Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	holy_a	sin_n	sin_v	2,051	5	9.4946	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44800	Mistery Babylon the mother of harlots discovered her rise, and when, with many of her sorceries, with her merchants of divers orders, and ranks, and merchandize of divers sorts this many hundred years, also her last merchants, with their delicate merchandise discovered : in answer to a book tituled The directory for the publick worship of God through England, Scotland, and Ireland, which now is the chief traffick her last reformed merchants trades with, in all these nations / published by F.H.	Howgill, Francis, 1618-1669.	1659 (1659)	Wing H3173; ESTC R16766	30,606	42

be not streightned Answ. As for reading the Scripture it is a thing so harmless and honest and just and good that I wish that all their whole Ordinances so called had been all waved and given place to this and if it were read oftner to the people without adding or diminishing the understandings of people would be more opened then by their cloudy and dark packt up speeches which is called preachin● but preaching I am not against that is to say to declare the mind of God as it is revealed by his Eternal Spirit to and in them that speaks and why do you pref●r one part of your Worship before another Was not a Psalm in the Church of Co●inth acceptable unto God when it was sung in the Spirit and with understanding as good as an Interpretation And was not Prophesie as acceptable as speaking with Tongues if your Expounding so called of the Scripture be by the Spirit of God why should that give way to a sprinkling of an Infant till the Spirit cease to speak in him that spake by it Direct The next pie●e of Merchandize is of their publike prayer bef●re Sermon and to pray after this manner to acknowledge your great sinfulness by your Original sin which makes you liable to everlasting damnatio● and doth defile your best ●ctions if it were not re●●roined by Gods grace as in page the fift●enth Answ. What is Original sin unwasht away and is a deprived nature alive that poysons all your faculties and defiles your best actions What is not this taken away yet then you have confounded your Orthodox Doctrine or else never have been bapti●ed when you were Infants For did not you use to say that when an Infant was sprinkled that he was regenerate and born again and ingrafted into the body of Christs Congregation And furthermore to give thanks to God on this wise we yeeld thee hearty thanks that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this Infant and to receive it for thy own child by Adoption and to incorporate this child into thy own Congregation then seeing that all that are baptized are regenerate as you say how is it that original sin and the guilt is not taken away and how is it that the best of your actions is defiled for Regeneration is a cleansing work and the actions of the Regenerate are pure and holy but your best actions are defiled then you are not Regenerate by your own Doctrine and if Sin be restrained by Gods grace then Actions do not defile for Grace is one that which restrains and that which saves for it s written by Grace you are saved and if you are restrained from Sin or saved by Grace then your Actions would not be defiled what ●ankered rusty merchandize is this but I shall proceed to shew more of the like nature Direct The next Doctrine is to conf●ss your actual sins the sins of your Magistrates Ministers and whole Nation and how that you have broken all the holy just ●aws of God doing that which is forbidden and leaving undone that which is injoyned and not only ignorantly but presumptuously against the light of our minds and checks of our Consciences but also despising Gods forbearance and standing out against all the offers of Grace in the Gospel Answ. Was not the baptized Infant incorporated into a holy Congregation and now you confessed you are a sinfull Congregation not only ignorant but presumptuous also and have sinned against the light of your minds and the light of your Consciences what is there any thing in your minds or consciences worth taking notice of what will the light in the Conscience shew sin and reprove for it then how is it that you Merchants of this Rank cryes out against it as delusion and heretical Doctrine when any exhorts them that they sin not against the light of their own Consciences and if you stand out against all Gods invitations and offers of Grace then are you none of Christs Ministers And never blame me for calling you Babylons-merchants for the Ministers and Disciples of Christ they came at Christs invitation and Peter and John left their Nets and followed Christ when he invited them and they resisted not the offers of Grace but received it when it was offered and were saved by it and if you walk so unworthy of him in your selves then repent and cease carrying abroad such trumpery as this to deceive the People withall Direct In the sixteen Page you Reformers say you ought to bewaile your blindness of mind and hardness of heart and unbelief impenitency secureness lukewarmness and barrenness and not endeavouring mortification nor to keep your garments unspotted Answ. You had need to bewaill your state indeed if this be it but see that you be not Hypocrites to confess that before the Lord and your Congregation and if any say you are hard-hearted unbelievers you deny it again and so ma●e your lives transgress and your ●ongues utter forth deceit what is such a company of blind minds and hard-hearted Impenitent unbelieving secure lukewarm barren whom God will spue out of his mouth who doth not so much as endeavour after mortification nor to keep your selves unspotted and have broken promises and vows and covenants That ever such a company as you should carry a Ship at Sea or think in your hearts to give directions to others to reform when you are unreformed your selves and full of unbelief what people will take directions at such a company of heart-blind Guides as you If this be Reformation what is Deformity the wise in heart may judge of this merchandize Direct Yet you say notwithstanding in the 18th page let us draw near to the Throne of Grace and incourage our selves with hope of a gracious Answer of our Prayer● Answ. He that sits upon the Throne of Grace before whose face the Heavens and the Earth shall fly away he will reject your Offering notwithstanding all the encouragement you may take to your selves and how can you have hope to receive a gracious Answer its but the hope of the Hypocrite you that are blind in mind and hard in heart and doth not so much as endeavour after mortificaon David a messenger of God said If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear my Prayers and you that are so presumptuous and are so full of vain hopes as to think that God will hear your Prayers who are in unbelief and endeavours not after mortification he will send you empty away Direct The next Doctrine is about preaching the word the subject of his Sermon is to be some Text of Scripture sutable to some emergent occasions and he may go on in some Chapter or Psalm as he shall think fit Answ. Here Reader thou mayest take notice these Artificers of the last edition have traffique of divers sorts to fit the several places and occasions as when they come before some Princes or Courtiers or some Convocations or Councels then some great swelling words

and new ●oyned expressions and rhe●o●ical speeches and P●ilosophical phrases this will go off at a good rate and by this the Merchant may procure his Discourse to be printed which may procure his fame and renown among ignorant people besides it may be he gets profit by printing his Sermon setting all set-wages tythes salleries aside but if it be amongst poor Count●y people or an odde corner of the Land then any ordinary traffi●ue a Sermon which it may be he hath sold four times over this will go off among ignorant people and make them more ignorant and as you say a Text out of the ●salms or any other Scripture as the Mi●ister shall thinks fit will serve to treat upon Reader thou mayest take notice that here is no notice taken of the holy Ghost or Spirit what it thinks fit but what he that preaches hath ready must go off and counted as fit for that people Direct And in the 36 Page your Direction is to the Merchant not to rest in general Doctrine but come to particular application whi●h is a work of gre●t diffi●ul●y to himself requiring prudence and moderation and to the natural corrupt man it will be very unpleasant Answ. The Doctrines and the Applications of the natural corrupt man will not be profitable nor powerfull at all upon the Hearers neither will disarm the thoughts of the heart at all and you that gives prescriptions to natural corrupt men what to preach who sets them about performing the work of God that knows it not are very ignorant for the natural man understands not the things of God and the corrupt man in heart sees not God and he that understands not the things of God must needs preach a devination of his own brain Well let who will take this traffi●ue the Children of light will have none of it it may be such husks as these will satisfie a herd of swine and so let them take it Direct And you say he that preaches is to be perswaded in his own heart that all that he teaches is the truth and that he is to walk before his flock as an example Answ. How is he like to be perswaded in his own heart that sins presumptiously against the checks of his own conscience And you set examples indeed but they are but bad ones would you have your flock to follow your example would you have every one of your flock to have a long Gown or a long Robe and make them all like Cardinals Princes Would you have every one to have a Ring on his finger and a company of Points at his knees like a Besom and a company of Ribons and Cuffs like a Fidler Or would you have any of your Flock to come and fetch away a yoak of your oxen or a couple of your horses or take his Teem and come into your field break down the hedges and throw open the gates and load his waggon with corn if one could not pay it him for conscience sake Or would you be sewed up two hundred miles into a Court for a Tythe Hen worth four pence or six pence and thrown into the Fleet a year or two for four or five shillings Many such evidences and examples we have from you you late Reformers but to the light in all consciences I leave to judge which you have presumptiously sinned against what examples you are to your flocks Direct And now Reader I come to prayer after Sermon and thou shalt see what traffique is there The Minister is to give thanks for the bl●ssing received as Election V●cation Adoptio● Justification and hope of glory and likewise to turn the heads of his Sermons into some few Petitions and after to pray for the preparation for death and to entreat of God to forgive the iniquity of your holy things Answ. ●ere Reader thou mayst see as bad Merchandi●e as the story of the Lady of Laureita or the story of Saint Francis which the begging Fryers your fellow-merchants traffique withall First you give thanks for Election Vocation ●ustification and hope of Glory and afterwards to pray for the forgiveness of the iniquity of your holy things How are your things holy when they are full of iniquity and sinful Is that which is holy iniquity and sinful Or is that which is iniquity and sinful holy Are they Elected Justified Adopted and Sanctified whose sins are not blotted out whose iniquities are not forgiven let the wise in heart judge of this dream What are not they well prepared for death that are Elected Adopted Justified and Sanctified but they must needs have your prayers full of iniquity will that prepare them better What ignorance is here And where learned you this Article of ●aith to turn the heads of the Sermon into Petitions let the wise judge Was not Prophesie one thing and Prayer another But now Prophesie must be turned into Prayer and Prayer into Prophesie Sermons into Petitions and Petitions into Sermons what mangl'd traffique is this Direct In the 38. page this kind of prayer fore-mentioned ended a Psalm may be sung if it be convenient if some other Ordinance doth not follow Answ. Then it seems that your Psalm is no Ordinance but if it be it must give way however if the Priest thinks fit God must have no prayers at that time it may be sprinkling of an Infant may serve in stead Direct And now I come to the great Ordinance Infants Baptisme falsly so called In the 40. page the Minister is to use some words touching the Institution how that it was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ that Infants should be Baptized and that it is a Seal of the Covenant of Grace and of our grafting into Christ and of our union with him and of remission of sins Regeneration Adoption and Eternal Life Answ. Reader Take notice Christ never sent them forth as Ministers to tell lies as to say he ordained that which he never did And furthermore thou may take notice that the Spirit of the Lord is turned out of doors there is no place for it outward water with which the Infant is sprinkled hath taken up the authority and the work of the Spirit the Ministers of Christ declared that the Spirit of Promise and the Spirit of Truth was the Seal of the Covenant of Grace and remission of sins Regeneration and Adoption and that the Faith and the Spirit is the Seals of Eternal Life But these Reformers hath excluded both and have set up a beggerly Element in the room let the spiritual man judge what kind of traffique this is Direct And in the 42. page that children by Baptisme are received into the Bosome of the Church distinguished from the world Answ. Now what kind of a Church yours is and what kind of a bosome your Church hath distinct from the world the wise in heart may judge You have confessed that Magistrates Ministers and the whole Nation doth not so much as endeavour after mortification and a newness of