Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A15726
|
The ground of a Christians life Deliuered in a sermon at Harwood in Lancashire, the first day of December 1618. By Robert Worthington minister of Gods word at Acceington.
|
Worthington, Robert, minister of Gods word at Acceington.
|
1620
(1620)
|
STC 25999; ESTC S103650
|
35,929
|
86
|
as necessary to saluation or equalized with the law of God neither may they by their multitude obscure the glory of Christ in his ordinances but such lawes as are made vniustly or command vnlawfull things do binde neither in generall nor particular neither in themselues nor accidentally and therefore cannot be of faith Now the Church of Rome maketh Great difference betwixt the Church of Rome and the Church of England lawes and ordaineth constitutions not onely Extrafidem without faith but also contrafidem against faith and to bind the conscience in paine of mortall sinne laying grieuous burthens vpon mens shoulders heauie to be borne And thus farre in the third vse proceed we in order to the fourth Vse 4 In the fourth place it teacheth Gods Ministers to preach the Scriptures as in Gods ministers must preach Gods word 2. Tim. 4. 1. 2. respect of the necessity thereof all our actions being to be done of faith so also from the direction of the Apostle who saith to Timothy Preach the word Nay we haue the example of Christ who preached Moses and the Prophets himselfe The Scribe demanding the way to life Christ answereth by interrogation What Luke â—â— â—6 is written in the law how readest thou Againe he entring into a Synagogue at Nazareth vpoÌ„ the Sabboth it being his Luke 4. 17. ordinary custome by the testimony of the Euangelist and a booke of the Prophet Esaiah being deliuered him he openeth the booke and findeth it written thus The Spirit of the Lord is vpon me because he hath anointed me that I shold preach the Gospell to the poore c. The which he expoundeth and applyeth as plainly appeareth in the verses following yea he vrgeth it as a duty vpon the people for to heare Moses and the Prophets They haue Moses and the Prophets saith he Luke 16. 29. let them heare them Now what made way for Antichrist but leauing of the Scriptures From whence ariseth schisme heresie together with grosse idolatry The casting aside of the word is the high way to schisme heresie and grosse Idolatry but from ignorance in the Scriptures For opinion and sense may faile and erre when faith rightly grounded vpon the word cannot What hath caused so many sects to spring vp in the bosome of the Church as Donatists Familists Brownists Anabaptists but want of comparing Scripture with Scripture When men want indifferent â—ares and hearts their affections rather inclining to courses of security and liberty and their iudgements blinded through pride and selfe-loue how soone I say are such seduced drawne away and corrupted Therefore as it is a duty to search the Scriptures they being the ground of faith and pillar of truth so it behoueth the Lords embassadors to come to the people with not Thus say I but Thus saith the Lord. For what wise man will The word of God vpholdeth a ministers office and authority credit euery heare-say or what subiect wiâ—l yeeld respect to such an one as couÌ„terfeiteth the kings Embassador hauing neither his Maiesties Armes nor Seale I will not deny but it is a blessed thing to teach Gods truth from a sanctified spirit for who is able to direct in that mysticall doctrine of regeneration so well as he that is regenerate himselfe or what art is able to describe and teach like experience It was an infallible truth and grounded certenty sufficiently perswading the wise men that in Bethleem Mich. 5. 2. Matth 2. 9. was borne Christ the king of the Iewes when the prophecy of the Prophets and the conducting starre paralleled both directing vnto one and the same place As sure and credible will it be when Gods sacred Spirit in vs shall sympathise with Gods word and his Spirit make a sweet harmony in his Ministers his reuealed truth But if sense preposterously faile without the guide of faith then beware of ship wracke for Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne We see then as in a glasse the duty of all Gods embassadors for as we may not preach our selues but Christ Iesus the Lord so may we not deliuer a parcell of the Scriptures or diuulge them partially The true treasure and diuine Oracles of the Almighty require faithfulnesse for so ought stewards to be found faithfull Cor. 4. 2. Gods truth as it is so it must be taught The word of truth deserueth true diuision The whole word of God must be taught as also right application whereby the whole counsel of God may be reuealed to the Saints For oftentimes the want of comparing Scripture with Scripture and distinguishing of times produceth an Ataxie or confusion in the Churches of God To instance in some particulars and lamentable presidents The cauils and innouations of that Anabaptisticall Sect who say that the New Testament is sufficient to saluation therfore the Old vnnecessary and vnprofitable and they ground themselues vpon these Scriptures 2. Cor. 3. 6. and 14. Who 2. Cor. 3. 6. 14 16. hath made vs able Ministers of the New Testament not of the letter but of the Spirit for the letter killeth but the Spirit giueth life Moses say they had a couering Anabaptists very proud and grosly ignorant which in Christ is taken away But the Apostle saith not that Moses is taken away but the veile is taken away For the Apostle speaketh of the illumination and conuersion of the Iewes to Christ as appeareth in the sixteenth verse Neuerthelesse when their hearts shall be turned to the Lord the veile shall be taken away Indeed the shadows and ceremonies must needes be taken away when the substance is come but Christ was not shadowed or typified in the moral law therfore that cannot vtterly be taken away Matt. 5. 17. 18. for his comming was not to abolish it but to fulfill it therefore the Old Testament is both necessary and profitable Furthermore what although the Apostle teach that the letter killeth but the There remaines good vse of the morall law both for repentaÌ„ce and life spirit giueth life doth he thereby any thing else but shew the difference betwixt the Law and the Gospel namely that the one is able to do nothing without the other For the orgaÌ„ of the quickning Spirit cannot be properly said to be the Law but the Gospell since the Law hath no power to regenerate but the Gospell yet in regeneration and conuersation the Law hath it worke and vse and therefore cannot be abolished Another ground they haue in Matth. 17. 5. Christ say they by the command Matth. 17. 5. of the Father is onely to be heard but to heare Moses the Prophets of Christ is to heare Christ Besides it is the command of the Sonne himselfe who was equall with the Father They haue Moses Luke 16. 39. and the Prophets let them heare them Yea he telleth the Iewes that If they had beleeued Iohn 5. 47. Moses they would haue beleeued him for he wrote of him Againe
of people and Churches so was their doctrine diuiding the word of truth aright Amongst them of the circumcision the Apostle presseth the doctrine of faith but where the Gospell was established he vnfoldeth further 2. Cor. 6. 34. Tit. 2. 1. 2. 1. Tim. 6. 17. 18. the mysterie of godlinesse teaching other graces and gracious duties necessary and appertaining to Christian life Here we see the wisedome of God in scattering the Scriptures not onely for the making his people more diligent in searching them but also that they may The Brownist a wrester of holie Scripture in many things remaine in his iust iudgement a stone to stumble at euen to such as are disobedient and vnbeleeuing Furthermore would the Familist and Separatist take any paines in comparing Scripture with Scripture they should finde but weake grounds for their indiscreet and vngodly proceedings For although they are bold and peremptory in alledging Scripture yet if they were able to see their pride and ignorance they should finde but a slippery ground-worke to vphold and maintaine their wilfull separation The alledging of Scripture literally and solely without comparison will no more helpe in some cases then bare sufferings without the cause will helpe a man to be The diuell cunning in quoting Scripture Psal 91. 11. Matth. 4. 6. a Christian The diuell for his owne defence hath alledged Scripture he can tell Christ it is written That the Lord had giuen his Angels charge ouer him and with their hands they should lift him vp that at any time he dash not his foote against a stone therefore what if he cast himselfe downe from the pinacle of the Temple But the Lord Iesus knew that although this Scripture was truth yet it was no warrant for him to subiect himselfe to Christians must not consent to euerie quoter of Scripture Satans wil or enterprise such a needlesse action And can we perswade our selues that he laboureth not to traine vp as many as he can in such cunning sophistry will he leaue any arrow in his quiuer vnshot before he will be conquered When humane learning cannot serue he Satan a cunning sophister will not be afraid to vrge diuine Scripture Wofull experience witnesseth his working vpon the corruptions of corrupt professours causing their pride ignorance and hypocrisie to end in Anabaptisme Brownisme and Apostacie But let vs search some of their mainest grounds The first place which I purpose The ground of Separatists to shew is in the 1. Corinthians 5. 6. 7. 11. A little leauen doth leauen the 1. Cor. 5. 6. 7. 11 whole lumpe purge out therefore the old leauen If any which is called a brother be a fornicatour or an idolater or couetous or a rayler or drunkard or extortioner with such an one eate not But the Apostle saith not Particulars will not alwayes hold to maintaine generals Eate not with any that is disobedient but with a brother There were many that denyed the resurrection he commanded not these to be cast forth neither doth he say that when he shall come to them he will cast all such foorth as haue not repented of their fornication 2. Cor. 12. 21. and wantonnesse but bewaile them The person therefore that may not be eaten with is a brother a Christian by name one excommunicated the end whereof Our sharpe dealing with others must be sugred with loue vnto them 2. Thess 3. 14. 15. was not to root him out but to plant him in For this must be done that he might be ashamed neither was he to be accounted as an enemy but admonished as a brother The holy Fathers presently after the primitiue times were troubled themselues The Church euer troubled with schismatickes with such schismaticall Donatists as namely Parmenian and Cresconius with others who grounded themselues vpon this Scripture with such like Vnto whom Augustine writeth in this manner Cum quisque fratrum i. Christianorum intus in Ecclesâ—â— societate constitutorum in aliquo tali peccalo fueriâ— depreheÌ„sus vt Anathemate dign us habeatur fiat hoc vbi periculum schismatis nullum est c. August cont August cont Parm. lib. 3. cap. 3. When any of the brethren that is of the Christians which haue place within in the vnity of the Church be taken in some such sin that he may be counted worthy to be excommunicate let it be done where there is no danger of a schisme This man saith he Corripite non ad eradicandum sed ad corrigendum Cast out that he being stricken through feare may be healed through shame When seeing himselfe excommunicated of the whole Church he cannot finde a multitude to be of his fellowship with whom he may reioyce in his fin and insult ouer the good We see here by the testimony of the Father as also by the prastise of the Apostle that multitudes may not be reiected much lesse whole Churches as these Separatists dreame Lest while we go about to plucke vp Matth. 13. 24. the tares we plucke vp the wheat likewise Other Scriptures they ground vpon as these out of the Prophets Ieremiah 23. 28. What hath the chaffe to do with the Ierem. 25. 28. wheate Also vpon that in Esaiah 52. 11. Depart depart come out from thence touch Esay 52. 11. no vncleane things come out from the middest thereof and separate your selues you that beare the vessels of the Lord. But when was this separation was it not when Babel was incurable neare vnto destruction Otherwise the Prophets themselues yea Christ and his Apostles sinned when they were in the Temple with vngodly multitudes Hath not the chaffe bene euer The Church was neuer without hypocrites with the wheate Is there no chaffe at Amsterdam or hath God no people but there Hath there not bene hypocrites in the Church and who are worse or how shall they be winnowed before the separating Angell come with his The chaffe and the wheat must be together â—ntill the last day winnowing fan The cause now of their separation is because we are Babilonish the Church of England say they is idolatrous and antichristian Admit we were so which is a shamelesse slander yet this is no ground for present and sudden corporall separation If these who were extraordinarily gifted hauing withal the spirit of discerning separated not what ground hath the Brounist The Iewes and false teachers were superstitious enough yet Paul remained among them vntill the Lord called him from thence to go preach vnto them of the vncircumcision And so did Christ For what doth the Lord require more then a disioyning in affection fellowship Besides if all humane constitutions be simply sinnes then were all primitiue reformed Churches idolatrous and vncleane and the Apostles themselues guilty of sinne for communicating with such Nay further who may communicate with the Church of England although he digresse from the same order himselfe For we may not sit at