Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	faith_n	good_a	purge_v	1,223	5	9.3250	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13551	The practise of repentance laid downe in sundry directions, together with the helpes, lets, signes and motiues. In an easie method, according to the table prefixed. As it was preached in Aldermanbury by Thomas Taylor.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1628 (1628)	STC 23845; ESTC S111520	111,150	418

I shall bee conuerted Lament 5.21 Turne vs O Lord vnto thee and we shall be turned 3. Such are the strong resistances and enemies of grace within vs and without vs that it must bee onely the Spirit of power and fortitude that must conquer them The strong man hath taken the hold the deuill worketh effectually in blinding the eyes and taking captiue the wills of wicked men to rule them at his pleasure 2. Tim. 2.26 and onely a stronger man can cast him out Such is the strength of lusts and the numberlesse excuses of sin and sinners as only the Spirit can conuince of sin Such is the frowardnesse and peruersenesse of spirit in euill men yea the deadnesse and senselesnesse of heart obfirmed by wicked habits and customes of himselfe and the world without that all the power of the means shall be frustrate and bee ineffectuall to turne the sinner if the Spirit of God quicken them not with life and power to this purpose Whence it will follow 1. That wee cannot repent when wee will as the Atheist thinketh Repentance is no flower that groweth in our own garden If the Lord by his Spirit draw vs not we neuer run after him Object But why haue we so many commandements to repent if it bee not in our power they seem to be very idle Answ. 1. Deus jubet quae non possumus vt nouerimus quid ab eo petere debeamus saith Augustine 2. Exhortations are instruments in which the Spirit putteth forth his power and commeth into our hearts 2. We must beware of resisting the Spirit in this worke or in the meanes whereby hee worketh repentance in vs. Quest. Tell vs how the Spirit bringeth vs to Repentance Answ. 1. Docendo Hee must teach outwardly The teaching of the Spirit is necessary to lead vs into the knowledge of our selues and of God The former he doth by the Law letting vs see our misery 1. by sinne 2. the punishment of sin The latter by the Gospell shewing vs what God is in his Son and vnto vs ready to receiue vs to grace and mercie Euery one must therefore heare the voice of the Spirit in the Ministery seeing the Spirit not without the Word but by the Word as an ordinary instrument worketh Repentance Heare the Word Perswading and inuiting to Repentance Promising grace and mercy to the p●nitent Threatning the impenitent Isay 55.7 By this meanes the Iewes were pricked and conuerted Acts 2.37 By the Lydia's heart was opened Acts 16. and such as refuse and resist the Word are neuer drawne to Repentance Pro. 1. Because ye would not heare my voice I will not heare you 2. Ducendo by inward mouing and perswading The Spirit must bee Doctor and Ducton This inward motion is 1. In changing the minde to see both sin and the reward of sin what and how great both of them are 2. In framing the will and making it of euill good and bowing it from it selfe to the willing of grace 3. In kindling the affections with a desire of good and hatred of euill Now therefore if thou wouldest truly repent thou must also giue thy selfe to bee led by the Spirit cherish his motions affect his graces for he must not only shew vs repentance but lead vs into it 3. If the Spirit be the efficient and author of repentance then neuer despaire of great sinners He can presently make of Saul a persecutor Paul a Preacher hee can easily raise a dead man from the graue of sin let him be neuer so rotten Here is a worke of power and a powerfull worker Neither be out of heart in the sense of strongest corruption and resistance against grace When thou seest armies of lusts rise vp in thee and whole hosts of rebels vp in armes against the worke of grace hold on the combate and this Spirit of power shall chase them before thee Goe forth in his strength and feare not assured victory greater is the spirit in thee than in the world CAP. 3. Of the subiect of Repentance 2. THe subiect of Repentance is the beleeuer the generall subiect of Repentance is a sinner for Christ came to call sinners But because euery sinner repenteth not I say only the beleeuer turneth Where I plainly conclude that question wherein is more scruple than staid wisedome That Faith goeth before Repentance not Repentance before Faith Here are 1. Reasons 2. Cautions 1. The fountaine must bee before the streame the roote before the fruit the cause before the effect but Faith leaning vpon Gods mercy manifested in the promise is the instrumentall cause of Repentance Hos. 6.1 Come let vs turne vnto the Lord for he hath smitten and he will heale The hope of Gods healing that is of forgiuenesse of sins is the ground of Repentance Psal. 130.4 Mercy is with thee that thou maist bee feared Which showeth that no man can lay hold vpon God to feare and reuerence him but hee that is perswaded of his fauour Two cannot walke together vnlesse they be friends and man neuer meeteth God in Repentance while he conceiueth God an enemy but runneth away from him as a strict Iudge Slauish feare bringeth not a man to God but loue which is a fruit of Faith for Faith worketh by loue therefore Faith is before Repentance 2. True Repentance is a sauing grace and euery sauing grace is from Christ. Iohn 15.4 No branch can beare fruit of it selfe vnlesse it abide in the Vine Euery penitent must therefore receiue Christ before the gift of Repentance and no receiuing of Christ but by the hand of Faith Iohn 11.12 therfore Faith must necessarily goe before Repentance 3. Repentance worketh directly vpon the heart to soften it to cleanse and purifie it Now in Repentance it is onely the bloud of Christ that can soften the hard heart as onely Goates bloud softeneth the hard Adamant It is onely the bloud of Christ that can purge the heart and conscience from defilements Heb. 9 14. Now would I know how wee can haue his bloud before himselfe or himselfe before Faith Nay therfore the Scripture applyeth the work of purging the heart to Faith Acts 15.9 because it is the instrument to lay hold on the bloud of Christ for our purging therefore Faith must be before Repentance 4. Repentance is the most acceptable of all good workes A contrite heart is aboue all Sacrifices therefore Faith must bee before it for 1. Whatsoeuer is before Faith is the issue only of corrupt nature and corrupt conscience and cannot please God 2. Without Faith it is impossible to please God Heb 11.6 for nothing is acceptable but in and for Christ and nothing in and for Christ but by Faith in Christ apprehending him Object This sheweth that Faith must goe with Repentance but not that Repentance is therefore before it Answ. The Apostle expresseth the same thing in another phrase which putteth Faith before it Rom. 14.10 Whatsoeuer is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex fide is sin If

and an hundred deuices to deceiue The Non-resident will not part with his gainefull sinne though it be the price of a thousand of soules The Lawyer the concealing and hiding of truth which hee ought to open They cannot liue if they should To conquer this Let consider 1 That no man can establish himselfe by iniquitie Pro. 12.3 What stabilitie is in that house which is founded in water and vnderpropped with kindled fire-brands Could Saul stablish his house by founding it in disobedience and vnderpropping it with persecuting Dauid No it falleth on his owne head and crusheth and hideth all his posteritie in the ruines of it Could Ieroboam stablish his house or confirm the kingdome to it by deuising the tricke of the two Calues at Dan Bethel Can a sicke man gaine his health by drinking a strong poison Such is the gaine of him that will assure his state by sin 2 All is not gaine that is gotten by sin no man can reckon it for cleare gaine for there is no gaine but the losse is far greater for 1 In sinfull gaine is a losse of grace faith and dependance vpon God is gone Thou leanest on a reed makest a wedge of gold thy hope Better had it bin to haue begd thy bread than lost thy faith There is a losse of good conscience And better had it beene to haue cast ouer-board all that ill-gotten goods than made shipwracke of a good conscience And what comfort to haue thy house full of goods when thy conscience telleth thee they haue a bad master 2 What gained Balaam Iudas Ananias and Saphira when by seeking vnlawfull gaine by cursing betraying lying they lost their liues for their labours 3 What gaine or profit is it for a man to winne the whole world and lose his owne soule Or what recompence shall hee giue Here is not only a certain but an irrecouerable losse 4 What gaine or profite shall he finde when the curse of God bloweth vpon the state so ill gotten which maketh it as a fire to consume the rest if anie be better gotten than other As Ahab when for Naboths Vineyard he lost his whole kingdom or sometimes the curse of God raiseth an vnthrifty heyre who shall lauish it and as wickedly waste it as euer it was wickedly gotten And how can it bee but the curse must accompanie that wealth for which men fal down to the Diuell and worship him on which condition onely hee enricheth them 3 The only true gaine is to gaine Christ in comparison of whom all things are drosse and dung Phil. 3. the gaine of godlinesse 1. Tim. 6. The gaine of true wisedome is better than that of gold prov 3.13 a better more induring substance Heb. 10.34 A treasure in heaven worth selling all as Christ to the young man An vndeceiueable wealth not consumed with vse but encreased not left on earth but carried to heauen a wealth for which the Saints willingly endured the spoyling of their goods because they knew they had a better substance 3 In sinne is an appearance of pleasure and euerie sinner is loath to change the sweetnesse of sinne with the sower tart seed of Repentance and mortification loath is the sinner to let the sweete morsell goe from vnder his tongue Iob 23.12 whence it is that we see so few drunkards fornicators worldlings wantons gamsters play-haunters are so seldome reclaymed and won to Repentance To remoue this let consider 1 That sinne the more delightfull the more dangerous it is as Sampson in Dalilahs lap the more pleasing the more pernicious for as the eues they set vpon men rob and wound their soules and vsually ease slayeth the sinner as in the Proverbs Which was the Apostles argument 1. Pet. 2.11 Abstaine from fleshly lusts for they fight against the soule though they seem neuer so familiar friendly First they chase away feare of euill to come Amos 6.1 They that are at ease in Sion put farre off the euill day Matth. 14.39 The old world set vpon pleasure knew nothing till the floud came Secondly they thrust out pleasures of the world to come they make a man delight more in the Diuels bookes Cards and Dice than in Gods in gathering money than in gathering grace make their Hawks and Doggs more chargeable than Gods poore members Thirdly they binde a man a willing slaue and like the harlot their hands are as bands to hold them fast in the snare as Herod can make shift against many sinnes but his Herodias 2 The sweetnesse of sinne is as the sweetnesse of poyson only sweet in the mouth poyson in the belly Prov 5.4 Stollen bread is sweet but the dead are there sweet only in committing bitter in the account and reckoning and this last dish will spoyle the feast Let wisedome set thine eye vpon the future misery which is as the sowre sauce to the sweetnesse and were the sweetnesse of sin a true pleasure what folly were it to buy a broken and momentany pleasure with endlesse paine to prefer an empty ioy aboue fulnesse of ioy the pleasures of Gods left hand aboue the pleasures of his right hand a drop of pleasure aboue a riuer of mercy and glory 3 Nothing can be more contrary to the state of Grace than a life led in pleasures The Widow liuing in pleasure is dead while she liueth noted for a course of the vngenerate Tit. 3.3 seruing diuers lusts pleasures it is a brand of a foolish course Eccles. 7.6 The heart of the foole is in the house of mirth Let vs account it therefore an high wisedome first To discouer other matters of pleasures such as are the soules delight The way of wisedome is the way of pleasure Prou. 17. Oh that we knew what pleasures are in peace of conscience ioy of holy Ghost what a solace it is to be a sonne of God an inhabitant of heauen to liue by faith 2 To exchange these broken worme-eaten and poysonfull pleasures of sinne for a season with the pleasures of Gods house of Gods spirit and of Gods right hand for euermore In sinne is a kinde of credit and glory which the sinner is loath to let goe as the Gallant● and Great ones that must not put off any of their proud fashions or tyres nor must not be behind any of their fantasticall disguises of the times And our Roisters Swearers Swashbucklers cannot be thought men of great spirit or place if they should not despise the basenesse and pusill●nimity of Repentance and humble cariage of Christianity Against this Let consider 1 To glory in sin is to glory in a mans owne shame as if a man should glory to wallow as a swine in his owne dung or as if a theefe should pride himselfe in his fetters which hold him fast to his execution Phil. 3.19 The Apostle spake of such as gloried in their shame that is whereof they might and ought to haue beene ashamed and whereof they should be afterward ashamed