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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47013	Maran atha: or Dominus veniet Commentaries upon the articles of the Creed never heretofore printed. Viz. Of Christs session at the right hand of God and exaltation thereby. His being made Lord and Christ: of his coming to judge the quick and the dead. The resurredction of the body; and Life everlasting both in joy and torments. With divers sermons proper attendants upon the precedent tracts, and befitting these present times. By that holy man and profound divine, Thomas Jackson, D.D. President of Corpus Christi Coll. in Oxford.	Jackson, Thomas, 1579-1640.; Oley, Barnabas, 1602-1686.	1657 (1657)	Wing J92; ESTC R216044	660,378	504

Reformation and Refining was that they made The Church which in their Language was the bodie of the Clergie A body Politick or kingdom distinct from the body of the Layetie holding even Christian Kings and Emperours to be Magistrates meerly Temporal or civil altogether excluded from medling in affairs Ecclesiastick Now this being granted the Supream Majestie of every kingdom State or nation should be wholly seated in the Clergie The greatest Kings and Christian Monarchs on earth should be but meer vassals to the Ecclesiastick Hierarchie or at the most in such subordination to it as Forraign Generals and Commanders in chief are to the States or Soveraignties which imploy them who may displace them at their pleasure whensoever they shall transgresse or not execute their instructions or Commissions For this reason as in the handling of the first verses of the 13. Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans hath been declared unto you before All the disputes or Lawes concerning the Supremacie of Kings or Free States within their own Dominions were to no purpose unlesse this Root of mischief and Rebellion be taken away which makes the Clergie a body politick or Common-weal Ecclesiastick altogether distinct from the Layetie-Christian Now this erroneous Root of mischief hath been well removed by the Articles of Religion established in this Church and Land Article the 37. wherein The same authoritie and power is expresly given to the Kings of this Realm and their successors which was in use and practise amongst the Kings of Judah and the Christian Emperors when kingdoms and Common-weales did first become Christian The Law of God and of nature will not suffer the Soveraign Power in Causes Ecclesiastick to be divorced from the Supream Majestie of any Kingdom or free Soveraigntie truely Christian But what be the contrary Errors into which such as take upon them to be Reformers of the Reformation already made have run headlong Or how do they the same things wherein they judge the Romanists The Romanists as they well observe deserve condemnation by all Christian States for appropriating the Name or Soveraign Dignitie of the Church unto the Clergie and by making the Prerogative of Priests and Prelates to be above the Prerogatives of Kings and Princes The Contrary faction of Reformers not content to deprive the Clergie of those civil Immunities and priviledges wherewith the Law of God the Law of Nations and the Fundamental Law of this Kingdom have endowed them will have them to be no true members of the Common-weale or Kingdom wherein they live Or at the best but such Inferior members of the Common-weale as the Papists make the Layetie to be of the Church men that shall have no voice in making those Coercive Lawes by which they are to be governed and to govern their flocks yea men that shall not have necessary voyces in determining controversies of Religion or in making Rules and Canons for preventing Schisme I should have been afraid to beleeve thus much of any sober man professing Christianitie unlesse I had seen A book to this purpose perused as is pretended in the Frontispice by the Learned in the Laws But the Author hath wisely concealed his own name and the names of those learned in the Lawes which are in gros●● pretended for its Approbation And therefore I shall avoid suspition of ayming at any particular out of mis-affection to his person in passing this general Censure No man could have had the heart to write it no man the face to read it without blushing or indignation but he that was altogether unlearned and notoriously ignorant in the Law of God in the Law of nature and in the Fundamental points of Christianitie 6. All Errors in this kind proceed from these Originals First The Authors of them Charitie may hope by Incogitancie or want of consideration rather than out of Malice seek to subject the Clergie unto the same Rule unto which the Church was subject for the first 300. years after Christ during which time the Kings and Emperours under which the Christians lived were Heathens And whilst the chief Governours were such no Christians could exercise Coercive Authoritie as to Fine imprison or banish any that did transgresse the Lawes of God or of the Church The Apostles themselves could use no other manner of punishment besides delivering up to Satan Excommunication or inhibition from hearing the word or receiving the Sacraments Secondly the Authors of the former Errors consider not That whilest the Church was in this subjection to meer Civil and not Christian Power the Lay-Christians of what rank soever though noble men by birth were as straightly confined and kept under as were the Clergie Yea the Clergie in those times had greater authoritie over Lay-Christians then any other men had Authority much greater over the greatest then any besides the Romish Prelates do this day challenge over the meanest of their flocks But after Kings and Emperors and other supream Magistrates were once converted to the Christian Faith their dignities were no whit abated but gained this Addition to their former Titles that they were held supream Magistrates in Causes Ecclesiastick That is they had power of calling Councils and Synods for quelling Schisms and Heresies in the Church power likewise to punish the Transgressors of such Laws or Canons as had been made by former Godly Bishops or Prelates which lived under Heathen States or of such as the Bishops or Clergy which lived under their Government should make for the better Government of Christs Church Unto punishments meerly spiritual which the Apostles and Bishops had formerly only used Christian Emperors added punishments temporal as imprisonment of body loss of goods exile or death according to the nature and qualitie of the transgression But that any Laws or Canons were made by Christian Kings or Emperors for the Government of the Church or that any Controversies in Religion were determined without the Express Suffrages and Consents of Bishops and Pastors though all wayes ratified by the Soveraigntie of the Nation or State for whom such Canons were made no man until these dayes wherein we live did ever question 7. And of such as question or oppose Episcopal Authoritie in these Cases I must say as once before out of this place in like case I did If Heathen they be in heart and would perswade the Layetie again to become Heathens their Resolutions are Christian at least their conclusions are such as a good Christian living under Heathens would admit But if Christians they be in heart and profession their Conclusions are heathenish or worse For what Heathen did ever deny their Priests the chief stroke or sway in making Lawes or ordinances concerning the Rites or service of their Gods or in determining Points Controverted in Religion To conclude this Point The men that seek to be most contrary to the Romish Church and are most forward to judge her for enlarging the Prerogative of Priesthood beyond its ancient

to torment them Yet it is not possible that the entire and uninterrupted possession or the undisinheritable tenor of virtue compleat should alwayes in this life be a sufficient recompence to it self or able to countervail all the costs or grievances wherewith the most virtuous or most Godly men that live may in this life be charged Virtue then or Godliness is in this life a sufficient recompence to it self spe only not re so far as it is the only Way to our union with God or with Christ who is to all the sons of Abraham as he professed himself to Abraham Gen. 15. 1. their exceeding great reward Nor could true Happiness consist in Virtue if our hopes or fruition of it might be terminated with this life In what sense then is Felicity said to consist in Virtue Only so far as our assured hope of a better life after death is unseparably annexed and indissolubly wedded unto the constant practice of Virtue and Godliness in this life Without Assurance of this hope that Magnificent Confidence which the Stoicks put in Virtue was but a vain imagination in respect of themselves And for this reason albeit all of them were more then Christians Hyperbolical Christians in their speculative commendations of Virtue yet many of them were in practice as cowardly as other heathen And no marvel seeing it is This Hope which must strengthen other Graces of God in us enable our spirits to countersway the contrary inclinations of natural fear of death or torments in the day of tryal Cast not away your confidence saith the Apostle Heb. 10. 35 36 Which hath great recompence of reward For ye have need of patience that after ye have done the Will of God ye might receive the promise And again Hebr. 12. ver 1 2. Let us lay aside every weight and the Sin which doth so easily be et us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Iesus the Author and finisher of our faith who for the Ioy that was set before him endured the crosse despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God As to encourage our selves to do well with hope or conceit of meriting any thing at Gods hand is pride and presumption a natural branch of Popish Superstition So not to strengthen our selves or quicken our patience in the suffering of any bodily evils that for Christ's Cause can befal us with Hope of Reward or certain expectance of a better Sentence to be pronounced by a supreme Judge is but a branch of the blind Stoicks Affection or of his forced and affected Zeal to Virtue And it is no better then a Stoical Doctrine or error which some have taught that we are to do good meerly for goodness sake sine intuitu mercedis without any eye or respect to our reward or recompence It is an error if it be persisted in so much more dangerously heretical in Divinity then theirs was in Philosophy by how much we are more deeply bound then they were not to sever those things by Nicities or speculative Distinctions which God hath indissolubly conjoyned and whose conjunction the Son of God himself whilest he lived on earth hath by his practice and example ratified unto us And St. Paul delivers it as a point of useful doctrine to the Thessalonians 1 Thes 4. 13. to comfort themselves against the terrors and assaults of death whether made upon themselves or upon their friends with hope of a resurrection to a better life Now it were impossible for any man to comfort himself with this hope without intuition or respect unto this great reward that God hath to bestow on men For greater reward he hath none to bestow then Life eternal nor is man capable of any like unto it But of this Point more fully when we come to the last point proposed to wit The Sentence or Award of this Final Judgement 8. But now to shut up the First Point concerning the natural Notions which the heathens had and The internal Experiments which every true Christian may have answering to these Notions of a Final Judgment The sum of all is compriz'd by our Apostle Rom. 2. 14 15 16. whose words are a full confirmation of what hath been before observed concerning the Heathens When the Gentiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law unto themselves which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing witness and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another In the day when God shall Judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel It was no part of our Apostles meaning that the Consciences of these heathens should not give in their Evidence or accusations until the day of Final Iudgment No their Evidence shall in that day appear more full and publick when God shall Iudge the secrets of the heart but even in this secrecie of the heart there was an Evidence though private yet full enough to themselves of a Judgment to come The Apostles speech is distributively universal every mans thoughts do accuse or excuse him for all his own deeds respectively And no marvel seeing the Notions of good and evil are as naturally implanted in our souls as the Notions of truth and falshood And children so such as have the Tuition of them would be careful so their parents were not more delighted to ripen their wits then to ripen the seeds of morality might as soon be taught to put a difference betwixt things sacred and prophane as between the right hand and the left But this is our miserie that these Notions of good or evil are sooner corrupted and choked then our Notions of truth and falshood Yet however The working of Conscience cannot utterly be choked or deaded in any although the voice of it be oft times unheard although most men seek to stifle it 9. The Internal Experiments which certifie the Christian of a Judgment to come be so frequent and forcible that pains will be better spent in perswading men to take notice of them then in a long discourse of them It is the chief wisdom of a Christian the very life of Christian Sobriety not to exceed so much in mirth though honest harmless and in season nor in the frequency of any business though indifferent and lawful as not to allot the secrets of our hearts and consciences some set hours and times for Audience Multiplicitie of business without interposition of vacancies to this purpose is but like perpetual noise and clamor in a Court of Justice and not to use some retired Interims for examination of our souls is but as if men should continually laugh or brawl whilest the Officers of the Court injoyn peace or silence So often then as we shall perceive our Conscience either expresly to check us or inwardly to

they were imployed Now the manner of their imployment no man whose Ancestors have been Parties in this business will take upon him to justifie Nor have the posterity of such as were at that time most inriched with the spoils of the superstitious Church any great cause to rejoyce at their Ancestors easie purchase It was a practise just and right as being authorized by God himself that the Israelites should despoile the Egyptians of their costly ear-rings and gawdy jewels But albeit the Israelites who were the borrowers had better right unto them then the Egyptians which did lend them yet much better had it been if the Egyptians had either not lent them or after the lone recovered them than that they should have afforded as they did both matter and opportunity for erecting golden Calves in Israel And of two Evils it had been the lesse if the Churches Revenues had been possessed by their first Owners and not been mis-imployed in ryot luxurie and other branches of prophaneness whereby the measure of this Lands Iniquity was rather augmented then diminished however the nutriment of superstition and Idolatry was by this means abated But be our Fore-elders fault if not in alienating yet in mis-imploying Church Revenues as it may be worse then superstition equivalent to Idolatry it self it was in no wise the fault of Reformed Religion nor of the Reformers of it it must be charged upon the mainteiners of superstition For at the Dissolution of Abbies and other Religious Houses there was no Publick Reformation of Religion attempted save only the denyal or Abjuration of the Popes Transcendent Authority and Restauration of the King unto his antient and hereditary right of Jurisdiction in Causes Ecclesiastick Nor was that Boysterous King so much to blame in dissolving material Temples or houses rather abused then consecrated to superstition as he was after this Reformation if so it may be called in destroying so many living Temples of God which sought not the dissolution of his Kingdom nor any other Reformation of him and his people save only the clearing and purifying of their hearts and brests which had been consecrated unto Gods service from the infection of Romish superstition and Idolatry 2. Idolatry was that which in the first place required Reformation because it did pollute the whole service of God And I think it would be hard to finde any generation of Christian men since the first plantation of Christianity which did more abhor idols or adoration of images in the Church then the first Reformers of that Religion which we now professe did witness Those learned Homilies against the peril of Idolatry And yet would to God that many of those times of high authoritie and most zealously forward in the work of Reformation had not condemned themselves by judging the Romish Church or their fore Elders which lived in it Or that our Apostles censure of the Jewes hate or opposition unto Gentilism had not fallen as jump and fit upon the times of Edward the sixt as it did upon the times and people to whom it was first purposely fitted Our fore Elders especially the Nobilitie and Gentry of those times did abhor idols no lesse then the Jewes did and yet did commit more grosse and palpable sacriledge then the Jewes to my observation at any time had done And what could it boote them to deface Images or pull down Idols in the material Churches so long as by their very spoils they nourished that Great Idol Covetousness in their own hearts Thus to seek to inrich themselves or fill their private Coffers with the spoils of Abbies or Churches or by Tithes and offerings was but to continue the practise of the Prelacie or Clergie in destroying Parishes to erect Monasteries or demolishing lesser Religious houses to build up others more sumptuous more Luxurious 3. Many at this day there be which out of zeal complain that the Lawes against superstition and Idolatry are not severe enough and there is no moderate man unlesse of the Romish faction but could wish that such lawes as have been made for suppressing the growth of it were more constantly more impartially executed then they are In all this neither of them are to blame And yet by soliciting Gods cause and the cause of true Religion against the mainteiners of superstition and Idolatry we shall but solicite our own condemnation unless we bear a like zealous desire and good affection for the depressing and rooting out of all sacrilegious Practises or Opinions And yet seriously to attempt the Reformation of this foul sin which is Equivalent to Idolatry and hath the same burthen of Gods curse would be a matter I am perswaded as full of difficultie and danger in this Land as to attempt the defacing of Images in the Church of Rome or in any Province subject to her Jurisdiction But the further prosecution of this point would better befit an Audience of States-men of Parliament-men or Lawyers then this place or Audience Only let me forewarn you That your Predecessors have been grievous offenders in this kinde witness the short revenues or poor Endowments of your goodly Churches 4. But this sin of sacrilege or Church robbing hath been though not common to all yet in a manner peculiar to such as exercise the Co-active Power of Reformation The Clergie in whom the Power directive was did either not at all or unwillingly partake with them in this offence they have been and are the Patients that is the men which suffer wrong not Doers of wrong in this kinde And if we set aside those Points of Romish Religion which did not come to opposition or counterpoize with Power Royall or with the Interest of Potentates or commodities of private men The Reformation made by our fore elders in other points of Doctrine was judicious and Religious They did no way condemn themselves by judging the Romish Church The judgement which they exercised was the judgement of the Lord. The Reformation which they intended and accomplished was The Lords doing But many which have enjoyed the benefit of that wholsome Reformation and of true Christian libertie restored by it have not submitted themselves their opinions or Practises to the Lawes or Rules prescribed by it Many have taken upon them and yet do not only to judge or censure the Romish Church but even to condemn the Reformation of their Ancestors as if it did to this day savour of the superstition from which it was severed of those men I only speak which out of an hatred Antipathy or loathing the Romish Church do cast themselves out of all Churches and will be members of none unlesse they may be heads of some one new one of their own making or of some that hath no real patern or Module save only in their own busie heads or brains 5. To instance in some particular errors into which the very hate of Romish errors hath transported them One of the most waightie Masses of Poperie which required