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
A38451	Propugnaculum pietatis, the saints Ebenezer and pillar of hope in God when they have none left in the creature, or, The godly mans crutch or staffe in times of sadning disappointments, sinking discouragements, shaking desolations wherein is largely shewed, the transcendent excellency of God, his peoples help and hope : with the unparallel'd happiness of the saints in their confidence in him, overballancing the worldlings carnal dependance both as to sweetness and safety : pourtray'd in a discourse on Psal. 146:5 / by F.E.	F. E. (Francis English)	1667 (1667)	Wing E3076; ESTC R2623	160,282	286

weeps he watcheth he runs he fights he strives and all to obtain further assurance to apprehend that for which he is apprehended of him And so much for the more general signs of our Interest in God To touch secondly about a few more special signs of having him our help and hope First If God be our Help and we so make him there will be a disobligation to and utter discarding of rejection and casting away all creature-confidence The Soul hath no confidence in the arm of flesh as to its spiritual condition not in Means and Ordinances gifts parts duties graces enjoyments but accounts all loss as to its temporal condition it trusts not to its power wit policy strength wealth estate friends makes not fine Gold its hope as Job speaks in vindication of his integrity cap. 3.24 Ezra was ashamed to go with a request to the King though in a good Cause having first declared his trust in his God Ezra 8.12 A gracious Soul renounceth all carnal dependencies whatsoever Neither Circumcision or Uncircumcision avails him he glorieth only in the Lord. He will not pluck the Crown off the head of Free grace or snatch it out of the hand of Divine power to set it on the head of a poor finite Creature A carnal heart can trust any thing but God a Christian can trust nothing but God him before any thing all things A Worldling can trust God in nothing a Saint in all things at all times can trust him with his Name Estate Liberty Life Soul his all trust him in good dayes of peace and prosperity in evil dayes of trouble and adversity being carefull for nothing but in every thing making his requests known to God with Prayer and Thanksgiving committing his whole way and care to him and his Providence Which is a second Note A constant exercise of dependance on God and on God alone He is his hope and his habitation to which he continually resorts Psal 71.2 Do's he want any mercy he goes by Faith and Prayer to his God for it do's he meet with any mischief or injury he goes again and pours forth his overwhelmed Soul in complaints before the Lord he waits for him and looks to him His eyes are up to the Heavens whence his help comes Mic. 7.7 Therefore saith the Church will I look to the Lord and wait upon the God of my salvation And so David Psal 5.3 In the morning will I direct my prayer to thee and will look up When he hath shut his mouth he will open his eye his ear and when himself knows not what to do hear what his God will say He is alwayes confident in the Lord and triumphs in the God of his salvation Now because an Hypocrite may harbour a false dependance and a counterfeit hope as well as a Christian a well-grounded confidence let us try it by some following Touch-stones which is the third and last particular concern'd in this Inquisition with which I shall dismiss it namely to give some Notes or lay before you some properties and effects of a Saints fixed hope in the Lord his God which may discriminate and contradistinguish it from the languishing and vanishing hope of Hypocrites and carnal Professors And them take in these following particulars First A godly mans hope is a grounded Hope He hath the root of the matter in him The righteous hath an everlasting foundation the Hypocrite hath no bottom These have no root Luk. 9.13 The house on the Sands was raised to an equal height with that on the Rock and the difference was not in the superstructure but only in the foundation A carnal man may have as firm a confidence as a Saint and an Hypocrite as strong a presumption as an upright Soul hath a perswasion but not so good an evidence Now confidence is always nought without evidence The jetting hope of an Hypocrite is built upon his external profession and priviledges as a worldlings is on his meer outward enjoyments His confidence is in the flesh but a Saints hope is bred and maintained too by the Word and Promises Heb. 6.18 19. It 's nourisht by spiritual influences and experiences As it is founded on the Lord Jesus Christ that bringing in of a better hope that hope in us of our glory so 't is backt with good evidence I will trust in him saith Job though he kills me I will maintain mine own wayes before him He also is become my salvation but an Hypocrite shall not come before him cap. 13.15 16. The Apostle calls a Believers a good hope through grace 2 Thess 2.16 through grace favouring as the Spring and grace sanctifying as the suel of it Secondly It is an Effectual hope hath a blessed vertue and efficacy in it especially a six-fold vertue First Ad purificandum to purifie the heart and Conscience of a Christian What the Apostle saith of Faith may be said of Hope it purifies the heart Yea he sayes it expresly of this grace also 1 John 3.3 He that hath this hope purifies himself even as God is pure Secundum speciem though not gradum in kinde and quality though not equality If not in act yet at least in endeavour and affection Hope purgeth the Conscience from dead works to serve the living God by it the Soul draws nigh to God and comes to have a sight and view of him and Omnis visio affimilat Proportionable to our Faith is our Holiness and to our Expectations our Conversation This distinguisheth it from all Formalists presumption Hypocrites lean on the Lord and are confident of his presence amongst them though they perpetrate all manner of wickedness and do all kind of abominations Mic. 3.11 But in vain do sinners load Gods back and yet pretend to lean on his Arm. Security and presumption lead men to sin Isa 57.10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way yet thou saidst not there is no hope Thou hast found the life of thine hand therefore thou wast not grieved And desperation also makes them rush on in courses of Iniquity Jer. 18.12 They said there is no hope but we will walk after our own devices and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart a sad and desperate conclusion But true hope draws the Soul off from sin Whatsoever a Childe of God doth he will not sin against and away his hopes but having hope in Gods Word and in those great and precious Promises he cleanseth himself from all filthiness of flesh and spirit Tit. 2.12 14. Secondly Ad excitandum it quickens unto duty It 's a living yea a lively hope 1 Pet. 1.3 Where hope is in the centre obedience is in the circumference David conjoyns them Psal 119.166 Lord I have hoped for thy salvation and done thy Commandments Believing puts upon doing Hope of mercy quickens and animates to duty We believe and therefore we speak and act too and no good hope of the end without due use of the means means must

which keeps it up when the Lead of Fear would pull it down or the wing of the Bird that mounts it to Heaven while the stone tied to the legg forces it down to earth But for Hope the heart would break Now though mercy deferred may make the heart sick yet the desire coming is a tree of life Prov. 13.12 Good hope and consolation are like Castor and Pollux commonly in conjunction The Palm-trees motto is Hopes Depressa Resurgo Believing is a choice and singugular Cordial to preserve the Soul from fainting Thirdly From any unlawfull course to get out of affliction He that believes makes not haste Isa 28.16 He will not leap over hedge and ditch or finde any back-doors of escape but wait till God opens a way of deliverance The Souldier though besieged never so close will not deliver up the City if he hath any hope of relief The men of Jabesh were glad when Sauls messengers came and told them To morrow by that time the Sun was hot they should have help 1 Sam. 11.9 Be the case never so sad the Soul will wait for Gods help so long as it apprehends it self not desperate Hope is not too hasty for or greedy of mercy nor will not pluck the fruit thereof too soon before it be full ripe The patient though brought never so low if in the hands of a wise Physician still hopes to recover and is content as knowing the more desperate and tedious his sickness the more will the joy be of his cure The Captain though beaten by the Enemy will by no means yield and take quarter so long as he sees any probability of fighting him he is pleased with these thoughts the sharper the en●ounter once overcome the greater glory of the Victory The Christian knows Gods time is the ●est and therefore is willing to attend it and will not himself make his way out of trouble ●ut find it made by Gods hand for him he will ●ot pluck a prick out of his foot to put it into ●is heart but had rather carry about him a woun●ed skin or torn estate than a wounded Consci●nce rather choose to endure trouble which ends to ease than get a little ease at present which leads to and will end in trouble He dare ●ot shackle his Spirit to discharge his Body but ●ad rather be a Prisoner and for this hope bound with a chain than a Free-man without it David although heir apparent of the Kingdom by Gods Promise and in great danger of missing it by Sauls violence yet dare not make more haste than good speed by making his death a stirrup to ascend the Throne by nay though he had opportunity dare not take off his head for destruction though for his conviction he cut off the lap of his garment and that was animo renitente too but rather waited Gods time of his advance to it and settlement in it The Primitive Christians did not only not seek or offer themselves to a composition no but would not accept of deliverance on unworthy terms Heb. 11.35 That 's the first Hope secures against sin Secondly It doth admirably remedy affliction by sanctifying and sweetning of it To name no more it hath a four-fold energy in time of affliction each of which hath a wonderful tendency towards the souls blessedness First Vim quiescentem a calming and quieting vertue it stills and sedates the soul and does motos componere flucius The soul is still when it once knows it is God and his hand and is no more disquieted Psal 43. ult It 's filled with his peace which passeth all understanding tranquillo Deo tranquillant omnia ipsum quietum aspicere est quiescere It gives not God an ill word but holds its peace nay gives good words blesseth his name and saith Good is the Word of the Lord as David 2 Sam. 15.25 If I shall finde favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both the Ark and his habitation But if he thus say I have no delight in thee Behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good to him It 's reported of a precious stone called Bufonites that cast it into the Sea and although it be never so tempestuous it will procure a calm This precious grace is hope which calms and settles the soul under its greatest tumults and commotions and staies it under its most restless inquietations The Rabbins tell us that all the letters in the name Jehovah are literae quiescentes Faith and hope can perfectly spell this his reverend name and out of every letter thereof gather a quickening lecture influential on the Christian to compose him into a serene temper under the greatest ruffles and discomposures he meets with in the world This lower Region is subject to storms and tempests but the upper Region is serene and clear no storms above the Moon and Historians report that they which are at the top of the Alps can behold great showres fall under●●eath them but not a drop above or upon them Hope mounts the soul up to God advanceth it to Heaven and then 't is out of the dint of every storm and reach of every tempest whatsoever Secondly It hath vim sublevantem a supporting and sustaining vertue Faith and hope are like Jachim and Boaz the Pillars of Solomons the support of the souls Temple They are not only kept in perfect peace but securely too whose minds are stayed on him Isa 26.3 4. The fear of man brings a snare but whoso trusteth in the Lord shall be safe Prov. 29.25 He that confides in God dwells in his holy mountain Isa 57.13 Is as Mount Sion which cannot be removed Mole-hills may be scattered but Mountains are immoveable God is a buckler saith the Psalmist to all that trust in him Psal 18.30 The soul can never be cast down that hath hope to lift it up No sooner Davids spirit and countenance under a dejection but hope gives it an● erection and elevation A secret hope will bear up the soul under the sorest trials and temptations even though pressed down above measure so as to despair of life yet this Pillar will shore it up from tottering and falling as it did Paul 2 Cor. 1.7 8 9. Thirdly Vim consolantem a comforting power It will not only quiet the soul make it stand still and see the Lords salvation and cause it to glorifie God in the fires but rejoyce it also give it musick upon the waters alwaies most ravishing Rom. 15.13 The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing So 1 Pet. 1.8 Yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory The Prophet having pronounced the blessedness of hoping in God Jer. 17.8 illustrates it by the metaphor of Palms or Lawrels Myrtles and Olive-trees which retain their greenness and endure under the scorching heats of the Sun and are alwaies flourishing and prosperous God is a Sun for consolation as well

least ground or colour of hope but continually occasion of fear and perpetual cause of terror He hath no just hope in the day of Mercy and that 's sad enough much less in the day of misery and that 's worse His defence is departed from him the Lord being not with him and he is bread for the teeth of every Judgement as Joshua told them of the Nations they were to invade Numb 14.9 In the day of abounding of all Creature-comforts a carnal man can have no content or satisfaction One thought of his distance from God will sufficiently imbitter all his Cups of pleasure so as they shall be no other than waters of Marah to him Under the tydes of external Joy his heart is sorrowfull and his brightest Sun of outward felicity hath sad reflections especially if the Clock of Conscience answers the Diall of the Word and amidst his ●ight riseth to him thick darkness or gathers upon him His heart is black as an Oven within while the Corn Wine and Oyle makes his face shine without As a Childe of God often carries the ●ight of a rejoycing Soul in the dark Lanthorn of a soiled and withered face so do's the sinner oft disguise a sad heart with a cheerfull and smi●ing countenance Neither can he expect any succour or relief either from within or from without in the day of affliction As fear of losing eats up all his comfort and content in enjoying so forfeiture of title makes his lost Soul eternally despair of a recovery and repossession I wonder on what acquaintance the sinner can challenge any interest or pretend to any hope in God or what possible should be the ground-work and foundation of his professed but mistaken confidence He may build Castles in the Air and make to himself a refuge of lies please himself with conceits and fancies of supposed and imaginary happiness but they will prove meer delusions in the end As his confidence is a lie in the foundation so it will be in the event Isa 28. Gods wrath is all this time smoaking against him and will break forth in fiery flames of indignation while he promiseth himself peace in the walks of the imagination of his own heart Deut. 29.19 If God once forsakes him all the world cannot help or relieve him Neither any of the Persons nor all the things of the World can give him comfort If the Lord helps not who can help The world usually deceives her Confidents The Rock of Worldlings is not as the Rock of Believers Carnal confidences in the issue render ashamed God hath blown upon them with his curse Thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt as thou wast of Assyria saith God to his people Jer. 2.36 Our Fathers inherited lies vanity and things wherein there is no profit Jer. 16.19 The very houses of Achzib● shall be a lie to the King of Assyria Mic. 1.14 A● wicked man hath no hope and all the help h● hath will prove but a vain and deceitfull help There is a weakness and infirmity an uncertainty and instability an unfaithfulness and inconstancy a vanity and vexation attends all Creatures They are crackt Cistorns Jer. 2.13 Lying vanities Jonah 2. empty duggs and dry breasts failing Brooks Egyptian reeds which do not only fail but pierce God hath put a perishing nature into all created supports and sufficiencies and over and above cursed such as make flesh their arm Men of low degree are vanity and of high degree a lie may promise much but perform little or nothing like the Indian Tree the Leaves of their professions are as big as a Target but the Fruit of their actions as small as a Bean. They are broken staves deceitfull bowes the portion of Jacob is not like them Jerem. 10.15 16. Take the choicest of created helps and a man cannot promise himself any safety in them or help from them Friends and Relations may fail Estates and Possessions may fail health and strength comforts and accommodations favour and friendship supplyes and assistances may and will fail yea Kings and Princes may and have failed their de●endants It 's better to trust in the Lord than in ●rinces Psal 118.8 9. Multa cadunt inter cali●em Methinks I see every wicked man bring●●g as once a Noble and Learned person was 〈◊〉 his finall execution with those as his last dy●●g words in his mouth spoken in the bitterness 〈◊〉 ●is Soul Put not your trust in Princes nor the ●on of Man in whom there is no help What a ●d disappointment did that Noble and worthy ●arl meet with who thought he had assurance 〈◊〉 his Princesses favour only by the intervening miscarriage of a treacherous person What said that great Cardinal when under Attainder and given up into his Enemies hand as a sacrifice If I had but taken that care to have pleased my God which I have done to serve my Prince he would not have left me now in mine old age The World deals with her familiars and favourites as great men with their servants keeping them while young healthy and able but turning them off when they grow old infirm and unserviceable All meer Creatures will fail external priviledges high profession it 's not Jacobs profession but his God that is his help choice parts common graces and usefull g●fts great confidences yea a mans flesh and heart will fail Wit and wealth will not help in the day of present trouble or eternal wrath Gold and Silver will not deliver then Lo this is the man proclaimed he stands to all the world that made not God his trust Psal 52.7 Aids and allies cannot help Who can stand before much less against Omnipot●ncy What Jerusalem complains of under her Captivity will b● sooner or later the sense and expression too of a● that trust in any thing on this side God the gre● Jehovah and stay short of Heaven Lam. 4.17 A● for us our eyes as yet failed for our vain help I● our watching we have watched for a Nation th● could not save us What Senacherib told Hezeki● upon this accompt will prove most true 2 King 18.21 Now behold thou trustest upon the staffe● this bruised reed even upon Egypt on which if 〈◊〉 man lean it will goe into his hand and pierce it so is Pharaoh King of Egypt to all that trust i● him We may cry to these Idols but they cann●● answer nor save us out of our trouble Isa 46.7 Th●y were all ashamed saith the Prophet of a people that could not profit them nor be an help Isa 30.5 Let a private distress a publick calamity come a Sword a Plag●e a Famine a Fire Creatures cannot help how much less when death and damnation comes to seize on the poor undone sinner What will they do in the day of that their Visitation in the desolation which comes from farr to whom will ye fl●e for help and where will ye leave your glory as the Prophet speaks Isa 10.3 O the dreadfull and desperate case of every