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A34532 An account given of the principles & practices of several nonconformists wherein it appears that their religion is no other than what is profest in the Church of England in vindication of themselves and others of their perswasion, against the misrepresentation made of them, and in hearty desire of unity in the Church, and of peace and concord among all true Protestants, for the strengthening of their common interest, in this time of their common danger / written by Mr. John Corbet ... Corbet, John, 1620-1680. 1682 (1682) Wing C6251; ESTC R224970 23,021 37

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An Account given of the Principles Practises Of Several NONCONFORMISTS Wherein it Appears that their Religion is no other than what is Profest in the Church of England In Vindication of themselves and others of their perswasion against the misrepresentation made of them And in hearty desire of Unity in the Church and of peace and concord among all true Protestants for the strengthening of their Common Interest in this time of their common Danger Written by Mr. John Corbet late of Chichester and approved by many other Nonconformists LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and 3 Crowns near Mercers Chappel at the lower end of Cheapside 1682. To the Reader REaders Least you should think that the agreement of all here written in sense and very much in words with what I have Published doth signifie that it is not wholly the Authors work but any of it mine I do truly acquaint you that he never so much as acquainted me with his writing it nor did I read it all before I gave it to the Printer nor did I alter adde or diminish one word in all the book But as we were of one Mind and Heart our agreement is no wonder And his widow the daughter of the famous Dr. Twisse assureth me that several eminent Nonconforming Divines saw it and approved it as I doubt not but most others will do when they have seriously perused it But alas I that have known these twenty years what other designes have been in some mens heads inconsistent with all such indeavours for our Concord and how powerful those men have been who profess that there is no way of Concord and avoiding Schisme but by obeying the Governing Universal Church which hath the power of Universal Legislation and Judgement which is a Forreign Jurisdiction I say I that know this must needs know how little more than the satisfying of our Consciences such pacificatory endeavours as these do signifie But as my dear Brother dyed in the comfort of Christs judgment Blessed are the Peacemakers the rest of us wait in hope so to dye Richard Baxter Feb. 10. 1681. Several Tracts not yet Printed prepared for the Press and left under Mr. John Corbett's own handting intended shortly to be Published are as follows 1. THE true State of the Ancient Episcopacy 2. The present Ecclesiastical Government compared with the Ancient Episcopacy 3. A Consideration of the present State of Conformity in the Church of England 4. A Discourse of the Church and of the Ministry thereof 5. A Tract of Certainty and Infallibility 6. Of Divine Worship in three parts 1. Of the Nature Kinds Parts and Adjuncts of Divine Worship 2. Of Idolatry 3. Of Superstition less than Idolatry 7. His Humble Representation of his Case touching the Exercise of his Ministry 8. Discourses between Dr. Gunning late Bishop of Chichester and himself wherein are several Humble Defences made both as to his Principles and Practice 9. An humble endeavour of some plain and brief Explication of the Decrees and Operations of God about the free Actions of Men. More especially of the Operations of Divine Grace 10. Matrimonial Purity An Account given by some deprived Ministers of their judgement and practice c. THE manifold reproaches heaped upon the Nonconformists among whom it is our lot to be numbred have filled the whole Nation Our Religion hath been represented as a mixture of folly and villany our principles and tempers as turbulent seditious and utterly inconsistent with the peace of Church or State and our pretences as frivolous and often baffled Our Governours have been admonished to beware of us as their worst and most dangerous enemies and excited to use the utmost severities against us Hereupon it behoves us to humble our selves in the sight of the Lord and to implore his mercy and to bear his just rebukes in the unjust reproaches cast upon us by men also to suffer these indignities with Christian patience and to shew our selves reconcilable to those who have been so adverse to us and to endeavour peace and concord with them if it be possible many of whom we suppose to have been acted in this matter with an undissembled zeal though not regulated by sound knowledge or due charity but hurried with unreasonable prejudice and passion We hold it also our duty not to neglect our own necessary vindication but in honest simplicity to make known to all what principals and practices we own and stand to Though we are taught and encouraged to labour and suffer reproach and to reckon it a very small thing to be judged by man's judgment yet we are bound to vindicate our innocence for the truths sake and out of charity towards all men to provide what in us lies that none may take an occasion of stumbling in us And here it shall suffice us only to make a true representation of our selves having this confidence that the bare stating of our case will be our sufficient defence 1. In the first place we declare that with us the kingdom of God is not Conformity or Nonconformity as such but Christianity or real Godliness which is most summarily comprized in the baptismal Covenant of Grace and more explicitely yet briefly in the Creed Lords Prayer and Decaloge and at large and most perfectly in the Holy Bible A religiousness made up of little opinions and modes and phrases and sidings with this or the other party is none of ours though we are injuriously personated in some late writings to act such a part Faith hope and love is the essence of our Religion and with us differences in things not essential do not make different Religions VVe disdain our being of a party as such And though the godly be a peculiar people we confine not godliness to any peculiar way narrower than mere Christianity We make no Humane additions in Sacred things nor any mutable circumstances to be the terms of Christian Fellowship 2. Accordingly we seek not the advancement of any Sect or Party to the injury or neglect of the Universal Church or Christian cause or the common good And as we are no faction we know that Factiousness is not our Interest but turns to our greatest loss Our aims being Christian and Catholick we seek the increase of the visible Catholick Church or the whole Society of men professing true Christianity in order to the increase of the Church invisible or the Society of Regenerate Christians And to these ends we desire and most approve the primitive simplicity in Doctrine Worship and Discipline And herein we boast not as if we were the only men of the Primitive Christian Spirit but we answer them who have trampled upon us as an impertinent trifling Sect. 3. We heartily own the Protestant Reformation in Doctrine and particularly that of the Church of England contained in the Nine and Thirty Articles except those Two or Three that relate only to some of our present differences and not at all to the Doctrine of