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
A66075	Counsels and comforts for troubled consciences contained in a letter, lately written to a friend / by Henry Wilkinson ...	Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.	1679 (1679)	Wing W2234; ESTC R34095	48,680	121

meditation and particular application and I hope and my hearts desire is that through the Grace of God some word or other may leave such deep impressions upon your heart both for instruction and consolation as that you may be better for them all your days Sect. 15. Duty 2. Be much in heartstudying 2. Be much conversant in the studying of your own heart It 's very needful to be well acquainted at home For this self-acquaintance and knowledg of a mans own heart is a very necessary knowledge and a profitable acquaintance This is a great business and an useful imployment for every one to busie himself in searching of his own heart and he that is thus imployed and makes it his business to know and understand himself will know more evil by himself than all the world can tell him of I have read of Heraclitus a weeping Philosopher who being askt what he studied he answered To know himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it was the saying of one of the wise men of Greece Know thy self And this knowledg we shall never attain unto unless we study our own hearts This was the resolution of the Church though at that time under hatches Let us search and try Jer. 3. 40. our ways and turn again to the Lord. First there must be searching and trying and then follows a turning to God And in this turning there are two terms one is from what we Terminus à quo terminus ad quem turn and this is from sin and the other is to whom we should turn and this is to God The heart is exceeding filthy and defiled and therefore frequent washings and cleansings are required So runs the word of command O Jerusalem wash thy heart Jer. 4. 14 from wickedness that thou maist be saved How long shall thy vain thoughts lodg within thee In the Levitical Law when a beast was slain for sacrifice there was a special command for the washing of the inwards and the legs Lev. 1. 9. These washings were typical and put us in remembrance of washing of our hearts and lives For both inward and outward pollution ought to be avoided and we ought to cleanse our selves from both For 2 Cor. 7. 1. saith the Apostle having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God And both outward and inward purity ought to be endeavoured after It 's the Apostles command Let us draw near Heb. 10. 22. with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed wi●h pure water Now let the heart be washt first then the conversation will be purified The heart may be compared to a fountain if that be pure the conversation as so many streams flowing from that fountain will be pure The more we search our hearts the more pollution we shall find in them We shall find them to be a cage of unclean birds and a cinque of all manner of impurity Wherefore above all keepings we ought to keep our hearts for so saith the Wiseman Keep thy heart with all diligence for Prov. 4. 23. out of it are the issues of life Let it be therefore your greatest care and endeavour to approve your heart unto God in sincerity and in truth Sincerity is that which constitutes a Christian and distinguisheth a child of God from an hypocrite Look then especially to the inclination vergency frame and propension of your heart whether it tend directly towards God or obliquely toward the world The difference upon Scripture-record is very great between Asa and Amaziah although neither one nor other were without their failings Asa fail'd in several things yet the root of the matter was in him for his heart was upright toward God so it 's evidenced in the Scripture Nevertheless the heart of 2 Chron. 15. 17. Asa was perfect all his days As for Amaziah though he went a great way yet he came far short of the main thing requir'd for this brand of infamy is left upon record And he did that which was right in 2. Chron. 25. 2. the sight of ●●● Lord but not with a perfect heart It 's the common lot of Gods dearest children to have Infirmities yet notwithstanding they can take comfort in the integrity of their hearts So the Spouse confest I sleep but my heart waketh Cant. 5. 2. The sleeping of the Spouse imply'd that she had her Infirmities but her heart waking declar'd her sincerity Sect. 16. Duty 3. Be frequent and fervent in secret prayer Prov. 18. 1. 3. Be frequent and fervent in secret prayer Though separation from the Assemblies of Saints is unwarrantable yet there is a warrantable separation of which the Wiseman makes mention Through desire a man having separated himself seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdom There is a time for retiredness into our Closets of this our Saviour speaks But thou when thou prayest Mat. 6. 6. enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly For this retirement God Isa 26. 20. calls upon his people Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past Wherefore in your short recesses and retirements which you must take frequently pour out your heart unto God and when you are remotest from company and from the hearing of men then be more earnest in wrestling with God in prayer and supplication Sometimes you may find a listlesness and indisposedness upon your spirit and by reason of such dulness and deadness you may be afraid of venturing upon any holy duty yet you must take heed of neglecting any duty For dulness deadness and indisposedness of spirit are no warrants to neglect any duty but you ought the rather to be more sollicitous unto the throne of Grace for quickning-vertue that God would raise and dispose your heart for his service Although at some time you may be so straitned in your spirit as you may not be able to utter a word yet you may sigh and mourn and groan and breathe after God and these sighings breathings groanings and mournings are all known to God and as for the compunctions of the heart God takes notice of them all We read that the Lord said unto Moses Why cryest thou unto me The Exod. 14. 15. time that Moses thus cryed was when Pharoah and his host pursued the Children of Israel A potent furious Enemy was behind them and the Red-sea before them and whether they went forward or backward their danger was exceeding great either to be drown'd in the Water or slain with the Sword of the Enemy It 's worth our observation that there is no particular word

afflictions for the present are irksome and grievous yet afterwards they yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby Vers 11. Wherefore then as you must not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haec significant patientiam perseverantiam in flagellis Lyra. Heb. 12. 5. on one hand slight afflictions and be insensible of them so on the other hand you must not sink under the burthen of them For so the command is My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him Take then heed and beware of murmuring and of repining thoughts by reason of afflictions but labour to profit by them and then you will profit by them when they purge out dross and take away tin so it 's promised And Isa 1. 25. I will turn my hand upon thee and purge away thy dross and take away all thy tin It 's likewise prophesied And some of them of understanding shall Dan● 1. 35. fall to try them and to purge them and to make them white God me●●s and try his people and refines them in the ●urn●ce of affliction and by afflictions God empties them from vessel to vessel and pu●geth out pride anger unbelief earthly-mindedness c. Afflictions are like a shepherds Dog to bring home a stragling sheep to the fold of Christ or like a Scullion to scower away rust and filthiness or like a Fan to seperate the wheat from the chaff Though afflictions as considered simply in themselves are not bona yet as they are Relatively considered in respect of the good effects which come of them they are in bonum to the Children of God Gods own Children are not Filii irae yet they may be Filii sub ira for a time So then when afflictions are instrumental means to purge out our corruptions and to work in us the saving graces of the Spirit and when by them we are more wean'd and alienated from the love of the world and made more in love with Christ and heavenly things then we may say every one in particular with David It was good for me that I have Psal 119. 71. Vers 75. been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes And he farther confesseth I Know O Lord that thy judgments are right and that tho● in faithfulness hast afflicted me Amidst all your afflictions whether inward or outward be sure that you have recourse to the Word of God for Counsel and for Comfort for the Testimonies of God are both Counsellors and Comforters And the Psalmist declares his own experience This is my comfort in my affliction for Ps 119. 24. Vers 92. thy word hath quickned me Vnless thy law had been my delights I should then have perished in mine afflictions Sect. 9. Having premised these four particulars before-mentioned for the better information and establishment of your judgment I come in the next 2. Head 〈◊〉 to be removed place according to my method propounded to premonish you of some Obstructions and Impediments whic● you ought to remove The first Impediment to your peace Imped 1. Keeping of Satans counsel and tranquillity is keeping of Satans counsel You must not take advice from him nor hearken to his suggestions nor believe him nor conceal from Christian Friends your condition some the Devil assaults with more violent temptations and especially offers to them such baits as they are most likely to be caught withal some he tempts to presumption and others to desperation and a third sort he tempts to carnal security and a fourth sort to a licentious liberty If upon any one of those dangerous Rocks we split our selves we shall quickly make shipwrack of faith and of a good conscience To confine my self only to your particular case Notwithstanding your unblameable life as to the eye of the world yet the Devil tempts you to despair suggesting to you that you are a hypocrite and that there is no mercy reserv'd for you but be advised to beware of the Devils sophistry and beg wisdom of God that you may discern and beware of the Devils methods depths devices snares and subtilties for he is an old and cunning Sophister and deluder Melancthon an excellent man thought with himself that he could be hard enough for Satan but afterwards he consest That the old Dragon was too hard for young Melancthon The Apostle tells us in his own name and others Lest Satan should 2 Cor. 2. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est astuta cogitatio ratiocinatio sophistica hinc latini etiam noema vocant irrisoriam inventionem subsannatio●em Aret. in I. oc get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices Wherefore great care and vigilancy are requisite against Satans temptations The Devil will tempt you to neglect Religious Duties as praying hearing and reading of the Word of God and he will tell you that Duties will be useless to you and no whit available for your good And if the Devil cannot prevail with you to lay aside Duties altogether then he will tempt you to do them slightly and superficially and so to offer the refuse to God But read what Mal. 1. 8. the Prophet Malachy saith And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice is it not evil And if ye offer the lame and sick is it not evil Offer it now unto thy governour will he be p●eased with thee or accept thy person saith the Lord of Hosts God requires the best of our services In the spiritual sacrifices the Lamb without blemish was to be offered and the purest Meal and the purest Oyl and in spiritual sacrifices we must offer to God the best There 's a dreadful curse against the Deceiver who puts God off with a refuse Commodity Mal. 8. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyr. Alex. But cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing Wherefore hearken not to Satans temptations either one way or other whether it be to lay aside Duties or else to do them after a slight and careless manner Neither may you venture to hold a Parley with Satan for he is both a subtile Sophister and an inveterate adversary and lyes at the catch to take all advantages against you Beware of too much reservedness but unburthen your soul and communicate your condition to such experienced Christians who will commiserate your case and have a fellow-feeling thereof and will endeavour to comfort you with those comforts wherewith they themselves have been comforted Sect. 10 Two or three things I commend especially to you as Preservatives against Satans Temptations and although he may tempt you yet he may through the strength of God be worsted and driven away as a conquer'd enemy 1. Stand upon your watch If 1. Stand upon your watch Sentinels neglect their watch a whole Garrison may be soon betrayed into the hands of Enemies When one who