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	love_n	unfeigned_a	1,422	5	11.0683	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93277	Two books of Mr Sydrach Simpson, late master of Pembroke-Hall in Cambridg; and preacher of the Gospel in London. Viz. I. Of unbelief; or the want of readiness to lay hold on the comfort given by Christ. II. Not going to Christ for life and salvation is an exceeding great sin, yet it is pardonable. In the first book is shewed (besides many other things) 1 What unbelief it is that is here spoken of ... 7 Helps to attain readiness in beleeving. In the second book is shewed, 1 That unbelief is a great sin, and exceeding provoking unto God ... 7 God hath pardoned unbelief, and wil pardon it.	Simpson, Sidrach, 1600?-1655.; Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.; Loder, John, 1625 or 6-1673.	1658 (1658)	Wing S3827; Thomason E962_1-2; ESTC R203574	187,195	298

but him for when the soul hath had some experiences of God if so be that al the delights and pleasures that are in sin nay that are in holiness were set before it it would choose rather to live upon Jesus Christ then that way As the good man said when he saw David come home let him take al now the Lord my King is safe So the soul can say I have enough in him though I have nothing else and let al other things be what they wil yet through him I shal stand But at the first the Act of faith is only willing I suppose And therefore you shal find beleevers to be alwayes described that way John 8.56 Abraham saw my day afarre of He saw it by faith That is the spiritual optick which makes things farre of to be neere He saw my day afarre off and was glad As a man that sees the shoare many Leagues off at Sea where the shoare looks like a cloud One would have thought it would have made the heart of Abraham sad that the day of Christ was so farr off For hope that is deferred is the breaking of the heart saith Solomon What joy do you think would the day of Christ have been had it come upon Abraham who when he saw the breaking of it so many thousand yeares off was filled with Joy But where ever there is a sight of Christ there is joy and gladness That I bring it for Though it be at never so great a distance and never so weak a sight When the power of the Lord Jesus Christ doth prevaile it makes his people willing As it is in Psal 110.3 Therefore the Apostle saith that with the mouth a man doth confess but with the heart a man doth beleeve unto Salvation Rom. 10.10 With the heart As we use to say I am glad of it with al my heart Or you have my heart So now doth the soul say unto Jesus Christ in beleeving He is taken with the object of faith and is rejoyced So it is in Phil. 3.3 We are the Circumcision who rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Mark it The Ministers by whom the Gospel is brought unto men are beautiful unto beleevers Rom. 10.15 How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings His meaning is As beauty wins takes affections so are our affections carried strongly unto those who are the messengers of good things by Jesus Christ If you have judged me faithful said Lydia then come into my house And if you be worthy said our Lord though you have no cloaths on your back nor penny in your purse yet you wil be welcome to them And the word of Faith which is the instrument of Faith that is now received also by a Beleever Matth. 13.44 45 46. The kingdom of God is like a man that found a Treasure in the field and he went and sold all that he might be partaker of it Every act of Faith it is done with joy and delight Therefore Faith in the generall is said to work by love and to be unfeigned 1 Tim 1.5 Out of a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned Why because it is hearty there is an affection and an affection that is real where there is true Faith 1 Thes 1.5 You received the word of God in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost And therefore you are elected of God It is therefore by cheerfulness and readiness in believing that true Faith is distinguished in Acts 2.41 As many as gladly received the word were baptized They gladly received is a note of distinction from the rest of the Auditory who received it but not with joy and gladness By it I say true Faith is distinguished and distinguished from the Faith that is in the Devils and in wicked men who are the Children of him and from that which doth arise from conviction A man may beleeve through conviction as the Devils do who finding something to be true which God hath spoken their own experience being a witness to them that God hath not failed of his word they do therfore collect that what he hath said besides shal be brought to pass But that which they do beleeve they would not beleeve There is the like Faith in the Children of Satan For as there is the same Grace in the head Christ and in his members so there is the same sinfulness and evill that is in Satan the head and Prince of wicked men in wicked men themselves While wicked men live under the preaching of the word of God they come to be convinced that there is no way of salvation but by Christ nor any course to get eternall life but by going unto him But this they like not but secretly wish that there were some other way which is evident and apparent because their hearts do withdraw through unbeliefe and depart from the living God As the Apostle speaks in Heb. 3.12 There is a going unto Christ by men as a man goes unto an enemy and sues for some favor that is in his hand to do him which he can receive no where else but yet it troubles him So now they go unto Christ but they had rather be in hard and costly working If fasting and prayer and giving all their goods to the poor would help them they would rather do it than go to Jesus Christ As wicked men do pray in afflictions but it is because they are driven to it so do they beleeve in Jesus Christ because they know no way else to go or to find relief unto themselves He that is a Beleever doth choose Jesus Christ as his way He doth choose him I say as his way or rather thus he doth like that way and approve that way Object But you wil say This can be no sign because those that were but temporary and fell away did receive the word of God with joy in Math. 13.20 Answ 1. But you must know that their receiving was not of al but of some truths of the Gospel And Secondly It was not sincere They received not the truth for the love of it for then they should have been saved 2 Thes 2.10 but they received it out of love of their lusts So far they did receive the Gospell as it might free them from Hel but not as it might sanctifie or take away from them the love of this present World for when persecution came they were by and by offended CHAP. XXII Faith accompanied with joy and delight and that 1. As an Act of the Vnderstanding 2. As an Act of the Will BUt now I shall come to speak of Faith in this point more particularly As it is a willing receiving of Jesus Christ a Receiving of him kindly and gratefully And that I may speak of it distinctly to you There is you must know a love that is ever joyned with Faith Faith works by love And that love is set upon Jesus Christ singly and alone for his

Banks and saith Oh that I were there but knows not how to strike a stroak to swim thither or if he doth his stroak is too weak to withstand the Current and the strong stream of Temptation and Doubts and Fears that he meets withal Thou thinkest thou shalt have nothing because thou canst do nothing Thou canst not beleeve firmly thou canst not lay on any hand but that which is trembling on the Lord Jesus Christ Thou canst not look with any eye but that which is weak and feeble Now know that God looks not for much from thee but he intends much unto thee He hath given thee this Grace of Faith not because it should do great matters in thee but for thee It is only to take thee by the hand and if it can bring thee and Jesus Christ together it hath done enough for thee and as much as can be desired and as it is appointed unto All the rest of its acts are for thy comfort but this is for thy Salvation CHAP. XVII Faith considered in its lowest degree I. As in the Vnderstanding and so it is 1 Attention 2 Inquiry II. As in the Will and so 1 It is accompanied with much fear 2 It is careful and sollicitous for the things of this Life IT will not be amiss a little to consider or at leastwise to set down how little Faith a man may have or how little Faith God bestows upon men when yet he bestows Christ upon men withal 1. Take Faith as it is a Habit and Disposition so the lowest degree of Faith is in an inclination a yielding a laying aside the stoutness of the heart in some measure which he exercised before against God In some measure As the weather we say begins to change when there is some melting of the Snow and some yielding of the Ice though it be very hard still And as we say a man is inclined to peace when he will treat and hear arguments for it and doth not stand out in defiance The least Degree of an Habit is an inclination And you shal find in 2 Chron. 30.8 That Faith is so described to be no more a stiff-neckedness but a yielding themselves unto the Lord. As suppose a man that would not pay Taxes or Rates but wil let another come and take it quietly He will not give such a thing but if another will take it he wil not oppose In Acts 26. it is said of Lydia that her heart was opened to attend that is that whereas before she looked upon what was said by Paul as not worth the hearing and as that which did not concern her and which was not for her good and salvation her heart was set and prejudiced against it yet now she begins to have other thoughts It is as mean an act as possibly can be for one to give God the hearing to listen to the things that are spoken yet this the Scripture counts as a Work of God and as the Fruit of her Faith She attended to the things that were spoken That is one low degree of Faith for a man to be relenting and yielding a little towards Jesus Christ To come and mind and observe the things that are said of him as things that are of concernment and moment Again Secondly It is a low degree of Faith to ask after and enquire about the things which do belong unto Salvation And this you shal find in the Scripture that that enquiry when it is truly and duly made is saving too 1 Pet. 3.21 Baptism saves and the washing of the filth of the flesh But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that word signifies not only an Answer but a Question The questioning of a good Conscience how by the Right of Christs Resurrection it might come unto Salvation It 's one of the smallest acts of the Understanding to enquire and search after the knowledg of things That same act of the Understanding exercised about the things of God by Jesus Christ that is such as shall be accompanied with Salvation Baptisme saves the questioning of a good Conscience If indeed the Question that men ask comes out of curiosity and not out of Conscience If it comes only out of a Conscience that is good thus far Because it is awakened but not good thus far that it is willing to submit to and take the course which the Gospel enjoyns then it is no sign But if the Soul doth but lie before the Lord as the Resurrection of Christ is appointed as the way of Salvation so it saith Lord how shal I take that way which way may I come to be partaker of the power of it This also shal be accepted Look upon faith now as it is in the wil or as it acts there for I told you that faith acts both in the understanding and wil you see how it acts the understanding in attention and Inquiry See how it acts the wil. It acts the wil most weakly when the heart is filled with feare Fear doth distract the Soul and makes it to do al things dully and very imperfectly Why are yee afraid therefore saith Christ in Matth. 8. and 14. Chapters Oh ye of little faith A man through feare doth in beleeving as a man doth in going He takes a step and then withdraws his foot He goes another and then goes back again So a man with one thought is for Christ and in another thought there is no hope for him in Christ with one thought he gives up himself to him and with another it is but to give up a little straw to the flame when thy heart is thus divided it 's as displeasing as can be possibly yet this thought and this faith is not put out by the Lord Though it be distracted yet that faith shal save Again Secondly That faith is exceeding weak which is careful and solicitous for the things of this life What an absurd and weak thing is it for a man when he is dying to take care for cloathes And when his life is going from him to think of purchasing an inheritance For a man when he is ful of dolor and pain to think of increasing his riches and estate So is it a great weakness for a man to be careful for his body and the things of this life In Math. 6.30 Christ saith when they ask what they should eat and drink and put on He calls them people of little saith Yet even that faith also the Lord wil acknowledg I might go through divers other particulars As for example Our relying upon Christ which is the weakest and lowest degree That a man rather desires to be saved by Christ than any other but he finds a hankering after others but I say he had rather have Jesus Christ than any other He is troubled when he hath hopes not by Christ bestowed on him in the use of Ordinances When you know a man relies upon another the weakest confidence and reliance that he can put is this To expect rather

and a good Conscience or Faith especially 1 Tim. 1.19 From this knowledg a man may be so established in the profession of Jesus Christ as that he may be able to instruct others to answer all arguments that shall be brought against this profession and to endure much even as the Heathen Philosophers that would rather die the cruellest death than leave any one principle of their learning and profession which they had received So a man may see so great a reason for the things of Jesus Christ that a man shal not dare to part with the least beam of it for the greatest afflictions in the world or to avoid the greatest misery But yet notwithstanding all this a man may be without saving Faith It may be thus received into a mans mind and judgment and yet not be a faith that wil bring him life and Salvation at the last For I beseech you consider it A man may thus receive Jesus Christ by a common gift of the spirit though he hath no Grace In Rom. 2.20 The Apostle saith of those that were not Jews in the Circumcision of the heart that they had a forme of knowledg and did delight themselves in the Law compared with the last verse And if you look into Rom. 6.17 You shal find that besides the forme of Doctrine unto a mans Salvation there is required his being delivered up unto it But saith he you have obeyed from the heart the forme of Doctrine whereunto you were delivered DELIVERED that is cast in the shape and conformed unto it so as that what you know hath authority and power over you As we say a man is delivered into such a ones hand when he is made sure of so as he cannot escape A man must through obedience come under the power of that which he knows or his knowledg is not saving Yea notwithstanding al this kind of knowledg and this judgment and understanding of Jesus Christ a man may have no affection nor love unto him at al. In John 2.25 It is said that many beleeved upon Christ but yet he saith they were such as he did not dare to trust himself with al. That is they would have betrayed him and for their own advantage would have put him into the hands of his enemies 2 Tim. 3.5 They have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof in their lives That is a man may know much and know it exactly and yet the things known have no power to order their affection or to subdue their corruption Or as some do understand the Power in opposition to the Form They do not value the things as they are in themselves Al their esteem reacheth no further then the order and rank that these things beare in the matters of the world As for example A man in casting up an accompt may value a counter a pound or a thousand pound only because it is so in reckoning So a man may value Jesus Christ at a great reckoning as one that contains al the doctrine that belongs unto Salvation and yet notwithstanding unto a mans self Christ may be but a brass Counter and as one that hath no value in himself That is al I shal leave concerning this point That Jesus Christ is received only into the fancy when a man knows not Christ in himself but his apprehension is formed only into the Metaphors and figurative speeches in the scripture of him And when they know him only as he is the main point of Doctrine in religion but his heart is not taken with himself There are some who go yet further And they are such who take Jesus Christ into their understanding But it is into the reasoning part of them as I may so speak that is so far as they are convinced by demonstrations and evidences and undenyable arguments so far they receive Jesus Christ True faith goes by testimony and that is the argument and cheife ground of it A man may receive the word of God to be true upon the same ground that he may receive any other writing or book which teacheth a man whether it be the knowledg of Countries or of the hevens or any other art whatsoever In the scripture Isay a man shal find the same things to perswade him which he finds in other books A man beleeves other Books to be true because it hath good report because it is antient And the parts agree And they interfere not nor contradict one another They have experience that the things there said comes to pass the like things have been done which they report And so a man upon the antiquity of the scripture and the agreement of the scripture and upon the equity that is in the command of the scripture comes to think that the scriptures are true But now the Spirit of God joyning with these and sitting upon these I say These common arguments withal sciences the spirit of God improving al these may work upon men very much But if so be that men go no further then these there is not faith in Jesus Christ neither For I beseech you mark it Al faith it is an act so far as it is saving it is a willing receiving of Jesus Christ But these demonstrations and arguments they do compel the understanding The understanding cannot but consent unto them and it is irresistibly do what it can bowed to give consent according to the same and that is an argument that it is not saving As a man who yields obedience not because he loves the Governor but because he knows not how to help himself or to do otherwise being conquered So these evidences and strong reasons they leade a man captive and a man consents in his understanding although the heart be against them a man may joyn together with them and yet notwithstanding they be things which his heart doth most of al abhorre therefore they cannot be saving Mistake me not beloved There is nothing so carefull of having a good evidence as Faith is It is the most secure Grace of trusting unto that possibly can be It will take nothing but what is increated for its ground It will either have a testimony from God that cannot err or else it wil not receive But though Faith may look after the cleerest evidence yet it looks not after an evidence arising from the things themselves but from the word of God Not from the Matter but from Gods report If God wil say it let the thing be never so obscure and contrary to sense or reason yet Faith will receive it But that which I now intend in this is That even as the Devils they do beleeve the Text saith in Jam. 2.19 but they do it because they have experience that the things which God hath spoken come to pass as I have shewed heretofore They are convinced by what they have seen and found that what they yet see not accomplished shal be in Gods own time And so there is a Faith also among