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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A51573 A sermon preached at St. Pauls by Henry Maisterson ... Maisterson, Henry, d. 1671. 1641 (1641) Wing M304; ESTC R10882 18,210 30

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A SERMON preached at St Pauls By HENRY MAISTERSON Fellow of St. Johns Colledge in Cambridge HINC LUCEM ET POCVLA SACRA Alma Mater Printed by Roger Daniel Printer to the Universitie 1641. To the vertuous and Right Worshipfull the Lady Delves wife to Sir Thomas Delves Knight and Baronet in Cheshire MADAM THe world hath been dead to me of late I wish I were as dead to it It is hard to make or keep a friend in adversity and innocency is no protection it rather exposeth unto dangers But I intend not to write satyres nor to trouble your Ladyship with any tedious or unacceptable discourse I rather submit my self and cause to him who is best able to judge and amongst other my worthy friends whose favour hath had influence upon me I fly unto your self for protection humbly intreating you to accept of my homage and service whilst according to my ingagements I do ever remain ' Your Ladyships in all hmuble observance HENRY MAISTERSON HEB. 13.18 For we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly SAint Paul for him wee 'le suppose with all the Greek Fathers and Saint Augustine Ambrose and Gregory among the Latine to be the authour of this Epistle knowing prayer to be the golden key that unlocketh the cabinet both of earthly and heavenly blessings in these words useth an argument or reason to move the Hebrews to remember him in their prayers and that is his confidence upon good ground that he hath a good conscience For we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly Which words without any rack or violence offer themselves to this division first The Apostles confident perswasion we trust secondly the Object of it that we have a good conscience thirdly the foundation or ground upon which this edifice of trust which towers up to heaven is built and that is in these words in all things willing to live honestly Which words are not referred to the predicate good conscience as though they were a bare description thereof or a difference to distinguish what kind of good conscience the Apostle means and to be read thus We trust we have a good conscience or a good heart which is willing in all things to live honestly or not able to fulfill the law of God as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propounded unto Adam but yet willing to perform Evangelicall obedience and in all things to live honestly but they are referred to the subject we 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and are to be read thus We willing in all things to live honestly trust we have a good conscience And so they note unto us not barely the object of his trust but the ground thereof And then the reasoning stands thus First To move them to pray for him he useth this argument If I have a good conscience then you are bound by a speciall relation to pray for me not onely as a man but as a believer but I have a good conscience Therefore pray for me Secondly To prove his minor he reasons thus He that is carefull and willing in all things to live honestly he hath a good conscience or he may be confident that he hath a good conscience but I am willing in all things to live honestly Therefore I trust I have a good conscience To omit the coherence of these words with the former noted unto us in the conjunction For and to consider them absolutely and in themselves they afford these three propositions first From the object of St. Pauls trust for that is in nature before the act conversant about it That St. Paul had a good conscience secondly From the act conversant about this object That St. Paul was confidently perswaded that he had a good conscience thirdly That he was perswaded upon this ground because he was carefull and willing in all things to live honestly First St. Paul had a good conscience For these words we have a good conscience though read in the plurall number are to be understood in the singular as appeareth by the context And I beseech you somewhat more earnestly so to do that I may be restored to you more quickly And here by the way we may take notice of St. Pauls modesty verba haec modestiae serviunt saith a Commentatour upon this place who when he is to speak any thing that tends to his own commendation sometimes useth the third person as if he spake of some other not of himself 2. Cor. 12. sometimes the plurall number as ashamed to appropriate that praise to himself which indeed belongeth unto him A good example for them to think upon whose vainglorious mouths are wont to trumper out their own praises whilst they forget that of the Greek Comedian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing is more lamentable then vain glory or that of Chrysostome Homil. 4. in 1. cap. Matth. Si glorificari cupis gloriam despice eris omnibus gloriosior but of this a word onely by the way Now for the better understanding of this proposition it is necessary first to lay open the nature of conscience in generall and the severall acts offices thereof secondly the nature of good conscience and the severall kinds thereof thirdly to shew what kind of good conscience St. Paul meaneth when he saith we trust we have a good conscience First What conscience is Conscience is a part of the practicall understanding in all reasonable creatures applying their actions to some rule which it conceiveth to be the Law of God and determining either with them or against them It is a part not that the understanding hath parts properly it being one simple and undivided faculty but by way of analogy in respect of divers objects and actions And I call it a part to shew that it is a naturall power or quality created together with the soul and inseparable from it and not an act or a habit or any thing that may be lost Secondly It is a part of the understanding not of the will or affections For however some effects there are in the will and affections which proceed from conscience as fear and terrour which are therefore called fear and terrour of conscience yet these are but extrinsecall effects of conscience and flow not immediately from it but from the will as from the next and immediate cause from conscience remotely in respect of that influence which the understanding hath upon the affections Thirdly It is a part of the practicall understanding because conversant about action about things done or to be done and not about mere speculation Fourthly in all reasonable creatures to let you see the proper subject of conscience For first every one that hath conscience must needs have reason For conscience compareth a mans life with his rule which requireth discourse And therefore things that have no life or having life that have not reason cannot be said to have conscience Secondly it must be a creature For God