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	sin_n	transgression_n	2,525	5	10.8527	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33944	The marrow of Christianity, or, A spirituall discovery of some principles of truth meet to be knowne of all the saints : represented in ten sections / by T. Collier ; whereunto is added an epistle, written by M. Saltmarsh.	Collier, Thomas, fl. 1691.; Saltmarsh, M.	1650 (1650)	Wing C5292; ESTC R29305	55,174	122

of Christ teacheth the spirituall knowledge of God 1. Cor. 2.12.14.15.16 Hence it is that those who are taught of God despise the worlds wisdome and are content to be fooles to the world and in the worlds eyes that they may be wise in God Hence it is likewise that so many ignorants in the wise and learned mens account are made partakers of the knowledge of God in the mystery which indeed according to the word of the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.27 confounds the wise and learned and mighty things of the world this being a truth that Saints are made one in the wisdome of the Father How should this in the first place incourage them to look up to the Lord for the more full enjoyment of this spirituall wisdome that as they are made one in the wisdom of God so they might live in the same wisdome and from a deep sense of their own folly to look unto the Lord for continuall teachings and leadings forth in the spirit expecting that promise to be fulfilled Thou shalt heare a voice behind thee saying This is the way walke in it when thou turnest to the right hand or to the left 2. This might be a ground of comfort to the Saints in all their walkings with God the wisdome of God is theirs that God with and in whom they are made one is their wisdome and in the conclusion they shall be swallowed up in the perfection of it as Christ himselfe 1 John 3.2 3. This might answer that foolish opinion of they world who look upon the most spirituall Saints as the worst fooles in the world It is true the wisdom of God is folly with men but if the could look with a spirituall eye they should see that those people are the only wise people wise in God and those who live below upon Creatures and things that will not nor cannot satisfie are indeed in Gods account the only fooles and they themselves shall be driven to confesse it one day 4. Christ and the Saints are made one with God in righteousnesse Gods righteousnesse was Christs righteousnesse for the fulnesse of the God-head dwelt in him bodily He was filled with the spirituall in-dwellings of God who continually acted him according to the divine pleasure and as the second man was made one in the righteousnesse of the Father so are all the Saints made one in the same righteousnesse he was made sinne for us that wemight be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 Quest How may the Saints be said to be the righteousnesse of God in Christ Answ Either First in the Letter there is a righteousnesse presented which is the first thing sinners are made partakers of that is the righteousnesse of a Christ dying upon the Crosse making satisfaction to the letter of the Law and to the conscience troubled by reason of that letter which is indeed the cause of sin for where no law is there is no transgression Now Christ dying upon the Crosse satisfies the Law and likewise upon the sight and application of him satisfies the troubled conscience This is the first righteousnesse of God discovers to the soules of sinners and by faith makes them partakers of it and this is called the righteousnesse of God because God gave forth his Son inabled him to go through and by his suffering to obtaine such a righteousnesse for his people that might both satisfie the Law transgressed and the Conscience of mans transgressing Secondly in the spirit the Saints are made the righteousnesse of God that is God now as in Christ dwells and acts in the Saints by his Spirit writes his Law in their hearts makes them partakers of his owne nature and so goes on in fulfilling his owne righteousnesse in them For the righteousnesse of the Law in the Spirit is fulfilled in us as well as the Law in the Letter for us who walke not alter the flesh that is after the Law in the Letter but after the spirit of Christ who dwels in us and acts according to its own pleasure and so by degrees drawes up the spirits of his people to himselfe untill at last they are swallowed up in the fulnesse of the rigbteousnesse of God in the Spirit and be made wholly and for ever one in the Father with Christ 1 Iohn 1.2 A glorious mysterious truth meet to be knowne of all spirituall Ones this is the top of the Saints glory and their height of spirituall perfection the knowledge and enjoyment of this spirituall Onenesse in the Father and in the sonne 1 Iohn 2.2 4. 5. There is an Onenesse in love and delight between the Father Son and Saints the Fathers love and delight is in his Son and Saints Mat. 3.17 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased well pleased with his Son and with his Saints in his Son Hence the Lord speaking after the manner of men is said to delight and sing and rejoyce over his people even as the Bridegrome rejoyceth over the Bride Esa 62.5 Zeph. 3.17 to rejoyce even with joy and singing So Likewise it is the delight and joy of the Saints to live in the Fathers love the very thoughts of it is precious and the injoyment of it exceeding glorious though the soule seemes to come short of the perfection of that injoyment in this world yet what it sees and injoyes with the expectation of perfection in another world fills the soule with joy unspeakeable and full of glory and now as the soule dwells in the Fathers love delight and joy so likewise it dwels in the Fathers will and it delights in and is well pleased with the will of the Father it can say with Christ what ever temptation presents it selfe yet not my will but thy will be done such is the Onenesse betweene the Father Sonne and Saints they delight and take pleasure in each other 6. There is a union in glory likewise the Fathers glory is the Sonnes glory and the Sonnes glory is the Saints glory what this glory shall be is unconceiveable and unexpressable to go about to expresse it either with tongue or pen would rather darken it then illustrate it yet a word by the way the perfection of the Saints glory shall be the enjoyment of all things in God who is and shall be their everlasting fulnesse in the spirit Those who dreame of a Kingdome after the flesh or of any externall pleasures in the highest measure discover themselves to have exceeding carnall thoughts of the Saints glory It is true they shall have a Kingdom but a spiritual one so called because injoying all spirituall satisfactions in the fountaine when the body and all the whole internall and externall part of man shall be turned into spirit 1. Cor. 15.44 And our vile body shall be changed made like his glorious body In a word Such is the Saints Glory and shall be in the perfection of it through their union with God in Christ that we must conclude

to destroy but to save John 12.47 Secondly what the Gospel is There is likewise the Gospel in the letter and the Gospel in the spirit The Gospel in the letter which properly doth signifie glad tidings and this Gospel is to go forth amongst all but none are made partakers of it in the spirit but believers All are made partakers of it in the letter it is glad tidings to all and that in a double sense 1. It is glad tidings to all for all have a being by it it is that which hath made peace for all an externall peace in taking away that present curse Secondly it is that wherein internall and externall peace is held forth and propounded to all which is glad tidings none are exempted in the letter till they exempt themselves through unbelief and so judge themselves unworthy of eternall life Secondly there is the Gospell in the letter likewise as it is a Gospel of spirituall peace and reconciliation And thus every believer receives it first in the letter through the power of the spirit and this is Christ in the flesh dying upon the crosse taking away the condemnation of the Law in the letter And this is that answers the guilt of sin in the natural conscience a visible satisfaction for a literall transgression This was Gods way to take away sin and this is the first discovery God makes of himselfe to a sinner because he is pleased to conform himselfe to that way that might best suit with our understanding and so by degrees to draw us up more in the spirit unto himselfe and this is the Gospell in the letter answering the Law in the letter and the conscience troubled through the sense of sin which is the first knowledge of Christ and is indeed but a knowledge after the flesh and so is in the esteem of the Apostle but a carnall knowledge that is being compared to the spirituall knowledge therefore the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 3. I cannot write unto you as unto spirituall but as unto Carnall even as unto Babes in Christ Note I do not speak thus of the knowledge of Christ upon the Crosse and the application of it taking away the guilt of sin as a low and slight thing in it selfe For first it is Gods way to satisfie finning soules and so none ever partake of mercy but by this way Secondly it is that being wrought by the spirit of Christ brings soules under the denomination of children 1. John 2.12 Thirdly it is that by which the soule injoyes much joy and peace who so hath obtained it from the Lord hath obtained a good degree and much boldness in the spirit Yet fourthly God usually by this way brings soules up into a spirituall union with himselfe and in comparison of the soules injoying of God in Christ the Scripture calls it a carnall or fleshly knowledge and doubtlesse many may attaine the knowledge of the Gospel in the letter and may own a dying Christ upon the Crosse and yet be but a humane faith a literall Gospel and never truly known in the spirit But those who are brought to the knowledge of and believing in Christ dying upon the Cross by the saving worke of the spirit shall grow up in the more spirituall knowledge of him Secondly the Gospel in the spirit is the righteousnesse of God imparted in the spirit to the believer it is the making of the believer partaker of the same nature of the same spirit that was in Christ Jesus The Gospel in the spirit is the same as the Law in the spirit and represents the spiritual righteousness of God with which he intends to cloath his people and it is called The righteousnesse of God in Christ 2. Cor. 5. As there was a literall transgression of the Law so there is a Gospel in the letter to answer it and a Christ dying upon the Crosse As there was a spirituall righteousnesse included in the Law so likewise is there a spirituall righteousness in the Gospel that is in Christ they are both in Christ the former righteousness is the knowledge of Christ without as dying and satisfying the second is the knowledge of Christ spiritually formed is us which is here done in part and we shall in the conclusion be wholly changed and swallowed up in that spirituall righteousnesse And indeed here lies the great mysterie of the Gospel in these three particulars 1. God in Christ 1. Tim. 3.16 2. Christ spiritually in the Saints Christ in you the hope of glory Col. 1.27.3 That full spiritual change into the spirit at the last day of the Gospel in the spirit not onely that we are made one with God but likewise that we are made one in God he dwelleth in us and we dwell in him and we now serve no longer in the oldness of the letter that is with our old nature in the old letter given forth Adam and by Moses to the old end the obtaining of righteousness but in the newness of the spirit that is the renewed mind by the spirit to a new letter written in the heart to a new end to glorifie the name of our Lord Jesus to declare our conformity to him in the spirit That this is in the Gospel in the spirit which the Lord Jesus brings up his unto by degrees the Scriptures in the spiritual understanding will declare not onely for conformation 2. Cor. 5.16 with Heb. 10.19.20 In the first the Apostle saith Henceforth we know no man after the flesh yet though we have known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth we know him no more after the flesh Note first there is a knowledge of Christ after the flesh even of the Saints Although we have known Christ after the flesh yet know we him no more Why v. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature Christ is formed in him after the spirit and he comes now to know a spirituall Christ within him as well as a fleshly Christ without him The 2d Scripture faith We have boldnesse to enter into the holyest by the blood of Christ by a new and a living way that he hath consecrated for us through the veil that is to say his flesh where likewise note that the blood of Christ is but the way into the holyest and the flesh of Christ is the veil through which we enter into the holiest that is into the spirituall and heavenly injoyment of God We come first to the flesh and secondly to the spirit the flesh being the way to the spirituall injoyment of him where Christ is entred already in the perfection and will in conclusion draw all his spiritual Ones after him unto the same perfection into the same glory Object If this be the Gospel in the spirit to know Christ no more after the flesh and to live in the spirit to looke upon Christ as the way in the flesh into the spirit or holiest where he is then what need of faith so much spoken of in