Selected quad for the lemma: end_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	conscience_n	faith_n	unfeigned_a	1,225	5	10.9966	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07496	The sinne vnto death. Or an ample discouery of that fearefull sinne, the sinne against the holy Ghost together with the signes, degrees and preservatiues thereof. In a sermon preached at Pauls Crosse. August 26. 1621. By Tho: Bedford ...	Bedford, Thomas, d. 1653.	1621 (1621)	STC 1788; ESTC S101417	81,812	112

take great heede of this for what knowest thou wretched man whether euer thou shalt come out of the same againe Thou hast not Repentance in thine owne hand yea what knowest thou whether this bee not the first steppe that thou steppest on to finall Apostalie Thirdly Holding faith and a good Conscience In which words the Apostle doth exhort Timothy to stand manfully against all lets and impediments and being called to the ministery to fight a good fight id est to bee vigilant and diligent in his office vigilant to watch against all enemies diligent to expell them And not without cause doth he thus stirre vp Timothy for the office of the ministery is a kinde of warfare in which Sathan Hereticks Schismaticks lewde-liuers and false brethren doe in hostile manner oppose the Church of God Against all which the Ministers who are the Ancient bearers and Captaines must oppose themselues Now that he may the better make resistance and performe the office of his Ministery with ioy the Apostle sheweth with what armour it is fit that he should bee furnished viz. Faith and a good Conscience Faith that is to say wholsome doctrine which cap. 3. 9. he calleth the mistery of Faith the mistery of godlinesse that is the doctrine of the Gospell which must bee kept in a pure Conscience And certainely those two are wonderfull requisite in a Minister Faith and a good Conscience nor are they of lesse consequence for euery Christian. I can compare them to nothing so well as to a precious pearle and a rich carquenet both must bee regarded Faith the doctrine of the Gospell the forme of wholsome words a rich pearle an incomparable treasure better than thousands of gold and siluer wherfore how much ought we to feare lest it should bee taken from vs For what is this wholsome doctrine but like the starre that led the wisemen to Christ which when they lost into what by paths were they driuen and how much trouble ere they found it againe So here keepe the patterne of wholsome words and it will guide you in the right way suffering you to decline neyther to the right hand nor to the left neyther to suspition nor to prophanenesse neyther to Schismes and Heresies nor to Atheisme and Epicurisme This is the precious pearle The rich Carquenet is a good Conscience a pure Conscience in this must we keepe Faith else it will bee lost For whence commeth it that so many continually doe reiect the truth and fall into wicked sects and damnable heresies but because they were not carefull to keepe the sound doctrine in a pure Conscience and therefore God iustly punished their hypocriticall dealing with this iudgement sending them strong delusions that they should beleeue lies who delighted not in the Truth Two fearefull examples doth Paul here alleadge of two men who casting away the Carquenet lost also the Pearle putting away a good Conscience as concerning Faith made shipwrack id est were quite depriued of it For saith Beza they who keep not a good Conscience doe also by little and little loose the gift of vnderstanding Wherefore loe here another excellent meanes to preuent Apostasie Hold Faith depart not from it for whatsoeuer is not of Faith is sinne keepe a good Conscience vnspotted vndefiled transgresse not against that keepe the forme of godlinesse and deny not the power thereof As we professe to know God so in workes deny him not for what is the end of the Commandement but loue out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith vnfayned But amongst all the parts of holy Scripture there is not any one booke so well furnished with variety of exhortation tending to stirre men vp to perseuerance and to take off reuolting as the Epistle to the Hebrews wherein the Author doth hoc agere in a manner ayme at nothing else wherefore whatsoeuer prescripts of Phisick I haue else to giue shall thence be deducted Fourthly Let there be no fornicatour nor Prophane person c. The words of Paul prescribing a caueat to take heede of this our sinne id est neyther in the second table nor in the first giue way to any grosse sinne and namely not to these whereby the Spirit might bee grieued and by which that Communion of Saints that ought to be in the Church might be violated Three reasons I suppose may be giuen why Paul instanceth rather in Fornication for the second Table than any other sinne First Our bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost and fornication is a sinne against a mans owne body by this then should the habitation of the holy Ghost be defiled his Temple prophaned yea and himselfe driuen forth by our vncleanenesse and pollution Secondly Fornication is a sinne of a pleasing nature to voluptuous persons and they who place happinesse in pleasure doe most easily yeelde to this sin and hauing once yeelded it is so clammy that like pitch or birdlime it sticketh and cleaueth to them and so cleaueth that it rather brings them to renounce the Gospell and the doctrine of it then to giue ouer this filthinesse and vncleanenesse Thirdly Fornication found in any member of the Church is such a sinne as may not be tolerated in the congregation without manifest danger of infection so that in necessity the Congregation must proceede to excommunication as Paul prescribeth by which the party delinquent is deliuered vp to Sathan who is ready presently to possesse him with a roote of bitternesse against God his truth and the professors of it for these causes I take it doth hee instance in Fornication and the like might bee said for prophanenesse The summe is this Harbour no sinne wilfully and by name not this for it is a poyson to the Soule and infection to a Christian profession Fiftly Keepe the profession of our hope without wauering Another excellent Antidote prescribed by our Apostle as we haue hope in heauen and haue beene called to the hope of the Gospell and thereupon haue professed the same before men so must wee hold it fast without wauering not doubting of it or calling it into question after that we haue beene perswaded of it For he that hauing once beleeued the truth of the Gospell and professed his beleefe doth afterwards begin to question it and dispute against it doth iustly deserue to be giuen vp to a Reprobate sense that as hee would not hold fast when he had time and opportunity so now he should for euer loose the hope of happinesse manifested in the Gospell Siztly Prouoke one another to loue and good workes exhorting one another id est in season out of season publiquely in the Church priuately from house to house in all places at all times be ready to stirre vp one another to constancy and perseuerance aedifying one another in that most holy Faith And certainly not without cause doth St. Paul praescribe this as a meanes to preuent Apostasie for good

wisheth Grace mercie and peace from God the father and from the Lord Iesus Christ. COurteous Reader before thou enter vpon this Discourse either to read or to censure I haue to admonish thee of two things First for the manner of writing thou maist easily see it to bee fitted for the Pulpit And indeed so it was that hauing diuerse yeeres since deliuered some few out of this text to mine Auditory I did lately vpon warning giuen take it once againe in hand and alter change correct and enlarge it till I brought it to this quantitie in which it is so preparing it for a more noble Audience Then finding it be ouerlong to be rehearsed at once I was constrained againe to Epitomize it Here therefore hast thou and that is the second thing whereof I aduertise thee at large the whole body of that Discourse whose Epitome was rehearsed in publique So that if any thing seemed to them that heard mee eyther obscure or too slightly passed ouer in the deliuery here may they helpe themselues to vnderstand my meaning For the matter I shall not neede to tell thee that it is needfull in respect of the times wherein the words of our Sauiour are seene fulfilled For because iniquitie doth abound the loue of many waxeth cold And how many are there daily who either fall backe to Popery and Aegyptianpalpable superstition or else turne open rebels by Atheisme And well may we thinke that when the Sonne of man commeth he will scarce finde faith vpon earth Who is there therefore except that vnprofitable seruant that hid his Talent in a Napkin but will be willing to set to his helping hand if not to stay all yet to preserue some from Apostasie Hence commeth it that now lately there haue beene more Sermons and Tractates publisht concerning this sinne of Apostasie within these few yeeres than were in many ages heretofore So that now it might seeme as superfluous for an after-commer to deale in this subiect as to take in hand new Arguments for Popery All which haue bin so often vrged by Schoole-men alledged by Catholikes re-assumed by Popish Priests painted ouer by Iesuits that a man might sooner hope for holesome meate to be made of Cole-worts twise or thrise sodden than to find a new and not here-to fore answered Argument So here Yet since the gifts of men are diuers albeit they proceed from the same spirit what hindreth but that still men may bee doing and doe well since the end of their Action is the glory of God Concerning this present Tractate what it hath not to be found in the former thou thy selfe good Reader vpon tryall wilt easily perceiue In reading of which if thou be such a one who knowest me not It is well goe on and try the spirits If such who doest know mee yet doe me the curtesie to withdraw thy selfe from considering my meane-nesse and looke onely vpon the cause Consider the waight of Reason which I haue alledged For if thou shouldest either like the worse of this in respect of mee or esteeme better of another in respect of his person not regarding what force of Argument we doe either of vs alledge thou maist easily erre as who indeed doest pinne the truth of God vpon the sleeue of man To conclude then if thou be judicious reade censure and correct I giue thee free libertie For I will not my selfe be tyed to this that I haue deliuered if I see better reason to evince it than is brought to confirme it But if thou be one who either doest or justly maist suspect thy iudgement reade but leaue censuring to others Howsoeuer it bee whosoeuer thou art conceiue thus of mee that my desire was to haue deliuered the Truth and nothing but the Truth So wilt thou I hope commend me and my labours to the blessing of God in thy prayers And cause mee to rest Thine in the Lord the Lords vnworthy seruant in the Ministery T. B. To the deuoute Readers which desire to keepe Faith and a good Conscience to the end Grace and Peace and strength against Temptations by IESVS CHRIST MARVAILE not deere Christians and courteous Readers that so many learned diuines and holy minded men bestow so much paines and spend so long time in so sad and vnpleasant a subiect as this is searching and desirous to define what the impardonable sinne against the holy Ghost should be For euen as the best and most approued Phisitians doe more busie themselues in studying those maladies which are most incurable rather then those for which euery emperick hath a medecine in readinesse and cach one amongst them proueth himselfe in his skill if hee haue sound out eyther some especiall Antidote to preuent or some singular remedy if not perfectly to cure yet to ease and aswage the tormenting paines of such desperat disseases as aflict men most as well with the feare of imminent death as with the sence of present dolours Euen so for as much as all heede is to be giuen and all diligence carefully vsed that no man if it be possible dash vpon this Rocke nor fall into so deuouring a deepe many students in diuinitie enflamed with zeale care and loue vnto mens saluation refuse no paines nor think any labour grieuous by night or day if they may be so happie as to giue warning betimes and so preuent any mans relapse or falling away And for as much as many true hearted Christians vpon a tendernesse of Conscience through Satans illusions are often troubled with a feare of hauing offended in this kinde And others againe in a continuall securitie forsaking their first loue reuolt and fall off by little and little from the practise of sincere Piety taking the high way to Epicurisme and denyall of their profession and so come neere and into great daunger of finall relapse at lest if not of an hatred also and despight of that holy truth which they once professed therefore good men willing to comfort the one with solid euidence of Gods word and to reclaime and saue the other from the perill of so irrecouerable a fall doe labour in this sad subiect that by an exact deciphering of that mortall sinne both might finde fit instruction whilest the one may see how farre they are from it and the other perceiue how daungerously they hasten towards it Now as men are diuersly affected some with feare and some with presumption as I haue shewed so likewise we may finde very great yea too much variety of opinion amongst writers concerning this sinne some supposing it to be so rarely and seldome admitted as scarce three examples or foure can be produced since the beginning of the World others make it so frequent and vsuall as almost all that finally fall from their Faith and holy profession are supposed by them to sinne in this kinde Againe some are of opinion that only God can discerne who they be that sinke and are drowned in this gulfe as if he had not reuealed