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	good_a	unfeigned_a	1,203	5	10.8412	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00753	Comfortable notes vpon the bookes of Exodus and Leuiticus, as before vpon Genesis Gathered and laid downe still in this plaine manner, for the good of them that cannot vse better helpes, and yet are carefull to read the Scriptures, and verie desirous to finde the comfort in them. By the Reuerend Father in God Geruase Babington ... With a table of the principall matters contained in this booke.	Babington, Gervase, 1550-1610.	1604 (1604)	STC 1088; ESTC S100580	531,878	712

the same bringeth foorth much fruite for without me can ye doo nothing Euen so say you of light No man is an instrument of any light to others but as he himselfe is in the stemme Christ from whom commeth all light In him men giue much light and shine vnto many both farre and néere by Word and writing c. 4 There are many branches of the Candlestick The branches are chieflie the Ministers of the Church and the varietie noteth their diuers degrees and orders These all grafted in the stemme and growing out from the stemme do also giue light in the Sanctuary A great honor to themselues when they do giue light and a great comfort to the beholders that sée their light Thus to shine is rightly and truly to shine in Gods house and all glorie els pompe and port and state is vtter vanity if this be away The light was euer in the Church and so diligent should Ministers be that their sound should be heard still still as the Lord willeth In season and out of season holy day and worke day if the place require it and tenne thousand times happy that seruant whom when his maister commeth he shall finde so doing I lay no burdens on any mans backe but the Lord that called hath inioined the worke accounted vs faithfull and put vs in his seruice He he it is that hath deliuered out his money and will looke for a reckoning that lent vs his light and will one day aske what wee did with it He gaue it not to be put vnder a bushell but to be shewed out to all that are in the house O that Hee may giue the feeling remembrance of it Then will not loyterers condemne labourers and thinke it vnfit to preach too often curiositie shalnot put out the candle a quarter of a yéere together or censure diligence and plainenesse in others for want of it Euery mans labour shal be accepted for the end whereunto they are directed and godly ioy in euery mans well doing That snake of enuie will flye away where discouragement hath growen cōfort will spring that God may be pleased and his Church profited by all mens measures and abilities He that walketh in the midst of the Candlesticks séeth the light or darknesse of them and wil remooue any one that amendeth not being faultie 5 This Candlesticke had bowles knops and flowers to adorne it and beautifie it withall The bowles figuring againe the spirituall gifts wherewith God Almighty doth beautifie his Pastors and Teachers which are as lights in his Church as Wisedome Learning Eloquēce Tongues and such like teaching also these Ministers that as Bowles do containe and kéep water or wine so should they conteine and euer kéepe doctrine and exhortation to coole and comfort the consciences of men bringing as the good Scribe out of their store things new and old The knops and flowers seruing for delight well represented what pleasure and contētment Godly people should take in a godly Teacher placed by Gods gratious prouidence ouer them They will not treade vpon them but smell to them not cast them at their heeles but set them in their bosomes as trulie pleasing flowers vnto them Still gold is the matter and pure gold to shew out by way of shadow the excellencie of Christ and of his faithfulll Ministers in him and for him 6 There were againe seauen Lampes and oile in them for this light The number of Seuen noting sufficiencie as indeede the Lord neuer faileth his Church of what hée knoweth néedefull Oyle commonly signifieth the Gospell and Faith kindled in the hearts of men by the efficacie of the Ministerie and the lampe shadoweth out a good conscience Because as oyle cannot be kept in a broken lampe but in a whole so is true Faith euer preserued in a good conscience hurt the conscience loose faith loose the Holy Ghost and loose eternall life This is prooued by the blessed Apostle when he saith Fight a good fight hauing faith a good conscience And againe The end of the commandement is loue out of a pure heart and of a good conscience of faith vnfeigned Furthermore as the only lampe emptie and drie could not light those foolish Virgins to the Bridegroomes chamber so neither can a good conscience as Philosophers spake of it that is honest externall action saue a man without there be also the oyle of the knowledge of the Gospell of Christ Lastly as a Lampe of glasse is brittle and soon broken so the conscience is a very tender thing and quickly may becrakt if not cleane broken A iust cause to make men chary what they doo 7 Snuffers and snuffe-dishes are appointed for these lightes wherein we may also profit and bee instructed For first in that GOD leaueth not the least and basest thing to their willes but himselfe appointeth and preand prescribeth all we very truly learn how odious in his seruice mens meere inuentions be and how he euer tyed men to his owne commandement not suffering them to doo what séemed good in their own eyes and to salue vp the matter with their good intents Amongst then many other things in the Word euen this also should haue his force in our hearts to beat vs from will-worships and to make vs carefull to learne how God will be serued and so onely and euer to serue him Secondly this is a great comfort to Ministers and to all the faithfull of God who are also here shadowed namely that although my gifts be not such as to set me high in the Tabernacle yet am I not therefore vtterly vnprofitable or vnfit or reiected of God But if I may be among the meanest vessels of the Sanctuarie and of the Church If I may be but as the Snuffers or Snuffe-dishes as a doore keeper as a besome or an ash-pan wherof mentiō wil be made hereafter euen this shall well please me herein will I reioyce thanking my God right humbly that hath looked vpon me in that measure Euery faithfull man or woman cannot be great and haue great places in the Church the body hath diuers members and all good and made by God the Church hath diuers degrees of Beléeuers and yet all Beléeuers and loued of God so if you be one in any place blessed be God for it Your ioy shall be eternall also and incomprehensible Thirdly for the vse of these Snuffers you know they serued to make the lampe light shine more bright So shadowing out that the doctrine of the Church must be pure bright and light not mixed with darknesse and snuffes in it and to this end the Lord hath discipline in his Church and disputations so to cleere when obscuritie groweth and to set things well that went awrie Discipline is profitable when it is rightly exercised by men authorised but if men not authorised by means not allowed will be snuffing of lights indéede rather aiming to put them out than

they can They will rake they will scrape they will hoord and muckervp their wicked Mammon is their GOD and their Chest their hope in time of néede But what became of Manna it selfe when it was kept contrarie to Gods liking Wormes bred in it as you sée it stanke and no wayes serued to their vse that so disobediently had laide it vp Euen so so shall it euer bee with this Crue let them make their reckoning of it and rest assured Ill gotten goods shall not prosper nor the thirde heire bee the better for them Our eyes daylie sée what may teache our hearts if GOD bee within vs and this notable place of rotting Manna would neuer bee forgotten 7. Yet the sixt day they reserued and it corrupted not Uerie true and let it neuer goe out of your minde whilest you liue For vpon the sixt day they were commaunded to gather both for that day and the day following ver 5. which was the seauenth day and the Sabbath to the end they might rest vpon the Sabbath and not goe out to gather and it corrupted not No more shal any goods you get and gather with the will and good liking and by the commaundement of Almightie God that is truly lawfully and with a good conscience but the Lord shal blesse that basket and that store to you whilest you liue and to yours when you are gone and though it bee but little yet hee shall make it sufficient to sustaine your selfe to bring vp your Children and to doo what they which haue thrice as much as you comming in cannot doo Your Children againe after you maintayned with that which you haue well gotten shall prosper either in learning or trade so that they shall come to great Places often and to bee Great menne to carie such Offices of credite as are in the Countrie or Tewne where they dwell and leaue Gods mercies againe to their Children after them to a thousand generations louing and fearing Gods holy Name and kéeping his Commaundements when the quite contrarie shall come to passe with the goods ill gotten as you haue séene 8. Forget not to marke héere also the great care that GOD hath of his Sabbath that it bee kept holy according to his appointment when hee will not suffer these Israelites to gather so much as his Manna for their foode vppon the Sabbath day but appointeth them to doo it the day before May not a good soule thus reason then with himselfe or her selfe Good Lorde what doo I vppon the Sabbath day This people of his might not gather Manna and may I safelie gad to Faiers and Markettes to dauncinges and drinkinges to wakes and wantonnesse to Beare-baytinges and Bull-baytinges with such like wicked prophanations of the Lords day May I bee absent from the Church where Gods people are gathered together in his Name he in the midst of them walking about my Closes and grounds sending my Seruaunts and Cattle to Townes with corne which I haue solde before because I will not spare them on the wéeke daies and so forth Are these works for the Sabbath Is this to keepe holy the Sabbath day Can I answere this to my God that giueth me sixe daies for my selfe and taketh but one day to himselfe of which I rob him also No no assuredly I shall not be able to endure his wrath for these thinges one day and therefore I will leaue them and regard héereafter his holie Sabbath better than I haue done Yes assuredly this is a sound and a blessed Reason and therefore I pray God to set it in our hearts since now a-daies there is so much offending this way 9. When came this Manna from Heauen in the day or in the night In the night when the dewe fell downe this Heauenly bread fell with it and in the morning as hath béene noted verse 14 When the dewe ascended this lay all scattered vpon the earth to be gathered till the heate of the Sunne melted it away ver 21. What a swéete Note doo I sée heere namely that when his Children sléepe and are at rest Gods prouidence for them sléepeth not but worketh and giueth thinges for their vse and for their comfort for their health for their life for their aduancement vnto honour Groweth not the grasse when wee sléepe and the best hearbs for our health and vse Come not the swéet showers when we sléepe that make the Husbandman reioyce and sing Peter was a sléepe in the prison the next day to suffer death by cruell tyrannie watched and warded and bound with chaines neither was there any helpe in mans eyes for him only the little flocke of Gods Children gathered together in the house of a religious woman prayed for him but the prouidence of God was not sléepe which watched ouer him and his life and sent his Angell to deliuer him in such miraculous manner as you reade of euer and euer leauing vs a Testimonie of his care loue mercie and power as shall be good for vs the swéetnesse whereof I am not able to reach vnto but crie with the Prophet from my heart O blessed blessed is the man that hath the Lord for his God! it is better to trust in him than in all the Princes of the world And if he be on our side wee neede not care what man can doo against vs. Such another Example is that of king Ahasuerosh not able to sléepe but calling for the Chronicles and hitting vpon that place where Mordecai his loyaltie and faithfull seruice was mentioned thereby enquiring what had béene done for him and so exalting him to great honour Poore Mardocheus was a sléepe when this was done and little thought of such a matter But his swéete and gracious God was not on sléepe you sée sending from Heauen his Manna that is his comfortable Mercie to his Childes honour and his whole Churches good by his aduancement Shall wee euer then fall from this God by distrustfull feare that thus careth for his when they be on sléepe Lord Lord giue vs the vse of these thinges and strengthen our Meditation to an immoueable Faith and strong comfort in Thee euermore Consider the olde generations of men saith the wise Sirach and marke them well was there euer any confounded that put his trust in the Lord Did euer any continue in his feare and was forsaken or euer any call vpon him and was despised No no no no. And therefore lay it vp in your heart marke the Scriptures If wee beléeue that he hath made our bodies shall wee not also beléeue that hee will prouide for them séeing the creation is greater than the preseruation Hath hee care ouer the wicked to doo them good and will hee not much more reioyce to doo his Children good Did the Lord loue vs when wee were his enemies and will he leaue vs succourlesse when we are reconciled to him in so déere a price as his owne Sonnes precious blood O if he did vs

away and their Deliuerance be wrought by a gracious GOD. Thus comforted Paule the Church in his time saying As Iannes and Iambres withstoode Moses so doo these also resist the truth But now marke they shall preuaile no longer for their madnes shall be euident vnto all men as theirs also was An end therefore will be of all troubles which these Locusts shall worke vnto the Church and Elect of God Fiue moneths is not long in respect of that eternitie which followeth and therefore in comfort be wee patient their time is set and they shall haue an end Againe this place may notably assure you and euery one that all which died in the time of Poperie were not cast-away but that at one time or other by one way or other the Lord gaue them light a holy departure in his truth and Stories tell vs how still in the time of darknes God raised vp some zealous and able Teachers of their brethren by whose ministerie and helpe many receaued light and ouercame the power of error Whereunto agrée the words of Primatius Illi hic intelliguntur qui licet falsis fuerunt irretiti doctrinis circa finem tamen vitae compuncti diuinam recipiunt veritatem They heere are vnderstoode who though they haue beene abused by false Doctrine yet in the end of their life hauing remorse they entertained the Heauenly truth The words following that in those dayes men shall seeke death and shall not finde it and shall desire to die and death shall flie from them verie effectually shew forth the tortures of conscience which Popish Doctrine casteth men into so well knowne by fearefull Examples as I néede not to stand vpon it Also the misteries of the Time wherein the Locusts should swarme fully expressed in Stories which indéede made many a man and woman wearie of life The little short time of Quéene Marie her Reigne how full it was of vexation and griefe is not nor cannot be forgotten Thirdly in the place of the Reuelation it is saide The forme of the Locusts was like vnto horses prepared vnto battell And sée how it resembleth Romish Locusts Horses are proud so are they Horses are bolde and sturdie fierce and cruell not turning backe but rushing forward so are they bold and bloodie sturdie and mercilesse not looking backe by repentance but rushing forward in hardnes of heart Horses are fat and faire and full of neighing so are they And for being prepared to battell all Histories shew what warres they haue caused and still doo in the world themselues being Leaders Captaines and Generals in them whereas wee knowe that the true Church of God by the Rule and Example of the Gospell ought to be a Daughter of peace not a Mother of debate A forgiuer of iniuries not a renenger of her selfe or a séeker of warres The Tragicall Storie betwixt Frederick the 2 and Gregorie the 9 may serue in steade of many to prooue what warres and treacheries come from Rome That horrible slaughter betwixt both sides of thirtie thousand the most Citizens of Rome whom will it not moue that readeth it This Pope was in the daies of Henry the 3 King of England The open warres proclaimed against the Gréeke Church shewe much But I will lay downe the very words of Pandolphus who wrote in Italian the life of this Frederick the 2 that such as haue not the Storie may sée this point fully and I pray you marke them well Truly saith He when I consider with my selfe that Christ whose Vicar the Romaine Bishops boast themselues to be said vnto his Disciples that they should follow him and imitate his Example as of their Maister and Teacher and commaunded them farther that they should not draw the sword but put the same into the scabbard and gaue them in precept that they should not onely forgiue iniuries 7. times but 70. times 7. times to those that offended them And when I now compare the liues of the Bishops of Rome how neere they follow him whose Vicars they say they are and consider so many and so great conspiracies treasons rebellions disloyalties lyings in waite and treacherous deuises so many Legates of the Popes being Ecclesiasticall persons which will needes be called the Sheepheards of Christ his Flocke to be such Warriours and Captaines of Souldiers in all the parts of Italy Campania Apulia Calabria being the Emperours Dominions in Picenum Aemilia Flaminia and Lumbardie to be sent against him Also when with my selfe I meditate the destruction of so many great and famous Cities the subuersion of such Cōmon-weales the slaughter of so many men and the effusion of such Christian blood Lastly when I behold so victorious prosperous and fortunate Emperours to be and so many miserable infortunate vanquished Popes to be put to flight I am perswaded with my selfe to thinke and beleeue that the Iudgements of God are secret and marueilous and That to be true that Aeneas Siluius writeth in his Historie of Austria That there is no great and marueilous clade no notorious and speciall calamitie that hath hapned either to the Publique-weale or else to the Church of GOD whereof the Bishops of Rome haue not beene the Authors Add vnto this that Notable place in the Prophet Micah where speaking of Gods true Church it is saide they shall breake their swords into Mattocks and their speares into ●ithes that is their fierce affections shall by the power of the word be mortified and brotherly loue encreased with desire of peace and quietnes But these men euen contrarie breake their Mattocks into swords and their ●ithes into speares being so great so fierce so ambitions and common Warriours as they are The strange cruelties of Vrban the 5. making bloodie great warres vpon many and bringing them by force in subiection to him I omit These things shew how truly this Prophecie of the Apocalyps concerning Locusts like vnto horses prepared to battell agréeth to these Romish Locusts Popes Cardinals Legats Monkes Fryers Priests Iesuites and such like Nicholas Machiauel saith all the ruinous calamities and miserable clades that either Italy or whole Christendome hath suffered haue béene brought in by the Popes of Rome A faire warning to all Gods people to know them and auoide them Fourthly on their heads were as it were crownes like vnto gold And these haue Shauen Crownes tokens as they say of their Priestly and Kingly dignity Such Crownes are rightly said by S. Iohn to be like Crownes not Crownes indeede Surely right Notes they are of Romish Locusts and that may suffice as many as will be warned by any thing Fiftly And their faces were like the faces of men So are these not terrible in shew but curteous kinde fawning flattering watching catching with smooth wiles to effect their purpose They pretend all good making men beléeue that they can bring them to true Blessednes that they will teach them true Religion true Deuotion and giue them Pardon for