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	know_v	sin_n	4,442	5	4.7575	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30669	The mystery of iniquity discovered to work in the children of disobedience whereby the pretended godliness of schismaticks appeareth to be the greatest ungodliness : in a cathedral-lecture at St. Peters in Exon / by Arthur Bury ...	Bury, Arthur, 1624-1713.	1660 (1660)	Wing B6198; ESTC R43074	27,889	48

is a signe of our interest in God No grace so frequently recommended when there is occasion and when there is none in season and out of season If ●●●ies be commended that faileth not to be in the number if sin be condemned strife is one of the catalogue If we consider the measure it is set forth by the highest comparisons the love of brethren and the love of members Thus is it done to the grace which God delighteth to honour And if the advancement of Mordecay be the fall of Haman Envy and strife must needs be condemned seeing the wisdome which is from above doth thus appear to be as is described Vers 17.18 First pure then peaceable c. Where again you find love exalted one word for purity but many for love to dash the impostor quite out of countenance and bafflle all his pretences to a heavenly originall Which cheat is further considered 2. Positively from whence it doth come which is set down to be a threefold fountain It is Earthly Sensuall Divelish Which that we may understand we are to consider that we have a threefold life First we live the life of vegetables when we have only nourishment and growth in our mothers wombs Then we live the life of animals when we have sense and motion and lastly the life of man when we come to the use of reason Now the law of Nature requireth that every thing should act in the best manner it can From our threefold life therefore we are capable of 3. sorts of sin 1. When we suffer our rational part to be overborn by our vegetable and so degenerate from men to trees 2. When we suffer the animal faculty to prevaile and degrade us from men to beasts 3. When our rational faculty suffers a defacing of the image of God and we turn from partaking the Divine Nature to imitate the Devil To one or other of these all sins are reducible but factiousnes hath this singularity that it is guilty of all three A transcendent sin runs through all predicaments 1. It is earthly Earthly mindedness properly taken is that sin which turns us to trees Now a tree is a man reversed hath it's head in the earth and kicks with it's lower parts against heaven For we are mistaken if 〈◊〉 take the boughs of a tree to grow upon it's head ●hat is the head by which it feedeth those it 's lower parts by which it generateth This then is the life of a tree It thrusts the head as deep as it can into the earth compasseth as much of it as it can with all the roots it can make whereas man is erect his head lifted up to heaven and though the weight of his body keep him down to the ground yet he converseth with it only with his feet he trampleth upon it and bears up from it and alwayes seeketh to enjoy the light and influences of heaven His affections are set on things above Col. 3.1 his conversation is in heaven and he is ashamed of that necessity which maketh him beholden to the earth for his maintenance and useth the world as if he used it not So that the life of a godly differeth from that of an earthly man just as a man doth from a tree and it is the sin of earthly-mindedness that maketh him thrust his affections into the things of this world Thus covetousness is call'd earthly-mindedness from the object of it's affections It may deserve that title upon another reason because as it loveth the earth so it imitateth it also The heavenly bodies are communicative their motion is from the centre to the circumference the earth is attractive from the circumference to the centre those send abroad their light and influences this draweth home to it's self whatsoever cometh within the Sphere of it's activity That which we call heaviness in massive bodies is not so truly a quality inherent in them as a necessity imprinted upon them they do not seek the earth but that great Magnet draweth them The same is the difference between the heavenly and the earthly mind That is liberall like God and his type the Sun which still beam abroad their bounty This is greedy like the earth which still draweth to it's self That factiousness is guilty of this sin the Apostle doth not only discover but earnestly beseecheth to observe it Rom. 16.17 I beseech you brethren mark as from a watch-tower 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that you may be forewarned of those who contrary to the doctrine which you have been taught bring in strife into the Church in stead of the Royall Law of Love and under color of zeal for Christ advance their own wealth Their fair words are but alluring baits to draw in the simpler sort of people who cannot see through their practices And I beseech you mark how this observation of the Apostle hath been verified among us The eldest cannot remember when first faction set up it's trade and the youngest will not see it leave its trade and they must be very simple that do not observe what a gainful trade it hath been and how greedily followed And who knoweth but God hath suffered it to thrive so long that we might the more plainly discover it to love the House of God as Ahab loved Naboths Vineyard for at last when opportunity smiled upon their attempts they said let us take to our selves the houses of God in possession And now we must be doubly simple if we do not understand their true meaning when they say they make God their portion 2. It is called senfuall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 animal brutish We know the beasts seek no other happinesse but to satisfy the appetites of the body This then is the sin of sensuality when men who are called to spiritual joyes in the feasts of a good conscience and union with God drown themselves in carnal delights gratify the flesh and neglect the spirit thus degenerating to beasts This is properly the sin of debauchery thus the drunkard and the glutton the fornicator and the adulterer is by all sober men looked upon as a beast But we are further to consider that there is an irascible as well as a concupiscible appetite and all kind of passions dwell in the sensual faculty And though the grosser sins of the concupiscible appetite do in a manner ingross al the hatred of the vulgar to whose thicker apprehensions they are more suitable yet that the issue of the irascible are brutish sins too both Scripture and reason do jointly testify The Apostles declare it not by way of discovery or proof but Enstasis pointing at it as a thing evident but unregarded St. Iames 4.1 Asketh whence come outward Wars but from the inward mens lusts war in their members and then draw the members of Christ to War among themselves too And St Paul Gal. 5.19 Reckoneth the quarrelsome sins among the manifest sins of the fiesh as well as the lascivious And more plainly and

now breaketh the promise that then he made and for a while performed If it were not how can you think fit to lay that foundation which if prosecuted will bring you to quarrel with every form but what the Divel shall shew 3. To neglect our own duty and look after the duty of others Is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Apostle ranketh with malefactors thieves and murtherers 1 Pet. 4.15 for this reason doubtles because it weareth a strong tincture of sedition but it is the usual practise of nonconformists who disobey not because they may not obey but because say they the Magistrate may not impose a form of worship But what hast thou to do to enquire after the Magistrates duty let every man look to his own work If the Magistrate impose nothing that is sinfull it is lawfull and if lawfull necessary for thee to obey It is at other times preached by the very same men that when any thing is required we should ask this question Is it lawful will it stand with my interest in God But this is quite another question then to ask hath the Magistrate power to enjoyn this might it not be better otherwise c. When I read of the Iews wars with Antiochus I read also of swines flesh and Idolatry When of their wars with the Romans I read of Caligulae's statue set up in the Temple When I read of the burning of our English Martyrs I find the worship of Images Saints and bread required When I now hear talk of persecution of exhortation to lose all and embrace the faggot rather then read the Common Prayer I should expect some great sinfulnesse in it such tragical exclamations would make a man expect news of a great image or a new religion set up But when the accusers stood up they brought no accusation of such things as I supposed Acts 25.18 but had certain questions against it of their own superstition The word superstition critically signifieth a fear of what is good The cross in Baptism and ring in Marriage some hymns ridiculous prayers roped up like beads c. and in general to impose a form is but commanding lusty men to use crutches These and the like are the great objections against which I now bring no other plea but this they make nothing to the question The question truly stated is not Whether it might be better otherwise but whether it be sinful as it is That excellent Martir Ridly that professed he would rather preach in a fools coat then not preach at all though he died for the avoiding a sin would not have made a schism for the avoiding a Surplice But this question Did the Governour well in making such an order as it carrieth a strong favour of pride so also a strong tendency to sedition For if it be lawfull to question not the lawfulnesse only but the wisdome of the lawes and to disobey them whensoever we shall be tempted to censure for the worse we shall never be free from sedition as long as any man is proud or factious It belongeth to a Dr. said Polano to give a reason of his saying A lawmaker if he do so doth diminish his authority because the subject doth wrestle with reason alleadged and when he thinketh he hath resolved it he thinketh also that he hath taken all vertue from the precept And Seneca more short Vt quis sapientior legibus videatur hoc ipsum est quod legibus prohibetur Dost thou think this no good form Why this form was enjoyned for this very reason that it might not be in thee to judge what form is best Go and learn what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice thou shalt find that God requireth thee to prefer obedience and love above those services which better please thy fancy It was Sauls error and his ruine that he did not what vvas commanded but what he thought better Supposing then thou couldst make a better form of vvorship yet canst thou not find a better vvay of serving God then by obedient conformity to the way of the Church But granting more then usually is or reasonably can be objected That there were some things in the Common prayer Book truly sinfull Yet is it our duty to obey the Apostles precept As much as in us lieth to live peaceably with all men Let your peaceable mind then appear by your conforming as far as possibly you can Perhaps the clemency of the Fathers of the Church will induce them to wink at if they cannot satisfy your Scrupulous conscience however this you shall gain that you shall not suffer as malefactors whereas if you willingly run upon faction and trouble when you may without sin avoid this and cannot without sin and the greatest of sins too practice that Talk what you will of persecution you are but the Devils confessors and Martyrs 4. That the Law of man doth not binde the conscience That is whensoever a mans passions or interests shall tempt him he may rebell But admit the law of man did not directly bind you yet certainly it doth so by consequence because there is no other way to obey the royall law of Love You know that Christ paid tribute only that he might not give offence though while he did it he demonstrated that he was not bound to it But say doth not the law of man bind the conscience Doth not St. Paul tell us that he that resisteth the powers resisteth the ordinance of God and therefore we must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for conscience sake And doth not St. Peter agree with him that we must submit to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake If the Translatours had so pleased they might have rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Humane invention and then your own phrase had bound you to obey But as if it were a smal matter to professe themselves not bound to obey where the thing is otherwise indifferent the contentious spirit carrieth some of them further they professe that in such cases they are bound not to obey what they may do if they have liberty they may not do if they be commanded Is not this the true spirit of contradiction the thing is lawfull in it's self put but a little obedience to it and it becometh sinfull Thus rebellion is not only quitted of the sin of witchcraft devilishness it is preferred and made the righteousnesse of the Saints To kneel at the Communion or say the Lords Prayer c. is confessed a thing indifferent if it were not required but being enjoyned it becometh sinfull But as liars are often entrapped in their own talk so these men by over earnestly defending their liberty reneage it Even thus they confess that humane lawes bind the conscience though to disobedience We must do what they forbid and forbear what they command Had they commanded us to fit at the Communion we must have kneeled had they forbad the