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	obedience_n	obligation_n	1,036	5	9.4199	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02187	Newes from Italy of a second Moses or, the life of Galeacius Caracciolus the noble Marquesse of Vico Containing the story of his admirable conuersion from popery, and his forsaking of a rich marquessedome for the Gospels sake. Written first in Italian, thence translated into latin by reuerend Beza, and for the benefit of our people put into English: and now published by W. Crashavv ...; Historia della vita di Galeazzo Caracciolo. English	Balbani, Niccolo, d. 1587.; Crashaw, William, 1572-1626.	1608 (1608)	STC 1233; ESTC S100534	64,277	90

wheresoeuer he would without any molestation to be offred him about his Religion or conscience His father tels him that if he doe this this will bee a greater solace to his olde age then his departure and absence hath beene griefe vnto him besides all this the good old man most earnestly intreated him though hee was the father and spake to the sonne that hee would gratifie him in this his request and added many beseechings who in any lawfull thing might by his authoritie haue commanded him and euery word that he spake was so seasoned as comming from the affection of a father and at last with many strong reasons perswaded him not to reiect this so extraordinary a fauor offered him by the Pope in so speciall and rare clemency whereby he might without hurt of his conscience liue more commodiously then euer afore and be restored to his former honour and place and estate and recouer the former loue and estimation of all his friends yea and of many strangers who hearing of this his obedience to his father would loue him for it vnto which obedience to me saith the father to his sonne thou art bound both by the bond of nature and by the law and word of God which thou so much talkest of and vrgest to me therefore saith he if there be in thee either sparke of naturall affection or any Religion and conscience of thy duety thou wilt yeelde vnto me in this especially seeing thou maist doe it without hurt or endangering of thy conscience and Religion This talke and request of the Marquesse diuersly affected Galeacius for the thing he requested and the reasons he vrged seemed to be such as he could with no good reason contradict them and yet he durst not presently entertaine the motion besides that the presence authority and reuerent regard of his father the vehemency and affection of his mind and especially the naturall bond and obligation wherein the son stands tied to the father in things law full and indifferent especially when by that obedience no violence is offred to good conscience all these did greatly moue him Also naturall and carnall reason for their parts assaulted him no lesse violently with such kind of arguments as for the most part preuaile with all men For his father offred him yearly reuenues competent and fit for his estate the solace of his children and society of his wife which two things he desired aboue all other in the world So that to this motion and request of his father the Marquesse Galeacius knew not well what to answere on the sudden but stood for a time musing and doubtfull what to say and the rather for that he then wanted his speciall friend faithfull Caluine with whom he might consult in so waighty a cause It seemed to him impious and vngodly not to yeeld to his father in so lawfull and reasonable a request and he saw no way how he might denie it but he must needes incurre and vndergoe his fathers extreame displeasure and yet how hee might yeelde to it with safety of conscience he much doubted for he feared that more danger to his profession and Religion and consequently more hurt to his soule might hereupon insue then he could presently perceiue so that he stood altogether vnresolued in his owne reason what to doe therefore in this extremity he denied himselfe and renounced his owne wit and in humble and feruent prayer betooke himselfe in this difficulty to the blessing and direction of his God and Sauiour the author and true fountain of wisedome and constancy humbly crauing of the Lord to assist him with his holy spirit that in this extreamity hee might aduise and resolue of the best and safest course for Gods glory and his owne sound comfort O how truely sung that sweete singer of Israel King Dauid when he said How happy and blessed are they that feare God for God will teach them the way they should walke Galeacius found it most true in his owne experience for vpon this his submission and prayer the Lord from heauen resolued him in this sort That seeing the Pope did Antichrist-like directly oppose himselfe to Christ and his Religion and Church that therefore he might by no meanes sue for or accept any fauour at his hands nor be by any meanes beholden to him at all Because what shew of seruice soeuer was done to him by the enemy of Christ seemed to bee taken from Christ himselfe Further Gods spirit perswaded him it caried too great a shew of Apostasie or backsliding to forsake the company of godly professors and the fellowship of Christs Church and to liue amongst Idolaters in the midst of all abominations The same spirit of God set before his eyes that scandall and offence which this fact of his would breed in the minds of the faithfull which would thinke that he had taken his farewel at Religion and would now shake hands again renue his acquaintance with his old friend the world that he had lightly esteemed the spirituall blessings heauenly iewels of graces which God distributeth daily in his Church and would now betake himself again to the olde affections of his flesh The same spirit resolued him that thus to forsake the ordinary meanes and depriue himselfe of the true vse of the word and Sacraments and to liue in a place where was nothing but Idolatrie was to tempt God in the highest degree God likewise opened his eyes that he perceiued the sleight of Satan by this his fathers d●●t namely to entangle him againe in the net of worldly cares to wrappe his mind in the snards of Italian pleasures and so to dazle his eies with the honours and pleasures and sensuall delights which once he had bin brought vp in that his Religion might decay by little and little and that all godlinesse might by the heat of these new pleasures fall and melt away like as waxe before the fire and lastly the Lord vpon his prayer granted him the wisedome of his holy spirit to answere al his fathers obiections and confute all his arguments And amongst many other he earnestly intreated his father that he would not do that vnto him which afterward hee would repent that euer hee had done namely that he would not be a meanes to make him a prey to the Papists which had confirmed for a law and ratified it by many examples that promise faith nor oath is to be kept with any man whom they call heretikes Whereupon said he it is better for me and more ioy to you to liue as I doe with this poore estate then with hope of better to endanger my life and so our whole posterity By these and such like perswasions it pleased God so to worke vpon the Marquesse that hee was ouercome in this sute wherein he supposed to haue preuailed and therefore he yeelded against his will and so with a sorrowfull heart he returned to Naples And as he went he certified the Pope the obstinacy

whose entrance it cannot be expressed how great ioy was in all that house and noble familie and how all the Nobles and Gentlemen of his kinred and acquaintance reioyced at his returne and beganne to cheere vp their hearts with a new hope which hitherto had beene cast downe and oppressed with griefe and despaire But aboue all other his wife Madam Victoria surpassed in ioy and new conceiued delight hoping she had now recouered her most deere Lord and beloued husband the only comfort and the sweete solace of her life All but Galeacius exceedingly reioyced at this meeting here though indeed it greatly ioyed his naturall affection to enioy the company of his friends so many so neere and so deere vnto him yet his ioy was tempered and allayed with a certaine doubting feare which ranne in his minde night and day for the wise Gentleman well foresaw that the fruition of that pleasure was but to last a while and soone would haue an end for the end of his comming was not that which they imagined and euery day new matters ranne in his heads the consideration whereof did not a little trouble him Hee hath often since discoursed vn to his friends that all those dayes he liued in continuall feare to be suddenly apprehended and cast into some filthy prison where he should spend his daies in languishing and lamentations without any solace of his friends yea and be vtterly debarred of the comfortable reading of Gods holy word But returne to the matter At his first arriuall hee was entertained with much ioy on all sides and many cherefull countenances and kind welcomes But alas within a few daies all this mirth and ioy was turned into teares and lamentation and vnmeasurable griefe for when once he had opened to his father the Marquesse his constant purpose to perseuere in the truth of that Religion hee had begunne to professe and that hee would rather die in the defence of it then be drawen from it then alas what fighing what crying yea what dolefull lamentation did it moue in them all But then let the Christian reader iudge what a troubled spirit and wofull heart that good man had in this so fearefull a combatte betwixt the grace of God and his naturall affections and what a torment it was vnto him to see them all so neere and deere vnto him labour to withdraw him from God and to see his constancy in Religion so to grieue them which was the ioy of his owne heart Yet taking vp with himselfe as well as nature could and comforting himselfe in his God he afterward dealt with his wife in all louing and yet earnest manner that she would follow him her husband and delay no longer time but come and liue with him according as the law of God and nature required which if she would doe he promised her liberty of her conscience and Religion to liue as she would But for his owne part he told her aforehand as she should after find namely that he was firmlie esolued to liue and die in that Religion which by the hand of God leading him hee had vndertaken and for the which he had forsaken countrey kinred and all those excellent and comfortable blessings of thus life which God had giuen him Here I leaue it to the reader but especially to the harts of such women as being wiues do truely loue their husbands to iudge with what sobs and heart-breaking the silly Gentlewoman heard these words of her husband whom she now saw past all hope to be perswaded to stay with her which she desired aboue all worldly things Yet it appears it was but in meere carnal and worldly respects as the consequent shewed for though she loued him and desired his company neuer so much yet beeing a wise worldly wilfull and indeed a right Papist she answered him plainely though with many teares that she would neuer go with him to Geneua nor to any other place where was any other Religion but that of Rome that she would not liue with him as long as he was intangled with those heresies as she called them wherby it appeares that she was a carnall politike Papist She loued him but where in Italy and there would line with him but not at Geneua and why for in Italy he might aduance her to the state of a Marchionesse in Geneua he could not there she might liue with him a life ful of al delights but in Geneua a hard base obscure life and subiect to many outward dangers and miseries In which respects it was that she was so instant vpō him to stay with her But the conclusion was her desire was to enioy him Italy both but rather then she would leaue Italy and the delicacies therof she chose plainely to forsake him to withdraw the duty of a wife from him For it may in no case be omitted which afterward hee imparted to some his intierest and most inward friends that shee euen then and there denied him that duetie which a wife is bound to yeeld to her husband by the law of God and nature that is she would by no meanes giue him due beneuolence nor consent to lie with him as man and wife and gaue this reason that shee was expresly forbidden of her Confessor vnder paine of excommunication because hee was an heretike Where behold Popish Religion what it is that can separate man and wife for disparity in Religion and can discharge men and women from those dueties of marriage with which God hath charged them How this monstrous vnkindnes and vnwomanly answer pierced his heart let any Christian man iudge whom God hath honored to be an husband Yet he ouercame and euen deuoured all these tormenting griefes and beare them with an inuincible constancy and quietnes of mind Yet he purposed not to beare so great an iniury for cuer but to redresse and helpe it if it were possible and therefore he further proceeded with her and openly and plainely denounced to her that vnlesse she would yeeld him that matrimoniall duety which by Gods law she ought namely to eate and lie and liue with him it would be a cause to make him sue out a diuorce against her and so procure a finall separation which if she were the cause of she might thanke or rather blame her selfe who withdrew her necke from that yoke of duety towards him which marriage required and which he for his part said he would neuer haue done to her though her Religion was so farre differing from his Yet notwithstanding he said that she first refusing him hee had then iust cause to refuse her who had first by refusall of that duety refused her selfe as it were and denied her selfe to bee his wife And so he concluded with her that vnlesse she would be his wife he would no longer be her husband This protestation no doubt amazed and troubled her not a little and vexed the silly womans mind especially for that he was and had alwaies