Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A50100
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Master Edmund Calamies leading case
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1663
(1663)
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Wing M1061; ESTC R7623
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7,937
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16
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silenced Here you onely and a few others are suspended So that now Christ is preached and you may rejoice 4. They were suspended by the prevailing power of oppressions You are silenced by the reasonable power of your own Representatives in Parliament Jewes silenced them without a Law you by a Law which the men you have chosen have made have silenced your selves 5. A necessity which lay upon them who were called of God to reveal the Gospel which was hid from Ages doth not ly upon you who many of you are not so much as called by man to preach that Word which for many years God be thanked hath dwelt richly among us 6. They loved not their life unto the death that they might preach the Gospel you love your opinion so well that you will rather not preach the Gospel then hear it they would not be silenced to save their lives you silence your selves to save your repute and esteem Mr. Calamy O add not reproach unto affliction O Sir we would not have left our callings and stations for fear of death we must now leave them for fear of that which is worse then death we would willingly die rather then not serve the Lord in our calling we must rather not serve the Lord in our calling then sin An honest man Really I am afraid that while you think you avoid sin by refusing Ceremonies which are indifferent you committed sin in neglecting your calling which was necessary Mr. Calamy Let every man be fully perswaded in his own mind what is but indifferent in your apprehension was sinfull in mine and every man must give an account of himself B. S. It is not what you think of the thing imposed can secure your conscience but what they are that which is good remains good and that which is evil evil and that in the very same degree of good and evil as it was before neither better nor worse any mans particular judgement or opinion thereof notwithstanding Mr. Calamy That 's true indeed yet what is good or indifferent in it self If I am perswaded it is evil it is evil unto me to him that esteemeth any thing to be unlawfull to him it is unlawfull Rom. 4. 14. B. S. To him that thinketh a thing unlawfull and is at liberty whether he doth it or no to him it is unlawfull but to him that thinketh a thing unlawfull but yet is enjoyned by lawfull authority to do to him if he hath not a clear rule to the contrary it is lawfull Whatsoever is commanded us by those whom God hath set over us either in Church Common-wealth or Family which is not evidently contrary to the Law and will of God ought to be receivved and obeyed no otherwise then as if God himself had commanded it because God himselfe hath commanded us to obey the Higher Powers and to submit our selves to their Ordinances Rom. 13. 1. 1 Pet. 2. 23. Mr. Calamy I hope I must not go against my Conscience within me to comply mith my Superiours above me B. S. What a strange thing is this that when the blessed Apostle commanded you to obey for conscience sake you should disobey and that for conscience sake too Your Governors charge you upon your Conscience to be obedient and you pretend your conscience to be free from that subjection It is a sad thing that you have brought your selves and other poor souls to such a strait between two sins and you can by no means possible avoid both as long as you persist in this way for if you do the things commanded you go against the perswasion of your own conscience and that is a great sin and if you do them not you disobey lawfull Authority and that is a sin too Mr. Calamy Truely neither fancy faction nor humor makes me not to comply but meerly for fear of offending God And if after the best means used to satisfie my selfe as prayer to God discourse study I was not able to apprehend the lawfullnesse of what was required if it be my unhappinesse to be in an errour surely men will have no reason to be angry with me in this world and I hope God will pardon me in the next Mr. Sprin. When I was called upon either to conforme to the Laws for Uniformity or to leave my Ministry I asked of my self two things Whether I would rather suffer death then use the things imposed in Church professing the foundation and urging them as things indifferent not pressing them as binding conscience in themselves or as needfull to salvation And whether the execution of my Ministry which was pressed upon my conscience with a wo if I neglected it should be as dear to me as my life P. S. Good God to see to what pass small errors have brought us how difference of apprehension hath brought forth difference of judgement and difference of judgement hath brought forth difference of practice and disagreement of affection The difference of practice hath moved Authority to silence and suppress refusers of Conformity The disagreement in affection doth move you who are deprived to speak and act against persons in Authority whereby in the event the course of the Gospel is interrupted and of Popery enlarged the friends of Sion are grieved the enemies rejoyce the enemy of Mankind is gratified and the Lord is displeased the Church is rent with schism the Truth scandalized by dissention the Ministers undone by loss of living and the unity of brethren living in the same house professing the same faith and rejoycing in the same hope is pulled in pieces and this like to continue God knows how long Mr. Calamy It is sad that Magistrates should enjoyn such things as should cause such divisions as cause great thoughts of heart B. S. It is sad indeed that Subjects cannot submit to such things as are enjoyned for peace order and decency L. M. I wonder you should not consider how dangerous it should be to affront the most solemn injunction of the whole Nation a Law so universally desired so deliberately resolved on so seriously pressed as the greatest security of Church or State Mr. Calamy I was several times persecuted for owning his Majestyes Authority and Interest I did not think I should live to be imprisoned for opposing it Sr. T. E. The more favour his Majesty had for you for former service the more sorry he is that you have forfeited it by your present indiscretion His Majestie thought that Mr. Calamy would not have done so of any man in England Mr. Calamy Really I did not do it upon mine own head but upon the request of divers honourable and worthy persons who were otherwise like to be disappointed of a morning Sermon Sr. R. B. It is generally reported and upon the extraordinary concourse of people to your Church as generally believed that it was designed before hand several Citizens inviting one another to your Church to hear you preach Mr. Calamy It might be a design upon me it