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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A52357 The true liberty & dominion of conscience vindicated, from the usurpations & abuses of opinion, and persuasion Nalson, John, 1638?-1686. 1677 (1677) Wing N117; ESTC R19982 50,790 152

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this I doubt not to make it appear that the greatest part of those who talk so loud about Conscience I mean the Vulgar who have little to say for themselves besides that do scarcely understand the Word and are absolute strangers to the true sense and meaning of the thing That such therefore as are not resolved to be wilful may be undeceived and that they may not give to this pretended Conscience a greater Sovereignty than ever God almighty did design the true one by setting it up as an Omnipotent Idol in their hearts I offer this following Discourse which if perused with that sobriety and impartiality of consideration as becomes a Concern of so great moment may I hope conduce much to the present satisfaction of many and the publick advantage of my Native Countrey by removing the occasion of so many heats and animosities separations and divisions as draw their original principally from these mistakes about matters of Conscience CHAP. III. Of the great Influence which the true Conscience has upon all the affairs of Humane Life and therefore the great necessity there is that all men should be rightly informed concerning it HAving now shewn the great power of a pretended Conscience before we proceed any further it will be requisite to shew of what concern it is for all men rightly to understand themselves in this affair of Conscience which cannot be better done than by displaying the powerful Influence which Conscience challenges in the management of all Humane Actions We will therefore briefly trace it through its vast Dominions of Oeconomicks Ethicks Politicks and Divinity We will begin then with private Families and there we shall find Conscience to be the onely bond of Union the onely maintainer and preserver of those respective Duties which are owing from one to another in those little primitive Societies of Mankind And therefore we see where this bears the sway there is always the most Domestick peace concord and tranquillity on the contrary where this Principle is wanting neither the obligations of Nature Education or Reason are powerful enough to keep men within the limits of their Duty but Cain shall imbrue his hands in the innocent blood of his onely Brother Abel Amnon shall commit a Rape upon his beautiful Sister Tamar Absalom shall rebel against and endeavour to depose his Father in short without a sense of the Obligations of Conscience the Master of the Family will be unkind to the Wife of his bosome cruel to his Children tyrannical to his Servants The Wife will be false and treacherous the Children will be undutiful and unnatural the Servants will be negligent faithless and disobedient and all extremely vitious And in a word there will be neither Order Government Peace nor any kind of happiness in these little Communities without Conscience If we step out of private Doors into the wider World we shall find that without the ties of Conscience to oblige men to their several and respective Duties there would be no such thing as Virtue to be found in all Humane Race and one might as successfully seek and it may be more probably find Temperance Chastity Justice Fortitude Prudence Magnanimity Fidelity and Gratitude amongst the savage Inhabitants of the Woods and Desarts Without this men resign themselves up so wholly to the conduct of their blind Passions of Lust Hatred Anger Jealousie Fear and Despair that they seem not onely divested of all Morality but even of Humanity it self Let the late discovered Inhabitants of the Western World attest this truth amongst whom for want of this there was so little to be found of Morality that had it not been for Humane shape and amongst some of them the name of Religion it had been impossible to distinguish them from the so nearly related Brutes some of which wanted little advantage of them but a Language to express themselves in so as to be understood But leaving these barbarous Regions if we come where Morality has civilized and common necessity has united men into Combinations and Societies where there is the best establish'd Government the most prudent and excellent Laws for the promoting the common good and securing every mans particular Interest and Property yet still the great Obligation to these Laws and this Government must be Conscience which seems to have been the Reason why all the antient Lawgivers in imitation of Moses have pretended a familiarity and frequent intercourse with the Divinity and therefore proposed their Laws to the People as the will of the Gods as being well assured that no other Principle was capable of laying such a powerful Obligation to Duty and Obedience upon the minds of men as such a belief For all Obedience must be resolved into one of these Principles Hope of Advantage Fear of Punishment or Conscience of Duty to God Now if either Hopes of Advantage or Fear of Punishment are the onely Inducements to Order and Obedience less degrees of this Fear or however a belief that they are out of the reach of punishment or greater though onely hopes of private advantage shall cancel all the Obligation to Humane Laws and the publick advantage and like an impetuous Torrent shall violently break all the banks of Laws and Government and tear up the foundations of whatever does oppose its furious rage Nor was there ever any popular Insurrection Disorder or Rebellion in any Nation but took its original from one of these tempestuous Principles Whereas on the contrary no hopes of Impunity from Humane Laws no private Interest or Ambition can persuade a man from that Duty which he ows to Laws and Government upon the account of Conscience nay we have further seen that Cruelty it self with all its terrors and tormentors has not been able to shake men off from this firm and solid foundation of fixed Obedience Thus we see Conscience the best preservative against the threatning dangers of Intestine Mischiefs nor is it less available against Foreign Force For unity of mind which is the genuine and natural effect of Conscience is certainly the greatest policy as well as strength of any People whereas Discords Divisions and mutual Dissentions give all the hopes and encouragements to a Foreign Power to invade and all the helps and advantages to subdue This made the Roman Eagles stretch their victorious Pinions over the greatest part of the World the civil Dissentions of their Neighbours amongst themselves made many potent and otherwise invincible People become an easie Quarry to their ambitious Arms And whilst with a shew of Justice they pretended to espouse the Quarrel of the weaker part by overpoising of the Ballance both sides at last became their prey and thrust their own necks under the fatal yoke which by unity they might easily have avoided It is to this the Ottomans owe the prodigious successes of their prevailing Crescents which had either never been so or had long since been in their Wain again if the Divisions amongst the Christian Princes had