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A40932 Gospel liberty sent down from heaven in a suffering time, or, Christian toleration given and granted by the Lord, about the worship of God ... by R.F. R. F. (Richard Farnworth), d. 1666. 1664 (1664) Wing F484; ESTC R24320 17,187 30

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him to the people but them to whom it is given and all have a true right given and allowed of God to minister from him to the people to whom that gift of Ministration is given and such ought not to be forbidden 1 Pet. 4.10 11. because there is a toleration to such given and granted in heaven as every man hath received the gift so let him minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God If any man speak let him speak as the Oracles or Sayings of God If any man Minister let him do it as of the Ability which God giveth that God in all things may be glorified as 〈◊〉 is written 1 Pet. 4.10 11. Order of Baptisme And for as much as it is a Fundamental of the Episcopal or Protestant Religion and according to the Constitutions and Canons of the Church of England that all who are Admitted into Church fellowship must in order to their Admission and in order to the obtaining to themselves the honourable Title of Christians promise and vow unto God before many witnesses to forsake the Devil and all his Works and to keep Gods holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of their lives Are not the Protestants or Episcopals hereby bound from persecuting any for Conscience towards God in matters of Faith and Salvation Because it is acknowledged to be a work of the Devil and contrary to the will of God to persecute Christians for matters of Faith and Salvation in point of Religion and Worship of God And for as much as it is declared in the Common Prayer Book or Liturgy of the Church of England 2 Coll. for Peace that the Service of God is perfect freedom whether ought any to be forced either to it or from it by outward compulsion but rather left to their freedome that God may convince and perswade them Because whatsoever is not of Faith is sin and every man ought to be fully perswaded in his own heart in matters of Faith and Salvation and it properly belongs to she Lord to make known his own Worship who knows how to perswade the heart both to believe and close in with the same And whereas it is said in the Common Prayer that God is the Author of Peace and Lover of Concord ought not the Episcopals or Protestants to be like minded unto him If so they would see it to be below the life and spirit of a true Christian to force Conscience before they convince it And so ought to seek their peace and welfare and not their destruction and Ruine who are yet unconvinced or perswaded by them who themselves do not walk up to their profession Com. upon the Feasts of Trin. And whereas in the Liturgie of the Church of England it is acknowledged that it is very meet right and our bounden duty that we should at all times and in all places worship and serve the Lord or give Thanks unto the Almighty and Everlasting God why then should we be bound from doing that which is accounted and declared to be very meet right and our bounden duty at any time and in any place especially by them who do own and profess the same as aforesaid And whereas the Priests Bishops and Curates do declare and confess by the Liturgie of the Church of England that there is no health in them meaning no souls health nor saving health in any of them because it is generally acknowledged by them and upon a spiritual Account what Reason can be produced in Reason why any man should be forced against his Conscience to come to seek Cure of them who plainly say they have no health in them and if they have no health in them as they say they have not Have they any Cure of Souls in them If not to whom must the wounded souls go to be cured Is it not best to leave them to their freedome that the Lord may direct them to whom to go to be cured when they are wounded by sin and the Temptations of Satan that they may also be delivered from under the bondage of Corruption Concerning the Church according to the Constitutions and Canons or Liturgie And al o of practising according to the Liturgie of the Church of England 1. AS to the Church who are accounted true Members thereof and the Condition of their being admitted into Fellowship therewith according to the Constitutions and Canons or Liturgie None are to be Admitted into Church-Fellowship neither can any obtain to themselves the honourable Title of Christians but such as do Covenant with God by Promise and Vow before many Witnesses to be perfect and free from sin First by forsaking the Devil and all his Works And secondly by keeping Gods holy Will and Commandments and walking in the same all the dayes of their lives And seeing that none can be Admitted into Church-Fellowship nor obtain to themselves that Honourable Title of Christians but upon the aforesaid Conditions Have and Do not all thereby who have Entered and are Admitted as aforesaid both Covenanted and do Covenant with God against Persecution about masters of Religion And if they persecute any upon that Account Do they not break Covenant with God and Violate the Fundamentalls of their Religion Secondly None are accounted Members of the Church according to the Liturgie but such as are born again of Water and the Spirit and are by Regeneration made Members of Christ Children of God and Inheritors of the Kingdome of Heaven If it be true that the Priests did Regenerate and Invest us into a Right to God's Kingdome by that Act of Baptisme so called as they have told us they did What true Spiritual Power and Gospel Authority have the Bishops and Priests to dispossesse us of that Right to Gods Kingdome again either by Church Censure or Excommunication And if they made us Children of God Members of Christ and Inheritors of the Kingdome of Heaven by that Act of Baptisme so called as they say they did Then what Spiritual Right and Gospel Authority have they to persecute the Members of Christ and Children of God about matters of Faith and Salvation and things appertaining to the Kingdome of God Is not that to act contrary to the Liturgie of the Church And do not such actions staine their Profession and violate the Fundamentals of the Episcopal and Protestant Religion And if they made us Children of God Members of Christ and Inheritors of the Kingdome of Heaven by that act of Baptisme so called Did they but mate us so for that present time onely or for continuance and perpetuity By their own account they did not make us so for that present time onely but for continuance and perpetuity for they say they made us Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven and their Faith and Judgement is that we cannot Inherit the Kingdome of Heaven whilst in this Life till after Death and therefore it must needs be
understood that they intended to make us so for continuance and perpetuity Then what Right have they to Excommunicate and Persecute us For if they cut off the Members of Christ either by Excommunication or Persecution do they not destroy Christ in his Members in so doing And is not that contrary to the Minde and Will of God and against the Innocency and true Intent of the Liturgie of the Church of England And doth not such proceedings beget a dislike and dis-esteem to them who so openly and manifestly erre from their owne Principles or Fundamentals in matters of Religion and Practise as aforesaid And for as much as the Bishops and Priests doe promise to People that by the Act of Baptisme so called they do Regenerate their Children and do thereby conclude them Regenerate saying Dearly Beloved Seeing this Childe is Regenerate and Borne again let us give Thanks Then if by that Act they do not Regenerate them they doe neither truly Baptize them nor Admit them into Church Fellowship Do not they therefore pretend to do that which they neither intend or really do not perform And is it not time for people to take notice of them For if no Priest in England can Regenerate any then no Priest in England can Baptize any who promise and pretend to Regenerate them by that Act as aforesaid and do not And seeing that by the Liturgie of the Church of England the Church is declared to be the Houshold and Family of God and by the Act that none may meet out of their owne Family above the number of five under pretence of Religion and Worship of God contrary to the Liturgie of the Church of England Then it seems that they who are of that Family and the whole Houshold and Family of God may meet together by that Act and not above five amongst them that are not of the Houshold and Family of God And the Liturgie of the Church of England doth plainly say that the whole Body of the Church is governed and sanctified by the Spirit of God So that the Houshold and Family of God are under the Teachings Sanctification and Government of the Spirit of God And by the Act it seemes all such may meet together to Worship God and not above five joyn with them that are not Governed and Sanctified by the Spirit of God for they are not Members of the Church nor of the Houshold and Family of God who are not Governed and Sanctified by the Spirit of God because the whole Body of the Church is said to be Governed and Sanctified by the Spirit of God and that according to the Liturgie as aforesaid Is it not evident then or may it not be concluded that by the said Act there is a toleration given for all to meet together who are under the administration and teachings of God who are governed and sanctified by the spirit of God and then what will this be against the meeting of the Quakers and innocent people of God if rightly understood and not perverted because they are the onely people that meet together in point of religion and worship of God according to the Liturgie because they are under the administrations and teachings of God and are governed and sanctified by the spirit of God And doth it not remain true that those who are prohibited by the act to meet above the number of five contrary to the Liturgie of the Church of England under pretence of religion are such as are not of the houshold and family of God that is to say such as daily errs and goes astray from the wayes of God and are not governed and sanctified by the spirit of God as aforesaid Concerning Infants Baptisme And as concerning Baptisme if the thing thereby promised and pretended be not effected the end doth not answer the means as they call it or indeed the meanes doth not lead to the end so that it is more a pretence and shew or shadow then any thing of substance and as necessary unto salvation and when the means leads to the end or the end answers the means so that the Priests do make it appear that they really can and do regenerate people by that act of baptisme so called as they pretend then we shall be●●●●● them and bring children unto them to have that conferred upon them and in the mean time it is but resonable to be excused for not bringing little children unto them whilst that part is more pretence then real practice or substance and we judge it a reasonable thing to be freed and clearly acquitted from all Ecclesiastical censures and temporall punishments concerning the same and if you think otherwise let the Lord and all true experienced sound upright hearted Christians judge between you and us in this case Concerning the Sacrament so called Is there any true spirituall right or gospel authority whereby any should be punished by Ecclesiastical censures or temporal punishments for not receiving that as an Ordinance of Christ which the Scriptures no where makes mention off if you say no Then we say the Scripture nowhere makes mention of the word Sacrament in any place that we ever read of and if you can produce any place of Scripture that plainly makes mention of the word Sacrament when you have produced that Scripture we shall take it into due consideration and if you say there is no such Scripture to be produced but the word sacrament is a significant word and it signifies the receiving of Christ Iesus and of an inward and spiritual grace which are holy things if so then to receive Christ Iesus in spirit and the grace of God is to receive the signification of the word Sacrament and so effectually to receive the Sacrament or the thing signified which is the end of the sign and we have received and do receive Christ Iesus and the inward grace of the spirit of God and so in effect do receive the Sacrament or signification of the sign and ought to be freed from all Ecclesiastical censures and temporal punishments concerning the same 1. Then to meet together in point of Religion and worship of God with them that are governed and sanctified by the spirit of God is to come to the Church and that according to the Liturgie or common prayer book therefore such are to be tolerated and ought not to be molested or troubled but rather freed from all Ecclesiastical censures and temporal punishments concerning the same 2. To meet together to preach and pray and perform duty to God in point of Religion and worship of God is not to meet contrary to the practice of the Liturgie of the Church of England because they pretend to do the same therefore they who meet together in the fear wisdome and spirit of God to preach pray and perform duty to God in point of Religion as worshippers of him ought not to be molested disturbed or called in question for so doing THE END