I shall say no more but most vehemently beseech you as you will answer it in the day of Judgment when you shall be proceeded with by that man whom God hath appointed to judg Act. 17. 31. the World according to your works not according to your opinions that your lives and conversations in the World be agreable to your knowledge and that if you know the tenour of the new Covenant you would observe your parts of it that you would give just and but just respects to Truth knowing that the peace of God is more worth than notion knowledge or understanding Eph. 4. 3. And that together with the verity you would consider the necessity of every Proposition it being in the judgement of the learnedst of our Kings together with his excellent Amanuensis and of all Royal and Majestick K. Jaâ—â—â—s Is Casaubon minds not barely the best but the only expedient to preserve the unity of the Spirit i. e. Church which is a spiritual body in the bond of peace That you would seclude neither your selves nor others out of the Communion of the Church but for such causes as you have very full rational assurance will shut them or your selves out of the Kingdom of Heaven Excommunication if the Churches proceedings be clave non errante being summum futuri judicii praejudicium a vehement presumption of succeeding condemnation That in your daily reading of the holy Scriptures whose perfection and perspicuity in all necessary Articles I have been wont to inculcate to you you would carefully collect all the instances of your duty towards God your Neighbour your selves in all your relations to the Civil and Sacred Societies whereof you are constituent parts and that you would acquaint your selves with the arguments and motives with which our Lord and Master Christ together with the blessed Apostles and Evangelists do endeavour to induce you to the observation of them And then remember that not every one who Mat. 7. 21. shall say Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of the Father which is in Heaven All Controversies in Religion I would wish you to decline by reason of the great damage which has thereby accrued to Religion through the weak mesnagery and defence of it and to Religionists by leavening their spirits with pride peevishness and passions and so that which was designed by God to serve the noblest ends of man Is by that old deceiver's subtile play Made the chief party in its own decay And meets that Eagles destiny whose breast Felt the same shaft which his own feathers drest As the matchless Orinda sings Consider much the magnificent Commendations and Characters which St. Paul gives to Charity 1 Cor. 13. Let it be conspicuous in all the actions of your lives I shall summ up all I shall now say to you in these 12. Rules of an holy Life laid down by a worthy Dr. Jer. Taylor Prelat 1. Believe all the Articles of that Faith whereinto you were Baptized 2. Worship God constantly with Natural Religion i. e. Prayers Praises and Thanksgiving 3. Take all opportunities to Commemorate the Death of Christ by the participation of his Body and Blood 4. Live Chastely 5. Be Merciful 6. So use the World as that it always give place to Duty 7. Be Just in your Dealings 8. Be Humble in your Spirits 9. Be Obedient to Government 10. Be Content in your Fortunes and Employments 11. Let the Love of God inflame you to your Duty 12. And if you shall be afflicted be Patient and prepared to suffer for the Cause of God These are twelve signs of Grace and the man upon whom they are found is the son of God as surely as he is his Creature And now my Friends let me assure you that it is some trouble to me that the first present I should make you in this manner should be a bundle of Cypress But so our wise God would have it I move you not now to follow her with Crowns and Hymns nor do I understand how nor designe to prepare the incombustible Oil of the Antients with which I might supply a Lamp consacrated to her memory which might burn so long as that found some while since in the Appian 1500 years Pancerol Licetus Mancinus Way in the Sepulchre of Tulliola the Daughter of Cicero But all that I design all that I desire is that that which was prepared for her Herse may adorn your Closets Yea that you would look upon her and learn to live and learn to die In the ensuing Papers you have the Rule of our Religion and you have an Example too Follow her so far as she followed Christ and it is hard to say where she step'd aside where she stay'd behind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Naz. Orat. 20. So often as you see the Armories of her Parentage or your left Hands remind you of her Funerals Call to mind a great Example of Vertue and Goodness so Illustrious and Conspicuous that there remain'd no doubt but only whether the Universality or Sincerity of her Obedience was the greatest VALE ET SALVE ANIMA O ANNAE FELICISS NOS EO ORDINE QUO NATURA PERMISERIT TE SEQUEMUR S. T. T. L. Rom. 8. 2. For the Law of the Spirit of life hath made me free from the Law of sin and death THat Mortality was an original condition of Humane Nature will appear to him who shall consider these seven Observations following 1. That before Adam sinned the procreation of man was designed whereas such as shall partake of the Resurrection of the dead marry not because they do not die 2. That he hungred and was provided of meat whereas Immortality needs neither meats nor the belly God will destroy both it and them 3. That his Body was animal which St. Paul makes all one with vile corruptible and mortal 4. That Christ Jesus who hath taken away sin all its force and punishment hath yet left his dearest Saints liable unto death 5. That the first man was of the earth earthy and we forasmuch as we die and corrupt are said to bear his Image 1 Cor. 15. 6. That God planted a Tree of Life in the Garden which needed not if man had been created not liable unto death 7. That all the causes of natural mortality within us or without us did exist as well before as after Man had sinned Yet notwithstanding sin was the way to actual death and that the wages of it It being usual with God to do that upon occasion which he hath power absolutely to do i. e. to make use of the instances of his Dominion to serve other designs of his Providence which help us to understand that first threatning In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death i. e. Thy strength supported by the tree of life shall begin to languish and fail Thy Oyl at length shall be exhausted and thy Lamp shall
be extinguished Now Death of its own nature being eternal there being naturally no return from the privation to the habit therein must man have been detain'd for ever if our merciful God had not found out an expedient to deliver us from it which is by his Son Jesus whom Acts 2. 36. he hath made both Lord and Christ and hath exalted to be a Prince and a Acts. 5. 31. Saviour to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins and by consequence deliverance from death This being that very thing which St. Paul saith The Law of the Spirit of Life hath made me free from the Law of sin and death Which words are a reason or rather a clearer explication of what he had said before viz. That there is no condemnation to them who in Christ Jesus that is by Christ Jesus walk not after the flesh but walk after the Spirit i. e. who for the most part do not in their actions follow the duct and guidance of their sinful appetites but walk according to that Gospel which the Spirit hath consigned to us or that Vertuous habit of mind which that Spirit hath ingenerated in us there is no condemnation to such This Law of the spirit of life i. e. of the quickning Spirit having delivered us from the Law of sin Paraphrase of the words and death That Spirit which our Lord is about to give which leads to Eternal life hath made me i. e. every Christian free first from all customary and habitual sins then from eternal death which necessarily follows all sinful habits and customs By sins St. Paul understands consulted Strom. 2. p. 387. and deliberated sins So Clemens after a long discourse to that purpose concludes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only are matters So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used in St. John 3. 6 10. which God will damn When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ had triumphed over Death and the Grave had ascended on high and was vested with all power in heaven and earth then he gave gifts unto men but no donative did so excel as that effusion of the Spirit in the day of Pentecost the chief and last effects and events whereof were the deliverance of all Believers from the double tyranny of sin and death Hath made me free from the Law of sin and death In the words then we have a deliverance from Sin the cause of Death Death the fruit and consequent of Sin There is a victory over and a deliverance from all habitual customary consulted and deliberate sins to be obtained in this life which is that true Evangelical righteousness which gives us at present a title to and hereafter will actually invest us with a blessed Immortality For our more distinct perception of which notion we may consider that Real Evangelical Righteousness admits of various degrees 1. The first and lowest whereof is of them who for the most part yield obedience to the Precepts of Christ and abstain from sin but yet not without grievous conflicts and great difficulties because that although the Spirit be superiour to the flesh yet the carnal part is not altogether subdued nor a habit of Vertue taken in a more perfect acceptation entirely acquired for which cause their lapses are frequent either for that the Appetite is assisted too strongly from external incitement or too often surprised by error or incogitancy 2. The second degree is of them who have acquired a perfect habit of Righteousness and have so subdued the flesh that they find either none at all or very little difficulty in acting in the ways of God thence consequently are more steady and uniform in the waies of Vertue and holiness and such was St. Paul as may be gathered from divers passages of his writings and others such like there may be as appears both from the sacred Book and also from Experience it self which will yet be more manifest if we shall demonstrate as by and by we shall That there remains possible an higher degree of holiness than that we have yet spoken of although there needs no farther proof than those plain words of our Lord My yoke is easie and my burthen is light i. e. to all them who are supported with a firm hope of a life after death and a blessed immortality And those words of St. John This is the love of God i. e. Metonymically the manifestation of our love towards God that we keep his commandements and his commandements are not grievous These overcome the World and that too by their Faith which inspires strength into them And he that overcomes i. e. all such things as the World objects to him to affright and call him off from righteousness sive prospera sive aspera whether smiles or frowns to him it is easie to keep the commands of God to him I say that yoke is easie that burthen is light The third degree and that the highest is of such who being most cheerfully incumbent on the study of Vertue have proceeded so far as that for some competent space of time they sin not at all against any Precept of Christ To this degree ought all Christians who are going heaven-wards always to aspire which state St. Paul seems mystically to call the Resurrection from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 3. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 12. the dead and was the mark whereto he pressed Not that I have already attained neither am already perfect This then is the third degree whereunto if Christians do not attain 't is simply necessary they should reach the second or the first 'T is praise worthy in Priâ—ra sequentem hoâ—stum est in secâ—nd is out tertiâ—s consistere Tully him that endeavours to excell to be found in the second or the third degree of Vertue Yet all who would find mercy in the day of Christ must endeavour to attain this highest degree For all acknowledge 't is never permitted to a Christian to sin consultatively for that is to sin malitiously Now unless a man shall labour to shun every sinful act which is to aspire to this supreme degree of Piety he sins consultatively i. e. malitiously which no Christian will defend Sin becomes exceeding sinful exceeding heavy with its own weight if done malitiously or with deliberation And God sometimes remits greater sins if fallen into through frailty or ignorance sooner than lesser sins malitiously committed Again that great study diligence vigilance and labour so exactly required of us in all our Christian Conversation points us out our Mark and Scope which is to eschew every sin and so to aspire to this highest degree of Piety Are we not every where all up and down the sacred Books called upon to imitate God and Christ to be holy as God is holy to be perfect as our Father is perfect to walk in the light as God is in the light to walk as Christ walked and to follow him He that observes these Precepts doth no
Peace and Holiness IN THREE SERMONS Upon Several Occasions By Ignatius Fuller LONDON Printed by Evan Tyler and Ralph Holt for R. Royston Book-Seller to the King 's most Excellent Majesty 1672. Imprimatur Sam. Parker Novemb. 2. 1671. A SERMON AT THE Funerals Of Mrs ANNE NORTON Widow and Relict of W. Norton late of Sherrington in the County of Bucks Esq July 12. 1671. St. Paul But thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Symplicius By Ignatius Fuller LONDON Printed by E. T. and R. H. for R Royston Bookseller to the King 's most Excellent Majesty 1672. BRETTO NORTONO Armigero MARGARETAe THO. DUNCOMBI Armigeri UXORI Unicae Proli ANNAe NORTONAe Nuper Vitâ Functae I. F. Hoc quale quale Munusculum Benevolentiae Gratitudinis Ergô L. M. D. D. D. To the Worshipful and well beloved the Inhabitants of SHERINGTON in the County of BUCKS Grace and Peace My Dear Friends AFter more than twenty years Conversation with you in the same Relation which as yet I hold Divine Providence hath at length given me a fair occasion to let you know how much I value you It cannot be very long before a silent and a senseless night overtake me and that I make my bed in the dust That there may be some remembrance not of me for who or what am I But of that Doctrine which I have advanced among you or endeavoured so to do begun already to be misreported by some which is no other than universal Goodness or Vertue a Righteousness in the lives of men or to use St. Paul ' s words to Titus The denial of all ungodliness 2. 12. and worldly lusts and a Sober Righteous or Godly life in this present World the scope and design of that sovereign Goodness of God which hath appeared unto us in the Gospel of hiâ— Son A distribution of our Dâ—â—y comprehending all the Conâ—â—tions on our part in that Covenant mediated and transacted between God and Man by the Man Christ Jesus well expressed by a late Person of The truly Noble Lord Viscount Faukland in his Reply to Mr. Tho. White Honour replying to that objection That Christian Doctrine is not a Speculative knowledge instituted for delight but it is an Art of living a Rule of attaining Everlasting bliss wonders to hear that learned Gentleman say so whose Religion consists of so many points no ways reducible into practice and then confesseth nay contends That Christian Religion is a Covenant between God and Man by the entermise of Christ that we Christians are properly concern'd but in the knowledge of what are the Conditions and Rewards proposed and promised what we are to observe and what to hope for and so far forth to understand the Nature and Attributes of the Maker and Messenger of that Covenant as may make us fully assured of the truths of the Threats and Promises contained therein So that Noble Authour Now because there are some imaginations which do vehemently impede and hinder this Piety and dereliction of all habitual and customary sinâ— scarcely permitting him that retains and understands them entirely to forsake them I have often endeavoured to remove such stumbling stones out of the way of your Christian race Such are their mistakes concerning God's Decrees Liberty of humane minds our Justification before God and some others And what Christian incumbent on the study of Vertue and seriously contending for a blessed Immortality but may perceive great ease in his understanding and great incouragement in his said endeavours from a clear and distinct explication and defence of the Truth in the Articles before mentioned If God's Decrees be irrespective then is all endeavour and sollicitude superfluous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Bus Tom. 1. p. 343. Deus possibilta mandavit hoc nulli dubium est St. Hieron adv Polag l. 3. If Christ died only for a few 't is no duty upon all to believe in him If men have no Wills they can have no sins for want of a Subject If Christ's Precepts be impossible they are unnecessary If to live in sins against conviction of Conscience be the measure of Regeneration 't is very easie to be born again If the Elect cannot fall away and the rest never stood all discourse against Apostacy is idle and useless If apprehension of Christ's Merits in the last moments of our lives and sorrow for sin against God doth forthwith translate us into the Kingdom of his dear Son No man needs disserve here or inhabit hereafter the Kingdom of Darkness What Doctrine more grateful to flesh and blood to the Sensualist that embraces an Herodias or a Dalilah to the Mammonist who has purloined the Babylonish Garment or the Golden Wedge to the Airy Cameleon which feeds on the foul and infectious breath of the Populacy to the idle Sluggard who frights himself with the thoughts of a Bear or a Lion in the way Who sees not how such surmises do not only evacuate the force and vertue but quite frustrate the use of the Ministery of the Word rendering it incapable of converting the Infidel correcting of the Carnal quickening of the Slothfull and of comforting the tempted and afflicted As you may see it piously and ingeniously amplified and demonstrated in the Examination of Tilenus So that you may perceive it was no wantonness of wit or parts as some will have it but very important yea indispensable necessity if I would adorn that conduct and guidance of Souls which I have undertaken that did constrain me to remove those impediments out of the way of our Christian obedience If I be told that such who have swallowed whole the Doctrine of Dort and Geneva live good lives and comport with the Laws of the Holy Jesus I answer peradventure it may be so Although Deaths and Exiles so cruelly inflicted upon excellent men may entitle them to the Character of loving God and hating their Neighbour with all their heart Who doth not observe the partiality of their obedience that the Factions have their Vertues and their Vices Yea if some duller heads live better lives than their Principles oblige them to yet others who are wicked and witty too defie all discourse to reform them and refuse to forsake these Altars where they have taken Sanctuary Our daily experience assures us that the follies and debaucheries of men are ascribed to Fate and divine Decrees Nor can I conceive how many men of competent understandings without the help of these so useful Engins of sin and folly can reconcile in themselves great immortalities with great professions of Religion No no let 's not add to the difficulties from within and from without these needless these foolish obstructions of our pursuit of a blessed Immortality But I say not these things my Friends for your sakes so much as for theirs who neither knowing what I teach nor you learn uncharitably think all manner of evil
of the Law She was a through Christian in her was accomplished St. Paul's wish she was not almost but altogether such an one as himself his Chain excepted Hers was no barren Faith but it was fruitful in good works Her Charity distributed it self to every object to God to man 1. To God by her frequent Fastings her constant Prayers her diligence in God's publick Service her Zeal and care to promote his honour to advance his Rule and Government in the hearts of all with whom she did converse in whom she had interest This she taught her Children so soon as they could learn and this she taught them so long as she could speak 'T is said of Gorgonia that she made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fruit of her body her Children and her Childrens Children become the fruits of the Spirit and hath not our Gorgonia done or endeavoured the like Who has been more painful more faithfull to the souls of Children Nephews and Neeces than she has been who hath tanght them more diligently who hath pray'd for them more â—requently more ardently than she hath done 'T is said of Gorgonia that she purified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and devoted to God her whole stock and family in stead of her single soul So may we say of our worthy Matron whilst an Oeconomist Wife or Widow Her house was a kind of Church none so grateful none so acceptable to her as a painful and conscientious Minister of Christ None were the worse but many the better for coming under her Roof Gorgonia is said to have been whilst she liv'd an Exemplar of all vertue to her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Children and when God call'd her she left her last Will behind her as a silent exhortation to her family And was not this imparallel'd Saint a great pattern of all good works to her Family was not piety purity humility meekness mercy and every good work most conspicuous in her And I my self can witness it was amongst her last cares to recommend the ways of God and a serious and thorow Piety to her Children And if the last Wills and Testaments of all the dead have ever been thought sacred and inviolable what a further what a fresh obligation have you my honoured Friends to be religious that is to tread in the steps to write out the Copy of this blessed Saint your incomparable Mother But I was speaking of her Charity The eloquent Father speaking of the often prais'd Saint saith Who stretched 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cut a more liberal hand to the poor that he fears not to apply the words of Job to her The stranger did not lodge in the Street but she opened her doors to the Traveller she was eyes to the blind feet to the lame and a Mother to the Orphan So our Saint when she was Mistress of an house and since Who doth not remember the largeness of her bowels and the liberality of her hands Who hath not eat her Bread worn her Cloth received her Medicaments applied her Plaisters and her Vnguents Nor did she leave any thing considerable to the Earth but her body Exchang'd all she had for the hopes of a better life leaving little besides the imitation of her self and an ambition of the like Vertue Nor ever did she with works of mercy commute with God for those of wantonness and luxury Who ever saw a garment or an ornament of a garment which was superfluous upon her much less did she use Ceruss or Stibium Scarlet or any other fucus signs and indications 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a sick and weak mind But like the abovesaid Gorgonia although she knew many and various external Ornaments of her sex yet she esteemed none so ornamental as her manners and inward purity and brightness of her mind the only ruddiness which pleased her was that of modesty the only white was that of fasting and abstinence The Father commends Gorgonia for that she did not labour so much to seem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as really to be good So our Saint blew no Trumpet made no noise retir'd to her Closet shut her door and offered the Sacrifices of an universal Righteousness to him that sees in secret but rewards openly What more sagacious in practical godliness than her discourses yet what more prudent than her silence So the Father admires Gorgonia Who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knew the things of God better than she both from the sacred Oracles and her own understanding yet who talked less 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 containing her self within the bounds of Piety proper to her sexe And this also is the genuine character of our Anna. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. These are great things and these are great Truths Thus these two great Saints lived instruments of Good examples of Vertue and ornaments of their Sex and now you long to hear how they died Truly they were lovely and pleasant in their lives and in their death they were not divided Of Gorgonia the Father tells us she 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 earnestly desired her dissolution and to be with Christ she preferred before all the pleasures of the World So our Saint all the while of her last and happiest sickness breath'd out no other longings but as the Hart panteth after the Water-brooks so panted her soul after thee O God Her soul thirsted for God for the living God oh when should she come and appear before God Gorgonia had some presensation of death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a kind of Vision making known the day of her departure And as if this Matron had had some such sentiment and apprehension at the very first notice of this last sickness she often used these words Lord fit me for thy self and thy will be done Gorgonia fallen into a very great extremity of body suffered no Physician 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but God How loth and unwilling our Saint was to use Physicians not only in this but in former sicknesses is very well known to all that were about her which did not spring so much from contempt of that conjectural Art as from the fulness of inward peace and a desire to be in a safe Port and Haven 'T is said Gorgonia having made her last day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a day of joy and festival she fell asleep So ours the day before she died confessed her humanity by groaning out now and then her sense of a pain in her side but on the day of her Apotheosis by all she did by all she said by all she suffered there was nothing perceptible but the deepest peace the sweetest comforts with very little reluctancy of Nature attested by a few drops of sweat on a hot day in a hotter room with a singultus or two she resign'd her pure Soul into the hands of her merciful Creator Oh Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory Let me die the death of
not enter nor dwell in the body that is subject Wis 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto sin Wickedness is destructive of principles and this notion is agreeable to the sence of all mankind Amongst the Gentiles before a man could be imbued with the discipline of the Eleusinia Sacra or the holy things of the Magna Mater he must by certain degrees and definite intervals of time be purged from the pollutions of this life and the sordes of his sins They had their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and at length their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their publick purgations their more recondid their aggregations initiations and then their visions So we read no man could be consummate in the mysteries of Mythra unless having passed through many degrees of punishments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. he present himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holy and unhurt He must go through fire and water hunger and thirst great travels and such like 80 in number First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The lighter then the more laboursome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Candidate is consummate So the Primitive Christians always caused the Via purgativa to precede the via illuminativa from whom the mystical Divines had it So the pretended Dionysius distinguishes the operation of the sacred Mysteries into three actions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divided by their proper rites and seasons purgation initiation and perfection The like we may observe in the whole procedure of the antient Church either concerning such as were to be made Christians or were to be restored to the communion of the faithful and the first must go through the state of Catechumens then of competents before they could be fideles But touching 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their lapsed their discipline was very severe They were to go through 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 four places of punishments which they rarely underwent in less than twelve years So true it is that the wisdom which is from above is first James 3. 17. pure then peaceable The restauration of which Discipline Res Deo gratior absque dubio quam de fidei dog matis subtiliter disputare extra scripturas omnes dissentientes ferro flamma prosequi in quo hodie summus pietatis apex ponitur Isa Casaub 1 Cor. 5. 19. Gal. 5. 6. 6 15. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. in the Church would be doubtless more acceptable to God Almighty than our extrascriptural and subtle determinations of Articles of our Faith and the prosecution of all Dissenters with fire and sword which at this day is the height of some mens Religion saith the Great Casaubon Which yet St. Paul places neither in circumcision nor uncircumcision but in the new creature i. e. in faith that works by love or in the keeping of the commandments of God And which will most evidently appear if we consider that the great end and design of Religion is to entitle us unto and invest us with a Life after Death and a blessed Immortality Now let us consider first what it is that secludes us from that State Saint Paul will tell you it is unrighteousness Galat. 5. 19. Fornication Idolatry Adultery Effeminacy Sodomy Theft Covetousness drunkenness Reviling Extortion Vncleanness Lasciviousness Witchcraft Hatred Variance emulation Wrath strife Sedition Heresies Envyings Murthers Revellings and such like I have told you before and I tell you again saith the Apostle That they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God What is it then that admits into that Kingdom our Lord will answer that question How readest thou saith he to Luke 10. 26. the Lawyer who had asked him what he must do to inherit Eternal life Thus I read Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. which is no otherwise exemplified than by keeping his Commands and thy Neighbour as thy self this do and thou shalt live saith Christ Herein also did the antient Church place the Essence of Christian Religion whereof I will give you assurance from Witnesses Domestick and Forreign J. Martyr If you shall observe any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 J. M. 2. Apolog. to live not as our Lord hath taught 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let all the World know they are no Christians although they make never such Orthodox Confessions of their Faith So Athenagoras 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athen. leg No Christian is a wicked man unless he be such an one as doth dissemble his profession So Tertullian You would have us renounce the name of Christian we are excluded if our lives be as the lives Excludimur si faci mus quae faciunt non Christiani of such as are not Christians And upbraiding to the Gentiles that their Prisons Mines and Beasts were daily cloyed with Malefactors he tells them There is not a Christian amongst them Nemo illic Christianus nisi plauè tantùm Christianus aut si aliud jam non Christianus unless he be there for his Christianity only for if he be upon any other account he is no Christian And again You will say even some of ours do swerve from the Rule of our Discipline then they cease to be accounted Christians amongst Desinunt tum Christiani haberi apud nos Apol. Haec non admittet omniuo qui natus à Deo fuerit non futurus Dei filiussi admiserit De vestro numero carcer exaestuat Christianus ibi nullus nisi aut reus suae c. us And in another Treatise having enumerated very many of the works of the Flesh he says He that is born of God will by no means commit these things for if he should commit them he would be no longer the son of God So Minucius Felix Your Prisons are crowded with your own number but not a Christian amongst them nisi aut reus suae Religionis aut profugus unless guilty only of his Religion or a Runagado from it So Lucian in his Peregrinus tells us They worshipped their crucified Sophist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ep. 97. and lived according to his Laws So Pliny to Trajan tells us speaking of Christians They were wont to convene on a set day before it was light and there Carmen Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem Ne furta ne latrocinia ne adulteria committerent ne fidem fallerent ne depositum appellati abnegarent Ad capiendum cibum promiscuum tamen innoxium Mic. 6. 8. James 1. 27. to sing alternatly an Hymn to Christ as if he were God and to bind themselves by oath to no wickedness but that they would commit no Thefts nor Robberies nor Adulteries nor break their faith nor betray their trust which done they were wont to depart and to meet again to eat bread in common but very innocently Agreeably hereunto doth the