Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	draw_v	evil_a	sprinkle_v	1,134	5	10.3564	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76313	A door of salvation opened unto all men: or a short treatise, discovering that all man-kinde as they are considered under the fall of Adam, have an equal and a like respect with almighty God, and that by Jesus Christ he hath prepared eternal salvation for all, and afforded unto all, means sufficient to bring them thereunto. In which also, sundry objections, grounds of reason, and texts of scripture, for the contrary opinion are alleadged and answered. / By R.B.	R. B.	1648 (1648)	Wing B166; Thomason E1166_1; ESTC R208726	64,273	125

to write his laws in the hearts of the Israelites in the later daies rather then in the former was because that in the later daies by the Ministery of his Sonne he would more abundantly demonstrate his love and goodnesse unto them then formerly he had done by the Ministery of any of his servants The which although it did most powerfully tend to imprint his Love and Fear in them and to perswade them to deny all ungodlines and worldly lusts and to serve him in righteousnes and true holines all their daies Lu. 1.74 75. yet forasmuch as that means did not inevitably effect the same in them for if it had then they should all of them been converted thereby therefore it cannot from hence be rightly inferred from this text That God hath promised effectually to beget the love and fear of himself in any one man more then another 2. It is also to be considered That when God in the Scriptures saith that he will doe this or that it doth not alwaies imply an absolute and peremptory resolution in him necessarily to enforce and bring the same to passe but to administer such means whereby he knoweth that men either by a direct or indirect use thereof will or may be induced to the doing of that which he saith he will doe In the later respect it is that he speaketh when he saith I will harden Pharaohs heart because that considering him to be a proud covetous tyrant he knew that he would take occasion of obstinacy against him by reason of his mercy towards the oppressed Israelites notwithstanding all his signes and wonders shewed unto him powerfully tending to humble him to the very earth before him and refuse to let them depart out of his Land as he was commanded And in the former respect are the words of the Apostle 1 Tim 2.4 to be understood when he saith That God would have all men to be saved And so likewise are the words of Christ in Iohn 12.32 to be taken where he saith And I if I were lifted up from the earth I WILL DRAW all men after me because that by his Death and Resurrection he should further manifest himself to all men to be the Saviour of the world For as when he affordeth unto men the means of repentance he is said thereby to purge them from their filthinesse though that they be not actually purged thereby as was shewed before in Ezek. 24.13 So according to these Scriptures when he dispenseth meanes extraordinary tending to lead men to Conversion and Salvation Then more especially it is said That he will put his Laws into their hearts will draw them to Christ and will have them to be saved Thirdly It is to be considered That like as God faith That he will write his Laws in mens hearts circumcise their hearts make them new hearts and new spirits Ier. 31.33 Deut. 30.16 Ier. 36.26 Even so he also requireth men to write his Laws in their hearts Prov. 7.3 Circumcise their hearts Ier. 4.4 and make to themselves new hearts and new spirits Ezek. 19.31 Now as the Evangelical precepts are not to be expounded against the promises so neither are the promises thereof to be expounded against the precepts and if considered together they are to be understood as if God should say I will afford means unto you for these ends do you improve them thereunto If it be said that these precepts serve only to expresse unto men that which God promiseth to work in them It is answered first That this is a very forraign exposition and will neither be warranted by Scripture or sound reason God being never known to require of men that which he himself promiseth to doe for them and most irrationall to conceive that he should not rather expresse his goodnesse towards men in requiring them to wait upon him for the things that he purposeth to bestow upon them then to give them precepts for the doing thereof thereby to divert their hopes and expectation as from the promises and to set them on work to beat the air or to make brick without straw But secondly seeing it is manifest that these precepts are unto all men and as manifest that all men have not the things enjoyned therein effected in them it cannot in any wise be supposed that the intent of God in them should be to expresse what he himself would work in men but to enforme us that his promises to put his Laws in mens mindes to write them in their hearts to make them new hearts c. consisteth only in affording unto them means serving for those ends which they themselves are enjoyned to improve for the effecting thereof 4. Lastly It is to be observed That those very persons the Israelites to whom this promise hath the most principal relation unto whom the Apostle most directly applieth the same in the 10 Chapter to the Hebrews are notwithstanding by him evidently declared to be under a possibility of sinning wilfully against the knowledge of the truth of trampling the Sonne of God under their feet and counting his bloud the bloud of this Covenant wherewith they were sanctified an unholy thing and of doing despite unto the spirit of Grace and thereby of incurring to themselves the sorest punishment judgement and fiery indignation which possibly could not be if that God in this Covenant had absolutely promised or undertaken to put his laws in their hearts and write them in their mindes c. as it is supposed or any otherwise then by administring unto them means for those ends which possibly might be neglected and contemned by them But because that this Scripture serveth so clearly to discover the intent and nature of this Covenant it shall be rehearsed verbatim Heb. 10.16 This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those daies saith the Lord I will put my laws into their hearts and in their mindes will I write them And their sinnes and iniquities will I remember no more Now where remission of these is there is no more offering for sin Having therefore brethren boldnesse or liberty to enter into the holiest by the bloud of Jesus By a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh And having an high Priest over the house of God Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good workes Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching For if we sinne wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes But a certain fearfull looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries He that despised Moses Law died without mercy

under two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath troden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace Now forasmuch as where God hath absolutely promised to doe all for men which is any waies necessary to be done to bring them to an end there remaineth not any thing to be done by them for that purpose and that not only all danger but the very least supposition of miscarriage or possibility of failing thereof is thereby wholly taken away so neither can there reasonably be any thing required of them thereunto or any danger of falling be justly suggested unto them the power and truth of God being thereby directly impeached of impotency and falshood and therefore seeing that the Apostle who in all such things which dependeth altogether for their accomplishment upon the faith and omnipotency of God alone as the resurrection of the dead and the reward of Faith with Christ in the world to come instructeth men according to the example of Abraham Rom. 4. not to stagger at the promise of God through unbelief but against hope to believe in hope to be strong in faith giving glory to God being fully perswaded that whatsoever in that nature he hath promised he is able and will bring it to passe and that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to prevent or hinder the same doth notwithstanding this covenant or promise of God made unto the Hebrews to put his Lawes in their hearts and write them in their mindes c. so earnestly exhort them to draw near unto God in purity of heart conscience and conversation verse 22 to hold fast the profession of their faith without wavering verse 23 and for that end not to forsake the assembling themselves together but to exhort and provoke one another unto love and to good workes vers 24 25. To looke diligently that no man fail or fall from the Grace of God chap. 12.15 And least there be in any of them a heart of unbelief hardened through the deceitfulnes of sin in departing from the living God chap. 2.12 13. And all this from the ground and consideration of the danger of sinning wilfully against the truth verse 26 and falling into the hands of God by trampling his Son under their feet and counting his bloud the bloud of the Covenant given unto them rehearsed in verse 16 17. whereby they were sanctified an unholy thing and doing despite unto the Spirit verse 29 30. which witnessed and confirmed him unto them to be the Son of God and that the principles of this Doctrine viz. repentance from dead workes c. chapter 1. and chapter 6.1 with chapter 2.3 4. were of God must of necessity argue unto us That neither he nor yet the Hebrews themselves did understand this Covenant as now ordinarily it is taken or as in this Objection it is urged For if they had then doubtles he would not having no reason for the same have exhorted and cautioned them in this manner but contrariwise would have encouraged them wholly to have rested themselves upon the faith and power of God engaged unto them to do for them and work in them whatsoever was necessary to their Salvation to prevent all such things that might any waies possibly hinder them thereof nor would they themselves ever have regarded any thing that he should have spoken unto them to the contrary any more then if he should have exhorted them after death to raise themselves from thence upon the danger of perishing for ever and ever in the Grave Which shall serve for answer to this Objection The Conclusion THe consideration of this discourse may serve First as a means to remove out of all mens mindes all prejudiciall and evil thoughts as concerning the decrees and precepts of Almighty God It having been shewed That in his Election he respecteth not the persons of any nor prefereth one man before another therein but extendeth and vouchsafeth the same freely and indifferently to every one who doth not voluntarily knowingly and of malicious wickednes debar themselves thereof his decree of Reprobation being grounded only upon the known wilfull and stubborn disobedience against his Commandments and means of Grace used and vouchsafed for their repentance and reformation Ierem. 6.30 with the 28 29. And his Commandments having been shewed not to be grievous but easie and light for every man to observe and practice 2. It may serve to admonish every man to take heed and beware of all kinde of disobedience against God and that they doe not approve or allow themselves in any or the least thing which they know to be displeasing unto him either forth of a conceit of their Election or of an opinion of impossibility of falling away totally and finally forth of his love and favour seeing it appeareth that he only chooseth unto himself the man that is godly the rich in faith And that he will not justifie the righteous in the day that he turneth away from his unrighteousnes to commit iniquity nor necessarily prevent him therein nor will know the works of iniquity in the day of Account 3. It may also administer sound comfort and consolation to all simple hearted sincere and godly affected persons against all their scruples fears doubts and jealousies as concerning their ignorances weaknesses and infirmities wherewith their mindes are ordinarily perplexed It having been shewed that God will never lay any of these things to their charge or any whit the lesse esteem of them by reason thereof but doth and will alwaies behold and judge of them through the riches of his grace in Jesus Christ according to the integrity purpose of heart and sincerity of affection which he observeth in them towards his name 4. And lastly The consideration hereof doth also abundantly serve to beget in all men an unfeigned love and obedience towards God I will love the Lord saith David because he hath heard my voice c. Psal 116.1 And being but advanced from the sheepfold to an earthly Crown and receiving a promise for the continuance thereof to his house hath his heart thereby exceedingly filled with affection towards him how much more then may the consideration of his goodnes before expressed in advancing us not from a sheep-fold but from death it self the fold of Satan Hebr. 2.14 Nor to a terrestial and corruptible crown but to a glorious estate of immortality even when we were his enemies Rom. 5.8 10. and neither asked nor desired any such thing of him serve to kindle and inflame our hearts with an unfained love and sincere affecton towards him especially if we consider what an heavenly City immortal crown and weight of Glory he hath therein prepared to bestow upon us for an inheritance and crown of reward even for that love service and obedience which of bounden duty we owe unto him The consideration of this Grace caused S. John to love God 1 Joh. 4.19 with the 9 10. chap. 3.16 And constrained Paul to the obedience of him 2 Cor. 5.14 15. FINIS Postscript BEcause I would not be mistaken in my meaning concerning that which I have spoken in the favour of ignorance I thought it necessary more clearly to discover That my intention therein is not to patronize any mans voluntary and wilfull ignorance such as that mentioned by S. Peter in his 2 Epist chap 3.4 5. or that of the Jews discovered in John 9.9 to the end of the chapter For for men to refuse to know because they would not obey or wilfully to oppose evident grounds of reason and light appearing unto them whether forth of a hatred against it or a love to walke in darknesse John 3.19 And so in effect to say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies Job 21.14 can be no more excusable then stubborn rebellion and disobedience against the truth clearly known and understood But the ignorance for which I plead excuse is that only which befalleth men either through imbecility in nature or want of means For as it cannot be required of an ideot to understand reason nor of a childe to distinguish betwixt good and evill naturall internity having hidden those things from their eies and no talent given to them to enable them thereunto So neither by the like reason can the particular knowledge and faith of the Gospel or any thing else whatsoever be required of those to whom the necessary means thereof is not offered Vpon which ground Christ declareth That if he had not come and spoken unto the Jews and done amongst them such works which did evidently demonstrate unto them the truth and excellency of his doctrine and that he was the Messias promised to come they had not had sin in rejecting either him or it John 15.22 23. with the 10 27. And therefore ignorance in this nature cannot be concluded any greater sin then Uriah his carrying of the Letter to take away his own life 2 Samuel 11.14 15. which will never be laid to his charge