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
A80608	The bloudy tenent, washed, and made white in the bloud of the Lambe: being discussed and discharged of bloud-guiltinesse by just defence. Wherein the great questions of this present time are handled, viz. how farre liberty of conscience ought to be given to those that truly feare God? And how farre restrained to turbulent and pestilent persons, that not onely raze the foundation of godlinesse, but disturb the civill peace where they live? Also how farre the magistrate may proceed in the duties of the first table? And that all magistrates ought to study the word and will of God, that they may frame their government according to it. Discussed. As they are alledged from divers Scriptures, out of the Old and New Testament. Wherein also the practise of princes is debated, together with the judgement of ancient and late writers of most precious esteeme. Whereunto is added a reply to Mr. Williams answer, to Mr. Cottons letter. / By John Cotton Batchelor in Divinity, and teacher of the church of Christ at Boston in New England.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.	1647 (1647)	Wing C6409; Thomason E387_7; ESTC R836	257,083	342

this Argument the Discusser bestirreth himselfe to draw up sixe Answers 1. From the large extent of soule-killing which may reach to many sinnes that are not capitall 1 Cor. 8.11 2. From the dissimilitude of bodily and spirituall Death A body being killed can dye but once but a soule killed may recover 3. From the different punishment which Christ hath provided for soule-killers to wit the two edged Sword which cometh out of his mouth which is able to cut downe Heresie and to kill the soules of Hereticks everlastingly 4. From the toleration which Christ himselfe giveth to such soule-killers or soule-wounders in the Parable of Tares Matth. 13. 5. From the impossibility of killing any soule by any Heretick not the soules of naturall men for they are dead already nor can false Teachers so much prevent the meanes of spirituall Life as doth the force of a materiall Sword either imprisoning the soules of men in a Nationall-State-Religion or cutting them off immediately without any longer meanes of Repentance Nor can there be a killing of the soules of men alive in Christ partly by reason of the sufficiency and power of Spirituall Ordinances to preserve that Life in them against all Enemies Partly from the Immortality of the spirituall Life in Christ which can no more dye then Christ himselfe who is alive for ever 6. From the possbility of a false Teachers and a Wolves recovery from the Estate of a soule-killer to become a soule-saver as it was in the case of Paul For a just Reply to all these let me first premise foure things and then speake to the Arguments in Order 1. It is not every murther of the body that is a capitall crime but murder executed in some grosse Attempt For he that hateth his brother is a man-slayer or murderer 1 Joh. 3.15 and yet not for that to be put to death 2. Murder unadvisedly committed when the Act done was not intended is not a capitall crime there were Cities of Refuge provided in such a case Ezod 21.13 3. The very Attempt of murder in the abuse of an Ordinance of God is a capitall crime As in a case a man shall rise up before a Court of Justice to beare false witnesse against his Neighbour of some capitall offence this very attempt of killing his Neighbour by the abuse of publick Justice is a capitall crime Deut. 19.18 to 21. 4. The murther of the soule is not the onely Formalis Ratio as they call it the onely proper cause of an Hereticks capitall Crime but chiefly his bitter roote of Apostacie from God not onely falling off himselfe from God but seducing others to fall away from him These foure things being premised come wee now to consider of the severall Answers given by the Discusser to Augustines Argument His first Answer reacheth not the point for as every killing of the body is not a capitall crime so neither is every killing of the soule but such as is more voluntary and presumptuous and joyned with some grosse and murderous attempt His second Answer falleth short in this respect that though a soule wounded and killed may recover againe yet the very murderous Attempt of killing a soule in abusing an Ordinance of God in corrupting Religion is a capitall crime whether the soule dye of that wound or no or if it dye whether it be recovered or no. Thine eye shall not spare him because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God Deut 13.10 Though hee did not thrust thee away yet because he sought to doe it hee shall dye His third Answer hath been removed above Church-censures are sufficient to heale the Heretick if he belong to God and to remove the guilt of his wickednesse from the Church but not sufficient to prevent his further spreading of the Leaven of his corruption nor sufficient to cleanse the Common-wealth from the guilt of such Rebellion as hath been taught by him against the Lord. His fourth Answer taken from Christs toleration of the Tares hath be en largely and as I conceive fully refelled above His fifth Answer hath also been cleared already If the Answer were good it would evacuate not onely Augustines Argument but Pauls also 1 Cor 8.11 Paul disswadeth from eating things sacrificed to Idols in Idols Temples The Argument to disswade it is from the offence thereby given to the Conscience of the weake and that backed and strengthned from the haynousnesse of the sinne of offence to Conscience It is the murder or perishing of a weake Brothers soule Now if this Answer of the Discusser might stand it would make the Argument of the Apostle of none effect For either this weake Brother is a naturall man dead in sinne already and then no man can kill him or else he is in Christ and then his Life is immortall and Christ hath provided Ordinances powerfully sufficient to prevent or heale such deadly Dangers It is an high presumptuous tempting of God and wanton treading under foote the precious soules of men for whom Christ dyed to wound and as much as in us lyeth to kill the soules of men upon pretence the Lord can save them and raise them againe by his all-sufficient Grace It is a putting of feare where none is that the punishment of obstinate seducing Hereticks with the materiall Sword is the imprisoning of the soules of men to a Nationall Religion for if the Religion of the Nation be good it is no Imprisonment if naught there should be no punishment And it is a like causlesse Feare that the cutting off of Hereticks will cut off men immediately without any longer meanes of Repentance for if they belong to God God will give them Repentance before they goe hence but whether they belong to God or no the revealed will of God is fulfilled in their just Execution The last Answer falleth as short of strength as any of the former For if men be such Wolves and Blasphemers as Paul was before his Conversion neither the Law of God or man would put such an one to Death who sinned of ignorance and walked as himselfe professeth with all good Conscience even in his former evill times Acts 23.1 But as for such as Apostate from the known Truth of Religion and seeke to subvert the Foundation of it and to draw away others from it to plead for their Toleration in hope of their Conversion is as much as to proclaime a generall pardon for all malefactors save such onely as sinne against the Holy Ghost for he that is a wilfull murderer and Adulterer now may come to be converted and dye a martyr hereafter CHAP. 73. A Reply to his Chap. 76. discussing the Testimony of Optatus Discusser THe Answerer alledgeth from Optatus his third Booke that he justified Macarius who had put some Hereticks to death for that he had done no more herein then what Moses Phincas and Elias had done before him But these are shafts usually drawen from the Quiver of the