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
A45396	Hagieā theoū krisis Iudgment worthy of God, or, An assertion of the existence and duration of hell torments, in two occasional letters, written several years since / by ... Henry Hammond ; to which is added an accordance of St. Paul with St. James, in the great point of faith and works by the same author.	Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660.	1665 (1665)	Wing H515; ESTC R15162	47,364	178

well-natur'd man never willingly pronounces sentence dolet quoties cogitur esse ferox but yet must utterly disclaim his Office if he do not secundùm allegata probata pronounce that sentence which the Law prescribes against such or such a fact and resist all temptations of his compassion in so doing Such a severity is that of God's which the office which belongs to him in the World exacts of him even when he swears that he is far from delighting in the death of him that dies and most passionately exhorts to repent and live and imputes it to absolute wilfulnesse for which no reasonable account can be given by any man that he will thus suffer Should he never make such lawes to represse Sin by assur'd expectation of eternal punishment we might easily judg what a World or rather Wildernesse of savage Creatures this Universe would be by what it now is even after all this severity of menace and interdict T was therefore most just and most necessary that he should thus have ordein'd and enacted these sad lawes And therefore in great Justice and Wisdome and without any resistance from his infinite goodnesse and mercy He thus enacted And having done so should he as oft as any one came to suffer according to those Lawes retract or dispence with set his Compassion to evacuate the processe and frustrate all the wise designes of this his Justice Certainly no man would ever expect this of an all-wise lawgiver or after he hath set his Seal to this grand Indenture so solemnly as by his Son's promulgating and signing it with his blood imagine that his Compassion should thus tempore non suo interpose when there are so many more proper seasons wherein he hath effectually demonstrated himself to have as much of that to every the wickedst man that perisheth as any the tender'st father even David ever own'd to the most desperate rebel Son Absolon that finally refuseth all returning to mercy 'till at length he perisheth in the midst of his Sin to the wounding his Fathers heart These are three competent exceptions to that part of the arguing taken from Gods attributes And therefore to the additional considerations for the strengthening thereof the reply will be easy that if they are the greatest part of the World that falls under this severity this is but necessarily consequent to that greatest part being such as that sentence most justly and indispensably belongs to and consequently not such whose guilts are truly suggested to be thus more venial and of an ordinary degree but only such as proceed from malice and obstinacy grosse negligence or groundlesse presumption For for all other sins of infirmity ignonorance and even wilfull timely retracted by repentance there is remedy prepar'd under the Gospell Only whereas to the two heads of infirmity and ignorance as proofs of the more ordinary degree of guilt the Objecter addes negligence strength of temptation corruption of nature affection evil education and example and then in grosse farther addes many other circumstances both positive and privative abating the hainousnesse of the guilt This will deserve to be better consider'd both because the most of these as the case truely stands yield no matter of just excuse to any for so 't is sure of examples of men when in evident opposition to the commands and intermination of God so of affection or sensitive passion when in contradiction to reason and humane nature the upper soule which ought to exercise its dominion given it by God over those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bestial part of the man and not be corrupted and led captive and blindfold by it so again evill education when contrary to the light of naturall conscience corruption of nature when repair'd by grace temptations of the flesh or world or Devill when infinitely outweigh'd by contrary motives to obedience and good living and because some of them have much of malignity in them which may well enhance not lessen the guilt Of this sort I chiefly instance in negligence such as it may be supine and wretchlesse which in a creature and servant containes all degrees of enhancing any sin 't is wilfull for he might be more careful 't is obstinate for he is oft warn'd of it by the noxious effects which he cannot but discerne of it and the Master 's continual precepts to the contrary 'T is presumptuous still imagining he shall find mercy when God assures him he shall not in this way and upon that groundlesse confidence still presuming to offend 'T is most ungrateful scorning and contemning to make any use of the greatest treasures of grace all ready for him that would use tolerable diligence 'T is an act of horrible pride in despising God himself his precepts threats promises of infidelity both active and passive not believing God not being faithful to his service And it self being nothing in effect but height of Idlenesse and that doing or admitting much more ill omitting much more good meerly to gratify that one swinish vile pleasure of sloth then any covetous voluptuous man doth for his greatest treasures or tast fullest sensualities it hath as it were all the aggravations of all other sins collected into one sink or kennel In this place the description assign'd the worst of men viz. men of flagitious and contumacious lives may perhaps deserve some animadversion For if this be the one measure to which eternal punishments are thought commensurable 't is possible there may be great and dangerous mistake in it For 1. There are many principles of godless living all meeting in the effect casting off the yoke of God's obedience and so equally deserving to fall under the severity of those lawes by which the world was created and manag'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are the two comprehensive names of them but there are several under each Under the first pride and rage and revenge c. under the second voluptuousnesse of all sorts Covetousnesse desire of praise c. And every of these have a foundation in our corrupt nature and temptations from without also And as one soyle is more unhappily qualify'd for the one so another is for another And if all the restreints commands preventions excitations invitations engagements mercies punishments of God all his Methods of armature and fortifying each man against these domestick enemies and traitours of his may not be permitted to have any force toward his rescue out of this slavery to any of these sins there is little reason of excuse that will hold the pleading for any of these The contumacy is in effect the same in each in him that askes God forgivenesse for his intemperance every day and every night wallowes in it as to him that goes on sullenly and demurely and hath no regret to it The aggravations are several but the difference of the degrees of malignity hardly discernible Or if the disadvantage be on the side of the stout flagitious offender this is no