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
A88594	A treatise of effectual calling and election. In XVI. sermons, on 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherein a Christian may discern, whether yet he be effectually called and elected. And what course he ought to take that he may attain the assurance thereof. Preached by that faithful servant of Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of Lawrence Jury, London.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.; Calamy, Edward, 1600-1666.; Cross, Thomas, fl. 1632-1682,	1653 (1653)	Wing L3178; Thomason E696_1; ESTC R202781	182,095	256

the father of the faithful did when he was to believe a thing that sense and reason would tell him should never come to passe It is said of Abraham Rom. 4.18 19. That in hope he believed against hope He would exalt faith against sense And how was it God promised Abraham a childe reason and sense would have told Abraham Abraham thou art a hundred yeers old thy wife ninety nine her womb is barren and it is not likely you should have children but Abraham would not argue thus but would exalt arguments of faith and apply Gods Promises and Gods Word exalting these Abraham did believe in hope against hope Beloved so must you though you say you have barren wombs Grace is not likely to grow in you and though you are old and decrepit feeble Christians yet advance arguments of faith from Gods love and from Gods power and from Gods Providence and Gods Promises and that 's the way to get your comforts clear and full I may apply what Fox in his Acts and Monuments reports of a poor woman that was called before Bonner and the rest in Queen Maries Reign that sate in Judgement about her Religion they see her though a poor and silly woman yet keep firm to her principles and would not deny her Religion At length Bonner sent some learned Doctors to dispute with her and argue the case about some points she held they coming to see her she puts them off with this saying Well you are Scholars and you come to dispute I must needs tell you I cannot dispute but I can burn for my Religion Beloved I would have you answer the devil thus If he comes to outwit and cavill with you about your comforts say you cannot dispute but you can believe you can lay your help on Jesus Christ upon one that is mighty and exalt arguments of faith and this will much strengthen your comforts Luke 8.42 There came a Ruler to Jesus Christ and besought him for his daughter that lay a dying and while he was telling Christ this there came another messenger after and told him Thy daughter is dead trouble the man no farther what saith Christ hearing this Fear not onely believe As if he should say sense and reason would have told him it were a needlesse thing to beg of Christ for his daughter when she was dead but saith Christ Do not stoop to sense and reason Fear not onely believe and the work shall be done So I say to you Consult not with flesh and blood but exalt arguments of faith against present feelings and this is the way to get assurance of your comforts Secondly Keep conscience clear that no sin be harboured there and you are in the way to get your comforts full God saith David Psal 85.8 will speak peace to his people but they must not return unto folly As if he should say though God doth speak peace and assure you of your pardon and salvation yet if you return to sin God can tell how to break your peace and turn his smiles into frowns and angry looks Take heed of sin and keep your conscience clear and that 's the way to have peace setled in your hearts Job 11.14 15. If iniquity be in thy hand put it far away and let not wickednesse dwell in thy Tabernacle What followes and then shalt thou lift up thy face before God without spot thou shalt be stedfast and shalt not fear A strange expression That if you will keep sin far away then you shall be stedfast before God and not fear that is you shall not be exposed to those fears and doubts and anxieties which other men are exposed to Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near to God with an upright heart in fall assurance of faith Now what shall a man do to come to God in full assurance Mark the next words Draw nigh to God in full assurance of faith having your hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience Here is the way if you are sprinkled from an evill conscience you may be bold to come to God in full assurance Whereas alas if thy conscience tell thee thou art a whoremaster and thou art a deceiver and a liar and loose liver thou canst not come with full assurance thou mayest come in presumption indeed but not with the assurance of faith and therefore keep a conscience clear from harbouring guilt upon it and that 's the way to have the heart sull of joy Thirdly be diligent in keeping company with the most godly experienced Christians where you live this is a very special way to increase your comforts Ye read an excellent passage 2 Corinth 1.4 We are comforted of God saith the Apostle that we might comfort others with the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God Godly Christians they will comfort you with the same comforts wherewith they themselves are comforted If we are comforted it is for your consolation Godly men if they have any inward comfort from God they will impart their experiences to you and tell you as David did Psal 66.16 What God hath done for their soul There is no way better then this to keep in communion with godly and knowing Christians Master Bradford that famous Martyr who was in prison about his profession of Christ the story saith he lay a long time under trouble of minde and horrour of conscience that he could not finde a real and clear evidence of his effectual calling there came many men to him and could not settle him Yet a poore Weaver an ancient and experienced Christian that did usually accompany Master Bradford in prison by his frequent communion with this poore man he got more inward comfort then ever he got all his life before Beloved this I speak to you to make you the more to study the worth of godly society and the more you are conversant with Christians that live in the enjoyment of the light of Gods countenance and in the assurance of his favour all the day long the more you are in the ready way to increase your comforts and assurance Fourthly Submit thy self to the approbation of others and be willing to have them pass a verdict upon thee When thou art a sleep or in a swoun then thou canst not tel thyself what thou dost but others must tell thee So it may fall out with the godly they may be in such a spiritual swoun that the yare not fit judges of their own condition in this case submit to the judgement of others they may see grace in thee when thou thy self canst not see it so Master Throgmorton was comforted by the Testimony of a company of godly Ministers Fifthly Live in the daily improvement of grace and that 's the way to get assurance And this meanes the holy Ghost layes down in the Chapter out of which my text is taken Adde grace to grace And I remember that Beza upon this text doth write that in the Greek Translations these words are put in Give diligence

you Do you look about you God will give you many a blow God will send you many a sad houre before he brings you to your peace 3. Those that have often sinn'd against Conscience that do as it were lay Conscience wast that are prodigall of sinning not caring for sinning against never so much light and never so much conviction Beloved you shall not have so easie a coming to heaven God wil first lay many stroaks upon you and draw heavie groans from you David saith By reason of thy terrors I am afraid and my bone are dried up You are subject to most horror and astonishment that do sin against Conscience Again 4. When God hath done thus made you see the aggravated nature of sin shewn you your misery by reason of sin and brought you into such a condition that you cannot tell how to be saved then 4. this is Gods Method to take you off from your own bottome beat you off from resting in duties and beat you off from dependance upon graces and beat you off from every thing in your selves This was Gods work in Paul Phil. 3.9 10. I was saith Paul Circumcised the 8th day of the stock of Israel of the Tribe of Benjamin an Hebrew of the Hebrews that is my father and mother were Hebrews what then and I was touching the Law blameless Mark he was so standing upon his own legs upon his own bottome that he thought himself a holy man a man blameless touching the Law But now saith he what things were gain to me I count loss for Christ yea doubtlesse I count all things lost that I might be found in Christ not having my own righteousnesse Here Paul before Conversion depended upon his holy living and honest dealing but now I am converted and see my folly now I desire to be found in Christ not having mine own righteousness See how God did unbottome Paul from any goodness in himself to make him rest upon Jesus Christ and this is Gods work with thee he will unbottome thee from thy self and make thee see thou canst not be thine own Saviour 5. After he hath unbottom'd thee from thy self he puts thee upon earnest longings and looking after Jesus Christ When the poor soul hath ransack'd duties and gone to this Minister and the other Minister to be satisfied and he sees duties cannot help him and prayer will not help him now he thinks I see none but Christ to lay my head upon and I see none but a Christ I must make my recourse unto And now he is so longing after Christ that if all the stones in the streets were gold and all the building of his house were diamond and all his garments bespangled with pear●e none of these should interrupt or stay him from running after Jesus Christ and this as I may say is Gods second work The three first may be in wicked men they may see their sin and miserie thereby and be in a maze not knowing which way to goe but these two are a form beyond the wicked they never unbottome themselves nor ever have any longings or breathings after Christ at all 6. It is Gods method after all this to make them find abundance of contentment and acquiescence in Jesus Christ that they may have occasion to say I see I have laid my help upon one that is mightie I see I have picht upon him that is both able and willing to do me good 2 Thes 2.16 hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace And now Beloved having spoken of these things how many in the Congregation have I left hehind that haply the Lord hath used none of these Methods with their souls O Lord I am not able to tell you your miserie but I intreat you take heed and do not nuzzle up your souls in Presumption and groundless Perswasions for believe it these are Gods ordinarie Methods he takes with most souls in bringing them to glorie SERMON III. 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure HAving finisht the first part of the discoverie in relation to the Method God takes with those whom he doth effectually call I now proceed to the second way of discoverie and that is by those saving Concomitants that doe and will accompanie a soul that is effectually call'd and these saving effects I shall reduce under eight heads First A man effectually call'd by Christ he doth unfainedly love the word of God and the Minister that preached that word that God did use as an instrument of his call First I say he will love the word John 8.47 He that is of God that is he that is call'd by God heareth Gods word therefore you are not of God because you heare not his word There the Scripture tels us that they who are of God effectually called by him they heare his word with abundance of delight and abundance of joy and love So 1 John 4 5 6. He that is of God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us And therefore David when he would evidence a work of God upon his heart Psal 119.14 Thy word saith he is as great riches to me And as if he did not value riches comparable to the word vers 72. I love thy word above thousands of gold and silver Beloved if you are converted and called by Jesus Christ you will love the Word of God that was an instrument of your Call Wherfore all you that spurn against the Gospel that cannot endure to have the word come with power upon your consciences all you that are weary of Ordinances and finde no more savour in an Ordinance of God then as Job saith there is taste in the white of an egg this is an argument you are not yet called What 's the reason one man will rise early go far take pains and many times neglect his own lawfull affairs and all to enjoy the Word when another man will goe by the Church-door and haply go to a Tavern and will not go to hear the Word at all What 's the reason One is call'd by the Word and the other not one is called by the Word and therefore loves it another is not called and that makes him neglect it 2. He doth not onely love the word but the Minister that by preaching the word was an instrument of his conversion And therefore it is observable which some Divines note That of all men that we read of in Scripture there was no man did love Paul so much as Timothie For I have no man like minded saith Paul Phil. 2.22 No man that did so naturally care for him and for the Church of God as he For as a son with his father hath hee served me And what 's the reason Why Paul was the instrument of Timothy's Conversion and Timothy being a Minister and come to a great pitch in grace hee thought that of all Arguments in the world that should indear him to

gracious people There is many a man will change his life when God brings pangs and death and sickness upon him these are forc'd waies that God takes to make a wicked and stout-hearted wretch change his life Isa 16.12 It s said there When Moab is weary Moab will come to my Sanctuary and pray What a change was here in Moab Moab an Idolatrous company that hated Gods people and were enemies to all goodness yet when they were weary and Gods hand lay heavie upon them then they would pray Ezek. 24.12 So that you see clearly though men do change their lives yet if this change flow onely from a present affliction they lie under that Gods hand upon them doth even force them to change their course this is no argument of a saving change and so by consequence no evidence of your effectual calling Secondly Men may change their course from this Principle also Because of that horror of conscience that seizeth upon them in the apprehension of hell and the wrath of God and from this Principle a Heathen may change his course It is noted by one upon that place in Peter It happens unto them as the Dog that turns to his vomit c. Upon those words he hath this note That the Dog in vomiting carries resemblance to a wicked man leaving his sin Now saith this Author The Dog when he vomits it is by reason of some qualm and pang that is in his stomack and when he hath that pang he will disgorge himself and ease himself by vomit not as if he loathed his meat but if he could free himself from those pangs he would fain have the meat in his body to nourish him Thus a wicked man he may disgorge and vomit up his sins and leave his sins but why it is not because he hates his sins no he would keep them as a sweet morsel under his tongue but it is because those sins cause horror and trouble of conscience he cannot deceive nor he cannot follow his lusts but conscience will follow him Now if thou change thy sin onely to stop consciences mouth and muzzle conscience this is no argument of effectual calling Delus Fourthly men are tempted by the Divel to nourish presumptuous perswasions that they are effectually called when they are not because they are miscalled and reproached by the men of this world Now think they I should never be miscalled and reproached by wicked men if I were not called by my God Now to take off this briefly I answer Every reproach from wicked men can be no argument of an effectual call from God because men may be miscalled upon a twofold ground There are some men suffer as Christians and some as evil-doers we may suffer either for Christs sake or for our own sakes The distinction is laid down 1 Pet. 4.15 16 17. Let none of you suffer as a Murtherer as an evil doer as a Theef as a Busie body in other mens matters but if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed So that some men may be punished for their own evils they have done and so suffer no more then they have deserved but other men suffer for their profession because they profess Jesus Christ Now to suffer because of your evil doings this can be no evidence but to suffer for Christ meerly for professing his Name this is an argument of effectual calling Therefore Christ pronounceth those blessed Matth. 5.11 Blessed are you when men shall revile you and speak evil of you for my sake This is an evidence of your effectual calling by Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren Give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THE Doctrine I am yet upon drawn from these words is this That Christians should put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their soules that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the prosecution of which I have gone over many particulars and resolved some cases of conscience in reference to wicked men I am now at this time to dispatch some cases of conscience more touching them that are effectually called by Jesus Christ As 1. Whether men that are effectually called by Christ into a state of grace and hope of glory may in this life attain to an infallible and firm assurance of their own effectual calling 2. If it be found that it is attainable in this life then what is the reason that many Christians who are effectually called do so much suspect and doubt their own calling and walk so sadly for want of their assurance 3. What must be done that so you may make it sure to your own soules that you are effectually called by Jesus Christ First whether it be attainable in this life that men who are effectually called by Christ may have a firm and infallible assurance of their own call And in resolution of this I shall briefly free it from two extreames both of which are untrue about this Query The first is that of the Papists who utterly deny any such thing as assurance about a mans Calling Justification or Election by God and they hold all their followers in suspense affirming that the most a man can have is a conjectural faith an hope or conjecture that he shall be saved And hence it is that in that Popish Councel of Trent they made this Canon Si quis dixerit hominem renatum teneri ex fide ad credendum se certò esse ex numero Praedestinatorum anathema sit Sess 6. Can 15. That if any man doth say that he is bound of faith to believe that he is certainly in the number of Gods called ones or justified ones or elect ones let him be Anathema let him be accursed That man that would so much as take this assurance to himself they would hold that man accursed And the reason why they do it is because they hold another error to wit falling from grace which they could not maintain did they not hold this also this is the first extream 2. Another extream is of the Lutherans they being opposite to the Papists in this point of assurance to confute them who deny all assurance they run into this extream to hold that assurance is of the nature of faith and whoever hath faith hath assurance but this is another extream and an uncomfortable doctrine for doubting Christians were it true Therefore to keep this truth in the middle betwixt two extreames I shall lay down this position by way of Answer That though sometimes persons effectually called may be without a particular assurance of their own call yet this assurance is attainable by Christians in this life and Christians may be assured of their own effectual calling And this I shall prove by four Mediums First Because the Apostle injoynes it here in my Text Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Now this is a rule in Divinity No man is bound to do a thing

very nice thing every thing will give the comforts of Gods Spirit a check and distaste now if you harbour sinne upon conscience you will never thrive in comfort every thing will give comfortable motions a check And as Philosophers say when the Aire is foggy it ariseth from vapours that are exhaled from the earth which makes the aire so cloudy as it is So it is filth drawn from our earthly hearts that makes such foggy mists to arise between our comforts and us and between God and us You must keep conscience clear else you will never keep heaven clear Heaven will be clouded if the heart be filthy Job 11.14 15. If iniquity be in thy hand put it far away If sinne be upon the conscience harbour it not for then thou shalt lift up thy face before God thou shalt be stedfast and not fear You shall not only not fear but you shall have a degree of assurance You shall be stedfast if you put sinne far away from you A sullied and a polluted conscience shall never be in a Christian strong in assurance You will not grow in assurance if your conscience harbour guilt Thirdly If you would improve your assurance keep close in communion with God Nothing that feeds comforts so much as a Christians holy walking Esa 32.17 The work of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect thereof quietnesse and assurance for ever If you walk in works of righteousnesse and in a way of keeping close communion with God this shall be peace and this shall be quietnesse and great assurance Mark how the Holy Ghost makes a gradation not onely peace and quietnesse but assurance also you shall have the highest degree of peace and the highest step of comfort if you walk diligently in a way of holinesse with your God And thus much be spoken to the first sort of men those that live in the enjoyment of the assurance of their effectual calling Vse 2 I have now a word to those men that live in the want of this assurance who happily have in times past had some glimmering and some dimme sight of comfort touching their everlasting estate and yet are now much clouded and eclipsed in their comforts or have lost the comforts they once had what they should do to recover it And to these I shall by way of direction speak only four things First That you would set upon searching work Secondly Upon humbling work Thirdly Upon praying work And fourthly that you would set upon meditating work These four helpes will through Gods Blessing be very conducible to restore your wonted comforts to you First My counsel shall be to you that you would set upon searching and examining work When you have lost any thing the first thing you do is to look after it where you have lost it that you may finde it again If you have lost this precious jewel of assurance be thus wise for your selves O set upon seeking and searching work The Scripture gives you this hint Gal. 6.4 Let every man search his own work and then he shall have rejoycing in himselfe This is the way to bring in spiritual joy and spiritual comfort to be often dealing with your own hearts David when he lay under some foule distemper mark how he deales with his own soule Why art thou troubled O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me he puts his heart upon the Trial. And here in your searching work I would commend five things to your examination First Search how you got your assurance Secondly Search how you grounded your assurance Thirdly Search how you managed your assurance Fourthly Search what should provoke God to take away your assurance Fifthly and lastly Search what you would give to God so you might regain your former and wonted assurance Put these questions to your hearts As First Put upon the search how you got your assurance It may be it was such an assurance as you have had ever since you were borne from your mothers womb that you got without care and without pain and if so this is presumption not assurance and if you have lost this it is well It is better to be in a state of discouragement then in a state of presumption Secondly Examine how you grounded your assurance It may be you bottomed it but upon selfe not upon Christ It may be you bottomed it but upon the fantastical delusions of your own hearts and not upon the grounded evidence of Gods Word if so that your assurance have had an ill bottome it is no wonder if God turne it upside-down If it bee not rightly grounded it will never long bee continued Examine therefore upon what grounds you have bottomed your assurance and if you finde the foundation of your comforts to be ill laid you must pluck up all again Thirdly Search how you managed your assurance It may be you managed your assurance with pride not humility it may be with unwatchfulnesse and carelesnesse of spirit and did not take notice of those temptations and suggestions that might impaire your comforts and if so it is no wonder if the devil sowes tares amongst your wheat it is no wonder if the devil have stollen away your comforts if you have laid down your watch Fourthly Examine what special cause there was in your hearts that might provoke God to cloud you in your comforts and to take away your assurance from you And here that you might a little bee directed in this search you may reduce the cause of your eclipse and of the removal of your assurance unto this twofold head Either it hath been the commission of some great transgression or else the omission of some weighty duty that may provoke God to darken your comforts As First the Commission of some great transgression Great sins they lay a foundation for great discomforts in tender consciences Vastare conscientiam Great sins they lay the conscience waste to make it that was as a well-trimmed and impaled garden to be as a ruinous wildernesse Great relapses they bring ordinarily dark eclipses upon the soule And here that I might put you on this search I would advise you to search what particular sinne it was and how you might know the transgression that might provoke God to take away your comforts from you As First if so be God did take away your comforts immediately after the committing of any grosse sin then you may be sure that sinne was the occasion Or Secondly If the commission of any sin doth bring upon you more then an ordinary measure of hardnesse of heart then you may be sure that was the sin Or Thirdly If any sinne makes you remisse in spiritual duties that was the sinne provoked God to take away your comforts from you And by such a search as this you might finde out and give a shrewd guesse at the particular provocation And here the particular transgressions I would have you search about they are ordinarily these four that