Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A13850
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A Christian amendment delivered in a sermon on New-yeares day 1631. in St Martines Church in Oxford, and now published: by H. Tozer Mr of Arts and Fellow of Exceter Colledge in Oxford
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Tozer, Henry, 1602-1650.
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1633
(1633)
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STC 24158; ESTC S121019
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18,018
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94
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nihil est superfluum there is nothing in nature superfluous which rule is here made vnquestionably true for in nature there is nothing but some good vse may bee made thereof wee hauing therein so many Arguments pressing vs to the Renewing of our Conversations For if God for Mans vse and profit cause all these things in their appointed seasons to be Renewed shall Man for whose benefit all these things Renewed are remaine Old still and haue nothing in him New except it be some new sinnes new Idolatries new prophanations new murthers new blasphemies or the old renewed to provoke God afresh Nature it selfe will teach you saith S. Paul that if a man weare long haire it is a shame vnto him 1 Cor. 11.14 Wee may vse the like argument and say that if any man grow Old in Sinne as he must in yeares Nature will accuse him of a shamefull neglect in not hauing better learned God and the necessity of a renewed conversation before Him even from his Workes of Nature which are made therefore manifest to him to guide and instruct him for Nature doth freely offer it selfe as a guide vnto vs and blind are they who see not how to follow it It is we know a common observation that God hath two bookes to instruct vs. The one is his booke of Scripture Wherein we may and happy are they which therein daily doe reade and consider the summe of their Duty and the mystery of their redemption The second is his booke of Nature written with his owne hand in the sixe daies of the Creation a volume as large as the world it selfe but every Page therein plainely teaching man the knowledge of God and the necessity of his owne becomming new in his sight And S. Chrysostome seemes to make this the very drift of our Apostle in this text S. Paul saith he draweth a new argument from nature it selfe to lift vp the mindes of these Corinthians from the things here below to God aboue the maker of them to teach them from these what they should be towards Him namely in Christ new creatures The necessity of which Renovation will farther appeare by a second reason drawne from the Expectation of God requiring it of vs. God expecteth and therefore t is necessary that wee should become new creatures Now that God expecteth from vs a renewing of our conversations a reforming of our liues wee may plainely reade in his other Booke before mentioned namely his booke of Scripture wherein we shall meete with Precepts and Threatnings and Judgements and promises and the Mercies of God all which are but as so many calls and warnings gratious invitations to an Amendment of life First a precept or Commande we haue recorded by S. Paul Ephes 4.24 where the Apostle telleth vs that wee are taught in Christ to put on the new man which after God is created in Righteousnesse true holinesse wherefore saith he putting away lying speake every man truth be angry and sinne not giue not place vnto the Divill c. in all which we are by the H. Ghost plainely commanded to renew our conversation in true Holinesse and righteousnesse before God And the same Apostle will farther tell vs 1. Tim. 1.5 that the end of the commandement is Charity out of a pure Heart and a good Conscience and faith vnfained So that where a Precept or Commande is there must bee Obedience especially when the commande proceedeth from God himselfe whom we cannot disobey but with the losse of our first loue and the hazard of our owne safety when God therefore requireth vs to become new men as here and elsewhere he often doth wee carefully should endeavour to be such for precipientium Authoritas preceptorum qualitas attendenda est faith Bernard the Authority of the commander and the condition of the commande it selfe are diligently to be regarded Now God who requireth this duty at our hands is that Greatnesse which knoweth no deniall and his commande is of that condition that as it tendeth to his owne glory so is it likewise for our good and salvation wherefore a God expecteth so it is necessary in regard of the Precept that wee should become new Secondly that God expecteth and requireth this of vs will farther appeare by his Threatnings against sinners his Iudgements vpon man for sinne Woe saith the Lord. Isai 5.18 there is his threatning A woe there is for Corazin and Bethsaida for Edom Moab Nebo A woe for the Idole sheaphards and blinde Guides for the Deceitfull Lawyer and hypocriticall Pharisee and generally a woe for all that sinne with greedynesse and still draw iniquity with coards of vanity Neither is there a bare pronouncing of woe but a misery inflicted too Iudgement as well as threatnings Sodome and Gomorrah with the citties about them set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternall fire Iude 7. all which woes and Iudgements with many more are written for our Admonition that wee should not lust as they lusted nor be Idolaters nor commit fornication nor tempt Christ nor murmure 1 Cor. 10.6 So that the threatnings and Iudgements of God vpon sinners recorded in the Scripture were not only for the Punishment and Destruction of those on whom they fell but also for warnings vnto vs to driue vs with Lot out of wicked Sodome to terrifie vs from delighting in sinne and to shew what we must be if wee will be accepted of Him New creatures Wherefore as God requireth so t is necessary in respect of his Threatnings and Judgements that wee should become New Thirdly As in the two former so doth he likewise manifest his expectation in his Promises and Mercies which are as so many gratious Invitations to become New creatures To reckon vp all the promises of God were farre to exceede Saint Paul hath recorded one which may serue for all the rest Come out bee yee separate and touch not the vncleane thing saith the Lord and I will receiue you and will be your father and yee shall be my Sonnes and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty 2. Cor 6.18 If God be once pleased to be our Father wee can then pray for no more then to become obedient children and to bee thankefull this hee hath promised to bee if wee become New creatures before him and his promises faile not for his Mercy will make them good and that lasteth to a thousand generations of them that loue and feare him Exod 20.6 Hence Eternall life is said to be the end of the Commandements Our obedience indeede is the first end thereof as I noted before but that is directed to a second namely our salvation and both vnto a third as the chiefe and principall which is Gods Glory In respect of our selues then the end of the commandement is salvation which God is pleased not only to Promise but also in mercy to make good vnto vs vpon our Newnes in conversation yea therefore are his promises and mercies made knowne
to vs that so with a chearfull readinesse wee might become new creatures before Him for that is the vse which S. Paul makes of them as wee may reade 2. Cor. 7.1 Hauing therefore these Promises saith he namely that God will bee our Father c. as it is in the end of the precedent chapter what must wee therevpon doe Let vs cleanse our selues from all filthinesse perfecting holinesse in the feare of God It is doubtlesse if wee know it our great happinesse that wee haue so many Promises and Mercies proposed to vs and wee must farther know that t is but our bounden duty to embrace them and to make a sanctified vse thereof Hauing therefore such gratious Invitations to become new creatures in the sight of God let vs not cast off his free promises and mercies by growing Old in our sinnes but let vs rather turne to Him who so lovingly inviteth vs who therein plainely shewes that he desireth not our destruction but that we should Returne and Liue this desire of His includeth his expectation of our obedience Wherefore as God expecteth so t is necessary in regard of his promises and mercies that wee should become New Thus haue I laid open my second Reason taken from the expectation of God himselfe which is clearely manifest as it hath beene shewed in His precepts threatnings iudgements promises and mercies by all which wee may see that God requires and that t is therefore vndoubtedly necessary that wee become new creatures Thirdly this necessity will yet farther appeare by a 3d reason drawne from our vocation to the faith of Christ and our Justification by his merits the very end whereof next vnto Gods glory and the salvation of our soules is the Amendment of our liues What is our happinesse in that wee are called to bee the members of Christ we shall never fully vnderstand till we come at the last to receiue the Crowne thereof when wee shall see God face to face and knowe him as we are knowne yet may wee in some measure bee sensible of it for wee know that we are Thereby freed from that Egyptian bondage and Thraldome of sinne as S. Luke for our comfort hath recorded in the words of our Saviour Luke 4.18 19. This day saith Christ is This Scripture fulfilled in your eares but what Scripture That which the Prophet Jsaiah had foretold of him namely that Hee was sent to heale the broken hearted to preach deliverance vnto the captiues and recouering of sight to the blinde and to set at liberty those which are bruised all which benefits acrue to those that are called and made the Iustified members of Christ Wee then haue receiued liberty being made Heires of the covenant of Grace but to what end that wee may doe what we list and walke as we please Shall wee freely sinne because wee are vnder grace S. Paul will take that off with a God forbid Rom 6.15 for that were to turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and to vse our liberty wherevnto we are called or rather to Abuse it for an occasion to the flesh Gal. 5.13 We rather should walke as S. Paul exhorteth his Ephesians cap. 4. v. 1. worthy of the vocation wherewith wee are called wee are made the members of Christ the adopted sonnes of God therefore to make good our calling ought wee to liue as His children His servants not seruing our selues in the flesh but him in the spirit for the immediate end of our conversion is and ought to be a regularity and reforming of our Conversation and therefore in this respect t is likewise necessary that wee should become new Fourthly A fourth reason and that vrgent enough to proue and perswade the same may be taken from the consideration of our owne Condition for if wee looke well at home wee shall every one of vs finde within himselfe à Soule that needs Repentance which may therefore iustly call vpon vs for this Renovation That wee daily sinne I suppose no man so much as doubteth especially if he consider what it is to be the sonne of a transgressing Adam for although a man may bee sine querelâ yet he cannot bee sine peccato as S. Austine speaketh so liue hee may as that the world shall haue but little to say vnto him hee may carry himselfe without offending any and so be accounted with Zacharias blamelesse Luke 1.16 Thus he may bee sine querelâ not deseruing any complaint of man against him yet cannot he be sine peccato without offence against God for Hee will still behold iniquity and that manifold even in his best Actions which indeede without the Advantage of a gratious acceptance could be in themselues nothing but Sinne. Now those sinnes whereof wee stand guilty and which wee daily commit though sometimes we know it not What are they but as so many partition-walls betweene God and vs as S. Bernard calls them which hinder vs from sending vp acceptable prayers vnto Him and stop likewise the beames of his gratious favour from descending downe vpon vs. Christ indeede hath taken away that great wall of separation that our sinnes had made but if wee rightly consider wee shall see that by our daily transgressions Wee doe but seeke as farre as in vs lyeth to build it vp againe and while wee thereby keepe off the mercies of God from vs wee kindle in our hearts nothing but sinfull Lusts Desires which are a fire faith Chrysostome Lachrimis extinguendus that is to bee quenched by the teares of repentance And because we daily sinne therefore saith one our whole life should bee accounted but as one day of Repentance and this Repentance the worke of that whole day And surely while wee neglect this wee either doe or would forget our owne customes which might if well considered bee very vsefull to put vs vpon this course of Renovation for because our Hands daily contract soyle and our houses dust and sometimes decay too doe wee not therefore daily sweepe the one Cleanse the other and Repaire and Build as need requires hence then let vs admonish teach our selues we sweepe and wash and repaire and all because there is neede Looke now into thine owne Soule search the corners of thy heart and if thou haue a Christian eye see What contractions are there what multiplied Heapes of Iniquities what Ruines and Decayes Darkenesse in the vnderstanding Perversenesse in the will and affections good desires well nigh lost and then tell mee if thou haue a christian feeling too whether now thou hast not cause enough to sweepe and cleanse and repaire thy heart by a daily Renovation The world perhaps may tell thee that all is well yet deceiue not thy soule for there is a Conscience within which cannot be bribed that will tell thee t is otherwise and si conscientia criminis mordet laus mundi parumprodest to be soothed vp by sinfull men like vnto thy selfe will but little availe thee when thine owne