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	note_n	1,054	5	9.3782	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10931	Certaine sermons preached and penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Weathersfield in Essex, directly tending to these three ends. First, to bring any bad person (that hath not committed the sinne that is vnpardonable) to true conuersion. Secondly, to stablish and settle all such as are conuerted, in faith and repentance. Thirdly, to leade them forward (that are so setled) in the Christian life, to bring foorth the fruite of both. Whereunto are annexed diuers godlie and learned sermons of another reuerend and faithfull seruant of God, Mr. Samuel Wright, Bachelor of Diuinitie, late president of Sidney Colledge in Camebridge, deceased, tending also to the same ends, with diuers particular points in both, profitable and fit for these times.	Rogers, Richard, 1550?-1618.; Wright, Samuel, d. ca. 1612. aut	1612 (1612)	STC 21203; ESTC S116121	188,868	230

that is first such an heart as they might feare him for therefore their answere was disliked although their words were good because they proceeded not from such an heart But this speech of the Lord in this manner vttered raiseth a doubt in the hearer what hee should meane by wishing such an heart as though the feare of God could not grow in any heart and likewise come from it and if it bee so what heart is that hee wisheth vnto them To the which may be answered that the feare of God and obedience to his commaundements doe not come from euery heart neither doth such fruite grow in euery garden Note and it must be such an heart indeede as cannot be matched neither hath any fellow or companion But what manner of heart is that you will say you doe not vnderstand what hee meaneth I answere therefore further that by such an heart he meaneth in one word an heart conuerted to God more particularly an heart broken with sorrow for sinne and the feare of damnation yet quieted againe and eased by beleeuing the remission of sinne and sanctified also to newnes of life Euen such an heart is fit to breed the feare of God and in such an heart it can dwell and in no other And that is called by our Sauiour a good heart which onely and no other can bring forth good things For so he saith a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and contrariwise so that if the heart be good that is truely turned to God then it is fitted for that which God here wished to his people that is to feare him and keepe his commandements and not else Now for proofe that it must be thus the scripture is cleare and plentifull As first that the heart must bee wounded for sinne and broken with sorrow and feare till it bee sicke againe is prooued by the words of our Sauiour where hee saith The whole haue no neede of the Physitian but the sicke And they in the Acts were pricked in conscience for their wofull estate before they came to Peter to aske how they might bee healed but then they came to him and the other Apostles though they had railed on them before and said Men and brethren what shall we doe As if they should haue said in this our distresse and dispayring in our selues what helpe can ye minister vnto vs or ease vnto our soules This contrition and sorrow is one of the three things which helpe to make the euill heart good And yet this without the other two is nothing to this purpose but fit onely to raise vp flashes and feares of hell to the tormenting of the conscience and the holding of it in slauerie and bondage for which cause it is called of the Apostle the spirit of bondage But this being rightly vsed maketh a most direct way to the renuing and changing of the heart that it may be good To proceede therefore the second thing required to make the heart good is faith vnfained that the afflicted minde may see and beleeue the sinnes of it to bee pardoned to the easing and quieting of it which then standeth in need of it and most earnestly desireth it and the Lord hath giuen a free grant of it vnto such as are thus prepared for it by earnest desiring it euen as in the forementioned place the Lord saith I am a physitian for the sicke and in another place I will giue the water of life vnto such as thirst which the sicke and troubled conscience hearing counteth it the happiest and welcomest tidings that could be brought vnto it and so by due and aduised considering it laieth holde of it though weakely and by little and little the Lord inabling the partie and so beleeueth that it is as effectuallie offered to him as to any of Gods children that haue already imbraced it And this mightily worketh both to ease and quiet and also to quicken him who was before so cast downe and troubled And thus to passe to the third thing requisite to the reforming and rectifying of the heart that the true feare of God may proceede from thence the partie being thus perswaded of the loue of God and the free remission of sinne and what vnlooked for contentment he hath thereby breaketh forth into the praise of God with admiring his kindnes and saith what thankes shall I giue vnto the Lord for his vnspeakeable mercy vnto me What shall I offer vnto the Lord for this his great goodnesse And so hee being constrained by the loue of God so shed into his heart is perswaded and inabled in good sort to goe about the dutie which God requireth indeuoring and purposing to walke before him in vprightnes and innocencie for euer after And this desire of his not being frothie and rash stirred vp of more and painefull feare as in many wicked ones it is but proceeding from faith which worketh by loue and from the certaintie of the fauour of God assured to him by the holy Ghost is not a suddaine passion in him which is hot and feruent for the present onely but comming from so good a foundation and ground sanctifieth him effectually by working a dislike of euill because it is euil and an heartie and vnfained loue of al goodnesse which grace being thus wrought in him is the third thing required to the changing of the heart and turning of it vnto God And this must go with faith as we are taught in the Epistle to the Corinthians where he saith Seeing we haue these promises let vs clense our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit and grow vp to full holines in the feare of God With this agreeth that of Saint Iohn that if we haue the hope which is the daughter of faith we purge our selues from sinne as it commeth to our sight Thus I haue shewed what graces of God must necessarily be planted in the heart that it may bring foorth this fruit I mean the feare of God that so it may become such an hart as God heere wisheth the people when he saith oh that there were such an heart in them Now that the Christian Reader may not be deceiued in iudging whether he hath such an heart or not I will adde some caueats about these three properties which make the heart good that he examining and obseruing them may see whether he haue them or no. And to begin let him know that about the first of them which is pricke or wound of conscience and feare of Gods displeasure for the same I giue these two caueats or watch-words The one is this that if God presse our consciences with the powerfull preaching of his word Note and accuse and arrest them thereby that we in no wise resist that worke of grace but submit our selues thereto seeing he vseth to do so to them whom he will saue The other that being

arrested thus by him in any wise we despaire not In both which we might be like easily to offend if we should not take this warning and watchword Both are very necessarie for as we are readie to run to extremities in all other things rather then to keepe a meane and that which is commendable betwixt both so do we easily encline thereto in these For either men are slie and subtill to shun all sorrow and checke of conscience for sinne or if they can no longer they are readie to despaire In the first they may fitly be compared to them who are taken with sicknesse and yet will beare it out too long as though they would driue it away by ill entertaining it rather then to betake themselues to their chamber or to fall into the Physitians hands euen so will they wind out of Gods hands I say rather then they will be holden vnder of feare and griefe In the last they are like to a theefe who being apprehended vpon stealing some twelue-penie matter fals to confesse that he hath stollen a horse without any examining and so brings him selfe into perill of his life So these men if they once be checked in their conscience iustly whereby they ought to accuse themselues and bewaile their sinne with hope of pardon fall to remember many other faults and so cast off all hope of forgiuenesse and so despaire For as men are verie hardly brought to yeeld to any wounding of their conscience be it neuer so iust so if they must needs commonly they haue no stay but go too farre whereby they are constrained to crie out they are damned and so lie long in woe and torment where they need not These two things therefore regard about the first point namely the pricke of conscience About the second which is faith these two caueats are to be marked The one that a man seeking faith for no other shall find it beleeue not too hastily and rashly that is without warrant of the Scripture and word of God The other that hauing warrant Note he refuse not to beleeue neither reason against it but applie it to himselfe and resist doubting Both are alike necessarie the first for the bold and such as feele their sin to be no great burthen to their conscience and yet of al other are most ready to affirme that they beleeue in Iesus Christ which he himselfe flatly denieth saying I came not to call the righteous that is such as feele as little burthen of their sin as if they were righteous but sinners who feele the burthē of their sin as a debter doth his debt vnto repentance The second caueat is as necessary for the afflicted conscience who though he haue right to the promise by Christs free grant yet through weaknesse and want of experience is holden from beleeuing and clasping about it and all because he doth not duly consider his libertie and the warrant that he hath from Christ for his so doing Wherein although I deny not but that Gods prouidence ruleth yet the partie offendeth for that he doth not embrace that which is freely giuen him by God and by meanes thereof he cannot praise and be thankfull to God for it About the third point that is necessarily required to make the heart good which is sanctification these two watch-words are to be receiued The one that he of whom we speak do loue goodnesse and loath euill not some one or few lest he deceiue himselfe about it but all nor in priuate respects but because it is euill and hated of God The other that these two namely to loath and loue be constantly setled in him for continuance The reason of both is manifest as of the former for if one sin should be loathed and another loued some disliked and shamed and other delighted in and embraced what could be more ridiculous and further off from the nature of true repentance For the offence to men and the dishonor which might arise to God thereby in some few euill actions Note could not be satisfied nor answered by many good actions A thing worthie to be noted seeing many take libertie against their conscience to doe what they desire to doe and yet will be counted repentant persons as well as the best and this be said of the first of these two caueats For the second if a man should be very forward in abhorring sinne at the first and afterward should grow slouthfull and carelesse and make no conscience of wicked desires and breake out into loosenesse of heart this were enough to blemish his sanctification how sound soeuer it might haue seemed if not to bewray it to haue beene meere hypocrisie which of the two would bee thought most likely Thus I haue said that which I thought meete of this matter to helpe him that desireth it to attaine such an heart as bringeth forth the feare of God euen that which God requireth And seeing thus much is necessary and no lesse Note to get such an heart namely to haue it broken healed againe by faith and mortified and seeing so great heede is to be taken that all these be wrought in the heart aright and indeede all may see good reason why God wisheth such an heart to be in all those who would be accepted of him and what a rich iewell and treasure such an heart is and by necessary consequence how ill it will go with all such as be without it THE SECOND SERMON VPON THE SAME TEXT I Shewed last of all what a iewel such a good heart is and in what wofull and dangerous estate they are in who are without it but more heauy it is that it is not regarded which is too common because the most are foolish and weigh nothing throughly if it agree not with their appetite when yet to speake as the truth is Note whatsoeuer wit eloquence or learning bee in any whatsoeuer nobility birth or dignity whatsoeuer manhood and stomack wealth or beauty they are all as nothing without this that is such an heart as I haue mentioned to make a man happie or to commend him to God Nay I say more whatsoeuer shew of Religion bee in any as that he could speake out of the Scripture plentifully if he could alleage all authorities out of the word of God and of Fathers yea if he could possibly speake with the tongues of Angels and had not this euen such an heart as God wisheth to be in them that shall please him it were nothing for such a one should bee but as S. Paul speaketh in the like case of loue a fruit of it as a sounding brasse and as a tinkling cymball And therefore how much is the estate of such to be bewailed as haue scarcely any whit of all this which I haue now named and are as farre from such an heart as the East is from the West And to come home to our selues how is the people of this age bewitched and blindfolded that when God

himselfe that as he is made the adopted sonne of God so he endeuoureth to resemble his father in purity of the which more shall be said afterwards by a fitter occasion And this of their preaching And this which I haue said of the preaching of Paul and Silas to the Iailer doth likewise instruct vs that the same doctrine is to be preached to all such as are in his case and they must know it who heare that if at any time God exercise them as he did him with a troubled conscience for their sinne and an vnfained desire to be saued they may long for the same promise of life and as they see what need they haue of it may be readie to embrace it and by faith to rest vpon it that so all teares may be wiped from the cheekes of their soule and they may be soundly comforted or at least stayed for the time as their weaknesse will permit For this is the first and especiall fruit of preaching to such as groane vnder the burthen of their sinne and lament after God longing for pardon there is nothing able to ease their consciences and to giue rest to their soules besides this namely that they beleeue that Iesus Christ is as readie to release them of their sinnes as they be desirous of it and that they hold this as confidently as they beleeue any article of their faith Note But the chiefe difficultie about this matter is to be fit and prepared for this faith that is to feele indeed that they stād in need of it For hereby the Iailer was before many a thousand Protestants at this day euen before he beleeued in as much as he saw in what woe he was and earnestly de●ired to be deliuered out of it which is not only wanting in the greatest part of hearers but as hard to perswade them to it Euen so it was more then common and ordinarie in the most hearers that he so soone and easily beleeued in Christ that is to say while they preached to him For although faith come by hearing yet it is not alwayes attained at the time of hearing especially in such a measure that a man can affirme and professe that he beleeueth and so is able to crie Abba that is to call God Father No nor immediately after neither for the most part doth a broken hearted sinner receiue such light to beleeue but is holden in doubting and feare and troubled with the greatnesse of his sinnes and with many other obiections For though Lydia Zaccheus and some other by Christs and the Apostles preaching beleeued by and by yet with many it was otherwise euen a harder matter and namely with Paul himselfe who was not comforted nor released of his sinnes and burthen of griefe by Christ at Damascus gates whē he was cast downe terrified by him but sent into the citie to receiue further light and satisfaction to his heauie heart from Christ by the ministerie of Ananias a disciple in the same citie he was his instructer who if Paul had not now by Christs gratious goodnesse been conuerted should haue haue bin his prisoner And this I thought good to say which may be in stead of an answere to such as obiect in these our dayes that many lie in sorrow and feare many daies and some whole yeeres before they beleeue and receiue comfort and seldome at the same time when they are wounded and troubled first for their sinnes I say God doth not alwaies keepe one and the same time in raising vp such as are brought low in themselues by the sight of their sins but sometimes doth it sooner sometimes later euen as the seed that is sowen commeth not vp alwaies together And some are stayed and eased of their feare and griefe before other both because they are not fit nor able to go vnder it any longer and also that their example may encourage other not to be dismaied and that they themselues being set at libertie may the sooner helpe their brethren out of bondage And some are holden vnder a longer time other because they haue not been touched deepely but only in a passion nor in good aduisednesse but in a rash heate and zeale whose hot pangs are soone cooled without any comfort or if they haue been truely humbled yet for example to others or some other end best knowne to God And yet this I say for the auoiding of scruple and doubt about this matter that he is kindly pricked who is kindly healed namely who is partaker of faith vnfained and prooues the same by a godly and repentant life after come it sooner or later And this be said of the meanes both further off and nearer by the which the Iailer was brought to beleeue and of his faith it selfe THE THIRD SERMON VPON THE SAME TEXT HAuing spoken of the points of the diuision that is of the meanes by which he was brought to beleeue and of his beleeuing it selfe Before I proceed to speake of the fruits of his faith I will note briefely such particular things beside as both the text offereth fit occasion of and also will illustrate the storie of his conuersion more clearely from the 28. verse to the 33. Paul seeing this miserable Iailer in this extremitie that he was at the point to haue killed himselfe what doth he It is worthie our marking He doth not suffer him to kil himselfe but cals to him to spare himselfe Paul might haue had a good pretence to haue let him go on to lay violent hands on himselfe For God had shaken the earth to shew himselfe angrie with the Iailer for his crueltie against his innocent seruants and now as it might haue seemed he would make this man a spectacle to persecutors and Paul if he had been many a man would haue said let him kill himselfe I shall the more easily escape But he shewed that his mind was farre from reuenge and readie to requite euill with good And therefore he cals aloud to him least through distance of place or his passion he should not haue been able to heare him Whereby we must learne not only to do no hurt but to loue our enemie according to Christs commandement euen as if he were our friend Therefore Moses saith If thine enemies oxe or asse fall vnder the burthen thou shalt helpe him vp againe And as the Apostle saith be not ouer come of euill but ouercome euill with good Also Paul takes away his feare saying we are all heere which he did that the Iailer might stay himselfe from hurt and be fit to attend further vnto good instruction for in great feare a man is fit to do no good thing Thus gratiously God doth deale with vs to release vs when we are bound fast and when we are as it were running vpon the swords point and rushing to our owne destruction Note he holdeth vs backe and in the extremitie of feare deliuereth vs that we may