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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

THE WHOLE TREATISE OF THE CASES OF CONSCIENCE DISTINGVISHED 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 Batchelour 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 Rom. 14. 23. VVhatsoeuer is not of Faith is sinne HINC LVCEM ET POCVLA SACRA ALMA MATER CANTABRIGIA PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniversitie of Cambridge 1606. And are to be sold in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Crowne by Simon Waterson TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE EDWARD Lord Dennie Baron of Waltham c. RIght Honourable There is no one Doctrine reuealed in the Word of God or dispensed by the Prophets and Apostles of greater vse and cōsequence in the life of man then is that which prescribeth a Forme of releeuing and rectifying the Conscience The benefit which from hence issueth vnto the Church of God is vnspeakable For first it serveth to discouer the cure of the dangerousest sore that can be the wound of the Spirit Which how great a crosse it is the Wise man reporteth out of true experience when he saith that the Spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie but a wounded Spirit who can beare it And his meaning is that no outward griefe can fall into the nature of man which will not be with patience indured to the vtmost so long as the minde is not troubled or dismaied But when once the Spirit is touched and the heart which beeing well apaied is the very fountaine of peace to the whole man smitten with feare of the wrath of God for sinne the griefe is so great the burden so intolerable that it will not by any outward meanes be eased or asswaged Secondly it giueth for all particular Cases speciall and sound direction whether man be to walke with God in the immediate performance of the duties of his Seruice or to conuerse with man according to the state and condition of his life in the Familie Church or Common-wealth The want of which direction of what force it is to turne the actions of men which are good in themselues to sinnes in regard of the agents S. Paul affirmeth in that generall Conclusion Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Wherein he would teach vs that whatsoeuer is done or vndertaken by men in this life whether it concerne the knowledge and worship of God or any particular dutie to be performed by vertue of their Callings for the common good whereof they haue not sufficient warrant and assurance in Conscience grounded vpon the Word that it is to be done or not to be done to them it is a sinne Thirdly it is of all other Doctrines beeing rightly vsed the most comfortable For it is not founded in the opinions and variable conceits of men neither doth it consist of Conclusions and Positions which are onely probable and coniecturall for the Conscience of the doubting or distressed partie can not be established and rectified by thē but it resteth vpon most sufficient and certaine Grounds collected and drawne out of the very Word of God which as it is mightie in operation pearcing the heart and discerning the thoughts and intents thereof so is it alone auaileable and effectuall to pacifie the minde and to giue full satisfaction to the Conscience And as the benefit is great so the want of this Doctrine together with the true manner of applying the same is and hath beene the cause of many and great inconueniences For euen of those that feare God and haue receiued to beleeue there be many who in the time of their distresses when they haue considered the waight and desert of their sinnes and withall apprehended the wrath of God due vnto them haue beene brought vnto hard exigents mourning and wayling and crying out as if God had forsaken them vntill they haue beene releeued by the Spirit of Christ in the meditation of the word promise of God But those especially who haue not beene instructed in the knowledge of the truth nor acquainted with the course of Gods dealing with his distressed children by reason of ignorance and blindnes in matters of Religion and pietie when the Lord hath let loose the cord of their Consciences and set before their eyes both the number of their sinnes committed and the iust anger of God purchased thereby what haue they done surely despairing of the mercie of God and their owne saluation they haue either growne to phrensie and madnes or els sorted vnto themselues fearefull ends some by hanging some by drowning others by embruing their hands in their owne blood And if not in regard of griefe and trouble of minde yet for want of better resolution in particular cases within the compasse of their generall or personall callings though otherwise men indued with some measure of knowledge and obedience they haue either abused or els quite relinquished and forsaken their callings and thereby become scandalous and offensiue vnto others Now then as by these and sundrie other Instances of proofe the matter it selfe appeares to be of great waight and importāce so it is most meete that the best and fittest course should be taken in the teaching and inforcing of the same In which regard we haue iust cause to challenge the Popish Church who in their case-Case-writings haue erred both in the substance and circumstances of this Doctrine as shall appeare in the sequele First because the dutie of releeuing the Conscience is by them commended to the sacrificing Priest which though according to their owne Canons he should be a man of knowledge and free from imputation of wickednes yet oft times it falls out that he is either vnlearned or els wicked and lewd of conuersation and consequently vnfit for such a purpose Secondly they teach that their Preists appointed to be comforters and releeuers of the distressed are made by Christ himselfe iudges of the Cases of conscience hauing in their owne hands a iudicarie po●…er and authoritie truly and properly to binde or to loose to remitte or to retaine sinnes to open or to shut the kingdome of heauen Whereas the Scripture vttereth a contrarie voice that Christ onely hath the keyes of Dauid which properly and truly openeth and no man shutteth and properly and truly shutteth and no man openeth And the Ministers of God are not called to be absolute Iudges of the Consciēce but onely Messengers and Embassado●rs of reconciliation wherevpon it followeth that they cannot be the authors and gi●ers of remission of sinnes but onely the Ministers and Dispensers of the same Thirdly the Papists in their writings haue scattered here and there sundrie false

127 7 18 21   19 166. 184   1 27   30 74   16 75   28 130. 124   26 286. 277 1 20 204 11 15 95 12 3 480 13 12 417   10 ibid. 14 15 450   23 46   vlt. 70 16 26 95   5 541 13 14 581 1. Cor.     2 15 619 3 18 291 5   324 6 7 30   18 494 7 9 412   27 413   30 530 8 vlt. 69 9 27 427 11 26 340. 337 13 5 496 15 31 389 2. Cor.     1 23 384. 4 17 362 7 9 99 Galat.     3 26 82 4 10 449 5 1 414   12 272 Ephes.     4 26 510 5 18 553   29 419 6 18 282 5 16 479 Philip.     1 10 531 4 8 634. 481   12 531   5 497 Coloss.     1 26 95 2 16 414 3 16 296 1. Thess.     4 11 481 5 17 282   20 294   23 186 2. Thessal     7 8 227 1. Tim.     1 1 19 2 4 94   15 362 4 8 404   5 544   22 32 5 12 420   24 33   19 622   21 389   23 537 6 8 564   9 524   17 18 19 615 2. Tim.     2 19 85 4 14 273 Titus     1 15 544 Hebr.     3 11 383 5 7 288 12 11 126 Iames.     1 15 38   19 291 〈◊〉 2 362   10 64   1 624 5 16 5 1. Peter     2 1 292 3 15 360 2. Peter     1 10 86 1. Iohn     3 2 81   14 9 5 11 15 79. 289 Apocal.     19 10 355 21 6 98 THE FIRST BOOKE of the Cases of Conscience concerning Man simply considered in himselfe without relation to an other The Preface declaring the Ground and Order of the Treatise following Isaiah 50. 4. The Lord God hath giuen me a tongue of the learned that I should know to minister a word in due time to him that is wearie IN that part of the Prophecie which goes before the holy Ghost setteth downe and foretelleth the Calling of the Gentiles which was to beginne at the death of Christ and from thence to continue vnto this day and so consequently to the ende of the world In the former verses of this Chapter there is mention made of the reiection of the Iewes I meane not a generall but a particular rejection namely then when they were in affliction in the daies of Isaiah Now in this and so in all other Prophecies of the like kind which intreat of this point Christ himselfe is brought in speaking in his owne person and the words of this Chapter from the beginning to this present verse and the rest that follow are the words of Christ the Mediatour In the verses going before he disputes the case of their rejection and and the summe of the whole disputation is that either he or they themselues were the causes thereof but he was not the cause therfore they themselues by their sinnes The reason whereby he prooues that they themselues were the cause is framed in this sort You Iewes cānot bring any writing or bill of diuorce to shew that I rejected you therfore I appeale euen to your owne consciences whether you haue not brought this iudgement vpon your selues by your iniquities vers 1. On the other side the reasō why God was not the cause is because he for his part called them in great mercie and ioue but when he called they would not obey ver 2. Now in the ende of the second verse is contained an answer to a secret reply that some obstinate Iewe might make after this manner God hath not nowe the like power in sauing and deliuering vs as he hath had in form●r times therefore we cannot hope or expect any deliuerance from him and howe then shall we doe in the meane while To this the Lord himselfe makes answer ver 2 3 4. that his hand is not shortned nor his power lessened in regard of greater workes much lesse in respect of their deliuerance and though the present affliction which they indured was great and tedious yet they were not to be ouermuch dismayed in themselues but rather to be comforted because God had giuen him the tongue of the learned to minister a word in season to the wearie and distressed and consequently that he had power to case and refresh that their wearines and affliction In this text then there is set downe one principal dutie of Christs propheticall office by allusion to the practises of the Prophets in the old Testament especially those which belonged to the schooles of Elias and Elizeus who are here tearmed the learned And out of the words thereof one speciall point of instruction may be gathered namely That there is a certaine knowledge or doctrine reuealed in the word of God whereby the consciences of the weake may be rectified and pacified I gather it thus It was one speciall dutie of Christs propheticall office to giue comfort to the consciences of those that were distressed as the Prophet here recordeth Now as Christ had this power to execute and performe such a dutie so he hath committed the dispensation therof to the Ministers of the Gospel For we may not thinke that Christ in his owne person ministred and spake words of comfort to the wearie in the times of the Prophets because he was not then exhibited in our nature and yet he did then speake but how in the persons of the Prophets So likewise because Christ now in the new Testament speaks not vnto the afflicted in his owne proper person it remaineth therfore that he performes this great worke in the Ministerie of Pastours and Teachers vpon earth to whom he hath giuen knowledge and other gifts to this ende and purpose There must needes therefore be a certen and infallible doctrine propounded and taught in the Scriptures whereby the consciences of men distressed may be quieted and releeued And this doctrine is not attained vnto by extraordinarie reuelation but must be drawne out of the written word of God The point therfore to be handled is What this doctrine should be It is not a matter easie and at hand but full of labour and difficultie yea very large like vnto the maine sea I will onely as it were walke by the banks of it and propound the heads of doctrine that thereby I may at least occasion others to consider handle the same more at large That I may proceede in order First I am to lay downe certaine Grounds or Preambles which may giue light and direction to the things that follow and in the next place I will propound and answer the maine and principall Questions of Conscience CHAP. I. Of the two first Grounds of Cases Confession and the degrees of Goodnes THe Grounds or Preambles are especially foure The first touching Confession The second touching the degrees of