Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	ordinance_n	power_n	resist_v	1,861	5	9.7674	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07190	The avthoritie of the Chvrch in making canons and constitutions concerning things indifferent and the obedience thereto required: with particular application to the present estate of the Church of England. Deliuered in a sermon preached in the Greene yard at Norwich the third Sunday after Trinitie. 1605. By Fran. Mason, Bacheler of Diuinitie, and sometime fellow of Merton College in Oxford. And now in sundrie points by him enlarged.	Mason, Francis, 1566?-1621.	1607 (1607)	STC 17595; ESTC S112385	61,269	101

so binde the conscience that the not obseruing of them be a sinne whereto it may bee answered that to speake properly God onely raigneth in the consciences of men and sinne is the transgression of the law that is of law Diuine Notwithstanding when Gods law is so intwined with mans law that mans law cannot be broken without the violation of Gods law then the breach of mans law is not without sinne Therefore if an Ecclesiasticall Canon be made of a matter lawfull in a lawfull maner to a lawfull end by lawfull authoritie according to the generall rules of Scripture containing in it nothing repugnant to Scripture nothing contrarie to faith or good maners then that law is approoued in the sight of the Almightie and seemeth to Caluin and other learned Diuines not meerely humane but in some sort Diuine And in the iudgement of Beza doth so farre binde the conscience that no man can wilfully transgresse it without sinne And although the things we speake of be indifferent yet being lawfully commanded the obseruation of them is not a thing indifferent but necessarie because the Lord hath saide Let euery soule be subiect to the higher power And though the omission of a ceremonie bee in it selfe a small matter yet to doe it with resistance of authoritie is no small matter for Whosoeuer resisteth power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receiue to themselues condemnation and therefore we must be subiect for conscience sake But heere peraduenture it will be demanded how this doth stand with Christian libertie for answer whereof may it please them to know that Christian libertie consisteth not in breaking of wholsome lawes God forbid that were fantasticall and Anabaptisticall But to touch it so farre as concernes our present purpose in these branches following First we are not tied to this or that paterne but being within our selues a Church not depending vpon any other our Church gouernors haue libertie to establish whatsoeuer being in it selfe indifferent shall to their wisedome seeme most expedient alwaies prouided that all things bee done honestly and in order Secondly this is our libertie that things indifferent being established we retaine them not as a part of diuine worship not as meritorious or satisfactorie not as necessarie to iustification or saluation but onely for discipline and orders sake Thirdly if there shal happen any contempt or irreuerence they may be altred and changed by lawfull authoritie which may likewise ordaine and publish such further ceremonies or rites as may bee most for the aduancement of Gods glory and therefore they are not established as perpetuall but so long as in the eie of publike iudgement they shal seeme conuenient profitable for the Church of Christ. But some peraduenture will replie and saie If things indifferent be such as God hath not commanded why then should the Church presume to impose them vpon vs and so abridge our libertie which God hath not abridged I answer that it is no presumption at all but the lawfull vse of lawfull authority For things are either commanded of the Lord or forbidden or left indifferent That which God hath certainely commanded man may not forbid that which God hath certainely forbidden man may not command or impose by any law For that in the iudgement of S. Austin deserueth not the name of a law which inioines things vnlawfull Againe if authoritie command the same thing which God commandeth or forbid that which he hath forbidden this is not the enacting of a new law but a dutifull declaration and due execution of Gods law But those things which God hath neither commanded nor forbidden he hath left to be disposed by the law of man In which case the Soueraigne may command his subiect and the Church her children and it is the dutie of the inferiour therein to be obedient He that denieth this taketh away the Sunne out of the world dissolueth vniuersally the fabricke of gouernment ouerthroweth families corporations Churches and kingdoms and wrappeth all things in the dismall darknesse of Anarchie and confusion And though this be in some sort the abridging of thy libertie yet it is for the common good and according to the rules of equitie and the Prince or Church in so commanding thee doth no further abridge thy libertie then God doth allow them to abridge it 10 Lastly when it is said vnto the Churches Let all things be done it is plaine that this dutie is laid vpon the Church to prouide that these things bee effectually done and consequently that God which gaue her this charge hath armed her with authoritie She may censure disobedient children God hath giuen to his Church in all ages not onely a rule for direction but a rodde of correction this is the iudgement of all learned men as appeeres by the practise of the whole Christian world And thus much of the explication and so I come to the application 11 Hitherto you haue seene the ballance of the Sanctuary Now it remaineth that the Canons and Constitutions of our own Church be weighed examined in this ballance Wherein although I acknowledge that lawes solemnly established doe rather require obedience then disputation yet because the lawes vnder which wee liue are such God be thanked as need not to shunne the light and forasmuch as many otherwise vertuous and well disposed mindes and some of them very learned and laborious in the Church of Christ while they haue trauelled in waightier matters haue mistaken somethings of lesser moment Therefore giue me leaue in the spirit of meeknesse to instruct them that are contrarie minded which I doe not to call the present lawes in question I haue no such meaning but to quiet and settle the vnresolued conscience that that we may all performe cheerefull obedience to God and the Prince And if any man thinke that this discourse were more seasonable in an assemblie of Ministers let them consider First that this famous auditorie is furnished with a great number of the Ministerie Secondly that this is the place of iurisdiction Thirdly that the handling of these points is very profitable for the people for the true knowledge of the authoritie of the Prince in things indifferent is the very foundation of Christian obedience And though I know that the handling of these points is very subiect to censure yet for my brethrens sake of the Ministrie my hart is turned within me and my bowels of compassion are rowled together and therefore I am resolued to wade through honour and dishonor good report and bad report for the workes sake which I couet to performe Now this application by Gods grace shall bee diuided into three generall parts First a declaration that in the Church of England the principall points for the time will not suffer mee to speake of all are established honestly and in order Secondly a confutation of certaine generall exceptions to the contrarie Thirdly an exhortation