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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	ceremonial_a	law_n	moral_a	3,536	5	9.8204	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

not see what is in the heart of man It remaines therefore that there is a spirituall substance most wise most holy most mighty that sees a I things to whom conscience beares record and that is God himselfe Let Atheists barke against this as long as they will they haue that in them which will convince them of the truth of the godhead will they nill they either in life or death Secondly we learne that God doth watch ouer all men by a speciall prouidence The master of a prison is knowen by this to haue care ouer his prisoners if hee send keepers with them to watch them and to bring them home againe in time convenient and so Gods care to man is manifest in this that when he created man and placed him in the worlde he gaue him conscience to be his keeper to follow him alwaies at the heeles to dogge him as we say to pry into his actions to beare witnesse of them all Thirdly hence we may obserue Gods goodnesse and loue to man If he do any thing amisse he sets his conscience first of all to tell him of it sec●edy if then he amende God forgives it if not then afterward conscience must openly accuse him for it at the barre of Gods iudgement before all the saints and angels in heauen The second worke of conscience is to giue iudgement of things done To giue iudgemēt is to determine that a thing is well done or ill done Herein conscience is like to a Iudge that holdeth an assize and takes notice of inditements and causeth the most notorious malefactour that is to hold up his hand at the barre of his iudgement Nay it is as it were a little god sitting in the middle of mens hearts arraigning them in this life as they shall be arraigned for their offences at the tribunall seate of the euerliuing god in the day of iudgement Wherfore the temporary iudgement that is giuen by the conscience is nothing els but a beginning or a fore-●unner of the last iudgement Hence we are admonished to take special heed that nothing past lie heavy upon vs that we charge not our cōsciences in time to come with any matter For if our conscience accuse us god will much more condemne vs saith S. Iohn 1. Io● 3. 18. because he seeth all our actions more clearely and iudgeth them more seuerely then conscience can It shall be good therfore for all men to labour that they may say with Paul 2. Cor. 4. I knovv nothing by my selfe that they ●ay stand before God without blame for euer H●●st we must consider two things first the c●●se that makes conscience giue iudgement secondly the manner how The c●use is the Binder of the conscience The Binder is that thing whatsoeuer which hath power authority ouer conscience to order it To bind is to vrge cause and constraine it in euery action either to accuse for sinne or to excuse for well doing or to say this may be done or it may not be done Conscience is said to be bound as it is considered a part by it selfe from the binding power of gods cōmandement For then it hath liberty is not bound either to accuse or excuse but is apt to do either of them indifferently but when the binding power is set once ouer the cōsciēce thē in euery actiō it must needs either accuse or excuse euē as a man in a city or town hauing his liberty may go vp down or not go where when he will but if his body be attached by the magistrate imprisoned thē his former liberty is restrained he can go up and downe but within the prison or some other allowed place The binder of conscience is either proper or improper Proper is that thing which hath absolute and soueraigne power in it selfe to bind the conscience And that is the worde of God writtē in the books of the old new Testamē● Reason I. He which is the Lord of 〈◊〉 by his word and lawes bindes con●… but God is the only Lorde of conscience bec●●se he once created it and he alone gouer●… 〈◊〉 none but he knowes it Therfore his word and lawes only bind conscience properly II. 〈◊〉 which hath power to s●●e or destroy the 〈◊〉 for the keeping or breaking of his lawes ●ath absolute power to bind the soul and cons●●ence by the same lawes but the first is true of God alone Iam. 3. 12. There is 〈◊〉 lawgiver which is able to save and destroy Isa● 33. 22. The Lorde is our Iudge the Lord is our lavvginer the Lorde is our King and he will save vs. Therefore the worde of God alone by an absolute and soueraigne power binds conscience Because this point is cleare of it selfe further proofe is needlesse Hēce we are taught sundry points of instruction I. Such as are ignorāt amōg us must labor to get knowledge of gods worde because it binds cōscience Neither wil the plea of ignorā●e serue for excuse because whether we know gods laws or know them not they stil bind us And we are bound not only to do them but whē we know them not we are further bound not to be ignorant of them but to seeke to know them If we had no more sinnes our ignorance were sufficient to condemne vs. II. Gods word is to be obeyed though we should offend all men yea loose all mens fauour and suffer the greatest domage that may be euen the losse of our liues And the reason is at hand because gods worde hath this prerogatiue to bridle bind restraine the conscience III. Whatsoeuer we enter●…se or take in hand we must first search whether God giue vs liberty in conscience and warra●● to do it For if we do otherwise conscience 〈◊〉 bo●nd presently to charge vs of sinne before god Lastly we do here see how dangerous the case is of all time-seruers that will liue as they list and be of no certen religion till differences and dissentions therein be ended and they haue the determination of a generall counsell for whether these things come to passe or no certen i● is that they are bound in conscience to receiue and beleeue the ancient Propheticall and Apostolicall doctrine touching the true worship of god and the way to 〈◊〉 euerlasting which is the true religion The same is to be said of all drowsie protestants and lukewarme-gospellers that use religion not with that care and conscience they ought but only then and so far forth as it serues for their turnes commonly neglecting or despising the assemblies where the word is preached and seldome frequenting the Lords table vnles it be at Easter Like silly wretches they neither see nor feele the constraining power that gods word hath in their cōsciences Gods word is either Law or Gospel The law is a part of Gods word of things to be done o● to be left vndone And it is threefold● morall iudiciall ceremoniall Morall law concernes