Selected quad for the lemma: opinion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
opinion_n	certain_a	faith_n	persuasion_n	574	5	10.3406	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09400	A discourse of conscience wherein is set downe the nature, properties, and differences thereof: as also the way to get and keepe good conscience.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1596 (1596)	STC 19696; ESTC S110415	85,171	182

reason yet because they want true reason they want conscience also Secondly from God the creator who beeing righteousnes it selfe needeth not conscience to order gouerne his actions And wheras Peter saith 1. Pet. 2. 19. that men must indure griese wrongfully for conscience of God his meaning is not to shewe that God hath conscience but that men are to suffer many wrōgs because their cōsciences do bind thē in so doing to obay Gods wil which conscience directly respecteth And I say that conscience is in all reasonable creatures that none might imagine that some men by nature haue conscience in them some none at all For as many men as them are so many consciences there be and euery particular man hath his owne particular conscience The proper ende of conscience is to determine of things done And by this one thing conscience is distinguished from all other gifts of the min●… as intelligence opinion science faith prudence Intelligence simply conce●… thing to be or not to be science iudgeth it to be certen and sure faith is a perswasion whereby we beleeue things that are not 〈◊〉 discerneth what is meete to be done what to be left vndone but conscience goes further yet then all these for it determines or giues sentence of things done by saying vnto vs This was done this was not done this may be done this may not be done this was weldone this was ill done The things that conscience determines of are a mans owne actions his owne actions I say To be certen what an other man hath saide or done is commonly called knowledge but for a man to be certen what he himselfe hath done or saide that is conscience Againe conscience meddles not with generals onely it deales in particular actions and that not in some fewe but in all The manner of consciences determination is to set downe his iudgement either with the creature or against it I adde this clause because conscience is of a diuine nature and is a thing placed by God in the middest betweene him and man as an arbitratour to giue sentence and to pronounce either with man or against man vnto God For otherwhiles it consents and speakes with God against the man in whome it is placed other whiles againe it consents with him and speakes for him before the Lord. And hence comes one reason of the name of conscience Scire to know is of one man alone by himselfe and conscire is when two at the least know some one secret thing either of them knowing it togither with the other Therefore the name 〈◊〉 or Conscientia conscience is that thing that combines two togither and makes them partners in the knowledge of one and the same secret Now man and man o● man and Angel can not be combined because they can not know the secret of any man vnlesse it be reucaled to them it remaines therefore that this combination is onely betweene man and God God knowes perfectly all the doings of man though they be neuer so hid and concealed and man by a gift giuē him of God knows togither with God the same things of himselfe and this gift is named Conscience CAP. II. Of the duties of conscience THe proper actions or duties of conscience are twofold to giue testimonie or to giue iudgement Rom. 2. 15. Conscience giues testimonie by determining that a thing was done or it was not done Rom. 2. 15. Their conscience also bearing witnes 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our reioycing is the testimonie of our conscience that in c. Here we must consider three things I. of what things conscience beares witnes II. in what manner III. how long For the first conscience beares witnesse of our thoughts of our affections of our outward actions That it beares witnes of our secret thoughts it appeares by the solemne protestation which at some time men vse In my conscience I never thought it whereby they signifie that they think something or they thinke it not and that their consciences can tell what they thinke Neither must this seeme strange For there must be two actions of the vnderstanding the one is simple which barely conceiueth or thinketh this or that the other is a reflecting or doubling of the former whereby a man conceiues and thinkes with himselfe what he thinks And this action properly pertaines to the conscience The minde thinks a thought now conscience goes beyond the minde and knowes what the minde thinks so as if a man would go about to hide his sinnefull thoughts from God his conscience as an other person within him shall discouer all By meanes of this second action conscience may beare witnes euen of thoughts and from hence also it seemes to borrow his name because conscience is a science or knowledge ioyned with an other knowledge for by it I conceiue and know what I know Againe conscience beares witnes what the wills and affections of men be in euery matter Rom. 9. 1. I say the truth in Christ I lie nos my conscience bearing me witnes in the holy Ghost that I haue great ●ea●ines and continuall sorrow in my heart for I could wish my selfe to be separate from Christ for my brethren Lastly it witnesseth what be mens actions Eccles. 7. 24. Oftentimes also thine heart knoweth that is consciēce witnesseth that thou likewise hast cursed others The manner that conscience vseth in giuing testimonie standes in two things First it obserues and takes notice of all things that we doe secondly it doth inwardly and secretly within the heart tell vs of them all In this respect it may fitly be compared to a notarie or a register that hath alwaies the penne in his hand to note and record whatsoeuer is saide or done who also because he keepes the rolles and records of the court can tell what hath bin said and done many hundred yeares past Touching the third point How long conscience beares witnes it doth it continually not for a minut or a day or a moneth or a yeare but for euer when a man dies conscience dieth not when the bodie is rotting in the graue conscience liueth and is safe and sound and when we shall rise againe conscience shall come with vs to the barre of Gods iudgement either to accuse or excuse vs before God Rom. 2. 15. 16. Their conscience bearing witnes at the day when God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ. By this first dutie of conscience we are to learne three things The first that there is a God and we may be lead to the sight of this euen by very reason For conscience beares witnesse Of what Of thy particular doings But against whome or with whome doth it giue testimonie thou maist feele in thy heart that it doth it either with thee or against thee And to whom is it a witnesse To men or Angels that can not be for they can not heare the voice of conscience they can not receiue consciences testimony nay they can