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
A79865	The wise taken in their craftiness, and their wisdom made manifest to be foolishness with God; and their actions discovered to be contrary to the pure law of righteousness given forth by the pure law-giver, Christ Jesus the light; by which light some one judge, or judges of this nation are made manifest, how he, or they have acted contrary to the law of God, and the law of this nation; and contrary to all the kings, rulers, and judges, spoken of in Scripture; by setting fines upon men, and sending them to prison till payment of the same, for not putting off their hats, and stand bare-headed before them in their court of assises, and goal-delivery. Also, here is shewed, that it is no sin for a man to stand with his hat on his head, before any emperor, king, ruler, judge, justice, or other magistrate, either alone, or in open court; neither is the putting the hat off, and standing, bare-headed before them, the honour that is due unto magistrates, which the Scripture speaks of. / VVritten by, me who am known by the name of Henry Clark.	Clark, Henry, 17th cent.	1656 (1656)	Wing C4459; Thomason E882_3; ESTC R207280	20,416	20

Ruler or Magistrate contrary to the Lord God and his Commandments the servants of the Lord obey not but rather choose to suffer afflictions by submitting to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake then to obey the Magistrates Command which is contrary to Gods Command For if the Magistrate make an Ordinance to take a man that fears the Lord God and to bring him before him the man that fears the Lord for the Lords sake who commands him submits unto the Ordinance of man he patiently and willingly goes whither the Officer will have him and if the Magistrate make an Ordinance to send him to prison he goes willingly not resisting against it for the Lords sake if it be to suffer stripes by vertue of that Ordinance they bear it patiently not striving nor crying out if it be to suffer death by vertue of the Magistrates Ordinance They that love the Lord are not only willing to suffer but ready also to dye for the sake of Jesus and for obeying the Commandments of the Lord God And herein did Shadrach Meshach and Ab●dnego refuse to obey the kings command which was to worship his gods and to bow to the Image which he had sett up which to do was contrary to Gods Command so for the Lords sake they submitted patiently to the kings Ordinance which was to be cast into the fiery burning furnace for disobeying the Kings Command And so did Daniel refuse to obey the Kings Command which was that no man should ask any Petition of any god or man for thirty days save only of the King which was contrary to the Command of God Pray continually for which Command of obeying God and refusing to obey the Kings Daniel submitted to the Kings Ordinance which was to be cast into the lyons den And so Peter and Iohn said that they could not forbear to speak the things which they had seen and heard concerning Jesus which was according to Christs Command notwithstanding that the High-priest the Rulers the Elders and the Scribes commanded them to preach no more in the name of Jesus And if the Magistrate make an Ordinance to take away the goods of those that fear God and obey his Commandments they for the Lords sake submit to the Ordinance of man and suffer the spoyling of their goods willingly and patiently rather then to transgress the Law which is holy pure and good given forth by the pure Lawgiver Christ Jesus And they revile not again being cursed they bless and although they suffer wrongfully yet they threaten not but commit themselves and their cause to God which judgeth righteously And herein do they that fear the Lord follow Christ who suffered for us leaving us an Example that we should follow his steps who commands to fear God and to honour all men and to honour the King and to submitt to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as supreme or unto other Governors as unto those that are sent for the punishment of Evil-doers and for the praise of them that do well And herein is Submission and Subjection declared which is accordingly done by the Servants of the most high God not for wrath but for conscience sake towards God And again I say it is no sin to stand with my hat on before the higher Powers because VVhere there is no Law there is no transgression For every day I goe about my Occasions at home and abroad and stand or sit with my hat on my head before the great God of I heaven and earth my Maker in his sight and presence out of which I cannot goe who is the highest of all Powers and for so doing my conscience doth not accuse me for sin For I know that if it were a sin that of God in my conscience would condemn me for so doing and if my conscience did condemn me God is greater who would condemn me also And seeing it is no sin for me to walk sit or stand with my hat on my head before the great God of heaven and earth who is the highest of Powers by whom Kings raign then it is no sin for me to stand with my hat on my head before the lesser Powers And if it be no sin for me to stand with my hat on my head before the great God of heaven and earth that lives for ever then it is no sin for me to stand with my hat on my head before them that are called Gods who shall dye like men And again if it be no sin for me to stand with my hat on my head before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords which sitteth amongst them and the Judges and hath power to pull down one and set up another then it is no sin for me to stand with my hat on my head before a King Lord Judge Justice or any other Magistrate who have no Law from him by whom they rule to command me to take my hat off and stand bare-headed before them in respect to their persons And again the putting off the hat and the standing bare-headed before the Ruler Judge or Justice or other Magistrate singly and alone or before them in the Courts of Judicature as the multitude of the world doth is but eye-service done to please the Magistrate while his eye is on them and they in his sight But those that fear the Lord they deny all eye-service For whatsoever they do they do it in singleness of heart as unto the Lord and not unto man or to please man in respect to their persons contrary to the Command of God For I tell you both Judges and Justices that those People that put their hats off and stand bare-headed before you while they are in your sight in respect to your persons which you call honour even they will and do when they are out of your sight transgress all laws without any fear at all of you And what honour is this by swearing lying cursing drunkenness adultery fornication robbing stealing fighting quarrelling murder and bloodshed plotting how to sett the wh●le Nation together by the cars that thereby they might rule themselves over all as daily Experience makes manifest and ye your selves be witnesses against them who are brought before you for such transgressions whom ye ought to punish for their evil deeds and mind to do justice and judgement in the fear of the Lord and take no notice of their hats but of their evil deeds for their hats do no evil nor transgress no law but do good by keeping of the head warm and covering of it from the heat cold and wet and for this end let them keep on their hats as they do their other garments and see that they honor God by leaving off their sins and then there will be honour to the Magistrate indeed given for conscience-sake and the Land will be cleansed of evil doers Now the rayment is for the body and given of God to Man to put on For

love the Lord your God Did Gideon Jeptha Deborah Sampson Eli Samuel or any other of the Judges that judged Israel command the people to put off their hats and to stand bare-headed before them or fine and send any to prison to lie there till payment of the said fine for not putting their hats off and standing not bare-headed before them Or did any of the Kings of Israel and Judah that feared the Lord as David Solomon Jehosaphat Josiah or Hezekiah or others that feared the Lord command any man to put off his hat and to stand bare-headed before them Or if they did not did any one of them fine any man and send him to prison to lie there till payment of the said fine as some of the Judges of this Nation have done to some of those people called quakers Or did any of those Kings give any charge to the Judges so to do to the people that did not put off their hats and stand bare-headed before them yea or nay For I finde that Jehosaphat set Judges in the Land throughout all the fenced Cities of Judah City by City and he said to the Judges Take heed what ye do 2 Chro. 19.5 6 7. for ye judg not for man but for the Lord who is with you in judgment Wherefore said he now let the fear of the Lord be upon you take heed and do it for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God nor respect of persons nor taking of gifts and in this charge to all the Judges by Jehosaphat here was no mention made of hats or did any of the idolatrous Kings ot Israel and Judah as Rehoboam Jeroboam Zimri Ahab Zedekiah or others of those Kings command the people to put off their hats and to stand bare-headed before them or did they set fines upon any of the people that did not put off their hats and stand bare headed before them or send them to prison till payment of the same yea or nay Or did any of the heathen Kings which the Scripture speaks of as Pharoah King of Egypt or Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon or Caesar Herod or others fine any man and lend him to prison to lie there till payment of the said fine for not putting off their hats and standing not bare-headed before them yea or nay You Judges of England who have done thus see if you have any precedent for what you have done or any example in all the Scriptures and if you have not then to that of God in every one of your consciences that bears me witness that you have exceeded all the Kings Rulers and Judges that ever have gone before you in this invention that ye have sought out now of late And what do you make a profession of God and of Christ and seek out inventions And are not you ashamed that you are discovered by the light to be in the inventions and to exceed therein beyond the very Heathen that have gone before you which are spoken of in the Scripture I am sure you have no example from Oliver Protector for this for he never set any fine upon any man no nor sent any man to prison for standing with his hat on his head before him neither did I ever hear that he was offended with any man or men for their so doing and I am sure that he and his Council have not made any Law for you to act so by if they had it would have been published as well as others have been And seeing you have no example from Oliver Protector nor any Law from him and his Council for your so doing then I appeal to all understanding men whether you do not disgrace his Government and dishonor him the chief Ruler of the Common-wealth by doing such things in the Corners of the Land in his name for which you have neither Law nor Example from him for your so doing whom ye ought to honor as well as others And now to you the Judges who have set fines upon men and sent them to prison to lie there till payment of the same for nothing but because they could not for conscience sake towards God and in respect to your persons put off their hats and stand bare-headed before you I say Stand still a little while and commune with your own hearts and see whether you have kept the Law of God and judged for the Lord in this thing or whether you have not gone beyond the rule that God hath shewed you that is He hath shewed thee O Man what is good and what the Lord doth requ●re of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God Have you done thus yea or nay Or Judges Oath 18 Ed. 3. Stat. 3. see if ye have done according to your own Law and Oath that is That ye shall do even Law and execution of right to all Subjects rich and poor without having ●egard to any person and in case any Letters come to you contrary to the Law that yee do nothing by such Letters and go forth and do the Law and by the Law no man of what estate or condition that he be Anno 28 Ed. 3. ch 3. shall be put from his Land or Tenement or taken and imprisoned or dis-inherited or put death without being brought into answer by due process of Law now see if yee have gone according to your own rule and kept within your own bounds and if yee have not kept within your own rule which is but mans Law neither have you any Law from God to act so by then consider How do you think to execuse your selves when the Lord God shall call you to an account and say VVho hath required this at your hands What answer will you make him What have you to shew whereby to justifie your selves How do you think to stand before the Lord in judgement that have done such things against his servants who saith Touch not mine annoynted and do my Prophets no harm and you that have touched them have touched the apple of his eye for they are his Jewels and Christ sayes What ye have done unto them he takes as done unto himselfe Therefore I tell you it were better for you that you had never been born or that a milstone were hanged about your necks and you cast into the Sea then to offend the least of these little ones except you speedily repent Be wise therefore now O yee Kings be instructed ye Iudges of the earth serve the Lord with fear serve him in love and in singleness of heart Kiss the Sun lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled while you have time prize it and humble your selves before the Lord and submit your selves under the mighty power of God For now is the day of your visitation and to day if ye will hear his voyce harden not your hearts but fear the Lord God which is the beginning of wisdom which will guide you to do true judgement and the fear of the Lord is to depart from iniquity This is written to be printed that every Ruler Judge and Justice or other Officer in this Nation may each have one and that those friends into whose hands this book shall come may send them to those Rulers Judges or Justices that they know that all they who have not yet acted such things as is herein contained may if they fear the Lord and rule and judge for him be prevented and that the other may be left without excuse that are without his fear acting in their own wills by their own inventions against the Lord and against his annoynted Henry Clark The End