Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	faith_n	good_a	purge_v	1,223	5	9.3250	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96425	The doctrines of the Arminians & Pelagians truly stated and clearly answered: or, An examination and confutation of their ancient errors, which by the Church of Christ in former ages were justly abhorred, but of late under the names of Comfortable truths to be embraced are newly published. Concerning I. The universality of Gods free-grace in Christ to mankind. II. Concerning election. III. Redemption. IV. Conversion. V. Perserverance. Wherein the principal arguments brought to maintaine the orthodox faith are propounded, and the principal objections against them answered. / By Thomas Whitfield, minister of the gospel at Bugbrook in Northampton-shire. The Tares of Arminian heresie showed in former times (and by the help of prelatical influence then given to them increasing) and now growing up so much in these; I conceive this book wherein the author doth learnedly state and confute those opinions, is very worthy the publike light. Joseph Caryll.	Whitfield, Thomas, Minister of the Gospel.; Carly, Joseph, 1602-1673.	1651 (1651)	Wing W2006; Thomason E646_7; ESTC R208798	87,011	101

are in Christ who may fall away Answ Branches are of two sorts either such as are truly engrafted into Christ or such as seem to be so that are branches onely by externall profession not by internal union this is to be understood not of true but seeming branches such as the Apostle calls Jews outwardly that are not Jews within who have received the circumcision of the flesh but not of the heart Rom. 2.28.29 that are Israelites only according to the flesh not truly Israelites Rom. 9.6 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in me may as well be referred to the words following as those that went before and then the sense will bee that every branch that bringeth not foorth fruit in Christ implying that some branches namely seeming branches bring forth fruit by the strength of their owne root and these cannot continue others namely true branches by vertue of the grace they suck and draw from Christ by faith and these shall be purged that they may bring forth more fruit So likewise is that to be understood which our Saviour speaks of the going out of the unclean spirit who returned again Mat. 12.43.44 namely such a going forth as was in appearance only there being an outward reformation but no inward sanctification for when he returned he found the room empty ver 44. And so is that of the Apostle to bee understood when he saith that some made shipwraeke of faith and put away a good conscience they forsake their profession of their faith and ceased to do those things that were agreeable to a good conscience 1 Tim. 1.19.20 and which St. Peter saith of some that had escaped the filthinesse of the World and yet afterwards returned with the dog to their vomit 2 Peter 2.19.20 they seemed to have been purged from that filthinesse which overspreads the impure World because for a time they did forbeare the practice of some foul grosse sinnes wherewith before they had been defiled but not doing this upon right grounds their hearts being never truly purged ere long they returned to their old vomit again Object 6 But some fall away not onely from outward profession but also from inward graces for the Apostle speaks of such that had been enlightned and made partakers of the Holy Ghost that tasted the good Word of God and felt the powers of the life to come yet afterwards fell away Heb. 6.4 5 6. Answ Men may be said to be made partakers of the Holy Ghost two waies either in regard of common gifts Bezaleel and Aholiah were filled with the spirit of God Exod. 31.3 much more such as have gifts of illumination and the like or in regard of saving graces as that faith which is called a pretious faith 1 Pet. 1.5 that love whereby they love the Lord Jesus in sincerity Ephe. 6. last that repentance which is a repentance unto salvation arising from Godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7.10 this is to be understood of the former only not of the latter for the Apostle speaks here only of an enlightning of a tasting he saith they were enlightned to see the truth he doth not say they loved the truth he saith they tasted the good Word of God he doth not say they digested it that they tasted of the power of the life to come they had some sense of the power of the promises and threatnings of the joyes of Heaven and pains of hell but they were not deeply and throughly affected with these things a man may taste of that which he puts out againe these are such things as may befall hypocrites and wicked men our Saviour speaks of some that received the Word with joy here was a taste and for a while beleeved Luk. 8.13 whom yet he makes no part of the good ground and the Scripture every where puts a difference betwixt common gifts and saving graces betwixt that which is called a forme of knowledge Rom. 2.20 a knowledge that puffs up 1 Cor. 3.13.1 and that knowledge which is the beginning of eternall life Ioh. 17.3 betwixt that faith which is called a dead faith that profits nothing Iam. 2.17 such a faith as Simon Magus had Act. 8.24 and that which is called an unfained faith 1 Tim. 1.5 the faith of Gods Elect Tit. 1.1 betwixt the hope of hypocrites which shall perish Ioh 8.13 and the hope that makes not ashamed Rom. 5.3 Object 7 The Apostle saith of the Jewes who were naturall branches that were broken off through unbeliefe and tells the Romans to whom he writes that if they did not continue in that goodnesse which God had shewed to them they likewise should be broken off Rom. 11.20.22 Answ This is to be understood not of the particular persons of true believers but of the whole Nation or people either Jews or Gentiles as appeares because the Apostle in this whole Chapter sets one against another 2. Or of such persons as were branches only by outward profession not by inward insition and union Object 8 If a true believer cannot fall away then to what purpose are the precepts exhortations admonitions and the like why are they bidden if they stand to take heed lest they fall 1 Cor. 10.12 not to be high minded but feare Rom. 11.20 to work out our salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2.13 what need such fear and taking heed of falling in them that cannot fall Answ 1. Though they cannot fall finally by reason of divine conservation yet they may fall dangerously and fearfully they may so fall through carelessenesse and presumptuous boldnes that by falling they shall contract on themselves the smart of many outward afflictions and crosses yea such inward anguish and wound of soule and spirit as will be like the breaking of their bones Psal 51.8 therefore they had need fear and take heed for if they forsake Gods laws and break his statutes he will visit their transgression with rods and their iniquities with strokes though he will not wholly take away his mercy and loving kindnesse from them nor falsifie his truth or breake his Covenant namely his promise of conservation Psal 89.31 32 33 34. 2. These caveats of fearing and taking heed are to very good purpose because as God will in his mercy preserve and uphold true believers from totall defection so he will doe this by means the inward meanes are holy feare watchfulnesse and the like the outward means are exhortations admonitions and warnings of his Word which serve to beget and stirre up the inward the more outward meanes assisted with blessing from God the more inward fear and watchfulnesse the more of these the more assurance of safety and fast standing Hence the Apostle having bidden the Phillippians to worke out their salvation with feare and trembling Phil. 2.12 tells them that it is God who works in them both to will and to do Verse 13. so that Gods worke and mans may very well stand together Gods promise and mans duty stablish each other Object 9 But if a man be perswaded that hee can never fall away this will much dull his endeavours of watchfulnesse if not make him altogether secure and carelesse Answ A false and presumptuous perswasion may doe this but not a true the doctrine of perseverance by accident may breed security in a carnall heart as the Gospell may bee the savour of death but it doth not so in a gracious heart the more true perswasion a believer hath of his firme standing the more is he likewise perswaded of the free and unchangeable love of God which is the ground of it now this is such a love as doth not putrifie the heart but purifies it hee that hath this hope purgeth himselfe 1 Iohn 3.3 the more feeling wee have of the free love of God the more it causeth us to love him again we love him because he loved us first 1 Iohn 4.19 the more wee love the more fearfull we are to offend and carefull to please and to perform duty a principall part whereof is to humble and watchfull Object 10 A man cannot be a member of Christ and a member of an harlot a true believer may commit fornication and so make himself a member of an harlot and therefore he may cease to be a member of Christ Answ The Apostle speaks not of what cannot be done but what ought not to bee done what is shamefull unseemly unreasonable for a Christian to doe shall I take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot 1 Cor. 6.11 our bodies are appointed to be members of Christ by committing fornication we imploy them to such actions as are proper to those who are members of an harlot now this is altogether unreasonable and intollerable that any should imploy to vile and base uses those things which are appointed for excellent and honourable purposes and this is all can be urged from this place Object Hee that is justly excommunicated is cut off from the visible Church and what is done in earth is ratified in heaven therefore he is like to be cut off from Christ Answ The end of excommunication is not to cut off a true believer wholly either from Christ or from the Church but onely to exclude him from those priviledges that belong to a member of the Church till they be truly humbled and fit to be received againe and this may bee ratified in heaven the sense of Gods favour may be withdrawne the inward consolations and operations of his spirit may for a time bee suspended and yet there be no totall nor sinall separation from Christ FINIS

make all men believe when he commands them to believe Object But this implies an ill agreement betwixt the Wil of Gods purpose and the Will of his precept or command requiring what he will not effect Answ No such thing necessarily follows hence for Gods purpose of not giving power to all men to believe may stand well enough with his command whereby he enjoynes all to do their duty As Gods purpose of not having Isaack killed did agree well enough with the command that he gave touching killing of him 2. Gods purpose of not giving all men effectuall Grace without which he knowes certainely they will not believe which themselves grant doth as much disagree from his command of believing as his purpose of not giving sufficient Grace without which they cannot believe Object 12 But if God gives not all men power to believe whom hee commands to believe then there should be no other end of his command but making men inexcusable Answ It follows not for there may be other ends as to draw them to some outward conformity that so thereby their punishment may be so much lesse as also that the elect who do truly repent and believe may see that it was not of themselves but of the meer mercy of God that they do believe because others that had the same means are left still in their unbeliefe 2. Of some it may bee said that one principall end not of the meanes of Grace which in themselves alwayes tend to life but of GOD in causing them to be dispensed to them was the making of them more inexcusable for look what is at last effected by these means God intended at first should be effected by them but the principall effect which these means do at last bring forth in some is the making of them more inexcusable therefore this was at first intended by God namely that the having of the meanes should bereave them of all excuse An Examination and Confutation of the Arminian erronious Tenets concerning PERSEVERANCE IN the article of Perseverance the principall question is whether a true beleever such as by a living justifying faith is united to Christ and made a true member of him may fall away that is so fall as he wholy loseth his faith ceaseth to be a member of Christ and so comes to perish in the end to this Arminians answer that a true beleever is so upheld by Christ in all his temptations that by no force or fraud of Satan or any outward enemy he shall be taken out of Christs hand but by his owne negligence and abuse of his free-will he may wholy make shipwracke of faith and a good conscience fall from grace cease to be a member of Christ c. because all promises touching support are conditionall and the fullfilling of these promises depends upon our performance of the condition and doing the duty that God requires of us To this we answer on the other side that howsoever such a one by reason of the remainders of corruption within and enemies without be subject to fall yea may fall both frequently and dangerously yet he is so upheld partly by a principle of grace within partly by divine assistance and support from without that he shall never fall totally and finally it not being possible that the elect should be deceived or a member of Christ should perish the truth of this appears Argument 1 From the nature of Gods love which is the fountaine whence all true grace flowes all saving graces are effects of the speciall and peculiar love of God but this love is an everlasting love an unchangeable love I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindenesse have I drawne thee Jer. 31.3 those whom hee loves he loves to the end Joh. 13.1 therefore all that are loved with this can never wholy f●ll away and perish otherwise the same persons might be the objects of everlasting love and everlasting hatred hence it is said that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance Rom. 11.29 what calling and gifts these are appeares in the former verse namely such as flow from election If man by his abuse of these gifts should cause God to take them away then there should be no difference betwixt these and common gifts which may be lost Then as God is said to repent of making Saul King when he tooke his Kingdome from him so he might be said to repent of giving these gifts which the Apostle here denyes then it had been needfull he should have put in some limitation to this proposition telling us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance unlesse man makes him to repent which he doth not whatever cause makes God to repent if he doth repent of giving these kinde of gifts still this contradicts the Apostle who saith that these are without repentance Argument 2 From the nature of the Covenant which God hath made with his people all true beleevers are within the compasse of this Covenant and this Covenant is an everlasting Covenant Jer. 32.40 by this Covenant God hath bound himselfe to put away their iniquities and to remember their sinnes no more Jer. 31.34 and this being a branch of the everlasting Covenant all true beleevers to whom it belongs shall ever enjoy the benefit of it therefore they shall never perish never have their sinnes so laid to their charge as they shall all wayes ly under the guilt and punishment of them yea this is one branch of this everlasting Covenant that God will write his lawes in the hearts of his people therefore they shall remaine and abide there and that he will put his feare into their hearts so as they shall never depart from him Jer. 32.40 which wholy excludes all totall and finall defection Argument 3 From the promise of Christ he hath promised to build the Church upon the rocke that is himselfe and being thus built the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it Mat. 16.18 all true beleevers are built upon this rocke 1 Pet. 2.6 therefore the gates of hell that is the power of hell shall not prevaile against them therefore they shall never perish for when men are cast into hell the power of hell prevailes over them all true beleevers are the sheep of Christ they heare his voice and follow it and to these he hath promised that he will give them eternall life Joh. 10.27 and that none shall take them out of his hands if these miscarry by what meanes soever it be whether by Satans malice or their owne corruptions so as in the end they misse of eternall life how is Christs promise fulfilled If any of Christs sheep such whom the Father hath given him and for whom he hath laid down his life should perish it would argue that either Christ were not willing and carefull to keep them or not able to keep them either of which is blasphemy to speak or think of him that is so great and faithfull a

world giving himselfe to be a propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world 1 Joh. 2.2 If they be truly understood must be understood in a restrained sense namely for the believing world for the world not onely of Jews but of Gentiles that shall be saved In which sense this place of John is to be taken He is a propitiation not onely for our sinnes Saith saint John a Jew writing to the Jewes but for the sinnes of the whole world of the world of believing Gentiles as well as of our selves Now that this and other like places where generalities in the like kinde are used must necessarily be taken in a limited and restrained sense doth plainly as I said appeare by many other places of Scripture as when it is sayd that Christ laid down his life for his sheep Joh. 10.15 for his people Mat. 1.21 for the sons of God Joh. 11.52 for the elect of God Rom. 8.33 34. that the promise of Christ is given to them that beleeve Gal. 3.22 that Christ hath loved his Church and given himselfe for it Eph. 5.25 Now all are not the sheep of Christ the people of God the sonnes of God the elect the Church of God for then there should be no difference betwixt these and the world from which the Scripture distinguisheth them Besides Christ sayth that he prayed not for the world but for those whom the father had given him Joh. 17.9 Those whom Christ dyed for he would not refuse to pray for that for these he sanctified himselfe ver 19. that is set himselfe apart to be made an offering for sinne The Saints sing a new song to the lambe because he had redeemed them out of every tongue kinred people And Rev. 6.9 Therefore he hath not redeemed all of every kinred people and nation All those whom Christ dyed for he loved and whom he loveth he washeth with his bloud Rev. 1.5 but all are not washed That bloud of Christ which through the eternall spirit he offered unto God purgeth their consciences from dead workes for whom it is offered Heb. 9.14 but all have not their consciences purged By the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once made all are sanctified for whom it is offered cap. 10.10 He hath given himselfe for his Church to sanctifie it Eph. 5.25 but all are not sanctified Therefore these generall expressions before mentioned cannot be understood generally of all and every particular man but must of necessity be limited and appropriated to such as these Scriptures speake of Tuhs we see that the chiefe grounds which T. M. brings for the establishing his opinion of the universality of Gods free-grace will not hold as not being bottomed on Scripture rightly understood He goes on to object against such answers and arguments as are brought against his opinion let us go on to examine the strength of these Object 1 Against what is said that those generall expressions all men world and the like are not alway to be taken properly and strictly in a literal sense he objects that although the Scripture sometimes useth Metaphors and dark mysticall expressions as in the doctrine of the Sacraments yet in fundamentall points in things necessary to Salvation such as the death of Christ is it alway speaks clearly and plainly not figuratively and darkly p. 73. 74. Answ To know and beleeve that Christ died for man is necessary to Salvation but to know or believe that Christ died for every man is not necessary to Salvation 2. True it is that in points necessary the Scripture speaks plainly and in a way fit to bee understood yet sometimes it speaks figuratively and improperly because nothing more plaine and easie to be understood then some figurative speeches Tho. More himselfe acknowledgeth that every Child can understand such a figure as this the Pot seeths over where the subject is put for the adjunct There is nothing more frequent in Scripture and in ordinary speech then such figures where the subject is put for the adjunct or the whole for the part or part for the whole So when it is said that Jerusalem and all Judea went out to Iohn Baptist here is a double figure one a metominy the place put for the People another a Synecdoche the whole put for the part all for a great many or some of all sorts yet who doth not easily understand this So when it is said that Christ gave himselfe for a ransom for all may it not be easily understood that he gave himself a ransome for many or for some of all sorts especially when many other Scriptures expresse it by many hee gave his life a ransome for many Mat. 20.28 26.28 Rom. 5.15 Heb. 9. last The Article of the Resurrection is necessary to Salvation and therefore laid down plainly as the rest yet when it is said that Christ rose againe the third day this is a figurative speech for here is a double Synecdoche the day first being for the whole 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the day and night 2. A part of the day the Evening or Morning being put for the whole day for Christ lay in the Grave but one whole day namely the whole Jewish Sabbath Therefore Tho. More need not clamor against us as obscuring and darkning yea falsifying the Scripture when wee compare one Scripture with another and explicate that which speaks figuratively by another which speaks properly both being plain and easie enough to be understood of such who are willing to understand Object Against that which is said that the words all every man c. are sometime taken but for some as for Christs sheepe his Church and such like he objects 1. That this word all when it is applyed to creation fall ransome resurrection is never found to signifie lesse then all and everyman p. 75 2. That this word only is never added it is never said that Christ died for his sheepe onely or that hee loved his Church onely p. 76 Answ The first is not alway true for when it is said that as in Adam all die so in Christ all shall be made alive 1 Cor. 15.22 this cannot bee understood of all and every particular man but only of those that are Christs verse 23. of such to whom he is a quickning Spirit ver 45. such as have born the image of the heavenly Adam ver 49. such as are dead in Christ 1 Thes 4.14 though all shal be made alive by the power of Christ as Lord over all yet not by the vertue and power of his Resurrection as their Mediatour and Redeemer 2. For the second that the word only is not added no more it is said in Scripture that we are justified by Faith only yet when it is said that we are justified by Faith without the works of the Law this is equivolent and as much in effect as if it had been said wee are justified by Faith only other things being excluded When it is said there is one God and one