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
A69089	An excellent and godly sermon most needefull for this time, wherein we liue in all securitie and sinne, to the great dishonour of God, and contempt of his holy word. Preached at Paules Crosse the xxvi. daye of October, an. 1578 by Laurence Chaderton Batcheler of Diuinitie.	Chaderton, Laurence, 1536?-1640.	1578 (1578)	STC 4924; ESTC S117846	46,847	118

men in all estates and degrees of callings as of Princes Priestes and people so they did with great aucthoritie and boldnesse discouer their seuerall and particular sinnes and threaten against them present destruction and the fearefull Iudgements of God as may appeare to euery one that shal reade with diligence iudgement their prophecies Wherefore briefely to conclude this point of doctrine the three parables of our Sauiour Christ in the historie of the Gospell of the fielde floore and nette written for a plaine declaration hereof shall fully satisfie and content euery one that beleeueth him to be the onely teacher of all trueth and righteousnesse For euen as in the fielde there groweth vp not onely sounde corne but also tares cockell and darnell in the floore there is not onely pure wheat but also chaffe in the nette not onely good things but bad as filth and such like so in the militant and visible Church the fielde floore and net of the Lorde there are not onely syncere and faithfull but also hypocritical and faithlesse worshippers of God not onely vpright and constant doers of the worde but also vaine and Idle talkers of the same finally not only such as with good consciences pure heartes and fayth vnfayned doe serue the LORD and his Church but such also as be reprobate to euery good worke whose ende is to be cast eternally from the presence of God and to be burned as chaffe in the fearefull furnace of Gods wrath and euerlasting indignation Seeyng therefore that the example of Habel and Cain in the beginning of the Worlde of Ismael and Isaac Iaakob and Esau in the families of Abraham and of Isaac seeyng God him selfe in the 50 Psalme and in the nyne and twentieth of Esay seeing also all the Prophets in their prophecies and our Sauyour Christ the doctor of all trueth both in the three former parables as also in this present place doeth declare teache and confirme the trueth of these two sortes of professours who is so blinde that he can not see this who so faythlesse that will not beleeue it who so impudent that will not confesse it Finally who can be so iniurious to his owne saluation that hauing so manye witnesses and such dayly and continuall experience of this trueth will not giue his goods body life and all that he may be accompted of the LORD in the dreadfull daye of Iudgement a doer and worker of his will The vse of this certayne doctrine serueth to moue all true Christians to take greater paynes and care to frame their heartes and works according to the will of GOD then onely to haue an outwarde shewe and appearaunce of godlinesse as also to feare and terrifie the heartes of all true professours from forsaking the true Churche of God for the impietie and vngodlines of some knowing that for the triall of Gods electe heresies vices must continue in the Church till Christ at his comming abolish them with the breath of his mouth and crush all the wicked in pieces with the yron rodde and scepter of his kingdome And so deliuer the whole gouernement of all things into the hand of God his father that he may be al in all to the praise of his power and glorie and the euerlasting comfort of all his adopted children Nowe that we may the better see and know of which sort of professors euery one of vs is let vs heare and learne how our Sauiour Christ doth describe the former sort and what is the end of this profession He sayth Not euery one that saieth vnto me Lord Lord shall enter c. in which wordes he teacheth that all the religion of this kind of worshippers and callers vpon God consisteth onely in the outward profession of himselfe and of God his Father for here to call Christe Lord Lord is nothing els but in word and outward shewe to professe Christ the sonne of God to be their Lord and master God himselfe to be their Father the holie Ghost proceeding from them both to be their sanctifier and themselues to be the seruantes of these three diuers and heauenly persons Wherfore this first sort are such professors as haue onely a shewe of true religion and godlines being voide of all faithfull obedience to god The which kind of profession though it seeme good and glorious in the sight of men yet the Lorde which onely looketh into the heartes of all by his Minister and Prophet Ieremie calleth it the wordes of lyes saying Thus sayeth the Lorde of Hostes the God of Israel Amende your wayes and your workes and I will let you dvvell in this place Trust not in lying vvordes saying The Temple of the Lorde the Temple of the Lorde this is the Temple of the Lord. Wherein the Lorde as wee see opposeth the reformation of their wayes and workes to the outwarde profession of his seruice done in the Temple which being separated from the other he esteemeth no better then the wordes of lyes And in deede it is no better for whereas this outwarde profession sheweth and after a sort speaketh vnto others that we are the true seruantes of God when as we haue but a bare and idoll resemblance of them it maketh and speaketh a manifest and loude lye and therefore is iustly called of GOD the wordes of lyes The blessed Apostle Paul in the seconde Chapter to the Romanes speaketh most plainely against this kinde of profession His wordes be these He is not a Ievve vvhich is one outvvarde neither is that Circumcision vvhich is outvvarde in the fleshe but he is a Ievve vvhich is one vvithin and the Circumcision is of the hearte in the spirite not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God. In which wordes the nature and properties of these woorshippers euidently aypeare for the Apostle affirmeth such kinde of woorship to bee onely outwarde separated from the inwarde Circumcision of the heart and the sinceritie of the worke Likewise the Apostle Iames condemneth the knowledge outward profession of the trueth in the dispersed Iewes to whō he writ because they could not iustifie the sinceritie therof both by Faith and by their works as euery true Christian ought and can doe calling verie aptlie and fitlie this kind of profession void of workes a dead fayth Iohn also in his first Epistle 2. Chap. calleth these seruers of God liers in these wordes He that saieth I knowe him and keepeth not his commaundements is a lyer and the trueth is not in him And our Sauiour Christ himselfe as it is in the Gospel of Luke doth most plainely and briefely set foorth vnto vs the whole nature and qualities of these men which may be a most fitte interpretation of this place For with great aucthoritie and power he asketh a reason why any can be moued to separate the outward worship from the spiritual seruice of the heart and sinceritie in the worke saying Why call

commendation But to let passe the vtterance of speache lette vs come to the affection of the minde the generall disposition whereof I touched briefely before to witte that we shoulde laye aside all desire of shewe of humane knowledge and purpose onely to reioyce in the knowledge of Christ crucified the particular affections required to make our prophecying or preaching acceptable vnto God as they are commaunded in diuers and sundrie places of the worde so the Apostle reioyceth that he obserued in a good conscience this heauenly kinde of preaching In the first chapter of the first Epistle of Peter the holie Ghost commendeth vnto the ministers of Christ an earnest care a willing heart a ready minde a zealous desyre to become ensamples to their flockes saying Feede the flocke of God vvhich dependeth vpon you caryng for it not by constraynt but willingly not for fylthie lucre but of a readie mynde not as though you vvere lordes of Gods heritage but that yee may bee ensamples to the flocke Also our Sauiour Christ the chiefe shephearde of the flocke as appeareth in the tenth of Matth. Gospell sending out his Disciples to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel chargeth them wholly to depende vpon him to gyue freely without respect of filthie lucre to feare nothing in the execution of their office to be fully resolued in their mindes to lose their lyues for his sake finally to keepe them selues in all respects pure and innocent as doues Whereunto agreeth that commandement of Paule to Timothie touching the ordination of Ministers whereby he teacheth that euery minister ought to be watchefull sober modest louers harborous a louer of goodnesse wyse ryghteous holy temperate and vnreprouable So that by these precepts and commaundementes it euidently appeareth with what care of the flocke willingnesse and readines of minde desire by example to edifie boldenes of heart confidence in God loue of Christ and his sheepe with what full purpose with losse of lyfe to perseuer vnto the ende and lastly with what contempte of all worldly prayse and with what zeale of Gods glorie euery minister ought to approue his ministerie vnto Christ the consciences of his flock But if we wyll see these preceptes put in vre and practise let vs diligently marke the lyfe and conuersation of the Prophets and Apostles especially of Saint Paule who as he was the chiefest in worke so the playnest in declaration hereof and compare in euery particular his behauiour in the execution of his ministerie with ours He sayeth Though I preache the Gospell I haue nothing to reioyce of for necessitie is layde vpon mee and vvoe is vnto me if I preache not the Gospell For if I doe it vvyllingly I haue a revvarde but if I doe it agaynst my vvyll notvvithstanding the dispensation is committed vnto mee But which of vs doeth not reioyce and is glad when he hath preached a fewe sermons with lyking and prayse of mortall men What dumme dogge doeth terrifie his owne heart from sinne with this woe agaynst him selfe for not preaching the Gospell or who doeth not for lucre feare and prayse of men rather then willingly of a ready mind feed the poore flocke of Christ Paul though he was free from all men yet he made him selfe seruāt vnto all that he might winne the more vnto the Iewe he became a Iewe to them that were vnder the lawe as though he were vnder the lawe to the weake he became as weake and in deede he was made all things to all men for the Gospels sake that he might be partaker thereof But where is that Minister amongst vs which through loue humbleth him selfe and beareth with the infirmities of ignorance lacke of knowledge wisdome and discretion in his flocke and felow brethren Nay which of vs with Paul beateth downe his bodie and bringeth it into subiection lest in preaching to others he him self become a castaway the Lord pardon vs this our offence For I feare me the care we haue of our mortall bodies farre surmounteth the care we haue of the saluation of our selues or of our brethren Paul did please all men in all thinges not seeking his owne profit but the profit of many that they might be saued but as for vs though many I graunt doe please all men in all thinges yet they seeke their owne profit and gaine not the profite of any one that he might be saued For in deede they make marchandize of the worde of God they are couered with the clokes of shame and walke in craftinesse they handle the worde of GOD deceytfullye preaching them selues and not Christe Iesus the Lorde nor them selues the seruantes of his people and that which is most lamentable of all they gyue great and iust occasion why the ministerie of reconciliation shoulde bee euill spoken of and despysed Contrarywise Paule he spake of Christe as of synceritie as of God in the sight of God he cast of the clokes of shame and walked in declaration of the trueth he approoued himselfe to euery mans conscience in the sight of GOD he preached Christ Iesus the Lorde himselfe a seruant for Iesus sake and to conclude he gaue no occasion of offence in any thing but in all things approued himselfe as the minister of God by the worde of Trueth and by the power of god Seeing therefore many of vs be fallen away from our first loue and former zeale and haue imbraced this present worlde which yf the Lorde be not more mercifull will choke in vs all the graces of GOD we had neede to looke vnto our selues betimes and to frame our selues according to the example of this blessed Apostle in the carefull and syncere dispensation of our ministerie least our preaching bee though profitable to others yet damnable to our selues Moreouer Paule was gentle towardes his flocke as a Nurse cherisheth her children exhorting and beseeching them as a father teaching openly and through euery house keeping nothing backe that was profitable but shewing vnto them all the counsell of God and to shutte vp all in one worde he was verie readie and wylling to deale vnto them not the Gospell of God onely but also his owne soule because they were deare vnto him Beholde here in Paule as in a most cleare glasse a perfect paterne of a good and faythfull seruant of God and on the other side our miserable imperfections and sinfull degenerating from the same This kinde of preaching is that onely wherein we may reioyce which is acceptable to God profitable to his Church comfortable to the speaker This is that true and perfect paterne of preaching which Paul committed to Timothie both in respect of the vtterance and of the disposition of the minde which he chargeth to be kept and obserued that he might be an example to them that beleeue in worde in conuersation in loue in spirit in faith and in purenes saying Keepe the true paterne of the