Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A44414
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A sermon preach'd before my lord major at Guild-Hall Chappel on the 30th of Octob., 1681 by George Hooper ...
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Hooper, George, 1640-1727.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing H2705; ESTC R4457
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20,330
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39
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their doctrine does not at last determine and center here it is Christian Religion falsely so called it is counterfeit and has not to it the Witness of the Holy Ghost 1 Tim. 1.5 The end of the Commandment is Charity out of a pure Heart and good Conscience and Faith unfeign'd Gal. 5.6 for in Jesus Christ neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love So Contradictorily do they Act to our holy Religion who think they may be malicious disorderly false perjur'd in its defence so little do they consider the Nature of God who consecrate their wicked Passions and offer the Service of their Hatred and Anger to his Name who like the Pope give Absolution to all Lusts that List themselves in a pretended holy War For the Works of the flesh are manifest says our Apostle which are these Adultery Fornication Lasciviousness Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Variance Aemulations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings Murders Drunkenness Revellings and such like of the which I tell you before as I have also told you in Times past that they who do such Things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God But as the Text continues the Fruit of the Spirit is Love c. By this Fruit are all Christians to be Sav'd But 2. Those are oblig'd to abound in this Fruit in a more particular manner who make a more peculiar claim to the Holy Spirit Those that pretend to the Gifts of the Holy Ghost happy are they if they have attain'd them They seem sensible of those blessed Influences every good Christian is to expect and to Cherish And pretend to no more then what is necessary to the Salvation of each Believer Neither is he yet partaker in any Measure of the Heavenly gift that shall Envy it to any that are called by the Name of Christ Such a thought suits neither with the Love of God nor of his Brother Would God that all the Lords people were Prophets Num. 11.29 said the meek Moses when those that shar'd of the Spirit were too to have their part in the Government Besides that the Holy Ghost himself has inform'd us in his first Speech after his Descent how largely he intended his Bounty The Promise says he by the mouth of St. Peter is made to you and to your Children Acts 2.39 and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall Call God fulfill his Gracious Promise and make all these Partakers of the Gift that own it But on the other side because a good Opinion of one's self may be taken for the Holy Ghost and we may not impose only on others but our selves because there cannot be a more dangerous delusion then to mistake the lying Spirit for the Spirit of Truth and to be Possessed instead of being Inspir'd we are therefore commanded to make Tryal of the Spirits whether they be of God When then the Holy Spirit its self is content to be tryed he will betray a great want of it that is not meek enough to submit to the Examination And here too the Proof is to be by the Product By their Fruits too shall ye know the Spirits And the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Life will not fail presently to discover it self by sensible signs by strong vital indications But the Effects we are to Expect are not Miracles Curing of the sick or Raising of the Dead they were Illustrious signs of the Divine presence are not heard of after the first Ages nor mentioned here They are not Talents of Eloquence and Discourse Copiousness of Language or a fluent Volubility in publick this seems to be of the same kind with the Gift of Tongues and to have been but of Temporary use here we are sure not expressed They are no other then those you find recounted in our Text they are Love Joy Peace c. Things not so glorious indeed in the Eyes of Carnal men but the most proper most natural Effects of the Holy Ghost as visible Marks and as Convincing Proofs of his Presence as the louder and seemingly more mighty Works He then that lays a more particular Claim to the Possession of the Holy Spirit is to shew it by a Love more exalted towards God and more enlarg'd toward man extended in all its Dimensions Height Breadth Length and Depth to God our Soveraign in chief to his Vicegerent to all Magistrates all Superiors to Equals on all sides and Inferiors of all kinds He is to do Miracles of Charity to be a wonder of Contentedness Peaceableness Gentleness Lowlyness and Condescention His mighty works will be in Temperance Goodness and Fidelity The Fathers of the Hermites of Syria are said to have try'd the Spirit of an Anchorite of a new kind in one of these Qualifications in Meekness if he shew'd Submission and Humility they Presum'd the singularity of his Posture guilty of no Affectation nor Design We may make a more certain Judgment from all these signs the Text affords us Nor will it be a Difficult thing to view the Conversation of men and to discern whether their behaviour be more quiet and Peaceable whether they are Patient freer from murmuring and Complaint Easie Gentle and Tractable not Censorious nor Backbiters not Proud nor disobedient not given to the World and its desires to Ambition Covetousness or Cernality Happy is he on whom the difference is found against him there is no Law He is to be Cherished and esteem'd by all to be Blessed and imitated by all good men But on the contrary when a man is readier to Hate then to Love so far from affecting his Brother for God's sake that he endures not his next Image upon Earth his immediate Representative so full of Rancour and Malice that the abundance of the Heart breaks out at the Mouth where one searches for Occasions of Complaint and is fond of Grievance and Discontent is weary of Peace wishes and prepares for War so little Long suffering that he is under Indulgence as if he were under Persecution Insolent Provoking despising Dominion pardoning not the least defects tho in his Father and Prince Calumniating Slandering Libelling even Autority it self making and delighting in a Lye suborning Falshood and Confounding truth Heady Refractory and disobedient The Evidences against this man's Pretences are so great that did he work Miracles they must find no Credit they too must be ascribed not to the blessed Spirit but to him that works in the Children of Disobedience To assign them to a Divine cause would be a Slander against the Righteousness of God would be to Blaspheme against the Holy Ghost If there are among ye strifes and Envying and Seditions are ye not Carnal and walk as men In the name then of God and of Religion let men in Pretences of so high a Nature at least dissemble well let there be some colour of Love some disguise of Gentleness Humility and Obedience let men see something of the
scattered abroad and left to the Place the name of Confusion So that altho it is not fit to perswade to these Graces from the advantages of Commerce for they are gifts of the Holy Spirit and to desire them on any Temporal account and to make Merchandize of them would be a Crime against the Holy Ghost and truely Simony yet however their proper Intrinsick worth may be sensibly understood by their visible Consequences and their Beauty will appear by the Comparison of their opposite Vices The certain Effects of the one are Poverty Ruin and Desolation And the natural tendency of the other to Riches Honour and Prosperity With these the spiritual Graces will probably bless us but they will too make us Happy without them for they are able alone to give us the best Joy and surest Satisfaction â—here and they only can consign to us Everlasting Happiness hereafter III. We shall therefore in the third Place consider the greater Obligations we have to beg of the holy Spirit to produce this Fruit in us And 1. As Christians in general For this is the Fruit which if the Tree beareth not it will hereafter be hew'd down and cast into the Fire And indeed we take only a Name in Baptisme and begin thence to be called Christians only for distinction sake on Earth for in Heaven it will give none except a real Change is made in the Person said to be regenerate and the Holy Ghost enters into the Temple so purified by Sprinkling For by Baptisme we are cut off from the Old stock and grafted into the Body of Christ but so as to close and grow and bear Fruit. By it we are indeed dead unto all former Sin but dead too and Lifeless we continue except we are quickned by his free Spirit Man in Baptism being like Adam new form'd and as yet but Clay expecting the breath of his No 〈…〉 and this we have seen was the Method of the 〈◊〉 our Saviour received and the Apostles gave when the new planted Disciples were Watered then 〈◊〉 the Spirit and gave the Increase We therefore that have not been baptized with the Baptism of John only Act. 19. but know there is a Holy Ghost ought to know our selves for true Christians by the true distinctive Character its proper Fruit not by a search into a Baptismal Register but by what we find in our selves of these Graces by the Seal of the Spirit Our Title to the Name is not good but after this Confirmation Neither are we at our grown Age to take our selves for Believers if we stood at the Creed not only to declare our Assent but in the posture of those Warlike Christians with Swords drawn in its desence the true judgement of our Faith is not only whether it be Resolute and Obstinate for that may be from a willful Mind but whether the belief of the Divine Existence be so Lively the Representation of his Perfections so clear and distinct the Sence of his Love to us so great and engaging as to oblige our mutual Affection to Possess us with a delight no oother Joy can equal a Quiet and Satisfaction not to be interrupted here below to inflame us with a Love for all his Images the whole Race of mankind to disengage our Minds from all earthly Pleasures and meaner Satisfactions admitting no Rival with our God This is the Catholick Apostolick Faith and who ever believes so shall not perish everlastingly Such a Faith as this so well Rooted and so Fruitful if it does differ in some lesser Speculative points yet is not like to be mis-informed long Its Meekness disposes it for Instruction Philip. 3.15 and its Fidelity is ready to Confess the mistake And if in any thing he is otherwise minded yet God the giver of all good and perfect Gifts and who has given to him those other already will reveal even this unto him And however if the Error shall be suffer'd to continue it will produce no ill Effect under the Governance of Peace Long-suffering and Gentleness And this stain may be Purg'd at last by the Fire of Love as others are said to be by that of Martyrdom If then we find those Qualities bestow'd upon us happy are we for the present and secure for the Future they are Gifts in their own Value inestimable but they are too Earnests of a greater of our eternal Inheritance the Redemption of the purchas'd Possession And as the first of these Graces the Love of God is the most natural Effect the most certain Argument of a Christian Faith So that we love God intirely and solidly not in Fancy only and conceit in a holy Dream the best Proofs we can produce are its genuine results the Fruit here mentioned Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Fidelity c. And if in this age of Distinctions we would discriminate betwixt those that are Christians and those that are not Our Saviour has given us a Text St. Joh. 13.35 By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye Love one another In vain shall ye pretend the love of God or of his Son St Joh. 4.20 if it be not seen on your Brethren He that says he loves God and hates his Brother is a Lyar. Says the loving and beloved Apostle A Lyar as great as he that should say he loved his Brother and yet was provoked on the next Occasion never would Pardon him the least fault and refus'd him the smallest kindness as great a Lyar as he that should pretend Meekness and Faithfulness and yet be guilty of Treason and Rebellion By that Mark the Christians of old were known Behold how they love one another said the Heathen admiring their Unanimity ignorant of the Spirit by which they were lead of the Graces which so inclin'd them but if one of those Heathen had been acquainted with their powerful principle of Love and yet had afterwards found them Discontented Mutinous Revengefull Factious Passionate he might have cryed out Behold how they hate one another with greater Admiration The Qualities of the Text are the proper disposition of a Christian Mind They are the Life and Soul of our Holy Religion all its Precepts all its Institutions tend only to produce and cherish this Fruit. For all the Revelations of the Scripture are nothing else but Discoveries of God's Love to us to create in us a Love for him and all its commands have no other intention then that this our Love to God should be exemplifi'd in Affection to our Brethren and demonstrated by our Indifference for all worldly Pleasures This is the sum the spirit of the Christian Religion into this we are baptiz'd for this the Holy Ghost descends and this Love the Blessed Supper feeds by the pledges of Christ's Love the continual remembrance of his Death to our great and endless comfort And however men may refine in their pretences and be singular in their Denominations and titles of purer Professions if