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A41382 The state of the Church of Christ in its militancy upon earth, and the duty of it, with respect to penal laws in a sermon preach'd at the assizes at Chelmsford in the county of Essex, 8 March 1687/8 / by Richard Golty ... Golty, Richard. 1688 (1688) Wing G1022; ESTC R1819 12,225 31

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THE STATE OF THE Church of Christ IN ITS MILITANCY upon EARTH And the DUTY of it with respect to Penal LAWS IN A SERMON Preach'd at the Assizes at Chelmsford In the County of ESSEX 8 MARCH 1687 8. By RICHARD GOLTY M. A. Minister of Hutton in the County aforesaid Quod tibi non vis alteri ne feceris LONDON Printed and Published by Randall Tayler near Stationers-Hall 1688. This may be Printed SVNDERLAND P. To the Right Honourable Sir Robert Wright Knight Lord Chief Justice of England to the Honourable Sir John Powel Knight one of the Justices of His Majesties Court of Kings-Bench My Lords the Judges at the Assize holden at Chelmsford c. And also to the Right Worshipful Sir Thomas Manby Knight High Sheriff of the County aforesaid THis Sermon at the Appointment of the High Sheriff was Preach'd before Your Lordships and the Great Assembly at the Assizes and whatever unkind and sinistrous Censures in this nice and critical Age may be cast upon me and it yet it was honestly design'd by me in Service to the Peace and Vnity of the Christian Church to affect that Auditory with a sense of their Obligation constantly to assert what is necessary to the support and honour of Religion among us and to allay our salt and eager Differences and Animosities in what is impertinent thereunto to dispose us to a willingness to be rid of those Apples of Strife that have been the notorious occasion of Discord and Contention in this unhappily divided Kingdom I can't but hope that there is such a general sense of our having been too long under those symptomes of Gods disp●●asure which the Prophet Isaiah 9. 21. observes concerning the Jews that while Ephraim was divided against Manasseh and Manasseh against Ephraim and both against Judah Gods Anger was not turned away but his hand was stretched out still against them as may prepare our hearts to a chearful concurrence in and compliance with such healing Proposals as are proper for the establishing amongst us a Christian Amity and brotherly Reconciliation I have humble Considence that this which was my end in Preaching is Your Lordships and Worships in laying me under such Obligation to the Publication of it as I cannot in decency decline not doubting but that all such as bear Good Will to Zion will promote such uniting Methods that all single and narrow Interests may give place to that of common Christianity that no unchristian heats and contests may cause such alienation in affection among Brethren of the same Sacred Family as for trifles to fall out in their way to their Fathers House but that we may all consent in the pursuit of the Divine Ends of Religion which are sincere Devotion towards God sound Faith in Christ Holiness in Heart and Life Humility Meekness Brother-Love and Charity towards Men in service to which that Your Honours and Worship may be eminent in your respective Stations Instrumentally is the most hearty Prayer of Your most Obedient and Humble Servant RIC. GOLTY S. Matthew Chap. XIII the 29th and the former part of the 30th Verse But he said Nay lest while ye gather up the Tares ye root up also the Wheat with them Let both grow up together until the Harvest THe shortest Preface will be an unseasonable Remora to my Entry into that Spacious Field in which my Text ingages my travel it being by the most Divine Expositor with respect to its Extent styl'd the World. I shall therefore observe to you That in this whole Parable of the Tares and Wheat our Blessed Saviour doth first describe the State and secondly prescribe the Duty of his Church in its Militancy here upon Earth In the first of which 't is evident that tho Christ himself the Seedsman tho he sows only the good seed of Pure and Divine Doctrine yet when the blade springs up the tares also appear Tho the Church is styl'd here the Kingdom of God in which he in especial governs yet there are in it too many rebellious and undutiful Subjects Tho the Apostle tells us 'T is the House of God in which by his grace and spirit he particularly resides yet 't is not void of ungracious and disobedient servants 'T is Magna Domus Dei but in it there are not only Vessels of Gold and Silver but of Wood and Earth some to honour and some to dishonour Tho 't is that Vine which Gods right hand hath planted yet it hath some dead and infertile branches That this is the condition of the Christian Church in this World is not only the purport of this but of the Parable of the Fold consisting both of Sheep and Goats of the Barn Floor having both Wheat and Chaffe and of the Net inclosing Fishes good and bad To this purpose St. Austine in his First Book De Civitate Dei saith Perplexae sunt istae duae Civitates in hoc seculo invicemque permistae The City of God and the City of Satan are so intermix'd in this World that they are not to be separated till the Day of Judgment This from all that make common Observation commands such an universal acknowledgment that I shall not waste the time in offering further enlargment upon it only from it observe the Vnacaccountableness of the Separation in the Donatists of old and some others of late from the Visible Church upon pretence of Spots and Corruptions in it notwithstanding which we are to be firm to that Article in our Creed in believing One Holy Catholick Church Denominatio sit a nobiliori and 't is one tho one part is Militant here on Earth and the other Triumphant in Heaven It must be here in a state of Imperfection 't is at the great Harvest then and not till then it will be Perfect consisting only of the Righteous as St. Austine Contra Donatistas Tandent ipsam unam sanctam Ecclesiam nunc habere mixtos malos tunc non habituram Now the Holy Church hath a mixture of unholy Men in it which then it will not have At that great Day Christ will present it to himself without spot and blameless Then only the Wheat will be gathered into his Barn. But 't is the Direction Christ gives in this place that being the most seasonable and useful at this time to which I shall now confine my Discourse When the Blade sprung up the Tarcs also appeared the Servants inquiring in this uneasie and to them unexpected Case Wilt thou that we go and gather them up In answer to this their demand he said Nay c. Where first he enters his Denial 2. He gives his positive Sentence Let them grow up together The Reason of the Negative Lest while ye gather up the Tares c. And of the Positive why suffer'd in their growth Because at the time of the Harvest they could more seasonably and with greater safety be separated from the Wbeat Then I will say to the Reapers c. In my procedure upon