Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	light_n	natural_a	sun_n	1,020	5	9.7836	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12190	The returning backslider, or, A commentarie upon the whole XIIII. chapter of the prophecy of the prophet Hosea Wherein is shewed the large extent of Gods free mercy, even unto the most miserable forlorne and wretched sinners that may be, upon their humiliation and repentance. Preached by that learned and judicious divine, Dr. Sibbs, late preacher to the honourable society of Grayes Inne, and master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge. Published by his owne permission before his death.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.	1639 (1639)	STC 22500; ESTC S117394	275,564	592

503. In which is shewen the priviledges and prerogatives of a man that is convinced in all temptations P. 503. 1. When God himselfe seemes to bee our enemie P. 503. 2. Against Satan P. 503. 3. Against our owne consciences P. 504 How we may know whether we be convinced of this righteousnesse The answer to this P. 504. Secondly but how shall I know that the Holy Ghost hath convinced me enough of sinne so that I may without presumption apply the righteousnesse of Christ 1. If the Holy Ghost have discovered my sinfull condition P. 504. 2. By the worke of the Spirit P. 505. 3. By inward peace and great joy P. 505. 4. Where this is it answers all objections P. 506. The use How we should live by faith P. 506. 2. How every day to make use of the righteousnesse of Christ P. 507. Wherefore did Christ goe to the Father 1. To make application of what he had wrought P. 508. 2. To send the Spirit P. 508. 3. To stop Satans mouth P. 508. 4. To make the Father our Father P. 508. 5. Sweet comforts at the hower of death P. 508. The use Great comfort in the hower of death P. 509 510. April 10. 1638. Imprimatur THO WYKES THE SAINTS Priviledge IOHN 16.8 9 10. When he is come he shall reproove the world of sinne righteousnesse and judgement Of sin because they beleeve not in me Of righteousnesse because I goe to my Father Of judgement because the Prince of this world is judged Especially the 10. verse Of righteousnesse because I go to my Father and you shall see me no more OVR blessed Saviour descending from Heaven to Earth for the Redemption of man after he had accomplished that great worke he ascended thither againe And knowing his Disciples would take his departure very heavily hee labours to arme them against the assaults of all griefe and sorrow that might otherwise oppresse them and that by many arguments Among the rest this is not the least that when he is gone away he will send the Comforter unto them God never takes away any thing from his children but he sends them a better And this Comforter whom he promised to send shall beare them through in all their Ministery all function and in effect hee thus bespeakes them You my Disciples are to encounter with the world Be of good comfort my Spirit shall goe along with you and he shall reproove the world of sinne righteousnesse and judgement Of your selves you are too weake but the Spirit shall strengthen you and make way into the hearts of those that shall be saved by convincing them of sinne righteousnesse and judgement So that bee not discouraged the Spirit shall breath courage into you and make way for your doctrine When the Comforter is come he shall reproove the world of sinne and of righteousnesse and judgement Of sinne because they beleeve not in me Of righteousnesse because I goe to the Father Of judgement because the Prince of this world is judged There are three maine parts of salvation Knowledge of our misery knowledge of our deliverance and a life answerable The Holy Ghost shall worke all these he shall Convince the world of their owne sinne of righteousnesse by a Mediator and of a reformation of life So that the Holy Ghost shall goe along with you in the carriage of the whole businesse of mans salvation Where he begins he makes an end Where he Convinces of sinne he Convinces of righteousnesse and then of a necessity of a reformation he beares all afore him and he doth it in a spirituall order First he Convinces the world of sinne 1. Convincing of sin then of righteousnesse then of judgement because it were in vaine to Convince of the righteousnesse of Christ unlesse he hath before Convinced of sin For who cares for balme that is not wounded Who cares for a pardon that is not condemned therefore he Convinces of sin first I have spoken heretofore of Convincing of sinne Here is a threefold Convincing of sinne of righteousnesse and of judgement and every one of these hath a reason added thereto Of sin because they beleeve not in me Of righteousnesse because I goe to my Father Of judgement because the Prince of this world is judged The Holy Ghost begins with Convincing of sin What is this Convincing It is a cleare and infallible demonstration of our condition What is this Convincing It brings a commanding light into the soule It sets downe the soule and takes away all cavills all turnings and windings To convince is to make a man as the Psalmists phrase is lay his hand upon his mouth Light is a convincing thing now we see the Sun we see it is day though ten thousand men should say it is not day we would not beleeve them because the convincing herof is undeniable that he must be an unreasonable man that gainesayes it So then the Spirit of God brings a commanding light into the soule undeniable thou art thus and thus here no shifting no winding and turning will serve the turne when the Holy Ghost comes with this light I doe but plainely unfold this This Conviction of the Holy Ghost is not in generall onely that all men are sinners but particular and strong thou art a sinner and thou art in danger of damnation And it is universall taking in sins of nature sins of life sins of the understanding will and affections and it is not of sinne onely but of the misery by sinne of the danger folly and madnesse of sinne and of the aggravations that greaten sinne as of stifling so many good motions withstanding so many meanes abusing so many mercies The Holy Ghost Convinces us throughly that wee can have nothing to reply Because I have spoken of this before I am short Beloved unlesse the Holy Ghost Convince there will be no Convincing our deceitfull hearts have so many windings and turnings proud nature armes it selfe with defences as a hedge-hogg winds himselfe round and defends himself by his pricks So you have many cloath themselves with strong words ill translations upon others frivolous mitigations the way of the multitude as with a coate of male to keep out this Conviction that did not the Holy Ghost strike in hard with their consciences Thou art the man this worke would never bee done Quest But you will aske me this Question how shall we know common Conviction of conscience from this of the Spirit for carnall men that goe to Hell are Convinced by a common Conviction what is this saving Conviction Answ I answer 1. Difference Common Conviction by the light of Nature is a weake Conviction a little sparke will shew a little light but it will not inlighten a roome it must be the worke of some greater light as the Sun the Spirit is a strong light stronger then naturall conscience Naturall conscience and common light is of some breaches of the second Table Naturall conscience never convinces of corrupt nature

but the Spirit doth most of all as you may see in David Psal 51. Psal 51. He resolves all into this as if he should say what should I tell you of my murther and Adultery in sin did my mother conceive me so a true Christian doth not look to the branches so much as to the root Then againe 2. Difference a naturall conscience when it convinceth a man it is against his will it makes him not the better man he mends not upon it but he is tortured and tormented But a man that is convinced by the Holy Ghost he takes Gods part against himselfe he is willing to be laid open that he may find the greater mercy So that there is a grand difference betweene common conviction of nature and the Conviction of the Spirit The Conviction of the Spirit is the light of the Spirit which is of a higher nature then that of naturall conscience I will send the Comforter when he comes he will greatly inlighten and over-power the soule 3. Difference Againe the Conviction of the Spirit sticks by a man it never leaves the soule But that of an ordinary conscience it is but for a flesh and after they are worse then they were before I must cut off these things because the time is alwaies past upon these occasions before we begin Vse Come we therefore to make some Use The Spirit doth Convince of sinne But how by the Ministery ordinarily though not alone by the Ministery Therefore we must labour willingly to submit to the Ministery Convincing of sinne Conscience will Convince first or last Is it not better to have a saving Conviction now to purpose then to have a bare desperate Conviction in Hell O beloved all the admonitions wee heare if we regard them not now we shall hereafter therefore labour to make good use of this Sword of the Spirit of God and it is an argument of a good heart to wish O that the Ministery might meet with my corruption that it may be discovered to me to the full A true heart thinkes sin the greatest enemy and of all other miseries it desires to bee freed from the thraldome thereof For that defiles Heaven and Earth and separates God from his creature It s that that threw Angels out of Heaven Adam out of Paradice What imbitters blessings and puts a sting into all afflictions but sin if it were not for sin we would take up any crosse and beare any affliction more quietly then we doe Therefore as we desire to be saved and to stand with comfort before God at the day of judgement let us desire and indeavour to bee throughly Convinced of sinne Take heed of resisting the Spirit of God in the Ministery why are so many led captive of their lusts but because they hate the Ministery of the Word they looke upon it as Ahab did upon Elias Hast thou found me O my Enemy They naturally are in love with their sinnes and there is none so much hated as those that present themselves to themselves A man take him in his pure naturalls is a foolish creature his heart rises against Conviction You see the Pharisees Wise men Learned men being convinced they hated Christ to the death why Mat. 23.27 because he did untombe them and discover the dead mens bones within So many now a daies that are convinced hate any that by life or speech discover their sinne unto them if it were possible and in their power to the death Thus the Holy Ghost convinces of sin But before I leave this point let me adde this from the reason or ground of this Conviction because they beleeve not in me That unbeleefe makes all other sinnes damnable no sinne is damnable if we could beleeve and repent Therefore we are convinced of sin because we doe not beleeve as we say of a man that is condemned because he cannot reade therefore he is condemned he should escape if he could reade being for no great fault so it is here it is not beleeving in Christ and repenting makes all other sins deadly The differing of one man from another is their faith and repentance some there be whose sinnes are greater then others yet by the Spirit of God and Faith they worke them out every day It is faith in the brazen Serpent that takes away the sting of the fiery Serpents J have done with the conviction of sinne Let us now come to speake of the conviction of Righteousnesse 2. Conviction of Righteousnes Of righteousnesse because I goe to my Father and you shall see me no more It is a fit time for the Holy Ghost to convince Gods people of righteousnesse when they are convinced of sinne before then they can relish Christ Balme is balme indeed when the wound is discovered and felt O then a pardon is welcome when the party is condemned The reason of this conviction of righteousnesse is because I goe to my Father and you shall see me no more The Holy Ghost as he sets on sinne upon the conscience so he takes off sinne by applying to the conscience the righteousnesse of Christ this is his office first to convince the world of sinne and then to convince of righteousnesse wherby we stand righteous before God And this righteousnesse here is not our owne inherent but the righteousnesse of Christ a Mediator God and man A fourefold gradation of convinction of righteousnesse The Holy Ghost convinces of righteousnesse in this order of a fourefold gradation First that there must be a righteousnesse and a full righteousnesse The second is this that there is no such righteousnesse in the creature Thirdly that this is to be had in Christ the Mediator Fourthly that this righteousnesse is our righteousnesse Gradation 1 First there must be a righteousnesse for wee have to deale with a God who is righteousnesse it selfe and no uncleane thing shall come into Heaven unlesse we have a righteousnesse how shall we looke God in the face or how can we escape hell Gradation 2 Now for the second that it is not in any creature men or Angels we have not a righteousnesse of our owne for there are divers things to be satisfied God himselfe and the Law and our owne consciences and the world Perhaps we may have a righteousnesse to satisfie the world because we live civilly O but that will not satisfie conscience And then there must be a satisfaction to the Law which is a large thing that condemnes our thoughts desires but God is the most perfect of all Put case we have a righteousnesse of a good carriage among men this will not satisfie God and the Law it will not satisfie conscience men they are our fellow-prisoners conscience will not be contented but with that which will content God when conscience sees there is such a righteousnesse found out by the wisedome of God that contents him else conscience will be alwaies in doubts and feares Gradation 3 Thirdly this

Psal 121. The more we shal inrich refresh our memories with thinking of these things the more comfort will sink into our hearts The 111. Psal is all spent on comfort in this kinde I will lift up mine eyes to the hils whence commeth my salvation my helpe commeth from the Lord who made Heaven and Earth all my helpe is from him hee will not suffer my foote to be mooved be that keeper Israel will neither slumber nor sleepe He will not slumber that is his eyes are alwayes open to see as his eares to heare Behold he that keepeth Israel 〈◊〉 neither slumber nor sleepe the Lord is thy keeper thy shadow so that the sunne shall not s●ite thee by day nor the moone by night the Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy comming in from this time for ever Thus we see this Scripture is a large glosse and commentary upon this truth that God with a speciall providence and protection cares for his children to keepe them from all ill he will be as the firre tree to them in regard of shadow Whence we observe in speciall Observ That this life of ours wh● 〈◊〉 come to Heaven is subject to scorchings and many annoyances and those ●●th outwardly and inwardly from our selves and from others Frist for outward annoyances how many of them is our poore life subject unto and for inward terror and boyling heate of conscience when God in anger discovers himselfe unto 〈◊〉 Psal 50.21 and sets our sinnes in order before us O then if wee have not a shadow if God in mercy through Jesus Christ be not a shadow to keepe that boiling heate from us what will become of the poore conscience especially if Satan adds his poisoned fierie darts poisoning inflaming the conscience with temptations to despaire as if God had forsaken and were angry o● when God seemes angry then hee seemes like a consuming fire O! who can abide it when all these fiery temptations are joyned with Gods anger yet the dearest of Gods Saints are subject to these inward boiling heats of Gods anger My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Mat. ●7 46 said the head of the Church himselfe Iob 16.12 and see how Iob complaines thou hast see me as a But to shoot at And in regard of this spirituall disertion David complaines much throughout the Psalmes So this our life is subject to outward and spirituall annoyances from God from Satan and from our selves and the world every way annoyed with scorchings and heate what need a shadow a protection a defence else That supposeth this Their misery who have not God for a shadow is shewed If this be so then consider how fearefull the condition of those people is that are not under the shadow of the Almighty who have not God as a firre-tree to shadow and cover them that he is not a cloud by day too and a pillar of fire by night that have not him for a hiding place to spread the wings of his mercy over them What is the state of such people Surely howsoever God feed them and fills their bellie with good things in this world for a time yet their case will be fearefull when God lets loose conscience and Sathans fiery darts against them Judge then hereby what our state is by nature without God The same sunne which cherisheth and comforteth also tortures and scorches us so God is a sunne a quickning sunne to his children yea a vigorous sunne Mal. 4 2. who hath healing under his wings but to the wicked he is a scorching and a consuming fire Heb. 12.29 it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God who is so dreadfull he will not be a shadow to the wicked in an excellent manner he indeed permits them to have many shaddowes in this world many sweet comforts and keepes them also from many dangers but they have not that worthy portion which Hannah had from her Husband Love at the houre of death and in time of temptation when these comforts leave them what shadow have they then none at all but are as naked men in a storme subject to the fury of Gods eternall wrath The things which are most comfortable to Gods people are most terrible to them as it is said in one of those plagues powred out upon Antichrist for all the violls there spoken of tend to the punishing of Antichrist Reve. 6. there is a violl powred forth upon the Sunne which reflecting and lighting upon them causeth them to blaspheme they were so scorched with it The Sunne by probable interpreters is said to be the Word of God which when it is opened is sweet and comfortable to Gods people but shining upon men that are naught especially at the howre of death in affliction and in distresse it speakes no comfort to them but causeth them to despaire rage and storme Nay prophane men when they are at the best they rage and storme at the direction of the sunne because it discovers to them that which they would not have knowne Vse 1 Now what Use should we make of this will God be a shadow to his people to keepe them from all evill as his promise was to Abraham in the covenant of grace Gen. 15.1 I will be thy buckler to keepe ill from thee Psal 84.11 and thy exceeding great reward And in the Psalmes God promiseth to be a Sunne for good and a shield to keepe off all ill Will God bestow good and keepe off ill from us then labour to come willingly under the shadow of the Almighty to serve him and to make God in covenant our God that he may be a shield and a hiding place unto us and a shadow in all extremities whatsoever Those that attend upon great persons they doe it upon this hope O! if I belong to such a great person hee will shelter me that every base person shall not wrong me I shall now have some prerogatives Doth carnall pollicie teach poore creatures who are subject to abuse it to get some shelter of great noble Men to be priviledged and shall not spirituall wisdome teach us to get under the great God under the shadow of his wings none can come neere to annoy us without his speciall will and leave as in the storie of Iob The Divell durst not annoy him Job 1. Mat 8.31 nor enter into the Swine much lesse hurt Gods children shall we not therefore get under the service of our God can any man shelter us better there is no service to that of a King but is there any service to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will he suffer his children to be abused in his owne sight or his followers disgraced surely no therefore make this use of it to get into the service of the great God which is a rich secure and safe service Vse 2 Againe it yeelds us an use of Resolution for to obey God and to