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
B07428	God wooing his church: set foorth in three godly sermons. / By William Burton preacher at Reading.	Burton, William, d. 1616.	1596 (1596)	STC 4174.5; ESTC S91261	71,970	150

sent him must haue his life clothed with robes of holines and righteousnes I mean not that a holy life is essentiall to a minister so that he is no minister that wants it but that it is necessary for a minister for many shall say at the last day to Christ 〈…〉 7.22 Wee haue prophesied in thy name to whom answere shal be made againe depart from me ye workers of iniquitie I know you not The necessitie of it may appeare by many reasons first a minister vnlesse hee bee sanctified hee shall neuer soundely and liuely vnderstand the word of GOD 〈…〉 5 9. for the Lorde reuealeth his will vnto the humble and his counselles vnto them that feare him and to none else Lawyers become cunning by long reading and Phisitions by experience yet no man was euer a perfect found and iudiciall diuine without holines This knowledge is rather feeling then learning in aboundance of bea rt rather then extreame studie sent by God to good men so that hee that can say with Dauid Psal 119.117 I loue thy lawe may say I haue more vnderstanding then my teachers It is the equitie of God vnwilling to obey vnwoorthy to knowe for what should hee do with a talent which wil not vse it Therefore he which forbiddeth pearles to swine staies his hand from casting knowledge to the wicked except so much as shall condemne them Further the ignorant people cannot see the ordinance of God but they vse to iudge of a mans ministery by sensible things which they see in him therefore a good life is necessarie in a minister For they say because he liueth according to his teaching wee will heare him as Herod heard Iohn Baptist Mar. 6.20 because he was a good man and a godly If teachers of humane artes shall tell generall things without examples it is hard to learne of them so if teachers of diuine things shall teach onely without examples it wil be as hard to learn of them therefore the minister must set a copie with his life which the Apost●e saint Peter requireth when hee saieth ●et 5.2 3 Feede the flocke of God which dependeth on you caring for it not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready minde not as though ye were Lordes ouer Gods heritage but that ye may be ensamples of the flocke VVhat manner of examples ministers must bee Saint Paule sheweth 1 Timothie 4.12 when hee saieth Bee vnto them that beleeue an ensample in worde in conuersation in loue in spirite in faith and in purenesse It is said vnto all men Be ye holy but it is enioyned the minister more specially to be adorned both with inward and outward holinesse Inward holinesse standeth in faith and a good conscience which the Apostle Paul would haue to be in Timothie as weapons Tim. 1.19 without which he cannot fight a good fight the first is a perswasion of the trueth or true doctrine the other excuseth a man in euery action ●ron 15.15 and therefore Salomon calleth a good conscience a continuall feast And Paul laboured to keepe that aboue all things ●ct 24.16 for I endeuour my selfe to haue alway a cleare conscience both towards God and towards men Outward holines which must be in the minister of God is set foorth in I. Tim. 3.2 A Bishop must be vnreprooueable Againe there be outward dueties required of him in regard of his person in regard of his familie in regarde of his calling and in regard of strangers First in regarde of his owne person he must be vnblameable so farre from outward crimes and grose sinnes that hee must bee free from all iust cause of suspition because he must reforme others not to be free from sinne for that is not possible in this life Hee must wisely conceale his infirmities from others for being once knowen they are as a barre cast in the way of the people to stumble at And howsoeuer great and foule faultes in an other man seeme to bee but small yet euery light infirmitie in the minister is accompted as a plague-sore running vppon him the which maketh him to be abhorred of the profane and ignorant sort therefore if the minister shoulde make his infirmities knowen vnto them it were all one as if hee shoulde say I haue the plague about me and so make them to abhorre both his person and his doctrine Secondly in regarde of his ovvne person it is required that hee be the husband of one wife for in those times men had twoo wiues and then he might not be a minister because that hee hadde broken the holie ordinaunce of almightie God in himselfe which should see it kept in others If hee had bin such a one and now is single or ioyned onely to one hee may be a christian but not a minister And the like is to be said of him that hath been sometime a Preacher of the gospell and after that fell to be an idolater or a Popish priest and is now a professor of the gospel again the church may vpon his repentance take him for a christian but hee ought not to serue in the publique ministerie of the word as yet many doe because hee is not onely blemished himselfe worse then a man that wanteth a member which in no wise might serue in the worke of the ministery but also is a fowle scarre in the face of the church which must be remoued that the church may looke with a louely and comely countenance that her friends may be in loue with hir and not through hir vgly and deformed visage be occasioned to loathe her and this is that which the Prophet Ezechiel in plaine words hath recorded in this manner ●●zech 44 10 Thus saith the Lord God No stranger vncircumcised in heart nor vncircumcised in flesh shal enter into my sanctuarie Neither the Leuites that are gone backe from mee when Israel went astray which went astray from me after their idolles but they shall beare their iniquitie And they shal serue in my sanctuarie and keepe the gates of the house and mi●nister in the house But how shal they minister they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people and they shall stand before them to serue them that is they shall serue as drudges to doe all the seruile worke that belongs to the sanctuarie like the Gibeonites who were appointed by Ioshua to carry wood and draw water and why Iosh 9.27 because they serued before their idolles and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquitie Ezech. 44.12 Therefore haue I lift vp mine hand against them saith the Lord and they shal beare their iniquitie And they shall not come neere vnto me to do the office of the priest vnto me neither shal they come nere vnto any of mine holy things in the most holy place but they shall beare their shame and their abominations which they haue committed And I will make them keepers of

good for them but yet they must take heed that they make not those things the ende of their worke but that at the first and at the last we may be approued in the sight of god The apostle had matter of reioycing in his countrey for he was an Israelite and of his bringing vp for hee was brought vp at the feete of Gamaliel a learned man hee could haue stoode vpon his learning for he spake with tongues more then any other if others were doctors he was a doctour of the Gentiles and many great priuiledges he had that others had not But what doth hee stand so much to the maintenance of those thinges No Philip. 3.8 he counteth them all but dung to winne Christ he forgetteth them as things left behind him so that hee may attaine vnto the marke that is set before him euen the price of his high calling the Lord Iesus Christ he careth not a point for them so that he may approoue himselfe a faithfull workeman in the sight of God And so shoulde wee doe if we be ministers approoued of God wee must not be as many are which make merchandise of the word of God but as of sinceritie but as of God in the sight of God we must speake in Christ 〈◊〉 2-17 If we be pastors according to Gods heart we must not praise our selues nor stand in neede of letters of commendation vnto our charge or of recommendation from them vnto others as the Apostle saith but our flocke must bee our epistle written in our hearts to be read and vnderstoode of all men ●or 3.1 not with incke but with the spirit of the liuing God If we be ministers approoued of God wee must giue no occasion of offense in any thing ●or 6.3 that our ministerie may be free from reproofe But in al things saith the Apostle we must approoue our selues as the ministers of god in much patience in afflictions in necessities in distresses in stripes in prisons in tumultes in labours by watchings by fastings by puritie by knowledge by long suffering by kindenesse by the holi-ghost by loue vnfained by the worde of trueth by the power of God by the armour of righteousnesse on the right hand and on the left that is both in prosperitie and aduersitie amongst friends and foes by honour and dishonour by euill report and good report as deceiuers and yet true as vnknowen and yet knovven as dying and yet liuing as chastened and yet not killed as sorrowing and yet alvvayes reioycing as poore and yet making many rich as hauing nothing and yet possessing all things What a notable approbation is this How many fellovves hath the holy Apostle saint Paule in this This is for saint Paule alone and such Puritanes as he was Heere is no mention all this while of Dispensations nor of Qualifications nor of Pluralities nor of Vnions nor of Totquots nor of any such implements belike they were not allowed of in Saint Paules time for if they had surely the Apostle would not haue left them out or it may be that they were not then in vse and the world is grovven wiser now then it was in saint Paules time Oh quantum mutatus ab illo The worlde is greatly altered since saint Paules dayes it can no skill of saint Paules course Well yet wee must learne to haue skill of it if wee will be approoued in the sight of God And if all the world do commend vs and yet God condemne vs what shall it aduantage vs Most miserable and wretched caitifes shall we prooue our selues to be and better it had beene that wee had neuer beene borne if the Lord shall say hee knoweth vs not This was Micaiah well perswaded of and therefore hee stoode to the truth when foure hundred false prophets flatterers stood against him yea when the king and all was against him but yet he was a Prophet according to the Lords heart and that was sufficient for him Many at the first and a great while haue made a good shew of great sinceritie that no man would haue taken them but to be men of God indeede as good Prophets were called in old time vntill they haue fallen by the world as Demas did or till they haue fallen into fauour with the court or the state or till they haue taken som high degree of schooles or til they haue climed vp the ladder of promotion and then the date of their zeale and painfulnes and sinceritie hath bin expired and they haue turned ouer their coppy to others hauing made shiprack of faith a good conscience they haue gone forth like Thamar out of hir brother Ammons chamber when Ammon had defloured hir she wēt out with her garment of diuers colors rent torn so they haue go● away with their garment of gods graces rent and torne ●am 13.19 onely this difference is betweene Thamar and them she wept mourned for it and so doe not they but rather reioyce at their alteration holding these things nowe as most vile which before the time of their sinceritie they counted most precious this is yet a most feareful iudgement of God vpō them for their apostacie for when they begin thus with tongue to persecute the trueth which before they haue professed what doe they else but turne into that hie way which leadeth vnto the sinne against the spirit of truth And being thus reuolted from their first loue they fell to be iust of Sauls humor who perceiuing himselfe to bee forsaken of the Lord for his hypocrisie and dissembling in Gods busines desired yet of Samuel that he might bee honoured before the elders of the people and then he was safe that was all that hee looked after So say they let vs bee honoured before the elders of the people and that is sufficient for that is all that they looke after as hauing their reward of men and not of God The third Sermon of God wooing his Church IEREMIE Chap. 3. Verse 15 And I will giue you Pastors according to mine heart which shall feede you with knowledge and vnderstanding NOw the question groweth how we shal knowe who be pastors and ministers according to Gods liking and who be not The Lord Iesus doth best resolue that doubt in the 7 of Iohn ver the 18 ●●b 7.18 thus He that speaketh of himselfe seeketh his owne glory but he that seeketh his glory that sent him the same is true and no vnrighteousnesse is in him that is hee is a true messenger of God and no counterfeit A man is saide to speake of himself two waies either when he speaketh before he be required to speake or being required to speake speaketh not the truth truely but mixeth some deuice of his owne braine therewith so did the false prophets for both they ranne before they were sent and also spake the errours of their own hart in stead of the word of the Lord So did Vzzah that which he did of