Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	good_a	ill_a	sign_n	1,479	5	9.3573	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57544	The disabled debtor discharged: or, Mary Magdalen pardoned Set forth in an exposition on that parable Luke 7. 40.-51. There was a certain creditor, which had two debtors, &c. By Nehemiah Rogers, minister of the gospel.; Mirrour of mercy, and that on Gods part and mans. Part I	Rogers, Nehemiah, 1593-1660.	1658 (1658)	Wing R1821A; ESTC R222102	218,172	327

Comfort in believing It preserves the Soule as in a strong Garrison so that a man is as quiet there as Elisha in Dothan and guards the principall forts from being surprized as the city of Damascus was guarded by the King 2 Cor. 11.32 It passeth all understanding surpasseth all commending Therefore as S. Austin speaking of the excellency of this grace and not being able to set foorth the happinesse therof saith so must I crave leave to speak Differamus omnes laudes pacis Aug. in Ps 48. ad illam patriam pacis ibi enim pleniùs laudabimus ubi pleniùs habebimus Let us deferre all the praises of Peace untill we come into the proper Country of Peace For there we shall praise it more fully where we shall possesse it more fully I have a word or two of advice for you before I end If in case it be your happinesse to be set into the way of Peace Heb. 12.13 14 Duae sunt amice justitia pax tu fortè unam vis alteram nō facies Nemo enim est qui non velit pacem sed non omnes volunt operari justitiā Interroga omnes homines vis pacem uno ore respondebit tibi genus bumanū opto cupio amo volo Ama justitiam quia duae amicae sunt justitia pax ipsae se osculantur si amicam pacis non amaveris non te amabit ipsa pax nec veniet ad te Aug. in Psal 84. have a care to keepe that way and see that you make straight pathes for your Feet Let Righteousnesse be your guide These are two friends that will not part as St. Austin shews excellently But if Righteousnesse take one way Peace will take another Let S. Paules dayly exercise be yours Study in all things to keepe a good Conscience voyd of offence both towards God and towards man I say in all things For it is with Conscience as with the Ice breake it in one place and it will soone breake in many Some deale vvith their Consciences as they deale with a new sute which at first vvearing they are afraid of soiling they looke where they sit they looke where they leane c. But when the glosse begins to fade and it begins to be a little old they have little care vvhere they bestow it There are who are like some new married husband for a while his Love may not be out of his sight in nothing crossed the wind may not blow on her the Sunne must be shaded from her beauty c. But within a while this fond dotard grows weary of his choice And if he be so kind as to give good words and kind looks abroad yet he can for a need chide his wife at home Have you not known some upon the suddain turne zealous Professours who have strained at a Gnat and shortly after swallowed a Camell At the first scrupeld an honest innocent Ceremony and yet soone after made no bones of Drunkennesse Adultery and the like If you never knew any such I pray God you never may Ob. But true Peace is everlasting Peace of that there shall be no end Isa 9.7 Resp. Though true Peace cannot be lost yet the Counterfeit of Peace may that cannot abide 2. Though the Peace of Iustification cannot be lost yet the peace of Sanctification may be lost which is the peace of Conscience and within your selves and that either by some grosse sinne of Commission or Omission or by some strong fit of Temptation Whilst the Tennant pa●es his Rent all is well but if that be long neglected then stresse is taken the ground driven so is it here And in such a case there is no other way but speedily to make our Peace with our Land-Lord R●pentance will do it Thus you have had the way of Peace chalked out unto you with direction how to keepe the way 2 Thes 3.16 Now the God of Peace give you peace allwayes and by all meanes The Lord bee with you all Amen FINIS AN ALPHABETICALL INDEX OF THE CHIEFE Points handled in the foregoing Exposition on LVKE 7.40 41 c. A. ABsolution is a power belonging to Christ Page 225. Whence Ministers have their power to Absolve pag. 226. Difference betwixt us and Papists concerning it pa. 224 How God absolves how Christ and how man pag. 224 Particular Absolution is to be sought after pag. 230. Accusation none against the godly pag. 254 Acquaintance is not friendship pag. 236. Actuall sins of sundry sorts and kinds pag. 51. Adultery a great sinne page 206. Affections are the soules Sentinell pag. 163 They betray us to Satan Ibid. Signes of Affection to be shewen pag. 185 Afflictions come in love to the Godly page 70. Annoynting how in use at Feasts pag. 191 What was signified by Maries annoynting Christ pag. 196 Whither Christ was once annoynted by Mary or oftner ibid. Arrowes Gods Ministers shoot pag. 113 Assurance of Salvation in this life is to be had pag. 217. It must bee sought after page 231. It tends not to licentious liberty pa. 122. B. Baptisme of Repentance what it is pag. 171. Bagge God hath for a sinner and the bottle for the Saint p. 175. Bath twofold of Justification and Sanctification pa. 162 Banquerouts sinners are pa. 59. Bailiffes are abroad to attach the Sinner pa. 48. Body we must be carefull of i● pag. 162. The members of the Body are servants to the soule ibid. Borrowing lawfull p. 36. It is a fruit of sin p. 37 We may not needlesly become Borrowers p. 38. It is more base not to pay then it is to borrow pag. 39. C. Censure rash is dangerous p. 212 Especially of Governours and what it is like unto p. 251 None so holy that can escape it p. 245. Ceremonies of courtesie may not be sleighted p. 152 Creditor God is to all p. 41 Yet denied by many p. 42 He is a free and bountifull Creditour p. 43. There are few Creditors mercifull p. 61 Credit is by repentance recovered p. 14● Christ is true God p 241. How he is the Son of man p. 242 Who holds him up highest preacheth him best p. 80 Christians there are both strong and weake pag 99. 103. Circumstantiall omissions are blame worthy p 151 Our best actions receive their life or bane from their Circumstances p. 154 Conscience is like an il wife 271 If good it affoordeth joy p 194. The Peace of it ariseth from Faith pag. 271. A benummed and sleepy Conscience how knowne p. 274. Company how and when to frame our selves to it p. 234. What Company we are to shun ibid Community Anabaptisticall unlawfull p. 37 Consideration neglected a cause men seek not pardon p. 65. Conversion a greater work than Creation p. 2. Conversation outward no sure signe of Conversion p. 239 Cost bestowed on Christ we are apt to grudge p. 199. Curiosity is the nurse of detraction p. 247. Curtesie is commendable yea necessary p. 155. It is much respected by men

dislike the foolish yea superstitious Ceremony which the Iewes had of often purifying and washing themselves and yet at the marriage Feast in Cana of Galilee where he saw sixe great water pots Ioh. 2.6 containing two or three firkins a piece set for that purpose he made use both of the Pots and Element to his great Glory and the comfort of the Guests Yea and made Water how ever by the Pharisees abused to be the materiall Element of Baptisme D. White late Bishop of Ely in his Epist Ded. before his Treat of the Sabboth as he did Bread and Wine prophaned by the Gentiles in their Idoll service the materiall Elements of the holy Eucharist Meat offered to Idolls might be eaten at any Feast save in the Idols Temple when it comes out from thence it is pronounced to be cleane by the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. and might be eaten at their Love-Feasts which were made when they met to receive the Supper of the Lord. Lying along on Beds and Feasting in that manner was much abused by the Romanes in their publike Idolatry called Lectisternia as Stukius shews at large yet it was the gesture our blessed Saviour conformed unto and used with his Disciples in eating of the Passeover Antiq. Com. Fol. 269. which appeares not onely by the signification of the word used in the Story but by that Speech Ioh. 13.21 There was leaning on Iesus bosome one of his Disciples and vers 25. He then lying on Iesus breast c. Which Posture could not be had they used to sit upright as we doe Many instances might be produced for further Confirmation of this Truth As Numb 16.38 there we find that the Censors of those Conspirators were imployed to make Coverings for the Altar And in Ioshua 6.24 We find that the silver and gold of Idolaters was by Gods Commandement put into his owne Treasury And Iudg. 6.26 Pet. Mart com in Iudg. 6.24 The Bullocke that fed seaven yeares for Baal was sacrificed to the Lord. And the Wood growing in the Idols grove was by Gods owne appointment made Fewell for Sacrifice We may find this point fully and largely handled by D. Burges in his defence of D. Morton Chap. 4. Sect. 23. And by M. Nicholas Bysield in the second Chap. of the 1. Epist of S. Peter vers 13. pag. 593. Vse Whence the Judgement of those may be informed who startle at the use of any thing which in former times hath bin or in these daies is abused by superstitious Papists and Idolaters They can scarce with any Peace of Conscience tell you the name of that Hill on which St. Paul stood and preached to the men of Athens Act. 17. 22. Or the signe of that Ship of Alexandria wherein he departed Act. 28.11 The daies of the weeke must not be called Munday Tuesday c. as ordinarily they are named and knowne that is with them superstitious But they will thus number them the First Second Third day of the weeke c. The glorious company of the Saints and Apostles because too much honoured or rather dishonoured by Papists shall be by them Unsainted Their Dayes must be called Peters Pauls Iohn Baptists the Saint must be left out and so for Churches The Feast of Michael the Arch-Angell the Purification of the Virgin Mary and that of our blessed Saviours nativity may not be sounded with the Masse they will turne it to the Tide Candletide Christide Michletide c. Bay leaves may not be admitted in Church or House for the Heathens so used them I know not whither they durst ride upon a Mule though it were King Davids owne 1 King 1.30 for that Anah first found them Gen. 36.24 I blame not any simply for tendernesse of Conscience but wish that men in weightier matters were more wise and lesse scrupulous in things of this nature It is not good to be over Iust nor make more Commandements then ever God hath made Tertullian disputing professedly this Question Tertull de corona militis p. 347 Whither a thing dedicated to Idolatry or abused by it may not lawfully be used resolves that it may tam in Dei rebus quam in nostris both in Religious and civill use If the things themselves be not otherwise evill but may be of any necessary or commodious use as he shews in sundry instances were it not so we must pull down our Churches melt our Bells change our Fonts c. Object But God commands that the graven Images of the Heathens should be broken downe and burnt with fire Deut. 7.25 12.2 3. and all those places wherin the Nations served their gods should be destroyed and forbids his people to meddle with any of their silver and gold least they be therby ensnared Resp It is first answered thus Wemze Exercit on the Mor. Law l. 1. Exercit 15. Things belonging to Idolaters were of three sorts First such as pertained to Idolaters but were not Idolatrous Th●se were not forbidden to be used David took the Crown from of the head of the King of the Ammonites and put it upon his owne 2 Sam. 12.3 And the Sword of Goliah he tooke and hung it up in the house of the Lord 1 Sam. 21.9 Secondly Such things as were Idolatrous but not Idolatrous in state So the Fountains out of which the Heathens drew water for the service of their Idols which Fountaines might be converted by Christians to a civill or spirituall use M. Paget his arrow against Seperatists pag 281. So Iudg. 6.26 Look as in the Law of Shalowes some things polluted might be cleansed and used againe as Levit. 21.8 So may it bee in this case Those things which were not Idolatrous in State might bee cleansed and converted to other Uses Thirdly such things as were Idolatrous in State and had an immediate dependance upon the Idoll carrying the marke and badge of the Idoll still upon it as their Images of gold and silver and their Ornaments These were those things that were to be cast away by Gods speciall command and might not be converted to any other use either spirituall or civill Esay 30.22 Secondly M Wil. Whatlyes Carecloth pag. 18. we answer againe that Moses Iudiciall Lawes do not bind us as they did the Iewes the strict and precise Commandement wherby God did injoyne the Iewes to shun all the customes of the Gentiles even in things otherwise lawfull because by them abused was proper to the times of the Law as being part of that partition Wall which Christ hath broken downe that he might make of both one True it is the equity of this Law holdeth teaching us to detest Idolatry yet it bindeth not in such a manner to detest Idolatry as it did them God commanded them to destroy Idolatrous places to burne the Cattle spoyle the Goods but we are not bound to follow them in the same manner So God forbad his people to marry vvith the Heathen and if in case

it shall be a mans wisdome to eate and drinke it chearefully Reason The Reason is there rendered That shall abide with him of his labour the dayes of his life which God hath given him under the Sunne that is it shall make him to abide and continue though troubles assault him never so much or it shall abide with him and keepe him company in his labour as Arrius Montanus expounds it and make him better able to abide his labour which without chearefullnesse he will soone sinke under and his spirit become broken as Salomon shews else where Prov. 15.13 For such is our frailty that if we were not strengthened and refreshed with baits in the way our minds would grow dull and sluggish Democrit and our bodies be tired out The Heathen of old could say that the life of a man without some delight was like a long way vvithout an Inne in which all is travell and toyle but no comfort or refreshing The soule of such an one would be like a Flower that growes alwayes in the shade which is nothing so sweet Quis dabit hortulo meo hancaquā quis dabit ut tota hortuli mei facies irrigua sit laetitia et lucis rivulus nihil in eo sterile nor lovely as that vvhich grows in the sight of the Sun Hereupon one vvriting of Chearfullnesse saith thus Who will give into my little Garden this water Who will cause that the whole face or plot of my Garden may be watered with chearefullnesse so that by the Rivers of lightsomnesse sit aut quadam indevotione triste Vicina sterilitati videtur operatio tristis spirituali● gaudij carens irrigatione Gilbert Serm. 34. in Cant. there may be nothing in it either barren or els sad by a kind of indevotion For a sad working wanting the watering of a spirituall chearfullnesse seemeth to be neare unto barrennesse Vse You see hence how they are much mistaken which imagine that there is no Joy nor mirth belonging to a Christian life and that in the Kingdome of Christ there is nothing but sighing and groaning fasting and praying c. This is but an illusion of Satan wherwith he disheartens commers on from a Christian course For Religion is no enemy to honest mirth and delights nor are there any merrier people in the World then those that truly feare the Lord And God allowes them to be thus merry at meat and merry at worke even in his presence Thou shalt rejoyce before me saith God Deut. 14.26 Servants use to be most merry amongst themselves the presence of Master or Mistres damps their mirth but the servants of Christ be as merry in his presence as behind his back yea they are more merry when he is with them then when he is absent from them Mat. 9.15 And it is a great fault in any to condemne them for this Christian liberty which God gives them it being rightly used as we find by that answer which our Saviour there makes to the Pharisees in this very case Vse 2 And let Christians be rightly perswaded of their liberty and use it accordingly The counsell is passing good that is given by the Preacher Go thy way eate thy bread with Ioy and drinke thy wine with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy workes Let thy garments allwayes be white and let thine head lacke no oyntment Live joyfully with the wife which thou lovest all the dayes of the life of thy vanity which he hath given thee under the Sunne for that is thy portion in this life and in thy labour which thou takest under the Sunne Eccles 9.7 8 9. Hieron in loc Which words S. Hierom tells us are in a spirituall sense the voice of that Preacher who in the Gospell saith If any man thirst let him come unto me and drinke But whoever be the Preacher we shall doe well to consider what is said and to whom it is spoken It is not an eating to beget Ioy nor a drinking of wine to breed a merry heart that is spoken off by the Preacher for as S. Hierom well observes Non habeat veram laetitiam cor bonum qui creaturis supra moaum abutitur He hath not true Joy nor a good merry heart who by excesse abuseth the Creatures That that is here spoken of is an eating with Ioy and drinking of Wine with a merry heart so that the Joy and the mirth do as it were prepare the stomack therby to make the nourishment to do the more good and to make him that receiveth it the more forward and hearty in praising God for it Nor is this counsell given to every one the words are spoken to the righteous man to such whose workes God accepteth vade Iuste saith Lyra Go thou righteous man eat thy bread vvith Joy c. that is vive in jucunditate mentis ex testimonio bonae conscientiae procedente live in chearfullnesse of mind proceeding from the testimony of a good Conscience knowing thy selfe to be reconciled to God in Christ and having a comfortable evidence of the pardon of thy sins and that God accepteth of thy labours and indeavours be thou merry and chearfull as David speaketh Psal 32.11 and let not any thing cause thee to eat thy bread with sadnesse or drinke thy wine with heavinesse A healthfull and sound body is fittest for mirth and freest in mirth wherfore seeing God accepts thy workes there is health and soundnesse let there be also freenesse of Joy let thy Garments be white and thy head want no oyntment see thy Disposition be chearfull and let no comfortable thoughts be wanting to thy mind As for sinners they lie under the curse and guilt of sin and are like condemned Persons going to execution and a man would thinke they have little cause to be merry and if they be yet the end of that mirth will be but heavinesse Prov. 14.13 Gaudet in prima sessione saith Gregory hilarescit in primo re●ubitu inslatur in primae salutatione Sed hoc gaudium quid crit Greg. Moral l. 15 c. 2. quando irruente mortis articulo it a consumitur ac si omnino non fuerit At the first sitting downe at the Feast of sin the wicked man is pleasant at the first lying downe in the bed of sinne he is merry at the first meeting with his sinfull companions he is blowen up with Joy But what will this joy be when the point of death rushing upon him all his joy shall be destroyed as if it never had bin And to conclude this Point seeing it is easie for a man to surfeit with eating honey Pro. 25.16 and that we are never more apt to forget our selves than when we are most merry Let us in the midst of our rejoycing beware that we riot not upon his aboundance We are sullen guests if we scant our selves where he hath bin liberall and depart away from his full Table hungry We are unworthy guests if we turne his plenty

in the way which might indanger both his Horse and Himselfe desperately answered Oculos comprimo omnia ubique plana sunt I shut mine Eyes and all things are to me alike plain They are secure through the darknesse and senselesnes of their consciences But a good Conscience wash d in the blood of Christ is quiet because it so feeleth sin as that it believeth all is forgiven and that the whole debt wherof it is very sensible is discharged through Christs blood Secondly A benummed Conscience though it be quiet yet it comforteth not There may be indeed a naturall livelinesse and a joy taken in things pleasing to nature but spirituall Comfort in the Conscience there is none at all Now the true pacified conscience hath great joy and refreshing in it it cheareth up the Soule of a man as one that is cheared at a Feast in which respect it is said to bee a continuall Feast Thirdly A dead or benummed Conscience feareth not sin nor Gods wrath for sin But a Good Conscience is very fearefull of giving God the least offence As it was said of Hezekiah that he feared God greatly So is it with the Godly And thus you see however there be some agreement and likenesse betweene the true peace of a good Conscience and the false peace of a bad one in regard both are quiet and free from trouble yet in other respects there is a wide difference betwixt them and therfore be not deceived with appearance You know the Sea doth not alwayes rage and roare No Conscience makes so rough weather as at no time to admit a calme And when a Sinner shall tell you all is well and quiet at home If you give him the hearing let that be all Many a dying man you may heare to say that he feels no pain And yet you like him never the better for it After the draught of Milk that Sisera took he was not sensible of Iaels hammer Vse 2 next this sets forth unto us the excellent estate of a Beleever to whom true Peace belongs as their inheritance Pax ●areditas Chris●i avorum Aug de temp Scr. 200. they being the Sonnes of Peace Luk. 10.6 There is much peace saith David to them that love thy Law Psal 119.164 To the Sinner there was none there is much Peace to these having Peace with God we have Peace with his Angels Ps 34.7 Heb. 1.14 Peace with men Luk. 2.14 Isay 11.6 7. Peace with Gods ordinances Isay 11.4 57.19 Peace with our selves Colos 3.15 Peace with the creatures Hos 2.18 Peace with our Crosses Rom. 8.28 Thus we have much Peace Ob. But do we not see it evidently that none have lesse Peace then these who are more inwardly afflicted outwardly molested 2 Cor. 11 23-30 Resp The Church of God is Militant here in this world and so no perfect Peace may be here expected In the world saith Christ you shall have Affliction but in me peace Though we have much Peace as I said yet not full and perfect Peace for there can be no Peace with the Powers and Principalities of the world Ephes 6.12 Nor with the Lusts of the world 1 Pet. 2. Nor with the men of this world Pax nostra bellum contra Satanam Iohn 15.8 But this warre is our Peace as Tertullian speakes 2. God doth not ever speake peace to his own but that comes to passe through their owne folly Psal 85.8 David knew this by his owne deare bought experience But if they be carefull to abstaine from sin they cannot be without inward Peace in all their outward troubles Act. 5.41 They are like a Rocke in the Sea than which nothing is more quiet because it is not stirred and yet nothing more unquiet because it is ever assaulted 3. This Peace is but begun in this world and as yet imperfect as all other Graces be The mind and will is subdued unto Gods mind and will but in part And the flesh is subdued but in part to the Spirit whence ariseth a combate within them but a good Conscience they have which is therefore peaceable because it outstandeth corruption and in some measure subdues it Vse 3 In the last place let us all be stirred up to seeke after this blessing of Peace by those wayes and means which you have bin acquainted withall in this Parable from this Penitents practice which the better to provoke you unto J might spend time and that not unprofitably in discovering unto you the excellency of this Grace First In that it was the first Congratulation wherwith the holy Angels saluted the Church at the birth of Christ Luk. 2.14 Joh. 14.27 Psal 34.12 1 Thes 3.14 Rom. 14.19 Nor is there any thing which Christ the Head of men and Angels did more carefully bequeath to his Church than Peace It was that blessed Grace which Christ did leave as a token of his Love to his Church a little before his death nor is there any duty that Gods Servants do call on us more to seek after than Peace Secondly from the great account that hath bin and is made of it both by God and Man God takes it into his own holy Title as Hebr. 13.20 Isay 9.6 Were it not an Orient Pearle or a Diamond of unspeakable worth he would not have it in his Crown Yea the very blood of his Sonne he gave to purchase it Now how precious that blood was Saint Peter shews 1 Pet. 1.19 In which respect it is called the Peace of God Phil. 4.7 Colos 3.15 2 Thes 3.16 And as God doth thus highly prize it so do all the Godly who have in them the spirit of discerning How bitterly have they bewayled the want of it What sighes and groanes have they sent up to Heaven for obtaining it Psal 51.8 And having procured it they would not willingly take ten thousand worlds for it Yea the wicked themselves set a high price on it Gen. 4.13 when their consciences are awakened How have they wished any other paine or torture so they might have peace what would Caine have given for it think you What would Iudas What Belshazzar When horrours feares terrors have seased on them then Peace hath bin in request with them Thirdly from the unspeakable Benefits that true Peace brings along with it What is it that can make a man happy but attends on Peace It comprehends in the very name of it all Happinesse both of Estate and Disposition That Mountaine wheron Christ ascended though it abounded with Palmes Pines and Mirtles yet it carried onely the name of Olives an ancient Emblem of Peace So though many mercies belong unto a Christian yet all are comprized under this one little word which is speld with a few letters Peace whence it was that the Hebrewes wished nothing but Peace unto their friends understanding therby all prosperous successe Mat. 10.13 Luk. 10.5 Iohn 20.21 26. Luke 24.36 Phil. 4.7 Colos 3. This fils the heart with Patience Ioy