Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	evil_a	good_a	motive_n	1,128	5	11.3729	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26821	Truth's vindication, or, A gentle stroke to wipe off the foul aspersions, false accusations, and misrepresentations cast upon the people of God called Quakers, both with respect to their principle and their way of proselyting people over to them also An epistle to such of the Friends of Christ that have lately been convinced of the truth as it is in Jesus.	Bathurst, Elizabeth, d. 1691.	1679 (1679)	Wing B1137; ESTC R2590	87,826	120

brought forth and comes to have the Government in the Soul it must shall and will Reign over Death Darkness Sin and Corruption and all the Powers of Hell and the Devil I would have none think strange of what I have writ concerning this Thing though I know 't is a Mystery to the Natural Understanding of the wifest of the Children of Men and therefore since Paul was called a Babler for preaching such strange Doctrine to the Stoick Phylosophers Acts 17. 8. I can expect no better from some but to be counted a Non-sensical Scribler for writing of the same but this I am content to bear knowing in my self I had no Previous Intentions to amuse my Reader but having undertaken to describe in measure the extent of this powerful Principle of God placed in the Consciences of his Creatures following the Foot steps thereof for my Guide in this Matter Before I can attain to the End of my Journey I am necessarily brought hither and as I stand here I see by the Light of this Spiritual Pillar of Fire that though the Sea with the Waves thereof Roar yet is there a Way for the ransomed of the Lord to pass over and this Way is Christ the Light the Lamb the Grace the Gift of God given by the Father to bring out of the Fall which all Mankind are in by Nature that whosoever believeth in him layeth hold on him and continueth to be led by him should be brought into Fellowship with himself and abide therein forever and this same is he who leads in the midst of the Paths of Judgment and through the many Exercises that I have been writing of before he brings to the Banks of Salvation puts Songs of Deliverance into our Mouthes whereby we can sing of the Mercies of the Lord And thus having brought out of spiritual AEgypt's Land and caused to drink deep of the River of Judgment he then brings to Shiloh's Brook and giveth to drink of the Waters of Refreshment So 't is the same Hand that wounded which healeth and that Arm which broke us doth now bind us up the same Power which killed reviveth and he who once caused grief now giveth Songs in the Night And appointeth to Zion's Mourners Beauty for Ashes the Oyl of joy for Mourning and a Garment of Praises for the Spirit of Heaviness and who will in due time bring all his true spiritual Israel out of the Waste Howling Wilderness into a Land of Everlasting Rest. Thus it appears that the Light of Jesus in the Conscience is no Natural Insufficient Thing as some have sought to render it being something of God placed in every Man to witness against all sin convincing and reproving for that which is Evil contrary-wise prompting exciting and inclining to that which is good so that as many as yield to the Motives of it it is sufficient not only to condemn and to destroy but also to justifie and save being a measure of the Living Omnipotent Power of that One Law-giver who is able to save as well as to destroy see Iames 4. 12. which Power is Christ as saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1. 23 24. We preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a Stumbling Block and unto the Greeks Foolishness but unto them that are Called both Jews and Greeks Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God who as he was once manifest in the Flesh so now is he manifest in Spirit to be that Covenant of Light which the Father promised by the Mouth of his holy Prophet Isa. 42. 6. And this Light Power and Arm is in measure extended and reached forth at one time or other unto all people for the gathering unto him in whom the Election stands that so as many as obey his Call in yielding themselves to be gathered by this gathering Arm may make their Election and consequently their Salvation sure in him For this is he who would have gathered Ierusalem and saved her from that Ruin and Destruction which afterwards came upon her because she knew not the time of her Visitation 'T is the very same Jesus and no other whom we believe in for our Saviour who by his spiritual Appearance in the Hearts of the Children of men gives Light gives Life gives Power and Victory over sin to as many as follow the Leadings and Guidance of this Immaculate Lamb for 't is given to the Lamb and his Followers to overcome and who so overcometh shall sit down with the Lamb on his Throne and live and reign with him for evermore Rev. 3. 21. 12 11. Even the same which was with his Church in the Wilderness being that Spiritual Rock that followed them of which they drank by the way and were refreshed in him who is the Rock of Ages the Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End the First and the Last the Antient of Dayes whose Dominion is an Everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed whose goings forth have been from of Old from Everlasting For he is the blessed and only Potentate King of Kings and Lord of Lords who only hath Immortallity and Eternal Life to whom be Glory and Honour Dominion and Power henceforth and forever Here now ye have a Description and that in Scripture Dialect concerning the Principle of our Faith something I have writ as to the Nature of it which though at first it causeth grief and brings in sorrow upon the Soul yet doth this sorrow work Repentance never to be repented of after which cometh reviving so that it was truly said Though Weeping may endure for a Night yet Ioy cometh in the Morning for they that sow in Tears shall reap in Ioy he that goeth forth Weeping bearing precious Seed shall doubtless come again Rejoycing bringing his Sheaves with him And such shall surely say In the Lord have we Righteousness and strength for in the Lord shall all the Seed of Israel be justified and shall Glory in him not in Wisdom Wealth nor Strength but in this that they know him to be the Lord who exerciseth Loving-kindness Iudgment and Righteousness in the Earth as saith the Prophets Isa. 45.24,25 Ier. 9.23,24 And this is he whom we acknowledge to be our Iudge and Law-giver yea he is our King and he will save us for to this end hath he appeared by his Light in our Hearts and for this end doth he appear in the Hearts of all men that as many as bow down to the measure of his Appearance in them may thereby see and be enabled to forsake their Wayes and Doings which have not been good whereby they may be saved from sin and by the same saving Power and Spirit in their Hearts come to be led into the Way of all Truth which Way of Truth is Christ our Mediator and Intercessor with the Father through whom man comes to be accepted of God as he cometh into him in whom alone the Father

the one Prophet promised to Israel Deut 18. 18. which Promise the Apostle repeateth Acts 3. 22. saying And it shall come to pass that every Soul that will not hear this Prophet shall be destroyed from amongst the people Vers. 23. Thus do they commend themselves to every man's Conscience in the sight of God by turning them to the Light of Jesus the Power of God manifest within which as 't is yielded to and obeyed maketh free from Sin which still is that one thing that I am writing concerning viz. A Principle of Divine Light and Life in Christ Jesus according to the Apostle's record Iohn 1. 4. In him was Life and the Life was the Light of Men And this Light I say however it may be called 't is the shining of the Son of Righteousness in men's Consciences 'T is not Conscience which some have described to be a reflect Act of the mind whereby men view their past Actions the which accuses them for what they have done ill and approveth of what they have done well Though this be more then some there are will allow in this matter yet is this too short to express its noble Nature For this Principle doth as well shew men the Sin of their future Evil Purposes and Intentions as set before them the Iniquity of their former Actions Therefore I say 't is not Conscience for that is but a created Faculty But that of God placed in the Conscience hath its being from all Eternity For he that shewth unto man his Thoughts is the same that Formed the Mountains Created the Winds whose Name is the Lord of Hosts as saith the Prophet Amos Chap. 4. 13. And this is he who is without beginning of Dayes or end of Life The Alpha and the Omega the First and the Last the beginning of the Creation of God the Image of the Invisible God the first Born of every Creature the faithful Witness and the first begotten of the Dead and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth This is he who is the Resurrection and the Life in all that do believe in his Light as 't is Recorded concerning him Heb. 7. 3. Rev. 1. 11. Col. 1. 15. Rev. 1. 5. Iohn 11. 25. Therefore whilst ye have the Light believe in the Light saith Christ that ye may become Children of the Light John 12. 36. And this Light is elsewhere called the Seed even that Incorruptible Seed by which we are begotten to God and Born again by his Eternal Word which liveth and abideth forever see 1 Pet. 1. 23. This is the promised Seed yea that Seed of the Woman spoken of Gen. 3. 15. where the Lord said to the Serpent I will put Enmity between thee and the Woman and between thy Seed and her Seed it shall bruise thy Head and thou shalt bruise his Heel This is the Seed of the Kingdom of Heaven for Heaven's Kingdom is within as Christ said Luke 17. 20. Wherefore this Seed is sown in the Hearts of the Children of men as was set forth by the Parable of the sower Mat. 13. and the beginning He spake many things to them in Parables Behold a sower went forth to Sow and when he sowed some Seed fell by the Way-side c. some fell among Stoney places c. and some fell among Thorns Verse 18 19. Hear ye therefore the Parable of the Sower saith Christ When any one heareth the Word of the Kingdom and understandeth it not then cometh the wicked One and catcheth away that which was sown in his Heart This is he that received Seed by the Way-side c. And in the 31 32. Verses Christ saith The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a Grain of Mustard-Seed which a man took and sowed in his Field which indeed is the least of all Seeds but when 't is grown 't is the greatest among Herbs c. 'T is truly so indeed The Seed or Grace of God is small in its first appearance even as the Morning Light but as it is given heed to and obeyed it will encrease in Brightness till it shine in the Soul like the Sun in the Firmament at its Noon-day height But if People will despise the Day of small things and will not believe in this low Appearance of the Light of Jesus in their Hearts which though it discover to them their Sins and reproves for them yet because its Reproofs are soft and mild and its Voice small and still they out-clamour the sound thereof in their Consciences whereby they reject the Son of God in Spirit as the Iews did in Flesh because he came to them in so mean a manner they would not have him to be their Saviour Will it not be just for Christ to say to these as he did to them Iohn 8 24. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your Sins and then whither I go ye cannot come For the Lord hath said his Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Gen. 6. 3. He is a gracious and long-suffering God but though he be Forbearing yet he will not alwayes bear though his Spirit doth strive with some for a long season yet if they continue to resist the same the time will come when it will cease striving with them and then Wo will be unto them but right blessed are they that are prevailed upon by the strivings of the good Spirit of the Lord in the Day of their Visitation to know and mind the things that concern their everlasting Peace before they are hid from their Eyes But if People will shut their Eyes against the Light how just is it for the Lord to withdraw its shinings from them and to cause Darkness to overtake them Wherefore hear ye and give Ear be not Proud for the Lord hath spoken give Glory to the Lord before he cause Darkness and before your Feet stumble upon the dark Mountains and while you look for Light he turn it into the shadow of Death and make it gross Darkness according to the advise of the Prophet Ieremiah Chap. 13. 15 16. For though a measure of this Divine Light is or hath been in every Man in order to save them yet it will not alwayes abide with them I mean as to its saving Efficacy it will continue no longer then during the Day of their Visitation Therefore saith Christ Yet a little while is the Light with you walk while ye have the Light lest Darkness come upon you John 12. 35. Again he limitteth a certain Day saying in David to Day after so long a time as it is said to Day if ye will hear his Voice harden not your Hearts Heb. 4.7 True indeed there is a Day wherein People may know the things that concern their Souls everlasting Peace But if they Sin out this Day afterwards those things will be hid from their Eyes as Christ said when he came near the City Ierusalem he beheld it and wept over it saying If thou hadst known at least in