our end it speaketh and cryeth yea it both barketh and biteth for after death hath warned and summoned vs by sharpe taste of Sicknes to set our house in order and to prepare our selues to appeare before the celestiall Iudge Then our Conscience which is a continuall beholder of all our thoughts words and workes as a cleere light or Lanthorne bewrayeth all our former life and conuersation it is the very Register of God and booke 〈◊〉 Record which discloseth all our counsels and reuealeth the inward secrets of our hearts for there is nothing hid that Mar. 4. 22. shal not be opened neither is there a secret but that it shal come to light Can there be any thing hid from the Highest Do nor his eyes pierce our hearts Is not he the searcher of Secrets and Discerner of spirits Yes verily he that will not now beleeue it must one day both finde it and feele it The thickest Trees in Paradise could not hide our first Parents Adam and Eue from the presence of God They both appeare at the first call euen naked as they were their Figge-leaues will not serue their turne their vaine excuses will doe them no good the more they goe about to cloke their sinne the more liuely it appeareth yea their owne Conscience accuseth them and causeth them to make confession of their fact will they nill they Wee cannot then hide our sinnes because which way soeuer wee goe our conscience accompanieth vs it is our Porter carring with it whatsoeuer we haue done be it good or bad it iudgeth all our words and workes and pronounceth inward sentence of vs all it is a Worme alwayes byting and neuer dying it is a fire alwayes burning and neuer quenching for immediately after the committing of sinne the Conscience of the sinner is his Accuser his Witnes his Iudge and his Hangman Therefore when thine owne Conscience bewrayeth thee and prouoketh a feeling of sinne thinke then with thy selfe God speaketh vnto thee for that inward feeling of thy sinne is as it were the peculiar and prerogatiue Court of God whereby he exerciseth his iurisdiction Beware therefore lest thou beeing guilty doest harden thy heart for that is all one as to kick against God and resist the motion of his holy Spirit when we reiect such cogitations as are prouocations and summoners vnto Repentance when God therefore by his holy Spirit knocketh at the doore of thine heart and moueth any such motion either to embrace this Vertue or auoid that Vice thou hadst best open vnto him at first call and let him in for if hee call thee now thou canst not tell whether hee will call againe or no and if he open thee the gate of his Grace to day and will thee friendly to enter in thou canst not tell whether euer hee will open it againe or neuer Thy contempt and vnthankfulnesse may mooue him in his wrath to shut the doore vpon thee for euer and then thou wilt repent but all too late Remember Christs words When the good man Luk. 13. 25 of the house is risen and hath shut to the doore and yee beginne to stand without and to knocke at the doore saying Lord Lord open to vs and he shall answere and say vnto you I know you not whence yee are Depart from me all 27 yee workers of iniquitie There shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth when yee shall see Abraham and Isaac and Iacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdome of God and your selues thrust out at doores These are words of weight and able to pierce a stony heart most fearfull to impenitent sinners whē they shal behold a farre off with the rich surfetting Glutton the happy estate of the godly in Heauen in Abrahams bosome and themselues to bee thrust out into vtter darknes and so to take their leaue and last farewell of God his Angels and all the ioyes of Heauen for euer neuer to meet againe nor once to behold the faire beauty of the Lord or of his Saints the deepe consideration hereof is able to shake the Conscience to burst the heart of a sinner and end his dayes if any feeling of Gods Spirit bee in him It is good therefore to haue the testimonie of a cleere Conscience accompanying thee euen to thy graue that when thou shalt appeare before Christ his Throne of iust iudgement it may be a witnesse with thee of thy wealth and not to thy woe a defender of thy purity and not an Accuser of thine iniquitie a iustifier of thy Righteousnes and not a condemner of thy Wickednes Pray to God betime that it may be thy Helper as it was to Paul and not thy 2. Cor. 1. 12. Hangman as it was to Iudas It is not to bee spoken what a sure and singular Treasure a good Conscience will be at that day it shall stand stedfast by thy side as thy dearest friend when all the world shall be set on a flaming fire aboue thee beneath thee and on euery side thee when the elements
Law to doe them Quest 4. Good Lord if this bee true then what a miserable case are all wee in beeing wicked and cursed creatures Answ Truely our state indeede is wretched and damnable and but that God of his infinite goodnes hath prouided a salue for this sore we should vtterly perish and then were 1. Cor. 15. 19. we of all men most miserable Quest 5. Do you beleeue then that there is a salue for so grieuous a wound and a remedy for so great a mischiefe Answ Yea verily I firmely beleeue and know it or else I could not with so cheerefull and patient a minde beare this crosse which God hath now laid vpon me Quest 6. I pray you what remedy is there against the sting of sinne and the curse of the Law Is there any thing in the world that can pacifie Gods wrath and mooue him to such mercy as may cause him to take away this deadly curse and giue vs a blessing Answ Yea God bee thanked that there is I can tell you so much though I be not Booke-learned yet I haue heard it and I doe vndoubtedly beleeue it because Gods Word doth teach it That when there was no means to be found for man to be saued neither in heauen nor earth it pleased our heauenly Father of his meere mercy to send his only begotten Sonne Rom. 8. 3. into the world to the end that all that beleeue in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting So that that which was impossible to the Law in as much as it was weake because of the flesh God sending his owne Sonne in the similitude of sinfull flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh I doe therefore beleeue that this Sonne of God Iesus Christ hath quite taken away the curse of the Law Col. 2. 14. and nayled it vpō the Crosse Quest 7. These are good words indeed and generally spoken to all sinners but how can you apply this to your selfe Answ Because I know assuredly that I am Christs and haue the testimonie of the Holy Ghost in mee comforting mee and bearing witnes to my Spirit that I am the child of God and therefore may boldly cry Abba Father Gal 4. 6. c. Quest 8. Then I perceiue if you bee thus faithfully minded as you do professe that you are not afraid to dy neither is death so dread full vnto you as it is to many in these sinfull dayes Answ Although indeed death seemeth detestable to the most part of men especially to impenitent sinners and such as haue the wealth of the world at will Yet notwithstanding I see no reason why any wise man should feare that which cannot be auoided but rather all things considered aright they haue cause to couet it with the holy Apostle Saint Paul who desireth to be loosed and Phil. 1. 23. to be with Christ which is best of all because death is the doore to eternall life for we connot liue for euer but first we must dye And therefore the godly man after he is mortified heere by crosses and griefe of sicknes may cheerefully sing and say with the same Apostle Christ is to mee Phil. 1. 21. both in life and death aduantage And most comfortable to a good conscience is that sentence of Ecclesiastes A good name is better then a Eccl. 7. 3. good oyntment and the day of death then the day that one is borne The Preacher spake not this without booke nor without reason for then we change sicknes for health woe for wealth transitorie vanities for perpetuall ioyes and earthly trash for heauenly treasure c. Quest 9. You are in the right of it and haue hit the naile on the head in this point keepe you there and my life for yours But because I finde you in answering both wise and willing it incourageth mee to bee bold in questioning Doe you beleeue all the Articles of the Christian Faith which the true and Catholike Church doth hold at this day and all other Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the very and liuely Word of God the foode of your soule and the perfect way to eternall life and that there is sufficient matter contained in them to establish your minde and conscience to saluation according to the consent of Christs Apostles in the Primitiue Church Answ I constantly and vnfainedly beleeue all this you haue said to bee true and grounded vpon the Word of God as vpon a sure foundation which shal neuer faile nor fall And therefore it is called the Word of Life the Word of Rom. 3. 16. Grace the Word of Truth and the power of God to Saluation to euery one that beleeueth Quest. 10. Doe you detest and abhor all Idolatry Heresies errors schismes innouations and opinions which in any point do dissent or disagree from this liuely Word of GOD and the ancient Catholike and Primitiue Church Answ As these enormities of themselues are detestable and damnable euen so I do from my very heart detest and abhorre them all and most ardently I imbrace the Truth of Gods Word with all due reuerence to the same as to the heauenly will of GOD therein specified and reuealed to vs by his Seruants the Patriarks and Apostles of God and his Sonne Christ Iesus our Sauiour the Head of the Church And I am desirous to die a member of the same Church beeing the bodie and Spouse of Christ Quest 11. And do you euen in heart reioyce to liue and die in this Christian Faith and in the vnitie of this true ancient Catholique and Apostolique Church militant heere on earth which is and shall be the Communion of Saints the triumphant Church of God in Heauen Ans I reioyce in nothing so much for I know that out of the Church there is no saluation or safetie Those in old time that were found out of Noahs Arke being a Type of the Church perished by water but they which are not of the Catholike Church of Christ shall be tormented in Hell fire which shall neuer bee quenched Quest 12. Good Lord mee thinke it is a fearefull thing that the wicked should enter into euerlasting paine and vnquenchable fire And the words which are vsuall in the Scriptures are able to make any man tremble euen at the heart as Hell Mat. 8. 12. fire the bottomelesse pit vtter darknes vnquenchable fire perpetuall paine c. where shall bee weeping and Mar. 9. 44. gnashing of teeth where their worme dyeth not and the fire neuer goeth out Mee thinks this word neuer is a long one for if there were any hope that euer the wicked might feele any release or easement of their paine or that the damned might haue any end of their torment yea if it were but after a thousand or a thousand thousands of yeeres there were some comfort to be expected in time to come though it were long first yet time would once make an end and weare