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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	work_n	world_n	worldly_a	90	3	7.7937	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09365	The whole treatise of the cases of conscience distinguished into three bookes: the first whereof is revised and corrected in sundrie places, and the other two annexed. Taught and deliuered by M. W. Perkins in his holy-day lectures, carefully examined by his owne briefes, and now published together for the common good, by T. Pickering Bachelour of Diuinitie. Whereunto is adioyned a twofold table: one of the heads and number of the questions propounded and resolued; another of the principall texts of Scripture vvhich are either explaned, or vindicated from corrupt interpretation.; Cases of conscience	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1606 (1606)	STC 19669; ESTC S114066	314,224	686

of man is too good for them For if those be holden as Traytors to an earthly Prince and are most deseruedly adiudged to death that reuile his person and denie his lawfull authoritie then they that call into question the Godhead are much more worthie to be esteemed traytors to God and consequently to beare the iust punishment of their rebellion death it selfe For this cause I doe not meane to dispute the question whether there be a God or no and thereby minister occasion of doubting and deliberation in that which is the onely maine Ground and pillar of Christian religion But rather my purpose is in shewing that there is a God to remooue or at least to help an inward corruption of the soule that is great and dangerous whereby the heart and conscience by nature denieth God and his prouidence The wound in the bodie that plucks out the heart is the most dangerous wound that can be and that opinion that takes away the Godhead doth in effect rend and plucke out the very heart of the soule This Caueat premised I come now to the point in hand to shew that there is a God And for our better knowledge and assurance of this truth we are to remember thus much that God hath giuen vnto man a threefold light the one of nature the other of grace and the third of glorie And by these as by so many degrees of knowledge the minde beeing inlightened by God receiueth direction in the truth of the Godhead both for this present life and for that which is to come 〈◊〉 If it be demaunded in what order God hath reveiled this light vnto man I answer that the light of nature serues to giue a beginning and preparation to this knowledge the light of grace ministers the ground and giues further proofe and euidence and the light of glory yeelds perfectiō of assurance making that perfectly and fully knowne which by the former degrees was but weakly and imperfectly comprehended Of these three in order Sect. 1. The light of nature is that light which the view and consideration of the creatures both in generall and particular affordeth vnto man From the light of nature there are fiue distinct arguments to prooue that there is a God the consideration whereof will not be vnprofitable even to him that is best setled in this point I. The first is taken from the creation and frame of the great body of the world and the things therein contained Rom. 1. 20. The inuisible things of him that is his eternall power and Godhead are knowne by the Creation of the world beeing considered in his workes And out of this excellent frame of the world the truth of the Godhead may be sundry waies prooued and maintained First I would aske this question This goodly frame of the world had it a beginning or no beginning Let either part or both be taken Let it first be said it had no beginning but is eternall as the Atheist holdeth Then I reason thus If it had no beginning the world it selfe is God and all the creatures that are therein from the greatest and highest to the least and basest yea euery droppe of water in the sea and euery corne of sand by the sea shore are Gods The reason is because according to this opinion they haue their being of themselues without beginning and that which is a substance of it selfe hath no beginning is very God Againe if the world had no beginning then it hath also no ending For that which is without beginning is without ending Now all things in the world are lyable to corruption and consequently are subiect to an ende For whatsoeuer is corruptible the same is finite therfore the world had a beginning Now if it had a beginning then I demand how it was made did it make it selfe or was it made of nothing If it be affirmed that it made it selfe then the world was before it was If it be said it came from nothing that also cannot be For nothing brings forth nothing and that which is nothing in it selfe cannot bring forth something therefore it is absurd in reason to say that nothing brought forth this world And hereupon it must needes remaine for a truth that there was some substance eternall and Almightie that framed this goodly Creature the World besides it selfe If a man comes into a large forrest and beholds therein goodly faire buildings and sundrie kinds of hearbs and trees and birds and beasts and no man he will presently reason thus with himselfe these buildings are the workemanship of some man they were not from all eternity they did not reare themselues neither did the hearbs the trees the birds or the beasts build them but of necessitie they must haue some first ●ounder which is man In like manner when we consider this world so goodly a creature to behold though we see not the maker thereof yet we cannot say that either it made it selfe or that the things therein contained made it but that the Creator of it was some vncreated substance most wise most cunning and euerlasting and that is God Secondly from this frame of the world and the consideration therof I reason thus In the world there are foure sorts and kindes of creatures The first bare and naked substances that haue neither life sense nor reason in them as the sunne the moone the starres The second that haue substance and life but no sense nor reason as plants trees and hearbs The third that haue no reason but both substance life sense and power to mooue themselues as the beasts of the land and fishes of the sea The fourth are such as haue all namely substance life sense and reason as men Now these foure sorts of creatures excell one another in properties and degrees For the first of them which are meere substances doe serue those that haue life as the trees and the plants The trees the plantes serue the creatures that haue sense life as the beastes and the fishes The beastes and the fishes serue man that hath substance life sense and reason And amongst them all we see that those which haue more gifts are serued of those which haue lesse as the sunne and moone serue the plantes the plantes and hearbes serue the beasts and the beasts serue man and that creature that hath most giftes is serued of all Man therefore excelling all these must haue something to honour and serue which must be more excellent then the other creatures yea then himselfe and that is a substance vncreate most holy most wise eternall infinite and this is God Thirdly all particular creatures whether in heauen or in earth are referred to their certaine particular and peculiar endes wherein euery one of them euen the basest and meanest is imployed and which they doe all accomplish in their kind And this is a plaine proofe that there is one that excelleth in wisedome prouidence and power that created all these to such

presumptuous offence in which true religion is renounced and that of set purpose and resolued malice against the very Maiestie of God himselfe and Christ. Heb. 10. 29. Sect. 4. Now follow other Differences of sinne in regard of the obiect thereof which is the Law In respect of of the Law sin is two fold either of Commissiō or of Omission I say in respect of the Law because God hath reuealed in his Law two sorts of precepts the one wherein some good thing is commanded to be done as to loue God with all our hearts and our neighbour as our selues the other wherin some euill is forbidden to be done as the making of a grauen Image the taking the name of God in vaine c. Now a sinne of Cōmission is when a man doth any thing that is flatly forbidden in the Law and word of God as when one man kills another contrarie to the Law which saith Thou shalt not kill A sinne of Omission is when a man leaueth vnperformed some dutie which the Law requireth as for example the preseruing of his neighbours life or good estate when it lieth in his power so to doe These also are truly sinnes and by them as well as by the other men shall be tried in the last iudgement Sinnes of Omission haue three degrees First when a man doth nothing at all but omits the dutie commanded both in whole and in part as when hauing opportunitie abilitie he doth not mooue so much as one finger for the sauing of his neighbours life Secondly when a man performes the dutie inioyned but failes both in the manner measure therof Thus the Heathen failed in doing good workes in that the things which they did for substance and matter were good and commendable beeing done vpon ciuill and honest respects and referred to the cōmon good yet in truth their actions were no better then sinnes of omission in as much as they issued from corrupted fountaines hearts voide of faith and aimed not at the maine end and scope of all humane actions the honour and glorie of God Thirdly when a man doth things in a right manner but faileth in the measure thereof And thus the children of God doe sinne in al the duties of the lawe For they doe the good things the law commādeth in louing God their neighbour but they cannot attaine to that measure of loue which the lawe requireth And thus the best men liuing doe sinne in euery good worke they doe so as if God should enter into iudgement deale with thē in the rigour of his iustice examine them by the strict rule of the Lawe he might iustly condemne them euen for their best actions And in this regard when we pray daily for the pardon of our sinnes the best workes we doe must come in the number of them because we faile if not in substance manner yet at the least in the measure of goodnesse that ought to bee in the doing of them We must also haue care to repent vs euen of these our sins of Omission as well as of the other of Commission because by leauing vndone our dutie we doe oftner offend then by sinnes committed and the least Omission is enough to condemne vs if it should be exacted at our hands Sect. 5. The next difference of Sinnes may be this Some are Crying sinnes some are sinnes of Toleration Crying sinnes I call those which are so hainous in their kind so grieuous that they hasten Gods iudgements and cal downe for speedie vengeance vpon the sinner Of this kind there are sundry examples in the Scriptures principally foure First Cains sinne in murthering his innocent brother Abell whereof it was saide The voice of thy brothers blood crieth vnto me from the earth The next is the sinne of Sodome and Gomorrha which was pride fulnes of bread abundance of idlenesse vnmerciful dealing with the poore and all manner of vncleannesse Ezech. 16. of this The Lord said that the crie of Sodome and Gomorrha wa● great and their sinnes exceeding grieuous The third is the sinne of Oppression indured by the Israelites in Egypt at the hand of Pharao and his task-masters The fourth is mercilesse Iniustice in wrongfull withholding and detaining the labourers hire Now they are called Crying sinnes for these causes First because they are now come to their full measure and height beyond which God will not suffer them to passe without due punishment Againe the Lord takes more notice and inquires further into them then into others by reason that they exceede and are most eminent where they be committed Thirdly they call for present helpe to the afflicted and wronged and consequently for speedie exequution of vengeance vpon the authors and committers of them And lastly because God is wont to giue ●are vnto the cryes of those that endure so heauie measure at the hands of others and accordingly to helpe them and reward the other with deserued punishment Next vnto these are sinnes of Toleration lesser then the former which though in thēselues they deserue death yet God in his mercie shewes his patience long sufferāce vpon the committers thereof either deferring the temporal punishment or pardoning both temporall and eternall to his Elect. Such a sinne was the ignorance of the Gentiles before Christs comming which God deferred to punish and as we say winked at it More especially there be three sorts of sinnes of Toleratiō the first is Originall sin or concupiscence in the regenerate after regeneration and the fruits thereof for it is not quite abolished by regeneration but remaines more or lesse molesting tempting a man till death And yet if we carrie a constant purpose not to sinne and indeauour our selues to resist all tentations this concupiscence of ours shall not be imputed vnto vs nor we condemned for it And to this purpose the holy Apostle saith There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ. Yet saith he not There is nothing worthie condemnation in them for Originall sinne remaines till death truly deseruing damnation though it be not imputed The second kind of sinnes of Toleration are secret vnknowne and hidden sinnes in the regenerate For who can tell how of● he offendeth saith Dauid When a man that is the child of God shall examine his heart and humble himselfe euen for all his particular sinnes which he knoweth by himselfe there shall yet remaine some vnknowne sinnes of which he cannot haue a particular repentance and yet they are not imputed when there is repētance for knowne sinnes As for example Dauid repents of his murther adulterie and yet afterwards erring in iudgement by reason of the corruption of the times he liued to his death in the sinne of polygamie without any particular repentance that we heare of In like manner did the Patriarkes who may not altogether be excused yet they were not cōdemned therof neither were they saued without repentance for

be dissolued and be with Christ. Touching this spirituall ioy and comfort in the holy Ghost these Questions of Conscience are mooued I. 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 consequents 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 Prov. 20. 9. Yea ●uen the regenerate that haue receiued grace to beleeue to turne vnto God and to liue according to the Spirit doe finde by experience corruption rebellion in their minds wills and affections which daily affordeth matter of sinning against God and on the otherside hindreth and quencheth all the good motions of the Spirit that are in them Againe such is the irreconciliable malice of Satan that he takes vantage of mans corruption and neglectes no time or opportunitie to intrappeth● 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 and 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 o● 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 transitorie state For we are as Saint Peter speaketh but strangers and Pilgrimes that wander to and fro in the earth as in a strange countrey and still are making forward to our owne home We haue here no abiding citie The houses wherein we dwell are but Innes in which we sojourne for a time yea the bodies which we haue are but ●ents and ●abernacles alway readie to be shifted and our selues to be translated into another place Fourthly by remembring that Christ our Head beeing now in heauen and we his members vpon the earth during our life we are in presence separated from our Head and consequently from that happie and glorious fellowship which we shall inioy with him and all the Saints our fellow-members in the kingdome of heauen This S. Paul noteth when he saith Whilst we are at home in the bodie we are absent from the Lord and thereupon himselfe desired to be dissolued and to be with Christ. Hauing thus entred into the due consideration of the aforesaid euills we must in the second place exercise our selues in the frequent meditation of the blessed estate of Gods chosen in the kingdome of glorie who beeing translated out of this life into the bosome of Abraham are fully and perfectly freed from sinne from Satan from vanitie and miserie haue all teares wiped from their eyes doe behold the face of God are made like vnto Christ in holines and honour and doe with him inherit the kingdome prepared for them from the foundations of the world In the third place hauing throughly considered of these things we must Compare the estate of this present life in the respects before-●amed with the estate of that which is to come in the kingdome of heauen and laying them in a paralell together we shall sinde the one infinitely farre to excell the other in regard of true ioy and comfort And this will make vs though liuing in the world yet to vse it as if we vsed it not to haue our conversation in heauen to thinke with Paul that to be loosed and be with Christ is best of all for vs to haue a true and liuely tast of the ioyes of the world to come and accordingly with Abraham Isaac and Iacob to looke for a citie that hath foundations whose builder and maker is God II. Secondly it is demanded how a man may truly discerne whether this ioy of the Spirit be in him yea or no For answer hereunto it is to be remembred that there are sundrie properties wherby it differeth from carnall ioy And these are principally fiue First this ioy is brought forth as it were of sorrow for sinne and for the want of Christ. Ye shal sorrow saith our Sauiour Christ to his Disciples meaning for his departure but your sorrow shall be turned into ioy These words are not onely meant of his Disciples but of all beleeuers who vpon consideration of their sinnes and the spirituall want of Christ Iesus doe mourn and lament For not onely they but all true beleeuers are there opposed vnto the World Againe blessed are they that mourne that is being touched with causes of exceeding griefe doe withall mourn for their sinnes for they shal be comforted On the other side carnal ioy as it hath his beginning from the flesh ariseth of things pleasing thereunto so it ends in sorrow and heauinesse In the end reioycing is turned into mourning saith Solomon And Woe ●e to you that now laugh for ye shall weepe Secondly the ioy of the Spirit is a fruit of righteousnes that is it issueth and floweth from Christ knowne and beleeued to be made vnto vs of God wisdome righteousnes sanctification and full redemption For from hence followes peace of conscience and from peace comes ioy in the Holy Ghost Contrariwise the ioy of the flesh ariseth only from the sudden feeling of some worldly delight and therfore cannot bring any sound peace vnto the conscience of the man possessed of it Thirdly spirituall ioy is founded in the holy vse of the Word Sacraments and Praier and in the practise of Christian duties of mercie ●oue iustice c. The other is not so For the world conceiueth a ioy besides the word o●● of the exercises of inuocation and repentance which stands in the practise of crueltie malice oppression iniustice and all manner of impietie And hence it is that hauing spēt their daies in such matter of reioycing at length in a momēt they go down to hell Fourthly heauenly ioy is so fixed

indeauour in the course of our liues afterward to performe obediēce to God in all his commandements that thereby we may shew our selues thankefull to him for his mercie and profit in our obedience For proofe hereof First consider the examples of this practise in Gods children All that Dauid that worthie seruant of God could doe after his sinnes committed to bring himselfe againe into the fauour of God whome he had offended consisted of these very heads which haue beene named Repentance Confidence and Affiance in Gods mercie and Performance of new obedience And this his practise was verified amongst many other places specially in the 119. Psalme in all the Psalmes commonly called penitentiall Againe the Prophet Daniel was accepted of God onely for the doing of these things Dan. 9. And in like manner was Paul and the rest of the Apostles Rom. 7. 1. Tim. 1. 12. Againe for further proofe let it be considered what it is that makes a man to become a Christian and seruant of God not this that he is pure from all sinnes and neuer slides or swar●es from obedience vnto God but because when he sinneth and falleth he is grieued with himselfe and laboureth euery day to mortifie his corruptions which are the matter of sinne in his heart and life and suffereth not sinne to reigne in his mortall bodie but crucifieth the flesh with the affections and lusts therof Yet here remaines a great difficultie Many a good seruant of God may and doth truly say of himselfe I bewaile my sinnes and doe in some sort rest on Gods mercie and withall I endeauour to performe new obedience but alas here is my griefe I cannot doe these things as I would In matter of sorrow and griefe I am troubled with hardnes of heart in occasions of boldnes and confidence with doubtings 〈◊〉 endeauour to obey with many slippes and sundrie falls For the staying moderating of this griefe these rules may further be remembre●… The first Rule If there be in the minde a purpose not to sinne in the will a desire to please God and in the whole man ●n endeauour to performe the purpose of the minde and the desire of the will marke what followes vpon this God in mercie accepteth the purpose and will to obey for obedience it selfe Yea though a man faile in the very act and do not so well as he should the Lord accepteth the affection and endeauour for the thing done Excellent is the saying of an auncient Father God accepteth that which is his and forgiues that which is thine his is the grace whereby we are inabled to endeauour to obey in the want of obedience and that he accepteth ours i● the sinne and weakenes in performance of the dutie which he requireth and that he doth in mercie forgiue Herein appeareth the great goodnes of God vnto vs and we can neuer be sufficiently thankfull for the same But yet that we may not here delude our hearts with conceits and bless● our selues in vaine we must knowe that God doth not alwaies accept the will for the deede vnlesse there be a constant purpose in heart a true desire in will and some resolued indeauour sutable in the life Malac● 3. ●7 God spares them that feare him ●s a father spares his own child How is that though the sick or weake child beeing com●…ed some busines goeth about it very vnhandsomly and so the deede be done to little 〈◊〉 no purpose yet the father accepts it as well done if he see the childe yoelde vnto his commandement and doe his indeauour to the vttermost of his power Euen so will God deale with those that be his children though sicke and weake in obedience ●…r how will some say can God accept a worke of ours that is imperfect Ans. So farre forth as the obedience is done in truth so farre forth God accepts it because it is his owne worke in vs and as it is ours he pardons it vnto vs because we are in Christ. A second Rule is laid downe Rom. 7. 19. where Paul saith to this purpose the good which I would doe I doe not and the euill which I would not that do I. In these words is set down the state of all regenerate men in this life and the meaning is this The good things which God hath commanded I doe them but not as I would and the euill forbidden I auoid but not as I would This we shall see to be true by comparing the voices of three kindes of men together The carnall man saith I doe not that which is good neither will I do it and that which is euill I doe and I will doe it Contrariwise the man glorified he saith That which is good I do and will doe it and that which is euill I doe not neither will I doe it The regenerate man in a middle betweene them both he saith The good things commanded I do but not as I would the euill things forbidden I avoid but not as I would And this is the estate of the child of God in this life who in this regard is like vnto a diseased man who loues his health and therfore obserues both diet and physick and yet he often falls into his fit againe though he be neuer so carefull to obserue the rules of the Physitian by reason of the distemperature of his bodie and hereupon is saine to goe to the Physitian the second time for new counsell In like manner Gods children haue indeede in their hearts a care to please and obey God but by reason of sinne that dwelleth in them they ●aile often and so are ●aine to humble themselues again before him by new repentance Againe the seruants of God are like to a man by some suddaine accident cast into the sea who in striuing to saue himselfe from drowning puts to all his strength to swim to the shore and beeing come almost vnto it their meetes him a waue or billow which driues him cleane backe againe it may be a mile or further and then the former hope and ioy conceiued of escape is sore abated yet he returnes againe and still labours to come to the land and neuer rests till he attaine vnto it III. Ground He that is indeede regenerate hath this priuiledge that the corruption of nature is no part of him neither doth it belong to his person in respect of diuine imputation Paul saith of himselfe Rom. 7. 17. It is no more I but sinne that dwelleth in me In which words he distinguisheth betweene his owne person and sinne that is in him For in man regenerate there be three things the bodie the soule and the gift of Gods image restored againe Now touching the corruption of nature that is in his person and so may be said to be his but it belongs not to the man regenerate it is not his because it is not imputed to him and so indeed is as though it were not in him The Apostle 1 Thess. 5. 23. praies