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	heart_n	sprinkle_v	2,758	5	11.3113	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50468	The life & death of Edmund Staunton D.D. To which is added, I. His treatise of Christian conference. II. His dialogue betwixt a minister and a stranger. Published by Richard Mayo of Kingston, Minister of the Gospel.	Mayo, Richard, 1631?-1695.	1673 (1673)	Wing M1528; ESTC R221740	138,938	373

not exclusive of mirth natural and civil for there was feasting The Jewes had joy Est 8.17 Neh. 8.10 and gladness a feast and a good day and in their feasts did eat the fat and drink the sweet And let me adde this that even civil mirth well ordered and regulated is a good natural preparative for rejoycing in a more sublime and holy manner And the reason is because of the Spirits which are in men natural animal and vital spirits ingendred in the Livers heads and hearts of men which being kept up lively and agil by civil mirth are as wings to the Souls even of Saints in their sublimer higher and nobler operations And herein I may appeal to the experience of the choicest servants of God who find when their spirits are down and low an indisposition in them thereby for holy duties The disciples themselves when they should have been watching and praying Jesus Christ found them sleeping for sorrow But when our Spirits are up lively Luk. 22.45 and cheary they dispose for duty and our heads and hearts as wheels oyled move more nimbly 2. As for the usefulness and expediency of mirth and lightsomness I say not levity of spirit 2 Vseful 1. Preservation of the bodies health It 's not only serviceable to the soul in its gracious actings and operations as I said before but to the body also for the preservation of health and strength vigor and activity by the multiplying and refining of spirits in us A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance It doth good indeed to the whole body Prov. 15.13 but the good it doth appears and shewes it self especially in the Countenance as being made thereby more amiable and lovely the eye more lively and sharp-slighted the Cheeks more ruddy the bloud more pure and sparkling Though the countenance onely is mentioned yet the whole body is to be understood as receiving good by the hearts cheeriness for though the soul and body differ in substance as spirit and flesh yet God having joyn'd them together in so close a union as to the making up of one person they mutually sympathize each with other a sickly body makes a sad heart and a wounded spirit makes a crasie bodie and I think the body is less able to bear the souls burdens then the soul is the bodys To return to what is in hand that a merry heart countenance appears by the example of Esau none of the best whose heart being gladded by the present sent by Jacob when they met his countenance was so cheerful that Jacob said Gen. 33.10 I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God And by Daniel and his associates none of the worst who though they did eat pulse onely and had nothing but water to drink yet their countenances were fair and fat Deut. 12.15 Why they had merry hearts quiet consciences in their breasts and bosomes arising from their reconciliation and peace with God It 's not choice meats and drinks much less painting or dawbing with vermilions but a good conscience that makes a merry heart and so a cheerful countenance To the same purpose vers 15. He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast By a merry heart he means not carnal mirth and jollity in eating drinking singing musick dancing this he elsewhere calls madness but the merry heart he commendeth is a good conscience sprinkled with the bloud of Christ his righteousness being imputed to us for our justification and so having peace with God Ecc. 2.2 and peace of Conscience which the Apostle expresseth by a pure heart a good conscience and faith unfained 1 Tim. 1.5 Once ag●●●e the wise King tells us That a merry 〈◊〉 doth good like a medicine Prov. 17.22 and that because chea●ness of spirit helps Nature's operations with its food and Physick whereas sadness and heaviness of heart hinders both I 'le close up this with a true story I was once in company at dinner where kindred and friends were met and among the rest one a learned and godly man was very merry in telling Tales breaking jests harmless and inoffensive Yet I was somewhat troubled to see and hear it and in some heat break out and asked him saying Sir I pray what is the meaning of those words of the Apostle Let your communication be that which is good to the use of edifying Eph. 4.29 to which he answered me to this purpose we have bodies to edifie as well as soules and harmless mirth doth good to both and so it doth if it be well and wisely ordered 2 Honour to Religion 2. This cheariness of spirit in Company hath its usefulness in reference to others even those without who are strangers to the work of grace and w●●es of Christianity and are apt to 〈◊〉 up prejudices against the people of God as a morose and sour people and that the life they lead is but an uncomfortable life full of melancholy and they verily think that when any set their faces this way Zion-ward that they never have a merry day after but live mopishly and disconsolately all their dayes Now the harmless mirth and merriment in the communications and conversations of Christians is a practicall and reall confutation of this mistake and so is a removing of that stumbling block in their way and withall a fair invitation and allurement of them to come in and to ingage in a stricter and higher profession of Saintship when they are eye and eare-witnesses of its consistency with all possible civil mirth and merriment which is lawfull and commendable Instance Let me back this from my own experience I knew a Lawyer of good parts and practice who being naturally of a lepid and chearful spirit and possest with hard thoughts touching Religion in the strictness of it and exactness therein as necessitating the professors thereof to lay quite aside that kind of mirth which he was addicted to was thereby kept off from ingaging himself in any forwardness in Christianity but afterwards observing the carriage of some Ministers of note and eminency for piety and Ministerial abilities how pleasant they were how facetious in their discourse yet still keeping within the bounds which God in his Word had set them he changed his opinion embraced the Societie of the Saints walked with them in the wayes of God and died I believe a true servant of God and of his Christ our Jesus and that he is now in glory To strengthen this argument The mirth of a Christian life by Zac. Bogan printed at Oxford 1653. I 'le commend to the reading a little Treatise made by a learned holy man whom I knew both in his life and death 3. This cheariness of spirit hath this commendable vertue in it that it puts a shine and lustre upon duties and offered of love performed to men 3 Alustre upon duties and that in the eyes both of God and man God loveth a

younger years chosen Scholar of Corpus Christi College in Oxford and not long after Probationer Fellow of the same viz. before he came to be Batchelor of Arts a thing seldom known in that house There Men finding him to be not only Ingenious Ingeniosus Ingenuus but Ingenuous also did shew him great respect bestowing one token thereof after another And there God not for any desert in him but out of his own mercy and grace did set his eye upon him there did the kindness and love of God which a great while before had run like water under ground break forth and appear Saving him by the washing of Regeneration Tit. 3.5 and renewing of the Holy Ghost In Corpus Christi College as he told me it ●●leased the Lord first to open 〈◊〉 eyes causing him to see his wretched condition which did greatly and deeply humble him and made him put up strong cryes with tears to him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared Hebr. 5.7 for at length he had his Conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ by whom he received the atonement and the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus Rom 8.2 made him free from the law of sin and death And now he became a Member of the most ancient honourable and durable Society in the world being first chosen and then admitted Fellow of Sion College where an innumerable company of Saints and Angels were his Collegues Herb. 12.22 Having received this grace he found himself strongly inclined to make others partakers of the same Wherefore having taken his degree of Master of Arts after some few Years he left the College and addicted himself to the work of the Ministry He spent most of his time and labours at Kingston upon Thames where the pleasure of the Lord did prosper in his hands From thence he was called in the time of the late Troubles to take upon him the government of the College of which he had been before a Member As soon as he came upon the place he manifested an earnest desire after the welfare of the Society in every respect exciting and by his example leading such as were to assist him to endeavour the same His Government savoured more of lenity and mildness than of sharpness and severity yet he kept the College in very good Order and Discipline Though the House before his time had been much troubled with divisions he by his moderation and Christian prudence kept them all of a piece and in the enjoyment of great peace and concord He was indeed naturally of an exceeding good temper and disposition gentle affable and courteous to all which being embellished with grace made him exceeding amiable and very useful in all his conversation His great care was to promote Religion and Learning in the College which he did with both his hands earnestly Divine knowledge and Humane Learning are the right and left eye of the World as the Sun and Moon are to the Vniverse the eclipsing of either of them leaves the World in darkness One thing there was that made him the more desire to see Religion and Learning meet together in conjunction in all such as were to be chosen Scholars of the House or if that could not be obtained to have them joined together afterward It was the Founders Will expressed in one of his Statutes That all the Fellows and Scholars of the Foundation should about a year or two after they became Masters of Arts be ordained to the Holy Ministry one only excepted who ad arbitrium might be deputed to the study and practice of Physick Parts and Learning without grace make a man capable of doing very good service in the Commonwealth but both in conjunction are more requisite in one who is to make manifest the savour of the knowledge of Christ in every place Alludit ad Sacerdotum unctione● Sacrificiorum suffitus Junius in locum 2 Cor. 2.14 Knowledge puffeth up but charity edifieth 1 Cor. 8.1 A man of Learning without grace is like a ship without ballast the least blast of applause is ready to drive him upon the Quick-sands of Pride or carry him on the Rocks of opposition to others and sometimes to the truth it self to his own great danger if not ruine and the prejudice of others If such a man see another not to sail altogether by his Compass but to be carried by a side-wind to some distance from his judgment he finds it a hard matter to forbear making up to him and can scarce hold his hands from letting flie at him Difficile est Satyras-non scribere Hence have flown those great heats Animosities and perverse Disputings which have so much troubled the Church of God Unsanctified Parts and Learning have been the sharpest Tools that the great Adversary of Mankind and of the Church especially could ever lay hold on to do mischief withall as the Histories of all Ages do abundantly testifie Upon such accounts as these this godly wise man was careful to prevent if it might be an error in the first concoction knowing how hard it might prove to amend it in the second Therefore when any Scholars place became void if there appeared many Candidates for it he appointed them some time before the Election to attend him at his Lodgings where he examined them privately and set down in a Paper the age standing and proficiency in learning of every one of them He noted also what Testimonials he had received from persons of Integrity concerning the good conversation of any of them and their hopefulness as to Godliness with his own apprehensions about them upon his examination as to that matter also And if such a number of the Electors as was requisite could not after publick examination agree upon one of them he upon whom the election was in that case devolved if there appeared to him an equality or near an equality in other respects would alwayes let Piety have the honour to turn the scale His next care was to have these Twins parts and Piety fostered and cherished and by all wayes and means improved and heightned to the utmost of his power To this purpose he came ordinarily to all College Exercises held every one to the duties of their several places and observed every ones growth and progress in Learning by which he was the better able to judge whom to prefer when any of them came to be Competitors for a Fellowship He was no less careful to see Religion thrive and prosper among them For first he made choice of the fittest persons he could find to perform the duty of Prayer Morning and Evening such as might with reverence seriousness and warm affection engage the hearts of others in the duty At this holy exercise he was present himself as constantly if not more constantly than the younger Scholars as to join in the duty to bring down a blessing from above upon them and