Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	see_v	sin_n	soul_n	4,470	5	5.1054	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34724	A Narration of the grievous visitation and dreadfull desertion of Mr. Peacock, in his last sicknesse together with the sweet and gracious issue, in his comfortable restauration, to the joy of Gods salvation, before his most blessed end and heavenly death, Decemb. 4, 1611.	I. C.	1641 (1641)	Wing C65; ESTC R14609	24,472	140

terrible horrours I thanke God I never continued in any known sin against my conscience He was willing that wee should pray with him Kneeling downe he said He was then uncapable of prayers Afterward hee kneeled downe of his owne accord shortly after he broke out into such speeches I damnable wretch Those are not your words saith one you cannot deny but you have good experience of Gods mercy c. I cannot Then be comforted for Whom he once loveth he loveth for ever Yet Satan took such advantage at his infirmities that though he could finde some comfort yet no particular assurance You have lived profitably saith one I have endeavoured You are now humbled and the Lord lookes you should aske mercy Master Dod was sent for who being come they were private awhile afterward comming unto him againe Master Dod put him in minde of Gods kindnesse whereof hee shewed him foure parts 1. To take small things in good part 2. To passe by infirmities 3. To be easie to be intreated 4. To be entreated for the greatest sin there is now in you Now for the image of the olde man Adam sin and sorrow there shall be in you the image of the new man in holinesse and happinesse and righteousnesse The life to come might be set out by three things 1. By the estate it selfe happinesse holinesse and glory 2. By the company every one shall love you better than any one even the best can love you here 3. By the place There are three differences between the afflictions of the good and bad 1. From the cause for they come to the good from Gods love 2. In the measure as far as they need and are able to beare 3. In the end for their good Of those former doubts we after heard not a word from him upon the Sabbath day he desired to be alone after noone he was fearefully troubled In his countenance appeared evident tokens of a sorrowfull minde borne up with a weake body his spirit was wounded Satan had foiled him Those his terrible wrastlings with temptations griefes of conscience and restlesse terrours none can understand much lesse expresse but he which felt them Satan had winnowed him and shewed him nothing but chaffe his tender conscience was grieved with the fiery darts of the devill pointed with the edge of sin and sense of Gods heavy wrath as through a false glasse the dazeled eye of his astonished and amazed soule could see nothing but hideously-appearing sinne and the terrible image of death and damnation he had drunke deeply of the dregs of hell his adversary had represented unto him his owne most gracious God as a most severe Iudge displeased angry and chiding with him yea yeelding him up into his clawes that so by this deadly stratagem hee might take from him all hope of help that way and so not only stop the sensible flowing of Gods grace and cut the chaines of Gods love wherewith he had tyed him and would draw him after him but finally break his Christian soule O that you had seen and that wee which were present had had eyes to have seen his seeming forlorne soule with what barkings of conscience and with what too heavy burdens of sin waves of fearefull thoughts blustering blasts and surging stormes of Gods heavy displeasure he was tossed turmoiled and dashed against rockes of despaire more then in danger of his soules shipwrack happy were we if neither through frowardnesse nor blindenesse of judgement wee did inconsiderately passe by or prophanely deride Gods judgements by thinking that they either happen casually or by forgetting of them suddenly If we could but rightly discerne it we should finde nothing more profitable than to have the image of this gracious though now afflicted soule in our consciences hereby wee may see that The righteous scarcely being saved 1 Pet. 4.18 there is no place for the wicked and ungodly to appeare And truly we may thinke that our God even sent it for our sakes that we with whom it is too usuall to dally with God might know Heb. 10.31 that it is afearefull thing to fall into his hands Our faith is tryed in earnest when as the Lord hideth his face from us for if we love God above all it cannot be but that at the losse of the rellish of his favour or least taste of his displeasure our soules should be in bitternesse tormented wounded thrust through yea and swallowed up with desolation It is a wonder to see in the world how we will ride and runne and carefully will seeke physick and use dyet by any meanes to avoid bodily paine and how carelesse we are of the unprofitable fits of the soules mortall sicknesse It is not in our owne power to apprehend grace when we will and a harder matter it is than we can conceive to lift a poore soule up that is cast downe with the sense of Gods wrath If a violent passion may so far transport the minde what may we thinke of this restlesse trembling when the soul after long tossings seeth it selfe drowned and overwhelmed with a deluge of sorrow proceeding from the everlasting threats of shame and confusion of face in the presence of the Almighty Consider the body laden with a burden neither portable nor evitable and thence gather the struglings of an overladen soule Consider a man ready to fall from an high Tower to the Earth and thence gather the estate of another falling from heaven with a spirituall ruin into hell Consider a childe when the mother hideth her face from it and terrifies it with a bug-beare and therein take view of the estate of a poore Christian whose chiefest happinesse having consisted in being joyned and united to his heavenly Father having now lost his presence or being affrighted with the devill as if he were ready to lay hands on him Consider the estate of a debtor cast off by his best creditors and gather that of a Christian being bankerupt with his God Consider the estate of a man once in favour afterward adjudged to death by his Prince without hope of pardon and repriving and gather that of a Christian who after his citation and arraignment at the tribunall seate of God stands condemned and is wholly deprived of obtaining pardon and delivered into the hands of the devill The Lord needs not to seeke wilde beasts to punish us or such like executioners of his wrath to torment us he may finde enough within us all the furies and devils cannot invent a grievouser torment then a wounded conscience One by it apprehended needs not more accusers or tormentors his many thoughts of sins as if he stirred a nest of Waspes come buzzing about his eares and as a man indebted once laid hold of makes him faster daily His loving friends may stand by the prison and call him but he being fast fettered can not come forth You shall see him now in his Purgatory not that Papisticall sin-satisfying fiction the Popes Jayle but that

escape safe to that land of righteousnesse (r) Psal 143.10 And thither also must we arrive through the streights of death and therefore that we may looke that King of terrours (Å¿) Iob 18 14. undauntedly in the face it stands us all in hand to watch Here wee may see the Lords champion this blessed servant of God in the lists resisting (t) Heb. 12.4 unto blood combating and encountering with most dreadfull temptations whose turne may be the next wee know not God may call any of us out unto the duell and turne Satan loose upon us hand to hand we had need therefore before hand learne the use of all our spirituall armour (u) Eph. 6. as Saul taught Iudah the use of the bowe * 2 Sam. 1.18 The strength we must stand and withstand by is not our owne not from nature no nor grace it selfe it is God that must teach (w) Psal 144.1 our fingers to fight he must cover our head in the day of battell (x) Psal 140.7 We are here all militant and must bid battell and abide it or else no victorie Satan reserves his most dangerous ambushments and desperate assaults to the last Here thou maist perceive how where and when he useth most mortally to strike and so stand upon thy guard To keep thy conscience safe shot-free and unwounded is the maine-service Herein I exercise my self (z) Acts 24.16 to have alwaies a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men If that bird of the bosome sing sweetly in our brest it makes no matter what dirdams and stirres be from the world Therefore make much of conscience it must stand us in stead and be our best friend another day Walke in the light thereof It is a blessed thing to keep it tender But alas how doe men muzzle stifle and choke it up how doe they noise and drum in its eares that the cries thereof may not be heard 2 King 23.10 Ier. 19.2 as the Idolatrous Jewes in the burning of their children to their Idols O Brethren saith Francis Spira take a diligent heed to your life Relation of Francis Spira pag. 112. make more account of the gifts of Gods Spirit than I have done learne to beware my misery thinke not you are assured Christians because you understand something of the Gospell take heed you grow not secure on that ground be constant and immoveable in the maintaining of your profession confesse even untill death if you be called thereto he that loveth father mother brothers sisters sons Luk. 14.26 daughters kindred houses lands more than Christ is not worthy of him pag. 104 105. And in another place Take heed to your selves it is no light or easie matter to be a Christian it is not baptisme or reading of the Scriptures or boasting of faith in Christ though even these are good that can prove one to be an absolute Christian There must be a conformity in life a Christian must be strong unconquerable not carrying an obscure profession but resolute expressing the image of Christ and holding out against all opposition to the last breath he must give all diligence by righteousnesse and holinesse to make his calling and election sure Many there are that snatch at the promises in the Gospel as if they undoubtedly did belong to them and yet they remain sluggish and carelesse and being flattered by the things of this present world they passe their course in quietnesse and security as if they were the only happy men whom neverthelesse the Lord in his providence hath ordained to eternal wrath as you may see in S. Lukes rich man Luke 16. thus it was with me therfore take heed Thus he And that I may keep thee no longer from this so fruitfull a Treatise Reade advisedly this following Narration and thou shalt reape much good thereby To which end it is now published and presented to thy view by thy wel-wisher in the Lord I. C. MASTER PEACOCKS Visitation MAster Peacock the servant of God in the beginning of his Visitation for the space of two weekes and foure daies was full of most heavenly consolations shewing by sweet meditations and gracious ejaculations the entertainment he found with his God in his sicknesse with whom he so much desired to be acquainted in his health We are saith one comming to visit him miserable comforters Iob 16.2 Nay saith he you are good for this is ever the priviledge of Gods children that their very presence affords comfort Sometimes hee craved pardon for his actions and for the circumstances of them badly observed Otherwhile he desired to have some matter given him to meditate on Finally hee said his hope was firmly setled on the rocke Christ Jesus he hoped that the Lord would give him a place though it were in the lowest roome of his Saints and he thanked God that hee had no trouble of Conscience The Lord did not suffer Satan to vexe him insomuch that one seeing his great comfort feared lest hee would be overtaken with sorrow before his death He much rejoyced that the Lord had so disposed of him that he had seene his friends in the Countrey Here first was his yeelding unto death suspected and his hoped recovery doubted I thought said he I had been in a good estate but I see it now far otherwise for these things my Conscience laies against me 1. I brought up my Schollers in gluttony This some endeavoured to pull out by putting him in minde of 1. The preventing of many inconveniences 2. His well knowne moderation 3. The great care hee tooke for good conference when they were at Table with him But saith he while I was talking they did undoe themselves and further I did unadvisedly expound places of Scripture at the table many times and for these now I feele a hell in my conscience 4. Againe I have procured my own death by eating and drinking often like a beast when I was joysting up and downe to my friends in the countrey and now I see before my face those dishes of meate wherewith I clogged my stomack Well saith one to him if all these things that you accuse your selfe of were undone would you doe them againe Nay then doubt not but a reprobate would desire to be saved if a desire would serve the turn Indeed he may have a desire but of bare willingnesse not with an intent and purpose in using the meanes Another time a worthy friend of his asking him how he did he cryed out Sin Sin Sin What doth any lie on your conscience Yea. What My inconsideratenesse I did eat too much of such meat at breaking my fast such a morning my selfe being witnesse of his great abstinence could not but admire the tendernesse of his selfe-accusing conscience well said he God be thanked there is no greater as we must not extenuate our sins so neither must we too much aggravate them Let drunkards and gluttons have those most