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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27637	The principles of Protestant truth and peace in four treatises : viz. the true state of liberty of conscience, in freedom from penal laws and church-censures, the obligations to national true religion, the nature of scandal, paricularly as it relates to indifferent things, a Catholick catechism, shewing the true grounds upon which the Catholick religion is ascertained / by Tho. Beverley ...	Beverley, Thomas.	1683 (1683)	Wing B2188A; ESTC R12543	325,863	502

Christianity have found it most to their advantage of Edification to unite with such a Congregation of Christians All these or any of these may create an obligation to such conjunctions But because the hottest disputes in relation to Christian Practise so as to conserve Peace and Order have risen in this very juncture of particular Societies of Christians I will endeavour to settle upon an indisputable state of things and leave out what is more intricate and controversal that we may see how far the Laws of Christ extend here to Love and Peace in these following Assertions 1. That Our Lord hath given Rules for such Holy Grave and Honourable Societies under the name of Churches as must needs invite all of the same excellent Christian Temper into their Communion according to the opportunities they have to joyn with them their Doctrine Worship and Practice so Pure and Heavenly so evidently for the good of mens souls so composed to all true Decency Prudence and a Discipline so Humble Natural Strict only to the truest benefit of those that are under it that it cannot look like a secular Dominion but for the service of Faith the help of Joy the safety of Souls and their eternal Interest This I am sure every one will yeild is the Frame and Constitution of a Christian Church let it be found whereever it can be found Let every Church see to it self whether it be so Tempered and Constituted or not How then does it seem possible that when there are such Societies Christians should not fly to them as the Doves to the windows seeing Christianity improves the sociableness of Humanity into the truest publickness of Spirit and desire to enjoy Good with more than in solitude 2. It is the express Command of Christ and his design in all his institutions that there should be such Assemblies of his people and servants for the Glory of his Father for his own Glory for the Salvation of his People for Divine worship for the discharge of the several Duties of Christians for the Communications of their Gifts and Graces so that the forsaking of the Assemblies of our selves together as Heb. 10. 25. the manner of some was is very little distant from Apostacy it self How can there then be but Churches where there are Christians seeing so much of the concerns of Christianity lye therein and who indeed possess'd with those concerns does not rejoice in them and bless God for his unspeakable Gift in the Constitution of them 3. Yet is there no Law of Christ that main force should be us'd upon men to bring them into any Assembly of Christians at all much less into one rather than another especially when the main Reasons or Motives of uniting with Assemblies according to the Laws of Christ present themselves to mens Apprehensions and Consciences more in some than others Indeed mens over-zealous Affectation of some and unworthy neglect of others as one for Paul another for Apollos another for Cephas another for 1 Cor. 1. 12. Christ as if these Ministers by whom they believed were to set up for themselves as Heads of Christianinty and to rival Christ himself as if but upon the same level with them was very justly and severely chastiz'd by the Apostle but a true value for all the Stewards of Divine Mysteries and 1 Cor. 4. 1. Churches and a particular value for those Pastors and Congregations wherein God hath vouchsafed especial Blessings for mens Souls or gives opportunity to receive such is very agreeable to the Gospel as the Apostle though he refus'd undue measures of Honour yet assumes that of being 1 Cor. 4. 15. 1 Cor. 9. 2. a Father as above thousands of Instructors Christianity and the Ministry of it being so Holy and Humble a state that no one acting according to it either Arrogates or Envies so he that hath much of the Honour of it hath nothing over or above the measure of a Steward and he that hath least should have nothing under that measure if he be found Faithful So the Congregations have the equal Glory of being of the Body of Christ and Churches to be little Representations of and imbodyed with his own Catholick Church in the grand Vnion of all Christians with the Head Here then is the ground of Christian Peace and Union in Churches 4. It is a Principle in Nature and much Confirm'd and Exalted by Christianity that the Worship of God and the Salvation of mens Souls should be made as Publick and Vniversal as may be Go Preach the Gospel to every creature and Baptize all Nations was the very Commission Christ gave to his Apostles and first Embassadors and is continued to all his Ministers to the end of the world not of Mat. 26. 19. the world of that Age only but to that end of the world which is till his second coming until which he hath promised his presence The Great Congregation is the most natural Receptacle of Divine Truth the state of Religion under the Gospel is rarely spoken of especially when declared Psal 100. 1. 117. 16. 1 c. in its Magnificence with a less Publick Character than All People All Nations All Lands the Round World in its whole Circle from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same All the Earth True Religion aspir'd to it even under the narrow Dispensation of the Law and in this very sense it is most true that the Apostle said in his time The whole Creation groaneth and travelleth in pain until Rom. 8. 19 c. now and the earnest expectation of it waiteth for the Adoption the Manifestation of the Sons of God to be gathered together under the whole Heaven Nor will some of every Nation satisfie the full intention of this Magnificence but that Nations as Nations imbodyed and Kingdoms as Kingdoms shall become the Lords and his Christs is the plenary sense of the Divine Spirit when even as of Israel an indisputably National Church God shall say of Heathen Nations as of Egypt and Assyria known to Israel so well and known so well as Rankly Heathen and therefore chosen as Representatives of the whole Heathen world Yet of these God shall say Blessed be Egypt my people and Assyria the work of my hands and Israel Isa 19. ult my inheritance for in that day Israel shall be but a third with Egypt and Assyria and there shall be a High-way through them All and they shall serve together there shall be a free passage of Truth through All. A High way of the Gospel throughout and an Vnion of Worship So then if we find so much for a National Religion in the Prophecies of the times of the Gospel in the Old Testament which grasp more than those passages in the New Testament which relate to the then matter of fact only if our Saviours Commission for making disciples and preaching the Gospel extend to all Nations if the Prophetick book of the New Testament the

and inflam'd with a Holy Affection in a lowly Imitation of the Divine Zeal wherewith God performs all his Holy Ordinations Thus as Princes they have power with God because they offer him their Petitions according to his Established Rules of Government and his own Holy Will concerning the things wherein they pray to him Now the understanding these Rules was extraordinary and infallible to the Prophets and Servants of God inspir'd by him but to us in ordinary by the light of the Word of God by the Laws of True and Right Reason in deductions from that word And in which word and the deductions from it if we are not mistaken the Efficacy will be certain because if we ask according to his will we are sure he heareth us and that we have in some true sense the Petitions we ask of him This is so valuable a Rule of prayer that Daniel though so great a Man of Vision yet betook himself to this ordinary means of Instruction in the mind of God Dan. 9. By Books of Holy Records and general Chronology he knew that the time of the Babylonish Captivity was near its Expiration and so set himself to prayer and was crown'd with this wonderful success and acceptance Thus prayers prevail with God and yet without any change in him there being a Configuration or Concurrence of all things according to his own unchangable Will His Counsels of old that are Faithfulness and Truth are remonstrated to him by the humble servent desires of his servants that knew them to be his Counsels and who are ordered by the same counsels to enquire or beseech him by prayer according to them and therefore by his spirit the spirit of prayer He draws the parallel lines to his own Intentions upon their Hearts Desires and Affections I have pursued this the further because it gives a solution to that Doubt how God without any change in himself hears prayers and also assures us this prayer being so remarkable as to be twice us'd in the same words most certainly bears it self upon some certain principle from which we may argue to general practise The principle it rests upon must be this There is an Establish'd order betwixt the wrath and displeasure of God His Fury and Vengeance and the Nations or Families not knowing not calling on his Name and this is known by very light of Nature His Wrath according to unchangable Laws is always prepar'd against those that forsake him and that Duty they owe to him as Nations It had been else a great presumption upon God and Breach of Charity to the Nations so to pray against them which may also give us account of all those Dreadful Imprecations and Curses David and other Prophets and Holy men pour out against their own Enemies and the Enemies of their people They are founded in their being Enemies to God his True Worship Love and Service and as such their Final Destruction was decreed against them by the most Righteous Laws of Divine Government made known unto those Holy men and so they prayed for it as publique persons and not out of private Wrath and Revenge but this by the way I proceed now in the main Argument And this principle I am upon That the Wrath of God is against the Nations that are without National Religion lyes deeper in a First and more Original principle viz. There is an Obligation a great Duty lying upon Nations as Nations to know and worship the True God For else why should God find fault why should he be angry when none had resisted his Will From hence it is That there is a Natural Order established by God between his Love and Favour and a People and their publique True Religion because it is the Observation of a Duty and the Observation of Duty is the fitting us for Blessing and ●avour as the neglect and Transgression of Duty cannot be without wrath and displeasure For thus God hath placed Life and Death one over against another yet so that Life and Blessing are always first even as Duty is always before sin For God never made Death and Destruction even as he never could be the cause of sin but they come in by the Failing of our Duty and so of that Life and Blessedness entail'd on our Duty Yet the Obligation to National True Religion is much more evident from these Holy men praying down Wrath upon them that know not God and that call not on his Name then it could have been from the praying for his Favour to them that did know him and that did call on his Name because his Favour might have been vouchsafed upon Terms much below our substantial and inviolable Duty As many of the Jewish Rites might be Arguments for and Pledges of Gods gracious Regard to the people he had so distinguish'd when the want of those signs would not have argued to the effusion of his Wrath and Vengeance there being no natural or positive Duty lying upon any but the Jews to such observances There may be many Arguments for the Bounty and Favour of God from External Rites appointed by him and observ'd by his people though indeed these all refer to their Essential Duty and argue nothing without it Yet the contrary will not enforce to the opposite Degrees of Wrath and Indignation because they are not observ'd when no substantial Duty is violated Vncircumcision that keeps the Law may have in the main the same security from wrath with Circumcision that keeps the Law also Seeing then there is so great wrath against those that know not God that call not on his Name It assures us the Duty the Obligation and the Reason of it lye deep that the omission is so subjected to the Divine Revenges and it is in this A society without Religion is a High contempt of God a making flesh our arm and departing from the Lord and so from his Favour and Blessing A principality without an Inscription a Dedication to the Glory of God to which all things are to be devoted is like the building a Tower up to Heaven A sin like the sin of Herod when he let that Sacrilegious Applause sink into him and gave not the Glory to God and therefore subjects men to be at any time smitten and blasted by God who has said Those that honour him he will honour but all else shall be lightly esteem'd whether Nation or Person It is not therefore only the Judgment upon the Irreligion of particular persons of particular Families that is here intended though this is included and suppos'd but especially upon the Irreligion of Societies knitting and strengthning themselves without the True God upon Principalities exalting themselves and not by and with the Almighty and Supreme Majesty On the other side if there be a Duty an Obligation of being publiquely Religious there is a Blessing upon it according to that Fundamental Principle He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder