Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	idol_n	knowledge_n	weak_a	1,298	5	9.3976	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19465	Certain most godly, fruitful, and comfortable letters of such true saintes and holy martyrs of God, as in the late bloodye persecution here within this realme, gaue their lyues for the defence of Christes holy gospel written in the tyme of their affliction and cruell imprysonment.	Coverdale, Miles, 1488-1568.; Bradford, John, 1510?-1555, Exhortacion to the carienge of Chrystes crosse. Selections.; Cranmer, Thomas, 1489-1556. Copy of certain lettres sent to the Quene, and also to doctour Martin and doctour Storye. Selections.; Hooper, John, d. 1555. Soveraigne cordial for a Christian conscience.; Hooper, John, d. 1555. Whether Christian faith maye be kepte secret in the heart, without confession therof openly to the worlde as occasion shal serve.; Ridley, Nicholas, 1500?-1555. Frendly farewel.	1564 (1564)	STC 5886; ESTC S108888	571,783	726

muche expedient to lead gouerne the iudgement of euery Christian mā where we may see that the Corinthians in dede had knowlege perceaued right well that neither the idoles amongest them neyther the meate dedicated vnto the idoles were any thing passed as light of both as of thinges of nothing vppon that knowledge vsed to be present and also to eate at the feast of the meate dedicated vnto Idoles Wherewithall Paule was so sore offended that he gaue this sentence if a man see thee which hast knowledge 1. Cor. 8 sit at table in the Idoles tēple shal not the conscience of him which is weake be boldened to eate those things which are sacrificed to Idoles and through thy knowledge shall the weake brother perish for whō Christ died Now when ye sinne so against the brethren and wound their weake conscience ye sinne against Christ This iudgement of Paul is more to be followed thē al our own fayned and wrested defences which would fayne seme to do wel whē we halt on both sides which god abhorreth Paule hath a profounde depe consideration of that mans fault that hath knowledge perceaueth his dissimulation to be daūgerous perilous to al persons which he dwelleth with al. First such as be of a right and stayed iudgement and will not prostrate their bodies to an Idole do condemne nedes must such dissimulation The very Idolaters themselues haue a defence of their abhomination by the presence of him that the Christiā congregatiō knoweth to haue knowledge The weaker sort that would gladly take the best way by a dissemblers halting playing of both handes embraceth both in body and in soule the euil that he abhorreth in hys hart and though he haue knowledge yet with his presence he estemeth it as other do which haue no knowledge If S Paule sayd that the weake brother doth perish for whō Christ died by him that abused knowledge in meates and drinkes that of themselues be indifferent how muche more by the knowledge of him that vseth manifeste Idolatry forbidden of God as a thing not indifferent Take hede what s Paule meaneth and what he would proue against this man which had knowledge that neither the Idoles neither the meates dedicated to Idoles were any thing Forsooth this would he proue that a poore man that wanteth knowledge by the example of him that hath knowledge doth there aduenture to do euil which he would not do in case he sawe not those that he hath good opinion of to go before him as authors of the euill And in dede the ignoraunte people or those that be halfe perswaded in a truth yea or els throughly perswaded what is euill when they haue any notable men or women for an example to follow they thinke in following of them they be excused yea although peraduenture they do it against their consciences as ye may see how many good men by the example of Peter began to dissemble yea Barnabas hymselfe the Apostle of the Gentiles Gala. 2 But how great offence this is before god so to make a doubtful cōscience or striuig against knowledge to do any thing that is not godly let the iudgement of men passe and measure it from gods word Christ sayth Math. 18 it were better a milstone were hanged about such an offenders necke cast into the sea And doutlesse the payne must be the greater bycause we geue offence willingly and agaynst our owne consciences and thys before God is a wicked knowledge that causeth an other to perishe Woe be vnto hym that is learned to bring his brother to destruction Doth a Christian man know the truth to bring his brother to a lye For those weaklinges that we make to stomble Christ died as S. Paul sayth God defend we should confyrme any mans conseience in euil Let euery mā of god waye with himselfe the doctrine of S. Paul that cōmaundeth vs to flye Idolatrye 1. Cor. 10 And marke what s Paul in that place calleth Idolatrye It is to be sene plainly that he speaketh not of such idolatry as men that lacke knowledge in their hartes what god is and what god is not do commit For in the .8 chapter before he sayth that men knowe that the idoles were no gods and that although by name the gentiles had many gods yet they knew that there was but one god Therfore he meaneth nothing by this cōmaūdement fly idolatry but to auoyd such rites ceremonies and vsages as outwardly wer vsed in the honour reuerēce of the idoles that wer no gods and waying the right vse of the Lords supper and the dignitie therof with the manner and vse of the Gentiles towards their gods he would bring the church of the Corrinthians to vnderstand how that as the diuine and sacrate rites ceremonies and vse of the sacrament of Christes body and blood did sanctifye him and declare hym that vsed it to be the seruaunt and child of God so dyd the rites sacramentes of the Gentiles defile the vsers therof and declared them to be the seruauntes and children of the idole notwithstanding that they knew in their harts the idole was nothing God by his sacrament doth couple vs vnto him let vs pray therfore to him that we pollute not our selues with any rites ceremonies or vsages not instituted by god and so diuide our selues from him In this cause if a faithful man should be at the masse it is to be considered with what mind those that he doth there accompany himselfe withal do come thyther and what the ende is of the worke that the priest doth The people come to honour the bread and wine for god and the priest purposeth to consecrate bothe god and man and so to offer Christe to the father for remission of sinne Nowe do they that adioyne them selues vnto those people professe and declare a societie and fellowship of the same impietye as s Paul layd to the Corrinthians charge S. Paule was not offēded with the Corinthians bicause they lacked knowledge of the true God but bicause contrary to their knowledge they associated thē selues with idolaters For this is true that in al rites sacraments honorings whether they be of god or of the deuil there is a professiō of a communion so that euery man protesteth to be of the same religiō that the rest be of that be pertakers with him I know there be many euasions made by men that iudge a mā may with sauegard of conscience be at the masse But forasmuch as M Caluine M. Bullynger and other haue throughlye aunsweared them suche as be in doubte maye reade theyr bookes This is my cōscience after Gods woorde Iohn Hoper ¶ An epistle of the famous learned man M. Henry Bullinger written to M. Hoper in the tyme of hys trouble which for the worthines of the matter we thought not impartinent here to place emonges hys letters Reuerendissimo VVigorniae Glocestriae Episcopo D. Ioanni

iourney to heauen warde found as ye nowe fynde are like to finde if ye goe on forwarde as I truste ye will yet ye haue your maister and your captaine Iesus Christ the dere derlyng and onelye begotten and beloued sonne of God in whom was al the fathers pleasure ioye and delectation ye haue hym to go before you no fayrer way but much fouler into this our city of Ierusalē I nede not I trust to reherse what maner of way he found Beginne at his birth and till ye come to his buriall ye shall finde that euerye foote and stryde of his iourney was no better but muche worse then yours now is Wherfore my derely beloued in the Lord be not so deinty as to loke for that at gods handes your dere father whiche the fathers Patriarckes Prophets Apostles Euangelists Martyrs Saincts and his own sonne Iesus Christ did not fynde Hetherto we haue had fayre way I trow and fayre weather also nowe bicause we haue loitered by the waye and not made the speede we should haue done our louyng lord and swete father hath ouercast the weather and styrred vp stormes and tempestes that we mighte wyth more hast rūne out our race before night come and the dores be sparred The deuil standeth now at euery Inne dore in hys city and countrey of this worlde cryeng vnto vs to tarye and lodge in thys or that place till the stormes be ouerpast not that he would not haue vs wette to the skinne but that the tyme might ouerpasse vs to our vtter destruction Therfore beware of his entisemēts cast not your eyes on things that be present phi 3. how this man doth and how that man doth but caste your eies on the gleue ye runne at or els ye wil loose the game Ye know that he which rūneth at the gleue doth not looke on other that stande by and goe thys waye or that waye but altogether he looketh on the gleue and on them that runne wyth hym that those whiche bee behinde ouertake him not and that he maye ouertake them which be before euen so should we do leaue of lookyng on those which will not runne the race to heauens blisse by the pathe of persecution with vs and cast our eyes on the ende of our race and on them that goe before vs that we maye ouertake them and on them whiche come after vs that we may prouoke them to come the faster after He that shooteth will not cast his eies in his shooting on them that stād by or ryde by the wayes I trowe but rather on the marke he shooteth at for els he were like to wynne the wrōg way Euen so my derely beloued let your eies be set on the marke ye shoote at euen Christe Iesus who for the ioye he set before hym dyd ioyfully cary his crosse contēning the shame and therfore he now sitteth on the right hande of the throne of god Let vs followe hym for this did he that we shoulde not be faynt harted For we may be most assured Hebr. 12 Rom. 8 2. Tim. 3 Math. 12 that if we suffer with him we shall vndoubtedlye raigne with hym but if we denye hym surely he will denye vs for he that is ashamed of me sayeth Christ and of my gospel in this faithles generation I will bee ashamed of hym before the Aungels of God in heauen Oh how heauye a sentence is this to al such as know the Masse to be an abhominable idol ful of idolatry blasphemy sacrilege against god and his Christe as vndoubtedly it is and yet for feare of men for losse of lyfe or goodes yea some for aduantage and gayne wyl honest it with their presence dissemblyng both with God and man as their owne harte and conscience doth accuse them Better it were that such had neuer knowne the truthe then thus wittinglye and for the feare or fauour of man whose breath is in his nosethrelles Esay 2 2. Pet. 2 Heb. 6.10 to dissemble it or rather as in dede it is to deny it The ende of suche is like to bee worse then their beginning Suche had nede to take heede of the two terrible places to the Hebrewes in the vi and x. Chapters leaste by so doyng they fall therein Let them beware they play not wily beguile themselues as some doe I feare me which goe to Masse and because they worship not nor knele not nor knocke not as others doe but sit still in their pues therfore they thinke thei rather do good to others thē hurt But alas if these men would loke into their own consciences there should they se that they are very dissemblers and in seking to deceaue others for by this meanes the magistrates thynke them of their sorte they deceaue thēselues They thinke at the eleuation time al mens eies are set vpō thē to marke how they do They thynke others hearyng of such mē going to masse do see or enquyre of their behauiour there Oh if there were in those men that are so presente at the masse eyther loue to god or to theyr brethern thē would they for the one or both openly take gods parte and admonishe the people of their idolatry Math. 10 3. Reg. 8 Apoc. 3 they feare man more then him which hath power to cast both soule and body into hell fyre they halte on bothe knees they serue .ij. maisters God haue mercy vpon suche and open theyr eyes wyth hys eye salue that they may see that they whiche take not part with god are against God and that they which gather not wyth Chryste doe scatter abroade Oh that they woulde reade what Saincte Iohn sayeth wyll bee done to the fearefull Apoc. 21 Apo. 3. The counsell geuen to the churche of Laodicea is good coūsell for suche 2. Tim 1 Rom. 1 But to returne to you agayn derely beloued be no tye ashamed of gods gospel It is the power of god to saluatiō to al those that do beleue it Be therfore pertakers of the afflictions as God shall make you hable knowyng for certayne that he wyll neuer tempte you farther then he wyll make you able to beare 1. Cor. 10. phi 1. 1. pet 3. Math. 5 And thinke it no smal grace of god to suffer persecution for gods truth for the spiryte of god resteth vpon you and ye are happy as one day ye shall see Reade 2. Thess 1. and Hebr. 12. As the fyre hurteth not golde but maketh it fyner so shall ye bee more pure by suffering wyth Christ 1. Pet. 1. The flaile and wynde hurteth not the wheat but clenseth it from the chaste And ye dearely beloued are gods wheate feare not therfore the flayle feare not the fannyng wynde feare not the milstone feare not the ouen for all these make you more meete for the lordes owne toothe Sope though it be blacke soileth not the clothe but rather at the length maketh it more cleane so doth the blacke crosse helpe vs to more