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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09365	The whole treatise of the cases of conscience distinguished into three bookes: the first whereof is revised and corrected in sundrie places, and the other two annexed. Taught and deliuered by M. W. Perkins in his holy-day lectures, carefully examined by his owne briefes, and now published together for the common good, by T. Pickering Bachelour of Diuinitie. Whereunto is adioyned a twofold table: one of the heads and number of the questions propounded and resolued; another of the principall texts of Scripture vvhich are either explaned, or vindicated from corrupt interpretation.; Cases of conscience	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1606 (1606)	STC 19669; ESTC S114066	314,224	686

man is ingrafted into Christ and thereby becomes one with Christ and Christ one with him Eph 3. 17. Now whosoeuer is by faith vnited vnto Christ the same is elected called iustified and sanctified The reason is manifest For in a chaine the two extremes are knit togither by the middle linkes and in the order of causes of happinesse and saluation faith hath a middle place and by it hath the child of God assured hold of his election and effectuall vocation and consequently of his glorification in the kingdome of heauen To this purpose saith S. Iohn c. 3. v. 36. He that beleeueth in the Sonne hath euerlasting life And c. 5. v. 24. He that beleeues in him that sent me hath euerlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life This is the Ground Now for answer to the Question diuerse places of Scripture are to be skanned wherein this case of Conscience is fully answered and resolued Sect. 1. The first place is Rom. 8. 16. And the spirit of God testifieth together with our spirits that we are the sonnes of God In these words are two testimonies of our adoption set downe The first is the Spirit of God dwelling in vs and testifying vnto vs that we are Gods childrē But some will happily demaund How Gods spirit giues witnesse seeing now there are no reuelations Answ. Extraordinarie reuelations are ceased and yet the holy Ghost in and by the word reuealeth some things vnto men for which cause he is called truly the Spirit of Reuelation Eph. 3. 5. Againe the holy Ghost giues testimonie by applying the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting by Christ particularly to the heart of man when the same is generally propounded in the Ministerie of the word And because many are readie presumptuously to say they are the children of God when they are not and that they haue the witnesse of Gods Spirit when in truth they want it therefore we are to put a difference between this carnall conceit and the true testimonie of the Spirit Now there be two things whereby they may be discerned one from the other The first is by the meanes For the true testimonie of the holy ghost is wrought ordinarily by the preaching reading and meditation of the word of God as also by praier and the right vse of the Sacraments But the presumptuous testimonie ariseth in the heart and is framed in the braine out of the vse of these meanes or though in the vse yet with want of the blessing of God concurring with the meanes The second is by the effects and fruits of the Spirit For it stirrs vp the heart to praier and inuocation of the name of God Zach. 12. 10. yea it causeth a man to crie and call earnestly vnto God in the time of distresse with a sense and feeling of his owne miseries and with deepe sighes and groanes which cannot be vttered to cra●e mercie and grace at his hands as of a louing father Rom. 8. 26. Thus did Moses crie vnto heauen in his heart when he was in distresse at the red sea Exod. 14. 15. And this gift of praier is an vnfallible testimonie of Gods Spirit which cannot stand with carnall presumption The second Testimonie of our Adoption is our Spirit that is our conscience sanctified and renewed by the Holy Ghost And this also is knowne and discerned first by the greefe of the heart for offending God called Godly sorrow 1. Cor. 7. 10. secondly by a resolute purpose of the heart and endeauour of the whole man in all things to obey God thirdly by sauouring the things of the Spirit Rom. 8. 5. that is by doing the workes of the Spirit with ioy and chearefulnesse of heart as in the presence of God and as his children and seruants Now put the case that the testimonie of the Spirit be wanting then I answer that the other testimonie the sanctification of the heart will suffice to assure vs. We knowe it sufficiently to be true and not painted fire if there be heate though there be no flame Put the case againe that the testimonie of the spirit be wanting and our sanctification be vncertaine vnto vs how then may we be assured The answer is that we must thē haue recourse to the first beginnings and motions of sanctificatiō which are these First to feele our inward corruptions Secondly to be displeased with our selues for them Thirdly to beginne to hate sinne Fourthly to grieue so oft as we fal and offend God Fiftly to auoid the occasions of sinne Sixtly to endeauour to doe our dutie and to vse good meanes Seuenthly to desire to sinne no more And lastly to pray to God for his grace Where these and the like motions are there is the spirit of God whence they proceed and sanctification is begun One apple is sufficient to manifest the life of the tree and one good and constant motion of grace is sufficient to manifest sanctification Againe it may be demanded what must be done if both be wanting Answ. Men must not dispaire but vse good meanes and in time they shall be assured Sect. 2. The Second place is the 15. Psalme In the first verse whereof this question is propounded namely Who of all the members of the Church shall haue his habitation in heauen The answer is made in the verses following and in the second verse he sets downe three generall notes of the said person One is to walke vprightly in sincerity approuing his heart and life to God the second is to deale iustly in al his doings the third is for speech to speake the truth from the heart without guile or flatterie And because we are easily deceiued in generall sinnes in the 3 4 and 5. verses there are set downe seauen more euident and sensible notes of sinceritie iustice and trueth One is in speech not to take vp or carrie abroad false reports and slanders The second is in our dealings not to doe wrong to our neighbour more then to our selues The third is in our companie to contemne wicked persons worthy to be contemned The fourth is in our estimation we haue of others that is to honour them that feare God The fift is in our words to sweare and not to change that is to make conscience of our word and promise especially if if it be confirmed by oath The sixt is in taking of gaine not to giue money to vsurie that is not to take increase for bare lending but to lend freely to the poore The last is to giue testimonie without briberie or partialitie In the fift verse is added a reason of the answer he that in his indeauour doth al these things shall neuer be mooued that is cut off from the Church as an hypocrite Sect. 3. The third place of Scripture is the first Epistle of Iohn the principall scope wherof is to giue a full resolution to the conscience of man touching the certainty of his

sense Hence followes the first effect strange imaginations conceits and opinions framed in the minde which are the first worke of this humour not properly but because it corrupteth the instrument and the instrument beeing corrupted the facultie cannot bring forth good but corrupt actions Examples hereof are well knowne I will onely touch one or two One is called the Beastiall or Beastlike Melancholie a disease in the braine whereby a man thinkes himselfe to be a beast of this or that kind and carries himselfe accordingly And here with haue all those beene troubled which haue thought themselues to be wolues and haue practised woluish behauiour Againe it is said of Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4. 30. that he was driuen from men and did eate grasse as the oxen that is behaued himselfe and fed as a beast Now some are of opinion that his humane shape was taken from him and that he was transformed into a beast at least that he had the soule of a beast in stead of an humane soule for a time But they are deceiued For there is no such transportation of soules into bodies either of men or beasts Others thinke that Nebuchadnezzar was smitten in the braine with this disease of beastlike Melancholy whereby he was so bereft of his right minde that he carried himselfe as a beast And this interpretation is not against the text for in the 31. verse of that chapter it is said that his minde came to him againe and therefore in the disease his vnderstanding and the right vse of his reason was lost And the like is true in historie by diuers examples though it were not true in Nebuchadnezzar Againe take another example that is common and ordinarie Let a Melancholike person vpon the sudden heare or see some fearfull thing the strength of his imagination is such that he will presently fasten the thing vpon himselfe As if he see or heare that a man hath hanged himselfe or is possessed with a Deuil it presently comes to his mind that he must doe so vnto himselfe or that he is or at least shall be possessed In like manner vpon relation of fearefull things presently his phantasie workes and he imagineth that the thing is alreadie or shall befall him And this imagination when it enters once and takes place it brings forth horrible and fearefull effects The second effect or worke of Melancholy is vpon the heart For there is a concord and consent betweene the heart and the braine the thoughts and the affections the heart affecting nothing but that which the minde conceiueth Now when the minde hath conceiued imagined and framed within it selfe fearefull thoughts then comes affection and is answerable to imagination And hence proceede exceeding horrours feares and despaires euen of saluation it selfe and yet the Conscience for all this vntouched and not troubled or disquieted 3. Thirdly it may be demanded whether there be any difference betweene the trouble of Conscience and Melancholy for many hold that they are all one Ans. They are not all one but differ much Affliction of Conscience is one thing trouble by Melancholy is an other and they are plainly distinguished thus First when the Conscience is troubled the affliction it selfe is in the Conscience and so in the whole man But in Melancholy the imagination is disturbed and not the Conscience Secondly the Conscience afflicted hath a true and certen cause whereby it is troubled namely the sight of sinne and the sense of Gods wrath but in Melancholy the imagination conceiueth a thing to be so which is not so for it makes a man to feare and despaire vpon supposed and fained causes Thirdly the man afflicted in Conscience hath courage in many other matters but the Melancholike man feares euery man euery creature yea himselfe and hath no courage 〈◊〉 all but feares when there is no cause of feare Fourthly imaginations in the braine caused by Melancholy may be cured taken away and cut off by meanes of Physicke but the distresse of Conscience cannot be cured by any thing in the world but one and that is the blood of Christ and the assurance of Gods fauour 4. Fourthly the way to cure Melancholy is this First the person troubled must be brought to this that he will content himselfe to be aduised and ruled by the iudgement of others and cease to rest vpon himselfe touching his owne estate and by this shall he reape much quiet and contentation Secondly search and triall must be made whether he hath in him any beginnings of grace as of faith and repentance o● no. If he be a carnall man and wanteth knowledge of his estate then meanes must be vsed to bring him to some sight and sorrow for his sinnes that his melancholy sorrow may be turned into a godly sorrow If he want faith and true repentance some good beginnings thereof must be wrought in his heart Thirdly when he is brought to faith in Gods mercie and an honest purpose not to sinne any more then certaine mercifull promises of God are to be laid before him and he must be exhorted to rest vpon these promises and at no time to admit any imagination or thought that may crosse the saide promises Now the promises are these and such like Psal. 34. 9. No good thing shall be wanting to them that feare God Psal. 91. 10. No euill shall come neere the godly man 2. Chr. 15. The Lord is with you while you are with him and if you seeke him he will be found of you Iam. 4. 8. Draw neere to God and he will draw neere to you And the best meanes to cause any man thus diseased to be at peace with himselfe is to hold beleeue and know the truth of these promises and not to suffer any bythought to enter into his heart that may crosse them Moreouer though the former promises may stay the mind yet will they not take away the humour except further helpe be vsed Therefore the fourth and last helpe is the arte of Physick which serues to correct and abate the humour because it is a meanes by the blessing of God to restore the health and to cure the distemper of the bodie And thus much touching the trouble of mind caused by Melancholy Sect. 3. The Second meanes whereby the bodie annoies the minde is when it occasions trouble to the minde by strange alterations incident to the body When a man beginnes to enter into a Phrensie if the braine admit neuer so little alteration presently the minde is troubled the reason corrupted the heart terrified the man distracted in the whole bodie Thus from the trembling of the heart come many fearefull imaginations and conceits whereof a man knowes not the cause The same is procured by the swelling of the splene by the rising of the entrals by strange crampes convulsions and such like The remedie hereof is this First it is still to be considered whether the partie thus troubled hath the beginnings of true faith repentance or

stand to their agreement and not to goe backe therefore neither of them did or durst breake their oath And among the Gentiles themselues there are fewe or none to be found that will falsifie their word giuen and auowed by oath Whereupon it is a cleare case that they acknowledged a Godhead which knowes and discernes their hearts yea that knowes the truth and can and will plague them for disgracing the truth by lying Thirdly we are not lightly to passe ouer the vsuall tearmes and ordinarie speech of all nations who are woont vpon occasion to say it raines it thunders it snowes it hailes For saying this one while they reioyce and are thankefull otherwhiles they feare and are dismaied They say not nature or heauen raines or thunders for then they would neither reioyce nor tremble In that therefore they speake this commonly sometimes reioycing sometimes fearing it may probably be thought that they acknowledge a diuine power which causeth the raine to fall and the thunder to be so terrible Againe for better proofe hereof it is to be considered that since the world began there could not yet be found or brought forth any man that euer wrote or published a discourse more or lesse to this purpose that there was no God If it be said that some histories doe make mention of sundrie that haue in plaine tearmes denied there is a God and that this is no lesse daungerous then if a treatise of that subiect should be written and set forth to the open view of all I answer indeede in the writings of men we doe read of some that blasphemed God and liued as without God and they haue alwaies beene properly and deseruedly tearmed Atheists Others haue denied that made and faigned gods that is Idols are gods And amongst the heathen that liued onely by the light and direction of nature all that can be brought is this that some men in their writings haue doubted whether there were a God or no but none did euer positiuely set downe reasons to prooue that there was none V. The fifth and last argument from nature is that which is vsed by all Philosophers In the world there is to be seene an excellent wise frame and order of all things One creature depends vpon an other by a certaine order of causes in which some are first and aboue in higher place some are next and inferiour some are the basest and the lowest Now these lowest are mooued of those that are superiour to them and alwaies the superiour is the cause of the inferiour and that whereof the inferiour depends Something then there must be that is the cause of all causes that must be caused by none and must be the cause of all For in things wherein there is order there is alway some first and soueraigne cause and where there is no first nor last there the Creatures are infinite But seeing all creatures are finite there must be somewhat first as well as last Now the first and the last cause of all is God which mooueth all and to whome all creatures doe tend as to their ende and which is mooued of none Notwithstanding all these reasons grounded in nature it selfe it may be some man wil say I neuer saw God how then shall I know that there is a God Ans. Why wilt thou beleeue no more then thou seest Thou neuer sawest the winde or the aire and yet thou beleeuest that there is both Nay thou neuer sawest thine owne face but in a glasse and neuer out of a glasse and yet this contenteth thee Why then may not this content thy heart and resolue thee of the Godhead in that thou seest him in the glasse of the creatures True it is that God is a spirit inuisible that cannot be discerned by the eie of flesh and blood yet he hath not left vs without a meanes whereby we may behold him For looke as we are woont by degrees to goe from the picture to the painter and in the picture to behold the painter himselfe euen so by the image of God written as it were in the face and other parts of the creatures in the world may we take a view of the wisdome power and prouidence of the Creator of them all who is God himselfe And these are the principall proofes of the Godhead which are reuealed in the booke of nature Sect. 2. The second ground of proofes is taken from the light of grace And it is that light which God affordeth to his Church in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and this giues a further confirmation then nature doth For the light of nature is onely a way or preparation to faith But this light serues to beget faith and causeth vs to beleeue there is a God Now in the scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles we shall see amongst the rest three distinct proofes of this point First expresse testimonies that doe in plaine tearmes note vnto vs the Godhead Secondly expresse prophecies and reuelations of things to come euen many hundred and thousands of yeares before they came to passe Yea things that are to come are foretold in the word of God so and in that very manner that they shall be in the time wherein they are to be fulfilled Now there is no man able of himselfe to know or foresee these things to come therefore this knowledge must rest in him alone who is most wise that perfectly vnderstandeth and beholdeth things that are not and to whom all future things are present and therefore certain Thirdly the word of God reuealeth many miracles which doe exceede and surpasse whole nature yea all naturall causes the doing and working whereof is not in the power of any meere creature in the world As for example the making of the sunne against his naturall course to stand still in the firmament of the waters which are naturally flowing to stand as a wall and the bottome of the sea to be as drie land The maine ende whereof is to shew that there is an absolute and almightie power which is the author of nature it selfe and all naturall things and ordereth both it and them according to his pleasure Sect. 3. The third ground of proofes is fetched from the light of glorie And this is that light which God affords vnto his seruants after this life ended in the kingdome of heauen wherein all imperfection of knowledge being taken away they shal see God face to face and haue a full and perfect knowledge of the Godhead To this purpose the Apostle saith that in the world we know in part we see as it were in a glasse The cōparison is worth the marking For there he compareth our knowledge of God that we haue in this life to a dimme sighted man that can see either very little or nothing at all without his spectacles And such is our sight comprehension of God darke and dimme in that we cannot behold him as he is but onely as he hath

to make it his instrument to distinguish the day from the night as also for other ends and vses And therfore it is no marueile though the day was created before the sunne the instrumentall cause thereof considering that it was created before the sunne was set in the heauen by the Creatour himselfe Secondly we must distinguish of times which are either of creation or gouernment and there is one regard to be had of things while they were in making and another after they were created Now it is true the sunne is the cause of the day and the night in the time of the gouernment of the world but it was not so in the time of the first making of all things For in the three first daies of the world there was day and night without the sunne by a vici●●itude of light and darkenes which the Lord made and nature could neuer haue found out had not the word reuealed it But since the creation in the time of gouernment the sunne is but an instrument appointed by God to cary light and he that made the light can now in the gouernment of the world if it pleased him put downe the sunne from this office and by some other meanes distinguish the day from the night therefore no marueile though he did so in the beginning The second Obiection is touching the light of the Moone Moses saith it is one of the great lights which God made Now say they in all reason according to humane learning it is one of the least of the planets and lesse then many starres Answ. It is true which the holy Ghost saith by Moses and yet the Moone is lesse then the Sunne yea then many of the starres For one and the same starre in a diuers and different respect may be tearmed greater and lesser And in that place the Scripture speaks of the Moone not in regard of other starres greater then it but in respect of our se●se because it appeareth greater in quantitie and really communicateth more light yea it is of more operation and vse to the earth then any of the starres in the heauen sauing the Sunne The third Obiection Moses saith Man Beast were made of the earth and Fishes of the waters But all humane learning auoucheth that the matter of euery creature consisteth of all the foure Elements earth water fire and ●●re Ans. Moses speaketh onely of two which were the principall and in them includes the other because they are impure mixt with the other since the fall Againe some learned auouch that all creatures are made of earth water only as being the two maine materiall principles of the all and not of ayre nor of fire And this accords with Moses and is no doubt a truth that he speaks onely of the principall matter of these creatures yet the fire and ayre are and may be called elements or beginnings because they serue to forme preserue and cherish the creatures The fourth Obiection Gen. 3. it is said that Eue before her fall was deceiued by the Serpent Now this saith the Atheist is absurd For euen in the estate of corruption since the fall there is no woman so simple that will either admit speech or suffer her selfe to be deceiued by a Serpent much lesse would Eue in the estate of her innocencie Answ. Though Adam and Eue in their innocencie had excellent knowledge yet they had not all knowledge For then they should haue beene as God himselfe But in that estate ignorance befell Eve in three things For first though Adam himselfe was a Prophet in the time of his innocencie yet both he and shee were ignorant of the issue of future things which are contingent Secondly they knewe not the secrets of each others heart For to know the euent of things contingent certainely and the secrets of the heart belongs to God only Thirdly though Eue knew the kinds of creatures yet shee knew not all particulars and all things that were incident to euery kind of creature but was to attain vnto that knowledge by experience and obseruation Neither may this seeme strange for Christ as he was man had as much yea more knowledge then our first parents had in their innocency and yet he knew not all particulars in all singular creatures For seeing a fig-tree by the way as he went to Ierusalem he thought it had borne fruit and yet comming towards it he found none thereon And in like manner Eue might know the serpentine kind and yet be ignorant whether a serpent could speake Besides that the naming of the creatures which argues knowledge of them was not giuen to Eue but to Adam And therefore it was not so strange that Eue should be deceiued by a serpent considering that to know that a serpent could speake or not speake came by experience which shee then had not I● will be said that all ignorance is sinne but Eue had no sinne and therefore shee could not be ignorant Answ. Ignorance is twofold some ignorance ariseth of an euill disposition when as we are ignorant of those things which we are bound to knowe and this is sinne properly But there is another ignorance which is no sinne when as we are ignorant of those things which we are not bound to know And this was in Christ for he was ignorant of the figtrees bearing fruit and he knew not the day of iudgement as he was man And this also was in Eue not the other The fift obiection is about the Arke Gen. 6. 15. God commaunded Noah to make an Arke of 300 cubits long of 50 cubits broad and of 30 cubits high This Arke saith the Atheist beeing so small a vessell could not possibly containe two of euery sort of creatures with their foode for the space of a yeare The first author of this cauill was Apelles the hereticke that cauilled with Christians about the Arke And the answer is as ancient as the heresie namely first that the cubit of the arke must be vnderstood of the Egyptian cubit which is with some sixe foote and with others nine foote by which measure the Arke would be in lēgth half a mile at the least And by this means any man may see a possibility in reason that the Arke might containe and preserue all creatures with their fodder and roome to spare The second answere is that as the Iewes had a shekle of the sanctuary which was greater then the ordinary shekle so they had beside the ordinary cubit a sacred cubit the cubit of the sanctuary where of mention is made in the prophecie of Ezekiel Chap. 40. and that was bigger by the halfe then the ordinarie cubite And by this measure some say the Arke was made But both these answeres are onely coniecturall without good ground in the scripture To them therefore I adde a third In the daies of Noah the stature of man was farre bigger then it is at this day And looke as the stature