Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	law_n	light_n	witness_v	1,100	5	9.8841	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59652	Moral vertues baptized Christian, or, The necessity of morality among Christians by William Shelton, M.A., late fellow of Jesus Colledge in Cambridge, and now vicar of Bursted Magna in Essex.	Shelton, William, d. 1699.	1667 (1667)	Wing S3099; ESTC R37384	107,365	208

own Interest He whose conscience gives him leave to cheat another yet would not have another cheat him He who would not pay his Debts if he could avoid it yet believes it to be honest and conscionable for another Man to pay him if he be Creditor He who scruples not to wrong another yet would not receive wrong from another nor doth he think it fair for another to revenge himself upon him I argue therefore with what conscience can a Knave expect honest dealing from another Man why doth he demand a Debt if he do not believe his Debtor ought to pay him If he do so believe then must he needs judge this just and honest dealing a reasonable and becoming thing wherefore though he will not practise it himself yet because he requires it of others it is a sign he doth in the inward sense of his Soul approve of such practices and though he follow the worse yet he allows the better The case is the same in Revenge he that will not forgive an Injury yet will be glad to be forgiven when his Enemy hath an advantage against him He that will not feed the Poor yet would fain be fed if he were poor and will commend the persons that shall so return good for evil By these and by other such instances it is easie to observe how these kind of men contradict themselves As Goliah brought David a Sword to cut off his own Head so do these Gigantick monstrous sinners that seem neither to fear God nor regard Man whose boundless wickedness neither the Laws of God nor Man can restrain yet an Arrow out of their own quiver pierces them to the Heart Out of their own Mouths they are condemned their own consciences witness against them their apprehensions of Vertue in others will rise up to their Judgement and Condemnation because they were not Vertuous themselves for hereby they joyn in the same acknowledgements with Vertuous Men of its becomingness and agreeableness to the light and Law of Nature Which being so universally acknowledged needs not be further proved though it may be done by other kind of Arguments It is enough that wicked men do owne a goodness in Moral Vertue I adde no other Arguments under this Head because I believe it true what Grotius observes to this purpose Esse aliquid Juris Naturalis probari De Jure Belli pac l. 1. c. 1. solet tum ab eo quod prius est tum ab eo quod posterius quarum probandi rationum illa subtilior est haec popularior To prove any thing to be according to the Law of Nature à priori from the conveniency or inconveniency of it to our Natures and Reasons is a more subtle way of arguing and may be the strongest Argument in it self considered but Arguments à posteriori from the consent of mankind as he there instances are more popular that is more taking with and more sutable to the apprehensions of ordinary men and so may be more effectual for their end that is to convince and perswade Wherefore so much shall suffice to prove that there is a goodness in Moral Vertue which was the first part of my first Argument to evince the necessity of these Vertues CHAP. IV. Sect. 1 BUt every thing that is good is not therefore necessary for there may be another good to supply its place or a greater good which may make it useless wherefore that Moral Vertue may be understood to be necessary in order to a good life it must be added As there is goodness in Moral Vertue so is it such a goodness as without which men cannot be said to be men of good lives It is not with Vertue as it is with Meats and Drinks there are many dainty dishes and delicious drinks yet they are not necessary neither for the supply of our need nor for the satisfaction of our appetites He that must say non habeo may likewise say nec careo nec cupio he that hath them not may well be without them for there are other savory meat he may feed upon But there is such a necessity of Vertue as that the defect of it cannot otherwise be supplyed for if any thing would give a dispensation to an Immoral life it must be Christian Religion but it hath been before said that neither Faith nor Repentance nor Christian Book 2. Liberty and it might as well be proved of every Christian priviledge none of these will indulge a man and give him leave to be wicked and vitious in his Conversation Christian Religion and Moral Vertue are not like two several roads either of which do indifferently lead to the same place but indeed they are one and the same thing not that bare Vertue is Religion but it is within Religion as a part is within the whole for the commands of the Gospel do plainly and peremptorily require it as hath been said and therefore one and the same thing for example Charity Humility c. doth bear both these names of Moral Vertue and Christian Grace From whence it might be sufficiently proved that a man cannot be a man of a good life if he do not fulfil these Commands yet for a further confirmation let these considerations be annexed Sect. 2 Though Christian Religion do bring us into new Relations yet it doth not annul and destroy all the old By Christ we become Friends to God and Children of God we come to be Brethren and all members of the same body whereof Christ is the Head Yet notwithstanding there doth still remain a Relation between Magistrate and Subject Husband and Wife Father and Child Master and Servant c. and this the Scripture doth suppose by giving distinct precepts to these several sorts of persons Moreover the Scripture doth require a continuance in these Relations witness St. Paul Let every man abide in the same calling 1 Cor. 7. 24. in which he was called Art thou called being a Servant care not for it but if thou mayest be made free use it rather And is not that as much as to say that our calling to Christianity doth not make us free from this subjection Yea as there is a Jus gentium as well as Jus Naturae so there are other Relations between one Nation and another There is a necessity that one Nation should traffick should maintain correspondence with another Non omnis fert omnia Tellus No Country is a Paradise The Scripture tells us of a pearl of greater price of better Riches then any Merchant can fetch from either of the Indies but as there will be eating and drinking so there will be buying and selling in this World and our Religion doth not prohibit us to have intercourse with other Nations Blessed be God we live in a plentiful land where we our selves are more churlish and barren then our soyl yet it is no disparagement to us that we are not planted in the Garden of Eden Every herb doth

severe threatnings to those who shall break these Commands and be guilty of the contrary vices Neither would the Laws of God nor Man signifie much to the greatest part of mankind if they were not penal Laws We ought to be Rom. 13. subject not only for wrath but Conscience sake But did not fear of wrath and punishment scare many Men little would Conscience of duty prevail with them for notwithstanding that there are good wholsome Laws made and penalties annexed yet how many Robberies and Murders and other Enormities are there committed in the world But if these wild Beasts had not their way hedg'd up with Thorns they would quickly over-run the world and make it a desolate wilderness The execution of the penalty adds life to the Law So therefore it hath pleased God to provide the more effectually to engage Men to a godly and righteous life to declare his wrath against unrighteousness to threaten Hell and Damnation and Wrath to come to Immoral as well as to Vngodly Men. The lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone is very terrible but such as Murderers Revel 21. and Whoremongers and all Lyars shall have their part in but not only these Wrath Galat. 5. Strife Sedition Envyings Drunkenness Revellings and such like they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God To 1 Cor. 6. whom likewise Covetous Persons Extortioners and Revilers are added in another place These and such like places of Scripture there are whereby prophane and wicked Men are given to understand what they may trust to while they presume upon impunity in their wicked courses As sure as God is in Heaven these wicked and evil practices lead to Hell as sure as Hell is dreadful and intolerable it is necessary for Men to leave these sins yea because these things being to come are not not so much feared we find by experience that God doth as he threatens Gog plead against the Ezek. 38. world with Pestilence and Blood And these now of late have we in England felt what God can do when within the space of one year and 1665. London Westminst within the compass of two Cities so adjoyning that they may go for one together with their Suburbs and Liberties have been swept away mostly by the Plague though not altogether little less then an 100000 Persons as by their Weekly Bills we are assured The good God give us every one to turn from the evil of his Jonah 3. way that God may turn from his anger that we perish not Moreover God can send divers Plagues and Diseases upon Men that they may know what Pharaoh would not be convinc'd of but by such kind of Arguments that God Exod. 14. is the Lord that it is not safe to despise the commands of God as if he were not in earnest when he gave them Sect. 2 Among many instances that all Ages have abounded with of the many judgements that come upon the world for sin scarce any Age hath had a sadder proof then we of late have had For before one wo is quite past behold Revel 9. another wo comes after the Plague a Fire Oh thou sometime one of the fairest of Cities with what Lamentation shall we bewail thee In what a sad sense may we apply those Words The Lord hath purged London by the spirit of Isa 4. 4 5. Judgement and by the spirit of Burning The Lord hath created almost upon every dwelling place of the City yea and upon the place of her Assemblies also a cloud and smoak by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night How did we hope that that besome of Destruction the Plague having swept so clean there would be no more work for new Judgements and therefore we hoped those words would not have reached us For all this his anger is not Isa 9. turned away but his hand is stretched out still But our old and our new sins have plotted together to provoke God to lay waste the City of our Solemnities the joy of the whole Nation For how many Centuries of years hath the Lord kept that City and blessed the Labours of the Watchmen that they have not watched in vain For how long together hath God appointed Isa 26. Salvation for walls and bulwarks How many Fires have been quenched and the breaches repaired yea we read the whole City was once in a manner consumed by Fire Anno Godwin Catalogue of Bishops p. 189. 1086. yet out of the Ashes did arise a new City that in succeeding Generations had attained to greater Glories and Magnificence then ever the Original Structures could pretend to The story or tale rather for so even Plinies Natural History Pliny himself suspected it to be of the Phaenix gives him 660 years to live before he fires his Nest It is not yet 600 years since that dreadful Fire in the latter end of William the Conquerours Reign So that in this respect we cannot make London parallel to the Phaenix God grant we may in another that we may see a new City grow out of the Ashes of the old In the mean time we are very blind if so great a Fire as this will not light us to see how angry God is with Men for their sins We would not foresee our punishments in our sins now God himself undertakes to light us to see our sins in our punishments And surely our sins are great for our punishment is so Methinks I find a weak fancy may imagine to it self a representation of this desolate City bewailing it self in words to this purpose Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by behold Lamen 1. 12. and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce arger Call me not Naomi call me Marah for the Almighty Ruth 1 20. hath dealt very bitterly with me I was full but now am empty full of fair Churches of goodly Houses of rich Shops of stately Halls of large Streets of many People but full of sin too and now I am emptyed for see what a void space this Fire hath made Why then do ye call me pleasant seeing the Lord hath testified against me and the Almighty hath afflicted me Have pity Job 19. 21. upon me have pity upon me O ye my Friends for the hand of God hath touched me Doth it not grieve you to see these Ruinous Heaps Have you no compassion for my once Wealthy Citizens whose Wealth is now below Envy and they themselves ashamed of their former Pride The time hath been when my Poets have thought nothing too much to say of me and I myself thought I deserved such an honourable Testimony as this from one of them Vide Weavers Funeral Monuments p. 350. Take heedful view of every thing and then say thus in brief This either is a world it self or of the

the mans Reason good for how can he be said to be Reasonable in his Actions or to have Reason for what he doth They who are thus enchanted by the pleasures of sense as Homer fains Ulysses Odyss 10. followers to have been by Circe it is time for them to renounce their Humanity to go and keep Company with their Relations Let them joyn themselves to their kinred and wallow in the same mire with Swine Let them go to graze with the beasts of the field till their understandings return to them as was Dan. 4. said of Nebuchadnezzar for they are not fit to converse with men We who profess to have Reason must make it our Rule or we can have no Rule worthy of our Faculties Sect. 3 Nor is every Reason a sufficient Rule but right Reason if every mans apprehensions were his sole Rule how soon would the world return to its first Chaos into what a confusion would mankind fall for mens apprehensions are many time either molded by their interests or byassed by their passions Stat pro ratione voluntas their will usurps the place of their Reason and gives a Law to it Now mens interests and passions so often opposing and thwarting each other this cannot be a standing Rule for all mankind because of the manifest inconveniencies and disturbances and disorders that would follow hereupon The former Rule of sense is too short and therefore not adaequate nor proportioned to the vast dimensions of a reasonable Soul The latter is crooked a Lesbian Rule that will bend whither a man would have it wherefore neither of these is fit to measure our actions by if we would know when we do well or ill We must therefore distinguish between the Reason of the man and the Reason of the thing The Reason of the man corrupt sometimes and depraved and makes men put good for evil and evil for good But the Reason of the thing is constant and certain and uniform that is the Law of Nature and the directions of right Reason which every man may attain to if he do not blind himself by prejudice or passion for it is that we are born with viz. a Conscience of good and evil And this Law and Conscience especially as it is supported and confirmed by the Law of God his Commands in his Word is a Rule whereby we are to guide our conversations So then if the Vertues we speak of will abide this Test if they be found right according to this Rule they must needs be good Actions for there cannot be any goodness in any Action if it be not in conformity to its Rule which makes room for the 3. Proposition Sect. 4 Honesty and Justice and Moral Vertues as they have been before proved to be according to Scripture Rule so are they agreeable to the Law of Nature and therefore have a goodness in them because they are so agreeable which to save a more operose manner of proof is sufficiently manifest by this one Argument which if it be true must needs be convincing to all sorts of persons The Argument is this It is universally acknowledged by all men whether good or bad whether they practise Vertue or despise it yet is Vertue acknowledged to be a fitting and becoming thing and agreeable to our Natures Concerning vertuous and sober men it is no doubt they would never take the pains to climb the Hill of Vertue did they not believe that when they had conquered the first difficulties they should find afterwards a more suitableness to their Natures and a pleasure in the attainment For no man that studies to be Vertuous but will find the Philosophers were not much mistaken in it when they thought as Lactantius represents them Viam quae sit assignata virtutibus primo aditu De vere ●ultu cap. 3. esse arduam voluerunt confragosam in quâ si quis difficultate superatâ in summum ejus evaserit habere eum de caetero planum iter lucidum amoenumque campum omnes laborum suorum capere fructus uberes atque jucundos The first attempts of Vertue are difficult The bridling of our passions is like the backing of a Colt it cannot be done but warily and by degrees and that not without Labour Now were not these things Pulchra as well as Difficilia were it not an excellent thing thus to do at least did not those men that thus behave themselves believe so there can no good Reason be given why they should take so much pains to no purpose Vertuous men believe Vertue and Goodness to be the same thing or else it would never draw them so powerfully to an admiration of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 evocat ad Sibbs ad Clerum sui amorem vi quâdam Magneticâ Men would never follow Vertue for Vertues sake if they did not believe it carried its reward along with it Now if the Rule be good that Credendum est Artifici in suâ arte Men are to be believed there where they have most experience though men of corrupt affections and vitious practices should deny that there is any goodness in Vertue yet would it he no great Argument on the other side for whom should we sooner believe than those who have tasted and seen and tryed for thus much is certain that all men who practise Vertue believe it to be agreeable to their Natures CHAP. III. Sect. 1 BUt what if it be found that those who trample Vertue under their feet and will not profess to owne any obligation to it yet their Consciences recoil within them and they themselves believe what they outwardly and in works deny namely that it is best to be Vertuous this will be a great evidence in the case and this witness is true Wicked men bear witness to Vertue commonly when they dye or if not so yet certainly sometimes while they live Death brings Men to a sober sadness The frolicks of life expire like a flaring Candle in a stink and leave filthy and troublesome remembrances of themselves behind them It is a common conceit of many people that when the Devil assumes a humane shape he alwaies betrayes himself by a Cloven Foot surely so is it in the lives of Men who are of their Father the Devil whatever shapes and disguises they have put on yet the lower end of their life is cloven-footed they discover a breach that they have made upon their Consciences they acknowledge at the last that they have been Sinners they have not done well to be Drunkards or Swearers to cheat their Neighbours c. for which they now say Lord have Mercy upon us that supposes they are in danger of being Miserable else they would not need Mercy If they may be Miserable then sure they have sinned else how should they discern it Now I argue are these Mens First or Second thoughts like to be Wisest and neerer to the truth of the case Their eager pursuits of sin while