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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A71053	Examinations, or, A discovery of some dangerous positions delivered in A sermon of reformation preached in the church of the Savoy last fast day July 26 by Tho. Fuller, B.D. and since printed / by Iohn Saltmarsh ...	Saltmarsh, John, d. 1647.	1643 (1643)	Wing S481; ESTC R23325	13,853	26

strong affections though perhaps not with so loude a noise as any whatsoever Examination If your thorough Reformation in this page be compared with your 14. 15. 16. 17. pages where you have bound it up with so many restrictions the falacy will soone appear You would smoothly taxe some brethren for clamor and noise in their desires after Reformation indeed if you could perswade the Prophets of God into silence or slight endeavours halfe your designe were finished but they have a fire which flames into stronger expressions if the zeale of the Prophets and Martyrs had given no further testimony to the truth then their own bosoms we had not had at this day such a cloud of witnesses you know these loud importunities awakens and hastens men into that holy business you would so faine retard if you think it your vertue that you can be silent in the midst of our importunities and loud cryes after Reformation I am sure 't is your policy too for should you make too great a noise after it you might be heard to Oxford and perhaps you are loath to speak out till you see further Sermon page 10. But with this qualification That by thorough Reformation we meane such a one whereof we are capable pro statu viatorum made with all due and Christian moderation Examination You write of the Reformation of a Church like Bodin not like Bucer you make it a work of Policy not of Piety of Reason not Divinity such Counsellors had Ieroboam and Iehu and they made a Church as unhappy as a Kingdome miserable This moderation and qualification you speak of is not so consistent with spirituall essences and operations if the spirit of God should not work in the soules of unregenerate but expect an answerable compliancy first who should be sanctified if God had expected any such congruity in our businesse of salvation we had yet been unredeemed To speak closer what Qualification did Queen Elizabeth expect when she received a Kingdom warme from Popery what Qualification did Henry the eigth expect in his attempt against the Supremacy when all his Kingdom was so universally conjured to Rome such moderation and qualification is no other but a discreet taking so much as will serve your turne to the Law saith the Scripture and to the testimony Moses wrought according to the Patterne so Solomon too godly Bucer makes it his work to perswade King Edward to build up a perfect Church and he prophesies sadly that he was afraid Popery would succeed because the Kingdom of England was so averse to the Kingdom of Christ and we know the Marian dayes followed me thinks we are too like his prophecy and our Marian times approach too fast Sermon page 10 11. Such who are to be true and proper Reformers they must have a lawfull Calling thereunto duties which God hath impaled in for some particular persons amongst these actions Reformation of Churches is chiefe Now the Supreme Power alone hath a lawfull calling to reforme a Church as it plainly appeares by the Kings of Iudah in their Kingdome Examination I had not known your meaning by the lawfull Calling you name but that you expound it in the lines that follow to be the Calling of the supreme Magistrate as if no calling were warrantable at first to premove a reformation but that but you must take notice there is an inward and outward Call the inward is a speciall excitation from the spirit of God and such a Call is warrantable to be active I am sure it hath been sufficient alwayes to set holy men on work Another Call is outward and that is either of Place and Magistracy or publike relation now though Magistracy be of publike relation yet when I speak specifically of publike relation I mean that in which every man stands bound in to God and his Countrey now all these callings are Commission enough either to meddle as Christianly inspired or Christianly engaged in ordinary transactions I know the ordinary dispensation is to be resorted to but the businesse of Reformation as it is extraordinary so God gives extraordinary conjunctures of times and circumstances and extraordinary concurrencies and extraordinary incitations In the building of the Temple you shall see in Ezra and Nehemiah such workings of God when the people were gathered together as one man they spake to Ezra the Scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses here the people put one even Ezra to his duty And whereas you say Reformation is of those duties that are impaled in for some particular persons I answer this were a grand designe if you could heigthen Reformation into such a holy Prodigy as you would of late the Church into the Prelacy and Clergy and excluded the Laity as a prophane crew and to be taught their distance Luther will tell you this is one of the Romish engines to make such an holy businesse like the mountaine in the Law not to be toucht or approached to but by Moses alone Thus you might take off many good workmen and honest labourers in the Vineyard whom Christ hath hired and sent in and to whom he hath held out his Seepter as Ahasuerus to Esther And whereas you tell us that the supreme Power alone hath the lawfull Calling as appears in the Kings of Iudah I answer that if so the Parliament were now in a dangerous Praemunire for you know that is suspended from us and yet our state goes on in their work enabled as they say by their fundamentall power and constitution I shall not here dispute the e●●●ations of this power in ordinances votes and orders they have made it appeare in their owne Declarations only this I read of an ordinance made by the Nobles and Elders of Israel those Lords and Commons That whosoever would not come according to the Counsell which was taken for Reformation all his substance should bee forfeited here is no King of Iudahs hand nor a Cyrus King of Persia's but an ordinance of their own to their own people only they have King Cyru's writ for their first assembling and consulting Had Christ and his Apostles waited in their Reformation for the consent of the Roman Magistrate the supreme power they had not made that holy expedition they did Had Luther and Zuinglius and Oecolampadius staied for the Emperours Reformation they had not shed halfe that light in the German Hemisphere There was a time when God took part of the spirit of Moses and put it upon the Elders Sermon page 12. Meane time meere private men must not be idle but move in their sphere till the supreme power doth reforme they must pray to inspire those that have power secondly they must reforme themselves and their families Examination Still you drive on your design through many plausible insinuations you would keep private men doing but still doing in their own circle I confesse I would not improve their interest too high nor too soon for the early settings

EXAMINATIONS OR A DISCOVERY Of some Dangerous Positions delivered in A SERMON OF REFORMATION Preached in the Church of the Savoy last fast day Iuly 26. by Tho. Fuller B. D. and since printed 2 Tim. 3. 5. Having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof By Iohn Saltmarsh Master of Arts and Pastor of Heslerton in Yorkshire Raptim Scripta LONDON Printed for Lawrence Blaiklock and are to bee sold at the Sugar loafe near Temple Barre 1643. Nihil invenio in hoc libello cui titulus Examinations or a Discovery of some dangerous Positions delivered in a Sermon of Reformation preached by Tho. Fuller B. D. quin utiliter imprimatur Charles Herle An Advertisement returned to the Author by a Reverend Divine to certifie him touching the Licensers allowance of Mr. Fullers late Sermon of Reformation Sir TO satisfie you concerning Mr Downams approbation of Mr Fullers Sermon of Reformation I can assure you I heard him complaine that hee was wronged by him in that he having taken exception at some passages of that Sermon Mr Fuller promised to amend them according to his correction but that he did not performe what he promised To the Reverend Divines now convened by Authority of Parliament for Consultation in matters of RELIGION I Have but the thoughts of an afternoon to spread before you for I examined the same pace that I read that if it were possible a truth might overtake an errour ere it got too farre It is not a little encouragement that I may sit like the Prophetesse under the Palmetree under such a shade as your selves and what weaknesse soever may appeare in these my assertions This ayring them under your Patronage will heale them for so they brought forth the sick into the streets that at least the shadow of Peter might touch some of them Thus have I suddenly set up my Candle for others to light their Torch at and I hope you will pardon me if my zeale to the truth made mee see anothers faults sooner than my own Your Servant in Christ Jesus JOHN SALTMARSH THE POLICY OF THE Sermon of Reformation THe Scope of the Sermon is Reformation but it so moderates so modificates and conditionates the Persons and Times and Businesse that Reformation can advance little in this way or method As our Astronomers who draw so many lines and imaginary Circles in the Heavens that they put the Sun into an heavenly Labyrinth and a learned perplexity Such is the Zodiack you would make for the light of the Gospel and the Sun of Reformation to move in it was one of the Policies of the Iewes Adversaries that when they heard of their buildings they would build with them They said let us build with you for wee seek your God as you doe But the people of God would have no such helpers there is no such Jesuiticall way to hinder our work as to work with us and under such insinuations set the Builders at variance when they should fall to labour and how easie is it to reason flesh and blood back from a good way and good resolutions I remember the old Prophet had soone perswaded even the man of God to return when he told him I am a Prophet as thou art I finde there are three Principles animates the Sermon 1 How imperfect a Church will be and a Reformation doe the best you can 2 That the light which the Fathers had formerly was as full and glorious as the light of these aayes or rather brighter 3 That none but the Supreme authority or authority Royall and that alone ought to begin and act in this Reformation These are your principles and let any judge if this bee a qualification fit for him that judges or writes of such a truth for first hee that conceits there can bee no perfection of a Church on earth will scarce labour to make that Church better which he is sure will be bad at all times nor will hee care for any new light while the old is in best reputation with him Nor will he seek to advance the work but stay for a supreme authority alone a good policie to stay the Reformation till his Majesties return and then there is hopes it may coole in their hands Sermon Page 9. Withall we flatly deny that Queene Elizabeth left the dust behind the doore which she cast on the dunghill whence this uncivill expression is raked up The doctrine by her established and by her successours maintained in the 39 Articles if declared explained and asserted from false glosses have all gold no dust or arosse in them Examination I will not detract from the Religious houswifery of such a Queen of famous memory but wee know her Reformation is talkt on now in a politick reverence and we are commended back into her times only to hinder us from going forward in our own for I am sure till this engine was contrived she was not such a Saint in the Prelates Calender For the Doctrine established from her times though it bee not the businesse so much of our Reformation as the 39 Articles where it dwels yet this wee know either the light of the Doctrine was very dimme or the eyes of our Bishops and Iesuites for one of them would needs spie Arminianisme and the Iesuite Popery and some will make it a Probleme yet whether their glosse may accuse the Article or the Article their glosse such Cassanders found so much latitude in our Doctrine as to attempt a reconciliation of their Articles and ours together Sermon page 9. Againe we freely confesse that there may be some faults in our Church in matters of Practice and Ceremonies and no wonder if there be it would be a miracle if there were not besides there be some innovations rather in the Church than of the Church as not chargeable on the publike account Examination These are but subtle Apologies and distinctions for the superstitions in the Church and to take off the eyes of our Reformers and entertain them into changeable discourses as if they were faults and no faults and those that were were irreformable and could not be made better and thus while the errours of our Church should call them to reform your difficulties and impossibilities would call them off you say it were a miracle to have none this is such Sophistry as the malignity of your Clergy would cast in the way of our Reformation and for the Innovations they have been made by your most learned the immediate issues of our Church our Rubrick and Practice have been called to witnesse it therefore goe not on to perswade such a fundamentall integrity and essentiall purity you know in what a poore case that Church was when shee thought her selfe rich and full and glorious he is no lesse an enemy to the patient than to the Physitian that would perswade him that all is well or at least incurable Sermon page 9. A through Reformation wee and all good men doe desire with as