Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	heart_n	pure_a	purify_v	1,181	5	11.3319	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07215	The anatomie of sorcerie VVherein the wicked impietie of charmers, inchanters, and such like, is discouered and confuted. By Iames Mason, Master of Artes.	Mason, James, M.A.	1612 (1612)	STC 17615; ESTC S112409	64,423	108

history who was one that fauoured this wicked craft no man more hauing sufficient store of wealth and power and magitians sent for from all parts of the world to conferre with and yet for all that in the end left it as vaine and friuolous And common experience doth teach vs euen the very same For whosoeuer shall looke into the dealings of those persons which are accounted the onely cunning men in the world amongst vs he shall see that they vse no other outward meanes but a sort of charmes the most of them so ridiculous and foolish that a wise man must needes laugh at them and euery one that hath but a sparke of religion to loath detest them Which are either newly deuised by the diuell and his ministers or els receiued afore by tradition from one to another And if so be they vse good words and sensible which is very seldome in al points yet are they vttered with an euill intent thinking by them alone to worke such wonders as the exorcists doe heere Seeing that the words of themselues can doe nothing how glorious soeuer they appeare without further authority and power from God And yet we see that this vaine wicked craft and the practises of the same haue many fauourers in the world especially of those that are profane and want knowledge in religion The which also haue deuised many reasons to vphold the said craft whereof some of the chiefest I will heere recite And first they say that these cunning men doe vse no euill meanes and especially the diuell is not the author of this their working For fay they The diuell neither can nor will doe any good but these cunning folkes doe good and therefore they doe it not by the diuell or by any euill meanes To answer vnto this argument we must more deepely weigh and consider of the matter then it seemeth that those which framed this argument did For I thinke they vnderstood not what they meant themselues by this word good If they vnderstand thereby that which is absolutely altogether alwaies and in all respects good then we deny their assumption for in this manner there is none good but God alone as our Sauiour Christ saith in the 19. cap. of the Gospell after Saint Matth. vers 17. As for all other creatures they are good so farre forth as it pleaseth God the chiefest goodnesse to esteeme and accept of them For whereas it is said in the first chapter of Gen. vers 31. And God saw all that he had made and loe it was very good We must vnderstand by goodnesse the perfit estate of all things both generally and particularly whereby they were conformable to the will and minde of God the creator who approoued them when they were made For no creature is good of it selfe first and for that cause approoued but because God approoueth it therefore it is good Now the Lord seemeth to haue approoued these his creatures in three especiall respects First in regard of the beautie comelines and glorie of all and euery creature in their kinde Secondly in regard of the excellent vertue which God gaue to euery thing For as hee hath made nothing in vaine but euery thing to some especiall ende so hath hee furnished the same with sufficient power and vertue for the accomplishment of the same end Thirdly in respect of the exceeding benefit and profit which came by them vnto man As for the two first no man will say that in those respects these cunning folke can or doe any good by reason that they concerne the creatures themselues alone without any reference vnto man and we know that no man can make no not one haire of his head white or blacke as it is in the 5 chapter of Saint Matthewes Gospel vers 36. Therefore it must needes be in the third respect which is in regard of the profitte that redoundeth thereby vnto men so that their meaning is that whatsoeuer doth exhibite doe or procure any benefit or profit vnto any man is by their reason said to doe him good But let them consider this that albeit at the first the Lord created euery thing very good yet since the fall of Adam this goodnes of the creature is partly corrupted and partly diminished not only in the two first respects but also that especially in the last For wheras the creatures were in some measure made for mans vse so when man had transgressed the commandement of God both man himselfe fell from that integrity of nature wherein he was first created beeing now corrupted and depraued as well in all the powers faculties of the body as of the minde as it is manifest by the punishment laid vpon the man and likewise vpon the woman in the 3. chapter of Genesis in so much as Saint Paul in the 7. chapter to the Romanes vers 18. in the name or person of al men confesseth that in him that is in his flesh whereby is meant the whole man as he is now by nature consisting both of body and soule is no good Yea that we cannot thinke a good thought of our selues as it is in the 2. Epist. Cor. cap. 3. vers 5. and also the Lord cursed the earth for mans sake as it is in the aforesaid 3. chapter of Genesis The whole creature beeing now subiect vnto vanity as Saint Paul speaketh to the Romanes cap. 8. So that the creatures are not now so profitable vnto him as hee is a naturall man as Saint Paul saith in the 1. chapter to Titus vers 15. That to those that are defiled and vnbeleeuing nothing is pure but their mindes and consciences are defiled Whereby it appeareth that before God hath purified the heart by saith nothing can doe him good nothing is pure vnto him But euen as an impure vessell defileth whatsoeuer is put into it so whatsoeuer happeneth vnto the wicked it is for ther further damnation and what doth it profit a man if he gaine the whole world and lose his owne soule as our Sauiour Christ saith in the 16. chapter of S. Matthewes Gospel And for as much as no man is altogither regenerate in this life but hath alwaies the flesh striuing and lusting against the spirit Gal. c. 5. v. 17. therefore it pleased God to the end that they might see the haynousnes of sinne and the grieuousnes of the fall of our first parents to suffer those thinges which were in their first creation ordained for their good to be euen vnto his deere children an occasion of their fall albeit not eternally So Dauid beeing a man after God his owne heart abused that goodly strong and healthfull state and temper of his body which is set downe in the 16. chapter of the first booke of Samuel to the horrible committing of adulterie with the wife of Vrias as it is the 11. cap. of the second booke of Samuel the which no doubt he would neuer haue done if he had beene a weakeling and crased