Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A44073
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A scripture-catechisme towards the confutation of sundry errours, some of them of the present times / by Thomas Hodges.
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Hodges, Thomas, d. 1688.
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1658
(1658)
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Wing H2322; ESTC R24150
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115,858
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351
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a man cannot pay too deare for it if false he cannot buy it too cheap Now who would be of such a Religion which may cost him the certaine losse of a temporall and much hazard his eternall estate that will ruine his estate and endanger his soule Now consider what I have said in this preface and what I say in the following Treatise and the Lord give you understanding in all things So prayeth really desirous of your conversion and salvation THO HODGES Chap. 1. Of this way or Method of proceeding by such Questions and Answers or The Introduction Q. MAY we say yes to a Question that is asked us when we answer it Affirmatively or must we necessarily say yea Ans Math. 17.24.25 They that received the Tribute money came to Peter and said Doth not your Mr pay tribute He sayth yes Q. When we answer a Question Negatively must we alwayes say Nay or may we say No A. Joh. 21.5 Then Jesus sayth unto them children have you any meat they answered him No. Q. Doth that place Jam. 5.12 forbid the saying Yes and No when it sayes Let your Yea be Yea and your Nay be Nay A. The Apostle dehorts from customary swearing and adviseth them to be true and faithfull in performing their word and promise he would not have men be I Sr no Sr as we say not yea and nay but one and the same in word and deed in our promises and performances and if we would doe so there would be no need of such common oaths to gaine credit or beliefe And farther I say that the Translators if they had pleased might have rendred the Originall thus Let your Yes be Yes and your No No as in the places above cited Q. Is it lawfull to set down or aske questions about points or matters of Religion and give answers thereunto for the instruction of the ignorant or teaching of those who are as yet babes in knowledge A. Yes Luk. 7.19 20 22. And John calling unto him two of his Disciples sent them to Jesus saying Art thou he that should come or look we for another when the men were come unto him they said John Baptist hath sent us unto thee saying Art thou he that should come or look we for another Then Jesus answering said unto them Goe your way and tell John what things you have seen and heard how that the blind see the lame walke the lepers are cleansed the dead are raised the deafe heare to the poor the Gospell is preached So Mat. 11.2 3 4 5. Hag. 2.11 12 13. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Aske now the Priests concerning the Law saying If one beare holy flesh in the skirt of his garment and with his skirt doe touch bread or pottage or wine or oyle or any meat shall it be holy And the Priests answered and said No. Then said Haggai If one that is uncleane by a dead body touch any of these shall it be unclean And the Priests answered and said It shall be unclean Mat. 13.51 Q. May a man aske or propound a Question about that which he knowes himselfe and make an objection which he can answer himselfe A. Yes Mark 12.35 36 37. And Jesus answered and said while he taught in the Temple How say the Scribes that Christ is the Son of David for David himselfe said by the holy Ghost The Lord said to my Lord sit thou on my right hand 'till I make thine enemies thy footstool David therefore himselfe calleth him Lord and whence is he then his Son So Matth. 22.41 c. Rom. 6.1 what shall we say then shall we continue in sinne that grace may abound God forbid And verse 15. what then shall we sinne because we are not under the Law but under Grace God forbid So chap. 7.7 what shall we say then is the Law sinne God forbid and chap. 9.14 what shall we say then is there unrighteousnesse with God God forbid Q. May we aske what are the opinions of men concerning Christ or Christianity and give answers to them A. Yes Matth. 16.13 14. when Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea Philippi he asked his Disciples saying whom doe men say that I the Son of man am And they said some say that thou art John the Baptist some Elias and others Jeremias or one of the Prophets But whom say ye that I am v. 15th c. Q. Is it lawfull to propound objections for the clearing of the truth A. Yes Luk. 20.41 42 43 44. And he said unto them How say they that Christ is David's Son And David himselfe sayth in the Book of Psalmes The Lord said to my Lord sit thou on my right hand 'till I make thine enemies thy footstool David therefore calleth him Lord how is he then his Son So Mat. 22.41 c. Mar. 12.35 36 37. Q. May a man repeat and answer the objection of adversaries made against the truth or propound such as he thinks the wisdome of the flesh will or may possibly make against the truth A. Yes Rom. 9.19 20. Nay but O man who art thou that replyest against God shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus in v. 19. thou wilt say then unto me why doth he yet find fault for who hath resisted his will Q. Is it in any case lawfull to set down the objection or Argument of erroneous or hereticall Persons A. Yes Luk. 20. from 27th to 33. Then came to him certaine of the Sadduces which deny that there is any Resurrection and they asked him saying Master Moses wrote unto us if any man's Brother dye having a wife and he dye without children that his Brother should take his wife and raise up seed unto his Brother there were therefore seven brethren and the first took a wife and dyed without children c. therefore in the Resurrection whose wife of them is she for seven had her to wife So Mat. 22.23 c. Cap. 2. Of Errour Q. ARE there any Errors and Heresies destructive to the faith and damnable A. Yes 2 Pet. 2.1 But there were false Prophets also among the people even as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction 2 Tim. 2.17 18. of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus who concerning the truth have erred saying that the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the Faith of some Q. Are there any blasphemous opinions A. Yes 2 Tim. 2.16.17 18. But shun profane and vain bablings for they will encrease unto more ungodlinesse and their word will eate as doth a canker of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus who concerning the truth have erred c. 1 Tim. 1.19 20. Holding faith and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made ship-wrack of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learne not to blaspheme Q. May
A SCRIPTVRE-Catechisme Towards the confutation OF Sundry ERROVRS Some of them of the present times By THOMAS HODGES B. D. Rector of Soulderne in Oxford-shire Mat. 22.29 Yee doe erre not kowing the Scriptures OXFORD Printed by H. HALL Printer to the University For T. ROBINSON 1658. To my very much Honoured Friend JOHN NORTON of Cotherstock in the County of Northampton Esq Sr A double account may possibly be expected from me namely of the following Treatise and of the present Application A threefold exception may perhaps be made to that that t is a Catechisme that t is an Elenchtical Catechism or a Catechetical confutation of Errors and that 't is such a Scripture Catechisme or the Answers to the Questions mostly the very letter of the Scripture If any blame me saying 't is below a Preacher to publish a Catechisme now in these dayes wherein even some of the people are got up above the highest Ordinances My Answer is that as I have not been ashamed to practise the despised duty of Catechizing at home in my own Congregation so I shall not blush to countenance and avouch it to the world I know and consider that our Lord and Master the great Shepheard and Bishop of soules gave in charge to the Apostle Peter to feed his Lambes as well as his sheep and that 't is the part of a faithfull Steward or dispencer in God's family not as the Papists say to dispense with but to dispense or administer the Ordinances of God and to provide for every one of the family his portion in due season to see that the Babes have Milk as well as Strong men Meat I doe not here set before Christ's little ones whole sheep or whole joints as is done in large Tracts or Volumes of such subjects but these dishes cut up and carv'd out and it may be minc'd too that very children or Babes in knowledge may feed themselves Besides I dare say that there is even in these times but need of Catechizing for want of laying this Foundation how many foolish Builders have fondly built Castles in the aire to no purpose for want of this Ballast how many have been tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine And now if we would Regulate mens foolish high-towring fancies one way sure is to lay not to raze Foundations If we would make an everlasting Separation 'twixt these fond lovers and their new-fangled Errours one way is to Reconcile and bring them home againe to and in love with their old first and best Principles For the second exception that 't is a Catecheticall confutation of Errours I say such an Enemy as Error is may lawfully be driven out any way and that 't is but reasonable to use the same method to confute error that others have done to confirme it I shall herein imitate the skillfull Physitian who endeavours to expell the poyson out of the body the same way by which it was first taken in And now if any be dissatisfied that 't is a Scripture-Catechisme I say the Enemy hath in a sort compelled us have they Scripture in their Catechismes seemingly for them so have we really for us have they appealed unto Scripture unto Scripture shall they goe They say the Scriptures are theirs and we say nay but the Scriptures are ours what then is the Scripture neither ours nor theirs but is it divided partly for us and partly for them or have we ten parts in it and they two I answer No in no wise ther 's no such matter It is all ours it is our owne and not Strangers not our enemies with us I confesse such hath been the Injustice and violence of erroneous Persons as to take away sundry Scriptures by force to put them upon the racke and torture them and lay to their charge things they know not to make them confesse against themselves and the truth and us But if this witnesse may be permitted to speak for it selfe to speak freely and fully to speak out to speak all it will say it will testify only to the truth and when the Scripture hath so spoken Errour must either stop it's eares or stop it's mouth For the Scriptures may then say as Paul we can doe nothing against the truth but for the truth or that may be the language of the written word which was of the Essentiall Word of God I came to beare witnesse of the Truth Now if it was an honourable atchievement in Abraham to rescue his Nephew Lot and in David to rescue the men of Ziklag out of the hands of them who had carried them captive I hope such an Attempt as this to rescue so many Scriptures out of the hands of them who have carried them captive and spoiled them and set them some of them in the front of the battell against the truth and us shall have the countenance good-will and good wishes of them that love the truth For my part whether the world smile or frown commend or condemne I resolve to goe out against set upon and grapple with this great Goliah of Errour I desire to goe out against him in the name of the Lord of Hosts endeavouring to sling these smooth stones chosen out of this christall brook the holy Scriptures so as to smite this Philistine in the forehead and cause him to fall And Sr if I may be a champion for truth and by the sword of the Spirit defend the crowne upon the head of it against that Arch Rebel and Traytor Error which would depose it from it's throne and Soveraignty I shall I hope therein rejoyce and triumph although the world should laugh at and trample upon the undertaking I doe not professe my selfe the first or only discoverer of these Monsters D. Owen D. Bailye nor that dared to fight with these beasts I have two eminent Captaines and Champions who have gone before and entred the lists one in a like and the other in the same quarrel to both which I acknowledge my selfe indebted and although I doe not pay the one in the same coine his Treatise being latine yet I hope in plaine English in part at least to satisfie my engagement to them both For as one well saith the Scriptures are a Mine where there will be ever found some oare so long as there is any to digge or like the Widdow's oyle which never ceased running so long as there was ever an empty vessell to receive it I dare not say I have found out any new truths yet perhaps have made some further hue and cry after new Errors And if 't is a commendable thing to discover a new Island or Continent let me not be censured if I point out other Rocks shelves or Sands togeither with a passage to avoid them I mean new found Errors so as to prevent my own others making shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience by them Now if in any place I have given in answer to an objection from Scripture another text