Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	eat_v	idol_n	weak_a	2,180	5	9.3570	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09094	A brief discours contayning certayne reasons why Catholiques refuse to goe to church. Written by a learned and vertuous man, to a friend of his in England. And dedicated by I.H. to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie	Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610.	1580 (1580)	STC 19394; ESTC S102386	63,624	177

secte and troubling at this daye the whole worlde with the eternall damnation of infinite soules the which soules at the day of iudgement shallbe scuselesse and receaue that heauie sentence of euerlastinge fier for that they had not auoyded the danger of infection The Second Reason THE second reason why a Catholicke cānot yeld to goe to Church is because he cannot goe without scandale which is a sinn more mentioned more forwarned 〈◊〉 forbidden more detested more 〈◊〉 in the Scripture then any sinn els mentioned in the same except it be Idolatrie But in the new testamēt nothing somuch exaggerated or w t suche vehement spéeches prohibyted Christ signifying that the most part of the world to be damned were to be damned for this sin when he cryeth out with that cōpassionable voice of his saying Woe be to the world by reason of scandals Wherfore pronouncing as pityful a sētence vpon y e author of thes scādals he saith Wo be tothat man by whom come these scādales And deuysing w t himselfe as it were how to expresse vnto our capacities the intollerable greatnes of this mans torment in hell for scandalizing of other men he vttereth it in this sort It were better for 〈◊〉 man that a milstone were hanged about his necke and that he were 〈◊〉 cast into the sea Which saying so terrified S. Paul that rather then he wonld scandalize any man in eating a péece of meat a thing of it self lawful as he sayeth he protested that he would neuer eate flesh in his lyfe Now this heynous sinne of scandale consisteth properlye in thes thrée poynts First to induce an other man by any meanes to sinne whether it be by lyfe or doctrine and this was the scandale of the Preistes in the ould law by their noughty lyfe alluring the people to commit the same sinnes This was the scandale of the doughters of Moabe who by their speaches and examples brought the Israelites to sacrifice with them to Idoles Whereof also as of the like to them Christ spoke agaynst with great disdayne in the Apocalipse saying Thou hast their certayne which hould the doctrine of Balaam whoe taught Balaac how to geue a scādale that is an occation for the children of Israel to sinne I wil fight against those men with the sworde of my mouth And in this poynt is the proper signification of Scandalum sene which importeth as much as a stumbling block whereby a man maketh an other to fal especiallye the fal of deadlye sinne whereby a man breaketh the neck of his soul. As if a man should induce an other by his example or otherwise to commit adulterye to take an oth against his conscience or the lyke and as Ieroboam did by his exāple make the ten tribes forsake the vnitye of the Church of Ierusalem which sinne of his is soe much noted in the scripture with this tytle of scandale For that he made Israel to finne as nothinge more And in reuēge of the same God fortold him by Amos y e Prophet y t he would destroy his whole howse and 〈◊〉 afterwards performed the same as it apereth in the third booke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this first poynt of 〈◊〉 which is to induce other 〈◊〉 to sinne is so large reacheth so farre because it may be done by life example words works 〈◊〉 permssion and the lyke as men had néed to looke better about them then they doe It were to long to geue examples in al one ont of the ancient D. martyr of Christ S. Cyprian shal serue for al for by that the rest may be gessed He talketh of parents which ether by their euil examples had drawen their children to herisic or schisme or at the least wise had not sufficiētly instructhem of the trew church and of the Sacraments trew seruice of God in the same Whervpon thes childrē being damned shal most pitefullye bewayl ther misery sayth S. Ciprian and the creweltie of their parēts at the day of iudgment saying thus We haue done nothing of our selues nether forsaking the meate and the cupp of our lord the blessed Sacrament haue we of our owne accord hastned to profane contagions of schisme or heresie The perfidyousnes or infidelytie of other mē hath vndone vs we haue felt our own parents to be murderers vnto vs. They haue denyed vnto vs the Church which is our mother and God which is our father and we being yong and not foreseing the daunger of so heynous an offence were content to ioyne our selues with others in the societie or participatiō of the crime and soe by other mens fraud we were deceyued This y t S. Cipryan affirmeth of children in respect of their parents we may apply to wyues brethern sisters kinsefolks acquaintance schollers seruants subiects tenants or the lyke in respect of any whose words lyfe or example hath or shal doe them hurt by geuing thē a scandale that is by inducing them to sinne The second poynt of scandale is not only if I doe induce an other man to sinne by doing or saying nought my selfe but further if I do offend an other mans conscience in a thing of it self lawful that is if I doe make an other man thinke that I do an vnlawful thing albeit ether I doe it not or y t the thing be lawful in it self yet I cōmit scādale As for example if a preist should haunt dishonest or suspected howses albeit he ment neuer soe honestly And this is that great scandal wherabout S. Paule maketh so much ado as cōcerning the eating of meats offered to Idols the which albeit it be lawful in it selfe as S. Paul disscourseth to him that hath knowledge and therby can iudg that no meat of his owne nature is vnclene before God and that an Idole is nothing and consequently that such meates offered to Idols are nothing spotted or made vnlawful therby Yet to eate it in suche place or presence as the lookers on beinge weake and simple may thinke that thou art an idolater because thou eatest the flesh offered vp to the idoles or that they by thine example be edesied or induced to eate the same meates with an euil conscience this is damnable sayeth S. Paule and a most horrible sinne against Christ him selfe suche a sinne as S. Paul him selfe sayeth that he would neuer eate flesh while he lyued rather then by eating soe to scandalise any man Uppon the which discours of S. Paul the learned father S. Austen sayethethus By this it is euident that we are not only forbidden to vse any thing in the honor of strāge gods as the eating of meates offered to them might seme to be but also to doe anything wherby we may be thought to honour thē doing it in suche sort as that although in hart we despise them yet we edefie or induce thos that knowe not our hartes in

this for different opinions in religion a miserie not accustomed to fal in our fathers dayes vpon that noble 〈◊〉 But as these were causes of some sorow so was it no meane comforte vnto me to consider that in these wicked loosse times of ours wherein there is no feelinge or sence of vertue leaste but all men enwrapped in the loue of Godes professed enemie the world followinge with all force and full sayle the vanities and ambition of the same that their should be fownde in Ingland so many gentlemen both for their yeares liuinges and other habilities as fit to be as vayne as the reste yet so precyse in matters of religion so respectiue to their cōsciences as that they wil prefer their soul before ther body gods cause before theyr owne ease na that they will rather venture both body and goodes lyfe landes libertye and all then they wil doe any thinge contrary to theyr consciences whereby they must be iudged at the last daye This is suche a thing as it must nedes bring comforte to all men can iustly greue none excepte the cōmen enemy the deuil him selfe For as for strāgers they must néedes be 〈◊〉 therewith as for Inglish men they must néedes be incoraged therby And as for the Princes hir selfe shée cānet but be comforted therein assuringe hir selfe that yf these men doe 〈◊〉 so firmly vnto theyr consciences and fayth sworne vnto God in theyr 〈◊〉 of baptisme then wil they as 〈◊〉 for the same conscience stik vnto 〈◊〉 Maiestie if occasion should serue in kéepinge theyre secondary faythe and allegeance sworne vnto hir Highnes as to the substitute of God Their aduersaries also and persecutors it can not in any reason mislyke for that the contrarye religion were to haue them as constant and faithful in that if it were possible to win them to the same But notwithstanding séeing you wryte that ther is both great dislyke displesure also takē of it as though their constancie were obstinacie and their conscience méere will which most of all gréeueth as you wryte their obedient and well meaninge mindes albeit otherwise the pressure it self be so heauie as the burden therof is sore and gréeuous to beare for these causes and for the géeuinge of some more lyght to the whol matter I wil as you séeme to desire most briefly towch thrée things in this letter wherby I doubt not but that you shall accompte your selfe fullye and sufficientlye answered 1. The first poynt shalbe what cause or reasō the Catholicks haue to stand as they doe in the refusall of thinges offered them and especially of going to the Church Secondly what waye or means they may vse to remedy or ease themselues of this afliction now layd vpon them for theyr consciences Thirdly if that waye or meanes doe not preuayle then howe they ought to beare and indewre the same The firste parte THAT the Quens most excellēt Maiestye the honorable Lords of hir preuy Counsell other the learned and wyse of Inglande may see that the refusall of going to the churche of so mani thow sand Catholiques at this day in that Realme is not vppon disloyaltie or stubburne obstinacie as theyr aduersaries geue it out but vppon conscience and great reason and for the auoydinge of manifest peril of eternal dānation which they shold incurr in yealdinge to that which is demauuded at their hands I haue put downe some causes and reasōs heere folowinge referringe the Reader to more larger discourses made by diuers lerned men of our tyme in soundrye partes of their workes this beinge shufled vp in hast and namelye to a peculier Tretise not long agone published to wching this matter But first of all it is to be noted that my reasons to thend they may cōuince are to be supposed to procéed from a Catholick mind that is from a man which in his conscience is throughly perswaded that onelye the Catholycke Romaine Relygion is truth that al other new doctrines and religions are false religions as all new gods are false gods Now of these Catholiks there are two sorts in Ingland thone which in their consciences doe iudge that as all other religions besids their owne are false so all participation with them either in déede or in shewe by othe by Sacramentes by goynge vnto theire prayers and seruice or otherwise is naught forbidden vnlawful yet ether for fear or fauour or 〈◊〉 other worldly cause they are content to comunicate w t them in all or some of y e forsayd things of thos men albe it they be very many in Ingland I meane not to intreate their case be ing aparantly both to thē selues and to al other men wicked and out of al doubt dānable For as S. Austin saith He that knoweth the thinges to be il that he doth yet doth thē he goeth down quick vnto hell As though hée would say Albeit he be yet quick vpō the carthe yet is he in the prouidence of God dead and damned in hel And S. Paul talking of this sinne neuer layth lesse punishement vpon it then iudgment and damnation althoughe it be committed in thinges of them selues indifferent or lawful for albe it as hée sayth meates offred to Idoles be of them selues lawful to be eaten to him that knowth an Idole to nothing Yet Yf a mā should decerne or iudge it to be vnlawful and yet eate of it he is damned for it because he doth not accordinge to his conscience or knowledge And the reason is that which S. Paule hath immediatelye folowinge sayinge All that which is done by vs not according to our knoledge or conscience is sinne And S. 〈◊〉 confirmeth the same sayinge He that knoweth good and doth it not sinneth Wherfore S. Paule crieth out a little before thus Blessed is he that iudgeth not or condemnethe not him selfe in doinge contrarye to that he best alloweth And the cause why this sinne against a mans owne cōscience is so dānable is this Some doe sinne of humaine frailtie as did Peter and this is called a sinne against the father who is called Power Some doe sinne of ignorance as did Paule this is called a sinne against the sōne who is called Wisdōe Some do sinn of meere will malice choosing to sinne although they know it to be sinne and this is the sinne 〈◊〉 the holy Ghost to whome is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 particulerlye grace and goodnesse the whiche a man most wikedly cōtemneth and reiecteth when hée sinneth wilfully against his owne Conscience and therefore Christe sayeth that a man shalbe forgéeuen a sinn against the father and against the senne as wée doe sée it was in Peter and Paul But he that sinneth against the holy Ghost shal neuer be forgeuen nether in this world nether in the worlde to come As for exāple the Pharises were not which did many thinges againste Christ