Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	end_n	faith_n	unfeigned_a	1,201	5	10.8215	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09950	The breast-plate of faith and love. A treatise, wherein the ground and exercise of faith and love, as they are set upon Christ their object, and as they are expressed in good workes, is explained. / Delivered in 18 sermons upon three severall texts, by the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635, ed.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670, ed.	1630 (1630)	STC 20208; ESTC S105956	328,230	606

therein this efficacie lyeth when the heart is knit to him as the soule of Ionathan was to Dauid and when CHRIST shall be knit to vs againe that we shall be content to leaue Father and Mother and to become one spirit with him as it is Eph. 5.23 It is a similitude expressing the vnion betwixt Christ and the Church A man shall forsake Father and Mother and shall cleaue to his Wife The word in the Originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to glew if there bee any conjunction that is neerer then other it is signified in that word there is not a word in all the Greeke Language that signifieth a neerer conjunction then the word there vsed for cleauing or glewing When a man shall forsake all euen Father and Mother the dearest things in the world and shall cleaue to Christ it is a repetition of what is said Gen. 2.24 concerning Adam and Eue when faith hath done this worke it is an effectuall faith But yet adde this againe a man may take Christ and seeme to draw neere to him when it may be it is done out of feare it may bee out of loue to his and not out of loue to him it may be done out of mis-information and mistake but when wee draw neere to GOD and doe it out of loue put these two together that we so take Christ as that there is an vnion made betweene vs and him and when it is done out of loue as that condition is put in in 1 Tim 1.5 The end of the Commandement is loue out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith vnfeigned As if hee should say There is a double kinde of faith a false faith and a faith that is not hypocriticall that is the word vsed in the Originall Now saith hee the end of the Commandement is loue c. That is all that God lookes for is such a loue as comes from a faith that is vnfeigned that is not counterfeit Herein is faith seene not to be counterfeit if it beget loue and out of that loue we cleaue to Christ. So that this is the third thing that makes faith effectuall Fourthly faith is then said to be effectuall when it hath not onely done all this when there is not onely a good preparation made for it when it is well built in the vnderstanding and when the will hath thus taken Christ but there must bee a further act and that is the turning of the whole soule and a seconding of it in our whole liues practice a seconding of it in our executions and doing the things that Christ commands as in Gal. 5. In Christ Iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor vncircumcision but faith that worketh by loue Such a faith as workes that is effectuall faith As if he should haue said Many will be ready to beleeue in CHRIST but will doe nothing for him they will not worke Now working is in doing or in suffering for in suffering there is a worke as well as in doing onely it is a worke with more difficulty a worke with more impediments Againe if they will doe any thing for Christ it is not out of loue but for other respects perhaps out of some flash or good moode or some other respects out to doe it as being rooted grounded in loue if faith haue this worke it is effectuall faith and therfore when faith hath once taken Christ it must shoot it selfe into all the affections for when they are all set on worke endeuour will follow If the will bee so set on worke indeed the rest will follow after it Loue will follow Desire after Christ will follow Feare to offend him will follow Repētance and turning from Satan will follow bringing forth fruits worthy amendment of life and obedience c. will follow Therefore you shall finde that the promises are made promiscuously sometimes to one thing sometimes to another sometimes he that repenteth shall be saued sometimes he that beleeueth shall be saued somtimes he that obeyeth shall be saued you shall finde them promiscuously because that when faith is effectuall it hath all these with it it purifieth the heart and bringeth forth fruit worthy amendment of life Therefore this must be added to shew the efficacie of faith and if this be wanting faith is not effectuall not that it can be disjoyned from the other but that it is that wherein it consisteth with the rest And therefore it is GODS vsuall manner when men seeme to take CHRIST and to beleeue in him he puts them to the tryall to see what they will doe whether their faith will worke or no. Thus he did with Abraham when hee would proue him hee was a faithfull man before God had experience of him before but yet he would proue Abraham by offering his sonne and when he saw he did it he concluded that he had faith indeede it was a strong faith for it endured the tryall I say GOD will put men to it So likewise those in Ioh. 12.42 Many of the chiefe Rulers beleeued in him but they durst not confesse him for feare of the Iewes lest they should be cast out of the Synagogue There was a faith in them a taking of Christ but when it came to the tryall it held not out they durst not confesse him because they feared to bee cast out of the Synagogue that is when they came to suffer a little for Christs sake when they came to such an action as confessing his Name when they came to endure but such a thing as to bee cast out of the Synagogue they forsooke him which shewed that their beliefe was ineffectuall So that let a man seeme to haue all the other three yet when the praise of men shall come in competition with any command of GOD when God shall put him to doe any thing to part with any thing that is deare to him as he did Abraham if his faith worke not if his faith hold not out in the tryall but start aside like a broken Bow it is not effectuall faith So you see the things wherein the efficacie of faith consisteth First in the soundnesse of the preparation Secondly when the mind apprehends the promises and sees good ground to pitch vpon them Thirdly when the will so takes Christ as to bring Christ into the heart so that Christ liues in vs and that out of loue And fourthly when faith worketh and that in the time of tryall when God shall put vs to it I say when you finde these foure things you may conclude that your faith is effectuall The last thing I propounded is to shew how this is wrought how our faith is made effectuall It is made effectuall by the Spirit of God it is not in our owne power we are not able to beleeue nay wee are so farre from it that wee striue against it the spirit in vs resists it so that if GOD

me from my Fathers House and hath made me many promises before that is GOD that hath done the greatest matters for me that hath promised me the blessed seed in which all the Nations of the World shall be blessed doest thou thinke hee will not helpe mee in such a particular hee will send his Angell before thee and will certainely giue thee good successe Consider what you doe in such cases as these these are things which you haue continuall vse of you are put many times to such exigents that you shall haue somewhat to trust GOD for and you will be tryed in it So likewise Peter that trusted GOD for the maine when it comes to the particular case that hee is bid to lanch out into the deepe when hee is commanded to draw out the Ship and to goe a fishing although he had no hope to doe it hee trusted in those particulars that CHRIST would not faile him when he bade him goe vpon the water he trusted that he would support him Take Dauid see how he trusted in GOD how many occasions had he to trust on him As it is true for the maine so for the particulars So Paul did not he trust GOD for his maintenance See in his Epistles how carelesse he was that way So it is with all the Saints Consider what you doe in these things See whether your hearts bee at peace in these things whether you trust in GOD or no so that your hearts are at rest that you can sit still and commit your care to GOD if so it is a good argument that you rest in him for the maine So much for that The fourth signe or Character of faith is To hold out and that you shall see in these three branches First when it shall cleaue to CHRIST constantly Secondly when it will take no denyall Thirdly when it is content to waite in prayer and not be weary and giue ouer I say if you would know whether your faith be effectuall you shall know it by your holding out whether it cleaue constantly to Christ. If thy faith be ineffectuall as you haue heard the last day it comes either from mis-informaton you know not what Christ is nor what it is to take him you looke for other things from him when you see what it is if your faith be not effectuall you will goe backe or else you take him out of feare or out of loue to his and not to him or else out of false and slender grounds Now if you would know whether your faith bee such a faith or no consider if it hold out if it cleaue to him If thy faith come of mis-information when thou hast experience of CHRIST when thou seest what hee requires at thy hands when thou considerest and vnderstandest what he puts thee to there is an end thou giuest ouer If thy faith come of feare as soone as the storme is ouer as soone as those troubles in minde those disquiets in conscience are past there is an end thy faith cleaues to CHRIST no longer If faith come out of loue to his of loue to a Kingdome nothing but Hell and Heauen and some present commodities that moue thee when better things are offered that are more present commodities there is an end of it Againe if it be out of false slender and slight grounds when stronger reasons and objections come that faith ceaseth likewise But now then when thou findest that thy faith holds out when all these are past when all these are taken away when the feare is gone when such an offer is made when all the objections are made that can be this argues that faith is sound and good Consider therefore whether thy faith cleaue fast and constantly to CHRIST or no whether it hold out when those flashes and good moodes will not whether it ouercome when it is assaulted by the Gates of Hell comming against it That is when a mans faith is good it is built vpon the Rocke vpon such a Rocke that if the Deuill himselfe and principalities and powers come with all their strength and all their wit with all their temptations and deuises if faith be sound it will hold out the Gates of Hell shall not preuaile against it The Woman of Canaan she had a shrewd tryall when CHRIST tels her she was a Dog in plaine termes and when it came from Christ himselfe and yet when her faith was good indeed she could not chuse but she must cleaue to him she would not giue ouer there was a strong faith that did knit her heart secretly vnto CHRIST there was the ground that she held out notwithstanding all objections although it may be she knew not how to answer them yet she let not goe and that was a signe her faith was good So consider whether thy faith hold out when thou art put to such tryals as these gaine consider whether thou wilt receiue no denyall when thou commest and seekest to him when thou commest to seeke fauour at GODS hands when thou commest to seeke forgiuenesse of sinnes consider whether thou art able to hold out though hee deferre long before hee grant it There is no grace that GOD giues but hee hath tryals for it afterward Hee giues thee the grace of Patience he will put thee to it thou shalt haue some crosse some affliction or other If hee giue thee Loue hee will doe as hee did with Dauid hee will see whether thou wilt forsake him or no hee will make thee an offer of preferment an offer of wealth of praise of somewhat or other to see if thou wilt part with that for his sake or no. If he giues vs Faith he often tryes vs in this case he denyes vs long hee wrestleth with vs as he did with Iacob he makes many shewes of going away Thus we know he dealt with Daniel as soone as hee beganne to pray the answer comes that his request was granted but GOD would not let him know so much hee lets him goe thorow with the worke hee lets him seeke earnestly and then he reueales and makes it knowne vnto him So perhaps GOD intends thee good but he will put thee to the tryall consider therefore if thy faith hold out in such a case Againe when thou hast gotten an answer perhaps after thou hast gotten thine answers thou must waite long before the thing it selfe be giuen thee Therefore consider if thou be content to waite for it for that is the property of faith to be willing to waite as Dauid often repeates it I waited vpon the Lord. You know Abraham how GOD tryed him that way when hee made him a promise of a seede of a Sonne you know how long he waited for the performance So Isaac he waited long before hee had those two sonnes Iacob and Esau. So GOD will put thee to it to waite it may be for matter of justification that is he will not shew himselfe he will not