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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	ceremonial_a	law_n	moral_a	3,536	5	9.8204	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04629	The court of conscience: or, Iosephs brethrens iudgement barre. By Thomas Barnes	Barnes, Thomas, Minister of St. Margaret's, New Fish Street, London.	1623 (1623)	STC 1475; ESTC S114798	47,631	166

doe as they did but to make thee the more obseruant of thine owne waies least that thou shouldest doe as they did For euery fatte stands vpon its owne bottome and little peace wilt thou haue to imitate any mortall man in that which is offensiue to thy God 5. Conclude not that thou wilt but doe the deede once or twice or seldome For sinne is like a serpent if it gets but in the head it will get in the whole body and it is a clinging and encroaching guest whereof thou canst not be so soone rid as thou listest after thou hast giuen entertainment vnto it neither thinkest thou maiest be the bolder because thou art in Gods fauour which can neuer change nor alter thou art not so sure of heauen but that the deuill though he cannot robbe thee of it yet can make thee question it to the perplexing of thy soule Take heede I say that by these steps thou climbest not vp the ladder of presumption for then that there is no greater enemie to an holy and blamelesse life the maintaining of which holy life is the greatest preseruatiue to a good conscience that can be Secondly as thus by presuming thou must not stretch thy conscience Subordinate helpes to the second generall rule So to the end thou mayest not streighten conscience thou must doe three things First get a sound knowledge and right vnderstanding of the binding and subiection of the conscience to wit whereby and how it is bound wherein and how it is to be subiect Now for thy better information in this know that some things binde the conscience immediately or properly What binds the conscience immediately viz. Law Gospell some things mediately or improperly First immediately that doth binde the conscience which hath most absolute power and authoritie in it selfe ouer the conscience and thus the Law and Gospell bindes the conscience or the word of God comprehended in the bookes of the Old and New Testament First for the Law That is three-fold morall iudiciall ceremoniall 1. Law and that either as morall iudiciall ceremoniall The morall Law respecteth the duties of loue which wee owe to God and our neighbour comprised in the first and second table now to know how this binds conscience 1. How the morall Law bindes the conscience these two rules must bee obserued Rule 1 First That the second table must giue place to the first insomuch that if two duties come in opposition one to the other and the first table binds the conscience to the one Two rules to show how the morall law bindes the conscience the second to the other simply by it selfe that duty which is inioyned in the first must be performed rather then that which is prescribed in the second The rule amplified To amplifie it The second table binds me to performe all testimonies of loue to my neighbour the first to execute all offices of pietie towards God Such and such a testimony of loue to my neighbour may in some case not stand with my piety towards God in this case my conscience must submit it selfe rather to the pleasing of God then pleasing of man Albeit in some case we are to neglect some duties to God that wee may releeue the present necessitie of our brother which is warranted by that rule of Christ I will haue mercy and not sacrifice Rule 2 The second rule is this That the generall Law must giue way to the speciall Take an example or two Thou shalt doe no murther The rule examplified Thou shalt not steale are generall lawes Abraham take thy sonne thine onely sonne Isaac and offer him vp in sacrifice x Gen. 22.22 Euery woman shall borrow of her neighbour and of her that soiourneth in the house iewels of siluer and iewels of gold and yee shall spoile the Egyptians y Exod. 3 22. were speciall commandements Both of these euen generall and speciall doe binde the conscience In this case which must Abraham and the Israelites chiefely submit vnto To the speciall he must attempt to sacrifice his sonne notwithstanding this Thou shalt doe no murther They must rob the Egyptians of their iewels and treasures notwithstanding that precept Thou shalt not steale Why because the speciall had at that time more power ouer the consciences of Abraham and the Israelites then the generall 2. How the iudiciall law bindes the conscience From the morall to come to the Iudiciall law which was of vse to prescribe the Mosaicall forme of ciuill gouernment concerning the order offices of Magistrates and Magistracie iudgements punishments contracts difference of gouernment to the end that publike iustice might bee maintained peace continued and the contempt of Gods law reuenged This Law so farre bindeth the conscience now as it is euer duely grounded vpon the morall and where the same reason holdeth thus as it did in them and other nations by the light of nature practised in the same manner 3. How the ceremoniall law bindes conscience Thirdly the ceremoniall Law which treateth of rites and ceremonies enioyned in the Old Testament to be obserued about the outward worship of God is to bee reduced to three distinct times according to which times three rules may bee giuen to shew how farre forth conscience is subiect to that Rule 1 The first rule is this Before the death of Christ the ceremoniall law did binde the consciences of the Iewes and the Iewes onely not of the Gentiles For betwixt Iewes and Gentiles there was a wall of separation Rule 2 The second this From the death of Christ to the ouerthrow of the Iewish gouernment the ceremoniall law lost the force of binding and became an indifferent thing either to be vsed or not to be vsed Hence it was that Paul circumcised Timothy but would not circumcise Titus And the z Act. 15. councell at Ierusalem decreed that the Church should abstaine for a time from things strangled and from blood the cause of which decree was the weakenesse of some who of Iewes were made Christians As yet they did not fully vnderstand the libertie of the new Testament therfore for their weaknesse sake it was granted that they might vse some Iewish ceremonies for a time Rule 3 But thirdly after the euersion of the Iewish gouernment and the promulgation of the Gospell more largely and cleerely the ceremoniall law altogether ceased For from that time the libertie of Christians and freedome from Iewish ceremonies was so conspicuous that none of the godly could alleadge their ignorance heerein Wherefore very well say the Schooles * Leges ceremoniales iam sunt mortuae mortiferae Ceremoniall lawes are now dead and deadly Thus we see the nature of the lawes authority ouer the conscience 2. How the Gospell bindes Now we will see how the Gospell bindes the conscience For the better vnderstanding of which we must know that the Gospell doth not binde the consciences of those that are not

called but onely of them that are called That it doth not binde the vncalled it is plaine Because as they which sinne without the Law shall perish without the Law a Rom. 2.12 so they which sinne without the Gospell shall perish without the Gospell but they which perish without the Gospell are not bound by the Gospell therefore the vncalled are not bound by the Gospell Secondly that it bindes these that are called I meane separated from Pagans and Infidels it is manifest also by this reason All those that are called shall be iudged at the last day by the Gospell as is to be seene Rom. 2.16 Ioh. 3.15.18 But it is necessary that that same thing by which men shall be iudged after this life should binde their consciences in this life therefore the Gospell bindes the consciences of the called Quest But what doth it binde them vnto Answ To beleeue the promises of iustification saluation speciall prouidence and loue Obiect Yea but hypocrites are called into the Church and if they be bound to beleeue their saluation they are bound to beleeue that which is false for the promises of the Gospell concerning the fauour of God pardon of sinne c. belong not to them I answer Answ That they which are called into the Church are not absolutely bound to beleeue their owne saluation but on this condition according to the tenour of the couenant that they desire truly to be in the number of Christs true Disciples But to bee the true schollers and Disciples of Christ to learne of him to follow him hypocrites doe not seriously desire therefore their consciences are not absolutely bound to beleeue their owne saluation Thus thou vnderstandest how conscience is to be subiect to things that doe immediately binde it Now as touching the things that doe binde it mediately Things mediate to to oblige conscience that is not of themselues but by vertue of that obligatory power that they haue from the word of God they are foure first the lawes of man secondly oathes thirdly vowes fourthly promises Concerning the first how farre forth conscience is to submit to humane lawes thou shalt know if thou markest these foure rules following Concerning the first how humane lawes doe binde wee shall know Rules to vnderstand the subiection of conscience to Mans laws if wee ponder these foure Rules Lawes of men whither they bee Ciuill or Ecclesiasticall doe binde the conscience so farre forth as they are agreeable to Gods Law 2. As they conserue order or keepe from confusion and doe not take away Christian libertie 3. For if they haue these conditions they are obligatorie and binding by vertue of the fift commandement Honour thy father and particular precept giuen by Saint Paul Let euery soule be subiect to the higher power b Rom. 13.1 But if it so fall out that these lawes constituted by men be not about things indifferent but good in themselues that is to say commanded of God then they are not properly humane but diuine and therefore doe altogether binde the conscience Lastly if those lawes doe prescribe things that are euill they are so farre from hauing any power ouer the conscience that the conscience is most strictly bound not to obey them c Act 4.19 Conscientijs velle dominari est arcem coeli inuadere Wherefore we plainly affirme against the opinion of the Papists that neither Ciuill nor Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction hath any CONSTRAINING or compulsiue power immediately and directly ouer the conscience so that it was well said of Maximilian the Emperour to seeke to domineere ouer the conscience is impudently to inuade the tower of heauen And of * Cited by Alstedius in Theol. Cas c. 2 p. 10. Tria sunt homini impossibilia c. Psychotyranno plusquam Pharaonicam Phalaricam Stephanus King of Polonia Three things are impossible to man to make something of nothing to know things to come and to rule or Lord it ouer the conscience That same Psychotyranny therefore of the Papist which is most cruell most Pharonicall doe we detest and abhorre Rule 2 Secondly the POLITIKE lawes of man haue so farre an obligatory power in the conscience that the violating of them especially if it be ioyned either with the offence of their brethren or contempt of authoritie it is iustly to be accounted for a sinne against God though not immediately Rule 3 Thirdly the ECCLESIASTICALL lawes of men are either of things necessarie without which an order and decorum cannot be kept in the Church or else of things indifferent Those that are of things necessary doe binde by the force of that diuine law written by Paul Let all things be done decently and in good order d Cor. They that are of things meerely indifferent doe not binde so strictly except the neglect of the same occasioneth offence to the weake or be with contempt of Ecclesiasticall authoritie This for information about the mediate binding of conscience by humane lawes Secondly An oath bindes conscience How an oath binde conscience if it hath these foure conditions First if for the matter of it it be of things certaine and possible Secondly if for manner it be made or taken without guile sincerely and honestly Thirdly if for the end it be to Gods glory or the publike good Fourthly if for the author it bee taken by those who haue power so to binde themselues Therefore Herods oath did not binde his conscience because it did not tend to Gods glory and was of a thing beyond his commission with warrant to performe But if an oath hath I say those conditions it bindeth by the vertue of that commandement which Moses layes downe Numb 30.2 If a man sweare an oath to binde his soule with a bond he shall not breake his word he shall doe according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth Now in the third place for the subiection of conscience to vowes 3. How vowes binde conscience We must vnderstand that vowes are of three sorts morall ceremoniall and free A morall vow is that promise of morall obedience to the law of God made in Baptisme renued in the Lords Supper And this bindes all Christians at all times A ceremoniall vow is a promise of ceremoniall obedience in the Old Testament such as was the vow of the Nazarites e Leu. 27. And this did onely binde those who made it A free vow is a promise of performing some outward thing vndertaken for the cause of exercising pietie as vowes of fasting or the like for furtherance in the exercise of prayer of repentance c. And this is of a binding power if there be in it first a congruitie with the word of God secondly no repugnancie with our calling thirdly if it be no spoyler of Christian libertie and finally be not made out of an opinion of any meriting thereby If I say it be thus qualified and limited it binds conscience by the power of that diuine