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	speak_v	4,191	5	5.3230	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77638	The naked vvoman, or a rare epistle sent to Mr. Peter Sterry minister at Whitehall; desiring him to shew the causes or reasons of his silence, in that he neither by his ministeriall office, charged the magistrates that were present to redresse, nor so much as shewd any sign of grief or detestation, as became a sincere Christian; against that most strange ans shamefull late act of an impudent woman, in the midst of his sermon on a Lords day at Whitehall chapell, concerning the resurrection, before the chief states of this nation. A satisfactory answer he returned; which with a lving acceptance thereof, are here also printed; very worthy the observation of all, both sexes and degrees of people in these nations.	Brown, David, fl. 1650-1652.; Sterry, Peter, 1613-1672.	1652 (1652)	Wing B5014; Thomason E681_20; ESTC R206796	18,211	23

you will be pleased to declare unto me by your direct answer in writing the true causes or reasons of your silence which is usually taken for consent seeing you only filled up the room of your Pulpit much worse than any meer or bare cipher which although of it self it signifieth no value of any thing yet it maketh most of all the figures about it to betoken a far greater value than they would without it whiles a signifying figure is not in place of it for you made all the well-affected about you yea and of all these united Nations much worse both through grief and evill example of that your silence and negligence besides the strengthning of the wicked in that respect you being esteemed to have been far more conscionable than to have been so utterly carelesse in doing such a needfull point of your duty as it doth seem to many even to be a conniving with such a brutish and vile attempt both at such a solemn time and in such an eminent place which indeed doth greatly endanger your reputation in that you was the only man then appointed or at least allowed to be the mouth pastor overseer and watchman of that honourable assembly howsoever I conceive you both was and are there in the generall or common way of the Nationall practice and not according to the constitution purity sincerity nor order of the totally separated Churches mentioned in Christs glorious Gospel See Rom. 7. 4 5 6. 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. and Rev. 18. 4 5 6. with abundance of other places which would be tedious to expresse Again to go another way to worke both for the better searching the depth trying to find out the secrecie of this most barbarous attempt in such a civilized Nation chiefly by the spirituall illumination of the Gospell and that must be by serious consideration of all the circumstances so pretermitted and not regarded but smoothed over by your silence neither King Solomon the wisest of mankind nor any other writer of the Scripture did ever forbid any wise or discreet man to speak in time and place convenient if they have a lawfull call charge or office to that purpose but only all fools whatsoever or whosoever they be and that because they lack wisdom and discretion to discern between good and evill and I am confident that its a greater and more inexcusable fault for a wise and discreet man to be silent when in the dutifull discharge of his office he ought of necessity to speak than for a simple fool when he should hold his peace even freely to deliver his mind although it should not be pertinent to the matter in hand for the one may do both much good and hinder much evill by his timely discreet and wise speech as Hushai did to King David but the other can doe little either good or evill by his unadvised and frivolous speech for the first hath not only a call appropriated to his function to speak but likewise wisdom discretion moderation conscience reason and it may be religion also all concurring to enable him whereas the second is destitute and void of all these gifts and graces yea and cannot by any kind of human endeavours reach to the true understanding of any such precious favours But the same divine Author speaketh sometimes of those wicked fooles who having too much knowledge though little true wisdom do use it as a weapon of unrighteousness even to offend the almighty and great God of whom they received it in that they are thereby as much enabled as they are willing to offend his people which he always accounts as an injury done to himself Moreover by the way it will be no lesse needfull than seasonable to shew an Example very worthy I suppose both of your mine own and all mens observation not for a day a week a month a year but whiles we are in this mortality I knew a man about 30 years ago that being an older teacher I think than you are in years who being all his time untill the last year of his life to my best remembrance in so high esteem for the excellency of his gifts and gravity of his conversation too so far as man could discern that King James often hearing him and his name being Master John Hall did call him Master Iohn All sine aspiratione meaning that the true copy of all the knowledge memory learning expression and diversity of gifts requisite in a preacher of the word which were respectively in all others of that nation at least were fully registred and found in him alone saving only the shortnesse of his tongue whereby the ripenesse of hs memory and speedinesse of his delivery did precipitate and out-run many people who were of dull or slow apprehension but he proving at last when persecution began to arise for the Gospell never being acquainted with the feeling but only with the hearing and reading thereof before to be such an open hypocrite and hireling that he quite left those his simple sheep by whose yeerly Fleeces he was very richly and constantly maintained with all his family as their Pastor above forty years space even when both the great Woolf himself and all his hungry followers came to tear and devoure them to peeces Yet a little while afterwards when his Conscience began to be wakened for his most hainous sins and receiving I hope a little blink of Christ's joyfull countenance as Peter who also denyed him in another case had in the hall of Caiphas and he being ashamed to be seen any more in the streets if he had been an universal Monarch he would have given the whole world for licence onely to have preached one Sermon more on a first day in that most eminent City of the Nation and chief high-place thereof unto which he was externally advanced and that as may in regard of his great earnestness afterward appear to be wel conjectured to have asked forgiveness publickly both of God and all his Flock for his so sinful undutifull and ingratefull both offending his infinite Majesty and them and that merely for fear to incur the indignation or at worst the persecution of a finite and perishing Majesty even by leaving and exposing them to the arbitrary will and lust of that implacable enemy that he might impose upon them all the gross Popery both transacted between him and the Pope long before that time and intended to have been begun there and then both by the military and all other witty aid of that nature after they had embraced the same even to have brought it with a high hand here they being alwayes by their travels abroad expert in wars and this Nation in long peace and out of use untill of late years which business because he was not able to effect in his own dayes therefore even as King David gave his Sonne Solomon charge to deal with Joab and Shimei after his death so he left his Sonne to prosecute that Romish