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	timothy_n	1,872	5	11.8568	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57545	The good Samaritan; or an exposition on that parable Luke X. ver. XXX----XXXVIII. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell amongst theeves, &c. By Nehemiah Rogers, preacher of the gospel.; Mirrour of mercy, and that on Gods part and mans. Part II	Rogers, Nehemiah, 1593-1660.	1658 (1658)	Wing R1823A; ESTC R222130	165,186	261

but seared with a hot iron These are like Dionisius the Herocleate whose belly was so fat as that he felt not Needles which were thrust into it And this is the condition of many who have lived a long time willfully in some grosse sin secret or open to whom custome is become another nature and it is joyned with a reprobate mind Eph. 4.18 Rom. 1.28 But as the mute and dumb Divell charged by Christ found a tongue Mark 9.26 so this dead and dumb Conscience in the end will speak Or els if it be not seared and starke dead yet it is very weake and feeble through the ignorance and darknes that is in it having only in the mind and memory a few ●●urall Principles as Abimelech had which are altogether insufficient to direct in the particular occasions of mens lives Whence it is that it workes like the childe in the wombe so weakely that the mother cannot perceive whither it be alive or no. Sometimes it could speake and would speake but it cannot be heard and therefore as good never speake Some silence it either through subtilty of wit finding extenuations or subtill distinctions to evade it as Saul in saving the beasts for Sacrifice or through violence of Affection overswaying it as in Ammons abusing his Sister Thamar against Consciences advice Pilate passing sentence upon Christ Or through cares and pleasures of this world opposing and choaking it so that there is no time to heare it as Faelix said to Paul You see how it is with one that runs in hast he heareth not what a stander by saith though he gives him direction for his race So is it with those that hast after the world Conscience bids them take heed of lying cousenage c. but they heare not Lastly Through Wilfullnesse it is silenced Rom. 14.22 When men allow what Conscience condemnes or with Caine deny what Conscience saith is true or put it willfully away that it may not trouble them in their course as did Himenaeus and Alexander Thus you see that sometimes Conscience may be quiet and still and like the man without the wedding garment say nothing but then it thinkes the more and when it speakes not it is writing and will find a time to read what it hath recorded though for the present with may out-reason it wealth out-buy it or might out-face it Sometimes it passeth sentence but erroneously or els speakes doubtingly Erroneously such a Conscience had Paul before conversion Act. 26.9 and those Ioh. 16.2 and such is the Conscience of some Papists Anabaptists Brownists c. and many amongst us in these daies in the practising of some sins as Vsury Swearing c. Secondly it sometimes speaketh but scrupulously or doubtingly If doubtingly then it passeth no sentence either way but stands debating in the mind what is fit to be said or done Rom. 14.23 And this befals many a child of God especially in things of an indifferent nature If Scrupulously then it concludeth with some feare or doubting But all this proceeds through Ignorance or misapplying of the Rule The light of the Vnderstanding is either lost and gone or marvellously darkened so as that we are ignorant of the Rule for Ignorance of Scripture makes us to erre or els abuse the Rule by false Expositions and Interpretations or misapply the Rule according to our owne conceits and fancies But if according to the Doctrine propounded the Vunderstanding come to be rightly informed and inlightened we need not doubt to appeale to Conscience and stand unto its sentencce as most sure Vse 3 Let us highly respect Conscience seeing God hath thus aduanced it It is that to which next under him we must commend our cases and Estates He hath placed it within us as a Judge to heare determine and passe sentence against which God will admit of no appeale whom it binds on Earth shall be bound in Heaven whom it looseth one Earth shall be loosed in Heaven the sentence of it God will second The advise of it we must take in all our actions and undertakings our Arbitrator it should be in all differences to whose decree and order we must be content to stand It will make us honest men and maintain our honesty in despight of Divels It will gaine us credit and become our surety so that we may be trusted for more than we are worth and if we worthily use it it will not faile us in this life at death nor at the day of Judgement What thinkest thou To conclude then as Saint Paul writing unto Timothy 1 epist 1.18 This command commit I unto thee that thou shouldest fight a good fight having Faith and a good Conscience So say I to you this advice I give to you if you would fight a good fight under the colours of our Saviour keep Faith and a good Conscience It was once said of Troy that so long as the Image of Pallas was kept safe in it that City should never be wonne That was a fiction this without all fiction is most true so long as a man keeps a good Conscience safe within him the sons of Violence shall never be able to do him any hurt Let the winds blow the waves beat upon his house yet it shall not fall because it is grounded on such a Rocke Let a good Conscience be clad in poverty exposed to injury yet it gives a blessed satisfaction to all 2 King 4. 2 King 2. Like Elishaes meale this makes our meat sweet when else it would be bitter Like Elishaes salt it makes our drink wholsome when els it may be our death It made Iohn Baptists garment please him when it was but haire It made Iacobs lodging please him when his pillow was a stone It makes us laugh when others weep sing when others howle but seek not the living amongst the dead 2 Cor. 1 12. this living joy in a dying Conscience non est hic you shall not find it here Those Judges knew this who acquitted those two sons suspected for murthering of their Father one T. Clelius a rich Roman the Story we have in Tully who going well to bed was found slaine in the morning the doores of his Chamber open and his two sons in bed in the same Chamber but fast a sleepe upon which they were acquitted of the suspition the Judges concluding peremptorily that it was impossible for the vilest Miscreant to sleepe so soon upon the committing of a fact so horrid Abad Conscience breaks sleep A good Conscience brings it And he said Text. he that shewed mercy on him then said Iesus unto him Vers 37 go and do thou likewise We have here the Answer to our Saviours Demand where 1. The Answerer who he is He 2. The Answer it selfe which is fairly and fully put in by the Lawyer and then Ratified by the Law-giver He that Lawyer spoken of before verse 25. who made the Question ver 29 He is the Respondent How contrary the Glosse of

the Pharisees was to this Answer you have heard before and may read Mat. 5.43 yet here he is inforced though an Adversary to testifie the Truth Thence note Doct. The truth wants not sometimes the testimony and suffrage of an Adversarie Exod. 8.19 Iudges 7.14 Iohn 11 49-53 19.22 Math. 27.54 Luk. 4.22 This testimony doth every Hypocrite and dissembler give whilst they professe the truth for if it be not worthy why do they make any Profession therof Now God is pleased to have it thus Reason First Deut. 32.15 That the truth may be glorified what stronger testimony than the testimony of an Adversarie True it is Non eget testimonio hominis Ioh. 5.34 It self is testimony enough and therfore called the Testimonie Isa 8.20 It bearing witnesse to it self It is of the Nature that God himself is whose Glory is not capable of any augmentation nor passive of any diminution As the Splendour of the Sunne is not inlarged by them that blesse it nor eclipsed by them that hate it The Sea may be multiplied the Earth swel'd bigger the Heavens stretched out Hell inlarged but God and truth is ever the same 2 Pet. 2 2. and yet in respect of us both the one and the other may be said to be magnified or dishonoured We may make them appeare greater in us though they cannot be made greater by us It may be made to appeare more glorious or inglorious to others though it cannot be made either glorious or inglorious in it self Secondly That the godly may be more setled and confirmed in it To heare a Saul preach Balaam blesse Caiaphas prophesie is a notable strengthening and confirmation to our Faith that what is delivered is of God and not of man Thirdly This makes for the further confusion of wicked ones who sin against the known light and testimony of their own Consciences had not God revealed the truth unto them their damnation would be the easier their judgment the lighter but now that they say they see their sin remaineth Luk. 12.47 48. Ioh. 9.41 Vse 1 Let this first informe us of the hardship which truth undergoes and suffers in this world Without all Question she is often questioned and put to defend her selfe by witnesse of her Neighbours Truth is fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter saith the Prophet Isay 59.14 And the way of truth is evill spoken of as saith S. Peter 2 Epist 2. ● And the talk is that truth is not only in a swoone but like to die for want of Confession because there is none to be found who will be her Confessor Yet not after the wont of wayward men as sometimes spake a Reverend Prelate of ours let us so bemoane what we want D Senhouse B. of Carlile as not to blesse God for what we have The voyce of truth is heard in our land as Salomon spake of the Turtle and as God said of Corinth I have much people in this Citie So both in Citie and Country God hath many who are ready to beleeve truth on her bare word But what are these flockes of kids being compared with these mighty troopes of Aramites Tell the Polititians of this world Papinians truth that is the best po●licie which ●●k●● most for piety 〈◊〉 a covetous man of S. Paules truth that the love of money is the roote of all evill c. Strait she must proove her honesty by witnesse Or if the like liberty were given to those whose hearts arise against these truths as was by Gideon in the audience of all the people to the timerous and faint hearted to depart our auditories which are now thin enough would soone be thinner Vel duo vel nemo We seeme to entertaine the truth lucentem but we hate it redarguentem as saith S. Austin And as the Fryer told the people that the truth was like to holy water which every one will call for yet when it came to be cast on them they would turne away their faces so wee call to have the truth preached to us but the truth is it will not by many be endured Vse 2 Doth not the truth want testimony sometimes from the mouth of a very adversary why then it is a shame if the professed friends of truth should faile her Veritatem Philosophia quaeris Theologia invenit Religio possidet saith Miranaula Philosophy seekes truth Divinity hath found truth Religion professeth truth And yet with the Church in the Canticles may truth complaine I am wounded in the house of my friends Had it beene an enemy that had thus reproached mee then I could have borne it saith David So may truth say had it beene a Heathen and Pagan I could better have suffered it but it was a Professor a Christian I suffered by this is grievous Quest But who doth thus Resp Those spoken of Rom. 1.18 who imprison truth through wilfull disobedience and hold her in injust captivity and will not suffer the truth revealed to have her perfect worke in them for their through sanctification Ioh. 17.17 Those also who walke not in it nor worthy of it 3 Epist Ioh. 4. such cast aspersions on the faire cheeke of Gods truth and stick not to give her the lye But let all such as indeed love the truth have courage for her Let Magistrates be seene in her Livery Moses was counselled by Iethro to choose Viros veraces men of truth for judicature The Egyptian Judges had the Picture of truth alwayes in a chaine about their neckes And Charles the great had this written on his sword Decem Praecep●orum custos Carolus Charles keeper of the ten Commandements Let the Priests of God be cloathed with Righteousnesse and have veritatem written on their breast-plate as Aaron had alwayes when he gave sentence remembring that of Tertullian nihil veritas erubescit nisi solummodo abscondi And let all that professe the truth witnesse in her behalfe both Actively and Passively Our Lord and Master tells us that his comming into the world was to beare witnesse to the truth and our beeing in the world is for the same end God is truth his wayes are the wayes of truth his word is truth his workes are truth all truth Blessed are they who defend his truth Object But veritas odium parit and who but children or fooles tell truth Resp Veritas odium parit sed non est odiosa as saith judicious M. Calvin in Gal. 4 It brings hatred but it is not hatefull but every way most excellent and glorious so that in all our sufferings for it the spirit of glory and of God rests on us 1 Pet. 4.14 2. Gods eyes are upon the truth as speaketh Ieremiah and upon them also that stand out in her defence 2 Pet. 2.9 Ps 37.6 Lam. 3.56 57. 3. Though none unlesse children and fooles will tell the truth yet unlesse we be such fooles and children we may not think to enter into the kingdome of Heaven Psal 15. Vse 3 Let us