Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	humane_a	law_n	obligation_n	1,134	5	9.8189	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79832	Seventeen sermons preach'd upon several occasions By William Clagett, D.D. late preacher to the Honourable Society of Grays Inn, and one of His Majesty's chaplains in ordinary. With the summ of a conference, on February 21, 1686. between Dr. Clagett and Father Gooden, about the point of transubstantiation. The third edition. Vol. I.	Clagett, William, 1646-1688.; Gooden, Peter, d. 1695. aut; Sharp, John, 1645-1714.	1699 (1699)	Wing C4398; ESTC R230511	209,157	515

share of corrupted nature but he that walks with God is ruled by a Principle that doth not only improve what is good in his Nature but mends what is bad in it It is also a great deal more than to observe Humane Laws since the Laws of Men can do no more than restrain People from being intolerably bad and such as Humane Society cannot bear He that believes in God submits to just Authority for Conscience sake but the Case hath often happened when for the same Conscience sake such a one hath done his Duty by refusing to do what the Law of Man required which is a plain argument that Human Authority is not the Rule of Perfection and that we must live by an higher Principle than that of Obedience to Man if we live in all respects as we ought to do It is something more than to govern our Intentions and Actions by doing well for our selves in this World For although integrity and well-doing in all kinds of Duty is generally the best way to prosperity in this Life yet sometimes the contrary happens and more is to be got by Flattery and Falshood than by Honesty and Sincerity nay it is the inordinate desire of the Prosperity of this World that still makes Men do base and wicked things and therefore the regard of our ease and advantage here cannot be the true Principle of Virtue And if we should bring every other reason of doing what we ought to do to the Tryal every other reason besides that of Faith will be found very defective and insufficient and such as will lead a Man to evil as well as to good as it happens But a sense of God with the belief of all his Perfections and all his Promises and Threatnings makes a Man every way and in every respect what he ought to be because it shews him all his Duty and obliges him to all his Duty and while he is under the Power of his Faith he is steddy in the right way not to be moved out of it by any Temptation but whether it be opportunity invites or danger threatens what Temptation soever sets upon him he will say with Joseph How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God Setting aside Faith it may bear dispute whether it be adviseable or no in such or such a Case to do what becomes a Righteous and Virtuous Man but let a Man live by Faith in God and there can be no dispute about it Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and walk in the fight of thine eyes and the imagination of thy heart that is were there nothing else to be considered but Pleasure nothing but Wealth and Greatness but the Splendor of this World and the gratifying of a Lust this Liberty might possibly be made to appear not so very unreasonable But know that for all these things God will bring thee to Judgment That to be sure turns the Case and answers every Objection against our Duty and every Argument for any Sin and therefore he that walks with God doth all his Duty otherwise is good in all kinds and in every place where his business lies or where his Temptations lie For God is in all his thoughts in all his Affairs in all his Company and in his retirement from Company God's Word is with him that Word of God which shews him his Duty upon all occasions and which shews him the Rewards of doing what is commanded and the Punishments of Disobedience and the sense of his Presence is with him that sense which fills him with Life and Joy in well-doing especially where the Temptation to Sin is very great and which would dismay him and make him a burden to himself if he should act contrary to his clear and setled Judgment of what he ought to do In short to walk with God is to be universally good and righteous which no Man can be but he who lives by Faith Hence it is that we find God himself encouraging the Father of the Faithful to go on in his way of Piety and Vertue as hitherto he had done Walk before me and be thou perfect chap. 17 v. 1. That is Be thou still ruled by my Word still believe my Promises and Trust my Providence and in all that thou doest be mindful of this that I am with thee and then shalt thou be perfect An Example to all Generations of Virtue as well as of Piety and of all good Works no less than of a firm Faith Hence it is that the wise Man tells us that by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil Prov. 16.6 and that the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of Death Prov. 14.27 And St. John This is the victory that overcometh the World even our Faith 1 John 5.4 I have thus shewn what is meant by the Character of Enoch when it is said that he walked with God viz. That his regard to God was the over-ruling Principle of all his Actions and that because he was Governed by Faith he lived also in the constant Practice of his Duty in all relations whatsoever this being the only Principle that makes a Man in every respect what he ought to be I proceed 2. To say something concerning the end he made in this World He was not for God took him which place is thus explained by the Author to the Hebrews chap. 11. v. 5. That Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him i. e. he died not but was translated alive into Heaven and it was a strange surprize to the Age in which he lived who by his sudden removal from them and their hearing no more of him were convinced that it was God who had taken him to a better Life Now that which we are in this place to consider is the instruction so singular an Act of Providence afforded to the World and there are these Two ends to which it manifestly served viz. That that Age might be awakened into the consideration of another Life by so surprizing a Testimony thereof as this was and withal that they might by so sensible an Argument be led to consider that the true Reward of Piety and Integrity was not in this World but in a better 1. There was this Instruction in the Translation of Enoch which the World could not but take notice of That there was undoubtedly another life after this to which he was taken Soul and Body having left no part of himself behind him here as other Mortals did And by this time such an instruction was grown very needful For the World tho it was yet in its Youth and Vigour was grown old enough for Men to forget their Creator and to abandon themselves for the most part to a Voluptuous and Dissolute Life And that this is no uncertain Conjecture appears from hence that Enoch was translated but Sixty nine Years before Noah was born in

and Curse of God may fall upon us I do not think that the invoking of Divine Vengeance if we swerve from the Truth is only consequent upon Swearing according to the Opinion of some learned Men but also that it belongs to the very Essence of an Oath for that should seem to be essential to it which if it were removed the fear of Perjury would be taken away with it But no Man doubts that appealing to God as a Judge is implied in appealing to him as a Witness Hence it is that the Septuagint sometimes useth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Curse for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Oath Said Abraham to his Servant Gen. 24.41 Thou shalt be free from this my Oath But the Septuagint render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou shalt be free from this my Curse And this is that meaning of an Oath which is well exprest both by the Forms and Rites of Swearing used amongst us the common Form being this So help ye God to which the Party Sworn gives his Assent by laying his Hand upon the Holy Gospel and kissing it all which is as much as if he had said If I falsifie let me have no part in the Grace and Mercy of God and in the Blood of Christ may I be accursed in this World and let my name be blotted out of the Book of Life And is there not good reason then why an Oath should be as the Apostle speaks of it the end of Controversie since of all other Obligations to Truth this plainly is the strongest and if a Man's Conscience will not be held by this it will be held by nothing Thus much concerning the sacred Obligation of an Oath I proceed to shew how many ways it may be violated and the Guilt of Perjury incurr'd It is usually said That an Oath is either promissory or Assertory but I think that in strictness every Oath includes a Promise even the assertory Oath by which a Man binds himself to declare what he knows concerning some matter of Fact past or present for this Oath includes a Promise of declaring the Truth concerning it only the Promise and Performance are so close to each other that they can hardly be distinguish'd whereas the Obligation of those Oaths we call promissory continues for some considerable time to come These Oaths are mostly taken out of Courts of Judicature such as the Oaths of subordinate Magistrates to execute the Laws honestly and to administer Justice impartially of the Members of a Society or Corporation to observe the Rules and vindicate the Rights of the same of inferiour Officers such as Church-wardens and Constables to present Offenders and execute their Offices according to Law finally of Subjects to yield true Allegiance and faithful Subjection to the King Such Oaths as these are directly violated two ways First If there be not an honest Intention at the time of Swearing 2. If there be not a faithful Performance afterwards For a Promise has a double aspect both upon the present Intention and the future Performance he that makes a Promise which at the same time he intends not to perform is guilty of lying and though he intends at first yet if he willingly neglects the Performance afterwards he hath broken his Word therefore if the Promise was made under Oath he is forsworn in either case and if he was false in both he is guilty of a double act of Perjury nay though the Oath were but one yet his Perjuries may be many for so long as those Circumstances remain in which the Oath binds him every wilful omission of performing the tenour of his Promise is contrary to his Oath and consequently a new violation of it so often as he fails so often he is forsworn as truly so often as if he had every time before each guilty Failure taken the same Oath which he bound himself withal at first Thou mayest be sworn once for all the Year or for all thy Life but there is no such matter as being forsworn once for all as vain People talk for by disobeying thy Superior suppose thou hast done contrary to thy Oath yesterday that was one Perjury and shouldst thou do the like to morrow that would be another If thou art under a Promise confirmed by Oath but not under the restraint of the Fear of God thou mayest bind one Curse fast upon thy Head with another and seal them with a third and go on to treasure up Wrath against the Day of Wrath. In Courts of Judicature Perjury is incurr'd when false Witness is given in upon Oath i. e. either when a Man swears that to be true which he knows to be false or that he is certain of a matter whereof he is uncertain or that he declares the utmost of his Knowledge concerning a Fact when yet he conceals any part thereof In this last case the Witness is forsworn as plainly as in the two former for his Oath is to give in Evidence not only the Truth and nothing but the Truth but likewise the whole Truth to answer such Questions as the Court shall put to him therefore the Witness is not clear from Perjury meerly by saying nothing but what is true touching the matter in question if in favour to either side he conceals so much as any one Circumstance in his Answers and Depositions which he knows would alter the Case What can be plainer He that swears to declare the whole Truth is forsworn if he does it not and he surely does it not who declares it in part only Moreover a Witness may incur the guilt of Perjury by endeavouring to blind the Evidence with deceitful shuffling Answers instead of declaring what he knows in plainness and simplicity of speaking for tho' the Court by multiplying-Questions may screw out the Truth at last yet he has not discharg'd his Oath which obliged him not only to an actual and final discovery of the Truth but to an honest intention of so doing and 't is very plain that he intends not the Truth should be discovered who darkens and hides it as much as he can Much less can his Oath be discharged by the help of Equivocation and Mental Reservations which being of no force to save a Lye are much less able to excuse from Perjury The Oath of the Jury being a Promissory Oath to bring in a Verdict according to Evidence their Oath may be doubly violated as was now observed by not intending so to do and by not doing of it If any one of the Jury be prepossess'd in favour of one side intending be the Evidence what it will to use all his Interest with the rest in favour of that that man I say is perjur'd as soon as ever he is sworn he has sworn falsly tho' perhaps he be over-ruled and an honest Verdict be brought in at last Again if any of them intend honestly at first but are afterward wrought to conspire in a Verdict contrary to the Evidence they have