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
A90678	The Gospel nevv-creature; wherein the work of the spirit is opened, in awakening the soul; to the getting pardon of sin, and an interest in Jesus Christ; without which, it is undone to all eternity. Discovering the false refuges, and vain hopes for heaven, of ignorant and formal professors in this nation, tending to rouze them out of their carnal security, before it be too late. Whereunto is added, (by way of comfort, to all dejected soules) the tempestuous soul calmed by Jesus Christ. / By A. Palmer, preacher of the Gospel at Bourton on the Water in Gloucester-shire.	Palmer, Anthony, 1618?-1679.; Palmer, Anthony, 1618?-1679. Tempestuous soul calmed.	1658 (1658)	Wing P216; Thomason E1826_2; Thomason E1826_3; ESTC R209826	155,076	274

the great Comprehensive Duties but there is not any one thing more mistaken then what this good conscience is Too many Preachers presse this carnally and carnall people go away with it that they have Faith yea they never doubt it and for a good conscience they discharge it I have spoken of Faith already but now that which such poor seduced souls take to be a good Conscience is onely to wrong no body to be just to all not to purloyn others goods to take and keep nothing but their own they take it to be chiefly conversant about the duties of the second table concerning their Neighbour A little to rectifie this soul-damning mistake 1. A Scripture-Conscience is an enlightened conscience which before was shut up in darknesse Eph. 1.18 The light of the word of God is set up in the conscience whereby it discovers those truths in their power and worth which before it was dark unto 2. A good conscience is a conscience searcht by the power of the word convinc'd to be under sin and guilt and pollution whereby trouble doth arise in it God laying in the weight of guilt the damnableness of sinne the pollution of it upon the Conscience so that the soul cries out What shall I do How shall God be pacified and the soul saved 3. And hence it is an awakened Conscience which before was asleep Awake thou that sleepest Eph. 5. The voice of the Spirit doth awaken that Conscience that before was asleep in sinful security 4. A good Conscience is convinced that all the keepings of the Law and keeping a Conscience to men cannot justifie the soul before God cannot commend it to God which a Second-Table-Conscience imagines it will and so is in peace Paul kept a Conscience as to many things Act. 23.1 I have lived in all good Conscience before God untill this day meaning I conceive from his youth up when he was a Pharisee but when his Conscience was convinced and awakened and came to see Jesus Christ he saw that all his keeping a Conscience as to many Sins and Duties could not in the least commend him to God 5. A good Conscience is sprinkled with the bloud of Jesus Christ Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself to God purge your Conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 So that this is the efficacy of the bloud of Jesus Christ upon the Conscience of a Believer it pacifies it in the sense of the forgiveness of sins towards God so as it can draw near to God and it purgeth it from dead works sin and pollution to serve God acceptably This is a good Conscience indeed 6. A good Conscience respects all the Precepts of God as well of Holiness to God as Goodness to men which the Conscience we have been speaking of doth not Such a one makes not conscience of this great and absolute Precept Be ye holy 1 Pet. 1. It makes not conscience of purging the heart of secret mourning to God of the purity of Gods Worship It makes no Conscience of lesser sins as we have shew'd not of all sin as Herod heard the Word gladly but made no conscience of persecuting John to death when he stood in the way of his Lusts Now I say a good Conscience respects precepts of Holiness secret as well as publique Duties inward as well as outward sins lesser sins as well as greater 7. A Scripture-good Conscience is much taken up about godly sincerity So Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our Consciences that with simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly Wisdome but with the grace of God we have had our Conversation in the World c. Thus a soul that walks with a good Conscience towards God labours to a prove it self in all things with a godly sincerity to do all as unto God Lastly a good Conscience labours to keep it self pure and undefiled it is accompanied with a pure heart 1 Tim. 1.5 Now the end of the Commandement is love out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned A soul that would keep the Conscience good would keep it pure and the whole inward man pure as a Temple unto God Vse Now see how many ingredients go to make up a good Conscience in a Scripture-sense and what a great mistake is in this weighty matter and how far abundance of people that make conscience of their dealings with men conclude thence they have a Scripture-good-conscience to God when they are not savingly enlightned their Conscience never searcht by the power of the Word and throughly awakened out of a natural condition never humbled for resting in themselves and their Duties not having their Conscience sprinkled with the bloud of Jesus Christ and purged thereby not having a tender respect to all the Precepts of God not to walk before him in godly sincerity nor with a pure heart You then that are short of these things you are wholly to seek in that which you so much pretend to and speak peace to your selves in the having or keeping a good Conscience you have as yet no part in this matter 2. What hath been spoken of a good Conscience may be for instruction and direction to the Called Ones of Christ how to preserve the Conscience good and peaceable and so to live and dye in the peace and comfort of it through Jesus Christ our Lord. Get it sprinkled with the bloud of Jesus Christ every day and under the searchings of the Word and awake unto God and pure and undefiled respecting all the Holy Precepts of God as binding to your Conscience so will the Conscience be tender and peaceable and God will witness in your Consciences your acceptance with him in his Son Jesus Christ I would give out further some Notes of Tryal Whether you rest in false common grace or not as to what we have already spoken in so weighty a matter 1. By your never-suspecting the truth of your grace but taking all upon trust never doubting but you have Faith and do repent and so of all the rest That soul that never suspected his grace may well fear that his pretended grace is no more then what a Hypocrite may reach unto The poor called Children of God are exceedingly jealous their Faith is not sound that they are short in every grace because of the woful mixtures that they find more Unbelief then Faith more hardness of heart then softness more pride then humiliation and so of all Now that soul that goes away with an unsuspected confidence of every grace sure flatters himself and his way will be found to be deceitful 2. That soul that draws back his Conscience from the searching power of the Word when it gives out ways of tryal of sincerity and

thy Heart a holy awe of God and his Prefence one of the choisest Duties of a Saint specially in this matter The fear of God makes the Spirit serious and yet mixt with comfort and a comely chearfulness Psal 4.4 Stand in awe of God and sin not I might also lay down Motives to this choise Duty It doth much please and delight the Spirit of God it brings in much good to the soul Gracious conference is an Ordinance of God and blest to the quickning establishing succouring and refreshing the hearts of Saints Accustome your selves to it and you will find indispositions wear off and you will do it out of a ready mind and gracious delight Onely be not onely a Talker from Notions in the Head nor affect a disputing wrangling Knowledge usually the effect of Pride but do it from Heart-experience in some measure or what you would fain get more upon your Hearts And let it not be onely a talking-knowledge but an humble walking-knowledge Remember to thy continual abasement how many sinners thou hast helped Hell-ward by thy leud vain profane speeches by thy reviling at the Lords ways and people and how thou hast encouraged and hardned them this way in sin Oh now let thy work be through infinite grace to tell sinners that there is more good infinitely in Jesus Christ then in the way of folly Now draw as many as thou mayest according to thy measure of grace to Jesus Christ and Heaven-ward And thus much be spoken of this Discovery of the New-Creature in its shewing it self in a new Lip 9. The 9th Discovery of the New-Creature Such as are New-Creatures in Christ they will have New-Company As soon as a soul is new forming up in Christ he saith as David Depart from me ye evil doers for I will keep the Commandements of my God Psa 119.115 Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping Psal 6.8 I am a Companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy Precepts Psal 119.63 So the primitive Saints as soon as converted they become Companions of the reproached Ones of the Lord and took joyfully the spoiling of their goods with them Heb. 10.34 And so Moses chose affliction with the people of God before Riches and Honour with the profane Heb. 11.26 Now this real Converts do 1. Because wicked and carnal men will act and speak wickedly against God and his ways and people which a heart broken and made tender cannot endure to hear and observe David said it was like a sword in his bones Psal 42.10 when wicked men reproached the Lord and his servants 2. Converts are in great danger to be tempted to sin as Joseph in Pharaohs house by the company of wicked and carnal persons the Devil will lay snares specially for weak souls it will be hard for weak souls to pass without guilt by mixing with them 3. Saints will contract deadness and indisposition by their company it causeth old Lusts to stir and other sins of heart to be working The carnal part will be too ready for complyance with them how hard to come off from them not worsted 5. Such as are New-Creatures in Christ have quite different spirits from wicked and carnal men different principles different ends and therefore they must needs avoid them and cannot take satisfaction and contentment with them unless under great temptation Use 1. To sinners unconverted who take pleasure in your carnal merry company but are burthened with the company of godly and you secretly disdain them and the Devil suggests to you that they are Hypocrites know this and be assured of it and your Consciences must acknowledge it that ye are yet in your sins and haters of holiness and you love not the appearance of it Certainly you are none of these New-Creatures and you cannot know your selves by a better Character then by the company you most delight in You do not make choice of your most intimate company by their godliness but from worldly ends or mirth or good-fellowship as you style it or generosity or some such carnal end verily the grace of God is not in you and your condition is damnable 2. As ever you would find mercy look up to the Lord to turn your hearts to himself and then to those that fear him Break off from your vain-company who engage your hearts to vanity What saith the Wisdome of God A Companion of Fools shall be destroyed Prov. 13. No such fooles how witty or prudent or civill soever otherwise as carnall souls that delight in vanity Oh! hearken to the instruction of the wise and your soul shall live I confesse this is the hardest pluck in conversion but yet it must be done with a vigorous resolution through grace when once the bands are broken and you come to find as you will abundant more sweetnesse in the Lords wayes verily you shall never repent your so doing And such as have some desires towards goodnesse and have some better thoughts then you have had formerly of good people you will make little progresse in grace and peace and comfort to your own souls till you do this till you can abhor your selves for your vanity and profaness among carnall men and can with full purpose of heart cleave to the Lord and overcome fear or shame or what ever such cursed evils that are in your way and all your rocks of offence you will make little of it as to evidence any sound work in your hearts and peace with God by Jesus Christ one day's accompanying with carnall men will set you more backward in the matter of godlinesse than many dayes after will help on 3. Let such as would evidence the New-Creature be very watchfull in this matter and not to touch pitch lest they be defiled mixe not your selves unnecessarily as hath bin exhorted in the last head among carnall men unlesse you have a good and holy end in it so as Jesus Christ did going among great sinners to do them good which indeed bespeakes a great strength of grace and a Christ-like spirit and Saints should be much with God for it And among your selves that Saints do still better and not worst one anothers Spirits when they come together the more you are with Saints the more you love them and delight in them Have a compassionate healing spirit to one anothers infirmities and be not offended but look upon and love the appearance of God in each other And remember that receiving and doing of good is your great businesse till you come to Heaven Yea let all that have a new work upon them diligently find out the Company of Saints such as are visibly joyned to the Lord and to each other to enjoy ordinances holily and to help one another heaven-ward Woe to him that is alone saith the wisdome of God Let not gracious souls content themselves in pollutions of worship and without the company of the godly such