Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A04986
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Ten sermons upon several occasions, preached at Saint Pauls Crosse, and elsewhere. By the Right Reverend Father in God Arthur Lake late Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells
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Lake, Arthur, 1569-1626.
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1640
(1640)
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STC 15135; ESTC S108204
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119,344
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184
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the Papists commendations of Infidels workes Surely the worke is good according to the judgment of man and so hath the rewards that are so deemed of naturall men So was Nebuchadnezzar Iehu and others rewarded But out of this Observation that the mind and not the action is rewarded here arise two excellent points The one is that we must take the definition of a good worke from the Scripture The end of the Commandement is Charity out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned For God respecteth not so much opus operatum as opus operantis and when it is said secundum opus it is taken with all his circumstances for ordinata and subordinata though they be not expressed they are understood otherwise we shall commit many absurdities in expounding the Scriptures When the effects of Faith are given to Charity to the feare of the Lord to Repentance c. Faith must worke by Charity and a worke tantum habet virtutis quantum fidei charitatis It is Saint Augustines rule Bonum opus intentionem fides distinguit Aug. praefat sp 31. And this overthroweth all the workes that are about merit for the foundation of the reward is faith which beares out all the defects of our conscience and of Charity The second thing that this doth yeeld is that all men herein are equalled because a man is accepted according to that which he hath not according to that which hee hath not According to workes We must looke immediately to our selves and foresee our conditions of reward or punishment But we must not lay our foundation there but goe higher remembring that of God in Moses Secreta mea mihi my lawes are for you And seeing the other vertues are in the sight only of God and the works before the world God that will judge in the sight of the world will judge according to works Reward Hoc ipsum laborare mercedis loco habendum it is an honour to doe so here by grace for it is the uttermost we shall attaine unto in the state of glory For what is the greatest reward of glory but to stand by the throne and praise God and it is our duty yet no man shutts the doors of God in vaine The servant must come with his talent and enter into his masters joy or into utter darknes Behold I come and my reward is with me Reward Isay 40.10 62 11. Esa 40.10 62 11. But where doth God reward in this life or in the next Ordinarily God doth it in both he suffereth not the sinnes of his owne children unpunished nor the rightnesse of the heathen temporally unrewarded hee keepeth eternall rewards of mercy for his children and of plagues for his enemies That God punisheth his children read the stories of Moses David Aaron that he rewardeth see supra But he punisheth his children not taking his mercie from them but virga viri which at the most can but kill the body but not Dei that casts both body and soule into hell fire Yea it is Enos of a weake feeble man They drinke of the Red Wine but the wicked have the dregs The strokes of God upon his enemies are described Esay 30 32.27 7. Esa 30 32.27.1 7 12. He will not strike twice It is good wee consider every man his wayes and turne his feete unto GODS Commandements for GOD will enter into judgement even with those that strive to bee most in favour The summe of all is this What we have done and how we have lived towards God yea and towards men O Lord God of Truth that in witnesse of thy constancy and for reliefe of our infirmity hast many times and wayes informed us of thy power and mercy grant that what thou speakest we may heare attentively and obediently and thereby bee so qualified through thy grace to use those holy meanes which lead to a happie end That when thou takest account of our lives and tryest our works what we have bin towards thee towards our neighbour that we may be such as may partake thy glory and bee crowned of thy mercy per Dominum nostrum Iesum * ⎠* A SERMON PREACHED AT SAINT CROSSE WINCHESTER PSALM 82. ver 5. They understand not they consider not they walke on in darknesse All the foundations of the land are moved THe Originall of Magistrates the duty answerable thereto required in Magistrates the danger of the defects and who must remedy what is amisse by the default there are foure points contained in this Psalme Magistrates are from God and hee resides among them Magistrates must proceede like God partiality must be farre from them Magistrates defects are dangerous both to the state and to themselves finally God can and will redresse the evils that spring from them because hee is Soveraigne in and over those places and persons which are misgoverned by them Of those foure points I have chosen the third and thereof but one part even so much as is contained in this fifth verse whereon for my better direction and your fuller satisfaction it may please you to observe with me these three points First The defects in the Magistrates They understand not they consider not they walke on in darknesse Secondly The danger of the state All the foundations of the land are moved 3. The Collection of both which may be framed two wayes either thus They understand not and therefore all the foundations are moved or thus They understand not and yet behold all the foundations c. Of these two senses the first makes the danger of a state the fruit of a bad Magistrate the second taxeth in Magistrates stupidity if they be not moved with the Common-wealths calamities To these three points by Gods assistance and your Christian patience I will speake briefly and in their order They understand not The mother of imperfections and root of all defects markable in Magistrates may be reduced to three all mentioned in the first part of the verse for either they understand not and that is Ignorance or they consider not and that is Negligence or they walke on in darkenesse and that is want of conscience Touching ignorance the Sonne of Syrach reckoning diverse trades some manuary some imployed in husbandry concludeth in effect thus Although without these a City cannot be maintained yet by these a City must not be governed these sit not upon the seat of Iudgment these cannot declare the forme of the Law they are not meet to discerne hard matters such things must be left unto the learned Pro. 8.15 which must with much paine attaine great wisdome Prov. 8. By me Kings Reigne and Princes decree Iustice by me Nobles beare rule and all the Iudges of the earth And the Author of the booke of Wisdome If your delight bee in Thrones and Scepters then honour Wisedome When Moses tyred with the government of all Israel would unburthen part of his charge upon other mens shoulders bring saith he unto me