Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A52421
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A discourse concerning the pretended religious assembling in private conventicles wherein the unlawfullness and unreasonableness of it is fully evinced by several arguments / by John Norris ...
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Norris, John, 1657-1711.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing N1251; ESTC R17164
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128,825
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319
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A DISCOURSE Concerning the Pretended Religious Assembling In PRIVATE CONVENTICLES WHEREIN The Unlawfulness and Unreasonableness of it is fully Evinced by several Arguments By Iohn Norris M. A. and late Rector of Aldbourn in the County of Wilts LONDON Printed for Iames Norris at the Sign of 〈◊〉 King's Arms without Temple Bar. â—â—â—â— PUBLISHER To The READER THough there be no great need of a Preface to the following Papers yet partly to comply with custome and partly out of a Reverential respect to the dear memory of the Authour my deceased Father I thought it convenient to premise something by way of Apology to the Reader And that he may not be disappointed in his after Entertainment 't will be requisite for him in the entrance to understand that he is not here to expect a Discourse recommended 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by stroaks of Oratory neat turns of expression and harmonious Cadencies this being no way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle says in his Rhetorick agreeable to the nature of the thing which being a determination of a Question calls for no other ornaments than plainness perspicuity and solidity And as such a Rhetorical mode of Writing suits not with the nature of the work so neither with the design of its Composition For this Treatise was principally intended by the Authour for the instruction of ordinary and unlearned persons and particularly those of his own Congregation and accordingly he made it his business to bring it to the level of their Capacities Of what advantage this work may be to the learned World it becomes not me to presage onely thus much I believe I may say that the Cause has not suffered under his hands and that as Peace and Vnity was his aim so Truth and Victory is his attainment and this is all the Apology I think needfull to make in behalf to the Authour Now as to what concerns my Publication of this Posthumous Treatise I am aware but of one objection that may be made against it which is that the World is well stockt with excellent discourses on this Subject already This I acknowledge to be true but no way available to the purpose for which it is alledged For first may not the same be said of almost all the Arguments that are And yet this is not thought sufficient to barr all after-undertakings And besides there are different ways of managing the same Subject and how stale soever the latter be yet the former may be always new According to that of Seneca Etsi omnia a veteribus inventa essent hoc tamen semper novum erit usus inventorum ab aliis scientia dispositio Besides there is as much if not more in the advantageous proposal of an Argument as in the Argument it self and it often happens that by the mere placing a thing in a new light conviction is wrought when the very same consideration in another posture proved unsuccesfull These Considerations together with the prospect of being beneficial to the publick prevailed with me to concern my self in this Publication and are I hope sufficient to justifie the undertaking to others For sure that person would betray a very narrow and selfish spirit who declines an opportunity of doing good with the fruits of another's labour as his charity to the Poor must needs be very cold that refuses to be the Steward of another's Bounty Farewell John Norris Allsouls College June the 1st 1684 A Seasonable Question fully discussed Viz. Whether in a constituted Church where there is a constant preaching Ministry established by Law if a Silenced Non-conformist Minister shall come in to reside or inhabit or otherwise intrude himself into any Town or Parish and there without leave and against the will of the Magistrate set up a course of Preaching or other Ministerial acts in Private Meetings commonly called Conventicles it may be accounted the Ordinance of God or means to beget and encrease Faith or any other Saving Grace in the hearts of such as shall go to hear him IN the Entrance of my discourse upon this subject I shall not spend time in explaining the terms of the question they are so easie and obvious to every understanding that they need it not Without therefore any farther Proeme the negative with submission to better judgments I shall defend And that it is not the Ordinance of God as a means of grace conducing ought to the Salvation of mens souls I hope and will endeavour to make appear to any sober and considerate Christian upon these Eight following grounds ARGUMENT I. THat cannot be the Ordinance of God or means of grace that is ipso facto a sinfull act For God whose words and ways are all of them holy just and good hath appointed ordained or allowed nothing that hath any thing of sin in it And it were no less than blasphemy to say the contrary God doth not warrant any man to doe evil that good may come by it no not the least evil for the procurement of the greatest good either to our own or the souls of others The Apostle rejects the very thought of such a thing with horror and detestation as knowing damnation to be the just reward of it It is a good saying of Cajetan upon that place Secundum sanam veramque doctrinam peccata non sunt eligenda ut media ad quemcunque bonumfinem According to sound and true doctrine sins are not to be chosen as means to procure any good end whatsoever And mark his reason Quia suapte naturâ repugnat peccato quod sit eligibile It is contrary to and disagreeable with the nature of sin to be at all matter of our choice Propterea nec propter se nec propter aliud bonum est eligibile And therefore it is not to be chosen either for it self or for any good that comes by it They are neither good intents nor good events that make good actions All 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Will-worship is abominable to God His express Precept is Ye shall diligently keep the Commandments of the Lord your God his testimonies and statutes and doe that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord. And his Prohibition Ye shall not doe every man what is right in his own eyes The Commandments of God would soon be made of none effect if every one in the Church should doe what best likes him Shall the Master's will depend on the pleasure of the Servant or the Servant 's upon the master's He cannot be approved by him that employs him who busies himself in a work most sutable to his own humour with neglect of what is given him in Command Had a good intention been enough to have justified an action Saul had done very well in sparing Agag and the best of the spoils of the Amalekites and the kingdom of Israel might have continued to him and his house And Saint Peter had never been call'd Satan by our Saviour as
example of our Saviour Christ nor of his Apostles can be brought to justifie or allow any such practice ARGUMENT VI. THAT which God in his word hath branded with a black mark forewarning and commanding his People to avoid cannot be his ordinance or means of grace For it is not God's manner to stygmatize or disgrace his own ordinances or to forbid or discourage any in the use of them but to dignifie advance the honour and strictly to enjoin the use of them as knowing that the Devil and his instruments will sufficiently vilifie and disgrace them and that there will be enough in all ages who will disuse and forsake them Yea God hath so far dignified his ordinances of the word and sacrament which he intends to make use of as means of grace that when he might have wrought it in mens hearts immediately by his own spirit yet he hath put them off to his Ministers to doe it which is no small honour The case of the Eunuch in the Acts makes this plain The Spirit bad Philip join himself to the Chariot Yea when God himself hath begun the work yet he would not perfect it himself but hath handed it over to his Ministers to be completed by them This he did at the Conversion of St. Paul He sent Ananias to him who entered into the House and put his hands on him and said Brother Saul the Lord even Iesus which appeared to thee in the way as thou camest hath sent me that thou shouldst receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost What greater honour than this could God have put upon his Ordinance of the Ministry But he hath set a black mark and brand upon the Persons and Ministry in question and commanded a withdrawing from them Now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them for they that are such serve not the Lord Iesus but their own bellies and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple The Emphasis of the Apostles words is worthy our observation Mark them signifying such a diligent wary and circumspect care as Watchmen use that stand on an high Tower to descry the approach of an Enemie They mark diligently all Comers and give notice according as they apprehend any danger for the preservation of the City And avoid them as dangerous Persons hurtfull to Christian Society And how sweet and fair soever their words seem to be yet they will eat as doth a Canker They give not their poison but wrapt up in Honey Their smooth Language is their net wherewith they catch many a simple Soul that is not exceeding carefull lest any man should beguile him as Ioab did Amasa with enticing words Their flattering speeches and specious pretenses of Purity and Doctrine and tenderness of Conscience tend to no other but to deceive the simple and unwary to get themselves a maintenance and to fill their own bellies they are like the false Apostles in the Church of Corinth who transformed themselves into the Apostles of Christ yet were but deceitfull workers to bring that People into bondage to devour them and to take of them How guilty the persons in question are of causing Divisions amongst People whereever they come of renting the Unity of the Church and disturbing the peace thereof of giving offence to Rulers and Governours by their constant and wilfull violation of all Ecclesiastical and Civil order and discipline is too notoriously known by sad experience in all places And whether the other Character in the text belongs to them that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and seek not so much mens Souls for therein they may spare their pains as needless where there is a preaching Ministry established as their purses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 making merchandize of the word of God their hearers and followers are best able to tell and will I think in a while be weary of it In the mean time we that are Pastours of Flocks find by experience in those places where these persons intrude themselves that the People are ready to pull their own Ministers bread out of their mouths to feed those their new Masters live we never so blamelesly and take we never so much pains amongst them for the good of their Souls Yea they hate those their Ministers most who best deserve their love and lay most obligations on them According to that of the Philosopher Leve aes alienum debitorem facit grave ininâ—icum A bad Debtor when he owes but a small summ will be contented to look towards you but when it is great more than he can well pay or as much as he thinks he can get then he will be glad to be rid of you Again The Apostle foretells that towards the latter end of the World and surely those days are come upon us Perilous times shall come and there shall be many that shall creep into houses and lead Captive silly Women from such turn away And whom do the men we are speaking of most prevail upon and draw after them but easie and unstable souls such as have itching Ears always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth well meaning People that are spurred on with zeal and want judgment to hold the reins many times an over vehement bending into some way of our own chusing doth not onely withdraw us from the left hand way the way of Idolatry and Superstition from which we should all withdraw but from the middle way too in which we should all walk And then the danger is great The Devil doth many times make zeal and religion his instrument to drive men on to incredible extremities of impiety For if he cannot take away mens faith yet he will quench their Charity to others even to those to whom they owe it most For zeal except it be ordered aright when it bendeth it self to conflict with things either indeed or but imagined to â—e opposite to Religion useth the razor many times with such eagerness that the very life of Religion is thereby hazarded through hatred of tares the corn in the field is plucked up So that zeal needeth both ways a sober guide Zeal against Poperty saith another learned Authour who conceals his name except it be bridled by discretion and attended by equal pace of strength is not the way to protect but to betray a cause Those that were lately zealous for the good old cause lost it and the King had not better friends than his most implacable Enemies Fury is as bad in a Champion as torpour it is an even temperature of wisedom and valour that doeth the execution A sober Protestant though he rageth less shall prevail more on a Papist than a mad Fanatique The greatest part of zeal against Popery that is found amongst the Nonconformists is like that of one frantick who wounds himself