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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09364	The first part of The cases of conscience Wherein specially, three maine questions concerning man, simply considered in himselfe, are propounded and resolued, according to the word of God. Taught and deliuered, by M. William Perkins in his Holy-day lectures, by himselfe revised before his death, and now published for the benefit of the Church.; Cases of conscience. Part 1	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1604 (1604)	STC 19668; ESTC S114413	95,900	200

to his dying day Our light afflictiō saith he which is but for a moment worketh vnto vs an excellent and eternal waight of glory And elswhere he professeth that he did not count the afflictions of this present time answerable in value to the glorie which shall be reuealed vnto Gods children Ro. 8. 18. Saint Peter tels them to whome he wrote that in regard of their assured hope of eternall life they should reioice though now for a season they were in heauinesse through manifold tentations 1. Pet. 1. 6. Lastly the author to the Hebrewes comforteth the Church by this reason because it is is yet a very little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarrie IV. Though God with-holdeth his hand in respect of deliuerance euen to death yet his loue is constant and vnchangeable and the crosse which we vndergoe cannot seperate vs from that loue wherewith he hath loued vs in Iesus Christ Rom. 8. 35. And thus much of the first particular distresse of minde The Second kind of afflictiō is bodily temporarie Death which consisteth in the seperation of the soule from the bodie And touching this affliction it is demanded How any seruant of God may be able to indure with comfort the pangs of death For the answer hereof two things are required a preparation to death and helpes in the time of death Concerning preparation there are three duties to be performed The first and most principall is commended vnto vs in the booke of Psalmes where Dauid praies vnto God Lord make me to know mine ende and the measure of my daies And Moses in like manner Lord teach me to number my daies that I may apply my heart vnto wisedome In which places is remembred a notably dutie of preparation to wit that a man should resolue himselfe of death continually and afore-hand number his daies And this is done by esteeming of euery day as the day of his death and accordingly doing alwaies that which he would doe if he were now to giue vp the ghost Secondly in way of preparation we must indeauour to disarme and weaken death who is as an armed man that hath his weapons whereby he seekes to destroy vs. And in this case we must deale with death as the Philistims dealt with Sampson They saw by experience that he was a mightie man and by his power and strength had giuen them many foyles and therefore they laboured to knowe in what part of his bodie his strength did lie And after inquirie finding it to be in the haire of his head they neuer rested till they had spoiled him thereof And questionlesse the time wil come when we all must encounter with this strong and powerfull Sampson Death In the meane while it is a point of wisdome to inquire wherein his power might consisteth When this search hath bin made we shall finde that his weapons are our manifold sinnes and corruptions both of heart and life For as Paul saith The sting of death is sinne Therefore that we may spoile him of this his furniture we must exercise our selues in the practise of two duties First vse all meanes for the cutting off of the locke of our sinnes whereby alone Satan hath the vantage of vs and these meanes are the duties of inuocation and true repentance We must therefore be instant in praier for the pardon of our sinnes past and present and in this point giue the Lord no rest vntill we haue obtained in our consciences the sweete certificate of his fauour and mercie in Christ whereby our minds may be staied and comforted This done it stands vs in hand to turne vnto God to be carefull to leaue sinne to entertaine in our hearts a resolued purpose and intention of newe obedience and conformitie to the will and commandement of God in all things And this is the onely way in the world to bereaue this our enemie of his armour to pull the sting out of the mouth of this serpent and consequētly euen in death to preuaile against him Thirdly in way of preparation our dutie is euen afore-hand while we liue in this world to indeauour to haue some true taste of life euerlasting and the ioyes of heauen The due consideration whereof will be of great vse For it will stirre vp in our hearts a desire and loue of perfect happinesse in heauen yea a feruent expectation of Christs comming to iudgement and it will further cause vs to say with Simeon Lord now let thy seruant depart in peace and with the Apostle I desire to be dissolued and be with Christ. Touching this spirituall ioy and comfort in the holy Ghost these Questions of Conscience are mooued First how may we in this life haue and nourish in our hearts a true tast of eternall happinesse and of the ioyes of the world to come Ans. First by a serious consideration of the euills that doe hinder or preiudice our happines and they are principally foure One is the Miserie of our liues in respect of sinne and the consequen●s thereof For there is no man in the world be he neuer so righteous that can truly say of himselfe I am cleane from my sinne Prou. 20. 9. Yea euen the regenerate that haue receiued grace to beleeue to ●urne vnto God and to liue according to the Spirit doe finde by experience corruption and rebellion in their minds wills and affections which daily affordeth matter of sinning against God and on the other side hindreth and quencheth all the good motions of the Spirit that are in them Againe such is the irreconciliable malice of Satan that he taketh vantage of mans corruption and neglecteth no time or opportunitie to intrappe the children of God in the snares of his temptations And hence it is that man by reason of his owne corruption and the wicked suggestions of the Deuill is at continuall strife with himselfe hath daily occasion of sorrow worketh out his saluation with feare and trembling wading as it were euen while he liueth in a sea of many miseries The second euill is the Vanitie of all things that are in the world For whether we consider the world it selfe or the things therein contained done or suffered there is nothing so sure and steadie whereunto man hauing attained can possibly rest fully satisfied and contented or which in the ende will not prooue to be most vaine vanitie And the truth hereof appeareth in the experience of Salomon himselfe who beeing king ouer Israel wanted neither authoritie nor abilitie opportunitie to take knowledge and triall of all worldly things in all estates and conditions And hauing euen of set purpose carefully and earnestly searched into them all at length he concludes that the issue of all was vnprofitable vanitie and vexation of minde as we may read in his Ecclesiastes The third euill is the Changeable condition of our life in this world whereby it comes to passe that we are alway in a fleeting and

doing of that which is vnlawfull to be done and that this is equall in all men that sinne and therfore by consequent offences are equall I answer that in euery sinne men must not consider the vnlawfulnesse thereof onely but the reason why it should be vnlawfull and that is properly because it a breach of Gods law and repugnant to his will reuealed in his word Nowe there is no breach of a diuine Law but it is more or lesse repugnant vnto the will of the Lawgiuer God himselfe And many transgressions are more repugnant thereunto then fewer for the more sin is increased the more is the wrath of God inflamed against the sinner vpon his due desert If it be said again that the nature of Sinne stands onely in this that the sinner makes an aberration from the scope or marke that is set before him and doth no more then passe the bondes of duty prescribed by God and that all are alike in this respect The answer is that it is a falshood to affirme that he which makes the lesse aberration from the dutie commanded is equall in offence to him that makes the greater For the same sinne for substance hath sundrie steppes and degrees in respect whereof one man becommeth a more heinous offender then another for example in the seauenth commandement when God forbiddes the committing of Adulterie he forbiddeth three degrees of the same sinne to wit adulterie of the heart consisting of inordinate and vncleane affections adulterie of the tongue in corrupt dishonest and vnseemely speeches and the very act of vncleannesse and filthinesse committed by the bodie Nowe it cannot be said that he which breakes this commandement onely in the first degree is as great a transgressour as he that hath proceeded to the second and so to the third And therefore it remaines for an vndoubred trueth that Sinnes committed against the Law of God are not equall but some lesser some greater The second way to aggrauate sinne is by addition of sinne to sinne and that is done sundry waies first by committing one sinne in the necke of another as Dauid sinned when he added murther to adulterie Secondly by doubling and multiplying of sinne that is by falling often into the same sinne Thirdly by lying in sinne without repentance And here it must be remembred that men of yeares liuing in the Church are not simply condemned for their particular sinnes but for their continuance and residence in them Sinnes committed make men worthie of damnation but liuing and abiding in them without repentance is the thing that brings damnation For as in the militant Church men are excommunicate not so much for their offence as for their obstinacie so shall it be in the Church triumphant the kingdome of heauen shall be barred against men not so much for their sinne committed as for their lying therein without repentance And this is the manner of Gods dealing with those that haue liued within the precincts of the Church they shall be condemned for the very want of true faith and repentance This should admonish euery one of vs to take heed least we lie in any sin● and that beeing any way ouertaken we should speedily repent least we aggrauate our sinne by continuance therein and so bring vpon our selues swift damnation Thirdly the same sinne is made greater or lesser 4. waies according to the number of degrees in the committing of a sinne noted by S. Iames Temptation Conception Birth and Perfection Actuall sinne in the first degree of tentation is when the minde vpon some sudden motion is drawne away to thinke euill and withall is tick led with some delight therein For a bad motiō cast into the minde by the flesh and the deuill is like vnto the baite cast into the water that allureth and delighteth the fish and causeth it to bite Sinne in conception is when with the delight of the minde there goes consent of will to doe the euill thought on Sinne in birth is when it comes forth into action or execution Sinne in perfection when men are growne to a custome and habit in sinne vpon long practise For the often committing of one and the same sinne leaues an euill impression in the heart that is a strong or violent inclination to that or any other euill as hath bin taught before And sinne thus made perfect brings forth death for custome in sinning brings hardnes of heart hardnes of heart impenitencie and impenitencie cōdemnation Now of these degrees the first is the least and the last is the greatest One and the same sinne is lesser in tentation then in conception and les●e in conception then in birth and greater in perfection then in all the former Sundry other Distinctions there are of sinnes as namely That the maine sinnes of the first Table are greater then the maine sinnes of the second Table And yet the maine sinnes of the second are greater then the breach of ceremoniall duties against the first table But this which hath beene said shall suffice The vse of this doctrine is manifold First by it we learne what the heart of man is by nature namely a corrupt and vncleane fountaine out of which issueth in the course of this life the streams of corruptions infinite in number noysome in qualities hainous in degrees dāgerous in effects For from thence doe flow all the differences of sins before named with their seuerall branches and infinit many more that cannot be rehearsed This must mooue vs humbly to sue vnto God earnestly to intreat him to wash vs throughly from our wickednes clense vs frō our sins yea to purge and to rinse the fountaine thereof our vncleane and polluted hearts And when by Gods mercy in Christ apprehēded by faith our hearts shal be purified then to set watch ward ouer them and to keep them with all diligence Secondly it teacheth vs that miserable mortall man is not guiltie of one or more sins but of many sundrie corruptions both of heart and life Who can vnderstād his faults saith Dauid Now the alowāce of sin being death by gods ordināce God being iustice it selfe answerably to the number of our offences must we needs be lyable to many punishments yea to death it selfe both of the bodie and of the soule This beeing our wofull estate litle cause is there that any man should thinke himselfe to be in good case or presume of Gods mercie in regard of the small number of his sinnes And much lesse cause hath he falsely to imagine with the Popish sort that he can merit the fauour of God by any worke done by him aboue that which the Law requireth considering that it is impossible for him to knowe either the number or the nature or the measure of his sinnes Lastly the consideration of this point must be a barre to keepe vs in that we be not too secure or presumptuous of our owne estate for as much as we learne out of

of which when they awake they shall be admitted and receiued into the presence of God in heauen Secondly we are to consider that there be three degrees of eternall life The first where of is in this world before we die and it is then when we beginne to repent and beleeue in Christ and to be assured in conscience that God the father is our father Christ our redeemer and the holy Ghost our comforter For this is eternall life to know God and him whome he hath sent Iesus Christ. The next degree is in death for death cuts off all sinne originall and actuall death frees vs from all worldly miseries death prepareth the bodie that it may be fit to enter into eternall happinesse together with the soule which is alreadie in heauen The last degree is when bodie and soule reunited goe both together into eternall and euerla●●ing glorie in heauen Our third meditation is that there is a mysticall vnion and coniunction betweene Christ euery beleeuer and that not onley in regard of soule but of bodie also which beeing once knit shall neuer be dissolued but is eternall Wherevpon the dying dead rotten and consumed bodie remaineth still a member of Christ abideth within the couenant and is and shall be euer a temple of the holy Ghost Thus Adam and Abraham which are dead so many thousand yeares agoe yea euery true beleeuer from them to the end of the world shall rise at the last day in body to glorie by the power of their coniunction with Christ. In the winter season we see the most trees voide of leaues buddes and blossomes so as they seeme to vs to be dead and yet neuerthelesse there is a sappe in the roote of them which in the Spring wil ascend reuiue the decaied branches Euen so it is with our bodies which though they be corrupted rotten burnt or eaten with wormes or deuoured by wild beasts so as they may seeme to be vtterly perished yet there is as it were a secret and hidden sap in them by reason of their vnion with Christ by which they shall be raised reuiued quickened beeing made like vnto the glorious bodie of Christ their head with whome they shall raigne and liue for euermore Helpes in practise are two First he that will beare with comfort the pangs of death must labour that he may die in Christ and that is by faith laying hold of the promise of God touching forgiuenesse of sinnes and life euerlasting by Christ. All these saith the holy Ghost died in faith namely Abel Enoch Noe Abraham and Sarah all laying hold of the promise of life by Christ. When Iacob on his death-bed was blessing of his children he brake forth into this heauenly speach O Lord I haue waited for thy saluation In which words it is plaine that his faith rested on the mercy of God by hope he waited for his saluatiō And our Sauiour Christ saith As Moses lift vp the serpent in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man be lift vp that whosoeuer beleeueth in him might not perish but haue life euerlasting Out of which words the forenamed dutie may be learned that looke as the children of Israel beeing stung with fierie serpents and that vnto death were healed by looking vp to the brasen serpent erected by Moses so when we are stung with sinne and death we must euer remember by faith to looke vpon Christ. But specially when we are dying then it is our part to fixe the eies of our soules by faith vpon him and thereby shall we escape death and be made partakers of eternall life and happinesse Notable is the example of Christ who as he was man alwaies fixed his trust and confidence in his fathers word especially at his end For when he was dying and the pangs of death seazed vpon him he cries vnto the Lord My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and againe Father into thy hands I commend my spirit which words are ful of faith and doe bewray what great affiance he placed in his fathers loue c. When Dauid in an extremitie saw nothing before his eies but present death the people intending to stone him at the very instant as the text saith he comforted himselfe in the Lord his God but how by calling to minde the mercifull promises that God had made vnto him and by applying them vnto his heart by faith And Paul saith of himselfe and the rest of the faithfull that they receiued the sentence of death in themselues that they might not trust in themselues but in God From these examples it followes that they which desire with comfort to beare the pangs of death must die by faith that is they must set before their eies the promise of remission of sinnes and life euerlasting and depend vpon it wrapping as it were and infolding themselues in it as in a close and warme garment that will keepe them safe and sure against the winde and weather of temptation The second Practise in time of death is to die in obedience which is nothing else but willingly readily and ioyfully without murmuring to submit ourselues to Gods will in bearing the paines of death A most worthie president of this obedience we haue in our Sauiour Christ when he said vnto his father Not my will but thy will be done thereby submitting his will to his Fathers will touching the death which he then suffered And this his example at the time of his departure must be a rule of direction vnto vs vpon the like occasion True it is that obedience to God in death is against corrupt nature and therefore our dutie is the more to invre our selues to the performing of it and that which the blessed Apostle said of himselfe I die daily ought to be continually our resolution and practise If we shall inquire howe this may be done the answer is when God layeth afflictions vpon vs in our life time then by indeauouring to beare them with patience meeknes and lowlinesse For euery affliction is as it were a petty death and if we doe in it subiect our selues to the hand of God we shal the better obey him in the great death of all and thus doing whensoeuer God striketh vs with death we shall with comfort endure the same The Third particular Affliction is Satanicall molestation whereby both persons places of mansiō or abode are either possessed or otherwise molested by the malice of the Deuill Touching this affliction the Question of cōscience is How such persons as are possessed or feare possession or else indure molestations by the Deuill in their houses may haue their minds quieted and staied and consequently in that case be remedied And here 2. things are generally to be considered in way of answer First it is to be remembred that possession is known by two signes The one is when the deuill is euidētly present either in the whole body or in sōe part of it

word when we know meditate vpon the commandements and promises of God This rule is of speciall vse For therfore doe men hatch breed euill thoughts in their hearts because they are not takē vp with holy meditations hence it is that the heart of man is made euen a pray vnto the deuill because the word of God is not lodged therein Excellēt was the practise of Dauid in this case who kept the word of God in his heart that he mighe not sinne against him The second rule of the keeping of the heart is to establish our thoughts by counsell It is the wisemans aduise in so many words Prou. 20. 18. wherin he would teach vs that it is the property of a worldly wise man in matters of waight not to trust to his own wit but to follow the direction and counsel of wise and skilful men And if this be a sound course in matters of the world much more ought it to be taken in the maine matters of religion and conscience concerning the heart and soule of man And therfore by the law of proportiō it giues vs direction not once to thinke or conceiue so much as a thought but vpon aduice and direction taken at God and his word Thy testimonies saith Dauid are my delight and my counsellers And what benefit had he by taking such a course surely by the word of God which was his continuall meditation he gat vnderstāding he became wiser thē the ancient it made him to hate al the waies of falshood it kept him from declining from God either to the right hand or to the left The same rule must be practized of vs in the vse of our senses our speeches and actions and then shall the heart be kept cleane and free from these temptations And seeing this temptation is so dangerous fearefull as hath beene said and doeth ost●● befall men our dutie is to make conscience of practising the foresaid rules continually And thus much concerning the third kinde of distresse of conscience The Fourth Distresse of mind is that which ariseth from a mans owne sinnes or rather from some one special sinne committed And this kind of tentation is twofold For either it is more violent and lesse common or lesse violent and more common The violent Distresse of minde shewes it selfe by feares and terrors of the conscience by doubtings of the mercie of God by lamentable and fearefull complaints made to others Nowe Question is mooued Howe this violent distresse of minde arising from our owne sinnes is to be cured Answ. That it may be cured by the blessing of God three things must be done First that particular sinne must be knowne which is the cause of this violent distresse And here we are to know by the way that it is an vsuall thing with the parties thus distressed to dissemble and cloake their sinnes and therefore they will alleadge that their trouble ariseth frō some euill thoughts from wicked affections and from the corruption of nature whereas commonly men are not distressed in violent manner for euill thoughts affections c but the violent distresse commeth from some actuall and odious sinne or sins done which wound the conscience and are the causes of great distraction of minde and they are many which hauing bin vpon occasion before rehearsed I will not now repeat them Onely this must be remembred that the greater sinnes against the third sixt and seauenth commandements are the maine and proper causes of violent distresses and the more secret these sinnes are the more horrour goeth with them Secondly the particular sinne being known Inquiry must be made as much as possibly may be by signes whether the partie distressed repenteth yea or no. For except he hath repented he cannot be fitted to receiue comfort and vnlesse he be first fitted to receiue comfort he cannot be releiued in Conscience Now if it be found that the partie hath repented then care must be had in the next place that his repentance may be renued for the particular sinne committed Thirdly hauing thus done the comfort must be ministred for the moderating or taking away of the distresse And here remember by the way that the comforts ministred vsually ordinarily must not go alone but be mingled tēpered with some terrors of the Law that being thereby feared with the consideration of sinne and of the wrath of God due vnto the same the comfort may appeare to be the sweeter The ministring whereof in case of this distresse would not be direct and present but by certaine steppes and degrees except onely in the point of death for then a directer course must be vsed These degrees are two First the partie is to be informed of a possibilitie of pardon that is that his sinnes are pardonable and though in themselues they be great and hainous yet by the mercie of God in Christ they may be remitted Nowe put the case that the afflicted apprenhendeth onely the odiousnesse of his sinnes and the wrath of god due to the same and in this fit puts off the pardon from himselfe and cannot be perswaded that his sinne may be forgiuen what then is to be done Ans. Then for the effecting of this first degree certaine grounds are to be laid downe whereupon assurance in that case may be built vp in his heart The first groūd of possibilitie of pardō is That the mercy of god is infinite yea ouer al his works Psal. 145. 9. That the death of Christis of infinite price merit and value before God That God is muchin sparing Isa. 55. 7. That with the Lord is mercie and with him is plenteous redemption Psal. 130. 7. That Christs satisfaction is not only a price but a coūterprice 1. Tim. 2. 6. able to satisfie for the sinnes of all men yea for them that haue sinned against the Holy Ghost for that sinne is not therefore vnpardonable because the offence thereof is greater then the merit of Christ but because the partie offending neither doth nor can apply the merit of Christ vnto himselfe An ancient father vpon Cains words My punishment is greater then I can beare saith Thou liest Cain for Gods mercie is greater then thy sinnes The mercie of God was very great to Manasses and to Salomon and to many others though they were great offenders The second ground Men of yeares liuing in the Church of God and knowing the doctrine of saluation shall not be condemned simply for their sinnes but for lying in their sinnes Vpon this ground I say that men distressed must be grieued not so much for committing of sinne as for lying and continuing in sinnes committed A third ground It pleaseth God many times to leaue men to themselues and to suffer them to commit some sinne that woundeth consceence It is true and cannot be denied But we must withall remember that sinnes committed doe not vtterly take away grace but rather make it the more to shine and shew it selfe