Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	spirit_n	testimony_n	witness_v	1,787	5	10.0023	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05364	A consultation what faith and religion is best to be imbraced. Written in Latin by the R. Father Leonard Lessius, Professour in Diuinity, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English by W.I.	Lessius, Leonardus, 1554-1623.; Wright, William, 1563-1639.	1618 (1618)	STC 15517; ESTC S105037	99,482	276

same substance with his Father And in (f) Cont. Gentil refutat 10. another place Nomen dei c. The Name of God by excellency doth pertayne only to the Father and he is only properly the Creatour of heauen and earth Nay more the Sonne is subiect to the Father also according to his Diuinity Againe in the same place Impropriam duram c. That is an improper hard speach of the Nicene Creed God of God Light of Light And in his 2. Epistle to the Poloniam he affirmeth that Christ according also to his Diuine Nature is inferiour to the Father Behould then whither this nouelty is come at last These things being considered what wise man can euer be brought to belieue that these men were sent of God to reforme the Church For how should they repayre this ruined Church who so shamefully destroy their owne doctrine Who can be thought so simple and of so small wisdome and circumspection that he cannot auoyd so manifest contradictions in matters of so great moment Certainly whosoeuer is contrary to himselfe and what he now establisheth by and by destroyeth againe he without all doubt doth not speake from the spirit of God For if I build saith the Apostle the same things againe which I haue destroyed I make my selfe a preuaricatour ad Galat. 2. The spirit of God cannot be contrary to it selfe nor deny it selfe Wherunto is added that although they contradict themselues in many thinges and ouerthrowe their owne pleas yet notwithstanding they are so bold malepart that they dare affirme themselues to be certaine of their owne Doctrine and the same to be most true and the very Doctrine it selfe of Christ For so saith Luther Certus sum quòd c. Contra Regē Angliae I am certayne that I haue my Doctrine from heauē And I am most certaine that my Doctrine is not myne but of Christ and that my doctrine cannot be contrary to it selfe seing that it is the Doctrine of Christ And in another place he saith Se ita esse c. that hit Doctrine is so certaine that he will not haue it iudged of Contra Statum Ecclesiast or contradicted by any man no not of the Angels And that no man can be saued vnlesse he receyue and imbrace his doctrine In like manner Caluin was wont often to exclayme in his sermons that he was a Prophet and that be could not be deceyued vnlesse God had deceyued him c. as before in the 5. Reason we haue shewed By which it is manifest that these men did not only not speake out of the spirit of God when as they are so full of errors and contradictions but that they be impostors also deceyuers of the people For whosoeuer affirmeth his Doctrine wherin there be so many errors and contradictions to be of God is presumed not to deale sincerely but to speake against his conscience and to beguile the people seeing that it is euident that he that doth so can haue no in ward light frō God wherby to make him certaine of the verity of his doctrine or the testimony of God because God cannot witnesse or reueale Doctrines contrary or repugnant one to the other With what force then do they so bouldly affirme that their Doctrine is of God or the Doctrine of Christ therfore they do not deale vprightly in this affayre but would only deceyue the world Some perhaps may answere herunto and say that now and then they erred in the beginning when as they had not as yet fully the spirit of God but afterward they neither erred nor changed their opinions But this answere hath no colour of truth For whosoeuer haue byn sent immediatly from God to teach and instruct the people they had presently in the very beginning of their mission an infallible assistance and direction from God so as they could neuer erre the least iote in their Doctrine as it is manifest of the Prophets and Apostles Nay in that beginning they had most of all need of that direction because then euery thing is more narrowly sifted and looked into and their authority and mission is compared with other learned men and their Doctrine For if they had byn taken in any error or contradiction all their credit and authority had byn lost and they had worthily byn reiected as false impostors and deceyuers of the people And so if Caluin and Luther had byn sent from God to repayre and reedify the Church it had byn specially necessary that straight in their begining their Doctrine had byn solide and without all contradiction least they might haue byn reiected and contemned as deceyuers and that worthily Againe I demaund of them when and at what tyme did they at length receyue that fulnes or plenitude of spirit that they could not erre any longer How should this be manifest to the world that men might know when to belieue them and when not to wit not in the beginning but yet in the later end For if this were not knowne they might presume and that worthily that they would erre as wel after as they had done before And finally it is euident that in all their life they were variable changing correcting or contradicting themselues almost in euery booke and worke they set forth as before we haue shewed by that little we haue alleaged and may do much more out of the many places produced by Cochlaeus Coccius and others out of their owne words and wrytings For the further they went comonly the more bitter they were and what they spake but mildly in the beginning that they eyther exaggerated or changed it into some contradiction in the end The VII Reason Taken from the fraudes and deceipts which the Sectaries commonly vse THAT Religion is alwayes to be had in suspition whose Authors mantayners do vse guile deceyts and lyes to vphold and establish the same For that true Religion doth not need any such helps but false Religion which when she is destitute of true and solid reasons she must necessarily place all her hope in lyes But now the Authors and mantayners of Lutheranisme and Caluinisme do vse many fraud● and lyes wherwith to propagate their religion Ergo they are worthily to be suspected That they vse deceyts it is manifest Heretiks impose false doctrine vpon Catholiks First for that they do falsely charge the Catholikes with many absurdityes wherby they may more easily impugne and defame their Religion as for example that the Papistes do worship images wood stocks stones euen as Ethnicks do adore their Idoles so as whatsoeuer they find in Scripture that is against the worshipping of Idols that they bring in against the veneration of Images In which case they deale not sincerely For they know wel inongh or may know if they will that in the Catholike Church Images of Saintes were neuer adored as Gods or with any worship that is due vnto God alone as Idols are adored by

created are referred vnto God as the Author of all because he gaue them force and togeather concurreth with them as the vniuersall efficient cause euen so are all the meritts of iust men referred vnto Christ as Author of them all because he gaue them force and power therto and togeather concurreth with them as the vniuersall meritorious cause I omit many other things which might be brought to this purpose II. CONSIDERATION That Christian Religion excludeth liberty of sinning THAT Religion is also to be preferred as most gratefull to God which alloweth no liberty of sinning but by all meanes excludeth it For as the Religion which is of God ought to stir vp and incite mens mindes to the study of good workes and perfection of Christian life euen so ought it also to feare them from synning keep them in the feare of God and as much as in it lieth hinder all synnes and offences Such then is the Catholike Religion For many wayes doth she remoue al liberty of sinning First by the Sacrament of Pennance For that it greatly feareth very many from synning seing they know that all their synnes must be discouered one by one in Confession and Pennance done accordingly and if any thing be stoine or any losse or domage done the same must be restored and satisfaction made Moreouer in this Sacrament is required sorrow for their syns and purpose to amend their life wherunto is also conferred grace and aide to performe the same and last of all heerin are giuen wholsome admonitions to liue well and vprightly Wherby we see that this Sacrament doth greatly restrayneliberty of synning Secondly by the doctrine of Satisfaction Purgatory For it teacheth that after the syn and eternall payne is forgiuen in Confession there remayneth for the most part an obligation of some great temporall payne which vnlesse we redeeme in this life by the exercise of good workes to wit by prayer almes abstinence and the like we shall pay it in the next life with the cruel torments of Purgatory For that with God no euill shall remayne vnreuenged Thirdly for that it teacheth that one only mortall sinne vnlesse it be washed away in this life by Pennance is inough to euerlasting Damnation neyther shall faith any thing profit to the forgiuenes of synnes without true pennance Fourthly for that it many wayes striketh into man the feare of God proposing vnto him diuers of his iudgmēts when as he wil neuer haue him secure of his saluatiō but alwayes to watch pray to be sober to be alwayes intent to do good workes least at any time he be eyther ouercome by tentation or supplāted through the fraud of the Diuell or fall by some in consideration or els not prepared suddainly surprized with vnexpected death And hence it is that in good Catholikes who endeauour to liue according to their Religion we dayly see a wonderfull care and sollicitude in auoyding of synne if through humane frailty they shall at any tyme commit any offence they straight waies wash it away with Confession and amendment of their liues Now other Religions do performe no such thing at all but shaking of all feare of God open the wyde gate to all liberty of synne and licentiousnes First because they take away the Sacrament of Confession wherby men as we haue said are greatly hindred from synning Heretiks take away all feare of God and admit all liberty of synning For that they say it is an humane inuention a torment of mens Consciences and a meere superstition It is a wonderfull thing that any superstition or inuention of mens brayne should haue such force to the amendement of our life quietting of our Consciences This force also haue the Lutherans themselues being taught by experience sometymes witnessed For as Sotus relateth who was present that when the Emperour Charles the fifth was in Germany In 4. d. 18. q. 1. art 1. there was sent vnto him an embassage from the famous Citty of Norimberge by which the Senate demaunded that the Emperour by his Imperiall power would command auricular Confession to be practised for that they said they had found by experience that their Cōmonwelth after Cōfession had byn taken away to aboūd with diuers crimes against Iustice and other vertues which were vnknowne vnto them before This embassage saith Sotus caused great laughter For if by Diuine law men were not bound to reueale their secret synnes to any neyther could the Priest as they thought absolue them how could they be compelled therunto by any humane precept without fruites of remission of their synnes Secondly they do not only take away Confession Luth. art 6. Calu. l. ● Inst cap. 19. §. 17. Calu. l. 3. cap. 4. §. ●8 Luth. in assert art 5. 6. Luth. ep ad VValdenses de Euchar. Calu. l. 3. cap. 5. 6. Luth. supra in assert a. 5. Calu. supra d. l. 3. c. 4. 〈…〉 but also the vertue of pennance in that they deny Contrition or sorrow for synnes past to be necessary For as Luther saith Contrition maketh a greater synner and Caluin saith That S. Hierome who affirming pennance to be the second table after shipwracke it being impious doctrine cannot be excused Thirdly because they deny the necessity of satisfaction and say that that redoundeth to the iniury of the satisfaction of Christ as who should say if our satisfaction be of any value that of Christ is insufficient Fourthly because they deny Purgatory and all temporall punishment of soules after this life Fifthly because they deny any obligation of temporall paynes to remayre after the guilt of synne is remitted For that togeather there 〈…〉 paynes and punishments are forgiuen Sixtly because they teach that only faith is sufficient to the remission of all guilt and payne Luth. in assert art 2. Calu. l 3. cap. 11. §. 13. 14. Luth de libertate Christiana Calu. l. 3. cap. 4. §. 28. l. 2. cap. 8. §. 58. nor any thing els to be required Seauenthly because they teach that no sin shal be imputed vnto him that hath a liuely faith And for this reason Luther said that the Commandements did no more belong to vs then the cerimonies of the old law but that all obligation therof was taken away at once by Christ to wit because the violating therof is no lesse imputed to the faithfull then the violating of the cerimoniall law That al these things are thus taught by them is manifest by the places here cited in the margent and euery man that is but mean●ly conuersant in these Sectes doth know it to be true These things standing thus it is euident that al feare of God is vtterly taken away frō the hartes of men the raynes of liberty are loosed to all kind of syn Nay there is as much or rather more liberty giuen by these Religions as by Atheisme For if there be no syn imputed to a man that hath that forementioned speciall or liuely