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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43682	The true notion of persecution stated in a sermon preachd at the time of the late contribution for the French Protestants / by George Hickes ...	Hickes, George, 1642-1715.	1681 (1681)	Wing H1875; ESTC R20004	26,260	37

Cross is now become unlawful in the Office of Baptism Are these Christian Doctrines or Precepts that the People have a right to chuse their own Ministers that no Power upon Earth at least no Secular Power can silence or suspend a Minister that Infant-Baptism is unlawful or that the Scripture is the Adequate Rule of Conscience and Practice or that nothing ought to be instituted in the Service and Worship of God which he hath not commanded or approved in his Word Are any of these not to mention others Articles of Faith or Gospel-doctrines or Catholick principles If they be how came they to lye so long undiscovered and never to be found out but by a few particular men among us some about an hundred and some about thirty and forty years ago What were all Christian Doctors before Popery and all since the Reformation from it but a few Dissenters of these Countries blind that they could never yet discern these Doctrines in the Scriptures neither in express terms nor in the scope and tenor of them these Doctrines which would make the professors of them now separate from all National establishments of the Protestant Religion as well as ours and which must have obliged them had they lived in the first and best Ages of Christianity to have separated from all the Churches in the world For there were * As Jaemes at Jerusalem and S. John the Apostle at Ephesus both which as a sign of the High-Priesthood for S. Clemens compares the Bishop to the High-Priest c. 40. ep ad Cor. wore the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Pontifical Crown or Frontlet wherein was written holiness to the Lord. Euseb lib. 5. c. 24. Epiphan in haer Nazar in haer 78. Marc at Alexandria who also is said to have wore the Pontifical Frontlet Vales not ad b. 5. c. 24. Eus not to mention Clemens Caius Archippus Onesimus Euodias Timothy Titus Ignatius c. who were all such Bishops according to Catholick Antiquity Bishops over several Congregations superior to and distinct from Presbyters in the Apostles times and the Christian writers of the next Age to them upon whose Authority we take the Books of the New Testament to be their writings did teach and believe the office of such a Bishop to be the Ordinance of God And in those pure and Virgin-times of Christianity they worshipped God by Forms of Prayer used Ceremonies in his worship united into * Euseb l. 3. c. 23. Can Ap. 34. Conc. Antioch c. 9. Metropolitan which answer to our National Churches used the Sign of the Cross at all sorts of Devotion received their Ministers from their Bishops at whose Election it is true they used to signifie their approbation as the People were wont to do at our King's Coronation but they never poll'd at them nor properly speaking gave any vote In those days also in the pure and Virgin Ages of Christianity while the Disciples of the Apostles governed the Church the Bishops silenced and deposed Presbyters who were not so much as to ‖ Ignat. ad Smyrn Philadelp Trull Can. Apost 39. Tert. de baptismo c. 17. Concil Ancyr c. 13. Concil Laod. c. 56. Hier. advers Lucifer preach or administer any Sacrament without their leave and consent They then also used and instituted many Ceremonies of which we have no account neither Precept nor Example in the Word of God Shall I mention some They always mixed * Just Mart. Apol. 2. Conc. sext in Trull c. 32. Conc. Carth. Can. 40. water with the Sacramental Wine to signifie that the Bloud of Christ had a cleansing virtue in it which mystery was also as they believed represented by the water which flow'd with the bloud from our Saviour's side They sent ‖ Just Mart. loc cit portions of the Sacramental Bread to the sick and absent to signifie that they were partakers of the same Sacrifice and belonged to the same Altar and they worshipped God towards the * Resp ad quaest 118. ad Orthodox East They gave ‖ Tertull. Clemens Alexand. forsan Barnab Epist p. 223. Edit Isaac Voss Milk and Hony to drink unto Baptized persons to signifie that they were like new-born Babes who ought to desire the sweet and sincere milk of the Word They sung Psalms * Plin. cit Epist alternately at the holy Eucharist They stood up in all their Devotions from ‖ Resp. ad quaest ad Orthod 115. Easter till Whitsuntide to signifie that Christ was risen from the dead They observed the four Apostolical Holidays the Passion Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord and the descent of the Holy Ghost Nay even in the Apostles days they * Rom. 6.4 dipt baptized persons over the head and let them remain a little space under water to signifie that they were buried with Christ in Baptism They also then had ‖ 1 Cor. 11. Love-feasts joyned with the holy Eucharist the * 1 Cor. 16.20 1 Thess 5.26 Just Mart. Apol 11. salutation of the holy Kiss and observed the Jewish custom of saying the Hebrew word ‖ 1 Cor. 14.16 Just Mart. Apol. 11. Amen at the conclusion of every Prayer These were the general besides the particular Ceremonies of particular Churches and in one word there was never any separation made or thought of in any of the Primitive Ages of Christianity upon the account of Ceremonies and therefore since the belief and practice of God's universal Church in the first and best Ages are contrary to the Doctrines and Precepts by which our dissenting Brethren in vain attempt to justifie their separation How can they be Doctrines and Precepts of the Gospel How can they be Catholick principles or parts of Christianity and how can they be persecuted in the defence thereof No! they are no parts of Christianity no Laws nor Doctrines of the Gospel but meer humane inventions meer humane fancies and opinions and most of them modern opinions too Primitive Christianity never heard nor thought of such things and notions but they have been invented and advanced to justifie the Schismatical practices of some Men who have not brought their Works to the Rule but the Rule I mean the Gospel to their Works In a word they are all Novelties or renewed Errors all Impious False or most uncertain Notions and those that Teach them be who they will Teach for Doctrines of God the Traditions and Opinions of Men. II. But this is not the case of our poor Brethren of the French Church 't is not for these nor any such Opinions as these that they suffer but for professing such true and denying such false Doctrines as God hath obliged them to profess and deny and for disobeying their King in doing or not doing of those things which God hath commanded them to do or not to do This is the second part of my Discourse wherein after having stated the true Notion of Persecution I told you I would prove they are

THE TRUE NOTION OF Persecution Stated IN A SERMON PREACHED At the Time of the Late CONTRIBUTION FOR THE French Protestants By GEORGE HICKES D. D. Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Lauderdale and Vicar of Alhallows-Barkin London Published at the earnest request of many that heard it Preached 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. ad Rom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. ad Cor. Ep. 11. LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishops-Head in S. Paul's Church-Yard M DC LXXXI 2 COR. iv 9. Persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed The precedent Verse is this We are troubled on every side yet not distressed we are perplexed but not in despair Persecuted but THESE words are spoken by S. Paul not of the Christians in general but of the Apostles who above all other Christians were so obnoxious to sufferings because they preached the new Doctrine of the Gospel which was the destruction of all other Religions throughout the Jewish and Gentile world But because the Disciples or Lay-professors of Christianity have in all Ages and Governments suffered in proportion with the Preachers of it I shall consider the words in general as they regard the whole body of any Christian Communion that suffer in any common Persecution The Pastors with their Flocks the Teachers with their Hearers the Clergy with the Laity For it often so happens that all that will live Godly shall suffer Persecution and that the professors of Christianity be they Ministers or People must through many Tribulations and Afflictions enter into the Kingdom of God For Christianity is a suffering Religion and above all others exposeth its professors to persecution because when the Supream Power happens to be Infidel Idolater or Heretick and so sets it self against the Gospel in general or any particular truth of it it becomes the duty of all Christian Subjects to suffer if they will not fly There 's no mean in the Gospel betwixt these two extreams denying the Faith or * Just Mart. Apol. 2. p. 64. edit par 1615. dial cum Tryph. p. 236 323 363. fighting in the defence of it being equally damning sins for as it is written Whosoever denieth me before men him will I deny before my Father which is in Heaven So it is as plainly written Whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation And that we should in no exigence do the one nor the other but * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just Mart. dial cum Tryph. p. 323. chearfully suffer or save our selves by flight it is also written That every one who shall forsake Houses or Brethren or Sisters or Father or Mother or Wife or Children or Lands or lose his Life for Christ's sake and the Gospels shall receive an hundred fold and inherit Everlasting Life and that they are blessed who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of God Accordingly hath it been the practice of all good Christians to suffer or fly for so we are used to speak not that flight is not one sort of suffering for it implies forsaking of House Relations Lands and Country but that it is the custom of all Languages to speak of the lesser evil as of a good and so flight is if it be compared with Death Slavery or bodily Torments which are more emphatically called sufferings though really in it self it is also a great degree of suffering for which the person so flying from persecution shall be rewarded with Everlasting Life I say it hath been the inviolable practice of all good Christians to suffer or fly and never to resist so the Primitive Christians did under Pagan Arrian and Apostate Emperors the Waldenses under Pagano-Christian or Popish Powers our own Ancestors in the days of Queen Mary and now our poor Brethren of the Reformed French Communion who are fled hither in assurance of his Majestie 's protection and his Protestant Subjects Charity to whom he as it becomes so great a Patron of the Protestant Cause hath most affectionately recommended them commanding us to stir you up to so good a work which I have chosen to do in a Discourse upon these words upon which I shall proceed in the following method First I shall shew what Persecution is or when Christians are truly said to be Persecuted Secondly I shall shew that our Brethren of the French Church are under a true Persecution or truly Persecuted Thirdly I shall shew you to what a degree they are Persecuted And Lastly I shall shew you that it is our indispensable duty to help and assist them that now they are Persecuted they may not be destitute nor quite destroyed though they be cast down Persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed I. First I shall shew what Persecution is which is very necessary for me to do because the true notion of Persecution is generally mistaken men often miscalling that by the odious name of Persecution which is nothing but the Execution of just and sometimes of necessary and wholesom Laws Thus the Modern Jews in their writings speak of themselves as of a People that are Persecuted by the seed of Esau throughout the whole world The Papists those in the British Dominions especially complain that they are persecuted by the Hereticks and besides them there are yet many other sorts among us who make bitter out-cries against Persecution when their sufferings if tried by the true test of Persecution would not I am confident appear to be such Therefore that I may lay down the true notion of it I must desire you to observe that the Original words in the Old and New Testament as likewise the Latin word for Persecution and to Persecute properly signifie to pursue or run after another to stop him or get before him and from this Agonistical acceptation of the words they are translated into a Tropical sence to signifie to prosecute pursue or attach by Law I confess sometimes they signifie to pursue after another to kill him and so come to be taken in a Military sence to prosecute by the Sword but because I am resolved to confine my Discourse to Legal or pretended Legal Persecution I shall take no notice of Sword-persecution further than it happens to the Subjects from the Magistrate by virtue of the Law To make this which is the first step of my Discourse as plain as I can I tell you again that the Scripture-words for to Persecute signifie to prosecute or pursue by Law And by Law I here understand Law in the largest sence for the Will and Pleasure of the Supream Authority whereby the People that live under it are commanded to do or not to do otherwise to do or forbear doing such and such things Now because in the several times wherein the several Books of the Old and New Testament were written as well as in the Ages since good men were often prosecuted and pursued by Authoritative orders for