Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	conscience_n	dead_a	purge_v	5,027	5	9.3264	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17267	Baptismall regeneration of elect infants professed by the Church of England, according to the Scriptures, the primitiue Church, the present reformed churches, and many particular divines apart. By Cor: Burges ...	Burges, Cornelius, 1589?-1665.	1629 (1629)	STC 4109; ESTC S107058	180,308	364

in the ordinary course of dispensation by meanes But it cannot but be wondred at that any should inferre that elect infants borne and baptized in the Church should not ordinarily partake of the spirit before they come to age sufficient to be capable of the word preached vpon this ground that the Galathians and others mentioned in scripture that were conuerted by the word from Paganisme did not receiue the spirit before they heard the Gospell preached I shall not need to spend time and paper to proue that the Apostle speaks of the former sort only not of the latter Therefore this Objection doth not at all touch the point in hand 4 Obiection If the spirit bee given in Baptisme Obiect 4 then Baptisme can saue without actuall regeneration which is confessed to be wrought by the Word But Baptisme without actual Regeneration cannot saue any as appeares by that in 1. Pet. 3.21 Therefore the spirit is not given in Baptisme Answ Answere A feeble Argument Neverthelesse let vs examine it I answere therefore both to the Maior and to the Minor also 1. To the Maior I answere by denying the sequele For in the case of infants dying in infancy the spirit can and no doubt doth actually regenerate them without the word how else should they enter into the kingdome of heauen In what manner the spirit doth regenerate such is to vs vnknowne Nor will I take vpon me to determine that which the Scripture is silent in They that deny all actuall regeneration till the word come without exception of such as dy in infancy doe conclude all infants dying before they be able to make vse of the Word to be damned A damnable conclusion not to be endured in the tongue or penne of any sober Christian Thus we see in few words that the Consequent of the Major is an idle non sequitur grounded on a false supposition For although we say that actuall Regeneration is not wrought but by the Word yet we grant not this Vniuersally of all but only of persons of yeares 2 To the Minor I answere thus 1 I deny that the Apostle in that place doth speake of Regeneration wrought by the Word for hee speakes not at all either of Regeneration strictly and formally so called but only of an act which supposeth regeneration nor of that act as wrought by the Word but of an act wrought without declaring by what meanes it is wrought so as for ought appeares in the Text to the contrary it may be wrought in baptisme as well as by any other meanes Therefore in this respect the proposition is weak and lame because I may as well drawe it to my purpose and say that baptisme hath such efficacy in it as to enable a Christian to make answer vnto God because the Apostle saith that Baptisme although not the outward washing yet the inward Grace saueth as others may vrge it against mee by inferring thence that Baptisme cannot saue without the VVord For there is not in that place any mention or so much as the least insinuation of the Word but only of Baptisme 2 I adde that Expositors agree not in the exposition of that Text and yet notwithstanding their disagreement there is nothing to be drawne either from the Exposition of any one of them or from all of them together that concludes any thing against this Position That Expositors agree not in the rendring of the Text is euident by their different rendrings of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in our last Translation is rendred the answere of a good conscience c. in which word lies all the difficulty of the whole passage 1 Some would not haue it translated the answere of a good conscience but the request or confident demand made by a good conscience vnto God So the old Translators and so M. Cartwright also in his answere to the Rhemists vpon Math. 3.11 but what the conscience makes request for these Authors speake no syllable of And how a request made to God should be the inward part of baptisme here opposed to the outward washing which purgeth the filthinesse of the flesh is beyond my capacity to comprehend But I let that passe wishing they had more clearely explained themselues 2 Some take it for an allusion to the vsuall Jnterrogatories in baptisme and to the Stipulation made by the partie baptized to performe the conditions tendred vnto him and accepted by him in his baptisme which stipulation he must answere and make good ere hee can expect that his baptisme should saue him So Beza tooke it saith D Fulk vpon the place Yea and so Mr Cartwright also when he comes to write vpon that Text to vindicate it from Rhemish falsifications But he addeth that those Questions were made to persons of yeares and vnto such the Apostle writeth so this in his iudgment belongs not vnto infants nor is spoken touching the efficacy of Baptisme vpon infants Howbeit he denieth not the spirit to bee giuen to infants for g T.C. against D. Whitgift touching interrogatories in baptisme p. 134. the last Section elsewhere he saith thus I will not deny but that children haue the spirit of God which worketh in them after a wonderfull fashion But this by the way All that may by this exposition be concluded hence is this That baptisme saues none of yeares no not as an instrument till there bee a faithfull performance of the Covenant on their parts But in the case of infants the matter is farre otherwise forasmuch as they cannot ordinarily actually beleeue or repent So Dr Fulk Stipulation and solemne promises are necessary to bee acknowledged that baptisme may bee effectuall to them that are of age 3 Some as Oecumenius and others interpret the word somewhat otherwise Oecumenius who should best knowe the force of the Greek phrase expounds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by three other words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an earnest a pledg and a demonstration vsing so many words not to signify divers things but more fully to set forth the force of that one word which he could not sufficiently expresse by one But what hee meanes by this earnest pledg and demonstration hee leaues to his Readers to divine I thinke it can be vnderstood of nothing else but the inward grace signified by the outward washing to wit the blood and spirit of Christ giuen to a Christian in his Baptisme as a seale and pledg and demonstratiue evidence both of the remission of his sinnes by the blood of Christ and also of Regeneration by the Spirit of Christ whereby the conscience is purged from dead works and sanctified that a man doth now answere and make good his promise and vow in Baptisme which now not as a cause but as a meanes instituted by Christ to seale vnto him iustification by the bl●od and sanctification by the spirit of Christ is said to saue him So Basil h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If there

in a more remisse degree as sinne is taken for a masterly tyrant that hath by want of vigilancy in a Christian gotten the vpper hand in some particular Vnto this they to whom he wrote were subiect if they looked not the better about them For the Apostle himselfe euen after his actuall regeneration complaines that sinne was yet a Law in his members warring against the law of his minde and bringing him into captiuitie to the law of sinne Rom. 7.23 Now in that hee calls the power of sinne by the name of a Law that did captivate him hee plainely intendeth to giue vs notice of some kinde of soueraignty which sinne at some times exercised ouer him after his conuersion This will appeare by comparing this phrase with the very same in ver 1.2 The Law hath dominion ouer a man as long as he liueth For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liueth but if her husband be dead shee is loosed from the law of her husband that is frō the power and soueraigne authority which in the family her husband did exercise ouer her So that where there is a law in force exercising it selfe there is a kinde of dominion for none can set vp a law and giue such life vnto it but such as haue soueraigne authority And if it might be thus in Paul then much more in the Romanes to whom hee wrote Therefore he bids them to take heed and not to let it raigne that they should obey it in the lusts thereof And yet they were regenerated for hee saith they were vnder grace ver 14. and so vnder grace that hee assureth them sinne should not haue dominion ouer them as there he speaketh that is not an absolute compleat dominion which cannot stand with sauing grace although they were in danger to be vnder some kinde of Dominion of it notwithstanding Grace So then there is an absolute dominion which cannot consist with saving grace and there is an improper more remisse dominion which may bee for a while in the same subiect with sauing grace If any man aske me what that absolute dominion is in a word I conceiue it be this viz Such a compleat soueraignty over the whole man as makes him to be totus totum in toto peccato whole wholy in the whole sinne he giues himselfe vp vnto wittingly willingly wilfully desiring he may euer liue in that sinne and enioy his fill of it that there were no law forbidding it nor God to punish it and although there be both yet hee will follow it still and cannot for his heart so much as get free of the loue of it desire after it but will part with any thing rather then with his sinne This in scripture is called presumptuous sinne Psalme 19. But this no man can warrantably affirme to be in Elect persons after their baptisme euen before their actuall regeneration And I thinke if I should deny the proposition they that frame it had neede to take day enough to proue it For to tell me that they commit many grosse and scandalous sinnes that they be some of them as Paul was persecutors and blasphemers doth not sufficiently proue that sinne hath any absolute Dominion ouer them ordinarily although in respect of their outward carriage no man can discerne their sinnes to be other then reigning sinnes for so you know doe many sinnes committed by such as are actually renewed Therefore their outward carriage alone is not enough to warrant such a censure of them That sinne reigneth and domineereth as a tyrant ouer them in a more remisse degree than he doth in reprobates is too too euidēt by daily leading them into captiuity to the law of sinne This is not denied But for any man to say that the elect after their baptisme till their actuall conuersion and regeneration are vnder that absolute and compleat dominion of sinne that the diuells and reprobates are is a thing which may be said but will neuer be proued For suppose the spirit did not worke any generall dispositions and inclinations vnto grace in infants which yet the soundest diuines affirme yet it is something that there is that in them which will so farre abate the edge of the malice of sinne that they cannot sinne that great sinne against the Holy Ghost No elect person can according to the principles which the adversaries to this point and I agree in sinne that sinne against the Holy Ghost as the opposites will freely confesse for if he could how were it possible for him to be at all converted and saued And if notwithstanding his want of actuall regeneration he cannot sinne against the Holy Ghost I demand then what is it that keepes him from that sinne Is it not the spirit that restraines and curbes the malice of his corruption against God and his grace But you will say this restraint is common to reprobates as well as to the elect for the most part and therefore I may say you as well proue the spirit to be in the one as in the other if this be all the ground I haue for it To which I reioyne that there is a maine difference betweene the elect and reprobate viz. that the Elect not only doth not but cannot commit that sinne for the spirit keepes him that hee may be a vessell of grace and honour but the reprobates are restrained not by the spirit of Christ but rather by the powerfull prouidence of God meerely that they might not hurt the Elect as otherwaies they would doe And yet notwithstanding that restraint they are neuer cōuerted nor saued which shewes that they neuer had the spirit of Christ Nor is there in the elect so neere approaches to that sinne as there is in reprobates But of this I shall haue some occasion to speake more afterwards therefore I spare to adde more thereof in this place praying the reader to remember that I haue sundry other grounds beside this so as what euer becomes of this the point it selfe cannot suffer by it so long as the other stand vnbattered And thus much of this sixth Obiection CAP. 10. 6 Obiections more against the maine position answered I Haue in the former Chapter giuen answere to such obiections as are thought to be of cheefest ranke and to make most strongly against the maine tenent here discussed In performance wherof I haue not God is witnesse strained my witts to set a shew vpon any one passage Which hath not substance in it so farre as I am able to iudge betweene substance and shaddowes but haue dealt candidly and syncerely throughout to the full satisfaction of mine owne conscience and I hope to the content of others also that are not studious of parts but of the truth I might therefore iustly demand my quietus est and craue a discharge here because the maine worke is ouer and those obiections that follow after are of lesse weight But because I