Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	fire_n	hell_n	worm_n	1,679	5	10.4739	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08964	The tranquillitie of the minde A verye excellent and most comfortable oration, plainely directing euerye man, & woman, to the true tranquillitie and quyetnesse of their minde. Compyled in Latine by Iohn Barnarde, student in the Vniuersity of Cambridge, now lately translated into Englishe by Anthony Marten.; Oratio pia, religiosa, et solatii plena, de vera animi tranquillitate. English	Bernard, John, d. 1567?; Marten, Anthony, d. 1597.	1570 (1570)	STC 1925; ESTC S101618	90,089	234

be striken and wounded But to leaue speaking of the subtiltie of Sathan the knowledge and remembraunce whereof should make vs the readier to resist I will recyte the other impediments which be a hinderaunce to the happie and quiet life What a heape of euilles in these oure dayes hath burst out and ouerthrowne in a multitude the true tranquillitie of theyr mindes And what a number hath the flood of vnprofitable thinges disquieted and turned from the peaceable state of their mind One wrestleth with the disease of incontinencie and preuayling but little striuing with the deafe doth waste his laboure to complaine of the straite lawe of single life and of mariage forbidden him Out of which fountaine vndiscretely the Prelates of Churches doe dissemble and make as though that excéeding great mischiefe did not issue and procéede when as God in verie déede not as a winker at such a matter but lyke a Iudge for an example and warning to all the worlde hath subuerted Monasteryes and houses of Religion making them euen with the ground An other doth superstition compell to haue an excéeding strayte conicience in violating any of the least of mans inuentions neglecting the commaundementes of the euerlasting God and dreading him rather as a cruell tiraunt than esteming him as a louing father and mercifull defender Whereof it comes that the feare of punishment fayneth a sacrifice and that such as be dead may be purged by the punishment of fire which fyre although not being perpetuall yet as they say terrible and that the sayde sacrifice coulde deliuer them from the place of tormentes and raise them vp to the felowship of Sainctes Diuersly also is the minde of many tossed to and fre and drawne hither thither into doubtfull cogitations bycause they cannot determine any thing for a certaine iudgement concerning the great controuersies of our fayth sprong vp in this our age which holdeth also a number of mindes in such suspence and boubt that whyther they shall flye for succor whose ayde they shall cleaue vnto and finally what is the best way to be done they are vtterly ignoraunt Manye also are turned from the Gospell partlye bycause of the multitude of herisies which for our sinnes are brought in and procured by false spirites and partlye by reason of the vyces which by mans owne intemperaunce and dissolute lyfe are crept in Such men being seduced from the right sense know not howe to discerne betwixt the worke of God and the worke of the Deuill nor with a discréete perseuerance to sée the difference how to choose and seuer the one from the other Also there are founde many who being disquieted wyth the often chaunge of Religion become in a maner voyde of beliefe that there is any God at all and as though he would not well defende their cause they yelde to all vngodlinesse scarcesly naye nor so much as scarcesly abstaine themselues from blasphemous wordes Yea and the weaker sorte whose iudgement is right are so greatly appalled when violent persecution is imminent that they quickly departe from Christ and stande more a fearde of them which kill the body than of him which hath power to iudge both the bodie soule to hell fire But of all the anguishes that do vere the soule and disturbe the minde from the right waye there can be none more greater than the anguish of conscience and the gréeuous remembrance of sinnes For there gnaweth the worme there the fire burneth to the vttermost there hell fire hath his beginning and also the wéeping and gnashing of teeth which our Sauiour in the Gospell pronounceth to be reserued for the wicked sorte Often we may chaunge our resting place take longe pilgrimages in hande passe ouer desert seas trauell manye countries both on foote and by horse conueyed maye we be and passe into the furthest partes of the worlde But our affections to lay away our selues to forsake the recorde of our conscience to forget and the sorowfull thinking of our wicked demeanor to abandon and cast from vs we are not able For the trouble of our conscience pricketh vs at home moueth vs being abrode accompanieth vs in the night iornyeth with vs dwelles in the countrye with vs and wheresoeuer we set our foote or to what place we go makes hir self such a mate and companion as will not be seperated from vs The fables do describe how Orestes was tormented and vexed with burning Torches of the furies in hell But the lyfe of man throughout is full of examples how euery man 's owne deceyt guile naughtinesse mischiefe presumption of his owne good witte and memorie is a heauie burden vnto him and how mans owne euill thoughtes and remorse of his owne conscience is such a terror vnto the wicked as they become beside themselues for the paine thereof These are the continuall and inwarde furies flames and fyrebrands to the vngracious and rebrobate which day and night craue punishment for them There is recited by Plutarke a storie worthie of remembraunce of one Bessus who killed his father and for a long space after hid and kept close himselfe so as the cryme being couertlye committed and no person priuie thereto he coulde neuer haue bene suspected and bewrayed vnlesse he had first accused himselfe But as this murtherer at a certaine time went to suppe among straungers he ryfelde downe with his speare a nest of Swallowes and throwing out the yong birdes trode and pashte them vnder his féete When the companye that stoode by being as reason was stirred to indignatiō to sée this thing demaunded what shoulde be the cause that might mooue him to doe so cruell an acte and to destroye the birdes so famillier and louing vnto man he aunswered haue they not this good while saith he borne false witnesse against me and with their cryes accused me of my fathers death They which were present wondering at the aunswere reported his wordes vnto the King and so the matter being throughly sifted out Bessus receyued the punishment which long before he had deserued Horrible feare as Salomon most truly iudged doth naughtie and wicked life bring with it makes the conscience to be as great a testimonie as if a thousande witnesses were present and the same being conuicted doth alwaies prognosticate and looke for mischiefe to ensue What feare and dreade are the consciences of naughtie persons stricken with through horrible dreames dreadfull sights monstrous signes and carefulnesse of the minde all which séeme to be brought vpon the wicked by Gods appointment for their euill demeanor What snares doe they tangle themselues in with what crosse and persecution doe they destroy their mindes being inwardlye troubled and afflicted Nero after he had killed his mother as Suetonius reporteth coulde neuer endure the grudge of his conscience for that wicked crime neyther immediatly vppon the déede done nor at any time after although hée were incoraged with consolations both of the souldiours Senate and people of Roome

He confessed oftentimes that hée was persecuted by his mothers Image and with the cruell scourgis firie whips of the furies in Hell. And moreouer by a detestable deede of the Magis attempted to call vp hir spirite againe to pacifie hir It is sayde that Appollidor thought wyth himselfe in a dreame howe he sawe his owne skinne pulde from him and his members by little and little cut awaye and also that his daughters were all their bodies ouer on a light fire turning and daunsing about a circle Hipparcus also the sonne of Phylastratus a little before his death dreamed that he sawe bloud sprincle vpon his face out of a certaine péece of plate If I should call to remembraunce the reast of the examples which be of lyke sorte Paper woulde not suffice to continue the same Truely an euill conscience in the mynde is lyke a sore in the body It is contriued thorow default not conuayde in by casualtie It mightily dismayeth the minde and continually tormenteth the same with deadly griefes of pensiue remembraunce After that Alexander that noble king and fortunate spoyler of the world had cruelly slaine Calistenes and caused Clytus his familier to be killed the one bycause he refused after the Persian maner to worship him as God and the other bicause he preferred the Actes of king Philip his father before his there entered into him afterward such a sore repentaunce through remorse of his sinnes as hardly it scaped him that he had not killed himselfe What should I speake of Sylla that oppressed the Romaynes of Antiochus that with warres ouercame the Indes eyther of which for the vnhonestie of life which through shedding of bloud and beastly crueltie they stayned and polluted did perishe with the ougly disease of Lice and pined awaye with the grieuous and defestable torment of conscience To this number I maye referre Herod that put Iames to the sworde thrust Peter in prison and to please the Iewes stirred vp persecution against the Christians But at last being striken by the Aungell was eaten of wormes and after grieuous affliction by the wounde of his conscience miserablye gaue vp the ghost I cannot here altogither passe ouer with silence those which dally with God in most graue and weightie matters which wilfully for gaine and honors sake eyther resist or forsake the truth which repeale any thing manifestly agaynst the worde of God and binde their consciences either to the wicked betraying refusing or vtter denying of Christ by othe For euen as peace by the promise of God doth attende vpon the true Israelites who are the constant professours and mainteyners of christian pietie euen so the beguylers false working Epicures enimies to Christes Crosse whose bellie is their God and earthly things their studie bewitching men from beleuing the truth which they resist as Iannes and Iambres did Moyses declining also from the way of glorie and led to the desire of ryches Such doth God with the workers of iniquitie turne into their owne reprobate imagination with a rewarde worthie of such a fault will the iust Iudge once make recompence vnlesse they repent earnestly from the bottome of theyr heart For what for Cannonships Prebendes Deanryes Benifices Bishoprikes or some other temporall commoditie they eyther resist or forsake Christ or else they deale with the preaching of the Gospell which tendeth to the saluation of our soules as with a prophane thing and in a mattter so weighty behaue themselues vnfaythfullye and muche lyke to disloyall fugitiues Or else they will ambiciouslye séeke in the holye scripture which waye to please the vaine appetites of the people vaunting of the pregnancie of their owne wit and learning and boasting of their eloquence and yet in time of persecution will be the first that shall start aside from the knowne truth and so to the great fall of the weaker sort fowly and shamefully betray the doctrine which before they did worthily professe But surely they shall neuer escape frée vnpunished for so great a contumely wherin they go to about beguile god and to dim his eyes as they tearme it neither yet in such sort departing and forsaking the wholsome doctrine they shall euer escape from the handes of the liuing God and his fearefull maiestie whom they haue dishonoured This was felt of Latonius this did wretched Spera both by his wordes teach vs and by his example plainly lay before our eyes if wryters in their bookes haue shewed vs the truth The Apostles in the primatiue Church committed such persons by the word to Sathan that he might haue power to persecute their bodyes who once perceyuing that neyther they should haue rest in their bodyes while they yet lyued neyther in their spirite being departed they might be reclaymed thereby and so through long repentaunce attaine to saluation no greater torment nor vexation more grieuous coulde be imagined then was bidden by them which disloyallie departed from Christ being so vexed with the bitter anguish of conscience as they had no rest neyther day nor night so much as to breath vpon the same or to be at any staye of quiet minde But I will no lenger stand vpon the impedimentes and lettes which hinder the peaceable tranquillitie that all men so busily séeke for Who is he nowe that if he had subdued all Nations vnder heauen if he had gotten all the worlde in possession woulde not lay aside all dominion and willingly surrender vp the empyre of the worlde to the intent he might quiet his afflicted conscience and washe awaye the griefes and blemishes thereof which neuer suffers the minde once to take breath Let vs therefore séeke out where and from whence that excellent quietnesse of the minde is to be looked for which doth not onely appease the carefull cogitations and thoughts of the conscience but also slakes and kéepes vnder the raging affections of the same and besides doth make easie and tollerable whatsoeuer else doth eyther hurt the bodie or any other outwarde chaunce that happeneth to arise Omitting the erronious opinions of the ignoraunt which alwayes throughout euery age as it were swallowed vp a number and led them from the right race of life let vs beginne with an other kinde of stile returning to Christ and his worde to the trade of a good life the testimonie of a good conscience to speake of eternall life and of the manifolde consolation had by the Saints Of which I promised to intreate more at large afterwarde The scriptures declare and in plaine wordes beare record that Iesus doth saue his people from their sinnes That he is the lambe of God which takes away the sinnes of the worlde That he is the blessed séede of Abraham in whom all the generations of the earth shoulde bée blessed who shoulde breake of and treade downe the heade of the Serpent throughe whose subtiltie our first parents were allured to sin That he is the saluation of God from sea to sea and