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
A62275	A sermon preached at Reading, Feb. 25, 1672, at the assizes there holden for the county of Berks, before the Right Honourable Sir Edward Turner, Knight ... and Sir Edward Thurland, Knight ... by Joseph Sayer ...	Sayer, Joseph, 1630 or 31-1693.	1673 (1673)	Wing S797; ESTC R7938	19,707	42

shall shew thee and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee according to the sentence of the Law which they shall teach thee and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee thou shalt do thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee to the right hand or to the left And the man that will do presumptuously and will not hearken to the Priest that standeth there to minister before the Lord thy God or unto the Judge that man shall die and thou shalt put away evil from Israel and all the people shall hear and fear and do no more presumptuously Nay we are not only bound to yield Obedience in all those thing which we know to be lawful and in all those things which we know not but only suspect to be sinful but even in those things which being lawful in themselves holy Scripture not forbidding them we do verily think by reason of some mistake and errour of judgment to be sinful We are still under an Obligation of obeying though in such a case Obedience cannot be yielded without sin We are bound to obey because God commands it The mistake of our Judgment cannot disoblige us from nor dispense with the sacred bond of Gods Precept Sin can never free from Duty The errour of our judgment is a sin and that can never change the nature of a sinful omission making that which is sinful in its self become safe for us Innocently impotent to his duty 't is impossible any man should be and yet obeying in this case we are sure to sin against God because we do that which we verily take to be sinful which does argue that we would have done it had it been really such as upon mistake we apprehend it to be and that therefore we have no fear of God before our eyes in as much as we durst adventure on that which we verily thought would be a violation of the Divine Law and a provocation of Gods displeasure against our selves and therefore it is the same thing to us as if it had been really sinful a transgression of the known Law of God so that in such a case doing or not doing obeying or not obeying we are sure to sin against God that 's the great unhappiness of an erring Conscience And yet there is no absolute perplexity for there is a third thing required and to be done and that is deponere erroneam conscientiam to lay aside ones erroneous Conscience and mistaken Conceptions That is the remedy in such cases to endeavour by an humble diligence in the use of all proper and proportionable means to be truly and rightly informed that so the Judgment may be purged from errour and the Conscience thereby freed from this desperate necessity of sinning But what if after serious endeavours a man cannot be convinced of the truth cannot shake off his erroneous and mistaken conceptions cannot extricate himself from the snare in which he is engaged What is to be done in such a case He is to endeavour it still having been serious in some degree already he must be yet more serious in his search and study after the truth Hos 6.3 Hos 6.3 Then shall a man know when he follows on to know the Lord when he seeks it again and again seeks for it as for silver and searches for it as for hid treasure Prov. 2.3 Prov. 2.3 When he does persist in the use of means is exceeding earnest in prayer to God for it constant and indefatigable in his endeavours after it He must be more willing to understand and embrace the truth than he is willing that what he errs in should prove true He must lay aside all prejudice and prepossession and must read and hear what 's written and may be said on the one side as well as on the other And if he be biassed in any thing it must be in an humble jealousie and mistrust of himself and according to Saint Pauls direction Phil. 2.3 in esteeming others better than himself and then Joh. 7.17 according to our Saviours promise he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or not God will instruct and teach him though not by immediate revelation that is not to be lookt for now yet by a particular secret and unknown assistance The humble man shall have grace 1 Pet. 5.5 1 Pet 5.5 The meek shall be guided in judgment and shall be surely taught Gods way Psal 25.9 Psal 25.9 But the man that will not take this course his continuance in errour becomes his greater condemnation and may be lookt on as Gods judgment on him for his pride and partiality for his negligence disrespect to Authority and for his want of care to be rightly informed But what if a man has bound himself by Oath to do contrary to what the Law of his Prince Commands Let Mr. Perkins be heard in the case An Oath does not bind says he against the wholsom Laws of the Commonwealth Rom. 13.1 because God hath commanded that every soul be subject to the Higher Powers it is in his Cases of Conscience concerning Oaths this being the second of those six Cases wherein he tells us that an Oath doth not bind An Oath ought to be kept with all imaginable care and strictness and that in all things whatsoever that are not contrary to a Christians Duty but the intervention of a Duty supersedes the Obligation of an Oath The voluntary Obligation which a man lays upon himself cannot vacate that precedent Obligation that is laid upon him by the Lord. Surely God never meant that his Name should be made use of in an Oath to oblige mens Consciences to a violation of his own Commands Let this horrible thought be once admitted and men are at liberty to do what they list they may change the nature of things and may make it lawful yea necessary to break all the Commands of God and to commit all the sins in the World If a man be unwilling to perform some necessary Duty as to pay his Debts to relieve the Poor to sustain and honour his Parents to keep the Lords Day holy to frequent the place of Gods Publick Worship to partake of the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper or the like 't is but binding himself by Oath to the contrary and he is discharged from what before was his Duty And as for the omission of Duties so for the executing of a mans Lusts If a man scruple at Adultery Incest Theft Murder Sacriledge Idolatry Schism Rebellion or the like 't is but binding himself by Oath to do these things and their nature being immediately changed he is to press them upon his Conscience as obliging necessary Duties Once admit this errour and you are furnished with an excuse for whatsoever wickedness you have a mind to commit 'T will instruct you how to justifie all the sins in the World to the utter extirpation

of all Religion Justice and Charity Now in all these several instances we are obliged to yi●ld Obedience though secured from any penalty that might ensue upon our not obeying The addition of a penalty to the preceptive part of the Law being to extort Obedience from the careless and unconscionable the good man needs it not It pertains not to the essence of a Law that a penalty be joined with it the form thereof consisting not at all in the Minatory but in the Mandatory part of the Law it being of equal force on the Conscience when it comes naked and disarmed of any punishment to inforce Obedience as when drest up with all the terrours of a most severe and grievous infliction And he who fears the Lord and makes Conscience of what he does will be obedient for Gods sake though he stand out of danger or fear of any punishment from man Lastly As in things lawful 't is our Duty to yield an active Obedience to what the Magistrate is pleased to command so to their punishments we are to yield a passive Obedience In both these we have the example of Gods ancient people in the profession and promise of their Obedience to Joshuah Josh 1.16 17 18. All that thou commandest us we will do and whither soever thou sendest us we will go According as we hearkned unto Moses in all things so will we hearken unto thee And whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy Command and will not hearken to thy words in all that thou commandest him he shall be put to death But for this part of passive Obedience as the Apostle says What glory is it 1 Pet. 2.20 1 Pet. 2.20 if when you be buffetted for your faults ye take it patiently There is a higher degree of passive Obedience in submitting to suffer for the not doing of those things in which we cannot with a good Conscience yield an active Obedience If you can find in your heart to suffer thus for a good Conscience and if when you suffer thus you take it patiently this is acceptable before God says the same Apostle in the latter part of that Verse Thus did Christ himself as it follows in the next Verse 1 Pet. 2.21 and thus all good Christians after his example they will not only bear those punishments which they justly suffer for their faults but when punished without cause and against all rules of Justice they will put up all such wrongs with patience when imposed by lawful Authority There is one only case wherein the Magistrates Command ought not to be obeyed and that is when he commands things contrary to what Gods Word has plainly commanded But there is no case wherein his Power or Person may be resisted by force of Arms or affronted with railing expressions A King is one against whom there is no rising up Prov. 30.31 Prov. 30.31 He may not be contradicted not so much as with a sawcy word in what he does to our displeasure Eccles 8.4 Eccles 8.4 Where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him What dost thou 'T is expresly charged upon us Not to revile the Gods nor to curse the Ruler of the people Exod. 22 28 Exod. 22 28. which the Apostle in his quotation of it does thus explain Acts. 23.5 Act. 23 5. Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of the people Evil ought not to be spoken of him no not though he do evil Christians ought to suffer as did Christ their Saviour in whose steps they ought to tread who when he was reviled he reviled not again and when he suffered he threatned not Pet. 2.23 1 Pet. 2.23 Whosoever they are that shall presume to do the contrary that holy Apostle is so far from allowing them the glorious Title of Christians that he will not own them to be men They are Monsters without Reason as well as void of all Religion They that speak evil of Dignities 2 Pet. 2.10 12. and despise Government says that blessed Apostle are natural bruit beasts made to be taken and destroyed as not fit to live in any civil society Their doom there follows They shall receive the reward of their unrighteousness 2 Pet. 2.12 13. and shall utterly perish in their own corruption Notwithstanding all which some men are never well but when they are taxing their Governours and faulting the Government It is meat and drink to them to be speaking of the errours and miscarriages of their Princes many times finding fault when there is no fault truly to be found or if there be a fault publishing it to all they meet and by adding aggravations of their own devising making it seem worse than indeed it is this is the next step to Rebellion He that rails at his Prince would resist him if he durst and by speaking ill of his Government he but stirs up his fellow-subjects to wish and when occasion serves to assist him in its overthrow If a Prince do that which is unjust or unbecoming 't is not for his Subjects sawcily to upbraid him with it or reproach him for it said Elihu in Job 34.18 Job 34.18 Is it fit to say to a King Thou art wicked or to Princes You are ungodly No it is not fit it is very unfit and what deserves a very smart return of punishment By the Law of God He that cursed his Father or his Mother was to be put to death Exod. 21.17 Exod. 21.17 And can he deserve less punishment that shall dare to curse the King who is Pater Patriae Father of his Country He is much more worthy of it C ham was cursed by his Father and that curse was ratified by God for uncovering his Fathers nakedness but blessed were Shem and Japhet for covering their Fathers nakedness which their Brother had discovered and derided They had their Fathers blessing and the blessing of their heavenly Father they were blessed on Earth and are blessed in Heaven 'T is our Duty to do the like to conceal that which we cannot justifie and what we cannot conceal to excuse as far as lawfully we may without sinning against Almighty God by denying the fact or defending the evil of it These are all plain Scripture-Rules and they who walk according to these Rules Gal. 6.16 Peace be on them and on the Israel of God But whosoever they are that shall presume to teach or do the contrary be they never so great Gen. 49.6 and seem never so good Into their secret let not our Soul come FINIS