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
A25247	Prima the first things, in reference to the middle and last things: or, the doctrine of regeneration, the new birth, the very beginning of a godly life. Delivered by Isaac Ambrose, minister of the Gospel at Preston in Amounderness in Lancashire.; Prima, media, & ultima. Prima.	Ambrose, Isaac, 1604-1664.	1650 (1650)	Wing A2964; ESTC R213988	65,629	80

wicked a creature he naturally is and therefore in that respect is he odious to himself and loathsom in his own eyes Or if we consider the second Prudence How is it possible that a man unregenerate Prudentiam should experimentally know the practice of piety in a Christian course Should we instance in this mystery of Regeneration Here is one Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews and a teacher of Israel yet as learned as he was if he confer with Christ about the salvation of his soul he is strangely childish and a meer infant tell him of the new birth and he thinks it as impossible as for an old man to return into his mothers womb and be born again The natural man cannot discern the operations of grace he knows not that dark and fearful passage which leads from the state of nature through strange terrors and torments of soul into the rich and glorious happiness of the kingdom of Christ whereas on the contrary the regenerate man that hath had the experience of the power of godliness upon his own soul he can see and judge of the light of grace he can taste and rellish of the fruits of the Spirit and hence it is that many a silly one man and woman whom the worldly-wise pass by with scorn and contempt are often in spiritual affairs more wise and learned then the learnedst Doctors Secondly Rectitudinem Promptitudinem the Will must be renewed and this will of the regenerate contains two things Rightness and Readiness It is first rectified when it is conformed to the will of God Secondly it is so inflamed with the love of goodness that willingly he pursues it with alacrity of spirit If we consider the first the Rectitude of the will we see by experience the will of the unregenerate is all out of course Rectitudinem he wills nothing but that which is evil How should he considering his want of Gods image his blindeness of heart his proneness to evil together with the vehemency of his affections which draw the will after them and trouble the judgement But in the man that is regenerate the will being moved it afterwards moves it self Gods grace that concurs with it quickens it and revives it so that now his will is nothing but Gods will if it may appear that God bids him or forbids him to do this or that he chooseth above all to follow his commands whatsoever becomes of him why this is the very heart and marrow of regeneration you may be sure the man that chooseth above all to please God Promptitudinem is the onely man of God and shall be rewarded by God Or if we consider the second the Readiness of the will to God alas the will of the unregenerate hath no pleasure in goodness he understands not the sweetness of it Iob 21.14 and therefore nothing is more irksom to him then the ways of godliness whereas on the contrary the will of the regenerate is willing and this willingness indeed is the perfection of his will yea if we can say more it is the highest degree of his perfection in this life to be willing to do good Thirdly the memory must be renewed and this memory reflects occasionally on a double object on God Deum Dei verbum and the things of God First on God by remembrance of his presence every where Secondly on the things of God by calling them to minde at useful times If we consider the first object God the unregenerate hath no minde on God Deum Psal 10.4 God is net in all his thoughts like the hood-winkt fool that seeing no body thinks no body sees him so hath he said in his heart Job 22.13 14. How doth God know can he judge thorow the dark cloud Thick clouds are a covering to him that seeth not and he walketh in the circuit of heaven But contrariwise the regenerare man Eccles 12.1 he remembers his Creator in the days of his youth And though God as being a Spirit is in some sort absent from his senses yet by vertue of his sanctified memory that makes things absent as present his eye is on God and he considers God as an eye-witness of all his thoughts and words and doings and dealings he knows nothing can be hid from that all-seeing eye though sin tempt him with the fairest opportunities of night and darkness yet still he remembers if his eye sees nothing all those eyes of heaven of God and of his Angels are ever about him and therefore he answers the Tempter How dare I sin to his face that looks on me what I am doing if I dare not do this folly before men how dare I do it before those heaven-spectators God and his Angels Or if we consider the second object the Word of God the unregenerate never burthens his memory with such blessed thoughts Dei verbum if sometimes he falls upon it it is either by constraint or by accident never with any setled resolution to dwell on it or to follow it Luke 2.51 Psal 119.11 but the soul that is regenerate with Mary keeps all these things in his heart or with David gives it out Thy word have I hid in my heart Psal 119.11 Whatsoever lessons he learns like so many jewels in a casket he lays them up safe and then as need serveth he remembers his store and makes all the good use of them he may I will not deny but any man good or evil may retain good things according to that strength of retainment which nature affords him but the regenerate whose memory onely is sanctified whatsoever he retains he hath it opportunely at hand in tentation or affliction he remembers and applyes and so remembring to apply and applying that he remembers he is thereby inabled to resist evil or to follow those good things which the Lord hath commanded Fourthly the conscience must be renewed and that two ways Ad bonum or a malo either by drawing the soul to good or from evil first to good by inclining and incouraging and secondly from evil by restraining and bridling If we consider its first office in that it draws and leads the soul to good I confess the unregenerate is not of that conscience Ad bonum for the most part his conscience lies dead in his bosom or if it stir sometimes he labors all he can to smother it in his waking to such an one should men and Angels preach yet so far is he bewitched with sin that he hath no minde of goodness or if ever he do any good act which is a rare thing with him it is not out of conscience to do good but for some sinister end or respect It is otherwise with the regenerate his conscience incites him to good and he doth good out of conscience he stands not upon terms of pleasure or profit but his conscience being guided by the rule and square of Gods holy

To get into it 2. To be delivered of it 1. The means to get into it is 1. Examination of themselves 2. Confession of their sins 3. Hearty prayer for the softning of their hearts By which three are procured the three first steps Sight of sin Sense of divine wrath Sorrow for sin 2. The means to be delivered of it is by application of the promises and these according to their several objects produce their several effects some A sight of Christ A desire after Christ A relying on Christ An obedience to Christ A comfort in Christ not onely sought for but obtained if the promises be rightly applyed CHAP. II. Sect. 1. The first means to get into the new birth THe means to get into the new birth is first Examination and the way to examine is to set before men that Chrystal glass of the Law for their light and rule To this purpose I have here annexed a Catalogue or Table to shew them their offences not that I can possibly ennumerate all sins but onely the kindes and if herein I come short yet consciences awaked may be occasioned hereby to bring into their thoughts those others not mentioned Now then whosoever thou art that beginn'st this blessed work examine thy self by this Catalogue but do it warily and truly and where thou find'st thy self guilty either note it in this book or transcribe it into some paper that so they may be ready for thine eye when thou comest to Confession Sect. 2. Sins against the first Commandment IN every Commandment we must observe both the duties required and sins forbidden for both these are implyed in every one of the Commandments if in the first thou art guilty thou must answer negatively if in the second thou must answer affirmatively now then to proceed It is the first Commandment Thou shalt have no other gods but me For the duties here required Say first Hast thou ever in minde will and affections took the true God in Christ to be thy God Secondly hast thou abounded in those graces by which thou shouldst cleave unto God as in the warmth of knowledge and love and fear and joy and trusting in God Thirdly hast thou observed Gods mercies and promises and works and judgements upon thee and by a particular application took special notice thereof Fourthly hast thou communicated with the godly and joyned thy self to Gods people and delighted chiefly in them Or for the sins here forbidden Say first hast thou not sometimes been guilty of blasphemy or idolatry or witchcraft or atheism or epicurism or heresie Secondly hast thou not been guilty of pride a sin flatly opposing God and first committed by devils Thirdly hast thou not had inward reasonings that there is no God or that he seeth not Psal 14.1 Esay 29.15 Iob 21.14 Ier. 17.5 or knoweth not or that there is no profit in his service Fourthly hast thou not failed to love God and fear God and to put thy whole trust in God Fifthly hast thou not trusted in man or feared man or loved the world and thereby alienated thy heart from God Sixthly hast thou not resorted to witches or in the first place to Physitians and not to the living God Seventhly hast thou not tempted God and in the matters of God been either cold or lukewarm or preposterously zealous Eighthly hast thou not a proneness to sin yea to rebel against God in thy whole man Ninthly hast thou not been careless to perform the inward duties of Gods worship in sincerity and truth if in these thou hast transgressed then hast thou broken this Commandment Thou shalt have no gods but me Sect. 3. Sins against the second Commandment IT is the second Commandment Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image For the duties here required Say first hast thou ever worshipped the true God purely according to his will Secondly hast thou observed all those outward duties of his worship as prayer and vows and fasting and meditating and the rest Thirdly hast thou repaired to Gods house observed family duties received the Preachers of the Gospel Or for the sins here forbidden Say first Ier 9.14 hast thou not sometimes walked after the imaginations of thy own heart serving God out of custom or after the maner of thy fore-fathers by will-worship and superstitions Secondly hast thou not committed idol worship conceiving of God in thy minde or respecting him in thy sense in the likeness of a creature Exod 23.13 Thirdly hast thou not mentioned the names of other gods either by way of swearing or apology Fourthly hast thou not made an image to liken God to it Esay 40.18 or used any gesture of love and reverence to any such images Fifthly in a word hast thou not been careless to worship God Zach. 14.17 Psal 14.4 Math. 10.14 to call upon the Lord to receive Gods Ministers or to perform any other of the outward duties of Gods worship If in any of these thou hast transgressed then hast thou broken this Commandment Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image Sect. 4. Sins against the third Commandment IT is the third Commandment Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain For the duties required Say first hast thou been ever a constant learner hearer and doer of Gods Word and Will Secondly hast thou prayed with perseverance understanding and power of the Spirit without doubting or wavering Thirdly hast thou come preparedly to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and being come hast thou discerned the Lords body Fourthly hast thou used all the titles and properties and works and ordinances of the Lord with knowledge faith reverence joy and sincerity Or for the sins here forbidden Say first hast thou not sometimes in thy talk dishonored the titles attributes religion word people of God or any thing that hath in it the print of his holiness Secondly hast thou not sworn or forsworn or loved false oathes Thirdly Zach 8.17 hast thou not caused the name of religion or people of God to be evil thought of by thy ill course of life or by committing some gross sin Fourthly hast thou not rashly or unpreparedly or heedlesly read the Word heard Sermons received the Sacraments or performed any other part of the worship of God Fifthly hast thou not thought or spoken blasphemously or contemptuously of God or of any thing whatsoever pertaining to God If in any of these thou hast transgressed then hast thou broken this Commandment Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain Sect. 5. Sins against the fourth Commandment IT is the fourth Commandement Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day For the duties here required Say first hast thou according to the equity of this Commandment ever observed the Lords day and other days and times set apart for Gods service Secondly hast thou on those days rested from the servile works of sin and rested and relyed upon Christ for the remission