Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	faith_n	soul_n	work_n	7,291	5	5.7496	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18036	The conscionable Christian: or, The indeuour of Saint Paul, to haue and discharge a good conscience alwayes towards God, and men laid open and applyed in three sermons. Preached before the honourable judges of the circuit, at their seuerall assises, holden in Chard and Taunton, for the county of Somerset. 1620. By Richard Carpenter, Doctor of Diuinity, and pastor of Sherwell in Deuon.	Carpenter, Richard, 1575-1627.	1623 (1623)	STC 4681; ESTC S107676	65,416	130

Isa 57. 21. is no peace to the wicked saith my God no true peace either in life or death Lateri haeret laethalis arundo The griping gnawing and neuer dying Worme of an accusing conscience euery where tormenteth them and executeth the sentence of remedilesse condemnation vpon them so that being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe-condemned Tit. 3. 11. through the guilt of their sinnes as Cain Iudas Herod and Felix were and as credible Histories Acts 24. declare Bessus for secret killing of his father Bassianus of his brother Orestes of his mother and Richard the third of his nephewes to haue beene they leade heere a life euer-dying and feele as it were a death neuer-ending which is no other but a fore-runner of that supreme and finall doome which God who will iustifie the sentence and execution of conscience shall in that great Day of Iudgement passe peremptorily on all the wilfully-disobedient transgressors of his Commandements Vse Take we heed then that wee neglect not the checks of conscience when wee are bent vnto sinne nor despise the iudgement of conscience when we haue sinned but make haste by repentance in faith to be reconciled to God and it for otherwise God will ratifie the sentence of conscience at the last Day on all impenitent sinners and albeit now many such by their wealth and hearts ease are rockt asleepe by iesting merry tales eating drinking and gaming are cast into a spirit of slumber yea although the vnruly perturbations of their worldly lusts and affections be now so lowd that the voyce of their conscience condemning their wicked wayes and workes cannot bee heard yet the Day shall come and it will be a dreadfull Day for them when these worldly negotiations shall cease and all fleshly perturbations shall be silent and conscience shall be so shrill that they shall both heare it and be thryld at it and gnash Reuel 16. 11. with their teeth and gnaw their tongues for indignation to see how God taketh part with it against them O what horrour and confusion shall then couer the faces of such as by a multitude of carnall pleasures and worldly cares and affaires drowne and cry downe the voyce of conscience by which their euill wayes and workes are condemned as the Drums and Tabrets 2. King 23. 10. in the sacrifices of Molech did the cry of the infants which in Tophet were burned But on the other side O what honour and exaltation shall crowne the heads of those which heare and obey the voyce of conscience by the light of Gods Word rightly informed which lend their eares whilest this good Cassandra spends her tongue and by her in all their actions are willingly guided and directed And so much if not too much may suffice to haue beene spoken generally of conscience it selfe as in her nature properties and offices in her power command and Soueraignty she is considered to bee great Now by Gods assistance vnder the conduct 2. Part. of his feare and your fauour I will proceed to commend to your view and entertainement especially an vpright conscience as in her causes and effects her proiects and priuiledges she is found to bee singularly good and that 1. Bernard Bona conscientia turbata 2. Bona conscientia tranquilla not as she is in continuall conflict with the flesh rebelling against the Spirit and so afflicted with the sanctified dolours of the new birth but as it is after regeneration quieted with the sence of remission of sinnes and reconciliation to God in Christ and so excusing cleering chearing and comforting the soule of the sound Christian In respect whereof some call it The Paradise of the soule The Iubile of the heart Laetitia cordis quasi latitia A surpassing inward solace so dilating and inlarging the heart for some good in possession more in expectation that the ioy thereof cannot well bee suppressed or expressed And hence in a common popular apprehension it is said to bee a ioyfull remembrance of a well led life ioyned with an hopefull expectation of a comfortable death and glorious resurrection S. Paul in respect of the mindes tranquillity Phil. 4. 7. inioyed thereby termeth it a peace which passeth all vnderstanding like to the hidden Manna and white stone wherein a name was written which no man knoweth but hee that inioyeth it Reuel 2. 17. Salomon that kingly Reu. 2. 17. Preacher pointing at the peerelesse pleasure and immutable comfort of a good conscience compares it to a continuall feast farre excelling Pro. 15. 15. Mishteh tamid the royall feast of Ahashuerus which lasted but nine-skore dayes for this feast of a good conscience whereat the Angels are Cookes and Butlers and the blessed Trinity gladsome ghests as Luther boldly speakes without intermission Luth. in Gal. of solace or interruption of society is a continuall feast A feast in life and health refreshing the soule with dainty cates of diuine comforts A feast in sicknesse when worldlings hopes hang downe their heads like a Bulrush and lag like a Ruffians starcht Ruffe in a storme of raine yea in death a feast when comfort is worth a world and all worldly comforts and comforters forsake vs yea in the Day of Resurrection and after that Day when all these shaddowes shall flie away a feast for euermore No maruell then that Saint Bernard being rapt and rauished heerewith breaketh foorth into the singular commendation of the admirable endowments thereof saying Bona conscientia est Be● in form hon vit titulus religionis templum Salomonis ager Benedictionis hortus deliciarum gaudium Angelorum c. A good conscience is the Title and Crowne of Religion the Temple of Salomon the field of Benediction the Garden of delight the ioy of Angels and Sanctuary of the holy Ghost c. But because these the like allusiue notions of a good conscience frequent in the Fathers are magis sloridae quàm solidae more pregnant for wit then profitable for present vse I will say to them as Iehu to the messenger of Iehoram 2. Kin. 9. 18. 2. King 9. Turne behind me and will take hold of that more sound description thereof by Isiodore affirming that a cleere or inoffensiue conscience is such a one Quae nec de praeterito iustè accusatur Isiod in 2. l. soli loq nec de praesenti iniustè delectatur nec de futuro sollicitè perturbatur that is which is neither iustly accused for things past nor vnlawfully delighted with things present nor anxiously troubled for things to come This clearing chearing conscience and that Note perfectly good Adam only had in his Creation whilest in Paradise hee walked with God without sinne and without feare in the state of innocency But now there is no way to come to it to attaine and haue a quiet conscience and that but imperfectly good after regeneration but onely by the mediation and reconciliation of Christ Being iustified by faith in

the Blood Rom. 5. 1. of Christ saith S. Paul wee haue peace with God Rom. 5. And againe The Blood of Christ Heb. 9. 14. once offred by his eternall Spirit without fault purgeth our consciences from dead workes Heb. 9. Yea so purifieth and pacifieth them that it leaues no remorse of sin accusing or condemning in them Nothing else in this world hath this vertue saue Christs Blood alone there is no pacification of the soule without remission Ioh. 3. 1. Heb. 9. 22. Heb. 10. of sinne no remission of sin without blood no blood expiatory for sinne but Christs no application of this expiation but by faith The consequence then is vndenyable therefore by faith in Christs Blood shed for the remission of sinne we attaine peace of conscience No perfumes of the Sanctuary or charmes of Oratory can relieue it no straines of Musicke or Songs of Angels can reioyce it All other merriments and outward refreshments whatsoeuer haue no more power to cure and quiet it then popish holy-water hath to coniure the diuell This this is the honour royalty and peculiar dignity of Christs blood by the hand of faith applyed to the soule for the full remission of sinnes This alone can pacifie and make good the conscience and fully effect it whereas otherwise all the glittering appearances of happinesse which dazle the eyes of doting worldlings cannot bring it to passe The superstitious Papist troubled in conscience for sinne runnes vp and downe for reliefe like an Hart with an Arrow in his side Se rotat in vulnus transsixam circuit hastam hee sends to the god of Ekron for helpe hee buyes a pardon 2. King 1. 2. goes to shrift lasheth and launceth himselfe as the Priests of Baal did posteth to a Masse passeth 1. King 18. on in pilgrimage to a woodden worme-eaten Lady or painted Image and all this while as an aguish man that drinkes water his disease increaseth no shift of place or change of aire can relieue him being dogged and attended on by the hellish hag of his conscience Quae surdo verbere caedit which whips him in secret and in silence telles him Omnibus vmbra locis adero dabis improbe poenas The prophane worldling likewise being vexed and perplexed in mind with the horrour of his offensiue life and the blood-hound of his guilty conscience hunting dry-foot on the sent Prou. 28. 1. of his former sinnes proiecteth fearfull things ambulat in circuitu walkes in a restlesse round or maze like a sea-sicke wretch from the ship to the boat and so backe againe and as Saint Augustine passionately describes it runnes like Aug. in 45. Psa a Male-content ab agro in vrbem c. from the field into the City out of the City into his house from the common roomes thereof to his bed-chamber from thence to his study or closet and then out againe to seeke for a merry companion to see if hee can play away his trouble and remooue the melancholy qualme as carnall men account it from the stomake he eates profusely drinkes profoundly sports profanely and all to lull the conscience asleepe and to drowne her accusing voyce by 2. King 23. 10. the clamours of needlesse imployments But all in vain he doth but loose his chaine that it may be tyed straighter and smother the fire for a time which will afterwards breake forth with greater violence a seeming truce he may haue true peace he cannot haue for Nocte diéque suum gestat in pectore testem yea pestem hee carries night and day his bane in his bosome and of all earthly refreshments may truly say as Iob of his Iob 16. 2. friends Miserable comforters are ye all But as for the godly Christian who is willing to illuminate and regulate his conscience by Gods sacred Word and the diuine Oracles of eternall truth when scruples and troubles of conscience doe arise whereby hee is somewhat distracted or distressed leauing all humane conclusions vntryed vntrusted he forthwith goes to God in prayer for direction powres forth his soule in supplication to him imbraceth all good meanes of instruction and edification layes fast hold by a liuely faith on Christ Iesus for reconciliation and so finding Christ the great Physician of soules or rather being found of him findes with all peace and tranquillity his doubts resolued his griefe remoued his feare cancelled his heart confirmed in well-doing his soule as it were rauished with the sweet sauour of his precious oyntments so that Flammas licet hic ille iaculetur polus fractus illabatur orbis impauidum ferient ruinae though the heauens and earth crack and fly off the hinges and the Mountaines be remoued yet therewith he cannot be appalled to him being in Christ and feeling it to be so there is no condemnation or remurmuration of conscience for sinne and therefore with glory to God in excelsis he sings De profundis a requiem to his soule You see then by that which hath been said how that the conscience which Gods Word actuated by the Spirit inlighteneth and perswadeth and the blood of Christ Iesus applyed by the hand of faith purgeth and pacifyeth is the onely good conscience Know also that truly to beleeue well according to the tenour of Gods sacred Word and to indeuour duly to liue well in a cheerfull obedience to his holy will is both mother and nurse of the same It is the pure inmost blood which breeds and the radicall moysture which feeds the bright Lampe of the soule a good conscience Whereof for a conclusion to the premises and an induction to that which followes this plaine and pregnant definition proued by direct passages of Scriptures offers it selfe to your Christian obseruation Doct. 4 A good or vpright a Prou. 15. 15. conscience is a diuine b Rom. 2. 16. power and principall part of Gods Image in man whereby he doth most resemble the selfe-sufficiency of God which being c Ephes 1. 7. inlightened by Gods Word and purged by d Rom. 5. 1. Heb. 9. 14. faith in Christs blood from the guilt and punishment of sinne and from dead workes to serue the liuing Lord speaketh e Phil. 4. 7. peace with Gods allowance is a f Iob 33. messenger of good things betwixt God and vs and cheereth vp the heart with g 1. Pet. 1. 8. ioy vnspeakable and glorious In which Definition you may easily perceiue how that knowledge and faith repentance and obedience peace and ioy haue their concurrence to make vp the precious odoriferous balme or oyntment of a good conscience First knowledge and faith is requisite thereunto lest it should be blind and erronious Secondly repentance and constant obedience lest it should be secure and licentious Thirdly peace and ioy lest it should bee stirring galling and needlesly tender and timorous To touch the tops of these perswasions first Iudg. 7. 1. Knowledge it is by too lamentable