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
A61614	A sermon preached before the King at White-Hall, March 7, 1678/9 by Edward Stillingfleet ...	Stillingfleet, Edward, 1635-1699.	1679 (1679)	Wing S5654; ESTC R8214	30,613	56

of prudent caution when he knew the Jews had designed to put him to death for it is said from thence forward he walked no more publickly among the Iews When the storm seemed to threaten the leaders of the Church in such a manner that by their withdrawing the People might probably enjoy more quiet and not want help enough to perform the necessary Offices even the Bishops were allowed to retire and upon this ground S. Cyprian and Athanasius justified themselves but when the case is common when the necessities of the Church require the presence of their Pastours then the good Shepherd must lay down his life for the Sheep as S. Augustin hath resolved this case in his Epistle to Honoratus So that this whole matter belongs to Christian prudence which is then most needful and fit to be used when the resolution of the case depends upon particular circumstances so as not to shun any necessary duty for fear of danger nor to run upon any unnecessary trouble to shew our courage 2. Since no wisdom is great enough to prevent all troubles of life that is the greatest which makes them most easie to be endured If the Wisdom of the Serpent could extend so far as to avoid all the calamities that mankind is subject to it would have a mighty advantage over the simplicity of the Dove but since the most subtle contrivers cannot escape the common accidents of life but do frequently meet with more vexations and crosses than innocent and undesigning men do we are then to consider since the burden must be born what will make it sit most easily upon our shoulders And that which abates of the weight or adds to our strength or supports us with the best hopes is the truest wisdom And who is he that will harm you saith S. Peter if ye be followers of that which is good i. e. innocency is the best security against trouble which one can have in this World but since the World is so bad as that the best may suffer in it and for being such yet that ought not to trouble or affright them But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake happy are ye and be not afraid of their terrour neither be troubled But should it not trouble a man to suffer innocently yes with a respect to others but as to himself he may more justly be troubled if he suffered justly For nothing makes sufferings so heavy to be born as a guilty Conscience that is a burden more insupportable to an awakened mind than any outward affliction whatsoever Iudas thought himself to be wise as a Serpent not only in escaping the danger which he saw Christ and his Disciples falling into by the combination of the Priests and Scribes and Pharisees against them but in ingratiating himself with them and making a good bargain for his own advantage but the want of a Dove-like innocency marred his whole design and filled his conscience with such horrour as to make him own his guilt and put an end to his miserable life Whereas the other Apostles whose chief care was to preserve their innocency as to any wilful sins though they had too much of the fearfulness as well as the simplicity of Doves till the descent of the Holy Ghost upon them yet they held out in the midst of fears and dangers and came at last to rejoyce in their sufferings And S. Paul tells us what the cause of it was For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world See here not only what peace and serenity but what rejoycing follows an innocent mind and the Testimony of a good conscience when all the arts of fleshly Wisdom will be found vain and useless affording no satisfaction to a mans mind when he looks back upon all of them then sincerity and integrity of heart will give a man the most comfortable reflections and fill him with the most joyful expectations This enables a man to look back without horrour to look about him without shame to look within without confusion and to look forward without despondency So that as the streight line is the shortest of any so upon greatest consideration it will be found that the upright and sincere man takes the nearest way to his own happiness II. Prudent Simplicity implies the practice of Ingenuity which is such a natural freedom in our words and actions that men may thereby understand the sincerity of our mind and intention Not that men are bound to declare all they know to every impertinent enquirer which is simplicity without prudence but in all cases wherein men ought to declare their minds to do it without fraud and dissimulation and in no case to design to overreach and deceive others This is that simplicity of Conversation which our Saviour requires when he saith let your communication be yea yea nay nay i. e. you ought to converse with so much sincerity that your bare affirmation or denial may be sufficient this being the proper use of speech that men may understand each others minds by their words for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil i. e. the wickedness of mankind and that distrust and suspicion which is occasioned by it is the reason they are ever put to make use of oaths to make their Testimony appear more credible And therefore nothing but such necessity can justifie the use of them Oaths and Wars being never lawful but when they are necessary Some understand the reduplication of those words yea yea nay nay after a more emphatical manner viz. that our words must not only agree with the truth of the thing but with the conception and sense of our minds and so the greatest candour and sincerity is commanded by them Truth was described of old sitting upon an Adamant with garments white as snow and a light in her hand to intimate that clearness and simplicity and firmness that doth accompany it such as was most remarkable in the primitive Christians who abhorred any thing that looked like dissimulation and hypocrisie especially in what concerned their Religion In this they were plain and open hearty and sincere neither exasperating their enemies by needless provocations nor using any artificial ways of compliance for their own security When the casting some few grains of incense on the altar and pouring out wine before the Emperors statue might have saved their lives they chose rather to dye than to defile their consciences with that impure and Idolatrous Worship To be dismissed after summons to the tribunal without compliance was a scandal and raised suspicions of some secret assurances given to be proclaimed to have sacrificed though they had not and not to contradict it was great infamy To procure a certificate of sacrificing though they did not or to pay fees to the