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	sin_n	sprinkle_v	1,192	5	10.9545	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29689	A golden key to open hidden treasures, or, Several great points that refer to the saints present blessedness and their future happiness, with the resolution of several important questions here you have also the active and passive obedience of Christ vindicated and improved ... : you have farther eleven serious singular pleas, that all sincere Christians may safely and groundedly make to those ten Scriptures in the Old and New Testament, that speak of the general judgment, and of that particular judgment, that must certainly pass upon them all immediately after death ... / by Tho. Brooks ...	Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680.; Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680. Golden key to open hidden treasures. Part 2.	1675 (1675)	Wing B4942; ESTC R20167	340,648	428

life against the Lord or against the Light Conviction of a mans own Conscience Before I come to the Resolution of this Question I shall promise a few things that may clear my way 1. First When mens hearts are sincere with God when they don't indulge cherrish or keep up any known Trangression in their hearts or lives against the Lord. They may on very good grounds plead an interest in God in Christ and in the Covenant of Grace though their Corruptions prevail against them and too frequently worst them and lead them Captive as is most evident in these speci●l Scriptures 2 Sam. 23. 5. Psal 65. 3. Rom. 7. 23. 25. Isa 6● 16 17 19. Jer. 14. 7 8 9. Hos 14. 1 2 3 4 8. But now when any mans heart doth condemn him for dealing deceitfully and guilefully with God in this or that or the other particular or for connivings or winking at any known Transgression that is kept up either in his heart or life against the Lord and against the light of his own Conscience which he will not let go nor in good earnest use the means whereby it should be subdued and mortified It is inot to be expected that such a person can come to any clearness or satisfaction about their interest in Christ and the Covenant of Grace and their right to the great things of that other world when a person will dally with sin and will be playing with snares and baits allow a secret liberty in his heart to sin conniving at many workings of it and not setting upon Mortification with earnest endeavours though they are convinced yet they are not perswaded to arise with all their might against the Lords Enemies but do his work negligently which is an accursed thing and for this God ca●●s such a person into sore straits and lets him wander in the dark without any sight sense or assurance of their gracious estate or interest in Christ c. The Is●ac●●●es should perfectly have rooted out the Canaanites but because they did it but by halfs and did not engage all their power and strength against them therefore God left them to be as Thorns in their eyes and as Goads in their sides So when men have taken Christ's Press-money and are engaged to fight with all their might against those Rebels that war against him in their hearts ways and walkings and to persue the Victory to the utmost till their Spiritual Enemies lye dead at their feet and yet they do but trifle and make slender opposition against their sins This provokes God to stand afar off and to hide his Reconciled Face from them 'T is true when men are really in Christ they ought not to question their state in him but yet a guilty Conscience will be clamorous and full of objections and God will not speak peace unto it till it be humbled at his foot God will make his dearest Children know that it is a bitter thing to be bold with sin Now before I lay down the Remedies give me leave to shew you what it is to indulge sin or when a man may be said to indulge or cherish or keep up any known Transgression in his Soul against the Lord now for a clear understanding of me in this particular take me thus First To indulge sin or to cherrish it It is to make daily provision for it Rom. 13. ult it is to give the Breast to it and to feed it and nourish it as fond Parents do feed and humour the sick Child the darling Child it must have what it will and do what it will it must not be crost Now when men ordinarily habitually commonly are studious and laborious to make provision for sin then sin is indulged by them But Secondly When sin is commonly habitually sweet and pleasant to the Soul when a man takes a daily pleasure and delight in sin then sin is indulged 2 Thes 2. 12. You read of them that had pleasure in Unrighteousness Isa 66. 3. And their Soul delighteth in their Abominations Prov. 2. 14. who rejoyce to do evil c. Thirdly When men commonly habitually side with sin and take up Armes in the desence of sin and in defiance of the commands of God the motions of the Spirit the checks of Conscience and the reproofs of others then sin is indulged But Fourthly When men ordinarily habitually do yeild a quiet free willing and total subjection to the Authority and commands of sin then sin is indulged that man that is wholly addicted and devoted to the service of sin that man indulges sin Now in none of these senses does any Godly man indulge any one sin in his Soul Though sin lives in him yet he doth not live in sin Every man that hath drink in him is not in drink A Child of God may slip into a sin as a Sheep may slip into the mire but he does not nor cannot wallow in sin as the Swine does in the mire nor yet keep on in a Road of sin as Sinners do Psal 139. 24. See if there be any way of Wickedness in me A course a Trade of sin is not consistent with the truth or state of grace Job 10. 7. Thou knowest that I am not Wicked He doth not say thou knowest that I am not a Sinner or thou knowest that I have not sinned No! for the best of Saints are Sinners though the worst and weakest of Saints are not wicked Every real Christian is a renewed Christian every renewed Christian takes his denomination from his renovation and not from the remainers of Corruptions in him and therefore such a one may well look God in the Face and say Lord thou knowest that I am not Wicked Weaknesses are chargeable upon me but Wickednesses are not chargeable upon me And certainly that man gives a strong demonstration of his own uprightness who dares appeal to God himself that he is not wicked That no Godly man does or can indulge himself in any course or way or Trade of sin may be thus made evident First He sins not with allowance when he does evil he disallows of the evil he does Rom. 7. 15. For that which I do I allow not A Christian is sometimes wherried and whirled away by sin before he is a ware or hath time to consider of it See Psal 119. 1. 3. 1 Joh. 3. 9. Prov. 16. 12. Secondly A Godly man hates all known sin Psal 119. 128. I hate every false way True hatred is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against the whole kind That contrariety to sin which is in a real Christian springs from an inward gracious nature or principle and so is to the whole species or kind of sin and is irreconcileable to any sin whatsoever As contrarieties of nature are to the whole kind as light is contrary to darkness and fire to all water so this contrariety to all sin arising from the inward man is universal to all sin He who hates a Toad because it

true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience He that comes to God with a true honest upright heart being sprinkled from an evil Conscience may draw near to God in full assurance of Faith whereas guilt clouds clogs and distracts the soul that it can never be with God either as it would or as it should Conscientia pura semper secura A good Conscience hath sure confidence Conscience is mille testes a thousand Witnesses for or against a man Conscience is Gods Preacher in the bosom 'T is better with Euagrius to lye secure on a bed of Straw than to have a turbulent Conscience on a bed of Down It was a Divine saying of Seneca a Heathen viz. That if there were no God to punish him no Devil to torment him no Hell to burn him no man to see him yet would he not sin for the ugliness of sin and the grief of his own Conscience But Fifthly Cherrishing of any special or peculiar sin or the keeping up of any known transgression in heart or life against the Lord and against the light of a mans own Conscience will greatly hinder his high esteem and reputation of Jesus Christ and so it will keep him from comfort assurance and sight of his interest in him so that somtimes his dearest Children are constrained to cry out God is departed from me and he answereth me not neither by Dream nor Vision neither this way nor that 1 Sam. 28. 15. But Sixthly The greatest and most common cause of the want of assurance comfort and peace is some unmortified Lust some secret special peculiar sin unto which men give entertainment or at least which they do not so vigorously oppose and heartily renounce as they should and might hinc illae lachrymae and this is that which casts them on sore straits and difficulties and how should it be otherwise seeing God who is infinitely wise holy and righteous either cannot or will not reveal the secrets of his love to those who harbour his known Enemies in their bosoms the great God either cannot or will not regard the whinings and complainings of those who play or dally with that very sin which gauls their Consciences and connive and wink at the stirrings and workings of that very Lust for which he hides his face from them and writes bitter things against them Mark all fears and doubts and scruples are begotten upon sin either real or imaginary Now if the sin be but imaginary an enlightned rectified judgment may easily and quickly scatter such fears doubts and scruples as the Sun doth mists and clouds when it shines in its brightness but if the Sin be real then there is no possibility of curing those fears doubts and scruples arising from thence but by an unfained Repentance and returning from that sin Now if I should produce all the Scriptures and instances that stand ready prest to prove this I must transcribe a good part of the Bible but this would be labour in vain seeing it seemeth to have been a notion engraven even on natural Conscience viz. That sin so defiles persons that till they be washed from it neither they nor their services can be accepted from whence arose that custom of setting water-pots at their entrance into their Temples or places of worship Let him that wants assurance comfort peace and a sight of his interest in Christ cast out every known sin and set upon a universal course of Reformation for God will not give his Cordials to those that have a foul Stomack those that against light and checks of Conscience dally and tamper with this sin or that those God will have no commerce no communion with on such God will not lift up the light of his countenance Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna and I will give him a white stone and in that stone a new name written These are all Metaphorical expressions which being put together do amount to as much as Assurance but mark these are promised 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him that overcometh to him that rides on conquering and to conquer O that Christians would seriously remember this The dearer it cost any one to part with his sins the more sweet and comfortable will it be to call to mind the Victory that through the spirit of grace he has got over his sins There is no comfort joy or peace to that which arises from the conquests of sin especially of special sins When Goliah was slain what joy and triumph was there in the Camp So here Seventhly Cherrishing of any special or peculiar sin or the keeping up of any known transgression either in heart or life against the Lord and against the light of a mans own Conscience will hinder the soul from that warm lively fervent frequent seasonable sincere and constant way of duty as contributes most to the increase of grace peace comfort and assurance c. Eighthly Seriously consider of the several assertions and concurrent judgments of our best and most famous Divines in the present case I shall give you a tast of some of their Sayings First A man saith one can have no peace in his Conscience that favoureth and retaineth any one sin in himself against his Conscience Secondly Another saith A man is in a damnable state whatsoever good deeds seem to be in him if he yield not to the work of the Holy Ghost for the leaving but of any one known sin which fighteth against peace of Conscience But Thirdly So long saith another as the power of mortification destroyeth thy sinful affections and so long as thou art unfainedly displeased with all sin and doest mortifie the deeds of the body by the Spirit thy case is the case of Salvation But Fourthly Another saith A good Conscience stands not with a purpose of sinning no not with irresolution against sin this must be understood of habitual purposes and of a constant irresolution against sin Fifthly The rich and precious box of a good Conscience saith another is polluted and made impure if but one dead fly be suffered in it One sin being quietly permitted and suffered to live in the soul without being disturbed resisted resolved against or lamented over will certainly mar the peace of a good Conscience Sixthly Where there is but any one sin saith another nourished and fostered all other our graces are not only blemished but abolished they are no graces Dike of the deceiptfulness of the heat chap. 16. Seventhly Most true is that saying of Aquinus That all sins are coupled together though not in regard of conversion to temporal good for some look to the good of gain some of glory some of pleasure yet in regard of aversion from eternal good that is God So that he that looks but towards one sin is as much averted and turned back from God as if he looked to all in which respect St. James says He that off●ndeth

to himself or others it will also put a sting into all a mans troubles afflictions and distresses it will also lay a foundation for dispair and it will make Death which is the King of terrors and the terror of Kings to be very terrible to the soul Twenty-two The keeping up of any known transgression against the Lord either in heart or life will fight against all those patterns and examples in holy Writ that in duty and honour we are bound to immitate and follow Pray where do you find in any of the blessed Scriptures that any of the Patriarks Prophets Apostles or Saints are ever charged with a willing or a wilfull keeping up either in their hearts or lives any known transgression against the Lord. Twenty-three The keeping up of any known transgression against the Lord will highly make against all clear sweet and standing communion with God Parents use not to smile nor be familiar with their Children nor to keep up any intimate communion with them in their neglects and disobedience 't is so here Twenty-four The keeping up either in heart or life of any known transgression against the Lord will fight against the standing joy peace comfort and assurance of the soul Joy in the Holy-Ghost will make its nest no where but in a holy soul so far as the Spirit is grieved he will suspend his consolations Lam. 1. 16. A man will have no more comfort from God than he makes Conscience of sinning against God A Conscience good in point of Integrity will be good also in point of Tranquility If our hearts condemn us not then have we considence towards God and I may say also towards men Act. 24. 16 Oh what comfort and solace hath a clear Conscience he hath somthing within to answer accusations without I shall conclude this particular with a notable saying of one of the Ancients The joys of a good Conscience are the Paradise of Souls the delight of Angels the Garden of delights the Field of blessing the Temple of Solomon the Court of God the habitation of the Spirit Bernard Twenty-five The keeping up of any known transgression either in heart or life against the Lord is a high contempt of the All seeing Eye of God of the Omnipresence of God It is well known what Ahashuerus that great Monarch said concerning Haman when coming in he found him cast upon the Queens bed on which she sate What saith he will he force the Queen before me in the house Esth 7. 8. There was the killing Emphasis in the words before me Will he force the Queen before me What will he dare to commit such a Villany and I stand and look on O Sirs to do wickedly in the sight of God is a thing that he looks upon as the greatest affront and indignity that can possibly be done unto him What saith he whilt thou be Drunk before me and Swear and Blaspheam before me and be wanton and unclean before me and break my Laws before my Eyes This then is the killing aggravation of all sin that it is done before the Face of God in the presence of God whereas the very consideration of Gods Omnipresence that he stands and looks on should be as a B●r a Remora to stop the proceedings of all wicked intendments a disswasive rather from sin than the least encouragement thereunto 'T was an excellent saying of Ambrose If thou canst not hide thy self from the Sun which is Gods Minister of light how impossible will it be to hide thy self f●om him whose Eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun Ambrose offic l. 1. c. 14. Gods Eye is the best Marshal to keep the Soul in a comely order Let thine Eye be ever on him whose Eye is ever on thee The Eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good Prov. 15. 9. There is no drawing of a Curtain between God and thee God is totus Oculus all Eye He seeth all things in all places and at all times When thou art in secret consider Conscience is present which is more than a thousand Witnesses and God is present which is more than a thousand Consciences It was a pretty fancy of one that would have his Chamber painted full of eyes that which way soever he lookt he might still have some eyes upon him and he fancying himself according to the Moralists advice always under the eye of a Keeper might be the more careful of his carriage O! Sirs if the eyes of men makes even the vilest to forbear their beloved lusts for a while that the Adulterer watcheth for the twy-light and they that are Drunken are Drunken in the Night How powerful will the Eye and Presence of God be with those that fear His Anger and know the sweetness of his Favour The thought of this Omnipresence of God will affrighten thee from sin Gehezi durst not ask or receive any part of Nahamans Presents in his Masters presence but when he had got out of Elisha's sight then he tells his Lye and gives way to his Lusts Men never sin more freely then when they presume upon secrecy They break in pieces thy people O Lord and afflict thy Heritage They slay the Widdow and Stranger and murder the Fatherless yet they say The Lord doth not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it Psal 94. 5 6 7. They who abounded in abominations said The Lord seeth us not the Lord hath forsaken the Earth Ezek. 8 9 12. The wise man disswadeth from wickedness upon the consideration of Gods Eye and Omniscience And why wilt thou my Son be ravished with a strange Woman and embrace the bosom of a Stranger for the ways of man are before the Eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings Proverbs 5. 20 21. Joseph saw God in the Room and therefore durst not yield but his Mistress saw none but Joseph and so was impudently alluring and tempting him to folly I have read of two Religious men that took contrary courses with two lewd Women whom they were desirous to reclaim from their Vicious course of life One of the Men told one of the Women that he was desirous to enjoy her Company so it might be with secrecy and when she had brought him into a close room that none could pry into he told her All the barrs and bolts here cannot keep God out The other desired the other Women to company with him openly in the streets which when she rejected as a mad request he told her It was better to do it in the eyes of a multitude than in the eyes of God O why shall not the presence of that God who hates sin and who is resolved to punish it with Hell-flames make us ashamed or afraid to sin and dare him to his face Twenty-six There have been many a Prodigal who by one cast of the Dice have lost a fair Inheritance A man may be kill'd with one stab of a Pen-knife and one hole

Old Age to Covetousness and Frowardness Common experience tells us that many times Wantonness is the Sinners darling in the time of his youth and Worldliness his darling in the time of his age and without controversie Christians distinct and peculiar Ages may more strongly incline them to this or that Sin rather than any other or 5thly It may arise from that distinct and particular way of Breeding and Education which he has had Now to arm such Christians against their special Sins their peculiar sins whose Sins are advantaged against them either by their constitutions and complexion or else by their particular Calling or else by their outward state and condition or else by their distinct and peculiar ages or else by their particular way of Breeding and Education is my present work and business for though the raigning power of this or that special peculiar Sin be broken in a mans Conversion yet the remaining life and strength that is still left in those corruptions will by Satan be improved against the growth peace comfort and assurance of the soul Satan will strive to enter in at the same door and by the same Dalilah by which he hath betrayed and wounded the soul he will do all he can to do the soul a further mischief Satan will be still a reminding of the soul of those former sweets pleasures profits delights and contents that have come in upon the old score so that it will be a hard thing even for a Godly man to keep himself from his Iniquity from his special or peculiar Sin which the Fathers commonly call though not truly peccatum in delitiis a mans special darlin and beloved Sin Well Christians remember this once for all viz. That sound Conversion includes a noble and serious revenge upon that Sin which was once a mans beloved bosom darling Sin 2 Cor. 7. 11. Yea what clearing of your selves yea what Indignation yea what fear yea what vchement desire yea what zeal yea what revenge You see this in Cranmer who when he had subscribed with his right hand to that which was against his Conscience he afterwards as a holy revenge put that right hand into the flames so Mary Magdalen takes that hair of hers Of all Sins saith the sound Convert I am resolved to be avenged on my once beloved bosom darling Sins by which I have most dishonoured God and wronged my own precious and immortal soul and by which I have most endangered my everlasting Estate Having thus cleared up my way I shall now endeavour to lay before you some special remedies means or helps against cherishing or keeping up of any special or peculiar Sin either in heart or life against the Lord or against the light and conviction of a mans own Conscience First Cherrishing or keeping up of any special or peculiar Sin either in heart or life against the Lord or against the light and conviction of a mans own Conscience will hinder assurance these several ways First It will abate the degrees of our Graces and so make them more undiscernable Now grace rather in its degrees than in its sincerity or simple being only is that which gives the clearest evidence of a gracious estate or of a mans interest in Christ Sin lived in is like a Vermin to the Tree which destroys the fruit Grace cannot thrive in a sinful heart In some soyl Plants will not grow The cherrishing of Sin is the withering of Grace The casting of a favourable eye on any one special Sin hinders the growth of Grace If a man has a choyce Plant or Flower in his Garden and it withers and shrevils and is dying he opens the ground and looks at the root and there finds a Worm gnawing the root and this is the cause of the Flowers fading the Application is easie Secondly The cherrishing of any special peculiar Sin or the keeping up of any known transgression against the Lord and against the light of a mans own Conscience will hinder the lively actings and exercise of grace it will keep Grace at an under so that it will hardly be seen to stir or act yea it will keep Grace so down that it will hardly be heard to speak When a special or peculiar Sin is entertained it will exceedingly mar the vigorous exercises of those graces which are the evidences of a lively Faith and of a gracious state and of a mans Interest in Christ Grace is never apparent and sensible to the soul but while it is in action therefore want of action must needs cause want of assurance Habits are not felt immediately but by the freeness and facility of their acts of the very being of the soul it self nothing is felt or perceived but only its acts The fire that ly●th still in the flint is neither seen nor felt but when you smite it and force it into act it is easily discernable For the most part so long as a Christian hath his graces in lively action so long he is assured of them He that would be assured that this sacred fire of grace is in his heart he must blow it up and get it into a flame But Thirdly The cherrishing of any special Sin or the keeping up of any known transgression in heart or life against the Lord and against the light of a mans own Conscience so blears dimms and darkens the eye of the soul that it cannot see its own condition nor have any clear knowledge of its gracious state or of its interest in Christ c. Somtimes men in riding raise such a dust that they can neither see themselves nor their dearest Friends so as to distinguish one from another the Application is easie The Room somtimes is so full of smoak that a man cannot see the Jewels the Treasures that lyes before him so 't is here But Fourthly Cherrishing of any special or peculiar Sin or the keeping up of any known transgression against the Lord or against the light of a mans own Conscience provokes the Lord to withdraw himself his comforts and the gracious presence and assistance of his blessed Spirit without which presence and assistance the soul may search and seek long enough for assurance comfort and a sight of a mans interest in Christ before it will enjoy the one or see the other If by keeping up of any known transgression against the Lord you set the holy Spirit a mourning which alone can comfort you and assure you of your interest in Christ You may walk long en●ugh without comfort and assurance Lam. 1. 16. The Comforter that should relieve my Soul is far from me so in that 1 John 3. 21. It is supposed that a self-condemning heart makes void a mans Confidence before God The precious Jewel of Faith can be holden in no other place but in a pure Conscience that is the only Royal Palace wherein it must and will dwell 1 Tim. 1. 19. Holding Faith and a good Conscience Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw near with a