Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	end_n	faith_n	unfeigned_a	1,201	5	10.8215	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37496	A plain and necessary confutation of divers gross and antichristian errors, delivered to the vniversity congregation, the last commencement, anno 1653, by Mr. Sydrach Simpson, master of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge	Dell, William, d. 1664.	1654 (1654)	Wing D924; ESTC R207233	64,161	91

which the Greek should have said For the Question between them being touching Paul and Plato the Greek endeavoured to prove that Paul was rude and unlearned but the Christian through his simplicity did endeavor to prove that Paul was more learned and eluquent then Plato And so the Greek should obtain the Victory if the Christians Reasons should prevail For if Paul were more learned then Plato then might men object that he overcame not the world through Grace but through Eloquence Wherefore that which the Christian spake made for the Greek and that which the Greek spake made for the Christian Wherefore he saith when the Greeks shall say the Apostles were rude and unlearned poor mean simple obscure persons let us acknowledge it as the truth For this is not their reproach but their glory that being such they yet overcame the Learned men the Wise men the Philosophers the Rhetoricians the Orators the Princes and all the world as if they had not been men For when any thing is done above the State and power of Nature this doth exceedingly manifest and magnifie the Grace of God And so it appears that Chrysostom was of another mind in this matter touching Paul then Mr. Simpson and that Paul was of another mind touching himself Now seeing Mr. Simpson doth here insinuate that Humane Learning fits a man to the Ministry of the Gospel and seeing this also is the Opinion of all the carnal and unbelieving people I do desire them to consider what some Godly men have spoken clearly from the word of God in this matter Chrysostom who knew the Mysterie of the Gospel more clearly then any of the Ancient Writers in his Comment on the first Epistle to the Corinthians doth wholly exclude Humane Learning from contributing any thing either to the speaking or receiving the Gospel For saith he to believe in Him that was Crucified and Buried and to be fully perswaded that he rose again and sits at the right hand of God and hath all power in Heaven and Earth given to him and that he is made of God to the whole Church Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption this Doctrine stands not in need of Humane Wisdom and Reasonings but of faith only and that both in them that speak it and in them that receive it For the Apostles did not proceed in this matter in outward wisdom but in faith and so became more wise and excellent then the worldly wise and so much the more as it is a greater matter to receive the things of God by faith then to be perswaded into them by the force of Argument He adds also That to the receiving the Doctrine of the Gospel neither is the Wise man profited thing by his Wisdom neither is the plain man hindred any thing by his Ignorance Yea if I may speak a wonderfull thing saith he Ignorance is more fit and ready to receive the Gospel then Wisdom And a Shepherd and a Plowman will sooner receive the Gospel and submit to it then a Schollar who lives in the strength of Humane wisdom and Reason He farther saith there that where the wisdom of God is as it is in the Gospel there is no need of mans wisdom as where the Sun is there is no need of a Candle And he concludes there this matter thus That the Preaching of the Gospel is a heavenly thing and that Humane VVisdom and Learning cannot help herein but rather hinder And that therefore when Christ sent forth the first Teachers of the Gospel he took not wise and learned Philosophers that the Cross of Christ might not be made void and that the faith of Christians should not stand in the wisdom of man but in the power of God But he chose plain Fishermen Tent-makers Publicans Obscure Simple Poor Contemptible Ignorant and Vnlearned men And these overcame Kings Princes People Nations Greeks Philosophers Orators Sophisters they overcame the antient Manners Customs and the very Religion of the world also their Laws Judgements divers sorts of punishments and innumerable kinds of deaths and by all this saith he it was manifest that their preaching was not in Humane w●sdom but in the Grace of God And thus doth Chrysostom affirm and prove that Humane Learning doth not fit men to the Ministry of the Gospel but is rather a hindrance thereunto and that the Grace of God only fits them for this heavenly work Hear also what Wickliff saith to this matter in his book entituled The Path way to perfect knowledge where he sheweth that it is not Humane Learning that helps to understand the Scriptures and to profit in the study of them but something more high and heavenly His own words as these He whose heart is full of love comprehendeth without any error the manifold abundance and largest teaching of Gods Scripture For Paul saith the fulness of the Law is Charity and in another place the end of the Law is Charity of clean heart and good conscience and of faith unfeigned And Christ saith Thou shalt love thy Lord God of all thy heart and of all thy soul and of all thy mind and thy Neighbor as thy self For in these two Commandments hangeth all the Law and the Prophets And as the root of all evil is Covetousness so the root of all good is Love Charity by which we love God and the Neighbour holdeth surely all the greatness and largness of Gods speeches Therefore if we have not leisure to search all the holy Scriptures and to pierce into all the privities of them hold thou love whereon all things hang and so shalt thou hold that which thou learnest there and also that which thou learnest not For if thou know Charity thou knowest something whereon also that hangeth which thou knowest not And in that that thou understandest in Scripture love is open and in that that thou understandest not love is hid Therefore he that holdeth love in vertues or good life holdeth both that which is open and that which is hid in Gods word And after speaking to the Clergy he saith Therefore worldly fools do ye first repent of your sins and forsake pride and covetousness and be ye meek and fear ye God in all things and love your neighbour as your self and then shall ye profit in the study of Holy Writ And this is a far other way to understand the Scriptures then Humane Learning And after he speaking of the Abominations of the Vniversity of Oxford saith thus The fourth Abomination is that it is now purposed to hinder Christian men from learning freely Gods Law till they have spent nine or ten years at Art or Philosophy which comprehendeth many strong errors of Heathen men against the Christian Belief It seemeth well that God will not cease from vengeance till it and other things be punished sore For it seemeth that worldly Clerks and feignedly Religious do this under pretence that simple men of wit and knowledge know not

forth effeminate Ministers given to ease and luxury and in whom is nothing of spirit nor of manly abilities in Christ For the haired are Priests as you may see Psal. 68. Isa. 3. and in other places And their teeth are like the teeth of Lyons consider only the Thomists in stead of all other Divines whether they be not biting slanderous and devourers of all that speak a word against Aristotles Divinity Yea the Thomists Scotists and Modern men bite one another among themselves and sharpen against one another not any teeth but the teeth of Lyons neither is there any sort of men which war more fiercely or with greater hatred then those Sects of Divines each of which desire to devour the other that it may reign alone And they have brestplates as it were brestplates of iron and this is the pertinacious and confident presumption of each Sect on the truth and soundness of his opinion and by these iron brestplates they are unconquerable and these are the Principles of each Sect. And the sound of their wings was as the sound of Chariots and of many horses running to battle the wings are the words of these that dispute and conflict by which they do impetuously brawlingly and clamorously rush on one another and fight as we see in the tumults of Disputants both by words and writings where neither yeelds to neither but each one is unconquerable For he signifies this pertinacious affection of disputing by the rushing of chariots and horsemen And they had tailes like unto Scorpions and there were stings in their tails and their power was to hurt men five months Here he explaines what before he had propounded to wit that the fruit and end of this Divinity is nothing but evil consciences during all the time of the sensual lives of men For that Divinity is an abomination to those who are spiritual because these are without the bounds of the five months in the spirit of Liberty And they had a King over them which is the Angel of the bottomless pit whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek Apollyon Here we may learn that the Rector General of all Universities is not Christ nor the holy Spirit nor any Angel of God but an Angel of the bottomless pit that is one that is dead and is among the dead and damned Who is it then even that Light of nature to wit Aristotle who doth truely reign in the Universities as Abaddon and Apollyon that is a Waster and Destroyer of the Church For we have said that an Angel signifies a Teacher or a Doctor in the Church And certain it is that Aristotle who is dead and damn'd is at this day the great Doctor of all the Universities rather then Christ for he reign● alone being exalted by the Authority and study of Thomas reviving freewill and teaching moral vertues and natural Philosophy to wit the three-headed Cerberus or three-bodied Gerion Behold the first no which the Church hath from the Romish Antichrist by the Ministery of Saint Thomas and they whose duty it was chiefly to have prohibited and extinguished these things they chiefly have erected and established them Thus Luther word for word in the forenamed place He also in his book De abroganda missa privata speaking of the Idol M●loch saith thus Moses and Jeremy have described the worship of this Idol to be after this manner that they did burn or offer to him their children in the fire supposing that hereby they did perform the greatest and highest service to God inasmuch as after the example of Abraham they do not spare their own children though they do this not onely not being called as Abraham was but also without faith in the highest wickedness and therefore the Psalmist testifies Psal. 78. That they offered not their children to God but to Devils For whatsoever is not done by the call and command of God is not done to God but devils who suggest this though it be done under pretence of the name of God Now hereby saith he I conceive the Universities to be represented in which the best and choicest part of Christian youth is offered as it were in burnt sacrifice to God that there they may be instructed and be made as it were wholly divine For the common people believe there is no place under heaven in which youth can be better instructed so that even religious people have recourse hither For to learn any thing out of the University is to learn nothing but to have studyed in the University is to know all things There all Divine and Humane things are beleived to be taught for no man sends his son hither with any other opinion then this that he can nowhere be better sent They think they performe the highest service to God that they offer their sons to be formed according to the instruction of godliness that thereby they may become profitable and useful Ministers Preachers Governors who may wholly become Gods own portion and be useful both to God and men And hereto appertains the name Moloch which signifies a King or kingly because this kinde of study doth honour them with Degrees and Promotions and renders them fit and able to govern others For we see that all that are preferred to Governments are taken out of Universities and he that is not a Graduate or Member of an University is not qualified for preferment or to be set over any people but let the Ass first be crowned to wit with a Degree and then let him reign And parents do not see and they that do see do not regard that youth are usually here destroyed though rude and vile manners none commonly forbidding them Yea fornications luxury and other manifest sins do but mildly destroy them but that they are indued and possessed with Philosophical heathenish humane wicked and impious opinions this is the fire of Moloch which no tears can sufficiently bewail seeing through this they especially are devoured and perish who are the most studious and modest youth in Universities So great is the fury of God upon this Valley of Tophet and Hinnom that they perish more grievously who learn most and live modestly then they who learn nothing and are corrupted with lusts For these learn nothing which is to be unlearned again seeing they know they do evil whereas the other suck in poyson which happily or never they do vomit up again holding that for good which is evil and instructing those with the like opinions whom they take to teach And to these pits of Hell it is to be imputed that the Sun of the Gospel is obscured with the smoak of the pit for out of this smoak proceed those Locusts which possess all Chairs and Pulpits and administer all Governments that Satan from the beginning of the world could devise nothing in all the world more strong and pernicious to waste Faith and the Gospel then Universities Neither was it meet that