Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A12284
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A censure upon the dialogue of the Anabaptists intituled, A description of what God hath predestinated concerning man ... By Henry Ainsworth.
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Ainsworth, Henry, 1571-1622?
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1623
(1623)
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STC 226; ESTC S100100
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65,025
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70
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godly men which are in the true and saving grace of God may fall away and may loose their heavenly inheritance which they haue right unto This Popish heresie they haue not confirmed by any one Scripture though they pervert many Scriptures for a show to delude the simple The faith which we professe is this that the elect however through Satans tentations and their owne infirmities they are subject to fall from God and perish yet they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 though they through their weakenesse sin and fall yet the Lord putteth under his hand Psal. 37.24 and the seed of God remaineth in them and they cannot sin unto death because they are borne of God 1 Iob. 3.9 Though of themselues they are too ready to depart from God yet he will not turne away from them to doe them good but putteth his feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from him Ier. 32.40 so Christs sheep shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of his hand but he giveth unto them eternall life Ioh. 10 28 and the elect cannot possibly be seduced from Christ Mat. 24.24 They plead for their errour by 7 reasons The 1 is certaine Scriptures as Heb. 12.15 Look least any man faile of or fall from the grace of God Answ. This proveth not that God will suffer his elect to fall utterly from saving grace but warneth them to take heed to themselues in respect of their own frailty and Satans subtilty Though Gods election and foundation standeth sure 2 Tim. 2 19 yet we must make an end of our salvation with feare and trembling and must adde vertue unto faith and giue diligence to make our calling and election sure which if we doe we shall never fall 2 Pet. 1.5 10. Salt may loose his savour Mat. 5. Answ. It may if men be seasoned but with common grace such as God giveth to many reprobates Heb. 6.4.5.6 but saving grace bestowed on the elect is a gift and calling without repentance Rom. 11.29 Some that haue escaped the pollutions of the world c. may returne with the Sow to wallow in the myre 2 Pet. 2.20.22 Answ. Too many in deed doe so but they are swine not sheep of Christ they seemed to be washed by the knowledge of the Lord which they had but their swinish nature was never changed The Apostle in that chapter speaketh of hypocrites and reprobates which walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleannesse v. 10 which are as naturall bruit beasts made to be taken and destroyed v. 12. which are wells without water v. 17 so they never had saving grace Those that Christ hath bought may be damned 2 Pet. 2.1 Answ. Those are such as before I spake of which were bought of Christ by his offer of grace and their feyned acceptance of it but had they been in deed bought from the earth they would haue followed the Lamb and should haue beene without fault before the throne of God Rev. 14.3.4 5. Had they been justified by his bloud and reconciled to God by his death much more should they bee saved by his life Rom 5.9.10 Had they been of Christs sheep for whom he laid down his life he would haue given them eternall life Ioh. 10.27 28. And here note how these men would make Christs sufferings vaine for many whom as they think Christ died for shall die themselues for ever Where is now the justice of God that punisheth the wicked themsâ—lues and yet punished Christ for them without cause without fruit Such doctrine the Apostle doth abhorre Gal. 2.21 Some may tread vnder foot the bloud of Christ wherewith they were sanctified c. Heb. 10.29 Answ. Such were never sanctified otherwise then Swine that were washed whose filthy nature was never indeed changed otherwise then by counterfeisance and hypocrisie They that haue faith and good conscience may put it away and make shipwrack of it and some may leaue their first faith be damned 1 Tim. 1.19 5.12 Ans. Faith is not alwaies in deed that which it seemeth to be There is a temporary faith which falleth away in time of tentation Luke 8.13 a vaine dead faith Iam. 2 and there is a living faith the â—aith of Gods elect Tit. 1 1 this faith never faileth utterly for it is the seed of God by which we are regenerate and it remaineth in us keeping us from sinne 1. Joh. 3.9 Some written in the booke of life may be put out Exod. 32.32.33 Psal. 69.25.28 Rev. 3.5 Answ. Many things are spoken of God not properly but figuratiuely after the manner of men So God is no way changeable Mal. 3.6 Iam. 1.17 neither doth he repent 1. Sam. 15.29 yet is it said It repented him that he had made man c. Gen. 6.6 because in destroying the world he did as men when they repent So God is said to blot out of his book those wicked which for a time seemed to themselues to others to be written in his book but after by Gods rooting them out are manifested never to haue been written there for then they should haue continued there because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance Rom. 11 â—9 his foundation standeth sure having this seale The Lord knoweth them that are his 2 Tim. 2.19 But to the wicked he will professe I never knew you Mat. 7 23. The talent may be taken from him that vseth it not well Mat. 25. Answ. All that haue talents that is gracious gifts haue not true saving grace to sanctifie those gifts neither are they all Gods elect This therfore is no proofe of the question in hand The Saints at Rome that were justified by faith and had accesse unto grace Rom. 5.1.2 yet if thâ—y continued not in the bounty of God they should be cut off c. Rom. 11.22 Answ. This and the examples following are like to the former and teach Gods elect to haue care to continue in grace without which there is no salvation They teach also that hypocrites falling from God shall perish But none truely justified and partakers of saving grace shall perish for God gloryfieth them Rom. 5.9 8.30 and he putteth his feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from him Ier. 32 40 and if they depart not thâ—y perish not but are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 2 Their second reason is If the elect cannot fall out of Gods favour then did not all fall in Adam and then some were never dead in sinnes and so need not Christs redemption c. Answ. An ignorant cavill for the Apostle teacheth that God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world Eph. 1 4. These men speak of our state before Christ. Againe Adam and all in him fell from grace suâ—h as thâ—y had of God in creation but not from Christian grace from grace of election and redemption whereof
boast of the excellencie of it is to no purpose for all men being corrupted with evill qualities Rom. 2. 3â— how is it that any are changed into good but by the povver and grace of God vvhich is effectuall in all his elect The residue abide in their sinnes because God changeth not nor reneweth their harts and such he never elected unto life but ordained them of old unto condemnation Iude v â—4 Lastly they answer vvith absurd Sophistry saying that these vvords 1 Ioh 2 19 they went out from us is meant of lying spirits the Antichrists in those persons vvho once had the spirit of truth in them And the Apostle sayth they were never of us for v 21 no lye is of the truth For example say they the spirit of Hymeneus together vvith his person was in spirituall fellowship vvith Paul so long as he reteined faith a good conscience but having put avvay the spirit of truth and received a lying spirit he vvent out from them in that his spirit for or because it was never of them c. Will any say that the Pope himselfe is Antichrist in respect of his person or rather in regard of his spirit or spirituall power he hath Therfore all that this place proveth is that lying spirits or Antichrists in mens persons went out from the truth and were never of the truth and therfore serveth nothing to proue that the elect can never fall away Answ. Was ever plaine scripture more violently wrested by any heretick The Apostle sayth of the many Antichrists they went out from us but they were not of us 1 Ioh. 2 18 19. This these men will not haue to be meant of their persons but of their spirits in their persons And what understand they by their spirits their lyes their errors their spirituall power such as the Pope hath that is as before they distinguished their wicked qualities not their persons for God they say loveth all persons they being his generation Act. 17.27 First it is an errour to say God hateth not the persons of wicked men but the evill qualities in them onely for though hee hateth no creature in respect of their creation which was good yet the creature being degenerate and fallen from God he hateth their wickednesse and them also for it as the Scripture plainely witnesseth Psal. 5.4.5.6 11 5. 2 It is erroneous to say that by Spirits the Apostle meaneth not persons but qualities 1 Ioh. 4.1 for himselfe sheweth his meaning when he saith because many false Prophets are gone out into the world So by Spirits to be tried he meaneth Prophets which came with spirituall gifts and it is frequent in Scripture to call subjects or persons by the name of adjuncts or qualities in them as I am against thee ê pride Ier. 50 31 that is ô thou most proudâ— and pride shall stumble and fall v. 32 that is the proud person the poverty of the land 2 King 24 14 15 the poorest people Deceit or Sloth rosteth not that which he took in hunting Prov. 14 27 that is the deceitfull man and many the like 3 It is from the deepnessâ— of Familisme to say that Antichrists are not persons but evil qualities in men so Christ may be holden no person but a godly quality in us The Apostle speaketh of the person for he saith not the lye but the lyer he that denyeth that Iesus is the Christ he is Antichrist 1 Ioh. 2.22 4 It is an absurd exposition of 1 Ioh 2 19 to put qualities for persons He there spâ—aketh of Antichrists They went out froâ— us these men will haue it evill or Antichristian qualities went out from us Buâ— what sense then will they make of the last branch of the verse That they might be made manifest that they were not all of us Will they say some Antichristian qualities were of the Apostles though not all The meaning is evident that in the Church are persons some good some bad some elect some reprobateâ— but whiles they abide and walk together in the Church it is not manifest who are of the Church who are not but when the wicked and reprobates depart from thâ— truth and Church then it is manifest that such Apostates though for a time in the Church yet were never of it So it is a sure proofe that Gods elect are both in and of the Church of Christ and shall never fall away utterly from it Of Freewill THis point these adversaries handâ—e confusedly and maliciously Confusedly because they shew not what they meane by freewill or freedome of will whether free from compulsion or free from bondage of sinne Mâ—liciously for that they feigne the Calvinists to hold that the wicked are not onely lift by Gods suffring but compelled to sinne by power c. compelled by the power force and compulsion of Gods predestination to commit all those wicked crimes for which they are punished by the Magistrate or tormented in hell c. and then much more doth it in goodnesse as violentâ—y work all so that the godly can neither chuse nor refuse goodnesse Answ. If these adversaries haue common honestie let them shew out of the writings of the Calvinists as they call them these assertions which they impute unto them Till they doe this let them haue their name and fame among lyers and workers of iniquity As for us we abhorre these doctrines of compulsion to sin by force and power of Gods predestination c. As for will in man we know it to be a naturall facultie still remaining though corrupted by sin as all othâ—r like faculties in us We acknowledge it still to be free from compulsion or constreynt for so will should be no vvill But we confesse with greiâ—e that in respect of bondage to sinne under which all mâ—n were sold Rom. 7 14. it may rather be called Bond will then Free will for it is not free to refuse sin untill it be renued by Christ and so far as it is regenerate by him it is againe as other powers and faculties in the Saints freed by grace and willeth things that are good Againe they produce to their owne condemnation out of Bastingius and the Disput. in Geneva these words Man by evill was spoyled not of his will but of the soundnesse of his will therefore that which in nature was good in quality became evill and Bernard teacheth there is in us all power to will but to will well we had need to profite better to will evill we are able already by reason of our fall The which if they would stand unto saith this adversarie I would require no more Answ. This we will stand unto and thereby doe evince Odegos to be a blinde guide and vaine disputer that with lyes and calumnies would disgrace his opposites We grant evill Free-will or Free will to evill is remaining in all naturall men we beleeue that freewill to good is from grace and regeneration and that all the Saints