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	pure_a	unfeigned_a	2,241	5	10.9425	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A22701	Saint Augustine his enchiridion to Laurence, or, The chiefe and principall heads of all Christian religion a most profitable booke to all those which desire to haue a most compendious briefe of Augustines doctrine, out of Augustine himselfe, when he was old, being repurged, by the old manuscript, of many faults and vnusuall wordes, wherewith it formerly flowed.	Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo.	1607 (1607)	STC 921.5; ESTC S1512	82,205	310

in Christ neither were regenerate by water and the holy Ghost And seeing all creatures bee vncleane whom the faith of Christ doth not purifie thereupon was that saying Purifying their harts by faith Also the Apostle saith Ther is nothing pure to them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing but euen their minde and consciences are defiled How therfore should all things be pure vnto the Pharisies though they gaue almes and were without faith Or how could they haue faith if they refused to beleeue in Christ and to be borne anewe by his spirit And yet is it true which they haue heard Giue almes and all thinges shall be made cleane vnto you CHAP. 76. That is the best almes amongst all others if any man haue compassion of his own sinnefull life to the ende hee may amend the same and please God NOw he that will giue almes according to the rule of Gods word must begin at himselfe and bestowe the same first vpon himselfe For almes is a worke of mercie that saying being agreeable to that definition Thou that seekest to please God haue pity vpō thine owne soule For this cause are we regenerate to the end wee might please God that sin worthily displeasing him where with we were infected in our first birth This is the first kind of almes which we bestow vpō ourselues in as much as we haue reclaimed our selues being sinners by the mercy of God hauing pity vpon vs acknowledging the iustice of his iudgement wherby wee were become miserable of whom the Apostle meāt saying The iudgement of one was on al to condēnation yeelding him thāks for his exceeding loue whereof he speaketh himselfe being the trumpet of his own mercy God himself cōmending his loue towards vs because whē we were sinners Christ died for vs that also we truly sentecing our miserable estate honouring Gods mercy towards vs might leade a godly and vertuous life Which iudgmēt loue of God because the Pharisies regarded not yet had they tithes of the least kind of fruits in respect of the almes which they gaue Therefore gaue they not almes beginning therwith at thēselues towards whom they should first of al haue beene mercifull in regard of which order of affectiō it is said thou shalt loue thy neighbor as thy self Whē therfore he had reproued thē because they washed themselues in the outward part were inward ly ful of rapine iniquity giuing them to vnderstād that ther was a kinde of almes first to be ministred to themselues that they ought to purifie the inward man howbeit saith he giue almes behold al things shall be pure to you afterwards to declare vnto them what he exhorted and what they neglected to do least they shuld thinke that their almes was vnknowen vnto him hee sayeth Woe bee vnto yee Pharisies as though hee should haue sayde I did exhort yee indeede to giue almes whereby all things should bee made cleane vnto you But woe bee vnto you which tythe mynte and anniseedes and euery kinde of herbe for I know these almes which yee giue whereunto I would not haue yee to thinke that mine exhortation tended But ye vtterly neglect the iudgement mercy of God by which kinde of almes ye might be purified of all inwarde pollution your bodies also made clean which yee wash outwardly For this is the meaning of all things that is to say both things inwarde and outwarde as it is written in other places Make cleane those things which be within and those things which be outward shall be also cleane But least hee should seeme to refuse these almes which are yeelded out of the fruites of the earth these things saith hee which I haue formerly mentioned ought yee to do and yet not to omit the others that is to say the tythes and the fruites of the earth CHAP. 77. This true almes which wee giue to our selues in amending our wicked liues that which we giue to others be not of our selues but of Gods gift LEt them not therfore deceiue thēselues which by the most liberall almes giuen either out of their fruites or out of their purse doe thinke to purchase impunity of themselues continuing still in the sauage crueltie of heynous offences and wickednesse of enormious crimes For they doe not onely commit these sinnes but take such delite therein as they wish alwayes to continue in the same if they could without punishment But hee that loueth iniquitie hateth his owne soule and he that hateth his own soule is not mercifull but cruell For in louing the same as concerning the world hee hateth it as touching God If therefore he would giue almes vnto himselfe whereby all things might be cleane to himselfe he should hate the same as touching the world and loue it according to God No man therefore giueth any kinde of almes but to enable himselfe to giue hee first receiueth it from him that wanteth not and therefore it is said His mercie shall pardon me TOVCHING THE varietie of sinnes CHAP. 78. That certaine things seeme little in respect of the kinde and qualitie thereof which are sinnes notwithstanding albeit reputed in the number of lesser sinnes IT resteth in the iudgement of God and not of man to determin of sins which of them be little which be great For we see that certain things were permitted by the Apostles thēselues by way of pardō as was that which venerable Paul saith vnto man and wife Defraude not one another except it be with consent for a time that ye may giue your selues to prayer againe come togither that Satan tempt you not for your incontinencie It might be thought not to be a sin for a man to haue carnall knowledge with his wife vpon any other motion then to beget children which is the good of matrimonie but for carnall pleasure that therby the weakenesse of those which cannot liue chastly might auoyd the deadly sin of fornication adulterie or any other kinde of vncleānesses too filthie to bee vttered and whereunto lust may inforce vs through the tentatîon of Sathan therfore might be thought not to be a sinne as I saide but that he addeth afterwardes This I say of fauour and not of commādement Who now denieth it to be a sinne when as the authority of the Apostle confesseth that they are to haue toleratiō which do the same It is also of the like nature where it is said Dare any of you hauing businesse with an other be in aged vnder the vniust not rather vnder the Saints And a little afterwards If then yee haue iudgement of things pertaining to this life set vp them to iudge which are least esteemed in the Church I speake it to your shame Is it so that there is not a wise man among you no not one that shall be able to iudge between his brethren But brother goeth to lawe with brother and that vnder the vnbeleeuers For there it may be thought that to haue sued one against

in IN which soeuer of these fower ages or conditions the grace of regeneration findeth each man there are all his sinnes past remitted vnto him and the guilt contracted by the first birth is dissolued by the second And of so great force is that the spirit breatheth where it wil that there bee some which neuer enter into that second estate of seruitude vnder the lawe but in the first receiuing of the commandemēt haue the hands of Gods helping grace reached forth vnto them CHAP. Cxx. That they which die immediately after baptisme are happie BEfore a man can receiue commandement it is of necessity that he must first liue according to the flesh But if being initiated with the sacrament of regeneration hee presently departe out of this life death shall not hurt him because Christ therefore died and rose againe that he might haue dominion ouer the liuing and the dead Neither shall the kingdome of death hould him for whom he died that was free among the dead CHAP. Cxxi That Charitie is the Law and the Gospell which now hath her dayly increases but in the world to come shall haue her absolute perfection THat all the diuine precepts are referred vnto Charitie whereof the Apostle sayth The ende of the commandement is charitie out of a pure heart a good conscience and faith vnfained The ende therfore of euerie precept is charitie That is euery precept is referred vnto charitie But whatsoeuer is so done either for feare of punishment or any other carnall respect that it is not referred to charitie which the holye Ghost doth shedde abroade in our hearts it is not done as it should bee done though it seeme to bee done For charitie reacheth both to God and our neighbour And truely in these two precepts hangeth all the Lawe and the Prophets Whereunto wee may adde the Gospell and the Apostles also For whēce haue we that saying The ende of the Lawe is charitie and God is charitie but out of their writings What-euer things therefore God commandeth of which one is Thou shalt not commit adulterie and what-euer things are not commanded but men are aduised thereunto by speciall counsaile of which one is It is good for a man not to touch a woman both these kindes of things are then well performed when they are referred to the loue of God and of our neighbour for God both in this world and the worlde to come The loue of God I say whome now wee behould through faith but then shall see him face to face And our neighbour also now we knowe but by faith For wee mortall men know not the harts of mortall men But then God shall enlighten the hid things of darkenesse and manifest the thoughts of our harts Then shal euerie one haue prayse of God because each neighbour shall prayse and loue that in other which diuine illumination will not suffer to be hid in them but will present it to the viewe of each other Now concupiscence is diminished and weakned charitie increasing till it come euen in this world to such a greatnes as greater it cannot be No greater loue then this can any man haue than that a man should giue his life for his friends But who shall bee able to expresse what height of loue shall bee there where there shall bee no concupiscence nor no inordinate desire to be repressed how whole sound all things shal be there where there shall be no striuing● of direfull death CHAP. Cxxii What name is most fitly to be giuen to this worke BVt let vs now at the last make an end of this worke which chuse you whether you will call or vse in the nature of an Enchiridion But I truely not thinking your studies and endeuours in Christ Iesus to be such as should be despised and promising my selfe all good of you trusting hoping in the help of our redeemer and louing you most dearly in the sweete fellowship of his members I haue written and dedicated vnto you endeuouring my self to the vttermost a Book of faith hope and charitie Which God grant bee as pleasing profitable vnto you as it is large FINIS