[f. CONVINCE v. + -MENT.)
† 1. The action of convicting or proving guilty or in the wrong. Obs.
1612. T. Taylor, Comm. Titus ii. 6. Of which the Lord will make great vse to their shame and conuincement.
1649. Milton, Eikon., iv. (1851), 365. The convincement of his own violent courses.
1654. Ld. Orrery, Parthenissa (1676), 257. Is an accusation then a sufficient convincement?
† 2. The action of proving; demonstration. Obs.
1654. Ld. Orrery, Parthenissa (1676), 684. Having received from him a full convincement of the certainty thereof.
1667. Decay Chr. Piety, vi. ¶ 24. If that be not convincement enough, let him weigh the other also.
1689. Tryal Bps., Pref. 2. A clear convincement, that it was not Ambition … which rowsed your Courage.
3. The action or fact of convincing, mental conviction.
1633. D. Rogers, Treat. Sacram., ii. 66. A speciall convincement of the understanding.
1644. Milton, Areop. (Arb.), 69. Others … assenting to the force of reason and convincement.
1878. Spurgeon, Treas. Dav., Ps. cxv. 3. The convincement of those who … shut their eyes to the … evidences of his divine power.
1888. Athenæum, 1 Dec., 731. [It] aided in giving Trollope his power of convincement.
b. The mental condition of being convinced.
1823. Lamb, Elia, 313. But with the deepest convincement of this gentleman’s own veracity, we think [etc.].
4. Conscientious or religious conviction; conviction of sin; esp. used by Quakers in the sense of religious conversion.
1617. Hieron, Wks., II. 116. If, by the mercy of God, our conscience shall meete vs againe and againe at euery turne; and … hedge vs in with vnauoidable conuincements.
1656. G. Fox, Jrnl., I. 269. A great convincement there was through all that country, many meetings … we had, and the Lord’s power was over all.
a. 1718. Penn, Life, Wks. 1726, I. 149. In the early Days of my Convincement.
1797. (title) Account of the Convincement and Call to the Ministry of M. Lucas.
1885. Manch. Even. News, 29 May, 2/3. The number of Members of the Society of Friends was 15,381 … in the Western quarterly meeting … 57 had been admitted by convincement.
