Cases of Conscience Part 1, Title page – Errata
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.
PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT, Printer to the Vniversitie of Cambridge. 1604
And are to be sold in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Crowne by Simon Waterson.
TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull Sir Edward Denny, Knight.
THere is no one doctrine reuealed in the word of God, or dispensed by the Prophets and Apostles, of greater vse and consequence in the life of man, then is that, which prescribeth a forme of releeuing and rectifying the conscience. The benefit, which from hence issueth vntounto the Church of God, is vnspeakable. For first, it serueth to discouer the cure of the dangerousest sore that can be, the wound of the Spirit. Which how great a crosse it is, the wise man reporteth out of true experience, when he saith, that the Spirit of a man Prou. 18. 14.will sustaine his infirmitie, but a wounded Spirit who can beare it? And his meaning is, that no outward griefe, can fall into the nature of man, which will not be with patience indured, to the vtmost, so long as the minde is not troubled, or dismayed. But when once the Spirit is touched, and the heart, (which, beeing well apa…ed, is the very foū taine of peace to the whole man,) smitten with feare of the wrath of God for sinne; the griefe is so great, the burden intolerable, that it will not by any outward meanes, be eased or asswaged. Secondly, it giueth for all particular Cases, special and sound direction; whether man be to walke with God, in the immediate performance of the duties of his seruice, or to conuerse with man according to the state and condition of his life, in the familie, in the Church, or in the Commonwealth. The want of which direction, of what force it is, to turne the actions of men, which are good in themselues, to sinnes in regard of the agents, S. Paul affirmeth in that generall conclusion, Whatsoeuer is not of faith, is sinne. Wherein heRom 14 2… ▪ would teach vsus, that whatsoeuer is done, or vndertaken by men in this life, whether it concerne the knowledge and worship of God, or any particular dutie to be performed, by vertue of their callings, for the common good; whereof they hauehave not sufficient warrant, and assurance in conscience, grounded vponupon the word, that it is to be don, or not to be done; to them it is a sinne. Thirdly, it is of all other doctrines, (if it be rightly vsed) the most comfortable. For it is not founded in the opinions, & variable conceits of men, neither doth it consist, of conclusions and positions, that are onelyonly probable and coniecturall: (for the conscience of the doubting or distressed partie, cannot be established and rectified by them:) but it resteth vponupon most sufficient and certaine grounds, collected & drawne out of the very word of god, which, as it is mightie in operation, …earcing the heart, and discerning the thoughts Heb▪ 4. … ▪and intents thereof, so is it alone auaileable and effectuall to pacific the minde, and to giuegive full satisfaction to the conscience. And as the benefit is great; so the want of this doctrine, together with the true manner of applying the same, is, and hath beene the cause, of many and great inconueniences. For euen of those that feare God, and hauehave receiued to beleeue, there be many, who in the time of their distresses, when they hauehave considered, the waight and desert of their sinnes, and withall apprehended the wrath of God, due vntounto them; hauehave beene brought vntounto hard exigents, mourning, and wayling, and crying out, as if God had forsaken them, vntill they hauehave beene releeued by the Spirit of Christ,Psal. 119. v. 49, 50. in the meditation of the word, and promise of God. But those especially, who hauehave not beene instructed in the knowledge of the truth, nor beene acquainted with the course of Gods dealing, with his distressed children, by reason of ignorance and blindnes, in matters of religion and pietie, when the Lord hath let loose the cord of their consciences, and set before their eyes, both the number of their sinnes committed, and the iust anger of God purchased thereby, what hauehave they done? surely despairing of their owne estates, and of the merciemercy of God, they hauehave either growne to phrensie, and madnes, or els sorted vntounto themselues fearefull ends, some by hanging, some by drowning, others by murthering their owne selues. And if not in regard of griefe and trouble of minde; yet for want of better resolution in particular cases, within the compasse of their generall or personall callings, though otherwise, men indued with some measure of knowledge and obedience, herein they hauehave failed, that they hauehave either abused, or els quite relinquished & forsaken their callings, and thereby hauehave become scandalous, & offēsiue vntounto others.
Now as this is a matter of great waight & importance, so is it most meete, that the best and fittest course should be taken, in the teaching and inforcing of the same. In which regard we hauehave iust cause, to challenge the Popish Church, who in their Case-writings hauehave erred, both in the substance and circumstances of this doctrine, as shall appeare in the sequele. First, because the dutie of releeuing the Conscience, is by them commended to the sacrificing Priest, which, though according to their owne Canons aDecr…. de peni…ent: dist. 6. cap. … Caue…t spiritualis iudex, vt sicut non cō mi… cr…m… nequiti…, … non care …t munere scienciae.he should be a man of knowledge, and free from imputation of wickednes, yet oft times it falls out that he is either vnlearned, or els wicked and leud of conuersation, and consequently vnfit for such a purpose. Secondly, they teach that their Priests appointed to be comforters & releeuers of the distressed, are made by Christ himselfe bIudices in cau…s poenitentium. Bella…. d… paen. lib. 3. ca. 2. Concil. T…id. …ess. 14. can 9.iudges of the cases of conscience, hauing in their owne hands a iudiciarie power and authoritie, truly and properly to binde or to loose, to remit or to retaine sinnes, to open or to shut the kingdome of heauen. A blasphemous doctrine. Considering that Christ onelyonly hath the keyes of Dauid,Mark. 2. 10. which properly and truly openeth, and noR…u. …. 8. man shutteth, and properly and truly shutteth, & no man openeth. And the Ministers of God, are not called to be absolute Iudges of the Cōscience, but only Messēgers & Embassadors of recōciliatiō;2. Cor. 5. 20. wherupon it followeth, that they cānot be cTheophylact. comment in Ioan. 8. 34. & Hieron. lib. … ▪ comment. in Math. super verba. Tibi dabo claues.the authors and giuers of remission of sinnes, but onelyonly the Ministers and Dispensers of i…e same. Thirdly, the Papists in their writings hauehave scattered here and there, sundrie false and erronious grounds of doctrine, much preiudiciall to the direction or resolution of the Conscience in time of neede, as namely, I. That a man in theEmanuel Sa. in Aphori…. confessatio…. course of his life, may build himselfe vponupon the faith of his teachers, and for his saluation rest contented with an implicite & vn-expressed faith. Which doctrine, as it is an onelyonly meane, to keepe men in perpetuall blindnes and ignorance, so it serueth to no other purpose in the time of temptation, but to plunge the heart of man into the pitte of despaire, it being vncapable of comfort, for want of knowledge and vnderstanding of the word and promise of God. II. That eueryevery man ought to stand in feare and doubt of the pardon of his sinnes, Concil. T…id▪ ses…. 6. Cap. 9.and that no man can be assured by the certentie of faith, either of the present fauour of God, or of his owne saluation. True it is, that in respect of our owne vnworthines and indisposition, we hauehave iust cause, not onelyonly to doubt and feare, but to despaire and be confounded before the iudgement seat of God. Yet that a man should not be certainely resolued by faith of the merciemercy of God, in and for the merit of Christ, is a comfortlesse doctrine to a distressed soule, and contrarie vntounto the sauing aMatth. 14 31. Iam 1. 6. Rom. 4. …0.word of the Gospel, which teacheth, that certentie floweth from the nature of faith, and not doubting. III. That every man is bound in conscience vponupon paine of Concil. Trid. …e…. 14. can. …damnation, to make speciall confession of his mortall sinnes, with all the particular circumstances thereof, once eueryevery yeare to his Priest. This doctrine and practise, besides that it hath no warrant of sacred writte, nor yet any ground of Orthodoxe antiquitie, for 800 yeares more or lesse after Christ i… maketh notably to the disturbing of the peace of conscience▪ in time of extremitie, considering that it is impossible either to vnderstand or remember all, many beeing vnknowne,Psal. 19 …. and hidden and the minde beeing informed that forgiuenesse dependeth vponupon such an enumeration▪ may thus be brought into doubt and distrust, and will not be able to rest by faith in the sole merciemercy of God, the onelyonly soueraigne medicine of the soule. Againe, the griefe of the minde, doth not alwaies arise from all the sinnes that a man hath committed, neither doth the Lord se… before the sinners eies, whatsoeuer euill hath bin done by him▪ but some one or more particulars; and these are they, that doe lie heauie vponupon the heart and to be eased of them, will be worke enough▪ though …e doth not exhibite vntounto the Confessour▪ a Catalogue of all the rest. IV. That some sinnes are veniall, because they are only besides the lawe of God not against it and because a… veniale, quod non …olli… or sinem …d vltimum finem, vnde non mer…tur poenam …ernam, sed t…mpo…alem. Iacob. de Graphi…s: Decision. aur…ar Ca…. Con…c. lib. 1. cap. 6.they …in… …uer the sinner onelyonly to temporal, and not to eternall punishments. This conclusion, first is false; For though it be graunted that some offences are greater, some lesser some in an higher degree, others in a lower: againe, that sinnes in regard of the euent, beeing repented of, or in respect of the person sinning, beeing in Christ, and therfore accounted iust, are pardonable, because they are not imputed to condemnation; yet there is no sin of what degree soeuer, which is not simply, and of it selfe mortall, whether we respect the nature of the sinne, or the measure & proportion of diuine iustice. For in nature it is an anomie, that is to say, an aberration from the1. Ioh. 3. 4. perfect rule of righteousnesse, and therefore is subiect to the curse, both of temporary and eternall death. It is an offence against the highest Maiestie, and consequently, man standeth by it ingaged to euerlasting torment. Secondly, it is a weake and insufficient ground of resolution, vntounto a troubled conscience. For whereas true and sauing ioy is the daughter of sorrowe, and the heart of man cannot be lifted vp, in assurance of Gods fauour, to the apprehension and conceipt of heauenly comforts, vnlesse it be first abased, & by true humiliatiō, brought to nothing in it self. The remembrance of this, that the offence committed is veniall, may in some cases too much inlarge the heart, and giuegive occasion to presume, when haply there will be reason to the contrary. And if not that yet in the case of falling by infirmitie, after grace receiued, the mind beeing forestalled with this erronious conceipt, that the sin is lesse, then it is indeede, because veniall, may in the issue be lesse quieted, and more perplexed.Concil. Trid. i…. 14. can. …. V. That a man may satisfie the iustice of the God, for the temporall punishment of his sinnes committed. To omit the vntrueth of this position, howe it maketh to the easing of the heart, or the asswaging of the griefe of minde in temptation, I appeale to common experience. For when a man, beeing assured of the pardon of his sinnes, shall yet cōsider, that there is something more behind to be done on his part, how can he in probabilitie, rely himselfe wholly vponupon Christs satisfaction? How can he reape vntounto himselfe frō thence any assurance of reconciliation to God, whome he formerly offended? If we may and must doe something in our own persons, whereby to appease the wrath of God, why hath our Sauiour taught vsus for our hearts releife, wholly and onelyonly to make the plea of pardon for our sinnes? True it is indeede, that Popish Confessors doe teach their Penitents, when they feele the wrath of god vponupon them for sin, to stop the mouth of Conscience, by performance of a formall humiliation and repentance, yea to offer vntounto God some ceremoniall duties in way of satisfaction. But when sorrow seazeth vponupon the soule, and the man falls into temptation, then it will appeare that these directions were not currant; for notwithstanding them, he may want sound comfort in Gods mercy, and run into despaire without recouerie. And for this cause, vponupon experience it hath bin prooued, that euen Papists themselues, in the houre of death, hauehave bin content to renounce their owne workes, yea the whole body of humane satifactions, and to cleaue onelyonly to the merciemercy of God in Christ for their saluation.
By these instances, and many more that might be alleadged to this purpose, it is apparent, vponupon how weake and vnstable grounds the Case-diuinitie of the Popish Church standeth; and how indirect a course they take, for the resolution and direction of the troubled Conscience.
Now by the benefit & abuse of this Doctrine, we see how necessary it is, that in Churches which professe Christian religion, it should be more taught, & further inlarged then it is. And to this purpose it were to be wished, that men of knowledge in the Ministerie, that hauehave by the grace of God attained vntounto the Tongue of the learned, would imploy their paines this way: not onelyonly in searching into the depth of such points as stand in bare speculation, but in annexing thereunto the grounds and conclusions of practise, whereby they might both informe the iudgement, and rectifie the conscience of the hearers. By this meanes it would come to passe, that the poore distressed soule might be releeued, pietie and deuotion more practized, the kingdome of Sinne, Satan, and Antichrist weakened, & impayred, & the contrarie kingdome of Christ Iesus more & more established.
What the Author & cōtriuer of the discourse ensuing hath done in this behalfe, it is euident by the whole course of his writings, that he hath left behinde him: all which, as they doe openly shew vntounto the world, howe great a measure of knowledge & vnderstanding, with other endowmēts both of nature and grace, the Lord had inriched him withall, so doe they carrie with thē the sweet sauour of pietie and sanctification, wherewith he approued his heart vntounto god, & his life vntounto mē. Wherin also vpō occasion he hath propounded, and explained sundrie notable rules of directiō & resolution of the conscience, as wil appeare to the view of the learned and well-aduised reader.
To let passe all the rest: this present worke doth affoard very sufficient testimonie, of his knowledge and dexteritie in that kind, attained vntounto, not without great paines, much obseruation, and long experience. A labour which commendeth it selfe vntounto the Church of God in two respects principally. One, because his grounds and principles, whereupon he giues direction, are drawne either directly, or by iust consequēce out of the writtē word, & so are of greater force, to giuegive satisfaction to the mind, either doubting, or distressed. The other, for that it is deliuered with such perspicuitie, and disposed in such order and Methode, as fitteth best for the vnderstanding and memorie, of him that shall peruse it.
Now this whole treatise of the Questions, I hauehave made bold to present vntounto your Worship, and to publish abroad vnderunder your patronage and protection, as one to whome they doe iustly belōg. First, because God, who honoureth those that honour him, hath adorned you, not onelyonly with ciuill authoritie and dignitie in the Commonwealth, but with the honourable name of a Friend to the Church of God; a thing directly confirmed by your vnfained louelove of the truth, and your continuall fauours to the teachers of the same, the Ministers and dispensers of the Gospel. Secondly, because as the Author of these Cases, was himself in many respects, bound vntounto you, while he liued; so his wife and children for his sake, hauehave receiued much kindnes at your hands, since his death; a manifest proofe of the truth and sinceritie of your affection towardes him in the Lord. And in the last place, it was my desire, by setting forth this and the other two parts that shall follow, vnderunder your name, to giuegive some testimonie of dutie to your Worship, presuming that as you loued the Author, so you wil be pleased to patronize the worke, and fauourably to interpret, of the paines and good intention of the publisher. And so ceasing your further trouble, I humbly take my leaue, and commend your Worship to the grace and fauour of God in Christ. From Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge. Iun. 28. 1604.
Your W. in all dutie to command, Tho. Pickering.
To the godly and well affected Reader whosoeuer.
IT was not my purpose, (Christian Reader) at the first to hauehave sent abroad onelyonly one part of the Cases of Conscience, without the rest; but that I was mooued thereunto, partly vponupon the importunitie of some of the Authors friends, and partly because I desired to satisfie thy expectation in a thing, which I perswade my selfe hath beene long expected. Upon which two motiues, I hauehave now commended vntounto thee this first part, promising by the grace of God, ere it be long, to adde the second, and the third, so farre as the Author proceeded in this Treatise before his death. And although I could hauehave wished, this labour had beene vndertaken by others, better able to performe it then my selfe; yet beeing well acquainted with the copie, which is mine owne, and knowing it to hauehave bin perused by the Author himselfe, before his death, I was the more incouraged, to bestow my paines for thy good in that behalfe. If in reading thereof thou finde, either any thing amisse, or thy selfe not fully satisfied in the particulars; then remember that the Author himselfe is gone, who might hauehave brought the worke to perfection, if God had pleased to prolong his daies vponupon the earth. And withall consider, that it were better for thee, to accept of these his labours, as they are now imparted to thee, then by the suppressing of them to be depriued of so great a benefit. And thus hoping of thy kinde acceptance of my paines for thy behoofe, I commend thee to God, and to the word of his grace. Iune 28. 1604.
T. P.
Faults escaped in the printing.
After page 38. read for 27, 29.
Places false quoted correct thus:
Read, pag. 60. for Iam. 2. 20. Iam. 2. 10. p. 70. for Col. 3. 26, Col. 3. 3, 4.
Read pag. 8. lin. 24. for actonis, actions. p. 12. 25. for ptesent, present, p. 29. for yets o, yet so. p. 37. 22. for it a, it is a. p. 38, 4. for bonds, bos…ds. p. 49. 9. come to the answer. p. 74. 5. for of sence, offence. p. 92. 3. for conforting, comforting. p. 80. pe…ult. for vaine, veine. p. 82. 1. for finn…. sinne. p. 105. 1. for print, present. p. …ad. 10. thorgh but once. p. 108. 6. which shall be laid, &c. p. 152. 17. for yncleate, vncleate. p. 154. 19. Marke the words. p. 157. 1. for mighe, might. p. 160. 12. for apprenhendeth, apprehendeth. p. 161. 22. for consceence, conscience. p. 162. 1. for diuihe, diuine. p. 165. 17. for decre, deare. p. 169. 24. for faults, falles.