Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	ghost_n	sin_n	sin_v	1,582	5	10.1697	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15824	A modell of divinitie, catechistically composed Wherein is delivered the matter and method of religion, according to the creed, ten Commandements, Lords Prayer, and the Sacraments. By Iohn Yates, Bachelour in Diuinitie, and minister of Gods word in St Andrewes in Norvvich.	Yates, John, d. ca. 1660.; Yates, John, d. ca. 1660. Short and briefe summe of saving knowledge. aut; Richardson, Alexander, of Queen's College, Cambridge.	1622 (1622)	STC 26085; ESTC S103644	253,897	373

mercie c. Q. Vpon whom was the punishment inflicted A. Vpon the Devils the authors with their instruments and Adam Gen. 3.14.15.16.17 The examination begins where the sinne ended the punishment is first inflicted where it began God did analyse and anatomise the sinne backward wayes anst so finds out the principall agent and beginnes with him God could first haue begun with Satan but he shewes vs the way of the invention of euery crime and craft yea and of euery worke done and that is to ascend vpward from the lowest and last agent or his act By man he found out the woman and by the woman the Serpent and there he begins to curse and punish And vnder the Serpent are the Devils punished The Serpent was cursed aboue all Cattell and the Devill aboue all creatures God put enmitie betweene the Serpent and the Woman and it is the greatest for as a woman is more afraid of a Serpent then a man so is a Serpent more afraid of a woman then a man Physosophers say from the breath or sent of a woman which is poysonous to a Serpent but Divines say it ariseth from this auncient enmitie which is greater then with any other creature So the Devils which were so familiar with a woman at the first shall by a woman receiue the greatest overthrow And we see the woman is more afraid of a Devill then a man and the Devill is more afraid of a devout and godly woman then a man who recompence their sin with louing most and over-goe men in holy affections And here I cannot but wonder that women being nought are most familiar with the Devill as we see by Witches yea and often vnder the shape of a Serpent or Worme but this stayes me that though the Antipathie be great yet in sinnes they come nearest together as in obstinacie and wilfull pertinacy of opinion Q. What is the punishment inflicted vpon the Devils A. We are to learne it from their Instrument Moses elegantly contriuing them vnder one head First then we haue the contusion or crushing of their heads that is the frustration of all their counsels and devices they being able no more to plot any thing against God or his Church Hitherto they prevailed in ruinating man-kind but they shall from hence-forth want braines to bring to passe such another worke against any of Gods darlings The beating out of their braines and bruising in peeces of all their policies shall be by the seed of a woman that is by Christ and that by the heele to wit the humiliation of him in our flesh and vpon the crosse In which he shall so eagerly pursue the Devils and strike so mightily at their heads that in breaking of them he shall bruise himselfe He shall tread so hard vpon the enemy as if his very heele should ake with it Shuph the originall word as it were by an onomatopaeia or fained found signifies the shuffling of feete together and it is giuen both to Christ and the Devill who should as it were wrestle together and that Christ should over-throw his enemy and crush him in peeces especially his head the seat of wit and will which by a Metonymie of the cause for the effect signifies Satans devices c. and his heele a metaphor from the lowest part in man to signifie the debasement and humiliation of Christ wherein he should suffer the Devill being a principall agent of all his sorrowes but Satan should rue his intermedling when he should feele the knocke giuen by Christ yea and grieue that he had ever so much to doe with a woman whose enmitie he should now find as bitter as ever he felt sweetnes in her friendship Eue thought shee was the woman when shee brought forth Cain as if she had now possessed a man of Iehovah to doe all this but by the name of her next son Abel she saw the vanitie of her owne opinion yet Adam after he had receiued the promise rightly called her Eue not onely because wee should be the mother of all the liuing but that in her might remaine a memoriall that a woman should come to be an instrument of life c. Gen. 3.14.15 Furthermore here is all our comfort that Satan is stinted to the heele of the true Christian seed and therefore shall never breake their heads by Apostasie though he may bruise their heeles by manifold slips and slidings Ioh. 16.33 Rom. 16.20 Other punishments as consequents of this are to be gathered though no more bee expressed Obserue then in the second place the obduration and hardning of them in their sinnes that they cannot repent and finde mercie And the reason is because they were beginners of this sinne neither compelled nor seduced for first their vnderstandings were cleare they knew the truth that distinctly secondly their wills were good by creation and they had power to haue obeyed GODS command but against all this goodnesse of God they oppose themselues and devise which way they may crosse God and so sinne against the holy Ghost The Pharisees knew Christ to be of God and were convinced in conscience of the truth he taught yet sought they by all meanes to disgrace him and so sinned like the Devils Conscience in both may some-times checke them yet as an vnruly dogge that seeth the cudgell and would be gone flyes in the face of his master if he see no wayes to escape so they may tremble Iam. 2.19 and yet triumph in their wickednesse for they cannot repent they rather laugh at their sinne and dance in their wicked courses then are any wayes moued to cry for mercy and so ipsofacto are depriued of all hope of happinesse Againe they are not able to satisfie neither can Christ doe it for them for they are not multiplied by generation and so Christ cannot take vpon him their nature As for the good Angels Christ hath merited for them collaterally that is they in him by their owne free will haue chosen the good part that shall never bee taken from them Thirdly they are banished from heaven into the elements and reserved or confined in them vnto the day of judgement and hell fire 2 Pet. 2.4 Iud ver 5. Wee may see the fiery Devils in Iob at Gods permission abusing that element Iob 1.16 Also an ayery spirit in raising the windes Iob 1.19 Earthy Devils possessing men Math. 8.28 Watery Devils carrying vncleane Swine with them into the Sea ver 32. And as good Angels carry the soules of holy men into heaven so doe Devils carry the soules of vncleane and vngodly wretches into hell which must be into some of those places that they possesse now they are called the Princes of the ayre because by the fire and ayre they doe the greatest mischiefe and there may they torment the soules of men Euery sinfull creature is stubble and so is not able to stand in the presence of God which is a consuming fire It is for Christ and Christians that Devils

them so farre and in such measure as pleaseth him to the good of his who dwell amongst them but all this restraint of evill maketh them not good before God neither those actions which are done by them Eph. 2.10 Men are to be the new workmanship of God before they can be his workemen Tit. 2.14 Purgation of sinne must goe before zeale in good workes Tit. 3.8 They onely which haue beleeued in God know how to be carefull in the maintenance of good workes Rom. 8.1 Wee must be in Christ before we can walke after the Spirit Gen. 20.6 I know sayth God that thou hast done this in the vprightnesse of thy heart Some particular actions may haue a charitable construction in the very wicked and yet the whole course of their life be sinfull and wicked onely the godly are vpright in their way Psal 119.2 Dauid was vpright in all things saue onely in the matter of Vriah A godly man is habitually good when he is actually evill and a wicked man is habitually evill when he is actually good Hence it may be sayd the godly keepe those commandements they breake and that the wicked breake those commandements which they keepe And therefore except the habite of obedience be infused the out ward act is nothing with God and lesse to the Agent Heb. 9.14 The liuing God is not serued as long as the conscience is not purged from dead workes Q. How is the Law further considered in man A. As it is knowne of man in it selfe and in his reward and applyed to the fact good or bad it is called conscience for conscience is either the reading of the law in the heart or the law read vnto it by the vnderstanding It is Gods spie or Pinnesse sent out to make discouery of the coast and to returne advertisement Onely sinne so over-clouds her way that often shee comes home againe and sayes nothing For blind and ignorant consciences speake peace or hold their peace because they haue not skill enough to accuse and find fault they swallow downe not onely flies and gnatts but camels and beames and digest all well enough Surely if the Soule were not fallen well asleepe and had drawne the curtaines about it it could not concoct so well Whiles the scales were vpon Pauls eyes he was aliue and quiet and thought concupiscence the sinke and breeder of all sinne to be no sinne Alas how many thinke because conscience is an Inmate that she must stand by heare and say nothing And because it is now vacation thinke tearme time will come no more and that they shall never be vexed and troubled with any law cases but they are to know that this calme is but the mother of a storme and that ere long they shall espie a weather-gawle in the ayre And the little cloud will bring a dashing shower of fire and brimstone vpon the Soule The watch of the Clocke goes not and the wheeles stand still being clam'd and rusted in their ioynts but when the heauy waights of sinne shall be hung vpon the lines by the hand of God no mercy counterpoyzing them then shall the hammer strike thicke and indistinctly and his tongue blab out his owne shame Oh how pitifull a knell shall that be when the Lord shall knole the great bell of the conscience and make his sinnes sound loud in his eares Oh the dolefull passing bell that finners shall heare when they are giuing vp the Ghosts to their Creator and Maker Let vs in the feare of God thinke of it and suffer conscience to doe his office for thereby we shall prevent Satan by accusing our selues and God by iudging our selues betimes What can Satan the Accuser of Man say when man by his conscience hath said it before him Truely this will stop his mouth for wee being accusers of our selues God will become our discharger and then Satan shall but be our slanderer Againe God hath left conscience to keepe his Court here below and to sit as judge and God will not either ex mero officio or promoto call vs againe if we will discharge our selues there Indeed in iudging of others wee must not iudge least wee be iudged Math. 7.1 but in iudging of our selues iudge that we be not iudged 1 Cor. 11.31 If this inferiour court be corrupt then there is a court of Parliament to reforme it and God himselfe will call it and make our iudge a witnesse against our selnes for God left conscience with man as a iudge to absolue or condemne and he will bring it before himselfe as a witnesse to excuse or accuse Rom. 2.14.15 Q. Can wee then that are Christians performe it A. Wee are to vnderstand that God renewed his law to his Church and did write it againe in their hearts by his blessed spirit Ier. 31.33 First that cur sinnes might be the better discovered vnto vs and that wee might see how we had eaten the law out of our hearts Secondly that by it we might see what we ought to doe and finding thereby the evill we would not doe to be done by vs. Rom. 7.15 and that good omitted which wee should doe wee might as by a Schoole-master be driuen to Christ who hath both suffered for our sinnes and performed the law throughly for vs which being made ours by imputation wee also may be reputed doers of it and so be iustified as before hath beene said Gal. 3.24 Q. But hath the law no further vse for vs A. Hauing brought vs to Christ it is thence forth to be the rule of the reconciled man to walke thereby according to the measure of sanctification wrought in him by the holy Spirit Eph. 2.10 Q. Can he then perfectly keepe it in himselfe A. No he cannot so long as corruption dwelleth in him for the old man will be still marring the best act which the recouered man shall doe or cause to be done as much as he can so that it cannot be answerable to the law in euery respect Isa 64.6 Luk. 17.10 1 Ioh. 1.8.9.10 Q. How can this lame obedience be pleasing vnto God A. Whatsoever in it is sinne is couered by Christs righteousnesse and pardoned in and for him for he is our advocate with the Father and propitiation for our sinnes so that that which is good is accepted of God because it is done in obedience to him and the rest is not layd to our charge because it is discharged in Christ 1 Ioh. 2.2 Q. Can it merit any thing with God A. No for it is very imperfect and if it should haue his right merit it might more iustly expect punishment then reward For as in a rude eare that musicke may passe for currant which a skilfull iudgement will condemne for course so in the sight of God there will appeare both errors and defects in all those actions which in our iudgement were perfectly performed Let vs but once begin to throw our thoughts freely into euery corner of our consciences and wee