Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	ordinance_n	power_n	resist_v	1,861	5	9.7674	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17335	The moderate Christian a sermon preached in Exeter at a trienniall visitation of the Reverend Father in God, Ioseph Lord Bishop of that see. March 24. 1630. By Iohn Bury, sometime Fellow of Baliol Colledge in Oxford.	Bury, John, 1580-1667.	1631 (1631)	STC 4180; ESTC S107147	15,741	34

securely sleeping in their sinnes performe such another office in making open way for the Serpent of Eden I remember that once the Devill taught that beast to speake Gen. 3. and it was to please his Master thereby to tickle him to death yee shall be as Gods And once I finde God opened the mouth of a beast Numb 22.28 and hee spake to reprove his offending Master and to save him by displeasing him I leave you to iudge whether the plaine tell-troth Asse were not a better servant then the subtile flattering Serpent For if I should please any man by heartning and hardning him in sinne I rivet it faster upon him and yet I should make the sinne mine owne a poore piece of friendship if insteed of saving my friend from drowning I should lovingly embrace him and keepe him under water and my selfe with him As I may not please him in sinne so neither may I sinne to please him not by societie in sinne least running into the same excesse of riot 1. Pet. 4.4 if I light in bad company I should goe to Hell with them for good-fellowship if the fellowship in going to Hell may be called good Vnhappy knots of Satans tying who coupleth men as Sampson did the foxes Iudg. 15.4 with a firebrand betweene them to burne themselves and our corne I say our corne For if the search should goe now as then Vers 6. Quis hoc fecit Who hath brought this dearth of Corne Mault c I beleeve the hue and crie would apprehend the drunken Epicure upon strong suspition that hee forceth God to pull the cup from his mouth because being filled with Gods plenty hee vomited his bounty into the Donors bosome Yea more I may not sinne to please though in the pleasing I might profit as it must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 15.2 so it must be only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in good as well as for good I may not sinne to preserve peace then which nothing more lovely no nor to save a life then which nothing more sweet Yet more I may not sinne to please though for some spirituall good as to keepe off sin from some other and draw it on my selfe no not to prevent another sinne in my selfe in evils of punishment è malis minimum but in evill of sinne è malis nullum No nor yet may I doe it for the end of all ends the glory of God least God take us up as Iob did his friend Will yee speake wickedly for God Iob. 31.7 non defensoribus istis c. One exception and that out of Scripture will keepe All things within his bankes A Christian may please and condescend in all things as Christ did condescend and was tempted like us in all things Heb. 4.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sinne only excepted Here then is the difference betweene the fawning flatterer and the pleasing Christian the flatterer that feeds on the aire of mens favour like the Cameleon borrowes of the next obiect any colour save white the Hieroglipheke of innocence but the good Christian whose meate is more solide profiting and saving will suite to any colour save blacke the livery of sinne and death Secondly in Good things we must please not only in ioyning the adverbe with the nowne in doing a good thing well in a good and unoffensive manner but also sometimes in for bearing it where is danger of offence What will you say is not Omissioboni mala and will you o Rom. 3 8. doe evill that good may come thereof yea the omission of good is the evill of omission and simply evill when the duties are simply necessary but since affirmative precepts binde not adsemper it being impossible to do them all at once charity must looke out with the eyes of discretion for the ubi and quando and other circumstances necessary attendants on vertuous actions A wise man will thinke what the wiseman adviseth Eccles 3.1 There is a time for all things If thou suffer thy brother to sin thou sinnest in suffering Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt plainely rebuke him and yet I may sin in reprooving if I reproue him for sin unfeasonably when he is in passion as ministring Physicke in the fitt Againe We can doe nothing against the Trueth but for the Trueth 2. Cor. 13.8 Yet to avoid offence sometimes some truths may be concealed For though we need not stumble at scandalum Pharisaeorum malitious exceptions but keepe on our way and turne them off with Christ's Let them alone c. Mat. 15.12 14. yet wee must be so tender of Scandalum Pusillorum such as stumble of weaknes as to prevent their offence our hand may hold from doing some kinde of good not presently necessary and our tongue from speaking some truth not importantly materiall but to deferre the one and conceale the other untill by sufficient and mature instruction that rocke of offence like the dead body of Amasa be remoued out of the way For as S. Hierom adviseth Whatsoever spirituall good may be omitted without preiudice to that triple trueth of life of righteousnes and of Doctrine we should let it passe understand pro hic nunc that is deferre or conceale it rather then give offence to Iew or Gentile or the Church of God Thirdly Indifferent things which are our present All and the maine obiect of pleasing in all things in all things indifferent wherein God hath not tyed up our hands by any either expresse or implicite command but left us in bivio upon due weighing of circumstances to take or leave So that as Bernard saith In medijs lex positaest obedientiae so in these indifferent things especially must we shew ourselves peaceable inoffensive pleasing that we neither wound in them or for them our weake Brother by scandall or authority by contempt or the Church by faction That where humane authority commandeth and divine authority doth not countermaund we retaine our conscience free from Doctrinall necessity yet stooping the outward Man to Obedientiall necessity Yee must needes be subiect Rom. 13.5 and that not patience perforce not onely because of wrath but for conscience sake For howbeit such lawes of man lay not any direct and immediate tye upon the Conscience There is one Lawgiver that can save or destroy Iam. 4.12 Yet they so bind us indirectly and mediately that Whosoever resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and is bound over upon breach of the good behaviour they that resist receive to themselves damnation Rom. 13.2 Pliny telleth vs that Snakes encompassed in a circle of Betony fight one with another till they kill each other and will not to the death come over that inclosure If either the Lawes of the Realme or the Constitutions of the Church should lay a tie of sin upon us in such case should we shew Christian valour yet not in resisting or striking but suffering blowes wounds martyrdome rather then violate that Axiome We must obey Godrather then men Act. 5.29 But while we may obey them not contra Deum but sub Deo in Deo yea and obey God in the Men who are the powers ordained of God he expecteth we should peaceably and humbly submit our selves * 1. Pet. 2.13 to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake In a word where there is no danger of sin in keeping the peace of the Church or Common-wealth it is a sin to break the peace and every moderate Christian that owneth God for his Father and the Church for his Mother must learne for their sakes to doe as our Apostle here exampleth us please all men in all things I should now have descended to particular application suitable to this auditory and the times and have solicited you my Brethren who as Trumpeters are much heard among the multitude to performe the part of Gracchus his man who standing behind his Master with an Ivory Pipe when earnestnesse in declayming transported him beyond the due compasse of his voice used with sounding a temperate note to bring him to a lower key à nimia contentione revocare that by your moderate and peaceable cariage and counsell ye might qualifie the offences taken both in Church and State by unhappy distractions and misprisions of the time But I speake to such an Auditory as though I doe not your selves can sufficiently apply To you Right Reverend Visitour I can make no other application but humbly to beseech you to doe as you doe in the eminent lustre of your pleasing meekenes follow our Apostles example to be example to all your flocke And might you ever with the Master-Bee governe without a sting and doe all by the spirit of meekenes without vse of the Rod but that you may observe sometimes when the rod is out of hand and cast on the ground it turneth to a Serpent Exod. 4.3 To those that have the subordinate exercise of iurisdiction their Ministers I make no other application but desire they will take the latter part of my text for a comment on their processe Ex officio mero that is Not seeking-mine owne profit Salutem corum concernent ' that is seeking the profit of many that they may be saved Let the proceeding be according to your processe and my Text and yee muzzle the mouthes of all contradiction The Church-wardens and Sidemen I briefly desire to remember that they may not please their neighbours in their sin nor sin to please their neighbours Bring forth conscionably their faults to the Court of Reformation and seeke the profit of the offenders that they may be saved at least be carefull to deliver your owne soules Ezek. 3.19 and not for any mans pleasure to wrap your selves in the horrible sin of periury And now that I have ended my worke beseech we the Lord to begin his and to give us grace so conscionably and Christianly to please all men in all things that wee may please him above all and in service of the Prince of peace endeavouring to keepe the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace we may attaine that peace of God that passeth all understanding which keepe our hearts and minds c. FINIS