Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	evil_a	good_a	note_n	1,054	5	9.3782	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62877	True old light exalted above pretended new light, or, Treatise of Jesus Christ as He is the light which enlightens every one that comes into the world : against the sense both of the Quakers, Arminians, and other assertors of universal grace, whose light is proved to be darkness / delivered in nine sermons, by John Tombes, B.D., and commended to publick view by Mr. Richard Baxter.	Tombes, John, 1603?-1676.	1660 (1660)	Wing T1824; ESTC R21431	110,239	95

thinks to be evil though it were good or lawfull in it self it would be sin to him and so much the greater in that it is a sign that he who doth thus shews that his principle by which he acts is naught even then when he does good and that it is but by accident that he doth it Yea that man who doeth good against his conscience is but an hypocrite in so doing though the thing in it self be right and good But when a man doth evil which his conscience tells him is so he commits a sinne of the highest degree as to him that knows to do good and doth it not to him it is sinne Jam. 4. 17. that is sin in an high degree Hence great horrour of spirit hath attended them that have omitted good which their conscience told them they should do and much more horrour in them that have done evil against their conscience as in the case of Judas Spira and others Instances might be given and therefore if Quakers intended no more then this by bidding men look to the light within them that they should take heed that they omitted not the good their consciences told them they ought to do and that they did not the evil which their consciences judged to be so we should accept of their warning Surely it will concern you as to look that your conscience be not erroneous so that when your conscience is rightly informed to follow it and when it goes wrong yet to suspend the act which it condemns if you desire peace There will be no plea to acquit him before God or to quiet his own spirit who proceeds to act against the light of his own conscience And a sinne against the light of nature is so much the more damnable in that it is against the most irrefragable evidence He that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not of faith For whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14. 23. Every mans Light within him is not a sufficient safe Rule of it self to guide him in the way to God SERM. VI. Containing thirty Arguments out of Scripture against the Quakers Opinion of the sufficiency of a Light in every man to lead him to God Joh. 1. 9. That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world YOu have heard how imperfect the light of the Gentiles in things moral and religious is and what the Quakers and others ascribe to the light in every man that cometh into the world and to the free will of man in that condition he now is by nature It will be my work now to prove the Quakers to erre in their making each mans own light within him his Rule yea his compleat safe Rule and Guide to open the meaning of Scripture discover all sorts of sinnes teach all duties lead to God to Christ to Heaven without Scripture Preachers and other helps That it is not such of it self nor to be followed by it self I shall prove by many Arguments and then consider whether God be bound to give men supernatural light to direct men to Christ to him that shall use well his natural The first Argument I take from the point proved in the fourth Sermon before and the texts therein alledged which evince that men as they are born into the world are destitute of spiritual light in the things of God that concern mans duty and the way of salvation whereof some are so expresse that they do directly oppose the position of every mans having a light in him as fit to guide or warrant his actions As namely when it is said that none understandeth none seeketh after God Rom. 3. 11. The natural man cannot know the things of the Spirit of God for they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. Every imagination of the thoughts of mans heart is only evil continu●lly from his youth Gen. 6. 5. 8. 21. Every man is bruitish in his own knowledge Jerem. 10. 14. The heart is deceitfull above all things Jerem. 17. 9. Which could not be true if mens light of understanding were such as that each man may follow in all sorts of moral and religious points his own light as a safe and compleat rule or warrant to direct and justifie his way or action The Argument in form is this Their light is not a safe and compleat rule to warrant and guide their actions for pleasing God who understand not nor seek after God who cannot know the things of the Spirit of God whose imaginations of the thoughts of their heart are only evil continually who are bruitish in their own knowledge and whose heart is deceitfull above all things But these things are said of all or some men Therefore every mans light within him is not a safe and compleat rule to warrant and guide his actions for pleasing of God The Proposition none will deny but they that think that a blind man may be a fit guide The Assumption is the words of holy Scripture which G. F. saith in his Catechism p. 56. We are to believe afore learned men The Conclusion then follows of it self 2. Argument is from that which is shewed Sermon fifth That the light which without the Scripture was in the most improved Gentiles in the utmost extent of it was imperfect Whence I argue their light was not a safe and compleat rule or guide to direct or justifie them in their worship of God imaginations of God the knowledge of all sin and duty they owe to God who confessed God to be unknown who ignorantly worshipped him who had a foolish darkned heart about their thoughts of God who judged many sins to be either no sins or laudable acts who took vices to be vertues who had vain and uncertain and contrary conjectures of these things and many of them from the Devils Oracles carried away to dumb Idols as they were led 1 Cor. 12. 2. For a rule and guide should be certain which will not deceive But the most improved Gentiles confessed God to be unknown ignorantly worshipped him with the rest of the things mentioned as Acts 17. 22 23. Rom. 21. 22 23. and elsewhere is manifest Therefore they had not a light within them sufficient to guide them and if not they then much lesse the most barbarous and by consequent none of the Gentiles who had not the Scripture nor such other teaching as Gods people were taught by had a light within them which might be a compleat and safe rule or guide to them for the pleasing of God 3. Argument from John 1. 5 10 11. near to the text which is so much urged by Quakers where it is said The light shineth in darknesse and the darknesse comprehended it not ver 5. The true light mentioned ver 9. was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not He came unto his own and his own received him not ver 10 11. Which proves many of the Jews were

that by a faithfull and carefull use of those natural abilities that light of reason conscience and understanding which every person of mankind under heaven receiveth from God he may and shall receive from him yet further that which shall be of saving import and consequence to him Not much short of these is that French divine of much note who maintains universal grace objective though not subjective that is though there be not such an universal working by illumination or other operation of the Spirit of God so sufficient or effectual as to beget saith in every one yet there is so much revealed to every man even those that have not heard of Christ as might if they would apprehend it beget faith in God to salvation Sect. 2. The Opinion of the Quakers concerning a Light within each man is inquired into Out of the Principles of these men whether instilled by Popish Emissaries which have crept into the English Armies and Churches or some other way that sort of people who now go under the name of Quakers from their usual quaking before they began to speak thereby deluding the people as if they waited for a Revelation from God though most of their speeches of all of them have been their usual invectives against Preachers and pressing men to follow the light within them these people I say have drawn their tenet of an universal light in every man that cometh into the world without Bibles Preachers Church-communion Christian Ordinances to know his duty so as that he may be perfect which is indeed the reviving of old Pelagianism or worse and tends to the making of Christian Religion if not all Religion whatsoever unnecessary Those who heretofore or at this day maintain this universal sufficient light besides these Quakers are many of them subtile disputants and do set down their opinion distinctly and argue for it acutely though they decline the expresse owning of Pelagius his grosser expressions and Puccius his natural faith and Hurberus his universal election But the Quakers as they are for the most part destitute of that art of reasoning so they decline all conference in which they may be pressed to state the point in difference distinctly and to deliver their proofs and answer objections but instead thereof by clamour and reproaches which please their silly followers they reject all motions tending to a fair debate of the point in controversie Being desirous to know what they held one of them brought to me James Nailors Book termed A salutation to the seed of God and Love to the Lost which being in many passages obscure I delivered to him that brought me the Book fifty five Queries to be answered by them yea or no as the person had required of me to answer his Queries The Answer though made by one formerly known to me as a person of some ingenuity and learning yet was framed otherwise then I required declining to answer affirmatively or negatively to the Question as by me propounded but shifting off a plain Answer and instead thereof venting personal invectives Yet to my third Question which was thus Do you believe that those men who were never taught the Doctrine of the Law or of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have commonly a light within each of them which may guide them to the true knowledge of God and his waies unto everlasting life Omitting his words of obloquy thus he answered The Law is spiritual and there is no Nation or people into which the sound of it hath not come and the Gentiles which had not the letter were a law to themselves shewing the effect of the Law written in their hearts And Christ is the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world with a spiritual light the one loves this light and brings his deeds to it and by this light is led from his evil deeds into the knowledge of God who is life eternal in Christ to know the other hates the light because his deeds are evil and loves darknesse rather then light and there is his condemnation And their sound who were Ministers of this truth went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world Rom. 10. 18. In which Answer there is not an expresse resolution of the Question but sundry shifts to avoid a plain Answer as 1. Whereas he asserts that the Law is spiritual Rom. 7. 14. which is the Law of the ten Commandements or the last Precept of the ten and the Apostle ver 9. saith I was alive without the Law once which intimates that he was once without the Law that is without the right knowledge and understanding of it And Rom. 2. 14. the Gentiles of whom my Question was are said twice not to have the Law yet this Answerer asserts There is no Nation or people into which the sound of it hath not come and to avoid the objection arising from the words useth this expression And the Gentiles which had not the letter whereas the words are expresse they having not the Law 2. He patcheth together different Scriptures Joh. 1. 9. Joh. 3. 19 20. as if the light communicated by Christ coming into the world were the same with that with which in his sense he lighteth every man that cometh into the world not heeding that if every man that cometh into the world had a light sufficient to guide him and that even the Gentiles of whom Paul saith Gal. 4. 8. that they knew not God had a spiritual light and that thereby some were led from their evil deeds into the knowledge of God who is life eternal in Christ to know then none were in darknesse contrary to Paul Ephes. 5. 8. none were without Christ or without God in the world contrary to Paul Ephes. 2. 12. then Christ need not come into the world to inlighten men nor sond Ministers of this truth into all the earth sith they had this light before Christ was come into the world to inlighten them with spiritual light and if Christ doth inlighten with this spiritual light every one that cometh into the world there are none but come to the light they having it within them and it doth reprove their deeds whether they will or no. But it is no marvell that men that boast so much of light within them shew so much darknesse of mind in their expressions it being true of them as Christ said of the Pharisees Joh. 9. 41. Because ye say We see therefore your sin or blindnesse remains However it may be hence gathered that this is their conceit That every man that cometh into the world even the Gentiles that had not the letter by which he meanes the holy Scriptures or Bible or any Preacher or Teacher to instruct them out of it yet had from Christ a spiritual light and that one loves this light and brings his deeds to it and by this light is led from his evil deeds into the knowledge of God who is life eternal in

sin as none durst commit no law therefore was made against it by Salon Tully pleads for Sextus Roscius Amerinus that he could not be guilty of it because he was sleeping at the time of his Fathers death which the fury of his conscience would not have permitted if he had been guilty of parricide And yet self-murther to avoid tyrants rage was applauded theft if cunningly acted was allowed by Lycurgus drunkenness and whoredome and murthering in fence-playes and duels either made religious services or matter of glory 9. They might and did by natural light know that God did discover and avenge secret murthers adulteries perjuries sacriledge and other evils that he had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an avenging eye and hence was there much fear of thunder-claps stormes earthquakes plagues and many means used to pacifie the anger of the Deity Yet they were not sensible of the eternal judgment to come though they imagined punishments to be awarded to Malefactors after death The Barbarians of Melita Act. 28. 4. when they saw the Viper hanging on Pauls hand said among themselves No doubt this man is a murtherer whom though he hath escaped the Sea yet vengeance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 suffereth not to live 10. They might and did imagin that God was a rewarder of good deeds in defence of their Countrey in doing justice and such like acts and some counted it their chief good to do vertuous acts But they knew nothing of the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting prepared for them that believed and obeyed the truth of the Gospel In these and many more things the Gentiles which knew not God had some natural light in some it was more clear then in others in some so dusky and dimme that it was scarce discernable but in none such as that it could be a constant universal Rule to direct them in what they were to do or Warrant to justifie them in what they had done or means to shew them how to come to God and enjoy communion with him and to save them from wrath to come Sect. 5. The Gentiles light by nature served to restrain from sin and to leave men inexcusable Neverthelesse this light though insufficient to direct for justification and salvation yet was usefull for two ends 1. To restrain men from such excesse of sinne as would otherwise have destroyed humane society It being the contrivance of God to let men live together though very evil till their iniquities be full and when sins are ripe then to put in the sickle and cut wicked men down either by a particular or an universal judgment In the mean time as he gave the Law to the Jews because of transgressions Gal. 3. 19. either to restrain them or to abate punishments till the seed came to whom the Promise was made that there might be a people among whom the Messiah should appear so to other people he gave a Law in themselves to prevent the extirpation of the Nations by bridling mens lusts through conscience of sinne and fear of punishment till the time should come of their calling into the Church 2. Besides this end God hath another in respect of himself that they might be inexsusable who sinned against the light in them and God might be justified in his sentence and judgment upon them Therefore it is said Rom. 1. 20. That the eternal power and Godhead was made known from the Creation of the world by the things that are made that they might be without excuse who held the truth in unrighteousnesse and when they knew God glorified him not as God neither were thankfull but were filled with unrighteousnesse though they knew the judgment of God that they that commit such things are worthy of death ver 29 31. Whence it is that Gods judgment is proved to be according to truth Rom. 1. 2. and God found to be true though every man be a lyer as it is written That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings and mightest overcome when thou art judged Rom. 3. 4. Ignorance of the Law being not to be pleaded by them who did evil against the innate light of their own spirits forasmuch as that fact must needs be voluntary which is done against the knowledge and judgment of a mans own conscience Sect. 6. Application to justifie us against Quakers and to warn us that we act not against our Light From this which hath been said we may infer 1. A plea for our selves against the clamorous but unjust accusation of the Quakers who use with loud vociferations even to hoarsnesse and with continual printed pamphlets to charge publique Preachers with denying the light within each man whereas such light is not at all denied by them but is acknowledged to be a great benefit to mankind That which is denied is That the light within each person is alone of it self without the Scripture a sufficient direction to bring us to God and instate us in his savour or a sufficient warrant of it self to to justifie our actions It is usefull but not in such a measure as the Quakers make it as if persons were to look to it and no other Rule and that they might well enough be without Scripture Preachers Church-discipline Ordinances of the New Testament and such other helpes as God vouchsases to guide his people by into the way of peace Wherein how much they are mistaken shall be shewed in that which follows 2. In the mean time each person is to make use of the light within him so farre as it is indeed light and usefull Certainly it concerns every man so farre to look to the light within him that he do not as it is said of some Job 24. 13. rebell against the light A mans own conscience is so farre a Law to him that though it cannot of it self justifie yet it may condemn My meaning is a mans own light cannot warrant of it self without the Scripture a mans actions to be lawfull which he doth according to that light Our Saviour tells there are some that shall think they do God service in killing the Apostles Joh. 16. 2. Paul told Agrippa Act. 26. 9. I verily thought with my self that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of Nazareth So that herein he followed the light within him and yet he counted this his great sinne 1 Tim. 1. 13. The Quakers accuse often falsly and revile most abominably others who are no whit inferiour to themselves and they say they follow their light within them and yet he that reads and believes such Scriptures as these 1 Cor. 5. 11. 1 Cor. 6. 10. 1 Pet. 2. 23. Jude 8. 9 10. cannot but think their practice to be from the Devil and not from Gods Spirit If following the dictate of a mans own conscience could warrant his action the most horrid acts of misted Idolaters Papists Pagans Mahometans fanatiques should be free from censure and controul Yet if a man do that which he