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
A19461	A modest and reasonable examination, of some things in vse in the Church of England, sundrie times heretofore misliked and now lately, in a booke called the (Plea of the innocent:) and an assertion for true and Christian church policy, made for a full satisfaction to all those, that are of iudgement, and not possessed with a preiudice against this present church gouernment, wherein the principall poynts are fully, and peaceably aunswered, which seeme to bee offensiue in the ecclesiasticall state of this kingdome. The contentes whereof are set downe in the page following.	Covell, William, d. 1614?	1604 (1604)	STC 5882; ESTC S108881	174,201	234

is better than the fat of Rammes Secondly if Ceremonies be contrarie to true holines they were to be omitted for their end was to further deuotion not to hinder it In this respect they were dispensable when eyther by the place or time two violent circumstances of all our actions or for some impediments they could not well be reserued in this respect Circumcision was omitted for those that were borne in the desart as being vnfit to moue immediatly after that wound and being vncertaine to rest seeing they must follow the fire or the cloud when they moued Thus in persecution we are content rather to exercise Religion without Ceremonies than to want it which in peace to neglect or contemne must needs be a great offence Those times being fittest to serue God with greater reuerence and holier solemnities which are compassed about with greater rest and more happie blessings Lastly when Ceremonies are requisite to testifie our faith as doubtlesse they are then when they are through misunderstanding oppugned wee may not in conscience remit any part of them for the refu●ing of such can be no small sin where the vsing is blessed with the crowne of martyrdom But seeing as some thinke frō the particular deuotiō of the town Cere or as others frō wanting being a religious restraint they are called Ceremonies we need not to doubt in the beginning eyther that vertuous office which they did or those religious abstinences which they performed ioyned Religion Ceremonies with that nearnesse as that neither was absolutely perfect where both were not This vnkinde separation one of the sower fruits that haue growen in this latter age is a great wound giuen vnto Religion doubtlesse in many for I will not excuse all only frō the abundance of too much loue Al Ceremonies may be deuided thus Some were for Iustifications such as the law commāded whereby the obseruer was made more purified and more holy In place whereof afterward succeeded those that were for ornament and to signifie such vertues as were requisite in those parties that rightly vse them Secondly in respect of the Author some were the ordinances of Nature as to looke vp to heauen to lift vp the hands to bow the knees to knocke the breast and such like when wee pray things vsed in their deuotion by the Heathen themselues others were appointed by God himselfe some by the Apostles and the Bishops that succeed in her place Thirdly some are parts of the immediate worship as sacrifice prayer adoration and such like some onely dispose as fasting austere liuing some are onely instruments as Churches Altars Chalises and all those which religiously being separated serue onely to make the deuotion more solemne and that solemnitie to be more holy Fourthly of these some respect persons sometimes some other concerne places all which concurring in a diuine worship are with Ceremonies by separation made sacred and so fitter to serue vnto holy vses Lastly some are particular some more general vninersal as the fa●●ing vpō the Sabbath in S. Austins time was obserued at Rome but not at Millan as also the washing of feet after baptisme was obserued at Millane but not at Rome in all which saith the same Father there is no discipline can be better than in these to follow the custom of the place wherunto we come This coūsaile gaue Saint Ambrose to Saint Austen that none might offend him nor he might offend any A graue moderation which doubtlesse if it were found in all which desire to bee examples to others of a better life the showes of Religion could not haue wanted so much deuotion nor the sinewes of the Church could haue beene racked with so little pittie For in this kinde the same persons may in contrarie places performe contrarie things both well As Zachaeus receiue Christ into his house with ioy and the Centurion with as much prayse say Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter into my house both honouring their Sauiour by a diuers maner both miserable in their sinnes and both obteyning mercy For in alterations of custome that which may helpe peraduenture with the profit of it doubtlesse with the noueltie of change will do more hurt The best remembrance in this ca●e wil be this That the end of the commandemēt is loue out of a pure hart a good consciēce of faith vnfeigned frō the which things some haue erred haue turned vnto vain iangling they would be doctors of the law yet vnderstand not what they speak 〈◊〉 wh●r●f th●y affirme For loue is the fulfilling of the 〈…〉 therefore whosoeuer thou art saith S. Austen that readest either this or any other so read and so learn that thou thinke this to be truly spoken knowledge puffeth vp but Charity buildeth this suffereth long it is bountifull enuieth not doth not boast it selfe is not puffed vp for preseruatiō of Vnitie being that whereunto in this kinde all must ayme it is fittest for those who finde Ceremonies in vse not vnlawfull in any Church rather to obserue them keeping the Vnitie of the spirit in the bonde of peace than with the hazard of scisme to striue to annihilate these and to establish those that are much better For in the vse of Ceremonies at this day our Church doth not so farre differ from the endes of the first institution of them that though her reasons be not the same yet shee retaineth nothing that in substance truth is directly opposite The first end of the Iewish Ceremonies was that by them as by certaine elements the people might be retained in the seruice of God as a childe vnder the gouernment and discipline of his father for where men are not restained within some bounds limits for external worship discentions through affectation of singularitie serue as wel by a general contempt to make men prophane as continuall new and vnlimited additions of Ceremonies doe make them superstitious Those rites then to them and ●o in proportion to vs serued as sinewes to hold all and euery seuerall member of the Church in Religious inuocation and worship of the true God A second end was that they might haue a worshipp neither outwardly ouer naked nor apparelled like that which the Gētiles had a reason doubtlesse to vs not lesse forcible than to them who haue in our eye neere at hand such as are richly attired in this kinde with whom we shall ouer easily fall in loue and dislik our own seruice of God if we haue not some external Ceremonies which we are able to defende both to be as fit for Gods seruice as naturall and comely warranted by Gods word and seruing as wel to that end namely his worship as all the Ceremonies either of Heathens the Iewes or the Church of Ro●● doe And surely whilst some honest mindes for profitable ends haue laboured to vnburthen the Church of many Ceremonies they haue done nothing els but vntyle the