Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	arm_n	head_n	loin_n	2,608	5	15.0514	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A21059	Tvvo treatises the one of Good conscicnce [sic]; shewing the nature, meanes, markes, benefits, and necessitie thereof. The other The mischiefe and misery of scandalls, both taken and given. Both published. by Ier: Dyke, minister of Gods Word at Epping in Essex.	Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639.; Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639. Mischiefe and miserie of scandals both taken, and given. aut; Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639. Good conscience. aut	1635 (1635)	STC 7428; ESTC S100168	221,877	565

then should a man do in such a hard case Heare what is the resolution of a good conscience Act. 20. 24. My life not deare unto me so that I may fulfill my Ministration with joy And wherein lay his joy but in his good conscience 2 Corinth 1. 12. It is all one as if hee had said I care not to lose my life to keepe a good conscience A good conscience in that passage of the Apostle 1 Tim. 1. 19. is secretly compared to a ship Now in a tempest at Sea when the question is come to this whether the goods shall be cast out or the Ship be cast away what doe the Marriners See Act. 27. 18. 38. They lightned the Ship and cast out the wheat into the Sea The Marriners will turne the richest Commodities over-board to save the Ship for they know if the Ship be cast away then themselves are cast away Thus it is with a man that hath a good conscience when the case comes to this pinch that either his outward Comforts or his inward Peace must wrack hee will cheerfully cast the wheat into the sea will part with all earthly commodities and comforts before he will rush and wrack his conscience upon any rock He knowes if the ship be wrackt if his conscience be crackt that then himselfe and his soule is in danger of being cast away and therefore hee will throw away all to save conscience from being split upon the rocks and being swallowed up in the sands There is as great a difference between a good conscience and all outward things even unto life it selfe as is betweene the arme and the head or heart The braine and the heart are vitall parts therefore when the head is in danger to be cleft or the heart to be thrust through a man will not stand questioning whether hee were best adventure his hand or his arme to save his head or his heart but either of these being in danger the hand and the arme presently interpose themselves to receive the blow and put themselves in danger of being wounded or cut off rather than the head or heart should be pierced A man may have his hand or arme cut off and yet may live but a wound in the braine or heart is mortall It is so in this case A good conscience values its owne peace above all the world It is that wherin a Christians life lyes therfore he will suffer the right hand or foot to be cut off and lose all rather than expose conscience to danger A man may go to heaven with the losse of a limbe and though he halt Math. 18. 8. but if a man lose his life if conscience be lost all is lost A man may goe to heaven though hee lose riches liberty life but if a good conscience be lost there is no comming thither All things compared to conscience are as far beneath it as the least finger beneath the head He were a mad man that would suffer his skull to be cleft to save his little finger nay but the paring of his naile And yet the world is full of such mad men that suffer conscience to receive many a deepe wound and gash to save those things which in comparison of good conscience are but as the nayle parings to the head Try mens consciences here and we shall find them exceeding short A good conscience will endure any griefe and suffer any wrong rather then suffer the losse of its owne peace God commands Amaziah 2 Chron. 25. to put away Israel oh but what shall I doe for mine hundred Talents Tush what are an hundred Talents A good conscience in yielding obedience to God is a richer treasure than the East and West Indies And yet how many be there that will craze their conscience an hundred times before they will lose one Talent by obedience to God out of a care to keepe a good conscience A talent nay that is too deepe never put them to that cost they will sell a good conscience not for gaining but for the taking of a farthing token God and good conscience say Sanctifie the Sabbath Possibly some halfe-penny customer comes to a Tradesmans Shop on a Sabbath and askes the sale of such or such a commoditie Now the mans conscience tels him of the commandement tels him what God lookes for tels him it cannot stand with his peace to make markets on that day c. But then he tels conscience that if hee be so precise hee may lose a customer and if hee lose his customers he may shutte up his Shop-windowes An Inne-keepers conscience tels him that it is fitter that hee should bee attending Gods service at his house on his day than that hee should be waiting on his guest But then he replies to conscience that then his takings will be but poore and this is the next way to pluck downe his signe So here lyes a dispute between Conscience and Gaine which of these two must be parted with If now in this case a man will grow to this resolution By Gods helpe I am resolved to keepe a good conscience in keeping Gods Commandement and Sabbath I will rather lose the best customer I have and the best guest I have then the peace of a good conscience If I beg I beg I will say of my customers as Iacob of his children Gen. 43. 14. If I am bereaved of them I am bereaved I will trust God with my estate before I will hazard my conscience Give me such a man such a Tradesman and I will be bold to say he is a man of a good conscience But contrarily when men are so set upon gaine that so they may have it they care not how they come by it they will dispense an hundred times with their obedience to God if any thing be to be had if these have good consciences let any judge How would such lose their blood and lives that will not lose such trifling gaines for the safety of their conscience Wee have not yet resisted unto blood the more we owe to God that know not what that resistance meanes Alas how would those resist unto blood that set conscience to sale upon so base prices as they doe Peter speakes of a fiery triall 1. Pet. 4. 12. If God should ever bring that triall amongst us that a company of drossie consciences would it find out Wee have no fiery tryall we have but an airy tryall onely and yet how many evill consciences it discovers Many a man could find in his heart to pray in his family to frequent good exercises and company hee is convinced in his conscience that thus he should doe and conscience presses him to it But why then are not these things done A Lyon is in the way Hee shall lose the good word and opinion of the world he shall have so many frowns and frumps and censures and scoffes that he cannot buckle to this course Many are in Zedekiah his case he was convinced in his

worm and no man a reproach of men and despised of the people All they that see me laugh me to scorne c. The way to heaven is a narrow way and this narrow way is beset with snakes spitting adders barking and biting and mad dogs and a man must passe to heaven through good and evill report 2 Corrinth 6. 8. Well then it being so hard a passage Currentem attrites super aspidas basiliscos decl●naresenem vipera non poterit Prosp do Aug. Conscia mens recti fama mendacia ridet Sed nos in vitium credula turba sumus Ovid. how may a man get himselfe so armed that he may passe cheerfully through all these get a good conscience and thou shalt regard these snakes serpents vipers and dogs no more than a straw under thy foot If thou have a good conscience thou shalt laugh at the reproaches of enemies as Eliphaz speakes of destruction Iob 5. A good conscience will say unto thee Go on cheerily in the wayes of God what ever discouragements the Devill raises by reproaches and slanders feare them not behold I acquit excuse thee I will beare thee out I will witnesse at Gods tribunall for thee Lo I give thee balme against their poyson a buckler against their swords Let them curse yet I will blesse thee let them reproach yet I will comfort let them condemne yet I will absolve thee let them defame thee yet I will be thy compurgator let them cast dirt in thy face yet I wil wash it off let them disquiet yet behold I am ready to cheere thee Oh the sweet and unconceivable comfort that a good conscience wil speak even in the middst of the cruell speakings of ungodly men Iude 15. that will speake comfortably when they speake cruelly and most comfortably when they speak most cruelly Such is the benefit of a good conscience in case of reproach and disgrace CHAP. XI The comfort and benefit of a good conscience in the times of common feares and calamities in the times of personall evils as sicknesse and afflictions for conscience sake IN the second place let us see what 2. The comfort of a good conscience in the times of common feares and calamities the benefit and comfort of a good conscience is in the times of Common feares and Common calamities When the world is full of feares and dangers and calamities breake in how fares it then with an evill conscience in what taking are they that want a good conscience They are absorpt with feares and the very tydings puts them to such perplexities Isa 7. 2. Ahas is told of a confederacie betweene Syria and Ephraim and see in what feares hee and his people were His heart was moved and the heart of his people as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind So deeply doe reports and and evill tidings affect them the trees in the wood are not so shaken with the blustering windes as evill consciences are with evill tydings When ill newes and ill consciences meet there is no small feare The signes that prognosticate sorrowfull times see how deeply they affect evill consciences Luke 21. 25. There shall be signes in the Sun and the Moone and in the stars and upon the earth distresse of Nations with perplexity mens hearts failing them for feare and for looking after those things which are comming in the earth But when calamitie indeed comes and not ill newes but ill times and ill consciences meet how are they then They are then either in the case the Aegyptians were in the famine Gen. 47. 13. They were at their wits end or as those in a storme at Sea Ps 107. 26 27. Their soule is melted because of trouble They reele to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and all their wisedome is swallowed vp Excesse of feare puts them into as great distempers as excesse of wine it utterly stupifies them and they by feare are as much bereft of the use of their senses wit and wisedome as a drunkard is in his drunkenesse Yea their feares make them not onely drunke but starke madde Deut. 28. 34. Thou shalt be oppressed and cursed alway so that thou shalt bee madde for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see The perplexities of an evill conscience in evill times are vnspeakeably grievous Isay doth exceeding lively describe them Isay 31. 7 8 9. Therefore shall all hands be faint and every mans heart shall melt And they shall be afraid pangs and sorrowes shall take hold of them they shall be in paine as a woman that travells they shall be amazed one at another their faces shall bee as flames c. Hence that same strange question of the Prophet Ierem. 30. 6 Aske ye now and see whether a man doth travell with childe A strange question what should make the Prophet aske it Because he foresaw such strange behaviour amongst them carrying themselves in the same fashion in the day of calamitie that women vse to doe in the extremity of the pangs of childbirth Wherefore doe I see every man with his hands on his loynes as a woman in travell and all-faces are turned into palenesse Alas for that day is great so that none is like it it is even the time of Iacobs trouble When such wofull dayes befall a man all his riches will not yeeld him a jot of comfort Pro. 11. 4. Riches availe not in the day of wrath No that will no whit cheere a man at such a time They shall cast their silver in the streets and their gold shall be removed c. Ezek. 7. 19. This shall be the miserable pickle a man shall bee in at such a time that wants a good Conscience But now looke upon a man with a good conscience in such times and how fares it with him Let evill tydings and times come how is he affected therewithall He will not be afraid of evill tydings for his heart is fixed Psalme 112. 7. Fe re he may but yet his Heart shall be free from those restlesse and perplexing distractions wherewith all others are vexed Luke 22. 9. When ye shall heare of warres and commotions be not terrified And Prov. 3. 25. Be not afraid of sudden feare There is nothing so armes and resolves the heart against feares and evill tydings as doth the peace and integrity of a good conscience For let there bee outward peace abroad in the world and freedome from all feares of warres and combustions yet little joy and comfort can a man have therein whilest his conscience proclames warre against him and as Gods Herald summons him to battell Those inward warres and rumours of warres wofully distract him in the midst of his outward peace So contrarily let there be peace within in the conscience and all warres and feares of warres husht there and then what ever feares and troubles are like to be without yet there will bee a calme a serenity and a sweet security within Bee carefull

heart One blow on the heart or with the heart is more painefull than an hundred on the face and as Rehoboam speaks of himselfe 1 King 12. 10. so consciences little finger is thicker heavier and more intollerable than both Ananias his hands and loynes Now then here is the case If Paul will stand to his conscience then Ananias his fists will be about his eares If Paul do forsake or flawe good conscience for feare or for the favour of Ananias then will consciences fist be about his heart Now then if no remedy but a man must have blowes it is good wisedome to chuse the lightest fist and the softer hand and to take the blow on that part that is best able to beare it with most ease The face is better able to abide blows than the heart and Ananias his blowes are but fillips to the clubbing blowes of conscience We would scarce judge him a wise man that to avoyd a cuffe on the eare would put himselfe under the danger of a blow with a club Here is that then that may make us to compose our selves to patience and to grow to an hardinesse and a Christian resolution Better ten blowes on the face than one on the heart Better an hundred from Ananias than one from conscience that will lay on load let the world smite yet mine heart smites not yea that strokes and comforts whilst the world strikes and threatens Therefore being smitten in case of conscience rather than give out do as our Saviour bids in another case Math. 5. 39. Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheeke turne to him the other also 2. Consider that in the next verse God shall smite thee God hath smiting fists as well as Ananias Let him smite but yet there will come a time that God shall smite him God will call smiters to a reckoning 3. Consider that of David Psal 3. 7. Thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheeke bone thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly God will not onely smite the enemies of his people but will smite them with disgrace as it is a matter of vile disgrace to have a boxe on the cheeke and hee will give them such a dust on the mouth as shall dash out their very teeth he will lay heavie and disgracefull judgements upon them as he did upon Absolom of whom David speakes May it ever be thy lot to see good conscience under the fists of smiters be not discouraged start not stumble not at it Bee not ready to inferre It is in vaine to cleanse a mans conscience and wash his hands in innocencie But consider that this hath been ever the worlds madnesse and the ancient lot of a good conscience either to bee smitten with adversaries hands or varlets tongues CHAP. XVII The impetuous injustice and malice of the adversaries of a good conscience AS we have seene the entertainment a good conscience meets withall in the world so we may here further see the inordinat violences that the enemies and haters of a good conscience are carried with Therefore out of this insolent Injunction of Ananias we may in the second place observe The heady violence and impetuous injustice Doct. 2 of the adversaries of good conscience Smite him on the mouth A man would not imagine that hatred and malice against goodnesse should so transport a man as to make him run into so much so open so grosse Injustice Doe but examine the fact and you shall see a strange deale of injustice therein 1. Who is he that bids smite The high Priest He had a better Canon to live by Mal. 2. 6. He walked with me in peace and equity So Levi walked so should Gods Priests walke also And that Canon of Paul for the Ministry of the Gospel held no lesse good for the Ministry of the law That he should not be soone angry no striker Tit. 1. 7. How haps it then that the High Priest is thus light fingred Smite him on the mouth Oh! shame that such a word should come out of a Priests especially the High Priests mouth 2. Who must be smitten Paul an Innocent Foule injustice Questionlesse if Paul had offered such measure but to Ananias his dog to have smitten him for nothing but out of his meer spight Ananias would have judged him a dogged fellow And would Ananias use an innocēt person as he would be loth a man should use his dog 3. Where must this blow be given In open Court where they were all convened to doe justice Still the worse If he had commanded him to have been smitten in his private Parlour it had been unjustifiable but to smite him in open Court and to doe injustice in the place of Iustice this is deepe injustice The place he sate in the gravity of his person Gods High Priest the solemnity of the administration of justice all these might have manacled his hands and have a little tempered and bridled his spirit A foule indignity for the Iudge of Israel to bee smitten on the cheeke Mic. 5. 1. As foule an iniquity for a Iudge of Israel to smite on the mouth wrongfully and in an open Court of Iustice What an indecent thing for a Iudge to goe to cuffes on the Bench What an intemperate and a vindictive spirit argues it But what is the Indency to the Injustice And what Injustice to that which was done upon the Bench Of all wormwood that is the most bitter into which justice is turned 4. For what is the blow given For a good conscience What And hath Gods High Priest no more conscience than so his place teaches him to bee a Protector Defender and an Incourager of good conscience His whole office is matter of conscience and will he that should teach maintaine and incourage good conscience will he smite men for good conscience What is this but Is 58. 4. To smite with the fist of wickednesse 5. When is the blow given When he is begining to plead his own innocencie to speake in his own defence More injustice yet Did not Nicodemus speake reason Ioh. 7. 51. Doth our Law judge any man before it heare him Nay if Ananias have no regard to Gods Law as it seemes hee hath but a little that will smite a man for good conscience yet what will he say to Caesars Law Act. 18. 25. Is it lawfull for you to scourage and so to smite a man that is a Roman and uncondemned and unheard To judge and condemne a man unheard is deep Injustice but far deeper to punish and execute him Will hee hang a man and then try him Lo here indeed a right unrighteous Iudge that feares neither God nor man that regards neither Gods Law nor Caesars To have done by Paul as Gallio did Act. 18. 14 16. When Paul was about to open his mouth to drive him and the rest from the judgement-seat this had beene injustice but when Paul opens his mouth to speake for himself for Ananias to stop