Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	soul_n	spirit_n	witness_v	1,100	5	9.6899	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84893	Light vanquishing darknesse. Or a vindication of some truths formerly declared, from those aspersions which have been (by reason of some misapprehensions) cast upon them; now published for the satisfaction and benefit of others. With a preambular epistle to all sorts of men. As also a parcell of good counsell, if you can take it. / By Captain Francis Freeman, a late member of the army.	Freeman, Francis.; Fairfax, Thomas Fairfax, Baron, 1612-1671.	1650 (1650)	Wing F2129; Thomason E615_7; ESTC R206543	58,771	68

2.8 And so all things else that are given proceed from him but this gift of faith in a more special manner because Christ is given in it by believing but I shall shew you that there are degrees of faiths manifestation in believing according to the apprehension some degrees more weake some more strong Yet if thou hast but faith as a grain of mustard-seed thou shalt be able to remove Mountains which is the next particular to be handled But a word or two more touching the highest degree of faith which is faiths assurance assurance being the proper act of faith proceeding from the reflect act of faith which causeth a man to know and see that he beleeves and this assurance is from the immediate testimony of the spirit of God in the conscience of him who is already a believer and causeth the soul to know that it believes The spirit it self beareth witnesse with our spirits c. Rom. 8.16 But so much shall suffice for this point the next in order is that mountain to be removed according to the main drift and scope of my argument First a mountain in Scripture is taken divers waies as you may find in Isa 2. Mark 11. c. But I shall shew you first Negatively What a mountain is not Secondly affirmatively What it is And according to the reall drift and scope of my meaning at the discourse and it so be the Magistrates with patience could have heard me make it forth I should have cleared it but that they would scarce suffer me to speak for my self but searcht the statute-book to see what punishment was fit for blasphemers in that case provided taking his accusation for truth not knowing how or in what manner I had declared my self neither could they understand my meaning touching this mountain here spoken of Therefore I shew you 1. Negatively that I did not mean such a Mountain as that great hill neer Taunton called by the name of black-down according to the question propounded unto me Neither did I mean that great round Cob-hill call'd by the name of Glastonburytor Nor that great mountain of Saint Taffies in Welchland Nor had I any thoughts of removing that great hill of Taunton out of his place who was then Major pro tempore and committed me to prison when as neither of them knew a mountain from a mole-hill But I speake this but by the way and therefore desire to be excused 2. Affirmatively There are mountaines within us as well as mountains without us there are mountains of sin and there are mountains of opposition there are mountains of power and there are mountains of pride and self-loftinesse there are mountains of oppression and Tyranny c. An indeed every thing is a mountain that exalts it self or is exalted high in opposition to truth As you may see in the aforecited chapter from verse 10. and so forwards but yet all these mountains shall be lay'd low when the lofty looks of men shall be humbled and the haughtinesse of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day Which is the day of Gods power But what flesh shall abide his coming When he shall come as a refiners fire and like fullers sope when all corruption shall be burnt up and be destroyed or at least be cleansed and purified from the drosse Mal. 3. These things are and shall be trans-acted in us but the end is not yet And now friends although I have not handled every particular circumstance of this matter in hand yet every material point of any moment is cleared Therefore I shall now give a word or two in general to the Nations and chiefly to Magistrates and Governors and such as are placed in authority over us which shall be by way of good cuncel if you can take it But if so be you do not take it it will be because you cannot Yet neverthelesse I have thought good to give you a cautional hint of some special observations which I have taken touching the several greevances of the people who ly under many greevous pressures and burdens and expect relief and comfort from you which will be by prescribing wholesome laws according to the present constitution of this Nation and a due execution thereof as it was before the Norman Conquest For you know that the people have lived under a Kingly power many hundred years and have been held in bondage and slavery ever since the conquest under those lawes which were prescribed by an Usurper And have been still kept under the Normand yoak by reason of an absolute arbitrary power domineering over them raised up by William the Conquetor when he had subdued this Nation by the sword Then those who were his Creatures his favourits he created them to be Lords of Mannors and so divided and distributed the Land amongst themselves and the poor people to become tenants unto them and to pay a small rent at first to bring them under the yoak and so to acknowledge them to be their Lords and masters and hence came in that which we call propriety as derived from the Norman Conquest Now after this these great Lords of Mannors by marriages matching their Sonnes and daughters together joyn'd house to house and land to land and so became greater Lords then ever and exhausted greater rents from their poor tenants by degrees and all to uphold them in their pride and so to maintain them in their pomp and vanities and Lordly dignities And so the poor people comes to be meer slaves to their Lords and Masters their rents being continually raised and set upon the rack and tenterhoocks of their wicked consciences and are not able to maintain themselves and families though at a pittyful poor low rate both in food and rayment notwithstanding all their labour and pains-taking both early and late But I must tell you that the maintainance of propriety in this way and by such lawes will be the destruction of it and me thinks I see it already destroyed and you know that the stander-by sometimes sees more then the gamester And truly for my part I see an exceeding unequal distribution of things some all and some nothing at all and the poor daily crying out for bread bread bread for the Lords sake and few or none laying it to heart when many of your great Lords have ten fifteen twenty thousand pounds per annum which is more then two hundred thousand families have and yet they can spend all in rioteousnesse and wantonnesse and in superfluity of dainties and in the delights and pleasures of this world and truly I do beleeve I speak with the least though I speak it with much grief that for every one that hath but ten thousand pounds per annum there are two hundred thousand families and more that have not so much and so proportionable of all the rest I speak from experience of my late travels in the North where I have seen multitudes of

said nor don any thing that I was ashamed of but rather then my whole Troope should suffer for my sake I would lay down my Commission whereupon the Colonell presently closed with me and told me that if I would engage to lay down my Commission he would speak to the Generall that I might muster two or three musters and continue my Command so long that I might have my accompts stated and setle my businesse for said he I conceive you will go into Ireland to your brother Col. Abbot and I think it will be your best course you can take Truly for my part said I I know not how the Lord will dispose of me but you know that I was willing to go with my whole troop for that service when I was by you appointed to go when Capt. Barrington went all though you never intended it therefore I conceive I have the more wrong to have my command wholly taken from me Yet notwithstanding I will lay down my Commission upon those tearmes and I did engage and so we parted and I protest I really intended to perform my engagement and so the next day I went to my troope but for half an hour space or thereabouts I was not without some small trouble in my spirits to think that such arbitrarinesse should be exercised amongst us who had so zealously fought against it in others but my trouble was quickly over and suddainly turned in to rejoycings with unspeakable joy and comfort in that I knew that it was the will and pleasure of God it should be so And withall I had such a kind of expression of mirth within me that I took my pen and inck and wrote my case by way of indictment as followeth The accusation indictment araignment conviction and sentence against Captain Francis Freeman without a Court. Captain Freeman thou art accused and indicted by the name of Captain Francis Freemen for that thou hast felloniously denyed the Scriptures and made God the Author of sin Thou hast said thou art Christ and thou hast countenanced blasphemy all which is against our Soveraign Lords the people if we could but prove it Therefore what canst thou say for thy self art thou guilty or not guilty not guilty by whom wilt thou be tried I 'le be tried by a generall Counsell at Warre no thou canst not thou must be tryed by Colonel Okey how must I be tryed by Col. Okey why he hath condemned me already what though he hath thou canst not be admitted to any other Tryall Therefore stand up and heare thy Sentence Thy Troop shall be disbanded for thy sake for that thou holdest dangerous Tenets how shall my Troop be disbanded for my sake shall seventy men suffer for one if I have either said or done any thing worthy of punishment then let me suffer according to my demerits Well t is the Generals pleasure to disband thy whole Troop to disband thee nay rather then let my whole Troop suffer I will lay down my commission If thou wilt engage to lay down thy commission I will speak to the Generall to save thy Troop And thus I have stated my case truly by way of Indictment Now when I came down to my Troop I told them what was done who were exceedingly troubled at it when they heard it and did earnestly desire me to give way to them to petition the Generall in my behalfe that I might have a Councel at Warre but I advised them not to doe it and for this reason which I gave them that they might suffer as deeply as Cap. Barringtons men did which the Colonel had not cared a straw so that he might have had his will And withall I told them that I had engaged to lay down my commission rather then they should suffer which caused no small trouble of mind to them being very loath to part from me but you shall see how it came to passe upon my engagement of laying down my commission the Colonel sent down Capt. Barringtons men to me with an order to be listed and to pay them but half pay reserve the rest to buy them horses which I did and truly for my part I received them into the list as a recrute for him that should succeed me And afterwards I went to London to have my accompts stated and to settle my businesse but whilest I was at London it so fell out that my Troop concluded together to petition the Generall in my behalf And I Professe ingenuously I never heard of it till that very day that it was exhibited which petition was granted and I was taken off from my former engagement being it was the Generals pleasure to grant me a fair hearing in case my accusers did prosecute the businesse in the mean time I should continue my command which I have done upon that account but since my command hath bin taken from me neer the borders of Scotland and without a Counsell at warre But I shall omit that till it come to its proper place and shall proceed where I left Now the next time the Colonell and I met together was at Bedford where he challenged me upon my engagement and told me that every bonest man would be as good as his word my answer was that the case was now altered and my engagement made void in regard the Generall had granted me a fair tryall which I conceived was not unknown to him although he would not take notice of it whereupon he burst forth in his old wonted passion and told me that I was abase fellow a dishonest man and he had rather have a drunkard or a whore-master in his regiment then such a one as I was with such like expressions but I seeing him in such a passion being unwilling to multiply words I told him that I should be very ready and willing at any time to answer for any thing that he or any one else could lay to my charge and would aske no favour at their hands and so I parted from him and left him in a rayling condition against me and told the Companie that were with him as I understood afterwards that I never prest him to have a Counsel at warre till such time his witnesses were gone into Irelend pretending that some of my Souldiers who went for that service were his witnesses when as his own conscience could witnesse against him and my innocency clear me and I dare be bold to say that there was not a souldier that went but loved me so well that he was as tender of my good as of his own but howsoever this was a notable plea of his to make people beleeve strange things of me as if I had bin as base as he reported me to be and all to make his owne matter good Now the next newes I heard was an order from the Major to recrute my Troope and to raise them up to a hundred besides Officers which I endeavoured to doe and in the mean time the Col. had an order

Noah were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be and if you compare this Scripture Mat. 24. with that of Gen. 5. then you may give me your thoughts concerning my opinion Not that I dare limit God in his time but for ought I know this may be the very year of Jubilee Therefore my Counsel and advise is to all Christians who make profession of Christianity and are placed in authority over us that you exercise no such Kingly or Tyrannical power over us which if ye do it must be destroyed in you or else you will be destroyed in it For the Lord will find out a way of deliverance to his people from all oppression and cruelty And now friends my Counsel shall be to the Nation in Generall that you will submit and yield subjection to this present Government and that for conscience sake Let every soul be subject to the higher powers for there is no power but of God c. Now I know that many of you heretofore scrupled at the Covenant and many of you at the Engagement some out of tendernesse of conseience and some out of stubbornesse and obstinacy which is a kind of rebellion and causeth contention and strife amongst us And here I saw that the Clergie especially in the western parts had the chiefest hand against the engagement and some of them pretended out of pure zeal in regard they had formerly taken the Covenant as if the Engagement had clashed against the Covenant But truly friends I am satisfied in my own spirit without any scrupling at all I have taken the covenant I have taken the engagement which engagement is to maintain this present Government as it is now established without a King or house of Lords and we ought to be obedient thereunto for we see that God pulleth down and he raiseth up he pulls down one power and setteth up another God hath set up this power over us and it shall stand as long as he pleaseth and when he will have it destroyed it shall be destroyed notwithstanding all the engagements in the vvorld he vvill dash it in peeces as he did the late Kings povver Object But the Prophet Hosea saith Blessed be the Lord thy God that hath set thee to do justice and judgement Then ought vve to be obedient to this present government although they should command us unjust commands My ansvver vvas yea vve ought to yeeld obedience unto them let their commands be vvhat they vvill in case there be no povver to resist those unlavvful commands but if so be God vvill raise a povver to resist unlavvful commands then t is lavvful to do it For vvhether is it better to obey God or man judge ye And I shall instance in the case of that late King vvhere he commanded the people unlavvful and unjust commands The Lord raised up a Parliament and Army to resist those unlawfull commands and so destroy'd both him and his power But if so be those that are placed in authority overs us do not do justice and judgement It is because they cannot why because they derogate from that power which is given and atribute to themselves that power which is not given as I said before yet notwithstanding we ought to yeeld obedience unto them and wait Gods leasure for the hearts of Kings are in his hands and he can turn them at his pleasure therefore wait upon God his time is the best time and in his due time he will accomplish his own work and satisfie all interests But in the 2. Psalm it s said That the Kings of the earth stand up and the Rulers take Counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed And truly friends we have seen aboundance of great Counsels many plots and contrivance but most of them tending to advance selfe-interest have we not seen abundance of pride and self-loftinesse especially amongst such as are in high places both majesterial and Military aboundance of self-seeking not only to make themselves great but their freinds also This man hath a freind and he must have a great Office for him that man hath a freind and he must help him to some great preferment too c. and all to make themselves rich upon the peoples ruins by oppression and crueltie And now freinds I cannot forgit to speak some thing more of the over-flowing pride of this Nation not only amongst the gentry but amongst all sorts of people as well the Clergie as others For the Bishops wore great laune sleeves and our Clergie weres as much upon their legs as they did upon their armes with their Bootes ruffled down with their tops upon the very Insteps and poor creatures I pitty them that they do not see their down-fall to be so neer at hand You know that the Scots were the first that pull'd down their Bishops and set themselves up in their room and then sent a pattern of their directory to our Clergie that they might practise by their example our Clergie being pretty act Scolers they quickly learnt this lesson only altering the form of the directory but not the substance and so pull'd down the Bishops here and stept up into their room and presently in all hast must have a classicall government set up for all men to be compelled to worship so many Idols Now I heard last night that the Kirk in Scotland lies very sick of four sore deadly wounds the head the hands the heart and the feet and wait for a good hour to depart out of this transitory life and me thinks it were not amisse for some good body to set the passing-bell going for our Clergie for they are going the way of all flesh too for they are greeviously wounded in their hands too Zech. 13.6 And if you aske them what these wounds are they shall answer those with which they were wounded in the house of their freinds Now the time is near at hand that all Prophecies must be fulfilled as that in Jer. 5.31 Jer. 23.1 2. that in Ezekiel but I have forgot the place but the words are these Who look to their own way every one for his own advantage and for his own purpose this is fulfilled and so is this of Micah 3. who byte with their teeth and cry peace c. and that in Zech. 13. will be fulfilled e're long they shall be ashamed of their visions c. And the Apostle speaks much to this purpose in divers places as that in the Thes he speaks of such as comes with all decievablenesse of unrighteousnesse And that in the Gal. such as make a fair shew in the flesh And in another place he speakes of such as are decieving and being decieved And in another place such as are holy in conversation like unto the false Apostles which Scriptures points out notably to this purpose And truly friends I must tell you that all your holynesse all your purity all yoor zeal all your honestie nay all your righteousnesse too