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	unfeigned_a	1,824	5	10.8138	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85839	Analysis. The loosing of St. Peters bands; : setting forth the true sense and solution of the covenant in point of conscience so far as it relates to the government of the church by episcopacy. / By John Gauden ...	Gauden, John, 1605-1662.	1660 (1660)	Wing G340; ESTC R202274	13,622	28

ΑΝΑΛΥΣΙΣ THE Loosing of St. Peters Bands Setting forth The true Sense and Solution OF THE COVENANT In point of CONSCIENCE SO FAR As it relates to the Government of the Church by EPISCOPACY By JOHN GAVDEN D. D. Acts 16.26 The foundations of the Prison were shaken the doors opened and every ones bands were loosed 1 Tim. 1.5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned Non est conscientia sine scientia nec pura esse potest si sit caeca Bern. LONDON Printed by J. Best for Andrew Crook at the Green-Dragon in St. Pauls Church-yard 1660. TO His honoured Friend Sir Lawrence Brumfeild Kt. And Colonel in London SIR WEll knowing as St. Bernard speaks The tenderness of conscience how tender and delicate a thing Conscience is how it is not to be baffled or deluded with any Sophistry nor ravished or captivated by any violence and tyranny not cajoled or trepanned by any Policy and hypocrisie but apart from all fraud or force it is then most at its ease freedom and tranquillity when it hath most light and serenity to see its duty also most liberty to act according to those rules of right Reason and Religion which are not partial flexible and mutable but universal fixed and eternal § The rules of Conscience I have here endeavored to give you and others upon your motion that sober sence of the Covenant whereof I believe it is only capable before God before all good Christians and in a mans own wel-informed conscience § Which must and at last will judge of things in point of scruple or obligation not by the occasion beginning them or the power imposing them or the passion clamoring or the multitude applauding or the success abetting or the pertinacy maintaining them Nor yet by the superstition of some men devoutly doting for a while upon that as a goddess or an Image faln from heaven when it may be indeed but the late invention of some cunning work-men whose golden rings and ear-rings being melted in the furnace of Civil wars may sometimes bring forth such a thing as the Authors and Abettors will needs vote to be their God § But the true light and medium of Conscience as to its judgement practice peace and perseverance must be by those clear pregnant and constant beams of right Reason add true Religion which shine in the brightness and stability of Divine and Humane laws which are the solid pillars of Truth the firm supports of duty the sure bounds of obedience and the safe repose of conscience § All other superstructures of fancy policy and Interest as hay straw and stubble will perish but those others will out last the last conflagrations which shall make a fiery trial of all mens thoughts designs and actions both publick and private whether they be made up of popular and peevish dross or of such piety more precious than gold which is both pure and permanent § In this great concern therefore of conscience I must study to be void of all fear and flattery of men Freedom from passion and prejudice in cases of conscience separate from all crowds of passions and prejudices free from popular petitions and the two Houses resolutions from Scottish importunities and English compliances not obnoxious to the Court or the Country to the Assembly or the High-Commission to Episcopal infirmities or Presbyterian insolencies but as in the presence of God and before his Tribunal so serious intent upright and unbyassed shall I declare my judgement to you to your City to my Country and to our most welcome King to my reverend Fathers and brethren of the Clergie and to my dear Mother the Church of England for whose sake nothing must seem hard or too much to be done or suffered by me or any of her Sons since we have the great paterns both of our late Soveraign who suffered as a Martyr in her defence and of our blessed Saviour who was crucified for her redemption § As for my Brethren of the Church of Scotland I confess I understand not their motions or mutations because I think they once enjoyed the best constitutions of Episcopacy in the world I have a Christian pity and charity for them I leave them to that liberty which is the fruit not of the swords and passions of man but of the Word and Spirit of God which clearly unites Loyalty and Religion Duty and Devotion Reformation and Moderation Order and counsel eminency and harmony in one paternal fraternal and filial unity of Bishops Presbyters and People § As to the scruple or case of conscience then with which you tell me The shiness of some mens consciences as to Episcopacy many sober and honest men are by their once taking the Covenant so scared from all complyings with any Church Government under any name of Bishops or notion of Episcopacy never so reformed and regulated that they fear by looking back to the primitive Catholick and universal Government of this and all other antient Churches to be turned into pillars of Apostacy as Lots wife Answers oblique was into a pillar of salt And to prevent which sad Metamorphosis in City and Country my Answer or Resolution in point of Conscience as to the Covenant so far as it relates to Episcopacy is this 1. The Covenants defectiveness as to authority and law First I might shrewdly batter the Covenant by urging the defectiveness of and so the invalidity of any lawful constant or compleat authority in it capable to bind the Subjects or People of England either in the Court of conscience or any other Ecclesiastical or civil Judicature in which nothing can have any permanent bond or tye of Law except Gods Word without the Kings consent no more than the vow of a servant or son a daughter or wife in Moses Law could bind them without Numb 30.2 yea against the declared consent of their Master father or Husband under whose protection they were 2 The violence of the times Secondly I might eccho and retort upon the Covenant the violence and noise of those times in which it was first hatched in England and brought forth by the Midwifery of tumults and Armies of engaged yea enraged parties and factions whose wrath and policies were not probbale to work the righteousness of God nor did they seem good Angels which troubled our waters to an healing but evil ones sent in Gods just anger amongst us to turn our waters into blood 3. The novelty of it as to our laws Thirdly I might further urge the novelty and partiality of the Covenant as the English Laws and genius that it was from a foraign influence and design first invented then obtruded on this Church and State contrary to our antient Laws and constitutions both ecclesiastical and civil to which King and People were bound till by mutual consent they were altered which was never yet done in the point of

Episcopacy 4. The sad and tragique consequences of it Fourthly It might seem odious to reflect upon this Covenant as to the sad effects and unblest consequents which like black shadows have attended its appearing and prevailing in England and in Scotland too What havocks followed in Church and State what improsperities disorders contempts confusions wars spoils and bloodshed upon all estates and degrees besides the contempt of Religion the neglect of Sacraments the expulsion of the Liturgie and the aviling no less than dividing of Ministers who instead of Okes and cedars of God formerly frequent in this Church I mean Divines of great gravity and excellent learning worthy of double honor everywhere shrunk and dwindled to Plebeian shrubs and popular parasities the pitty of the more pious and scorn of the more petulant sort of men 5. The baflings and annullings of it by counter engagements Fifthly Nor will I insist upon the bafflings of the Covenant before it was adult or many years old how it was soon made Nehustan and reduced to nothing by counter and cross engagements after it had served as one of the great rocks for the Kings shipwrack no less than the Churches and States nor did the Covenant ever thrive after it was watered with the Kings blood wherein many men had an hand who had been zealous Covenanters If it was so easily vacated in point of its express loyalty for the Kings Preservation I do not see how it should be so binding in the case of abjuring or extirpating of all Episcopacy though reformed and regulated as it ought to be 6. ●ts variating from if not crossing former lawful Oathes of King and people Sixthly Wherein it is very considerable how the Covenant if so interpreted must needs grate sore upon and pierce to the very quick those former lawful oathes which had prepossessed the souls and consciences of most of us in England not only of Subjects as those of Allegiance and Supremacy besides that of Ministerial canonical obedience to our lawful superiors in Church and State but even the conscience of the late King as he was bound by his Oath at his Coronation to preserve the rights and franchises of the Church which the King rather than break as some men urged him chose to die and lose all in this world as he declared to many at the Isle of Wight and to Mr. Marshal with others at Newcastle from which Oaths as we know no absolution so nor can there be any superfetation of such a contradictory Vow and covenant without apparent perjury which we presume the Covenant never intended nor included or if it did it is therein of no bond or validity as to any good mans conscience against previous lawful oaths which must be kept 7 It threatens dangerous Schism Seventhly Besides if the Covenant were designed as wilfully exclusive and totally abjuring of all Episcopal order and Government in this Church of England it must needs run us upon a great rock not only of Novelty but of Schism and dash us both in opinion and practice against the judgement and custom of the Catholick Church in all places and ages till of later years from the Apostles days with whom we ought to keep communion in all things of so antient tradition and universal observation nor may we so comply with a few reformed Churches of later daies whose want but not contempt of Bishops also the necessity of times and distress of affairs put upon them either by the policies of Princes or the impatience and prejudice of people or the covetousness and sacriledge of both may excuse while they approve and venerate Episcopacy in others yet with these we must not so comply as to put a reproach scandal scruple or affront upon all other Christian Churches at this day in all the world among whom not one ever was of old or is to this day in any Kingdom to be found without their Bishops as derived by the succession of all times from the Apostles nor is the abolishing of Episcopacy a small wall of partition newly set up to keep all Papists from due Reformation 8. The ●est sense and use of the Covenant Eighthly I might further add how much more equal and ingenuous loyal and religious were it for all sober-meaning Covenanters to reduce and confine their consciences as well as their Covenant from such an extravagant disloyal unlawfull enormious and Schismatical sense to which some do wrest and torture it in which it could neither be lawfully taken nor can be kept with honesty as against all Episcopacy and rather to retire to that sober sense wherein alone it might lawfully be taken if it had been imposed by due authority or were spontaneously assumed which sense can reach no further than those abusive excesses or defects of Church Government under Bishops so far as they were really such either by the inconvenience of the constitutions and customs in England or at least as they appeared such to these Covenanters as to the execution of that authority through the faults or infirmities of some Bishops and their instruments who possibly were not so worthy and good or not so wise and discreet as became Christian Bishops or Ecclesiastical Governors of Christs Church But it is a most irreligious as well as unreasonable Ametry transport for men to covenant against all the right use of things that are good because of the abuse incident to them by men or times that may be evil 9. It s pretended authority-from examples in the O. Test Ninethly It were easie to level to the ground all those fair but fallacious pretences drawn to fortifie the Covenant from Scripture examples wherein the Jews sometimes solemnly renewed their Covenant with God But it was that express Covenant which God himself had first made with them in Horeb and Mount Sina punctually prescribed by God to Moses and by Moses as their supream Governor or King imposed upon them this they sometime renewed after they had broken it by their apostacy to false and strange gods But blessed be God this was not the case of the Church or people of England nor was there any need of such covenanting any more then there was any Moses or Hezekiah or Josiah or any chief Governor commanding it Nor alas was this Covenant any divine dictate or Soveraign prescription but the petty composition of a few politick men Subjects not Princes and very mean Subjects too some of them either as Lawyers or Ministers a great part of whom I and others well knew to be no very great Clerks or Statesmen and fitter for a country Cure than to contrive and compose Solemn Leagues and Covenants to be imposed upon Churches and Kingdoms yea and upon their Kings too in whose Dominions were many thousands equals and Superiors to those Masters whose heads rather than their hearts and their State correspondencies more than their consciences brought forth this Covenant 10. No evangelical example of any such Covenant in any Christian Church of