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
A92852	England's preservation or, a sermon discovering the onely way to prevent destroying judgements: preached to the Honourable House of Commons at their last solemne fast, being on May, 25. 1642. By Obadiah Sedgwicke Batchelour in Divinity and minister of Coggeshall in Essex. Published by order of that house.	Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.	1642 (1642)	Wing S2372; Thomason E150_22; ESTC R212706	31,012	58

sometimes a wounding sometimes a bruising sometimes a breaking sometimes a renting sometimes a killing and sometimes an humbling and melting of the heart And this is it which God calls for in the Text from the Iewes as a meanes to prevent their utter destruction by the sword of the Caldeans whence the proposition which I shall in the first place insist on is this Doctr. 1 That the breaking up of sinfull hearts Is a singular meanes to prevent the breaking downe of a sinfull Nation THere are three things unto which I shall speake for the explication of this assertion Namely 1. What the right breaking of a sinfull heart is which is so availeable to prevent the breaking downe of a sinfull Nation 2. Some demonstrations that it is a preventing meanes 3. The Reasons why it is so For the first quaere what the right breaking up of a Quest 1. a sinfull heart is Be pleased to know that there is a twofold Breaking of a sinners heart Sol. 1. One is specious only and formall supersicie tenus The heart broken for sin 2 Wayes 1. Formally as Saint Bernard speakes as Artificiall Juglars seem to wound themselves but do not or as Players seeme to thrust themselves through their bodies but the sword passeth only through their clothes There is something done about sins but nothing is done against sins peccata raduntur sed non eradicantur as the same Auhor speaketh which he truely calls a Fiction and vanity As when men onely lop the Trees which thereupon in time grow the faster and thicker Against this breaking the Prophet of old much complained They in Isaiah hung downe their heads and afflicted their soules for a day but for all that they Esa 58. 5 3 still afflicted their poore brethren And they in Hosea did howle but yet they did still rebell against the Hosea 7. 14. Lord And they in Malachy did cry out and cover Malach. 2. 13. 11. the Altar with Teares and yet for all their pretended contrition they did profane the holinesse of their God And though the Pharisees did assume unto themselves a most mortified garbe of humbling especially in their dayes of Fasting disfiguring their faces as Christ reports of them yet their hearts were as loose as full of pride and covetousnesse and envie Matth. 6. 16. and opposition of Christ as ever 2. Another is serious and Reall which is acted most in the hidden man and pierceth like the word Hebr. 4. 12. even to the dividing of soule and spirit of which likewise there are two kindes one is stiled Attrition and the other is styled Contrition by the Schoolemen the former by our Casuists is called a legall breaking and the latter an Evangelicall breaking They difference them thus partly 1. By their objects Penall evill is the object on which Attrition doth worke and sinfull evill is the object on which Contrition worketh the one is conversant about passive evill that is the evill which wee suffer but the other is conversant about Active evill that is the evill which wee have done For sinne hath in it two qualities one to make us unhappie and this Attrition lookes at another to make us unholy and at this doth contrition look 2. By their causes legall Attrition is onely the pinching of servile feare and despaire for it seeth nothing but Sea all that will teare and distract the Conscience but Evangelicall contrition is the melting and lamenting of filiall Love and Hope The frownes of a Revenging Judge causeth that but the smiles of a gracious Father raiseth this In the one the heart is shivered by the flashes of Hell In the other the heart is melted by the beames of Heaven A stroke from guilt brake Judas's heart into despaire but a looke from CHRIST brake Peters heart into teares 3. By their effects an Attrite heart may for that space of time whiles the Conscience burnes and flames with wrath become negatively penitent Non proponit peccare It doth not purpose to sin the sensible anguish for former sinnings may suspend delightfull intentions for future sins but the contrite heart out of a contrariety of nature becomes positively holy proponit non peccare It doth Cordially purpose not to sin any more All which if I mistake not is the same that Cajetan aimes at when hee saith that Attrition produceth velleitatem an imperfect motion of the will but contrition produceth voluntatem a compleat and direct will against sin But this discourse I feare is too speculative for this dayes worke give mee leave therefore to open the nature of this penitentiall heart breaking in a more practicall and profitable way There are severall workings which ordinarily concurre to the full constituting of this heart-breaking worke whereof some are Antecedent some are formally ingredient and some are inseparably consequent 1. The Antecedent workings are such as previously lead the way to the Evangelicall breaking as Antecedents to heart breaking three the Needle doth to the threed and the breaking by the hammer doth to the melting by the fire by way of order only and not by causality These are principally three 1. A Notionall Irradiation The Lord never breakes a sinners heart before hee hath opened a sinners 1. Irradiation eyes the day breakes before the heart breakes light breakes to elevate the soule thus far to discerne and distinguish of evill till then sin is no burden to the Conscience nor trouble to the affections As no good wrapt up in darkenesse excites desire so no evill swath'd up in Ignorance strikes any trouble or sorrow unknowne things have not motive faculty because they are as non entia no things at all And therefore God ever keepes this method to make sin appeare to be sin and afterwards to humble and break our hearts for it 2. A practicall conviction which is nothing else but a personall application of guilt wrath without 2. Conviction which the notion of sin would be no trouble let me open my minde thus unto you That drunkennesse or swearing or whoredome or murder or Sabbath breaking c. are sins And that such persons who are guilty of them without Repentance shall not inherit the kingdome of God All this the sinner knowes already and yet is not troubled for as long as light rests in a bare Notion it is only an addition to his understanding It is no burden at all to his heart But when this light slips downe and chargeth this sinne and this wrath upon this very person and shines so clearely in this charge that the person cannot for his life deny it thou art a drunkard thou art this swearer c. And hereupon in the name of God arrests him with that wrath which God hath threatned unto that sinne and sinner now the sinner begins to consider and tremble and breake When Peter closed with the Jewes and convinced Acts 2. 36 37. them that they in particular crucified Iesus

by solemne confessions and humiliations To perish in the shewes of repentance is a bitter perishing It was a sad greeting which they found from Christ Lord say they we have heard thee preaching in our Synagogues we have eat and drunk in thy presence yet saith Christ unto them depart from me ye workers of iniquity verily I know you not So when we come to die and then come to judgement and say Lord we have heard thy Word we have fasted we have prayed we have afflicted our bodies and soules and yet Christ shall say depart I know you not yee heard my Word indeed but ye did not obey my Word ye confessed your sins but yee never forsook your sins ye gave on towards a little good but ye never became good you professed obedience but you never did care to walk in my wayes and therefore all that you have done shall never doe you any good would not this be a sad and heavy answer to our selfe-deluded soules Nay put the case that now after all our fastings the same judgement or a worse should befall us which befalls our poore Brethren in Ireland that the sword should break forth among us and all the unmercifull and sudden calamities of warre should beleaguer us that in a moment the Gospel should bee banished our liberties should be imbondaged our estates should be exhausted our lands should be dispossessed our houses should be burnt our coffers should be ransack'd our bodies should be tortured and our lives should be threatned Good Lord would we say is all our fasting and humbling come to this we looked for good and not for evill wee looked for peace and not for destruction why and the Lord might answer us when did you fast to me and when did you pray to me Indeed you prayed against judgements but you would never leave your sins which I told you often would pull downe judgements you would have had mercies but I could never perswade you to repent in good earnest you would trust to vaine thoughts of your owne you would never be humbled to purpose you would sow among thornes and see now what ye get by it O Christian thinke seriously of these things God hath called to England once againe often a longer time repent indeed turne from your evill wayes indeed be upright and holy indeed walk with me once at length in truth judgements have called warnings have called consciences still call dangers still call feares still call the Ministers of God as the Prophets of old still call and cry and beseech and weepe turne yet unto the Lord turne not feignedly but with all your hearts sow not among thornes yet Lord who believes our reports and calls the Prophet is reputed a foole and the Spirituall man mad men will be sinfull still they will perhaps one of ten thousand bee seemingly penitent and the issue I feare will bee this the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together Isai 1. 28. And while they be folden together as thornes they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry Nahum 1. 10 But Sirs let us yet be perswaded to repent and to reforme our selves to purpose if ever we purpose to repent or would repent to purpose this is the time all within us all without us all abroad all at home beg it at our hearts O that God would work all his works in us that our selfe-reforming work may begin goe on hold out and abound that God may be reconciled to our selves and this sinfull land 2. To you of publique employment MAny excellent works are fallen into your hands some of them you have gone through with already and more we are perswaded had received their seale had not the excellency of your attempts raised against you the enmity of manifold oppositions and contradictions my humble and earnest intreaty of you is only this let not those remaining excellent works if it bee possible so much as in you lies for ever stick in the birth let them not die in meere intentions or propositions but strive to bring them unto their due and much desired perfection you have begun some things 1. About erronious Doctrines 2. Against superstitious practices 3. Against Idolatry and seducing Priests and Jesuits 4. With notorious delinquents and offenders 5. Against scandalous Ministers and Innovations 6. For the setling of a faithfull and laborious Ministry 7. For an honourable maintenance and encouragement of it O never let us stand to the courtesie of the vulgar 8. For the easing of tender consciences 9. For the vindicating of the Lords day 10. For the setling of all distractions and hopes of a Church-Reformation according to the Word of God against which malice it selfe cannot justly open its mouth 11. For the succouring and relieving of poore and distressed Ireland Hasten all that you can lest it prove too late Now God forbid that such works as these should ever fall to the ground after so many yeers misery after so many thousand prayers after so many gracious overtures which you have made let it not be said of you in these works as hee said of his owne Faciebam non feci he was doing of them but they were never done Take up your first thoughts and engage your hearts and resolutions and all your endeavours speedily and successefully to carry on at least this one work of all works a solid Reformation Beleeve me it is the work which will bring a blessing upon all your other works peruse that place well in Haggai 2. 18. Consider now saith the Lord from this day even from the day that the foundation of the Lords Temple was laid consider it vers 19. from this day will I blesse you Now whereas Zerubbabel might reply we would set to this work but that we are afraid of warlike opposition To this the Lord answers in Verse 22. and 23. I will overthrow the Throne of Kingdomes and I will destroy the strength of the Kingdomes of the Heathen and I will overthrow the Charrets and the Horses and the Riders And I will take thee Zerubbabel my servant and I will make thee as a Signet q. d. Look you to that work and I will assuredly look to your persons and safeties Now that you may effectually carry on all these great works and especially that of Church-Reformation so that all may be prosperous and in the event come to something make use of two Two Directions directions which I humbly propound unto you First strip your selves of all the things which will weaken your hearts and make your endeavours still slow and fruitlesse therefore First put off your sinnes or else they will put off your work evill men are seldome apt for or prove successefull in good attempts There is nothing which intricates our actions more than our sinnes which doe likewise ensnarle our souls Enterprises set upon either without God or against God are like arrowes shot up aloft which never doe good but many times