Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	godly_a	rejoice_v	simplicity_n	1,031	5	9.5439	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26711	Heaven opened, or, A brief and plain discovery of the riches of Gods covenant of grace by R.A.	R. A. (Richard Alleine), 1611-1681.	1665 (1665)	Wing A990; ESTC R8316	222,212	398

and is not a foot or wing to carry him on towards him And therefore what-ever hee begs to himself 't is that he may have it for God What hee gives he gives to God whom hee forgives 't is for the Lords sake whether hee eats or drinks or works or buyes or sells or what-ever else hee does hee does it all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 For him hee prayes for him he waits for him he labours for him hee suffers for him hee lives to him hee dies To me to live is Christ Phil. 1.21 according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall bee ashamed but that with all boldness as alwayes so now also Christ may bee magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death This is the one thing hee intends this is the one thing he seeks in all take his whole course together hee can say with the Apostle This one thing I do forgetting those things which are behinde and reaching forth unto those things that are before I press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus 3. Hee does what hee does And that 1. Not feignedly but really 2. Not faintly but heartily 1. Really Hee pursues this end in a plain and honest way He that hath this one heart hath but one way Heart and life go hand in hand he makes strait steps to his heart and his heart makes strait steps to his feet he doth 〈◊〉 and he doth also 〈◊〉 As hee looks strait on so hee walks strait on to his mark Hee doth not look one way and row another Hee is a Jacob a plain man a plain-dealing man a Nathanael in whom is no guile Hee turns his inside outwards his life is not a Cloak but a Commentary on his heart The expositours of his inward man His end is in his heart and his heart is in his face in his tongue in his duties and all his wayes He is no Politician 2 Cor. 1.12 Not in fleshly wisdom his Religion is not a blind or a device to delude the simple hee is down-right and in earnest in all hee does Hee does the same thing he seems to do his praying is praying indeed his fasting and almes are such indeed his very profession is practice he would not believe nor make others believe but that hee is what hee is Hee seeks not commendation from men but approbation with God His design is not inordinately to commend himself to the good opinion though hee would bee made manifest in the consciences of others Hee would not bee a lye or a cheat Hee abhorres all lying but most of all a religious lye He would not lye for God much less against him such a lye is as blasphemy to him Hee loves not Images hee would have a soul in all his practices A prayer without a soul a sacrifice without an heart a religious carkass is an abomination to him Hee would not make such a noble medium as Religion to serve to so base an end as the serving the flesh Hee hath other work to do than to serve times or tables then to please himself or men than to serve wills or humours or lusts hee hath a soul a conscience a God to look after he hath but one business to do but one Master to serve if hee be a Magistrate he rules for God if he bee a Minister hee preaches for God if he bee a Parent he educates for God if hee bee a Master hee governs for God to him he dedicates himself and his house hee writes on his doors this is Bethel this is none other but the house of God If he be a childe or a servant he obeyes in the Lord and for the Lord he knows he hath to do with God in all hee does when hee is dealing with men with his friends with his family in his calling in his recreations in all hee hath to do with God and hee can take comfort in nothing but what God will take pleasure in Thou hast no pleasure in iniquity Thou lovest truth in the inward parts And there 's no truth in the inward parts but when there 's truth also in the outward parts when the heart and tongue and wayes agree 'T is vain to say mine heart is good when the ways are naught A false tongue deceitful wayes will give the lye to the heart Hee cannot subsist longer than hee hath smiles from heaven Communion with God is his life his all is in God His heart dies when that fountain is stopp'd If hee cannot have clearness and boldness in the presence of God hee can no longer look himself in the face but blushes and hangs downs his head with shame Hee values not either the applause or the scorns of men so hee may have a witness of his acceptance with God O Lord dost thou regard wilt thou accept of me 't is enough Let all the world call me Thou Fool Thou Pharisee Thou Hypocrite so the Lord will say my childe 't is well 'T is falsely spoken 't is foolishly 't is weakly done 't is pride 't is singularity 't is scrupulosity thus the world cry let them alone oh my soul I will hearken what the Lord God will say if hee saies Thou hast been faithful I will hearken what conscience will say if it says well done let all else say what they please this is my rejoycing mine onely rejoycing the testimony of my conscience that in all simplicity and godly sincerity not in fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God I had my conversation in the world 2. Heartily What-ever hee does for God he does it with a good will Hee hath cast up all his business into one and hee is intent upon it Hee works righteousness as sinners work wickedness with both hands earnestly Micah 7.3 Hee is religious in good earnest hee prayes in good earnest he hears in good earnest hee runs in good earnest the powers of his soul being all united in one chanel run more strongly his many springs falling all into one stream make a river that bears down all bayes before it The Psalmist prays Psal 86.11 Vnite mine heart to fear thy Name Unite my heart to thee and unite mine heart in it self that it may all run toward thee Unite my heart to fear and so unite my heart to love thy name unite mine heart to serve and follow and live to thee As if he should have said O my God mine heart is divided and discomposed scattered up and down I know not where my pleasures have a part my estate hath a part my friends have a part my family hath a part there 's little or none left for God I have too many things to fear too many things to love and care for too many things to serve and follow to follow the Lord with any strength or intention of mind Call in all Lord all my parts all my powers command their joynt and united

that they have look'd a little farther and finde it another manner of difficulty then at first they imagined and withall finde the Armies of the Aliens to fall on the Doggs to tear the Wolves to worry the Eagles and the Vultures and all the Birds of Prey to pitch upon them and begin in earnest to feel the smart of Religion in those persecutions that are rais'd upon them for it presently make their retreat and go back Where am I What have I chosen Is this to be a Christian Doth Christ look for all this from his followers and will he leave them to such violence and rapine as the reward of their faithfulness to his name I never thought it had been such hot service and if I cannot be a Saint at a cheaper rate then this follow Christ who will for me let those that have nothing to lose or can bear so much labour and pains and violence take it up if they please for my part I must look to my self I must not be undone Master I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest said that Scribe Matth. 20.7 Man thou understandest not what thou sayest Doest know whither I am going where my dwelling what my lodging is The Foxes have holes and the Birds of the ayre have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head And behold there 's an end of the Scribes Christianity we hear not one word more of it But now he that both knows what 't is to be a Disciple that hath look'd through Religion through the length and breadth of it hath duly weighed all that can be said for or against his taking it up hath examined the grounds and reasons he hath for it what weight there is in them hath considered the Objections hath cast up the cost and charges of it and as the issue and result of the most serious debate stands settled in his judgment that all things considered it is indisputably the best and wisest and safest course he can take it s beyond all controversie without all dispute incomparably better for me to hearken to the Lord in all that he shall require and to run all hazards with him and that presently from this day forward to the end of my life He that stands thus settled in his judgment and thereupon feels his soul fixing it self in this peremtory resolution well through the grace of God I will be his servant I give up my self to the government of his will to follow him in righteousnes and holiness all my daies I am sensible it s no light thing to be a Christian I see I must be subject I see I must be circumspect I see I must be active I must stick at nothing that God will have I see this flesh wil be pained and put hard to it wil fling groan under so severe a yoke I see the Devil and this evil world will be upon me laying on more lord to make my bargain as dear as they can But be there in it what there will let it cost me never so dear I am at a point I will venture all upon it the Lord is my God and him will I follow in all things that he shall speak I put my self into the everlasting Arms I trust upon everlasting strength I will go forth in the Name of the Lord and now speak Lord for I will hear This sincere resolution this will hold out when our holy inclinations are so rooted and strong that they hear down all fleshly inclinations when our assent to Scripture is so firm that it over balances all Objections against it when our Reasons for Religion are so high and weighty that they weigh down the highest pretences against it when we have throughly considered what there is in it and compar'd all that can be said for or against our following the Lord and upon the whole matter we judge it our best course and accordingly resolve for it this is sincere resolution this is the Obedience of the heart 2. Obedience of the Life This is the Decree bringing forth or holy inclination and resolution springing up into action and is a necessary proof of the soundness of the resolution Though sincere resolution be Obedience in Gods account yet that resolution which supposing there be time and opportunity does not break forth into act is undoubtedly unsound and deceitful There are two things infallibly included in Spiritual life a Will and a Power Grace is the disposing and the enabling the heart for an holy life and where there is both a Will and a Power performance will certainly follow This sincerity of actual Obedience is that which the Prayer of the Psalmist looks to Psal 119.80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed There is a soundness in the Faith and a soundness in the Statutes of the Lord. Faith notes in Scripture either the Doctrine of faith or the Grace of faith And accordingly soundness in the faith signifies both the receiving and entertaining sound Doctrine and the sound or sincere imbracing that Doctrine Soundness in the Statutes of the Lord notes especially the Practice the living or walking uprightly under the Power of that Doctrine under the Government and Obedience of the Statutes of the Lord. What this Obedience of life is its easie to gather out of what hath been spoken touching the Obedience of the heart I shall onely adde that this Obedience is then sound and sincere when 1. In General the whole course of life is the issue of the mentioned sincere resolution when the life is the birth of the purpose the fruit growing up out of the holy Root There may be actions Materially good and holy that yet are not gracious actions because they arise not from a right spring When the soul hath devoted it self to God in Christ and believingly understandingly and deliberately decreed and determined in his strength to keep his word and this decree or determination goes into the performances of the life and is the root and soul of that holy course we walk in there 's sin●erity Some persons may be found who have taken up the Profession and go farr in the practice of godliness abstaining from gross sins yea and making attempts upon the mortification of inward Lusts applying themselves to the duties of Religion Praying Hearing Reading Meditating Discoursing of God and the things of God exercising themselves in the works of righteousness and mercy being Meek Temperate Patient and yet if all this do arise onely from the advantages of a good Nature good Education good Society and Acquaintance a powerful Ministry or the workings of natural Conscience as possibly it may and doth not spring forth from such a fixed well bottomed resolution it is short of sincerity Whatever the Blades be they have no Root and will certainly wither away 2. In Particular actions when they are done in simplicity and singleness of heart unto the Lord when whatever sinful mixtures there