Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A05358
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An excellent and learned treatise of apostasie made by the most reuerend and godly learned man M. Iohn de l'Espine minister of the word of God in the churche of Angers in the dukedome of Anjou. Directed against the apostates in the churches of France. Written first in the French tongue by the author him selfe, and now faithfully translated into English. The contentes of the booke appeare in the page following; Traité de l'apostasie. English.
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L'Espine, Jean de, ca. 1506-1597.
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1587
(1587)
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STC 15511A; ESTC S106904
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98,822
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213
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withdrawing themselues from the church they are gone out of paradise wherein God sheweth his face Cant. 4. his glory Matt. 11. Ioh. 1. Esa 66. his magnificence and his great workes euery day and where he doth vnfold his great riches and blessings and the riche treasures of his deepe wisedome in the fulnes of his sonne to enter into hell where they finde nothing els but a fire to consume them and a worme that doth gnawe their heart and a torment and perpetuall disquietnes in their consciences without all hope to finde any remedye or any comfort or any refreshing in their miseries They are like vnto that poore wretched Caine Gen. ◠14 who was the firste Apostate in the worlde who hauing abandoned his fathers house and the Churche that did assemble it selfe therein and being by that meanes departed from before the face of the Lorde was all the rest of his life a vagabond and vnquiet in his minde not able to finde any resting place as also after him haue bene all his successors Cham Nimrod Ismael Esau Ieroboam with the tenne tribes that followed him the Sadduces Pharises Scribes and Priestes in the time of Iesus Christ and his Apostles and finally Simon Magus Ebion Chemnitus Carpocrates Marcion Valentinus Arrius Nestorius Eutiches and other Heretikes that came afterward who hauing seperated themselues from the Church of Iesus Christ haue met with a thousand miseries as also the two Princes and Heades of all the Apostates shall shortly doe that is to say Mahomet and the Pope with all their adherents 2. Thes 2.8 whom the Lord doth destroy euery day by litle and litle with the breath of his mouth vntill such time as he doth pronounce vnto them their last sentence and iudgement wherewith they shall be cast and banished into the pitte with the Dragon and his Angels that is to saye Apoc. 12.9 as Saint Iohn doth expound it that olde serpent called the deuill and Satan which deceiueth all the world For it is certaine that the great Captaine Michael who is the God of battailes and head of the army of the Lord after a long fight he will remaine victorious ouer all his enemies Apoc. 14.9.10 whome he will put vnder his feete to wit the Dragon the beast and all those that will worship him and receiue his marke on their foreheades or on their handes who shall drinke of the wine of the wrath of God yea of the pure wine which is powred into the cuppe of this wrathe and they shall be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holye Angels and before the Lambe And that great Babylon the mother of whoredomes and abhominations of the earth Apoc. 17.5 which beareth a name written in her foreheade a mysterye whiche is dronken with the blood of the Saintes and with the bloode of the Martyres of Iesus muste stumble and her fall must be so great that all the earth shal be astonied therat Apo. 14.8 For which cause all the children and seruantes of God are exhorted by a voyce comming from heauen to go out of her quickly Apoc. 18.4 that they be not partakers of her sinnes and consequently of her plagues What will then become of the Apostates who in steade of cōming and going from it Apoc. 18.2 doe returne vnto it thinking to be at more safety in Babilon which is as S. Ihon saieth the habitation of Deuills and the houlde of all foule spirites and a cage of euery vncleane and noysome birde then in the Church of God which is the holy city Heb. 12.22 and the celestiall Ierusalem where there is an innumerable companye of Angels set round about it for to keepe it and the fauour of God which is in the midst as a tower to fortifie strēghthen it on all sides may not one saye of them with the Prophet Psal 94.8 vnderstand ye vnwise among the people and ye fooles when will ye he wyse for ar they not wonderfully depriued of their senses that do preferre Bethauen before Bethel that is to say a house of impiety of errors and lyes of Idolatry of blasphemy of abhomination before the house of God of piety trueth and holynesse of prayers and thanks geuing and loue rather to returne againe into Egypt there to feede of Garlike and rotten Onions which they had left behind them then to be daintily fed with the Manna of heauen and with the foode of Angels Dauid desiring with griefe in banishment the dainties and great comforts he did receaue in the house of God then when he had libertie to frequent it with the rest of the people whereof he sawe himselfe depriued Psal 84.34 liuing amonge the barbarous and idolatrous spake vnto God complaining Where be thine altars O Lorde of Hostes vers 10. my King and my God Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will euer praise thee for a day in thy Courts is better then a thousand otherwhere I had rather be a doore-keeper in the house of my God then to dwell in the Tabernacles of wickednesse If the Prophet esteemeth them happy 1. Cor. 14. which may with all libertie frequent the house of God and therewith enioye the exhortations comforts prayers confessions and publike prayses which are songe to his Name Psal 42. and moreouer beholde his glorious face whiche doth shine in this notable order which is kept in these holye assemblies of the people doth he not repute contrariwise all those vnhappy who are excluded from the enioying of so great a good and especially when as they doe depriue themselues thereof and forsake it willingly Ge. 25 33. making no more accompt of it then Esau did of his birthright which he solde vnto his brother Iacob for a mease of pottage made of Lentils I dare saye that none of all the Apostates who haue left our Churches to returne to Papistrye and to their Masses that is to saye 2. Pet. 2 22 to their owne vomite as Dogs and to the wallowing in the myre as Swine did euer taste except it were with the tippe of the tongue onely the sweetenes of the pretious and exquisite meates wherewyth God doeth nourishe and feede his familye For if they had swallowed them kept and well digested them in their stomachs they woulde haue forgotten all the davnties of the worlde in which the children of God after they haue once with a good appetite eaten of the celestiall bread doo finde no more sauour Ioh. 6 67. When Iesus Christ demaunded of the Apostles whether they woulde follow the Apostates who beeinge offended at hys Sermon touching the eating of hys flesh and drinking of his bloud had gone backe from him and walked no more with him Saint Peter answering for all his fellowes sayd Maister to whome shall we go For thou hast the wordes o◠eternall life Shewing thereby the good will that hee and hys fellowes had neuer to forsake hys companie because of
of the hope of men which doeth depende of it which Iesus Christ our sole onely mediator hath done and suffered for vs. 1. Tim. 2.5 What then can these poore wretches finde there that can serue either to the glory and seruice of God or to their owne saluation I did not stand to prooue that which I said of it because there are whole treatises thereof wherein the impieties horrible blasphemies wherof it is full are touched particularly and so well by the grace of God laid open that there is not this day any childe in our Churches who is not already resolued readily to giue an answer thereof and to satisfie all those who will be content with reason That the Apostates haue no faith Chap. 12. LEt vs passe on further come to the faith which is the chiefest instrument that God doth vse to our saluatioÌ„ Rom. 10. which is waÌ„ting in the Apostats as wel as the other two aboue named for considering the word of the Gospel which is the word of the promise 2. Cor. 4. is called theword of faith becaus it is the seed therof without which it can not be brought forth seing that the spirit of God is called the spirit of faith because he is the author thereof as wel as of other vertues 1. Pet. 1. how can the Apostates be faithfull being destitute of the spirite of God who is the husbandman that watereth the heart as it were a peece of ground to receiue faith of the word which is the seed that is sown to bring it forth if they think that true faith consisteth only in the approbation of the truth of the scriptures they deceiue themselues and haue no more faith then the Deuils or Simon Magus of whome it is written Acts. 8.9 that he beleued and was baptized though in deede he had onely a shew and an appearance of faith For the true faith is in the hart Rom. 10.10 as the Apostle sayth With the hart man beleeueth vnto righteousnes with the mouth man confesseth to saluation And is as well knowen by her effects as by the circumstances which do accompany her whereof the one is a good conscience 1. Tim. 1. and the feare of God without which it can not stand for the mercy and grace of God which faith setteth before it selfe in his promises and wherupon she resteth as vpon her true ground is promised onely to those who walke aright before his face and who feare to offende and disobey him as the Prophet sayth Psal 103. verse 17. The louing kindnes of the Lorde endureth for euer and euer vpon them that feare him and his righteousnes vpon childrens children vnto them that keepe his couenant and thinke vpon his commandements to do them Furthermore in another place he sayth Psal 119.1 Blessed are those that are vpright in their waies and walke in the lawe of the Lord blessed are they that keepe his testimonies Psal 73.1 and seeke him with their whole heart Also in another place Yet God is good to Israell euen to the pure in hart Now I would willingly knowe whether the conscience of the Apostates can be good hauing left God and broken so villanously the allegiance which they had an hundred and an hundred times openly and solemnly sworne vnto him infringed the holy couenant which they had made with him stamped with their feete the pretious blood of Iesus Christ which had beene spilt to ratifie the same reiecting his word and the admonitions and reproofs that could possibly be made vnto them in his name blaspheming this day the trueth and religion which they haue followed a thousande thousande waies and afterwarde seruing Idoles without any ende and omitting no kinde of superstition whereto they do not adioine themselues making the cruellest war that they can to all good persons only for this cause that they are purposed to be more loial towards God and more constant in his seruice then they haue bene applying them selues vnto those whome they knowe to be weake to seduce them and cause them to stumble like themselues Finally making open profession of all impieties blasphemies sacrileges and abhominations of Antichrist being altogether resolued as they themselues say to â—liue and die in that estate I aske whether these resolutions be not of such persons as are altogether lost impenitent and desperat And who can not looke for any thing els at Gods hands but his wrath and terrible iudgement with a heat of fire which shal deuour them and all his aduersaries And if they yet haue any conscience which is not altogether seared with an hot iron I appeale vnto themselues whether it serue for any thing els theÌ„ in stead of an apparitor or tormentor or Deuill to vexe greeue theÌ„ day night not suffering them to take any rest at all which thing the good conscience doth not but comforteth resolueth the man that hath it in all his affaires and suffreth him not to become pale or wanne in his aduersities yea though it shoulde chaunce that the world were dissipated and the heauen shoulde flye here and there in shiuers and peeces yet woulde it maintaine him constant stable and vnmoueable in all these tumults For as the Apostle sayeth Rom. 2.15 As it is good or euill so it doeth accuse or excuse vs and as he whom it acquitteth can not giue ouer when it is good 〈◊〉 when as it is euill and doth accuse vs none can stande or abide before it The Apostates theâ— hauing an ill conscience can not haue a good faith and so being not good it is not any longer faith 1. Tim. 1. Ephe. 4.5 For there is but one true faith aâ— there is but one true God and one onely true Church And being without faith howe can they liue Seeing the iust liueth only by faith Abac. 2. How can they be in the fauour of God seeing without faith it is impossible to please him Heb. 11.6 How can they be iust seeing without faith no righteousnesse can be approued before God Rom. 3. What place can they haue in the kingdome of God Ioh. 3.3 Seeing none is admitted vnto it that is not borne anew and none can be borne anew but by faith which doeth purifie our heartes Act. 10. and make vs newe creatures Moreouer what good workes or good fruites can they bring foorth without faith Eph. 2. Which doth ingraft vs into Iesus Christ that we may be well able to beare fruite howe can they defende themselues from the Deuill 1. Pet. 5.18 who walketh about as a roaring lyon to espye howe he may ouertake vs without our armor that is to say without faith which is the onely target wherewith we couer â—ur selues that we may auoide the shot of his â—iery dartes What stedfastnes or ioy can they â—aue in temptations when they are assaulted either of prosperitie or aduesitie of the world â—r