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	let_v	sprinkle_v	1,147	5	10.8315	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68672	Certaine sermons, vpon seuerall texts of Scripture: preached by that reuerend and faithfull seruant of Iesus Christ M. Robert Rollok, minister of the Church (and rector of the Colledge) of Edinburgh. Whereof the first eleuen were before published, and the remnant seuen, are newly adjoyned thereunto; Certaine sermons upon severall places of the Epistles of Paul	Rollock, Robert, 1555?-1599.; Charteris, Henry, 1565-1628.; Arthur, William, fl. 1606-1619.	1616 (1616)	STC 21272; ESTC S116139	202,286	389

Albeit thou forget thy sinnes after thou hast gotten thy pleasure yet thou shalt see that thy conscience hath marked them all and as a man cannot reade when the booke is closed yet beeing opened they maye reade therein Euen so albeit vvhen our consciences are benummed wee see not the vglinesse and guiltinesse of sinne yet when GOD wakeneth them wee will see sinne in the owne colour and finde the vglinesse and guiltinesse thereof Our sinnes will come in and stand vp as mountaines and will hide the blessed face and presence of GOD from thee Sinne goeth betwixt vs and GOD and separateth vs from GOD. The Sainctes finde in experience that it is not an easie thing to finde a familiar accesse to God in prayer except our consciences first bee purged wee can haue none accesse to GOD. Therefore whosoeuer woulde drawe neare to GOD let him seeke to followe the counsell of the Apostle in the 10. Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes and the two and twentie verse where he saith Let vs draw neare with a true heart in an assurance of faith sprinkled in our heartes from an euill conscience No flesh can haue a fauourable accesse to God except his conscience bee first purged from guiltinesse yea that which wee speake of the guiltinesse of sinne wee speake also of sinne it selfe that except it bee quite taken away out of His sight that He will not look fauourably vpon vs. And this is that which the Prophet saieth here If thou O Lord straightlie markest iniquities O Lord who shall stand For as guiltinesse of sinne stayeth vs to beholde God so sinne it selfe stayeth God from beholding vs miserable wretches with the eyes of His compassion So long therefore as thy conscience is not purged when thou goest to present thy selfe before His Majestie if thy conscience bee wakened thou wilt finde God marking thy sinnes laying them to thy charge and wilt finde Him as a terrible Iudge compassed about with burning wrath readie to destroye thee and if He marke thee thou hast no standing and if thou appeare not cloathed with the righteousnesse and perfect satisfaction that IESVS through His blood hath purchased for thee thou darest not presume to approach for then His fierce wrath shall bee poured out vpon thee Further wee learne heereof that when euer wee would haue our prayers accepted wee should beginne with an humble confession of our sinnes and vnworthinesse and with an earnest prayer to forgiue the same yea wee must aggreadge our sinnes by all circumstances as the Prophet doeth here No none not the holiest Sainctés Fathers nor Prophets could be able to stand if he marked their iniquitie let bee himselfe who was such an vnworthie wretch who was laden with so manie and great sinnes Thou must not extenuate thy sinnes before GOD if thou wouldest find fauour with GOD as manie men commonlie doe saying wee are all sinners yea manie men haue sinned more and haue done worse deedes than I haue done That is not the way to finde Gods fauour Thou must bee very abject vile and contemptible in thine owne accompt if thou wouldest haue the Lord to account of thee Then where shall wee get a remidie to helpe an euill conscience for sinne taketh away all joy and confidence in prayer The next wordes furnish a faire remidie But mercie is with Thee Lord it is not Thy justice I looke to but Thy mercie Thy justice holdeth mee abacke but Thy mercie allureth mee I flee from Thy justice and I claime to Thy mercie So when a man desireth his prayers to bee heard hee must first haue a sight of his owne miserie guiltinesse and vnworthinesse and of the fiercenesse of the Lords wrath for the same and in all humilitie hee must confesse the same Next hee must haue a sight of the Lordes mercie and hope that it is possible that GOD bee reconciled with him except that these two bee joyned together hee commeth not duelie prepared the one without the other will not serue both are necessarie for without the knowledge sight and feeling of our miserie of sinne and of the wrath of God for the same vvee will neuer be earnest in prayer Who will aske except hee finde his want and without an humble confession there is no cōming before God Thou must not do as the Pharisie did reade that parable of the Pharisie and of the Publicane Luke 18. The Pharisie was so blinded with selfe-loue that hee could not see the filthinesse and corruption of his own heart and therefore not only in the presence of man whom he might deceiue would he justifie himself but also in the very presence of God who cannot be deceiued who searcheth the hearts he would boast of his own righteousnes and condemne the poore Publicane But what found he It is saide hee went home not justified that all men might feare thereafter to come before God with a cōceit of their worthines Thou must follow y e example of the poore Publicane who being ashamed of himself would not looke vp to Heauē but looked down smote his brest said O God be mercifull vnto mee a sinner Next if thou haue no more but a sight sense confession of thy misery will that bee sufficient No for albeit thou sawest all thy sinnes and foundest the burthen thereof and foundest the Lord as a judge in a judgement pursuing thee and heaping daylie judgement vpon judgement and wrath vpon wrath that will neuer make thee to drawe neare to the Lord but by the contrary wil make thee to turne thy back vpon the LORD for as a male-factor hath no pleasure to beholde the face of a judge because his countenance is terrible No more can the sinner abide the countenance of God His judgementes His wrath may make vs astonished and stupified but if there bee no more they will neuer make vs to come to God Then if this be not sufficient what more is requisite Euen a sight of the Lordes mercie for that is most forceable to allure as the Prophet saieth here and as the Church of God saith Cant. 1. 2 because of the sauour of thy good ointments therefore the Virgines loue thee this onelie is forceable to allure y e sinner for all the judgementes of GOD and curses of the lawe will neuer allure him What was the chief thing that moued the Prodigall sonne to returne home to his father Was it chiefely the distresse the disgrace and pouerty wherewith he was burthened or the famine that almost caused him to sterue No but the chiefe thing was this hee remembred that hee had a louing father that maketh him to resolue with an humble confession to goe home Luk. 15. Euen so is it vvith a sinner it is not terrours and threatninges y t chiefely vvil moue him to come to God but y e consideration of His manifold great mercies therfore if the Lord waken thy cōscience present thy sins before thee threaten thee heap judgemēts on thee

then say Lord I deserue to be threatned alwais to be plagued but Lord thou knowst my nature thes things wil not make me to come to Thee but will put mee away from Thee therefore let mee see Thy manifolde mercies towards sinners to allure me and then I shall come vnto Thee So wee see the remidie against an euill conscience to wit an humble confession of sinne and vnworthinesse and a fleeing from the justice of God to His mercie The fairest sweetest thing in the worlde is to feele the mercie of GOD. But herein there is great hardnesse and difficultie It is not so easilie attained vnto as men commonlie thinke for His mercie is compassed about with His justice and with His wrath against sinners as with a wall of fire and he who will come to grace he must come through a consuming fire and when hee preasseth to come neare the fire of Gods wrath will holde him off and will strike out and burne vp the impenitent sinner as fire doeth the stubble So it is an harder thing than manie think it to be to win to Gods mercy And how shal this be remidied By what meanes shall wee gette thorowe this wall of fire Truely hee who woulde meane to passe thorow fire had neede to bee well armed the man who preasseth to approach neare to that inuialable Majestie who can abide no sort of vncleannesse and woulde drawe neare to the Throne of His grace must bee well armed against the justice and wrath of GOD which debarreth sinners Surelie there is none armour in the world that can preserue vs from that raging and consuming fire of the justice and wrath of GOD but only the righteousnesse and satisfaction of Iesus Christ Let a man vse all the meanes in the world and he be not found in Christ he shall haue none accesse to come thorowe the justice and wrath of God to the Throne of grace yea his soule and his conscience must bee sprinkled and purged from dead workes with that blood which was offered vp to GOD to that ende by His eternall Spirite Heb. 9. without he bee dipped in that blood hee will finde GOD a terrible Iudge And after that through faith in the death and blood of IESVS thou commest to that Throne of grace thou shalt heare the sweetest and moste comfortable voyce that euer was that is All thy sinnes are forgiuen thee in that blood And if a man were cōdemned to die for some haynous cryme if the king would saye I absolue thee I forgiue thee thou shalt liue What joye and comfort woulde that voyce bring to the heart of him who was condemned The Apostle saieth Hebr. 10. 22. Let vs goe to the Throne of grace with a true heart and purged from an euill conscience through the blood of IESUS CHRIST that is Thinke not to come to that Throne of grace except first thou bee purged with that blood Therefore as euer thou wouldest bee in Heauen or see the face of GOD to thy comfort seeke to haue faith in CHRIST IESVS Looke vvhat necessitie is laide vpon a sinner either must hee bee banished from the presence and face of GOD for euer and be casten into the societie of the damned or else if he would bee saued hee must bee imped and ingraffed by a true and liuely faith in Iesus Christ make thee for it with all thy maine to get a gripe of Christ as euer thou wouldest be saued Nowe after hee hath met this objection which God or his owne conscience in Gods cause might haue casten in that hee was so vnworthie to bee heard by an humble confession of vnworthinesse and by fleeing from His justice and claiming to His great mercies bee setteth downe the ende of this mercie and free forgiuenesse of sinnes when he saieth But mercie is with Thee that Thou mayest bee feared The ende whereof the Lord granteth mercie and forgiuenesse of sinnes to sinners is that they may obey serue and worship God with pleasure and alacritie No man can euer be able to glorifie God and to serue Him chearfully but the man who hath assurance that his sinnes are freely forgiuē him in that eternall loue of God through the blood of Iesus for none can glorifie God except first he be glorified of God Albeit the naturall man got neuer so manie and great benefites yet because hee hath none assurance of the forgiuenesse of his sinnes he can neuer glorifie God nor be thankfull to Him On the other part It is vnpossible and if thou haue a sure perswasion that thy sinnes are forgiuen thee but thou wilt bee careful in some measure to meet the Lord God in loue to pleasure Him and to thanke Him for the first effect that floweth from the remission of sinnes is sanctification or glorification And it is not possible but if thou bee glorified thou must glorifie the Lord againe But the question may be here proponed Wherein standeth our glorifying of God hath He neede of our glorification Can our seruice bee profitable to Him Can our well-doing extend to Him Hath He need of any thing that wee can doe I answere Indeede it is true our well-doing cannot extende to Him as Dauid confesseth of himselfe in the 16. Psalme and the 2. vers All the Kinges and Monarches in the world cannot doe any thing that is profitable and steadable to God We are not able to adde any thing to the glory of God for His glory is infinite and to an infinite thing nothing can bee added for if anie thing coulde bee added it were not infinite The Father the Sonne and the Holy Spirite perfectlie glorified one another from all eternitie Glorifie Mee saieth Christ with that glorie which I had with Thee before the foundation of the world was laide That blessed Trinitie was as perfect in glorie before the creation of the world as it hath beene euer since Our glorifying of God stādeth only in this when the Lord illuminateth our minds that we may see His glorie in all his properties that wee in our heartes with pleasure and chearfulnesse consent thereunto allow of it and with our mouthes proclaime that glory which we see to be in Him And it lieth not in man nor angel to compare His glory The good the euil the well y e wo the commodity incommodity of al cōmeth to our own selues and happy is that man that glorifieth God miserable is he y ● glorifieth Him not for our felicity standeth not in that y ● we our selues be glorified but in this that we glorify our Lord eternally for that end were we created to y ● ende were we redeemed with that precious ransom euē that we shuld glorify y e Lord happy is that creature that hath some purpose thirst desire to glorify God in this life for he may be assured that one day the Lord shall glorify him eternally in Heauen That soule I say shall be perfected in the life to come

heavenly glorie shall bee none other thing but the per●yting of our regeneration For when all this pelffrie shall be taken away then wee shall fully bee renewed As to the Spirit if ever hee was powerfull in earth he shall be more powerfull in Heaven so that the same Spirit that heere dwelt in thy body shall then glorifie thy body and make it to shine brighter than the Sunne Therefore let vs seeke this regeneration and the Spirit of CHRIST For in these two standeth the perfection and the glorie of the life to come Now when he hath reckoned out all the warrands of life whereby he assureth himselfe thereof hee concludeth in the next ve●se Then saieth he wee haue confidence alwayes as if hee would say Hauing these warrandes I haue confidence alwayes that is I am assured of my glory and yet the wordes import not only an assurance but the effect thereof which is a sweete securitie in the soule for whensoeuer any man is assured of life then the soule with sweetnesse wil rest then commeth that peace of Conscience assuring vs whether wee liue or wee die wee are CHRISTES so this draweth on that boldnesse confidence Then looke the nature the beginning and ●ising of Faith it is builded and standeth vpon these three pillars An earnest desire of life Regeneration and the Spirit of GOD These are the three proppes thereof which are sensible to them who haue faith and wee shoulde bee acquainted with them Then of this riseth the sweete confidence of glory and security the repose and rest of the soule and conscience and from the soule it commeth vp to the mouth and breaketh out in a glorying As this same Apostle vpō this confidence in his soule breaketh out saith What shal seuer vs from the loue of Christ Shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednes or pe●il or sword No in all these things we are more than victorious through Him that loued vs. Rom. 8. 35. c. So that faith being builded vpon these three pillers securitie and confidence beeing builded vpon Faith then boldn●sse in mouth will say I defie all contrarie powers lay the sword lay fire lay death before mee it will say I defie them all yea let all the Deuils of H●ll come before a man his faith be well builded and confidence on faith hee will defie them all yea albeit they threatē damnation to him for it thou stand in Christ thou shalt liue albeit thou must bee separated from this mortall life yet all the worlde cannot separate thee from the life of Christ Seeke this life now in time that in trouble wee may say that wee will rest in Christ and all the world shall not seuer thee from Him Yet to goe forward in the words The Apostle as yet hath not the full contentation in heart for all this assurance For saith he wee knowe that while wee are at home in the bodie wee are absent from the LORD If wee bee at home with a thing we are farre from a better thing which is abroade Alas thou beeing ●t home a● thine house and fire thou art farre abroade from thine home in Heauen whilst wee are at home in this mortall bodie wee are strangers and Pilgrimes from the LORD Brethren yee shall learne heere a great difference betweene confidence contentation It is one thing to haue contentation another thing to haue confidence This Apostle had confidence but not contentation Thou art farre dec●aued that thinkest thou hast sufficient contentation in this worlde Woe is thee yea although thou haue Heauenly graces and if thou thinkest thou hast contentation either of glory or of sight all is nothing Why Because there cannot nor shoulde not bee contentation heere no the best and moste confident man that liueth shoulde not thinke hee hath contentation in this pr●s●nt life All thine holinesse faith confidence and hope shoulde not giue thee full contentation All the kingdomes honours and riches of this worlde which is nothing but dirt and pelffrie in respect of those Heauenly thinges shoulde not giue thee full contentation And yet the worldly foole will saye in his heart I haue contentation and sufficiencie O! but what saide CHRIST to him that decreed with his hart to make wide barnes Foole this night thy soule shall be taken from thee Lu●e 12. 20. Away with an opinion of contentation in this earth and thou bee a king of all the earth Wilt thou haue contentation without CHRIST Wilt thou hau● sufficiencie and not haue Him who is thy life glorie When thou art a pilgrime from CHRIST and wandring from thy countrey and inheritance wilt thou saye thou hast thine hearts desire Had euer pilgrime full contentation during the time of his pilgrimage Then no contentation to the faithfull soule but in CHRIST I shall neuer thinke cōtentation to be in my soule till I see CHRIST face to face I giue thee the same counsell yea and if I had all spirituall graces in neuer so great a measure yet no cōtentation for my soule till I see CHRIST for all our blessednesse standeth in the sight of CHRIST and thou canst not see CHRIST heere because thou art absent from Him For as long as I am at home speaking of the soule so long as it is closed heere within this earthly tabernacle I am absent from CHRIST And this prison of my bodie so closeth mee about that I cannot see CHRIST Brethren it is this mortall bodie that is clothed with sinne and mortality wherewith we must be clothed as long as wee are heere that holdeth vs from the sight of CHRIST It is impossible so long as thou art clothed with the sinfull bodie to get that full sight of IESVS albeit Hee were standing on the earth cloathed with His glorie So thou must be vnclothed of this mortalitie ere thou canst see Him And there is the grounde wherefore wee shoulde thinke no contentation whilst wee are in this body Because so long as wee dwell in this mortall body we shall neuer see CHRIST nor get a full fruition of His countenance Therefore Brethren take not so much pleasure and delight in this mortall bodie for I assure thee it is but a prison holding the faithfull soule and the eye of the faithfull soule from the sight of CHRIST but assoone as it shall bee loosed from it it shall mount immediatelie with joye to CHRIST and there get full contentation in His face yee thinke so long as yee want these earthly thinges yee cannot get contentation I speake not of the wicked but euen of the regenerated man but when the soule getteth this glorious presence of CHRIST in Heauen it shall haue joye in infinite degrees greater than euer it had in earth And albeit the body shall lie heere in graue and ignominie for a time yet all that shall bee recompensed by the glorious sight of CHRIST which the soule shall enjoye in the Heauens beeing separated from the body Wee

c. Hee was assured of GODS testimonie but hee trusted that the Corinthians also would beare him recorde that hee had traneiled truelie Hee saieth in your consciences It is to bee marked that he appealeth to their consciences not their mouthes but their consciences for the mouth of man will giue one testimonie but the conscience will giue another And when the conscience will bee saying the man hath spoken truelie and in sinceritie the mouth in the meane time will bee backebiting him and the conscience will say thou lyest mouth Speake therefore euer according to conscience for if thy conscience speak one thing and thy mouth another thou shalt bee challenged of a lye It is true indeede men knowe not the heart of man as when a Minister is speaking yee cannot judge of his heart the LORD judgeth it yet a faithfull and sincere man hee will vtter sometime the inwarde sinceritie of his heart in his wordes and deedes that all that seeth and heareth him will looke in therethorowe and see the inwarde sinceritie of the heart and giue an outward confession of it Now Brethren then in this example of Paule yee haue such a protestation as the faithfull Pastor shoulde make in the houre of his death and which should be his testament There is two things in his Ministerie the outwarde speaking and the inwarde sinceritie of the heart If hee would protest of his faithfulnesse looke that hee protest as PAVLE did First outwardly I haue vsed all diligence in discharging all the outward partes of my calling I haue kept nothing abacke and then inwardly As for my sinceritie First I take GOD to bee witnesse who knoweth and onely seeth mine heart with what sinceritie I haue spoken and then I take you to witnesse that haue beene conuersant with mee so farre as yee can knowe the inwarde sinceritie of mine heart by my liuing and outwarde actions Woulde to GOD wee coulde haue this sinceritie And I praye the LORD graunt mee this sinceritie and I beseech Him that as Hee hath beene with mee since the beginning of my Ministerie so Hee would neuer leaue mee vntill the time I finish my course with joye to His glorie and comfort of His CHVRCH through IESVS CHRIST our LORD To whome with the FATHER and the Holie GHOST bee all Honour Praise and Glorie both now and euermore So bee it THE FOVRTH SERMON II. COR. CHAP. V. verse 12 For wee praise not our selues againe vnto you but giue you an occasion to rejoyce of vs that yee may haue to answere against them who rejoyce in the face and not in the heart verse 13 For whether wee bee out of our wit wee are it to GOD or whether wee bee in our right minde we are it vnto you verse 14 For that loue of CHRIST constraineth vs. verse 15 Because wee thus judge that if one bee dead for all then were all dead and Hee died for all that they that liue shoulde not hence foorth liue vnto themselues but vnto Him who died for them and rose againe TO repeat shortlie that which we haue heard in this Chapter We hearde first of that assurance of glorie and life euerlasting which is the only remedy against death and the dissolution of this body Wee hearde secondly of the three warrandes of this assurance of life glorie The first the earnest desire which the heart had of that glorie and life The second Regeneration and renewing The thirde the Holie Spirite who is the worker of all grace in our heartes and who neuer leaueth vs but abideth in vs as an assured earnest-pennie of the full accomplishment of all that glorie promised to vs in the word of GOD. And yet for all this wee heard that the Apostle had not that contentation nor full satisfaction of his heart because he is yet a pilgrime liuing heere by confidence and hath not gotten the full presence of his LORD hee chooseth to leaue all the thinges in this life and therefore hee taketh resolution what hee will doe in life and death to the ende that when hee commeth to his LORD in the Heauens hee may bee welcome The thing hee resolueth to doe is this hee endeuoureth himselfe in his calling to be acceptable to Him in life and death and hee will consecrate all the actions and sufferinges of both to Him Beside that glory to come which moueth him to studie to bee acceptable to his LORD he setteth downe another motiue a terrible Tribunall which abideth him and all men and women who studie not to bee acceptable to the LORD The soule shall not so soone depart out of the bodie but it shall also as soone bee presented before that Tribunall and shall receiue that dolorous sentence if they haue not studied to bee acceptable to Him Therefore the Apostle concludeth Knowing therefore that terrour of the LORDm we trauell in our calling to preach Christ and to bring men to faith and that not for the fashion but in sinceritie of heart so that wee take God who seeth the heart to be witnesse to vs of our sinceritie And as to you Corinthians vpon whom we haue bestowed our labour wee appeale to your consciences and wee take you to be witnesse of that same sinceritie of our calling This is the summe of all which ye haue heard hitherto in this Chapter Now to come to this Text which we haue read In the first verse the Apostle hauing spoken of his sinceritie in preaching the Corinthians who had not that liking of him which they shoulde haue had might haue objected Well Paule yet vauntest thou of thy selfe thou hast once vaunted of thy selfe as appeareth in the second and third Chapters preceeding and yet art thou commending thy selfe He answereth no I commend not my selfe againe I vaunted not of my selfe before nor now neither but when I said We are made manifest to GOD and I trust also that wee are made manifest in your consciences in these words I giue you occasion to glorie of me and not so much for my cause as for the cause of false flattering Apostles who glorie in their outward doings without sinceritie of the heart the repressing of these mens vaine glorying is the cause of this my speaking This is the meaning of this verse Then this Text beeing plaine learne these lessons I marke first in the person of the Corinthians who objecteth this vaunting to the Apostle mistaking his words Scarse may a godly man speake a worde or two of the grace which the Lord hath giuen him and that not to his owne praise but to the praise of his God when he is mistaken by euill men who set thēselues to wryth euery word that is spoken And if euer there was an age in y e which this vice reigned I am assured experience proueth it none age may bee compared in that case to this age Yea a godly man can do nothing but incontinent he is mistaken he can speake nothing but he is misconstrued and especially