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	witness_n	witness_v	2,329	5	9.9757	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64802	A wise virgins lamp burning; or Gods sweet incomes of love to a gracious soul waiting for him Being the experiences of Mrs. Anne Venn, (daughter to Col. John Venn, & member of the Church of Christ at Fulham:) written by her own hand, and found in her closet after her death. Wherein is declared her exceeding frequent addresses to the throne of grace, and how speedily answered. Written for the comfort of such as mourn in Sion, and quickning of saints by her blessed example.	Venn, Anne.	1658 (1658)	Wing V190; ESTC R219225	131,041	301

for yea given the full worth of it into the hands of God so that justice can never say that what we receive by grace is not fully satisfied for but that we have now a right by justice to every promise in the book of God as well as by mercy oh blessed word Yea he loves righteousness because he maketh all righteous who are accepted of him by his righteousness And first 1. By forming their hearts to his likeness 2. By imputing to them his own righteousness yea he shewed that he loves righteousness by the terrible execution of his displeasure on unrighteousness now all this as it maketh Christ lovely to the Father so it must needs make him lovely to his Saints and that for these reasons 1. Because they could never look on or behold divine justice without being confounded if they did not behold it satisfied through the righteousness of Christ by which they are inabled to glory as well in the justice as in the mercy of God and plead with God as well as he is a righteous and just God as he is merciful 2. Because all that is beautiful in the Saints either in themselves or others is from this Christ therefore Christ himself must needs be lovely to them because that which often supports the Saints hearts is not so much their actings in righteousness as their love to righteousness David cryes not out oh how do I keep thy Law but oh how do I love thy Law therefore needs must Christ be lovely for his righteousness 4. Christ must needs be lovely for his loving of righteousness because through this he hath made a way for us to eternal life how doth he bring about this way of life or keep us in this path of life but by a way of righteousness Rom. 5. last It is not so much that grace reigneth as that grace reigneth now by righteousness or justice to eternal life 1. That use that was made of all this was very precious we being instructed hence to take a due view of Christ to behold him more for we are said to be changhed into his likeness while we behold him so that the reason we are no more like to Christ is because we live no more in the sight of his righteousness which would but shew us our own unrighteousness and nothing can do it more then this beholding Christs righteousness and then reflecting back upon our selves 2 The beholding Christ would make us like Christ for our assimulation to Christ comes from our being ravished much with looking on Christ the devil hath no greater designe then to keep the Saints from beholding of Christ he will let them pore upon their own lusts or any thing else rather then this 3. The sight of Christs righteousness is a ground for the strongest consolation to Saints that can be of which when the Apostle had got a sight he cries out who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect seeing through Christ righteousness justice is satisfied what can sin the devil lusts corruptions or law do they cannot condemn for Christ justifieth Oh what refreshments were held out from this blessed truth of Christ his loving righteousness now if Christ doth love righteousness then he loves to do justice and to be righteous in all his administrations both of grace and punishment yea he loves fidelity in performance which is another part of righteousness oh put this to the end of every promise in Scripture that Christ loves righteousness and so loves more to performe it then thou canst desire to have it performed as Christ loves righteousness so he loves to fulfil all righteousness and that by doing and suffering though it were a hard work then it may refresh us further that all the grace you receive comes from the hand of justice how may the Saints then go boldly to the father and ask no more then what Christ have already paide for so that the Saints living on the promise is no beggerly business for there is not one of them but is throughly payd for by Jesus Christ and so may be pleaded for not only upon that account of mercy and grace but even of justice and righteousness O that God would cause all these blessed truths to have an abiding power upon my soul The 6. of this 10. month over night I sought the Lord that he would please to provide some seasonable word for my soul as also begging his gracious appearance through his servant that was to speak with much to this purpose and O my soul how graciously was the Lord pleased to appear to thee this day the scripture he spake from by our dear pastor was the 2 Corin. 1. 12. whence he shewed us what a ground of joy is the Testimony of a good conscience when it witnesseth in sincerity whence he shewed us that the work of conscience is to witness to every action of a man both religious and civil and not only doth it bear witness of every act but of the measure and of the manner of heart-workings in the act and so witnesseth either the righteousness and sincerity of it or the sinfulness of it yea and the spring of all our sinfulness our rejoycing saith the Apostle is not that we preach pray or the like but that our conscience witnesseth that what ever we do though never so weakly imperfectly yet it s done in Godly simplicity i. e. with a single intention aiming purely at the glory of God that there is no double dealing not a heart for God and for our selves too yea we were shewen that conscience was not only a witness but a judge therefore where it findeth the act good but the principle naught it tells that man if he hearkens to it that all is naught and that God will not be served with leaves but with fruit and thus it passeth sentence and judgement from which how secretly did the Lord check my soule then he shewed us that conscience had a strong memory though we forget yet conscience will remember not only acts but circumstances which O my soul mayest thou not clearly testifie the truth hereof by experience yea it was hinted to us that conscience was a just and right witness all the devils in hell and men on earth cannot make it speak other then truth the devil may and doth abuse conscience by imitating it and so suggesting this or that to a soul as if it came from conscience when it coms immediatly from hell even Saints themselves may pass wrong judgement upon their brethren as Jobs friends did but conscience is a better witness then Saints themselves and it was so to Job yea conscienc was held out to be a convincing witness where it doth witness against sin it witnesseth convincingly causing them to groan under it yea it was held out to be a bold witness that will not be daunted any way and must needs be so because God himself imboldens it to speak plainly as that thou art an

hypocrite or afraid to hear what conscience saith Oh how sweetly was this truth improved this day by application as first to teach us to admire the goodness of God in placing such a witness in every mans bosom yea how good it was for the Saints that this was set up in wicked men for some times there are actions done by wicked men against Gods people that there is no winess but their own consciences which testifie against them of all their hard speeches and thoughts and words and the like yea how good was it for the Saints also in this for had they not this witness in themselves how bitter would the reproaches of the World be to them We were exhorted to take heed how we walk towards conscience it being by God set as a Watch over us oh then take heed that we withdraw not from it Nay it is true it will follow you but labour to keep it in your sight and when you are to do any civil or religious Work call it in and say Conscience What sayest thou to this or that action Was it according to the will and mind of God and give it leave to speak out yea and give time also for oftentimes the affairs of the World hinder that conscience hath not time to speak its mind 2 To take heed we grieve it not for its complaints will be heard in Heaven therefore take heed of doing any thing against conscience 3. Awe it as a Judge and be content to be judged by it in all you do for it will be your Judge another day and will be an immortal Witness either in point of comfort or terror oh therefore awe it 1. Do you take of heed of slighting conscience or its Testimony for therein you commit great injury to God it being his Embassador and by him set in you 2. It is great folly also to stop its mouth For 1. All your hindering it or endeavouring to do so will but prove an aggravation of its Witness another day against you then it will tell you That it would have spoken plainly to you such and such a time but you would not hear you were so busie in the World or the like The reason why Saints do no more rejoice is because they walk no more in the testimony of their own consciences We were also exhorted in the conclusion to be very tender of doing any thing without a solemn Court of Conscience rashness is the worst evil Conscience is Gods Witness let it be yours give it full liberty therefore to speak and say all it can ask it again and again what it saith to this and that action and may be it will give thee that Testimony that through rashness and hastiness it had not time to speak or thou to hear it Oh what sensible hints were these to my poor soul if the Lord would but please to bless them effectually to me and help me to put them in practice daylie The Lord having seen meet to call our Brother Vilet ont of this World I heard that he was to be buryed at Fulham this Afternoon and our Pastor to preach which occasioned me greatly to desire to hear him which also I did though it was exceeding late at which time he spake from 1 Joh. 3. 2. Now are we the sons of ●od but it doth not yet appear what we shall be c. from which there were most seasonable blessed truths hinted to my soul That which he pressed was That what the Saints shall be it doth not appear Then he shewed it did not appear first to the Saints themselves 1. Because of the little light the Saints have of this glory nay if God should reveal more they could not bear it in this state 2. In regard of our not improvements of the discoveries made of our future estate 3. Because their present estate is compassed with sin and affliction both vvhich do obstruct the sight of this glory but more particularly the Reasons why it doth not appear he shewed were these 1. From the many diversions of the Spirit of Saints that turn them aside from beholding their glory to come how do the toyes and baubles of this World divert them from beholding of this and so their estate doth not appear to them 2. It comes from inconstancie of Spirit because their hearts do not dwell on those things no man is excellent in that his heart and thoughts dwell not upon so here 3. From the weakness of our Faith for we live novv by Faith but when Christ shall appear then you shall live by sight so that whilest you are here your sight is according to your Faith if your Faith be right and straight like Stephens then have you a strong sight of glory 4. It appears not from the remainders of corruptions that abide in us every sin vails the sight of this glory 5. God himself is pleased sometimes to exercise his Saints not only under darkness in the sight of their future estate but also of their present estate and so they walk in the dark and this God doth for high and holy ends and gives great instructions through it no his Saints to look up to him for life and wait on him for the manifestation of his love and their future estate and to make them see that it flows from nothing in them but from him only eternal life being not only the gift of God but even the light whereby we see it 2. This glory appears not to the World also and that 1. Because the World sees only the outside of a godly man his shell but they see not the glory of his inside they see their poverty and contempt and reproach c. but they see not the glorious working of God on their souls or operation of his spirit in them 2 It appears not to the World because the Saints have their Clouds upon them The best have their infirmities and these the World look most upon wicked men are blind and cannot see for spiritual things must be spiritually discerned because many times there are differences among the Saints themselves and this darkens their glory to the World who see them disputing about Religion and the like the World judgeth of their future Estate by their present condition if men flourish here then they judge well of them if they lie under troubles they judge them hated of God and thus God suffers this darkness about their future estate To humble his Saints and make them cry to him for light To manifest the sincerity of the Saints To set them a longing after Eternity where they shall have full and cleare sight To make glory appear glory indeed if the glittering here be glorious what shall the full be that it appears no is out of just judgement from God to this wicked World who do hate and contemn them therefore God wil not let them see their glory they shall only know it by feeling the contrary and the want of it There