Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n
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A40722
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Toleration not to be abused by the Independents by a lover of truth and peace.
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Fullwood, Francis, d. 1693.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing F2518; ESTC R35474
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9,735
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32
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only Independency is to be Tolerated unless Kings and Princes who Rule for GOD may Indulge men in an Open violation of the Law of GOD And if you look a little backwards it may admit a Dispute Whether the Scepter of JESUS CHRIST were more an Iron Rod under the Kirk or the tender hearted Tryers It may indeed sometimes consist with Carnal prudence supposing the Independents to have power in their hands to connive at and Indulge the Lesser Factions the better to hold out the Flag of Defiance against the Royalists and the Presbyterians their most considerable Competitors Or they may as the Vsurpers tender-Conscien'd Army once did offer the taking away even the Poenal Laws from the very Papists to collogue with Forraign Princes and so have the greater security in their Villanous Designs against the King and the Church but this is a State Juggle for the advancement of the Good Old Cause But then as soon as the fear is over from abroad then they spared nothing that Sacriledge could devour And now Can any Man that looks back upon Independent mercy and forbearance believe that Men of such Principles and practices who are now pleased that Episcopacy is established and Poenal Laws removed from Papists only because Indulged themselves would Tolerate either Popery or Episcopacy if they had Power in their hands and not rather Lord it with the Insolence of Vsurpers Credat Judaeus Apella non Ego So that as a late Treatise demonstrates the Presbyterian hath no cause of joy because others are Indulged as well as himself whereas his Doctors Elders and Deacons are the perpetual Scepter of CHRIST to the end of the World for all Churches Government and therefore Down with the Colours of the Dragon advance the Standard of CHRIST The Independents have no cause of Joy because the Church of England and the Presbyterian Limb too of the Antichristian Leviathan are included as well as the rest of the Parties among us His Way being only laid down in the WORD and all others repugnant to the Holy Scriptures Yet they take the advantage both out of a hatred to a third Party the Church of England and the next thing is to fight one with another for the Government and then the only Scepter of Christ is the Conquerours worship the longest Sword is the Divine Right the Pike and Gun declare the Cause of GOD and infallible Artillery decides all the Controversies relating to the Gospel Truth And thus the Presbyterian who thought to have erected his Discipline upon the sad Eclipse of the Church of England was powerfully baffled and confuted by such Arguments as the Independent Man of War carryed in his Snapsack Do not the Independents when most cool and moderate look upon all other Churches and People as all Revolters from the purity and beauty of Gospel-Ordinances introducers of Will-Worship and Superstition instead of Disciples of the Lord JESVS not allowing any Dissenters the least share or degree of Wisdom or Godliness And men of such Principles of this forehead and complexion must needs carry tender bowels to Men of differing Perswasions Certainly unless where the rules and maximes of carnal Policy interpose and plead for mercy to Dissenters their Clemency is the same with the Presbyterian who first lent him the Principle of not admitting any thing not expresly delivered in the Sacred Scriptures by which Principle they are engaged in a War with one another as well as against their common Antagonists So that the Tables are now turned It is not the Question whether all Partyes may be Tolerated but whether Independents only for there is but One true way of Worship and that is Theirs Theirs only hath the Divinum Jus and Princes may not Indulge Men in an open violation of Scripture Precepts and Directions And so every Sect is engaged to root out all the rest as Enemies to the Scepter of the Lord JESVS Fourthly The Execution of the Poenal Laws being suspended by the late Declaration in Favour of Dissenters does only take off the Obligation upon the account of Wrath to Obedience but the Conscience is still obliged to avoid all causless and groundless Separations from our Churches This will be manifest enough to any one that seriously reads the Declaration it self and a late Treatise Toleration not to be Abused which will extend as well to the Independents as the Presbyterians whose aversion to Toleration is built upon the same common Principle the Divine Right of their one onely way of Worship and Government in the Sacred Oracles and so I refer them to that part of the Discourse before mentioned That they are obliged as before the Declaration to avoid all groundless Separations For the Church of England is as before established as the Basis and so the Obligation of Conscience still Obligatory upon all the Indulged Parties to avoid Schismes and all causless departure from us The Obligation upon the account of Wrath is removed indeed but if they would appear tender Consciences to the World the King's suspension of the Punishment should make them the more Obedient for Conscience sake and a Gracious Indulgence rather abate than heighten their Opposition against the Church of England still established I shall now conclude all by desiring them to consider what they themselves acknowledge in the Declaration of the Faith and Order of the Congregational Churches in Chap. 26. Of the Church c. The purest Churches under Heaven are subject both to Mixture and Error And in their Institution of Churches Persons that are joyned in Church-fellowship ought not lightly to withdraw themselves from the Communion of the Church to which they are so joyned To these two let them add the Four particulars in this Discourse mentioned and upon the result of all consider Whether Ambition and Pride rather then a Conscientious tenderness keep not up their departure from and opposition to the Church of England I am not as this Publican Come not near me for I am holier then thou An over-valluing of our own worth and a Pharisaical contempt of others is the usual rise of Schisme for only by Pride cometh Contention so the best of Kings and Preachers Thus the Valentinians looked on themselves as the only spiritual Men. The Pharisees the only Separati separate Persons The Sadducees Justi the only Righteous The Novatians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the only Puritans And none Men of Knowledge but the Gnosticks and the acute Tertullian when Montanist All others were Psysici and he was come to his Nos spirituales And if out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh spiritual Pride is the original of your Schisme For you only are GOD's Israel his Elect and precious ones You only have Communion with GOD in pure Ordinance All the World faln short of GOD's Truth but your selves And none is Orthodox out of the Pale of your own Church Not only Papâ—sts Prelatists and Arminians but even your dear Brethren the Presbyterians are Limbs of the Antichristian Leviathan All revolted from the Lord JESUS and to be treated as members of the Whore whom the Saints hate and shall make desolate and naked eat her flesh and drink her bloud This is the Canting Dialect of your Independent Leaders To Conclude If it be not Ambition but Conscience Let it so appear by your Charity to Dissenters by a serious and impartial Enquiry into the Grounds upon which you separate from us without prejudice or passion and do not so far Idolize a Sect or an Opinion as to prefer it before the Peace and Settlement of a Church and Nation FINIS
TOLERATION Not to be ABUSED By the Independents By a Lover of Truth and Peace LONDON Printed for John Martyn and are to be Sold by Abisha Brocas Bookseller in Exeter 1672. TOLERATION Not to be abused by the Independents THE following Discourse shall consist of Four particulars First The lawfulness of Communicating with our Churches by the Confessions and Arguments of the Congregational Divines 2. The same proved by demonstrating the Apostolical Churches more vitiated than Ours from whom a Separation is made by the Independents and yet a Separation from those Primitive Churches utterly discountenanced by the Apostles 3. The same Proposition proved by demonstrating that we have not given them the like or any just Cause as the Church of Rome gave them and us Which is the first particular to be proved Secondly I shall shew the sinfulness of erecting Altar against Altar of gathering Churches out of Churches Thirdly That the Independents are averse in their Principles to Toleration as well as the Presbyterians and so equally obliged not to abuse the present gracious Indulgence Fourthly I shall shew that by His Majesties late Declaration the Church of England is still established as the Basis and the bare suspension of the poenal Laws doth indeed take off the Obligation upon the account of wrath that lay before upon Dissenters but does not cancel the Obligation of Conscience by which the Independents and all Indulged parties are still to avoid all Causless and groundless Separations from this Best of Reformed Churches First The Lawfulness of Communicating with our Churches by the Arguments and Concessions even of the Independents themselves Our Parochial Churches are owned to have the Essentials of true Churches by all sober Congregational men For there is the pure Word of GOD Preached the true Sacraments Administred and an implicite Covenant between Pastor and People in joyning together All that is pleaded is Corruption and Defect in the outward Exercise and Administration of Church Order and Discipline Now that it is Lawful supposing but not granting this bar lies against the Church of England to joyn with Churches so defective and corrupt is not only acknowledged but fully proved by Reverend Mr. Norton of the Congregational way in his Answer to Apolsius as Dr. Stilling fleet in his Irenicum quotes it to the present purpose which I desire the Brethren to consider whom it chiefly concerns and to lay seriously to their hearts and without a reply to his Arguments they cannot justifie their Separation from us 1. A Believer may Lawfully joyn in Communion with such a Church where he cannot enjoy all the Ordinancies of GOD as in the Jewish Church in our Saviour's time which refused the Gospel of Christ and the Baptisme of John and yet our Saviour commands us to hear the Scribes and Pharisees sitting in Moses's Chair which hearing implies Conjunctionem Ecclesiae Judaicae A joyning with the Jewish Church So with Churches rejecting an Article of Faith as the Church of Corinth the Doctrine of the Resurrection the Churches of Galatia rejecting the Doctrine of Justification by Faith yet the Apostle no where requires on that account a Separation from them 2. A Believer may Lawfully joyn in Communion with such a Church in which some Corruption is tolerated in the Worship of GOD without Reformation as the Offering upon High places from Solomon to Hezekiah in the Church of Judah the observation of Circumcision and the Law Ceremonial in the Churches of Galatia 3. A Believer may Lawfully joyn himself in Communion with such a Church in which such are admitted to Sacraments who give no evident signs of Grace but seem to be Lovers of the World this he proves because it is every mans Duty to Examine himself and anothers sin hurts not me and so is no argument against my Duty And besides by mens coming unworthily Non polluitur Communio licet minuitur Consolatio The Communion is not defiled though the comfort of it be diminished This he proves also from the Church of Corinth amongst whom were many scandalous that had not Repented 2 Cor. 12. 20 c. and in the Church of the Jews which lay under great Corruptions when Christ and His Apostles communicated with it 4. Although a Believer joyns with such a Church he is not therefore bound with the Guilt nor defiled with the pollutions of others that Communicate It is his Duty incumbent and in doing his Duty he contracts no Guilt upon himself 5. A Believer which hath joyned himself to such a Church is not bound to withdraw and seperate under pain of Guilt if he does it not for to be lawful to joyn and unlawful to continue the Communion implies a contradiction for the first speaks it to be a Church and the second to be no Church and so it is not Lawful to seperate from a Church true as to Essentials and such the Independents own in their Apologetical Narration our Parochial Churches though guilty of Corruptions for the ground of Communicating is its being a Church not a corrupt or defective Church And that men are not guilty by partaking with those that are guilty of Corruptions in a Church appears from the Church of the Jews in the case of Ely's Sons and the Christian Churches of Asia and Corinth where we read of many Corruptions by S. Paul reproved but no Mandate to separate which had certainly by the Holy Ghost been given and S. Paul would not have omitted had it been a sin to communicate while those Corruptions were in the Churches of Asia and Corinth Thus far their own Reverend Norton Now I desire these Congregational Leaders who gather Churches out of our Churches to reply to this Learned Divine of their own perswasion or to consider what Answer is to be given to the searcher of all Hearts for resisting that light of Conviction that shines in upon their Consciences Again not granting but supposing only that in this Church from which these separate Church-Discipline were neglected Worship defiled Manners corrupted or Tyranny exercised suppose we grant all this which we need not this will not justifie a Separation from the Church of England My reason is because there were greater Corruptions in Doctrine Discipline and Worship and no Separations countenanced by the Apostles in the first Apostolical Christian Churches then in Ours or any other Reformed Churches from whom a Separation is made in these times As for instance to begin with Doctrine In what Church of ours is the Resurrection of the Dead denyed an Article of that importance that all our Christianity in effect depends upon it It was denyed by many in the Church of Corinth In what Churches of ours is the Doctrine of Justification by the Law or any Doctrine so destructive of the Merit of Christ generally maintained as in the Galatian Churches Again for Worship Do ours partake of the Lord's Table and the Table of Devils as among the Corinthians Are our Ecclesiastical Assemblies so confused that whosoever