Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n
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A61267
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A sermon preached at the Assizes at Hertford, March the 9th, 1682/3 by John Standish ...
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Standish, John, d. 1686.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing S5217; ESTC R13596
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14,535
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38
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which Lawless Miscreants we are here caution'd against in the Text for they are Invaders of their Superiours Rights disturbers of the publick Peace and sworn Enemies to Government Rom. 13.2 the Ordinance of God And therefore to shut up this first Stage From all their Seditious Principles Privy Conspiracies and open Rebellions against the Lords Anointed Good Lord deliver Him and Us Secondly Meddle not with them that are given to Change their God their Religion and Faith I mean that good old Way those beaten Paths visible all along to the Apostolical Age. What Rebells are in State Hereticks and Schismaticks are in the Church By Hereticks I mean such as stifly and obstinately maintain and propagate Errours about the Christian Faith soundly and generally held by the Catholick Church By Schismaticks such as scornfully separate from the received ancient Discipline and set up some new Model of their own 1. Then Meddle not with them that are given to change the primitive Faith We must have a special care of bartering away our precious Faith 2 St. Pet. 1.1 as St. Peter calls it either for the Traditions of men or Doctrines of Devills Rom. 16.17 I beseech you Brethren says St. Paul mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them And knowing that fair means will not always doe He hath elsewhere left a solemn Execration upon Record to affright us from Heretical Teachers saying Though We or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel Sal. 1.8 then that we have already Preached let him be Accursed His words are full of Emphasis it is not though I but though We that is though Peter and James and John and I and all the Apostles should combine together to forge a new Gospâ—l nay though an Angel from Heaven should be in the Plot let him also be Anathema And lest we should think He speaks unadvisedly as led by humane Passion more than by any Divine Warrant He repeats it over again in the very next verse As we said before so say I now again ver 9. if any man Preach any other Gospel unto you then that ye have received let him be Accursed Whereupon Vinc. Lerinadu Haeres saies good Vincentius in a holy Zeal if any man presume to teach Novelties in the Faith contrary to the ancient sound Doctrine let that elect and chosen Vessel that profound Doctor of the Gentiles that Trumpet of the Apostles who whilst he preached on Earth was caught up into the third Heaven cry out in his writings still against him Let him be twice Accursed Let him be rejected and Excommunicated least the Infection of one Sheep and much more the Defection of one Shepherd endanger the whole Flock of Christ 1 Tim. 6.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The same Apostle chargeth his Son Timothy O Timothy keep that which is committed to thy Trust avoiding profane and vain Novelties as St. Chrysostome and the vulgar read it which I can't let pass without Vincentius his excellent Paraphrase thereon Keep the Depositum that which is recommended to thy Charge and Trust Id. Ibid. not that which is of thine own Invention that which thou hast received not what thou hast devised a matter not of Wit but Doctrine not of private Usurpation but of publick Tradition thou receivedst Gold free from all mixtures of Brass or Lead Fraud or Feculency and therefore be sure to pay Gold And again O Timothy O Preacher O Priest Shew thy self if thou wilt and canst a cunning Bezaliel in the spiritual Tabernacle fall to work with the Precious Jewells of Divine Doctrine fit them faithfully adorn them wisely add splendor grace and beauty to them Let that be understood more clearly by thy Exposition which was before believed more obscurely But be sure it be the same of the Old stamp and no adulterate Doctrine His meaning is that such things only must be taught and held for matters of Faith both by Priest and People as have been always owned by the Catholick Church from the express Word of God for understanding the true sence whereof in case of Disputes we are to follow Antiquity Vniversality and Consent as he adds afterwards Now that our Church of England is hated by both her Extremes 2 Tim. 1.13 for holding fast this old Form of sound words in their primitive Purity that very Faith whereof our Saviour is the Author our Soveraign the Defender and not admitting their Novel Opinions into her Creed will appear by and by For it seems not unreasonable to satisfie one Enquiry first Quest Why God will suffer so many Heresies and Impostures in the world from time to time to prejudice and countermine his most holy Truth I answer in the words of Moses Deut 13.1 Answ 2. If there ariseth a Prophet or Dreamer of Dreams and giveth thee a sign and the signe come to pass and then he entice thee to go after other Gods thou shalt not hearken to that Dreamers words for the Lord your God proveth you whether ye love the Lord with all your heart and with all your Soul A very clear Account of the whole matter God suffers false Prophets to make true Predictions sometimes and then to entice his people to the Worship of Idols merely and on purpose to try their Constancy whether they will by any means or artifices be tempted from his service and change their God Now Heresie under the Gospel bears Analogie to Idolatry under the Law both imply a setting forth of strange Gods Act. 17.18 And therefore St. Paul gives much the same reason hereof with that of Moses saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there must be also Heresies among you 1 Cor. 11.19 that they which are approved may be made manifest There Must be Good and Evil Life and Death true and false Religions set before men else there would be no Choice no Vertue but all Necessity there being no such thing as Victory without Enemies no credit in vindicating truth were there no Errour in the World Therefore it is that God permits men oftimes of subtile heads rational learning eloquent speech pleasing converse and exemplary lives tâ— set up for Hereticks in their several ages as a Touchstone to prove his own Servants Faithfulness to shew whether they love or flatter Him whether they hold their Religion by chance or choice whether a well-contrived Fable learned Cheat or specious Imposture can perswade them out of their Christian Name that they which are approved may be made manifest For he onely is a true and Catholick Christian who preferres nothing before the Catholick Faith Vinc. Ler. Ib. Not any private man's Love nor his Wit nor his Eloquence nor his Philosophy nor his Authority no nor that Dagon of his Infallibility but despising all these is fixed and immoveable in that Faith he finds the Church Vniversal hath ever held and resolves to hold and live and die
the World to judge Mean while one might in reason think that the consideration of those former black Examples should deter the most profligate Wretches from laying Traines for future Disturbances and turning the passive obedience of the first Christians into active disobedience For why should they court their own Ruine Why should they force Man to condemn their Bodies and God to damn their Souls rather than part with a pievish Spirit of Contradiction rather then study to be quiet 1 Thes 4.11 and to do their own business And yet after all our Arguments and Instances there are and will be still some amongst us of that Devilish Spirit that they are desperately in Love with that sin of Witchcraft as the Prophet calls Rebellion they long for nothing more than Changes in Church and State 1 Sam. 15.23 and are as it were with Child of some new Seditious Birth These deas Adders will not hear the Church and therefore we must turn them over to the secular Arme St. Mat. 18.17 in the Second and Last Place by applying the Text to this Solemn Occasion For we may preach our hearts out to convince Them that Loyalty is good Gospel but all in vain unless the Magistrate will lay the Law home to them also by giving them a word of Reproof in due season and letting them know that He beareth not the Sword in vain â—om 13.4 As for our Gracious KING He is so far from the least Arbitrary thought or setting up his own Will for the standard of all Justice as these sinners against their own Souls would have us suspect that he hath been most graciously pleased to Declare to all the World Numb 16.38 that He will Govern according to Law Blessed be God for putting so Wise Just and Seasonable a Thought into His Royal Heart May it be as unchangeable as any Decree of the old Medes and Persians Dan. 6.8 And give me leave to recommend this Sacred Resolution of your Royal Master to you His Honourable Judges and other his Ministers of Justice as the best Expedient to preserve and secure our Peace in this critical minute Sad Experience should inform us that the Multitude is an unruly-head-strong Beast they are ever and anon for making themselves Rings as the Israelites once did GODS to go before Them Exod. 32.23 and they must be curbed and managed by a strait Rein or they will kick and sling and attempt to throw their Rider They are like the raging Sea which requires a great deal of Power and Providence to keep it within due Bankes and Bounds or it over-runs and sweeps away all before it It is the safest way to crush the Cockatrice of Rebellion in the Egg and ten times easier to prevent a Feaver in the Body Politick then it is to cure it by the wisest methods when once all in a flame To this end the Magistrate should have a watchful eye over all those who make it their business to sow the seeds of Sedition in vulgar minds who having imbibed Anti-Monarchical Principles from Republican Authors think they are not compleat Ciceronians till they can declaim loudly and make long-winded Speeches against the Monarchy who are never well but when they are lampooning and libelling all that is Sacred to render it odious and seduce the people from their Duty and Allegiance Amongst these I must name the Roman Priests and the Protestant Jesuites as the most dangerous Enemies of the Government Indeed the latter are found to be onely the Tooles of the former and it seems morally impossible ever to bring Popery into England but by Indulging Dissenters and giving Toleration to those several Factions which are agreed upon nothing but to oppose the KING and CHURCH as their common Enemies Whatever Conventicles then are suffered against Law as they are at the best but Religious Tumults Holy Riots Spiritual fits of Spleen and Frenzy and Schisms in State as well as Church so they are Destructive of the Peace of Both and down they must go in good earnest or else the Government it self that thinks it stands Cor. 10.12 must take heed least it fall for thus saith the Lord a House Church Mat. 12.25 or Knigdome divided within it self connot stand To Conclude then Let me beseech you All whom in any degree it doth concern as ye tender the glory of GOD the KINGS Honour the Prosperity of the Church and Kingdom the comfort of your own Consciences and Salvation of your Souls that Ye also in your several Spheres will Govern according to Law and make it your care that our wholesome Laws be vigorously and impartially executed and chiefly those that are designed signed to fence and support the Government against all such as are given to Change or invade it whether they be of the Popish or of the Popular Faction For Execution ye know is the very Life and Soul of the Law without that the best Laws are no better than a cancelled Deed or a dead Letter By this one happy Measure as we have it from a very Authentick Hand the Kingdom of Scotland is already reduced to such a peaceable State the Kings Enemies are so confounded and their devices so broken that it is scarce possible for any save eye-witnesses to believe it And why may We not hope ere long to see the same effect thereof in England also To see the known Friends of the Government encouraged To see all Nurseries of Faction suppressed All breaches in Faith or Charity cemented and healed up That as we have but one God and one Lord Iesus Christ so we may all content our selves with one Ring one Church one Faith one Baptism and that there be no more Division or Strife among us unless it be this Who should be most Zealous to promote the Peace and Unity of Church and State Who most forward and conscientious to fear the LORD first and then the KING and not meddle with them that are given to Change Now to the KING Immortal 1 Tim. 1.17 Father Son and Holy Ghost Three Persons One onely Wise Vnchangeable GOD be Glory and Majesty Dominion and Power now and ever Amen FINIS