Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	heaven_n	hell_n	worm_n	1,015	5	11.0094	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53432	The best guide in the worst of times delivered in a sermon at the Guild-Hall Chappel on March 27, 1681 before the honourable the aldermen and several eminent citizens of the city of London / by William Orme ...	Orme, William.	1681 (1681)	Wing O437; ESTC R23123	28,642	60

the Redeemer A voice or sound from Heaven was heard by all the Apostles on the day of Pentecost and it was to confirm our Faith in the Holy Ghost the Comforter A voice from Heaven was heard by Peter in his Vision and it was to confirm our Faith in the Holy Catholick Church A voice from Heaven was heard by John in this place and it was to confirm our Faith concerning the life everlasting and the blessedness of those that die in the Lord it was a sweet comfortable reviving voice it made amends for the sad cry of that voice we hear of Isai 40. 6. All flesh is grass and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field the grass withereth the flower fadeth because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it surely the people is grass Whereas the voice heard by Isaiah the Prophet struck all the living dead the voice heard by John the Evangelist makes all the dead in the Lord alive and blessed This voice confirms Christs promise and our assurance of blessedness in the Life to come He promises us that if we will hear his voice believe in him and repent of our sins we shall have Life eternal and never come into condemnation but pass from death to life and to assure us he will be as good as his promise he sent this voice from Heaven to tell us that they that die in the Lord shall live again and be Blessed for ever This Heavenly truth is ever to be remembred and therefore the voice bid John commit it to writing Write say's the voice blessed are the dead which die in the Lord a sentence worthy to be writ by an Angel in letters of Gold never to be Obliterated but to remain legible to all succeeding Generations that all may read understand and receive comfort The voice from Heaven commanded John to Write How then dare any Papist say that the Evangelists and Apostles had no command from God to write their Gospels and Epistles but that they wrote upon the intreaty of some Friends or some emergent occasions when St. Paul saith All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and St. Peter That Prophecy came not by the will of man but Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost And St. John That the voice commanded him to Write and telling him what he should write namely Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord c. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. Blessedness is a thing that every man naturally desires and seeks after but in determining what it is and wherein it consists there is a great dispute some placing it in pleasure some in honour some in riches some in knowledge some in vertue St. Austin's Observation out of Varro is well known that there are between two and three hundred several Opinions concerning the Soveraign Good in the enjoyment of which Blessedness consists But among Christians it is agreed upon as an unquestionable truth that the supream Good which alone can make men blessed is God and that he may be enjoyed both in this life and the life to come The present enjoyment of him here in this life is termed the blessedness of the way the blessedness of expectation the blessedness of Grace the Future enjoyment of him hereafter in the life to come is termed the blessedness of the country the blessedness of fruition the blessedness of glory The blessedness of this life is so imperfect that it is scarce to be termed Blessedness we being so compassed about with sin and temptation trouble and sorrow No man is truly happy before death for that is the passage to a blessed life Though death be called an enemy and a terrible thing yea of all terrible things the most terrible yet this is but in respect of Nature for to men in the state of Grace it is but a rest from their Labours and an entrance into Blessedness But if this be so that the dead are the only Blessed Why say some do we not die that we may be Blessed like as Scipio hearing his Father tell of these Glories the Soul enjoys in immortality say'd why do I tarry thus long upon earth why do not I hasten to die No death is to be waited not hasted They that hasten their own death to avoid shame with Achitophel or to fly the terror of a guilty conscience with Judas or to prevent an intended villany with Pelagia or to be thought valorous with Rasis or to gain immortality with Cato Vlicensis and some others who hearing of the immortality of the Soul made-away themselves to go the sooner to that Immortality they that hasten their dissolution and prevent Nature are guilty of self-murther die in their sins and are therefore Accursed It is not sayd Blessed are all that die no it is far otherwise for they that die in their sins shall loose the vision and fruition of Almlghty God the society of Angels and Saints the joyes and pleasures of Heaven and they shall be cast into Hell the place of darkness torment and woe there to suffer unquenchable flames a worm never dying that is to say the perpetual guilt of a tormenting conscience binding in chains of misery conversing with Devils weeping and howling and gnashing of teeth to all Eternity but blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. And if the dead are Blessed then it follows that they are in being Non entis nulla est affectio that which hath no being hath no property but the dead have this property that they are Blessed therefore they must needs be alive again dead they may be to the world but alive to God for he is not a God of the dead but of the living for all live unto him Luke 20. 38. Hence we may likewise gather something to verifie that saying of the Apostle Death is swallowed up in Victory for being there can be no felicity where death hath a victory the dead's being blessed shews they have got a conquest and victory over death and therefore thanks be given to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ But here a doubt ariseth What is meant by dying in the Lord Some render the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Lord So Beza Domini causa vel propter Dominum in the Lords cause or for the Lord. Mede renders it as Beza does saying the Greek particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denotes the cause for which they died namely for the Lord and his cause but so Martyrs only are blessed That Martyrs are blessed is a truth sure and certain for our Saviour himself saith He that loseth his life for my sake and the Gospels shall find it But though Martyrs have a certain and a great share in this blessedness and though their Crowns may be deck'd with richer Jewels than other mens yet others may have Crowns and a proportionable share of Glory as well as they And therefore others do