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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A50916 Of reformation touching chvrch-discipline in England, and the cavses that hitherto have hindred it two bookes, written to a freind [sic] Milton, John, 1608-1674. 1641 (1641) Wing M2134; ESTC R17896 44,575 96

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OF REFORMATION Touching CHVRCH-DISCIPLINE IN ENGLAND And the CAVSES that hitherto have hindred it TWO BOOKES Written to a FREIND Printed for Thomas Vnderhill 1641. Faults escap't in the printing are heer corrected Page 1. l. 5. at frequent must be a comma p. 2. l. 27. sensual p. 4. l. 31. exorcism p. 5. l. 9. at adoration a comna p. 6. l. 4. in ignorance there wants an a. l. 29. she taught p. 7. l. 9. adde in Discipline which is the execution p. 19. l. 4. collegues l. 13. known p. 70. l. 6. yea other nattonsp 72. l. 5. each other state l. 7. at common is no period but a comma OF REFORMATION IN ENGLAND And the CAVVSES that hitherto have hindred it Sir AMidst those deepe and retired thoughts which with every man Christianly instructed ought to be most frequent of God and of his miraculous ways and works amongst men and of our Religion and Worship to be perform'd to him after the story of our Saviour Christ suffering to the lowest bent of weaknesse in the Flesh and presently triumphing to the highest pitch of glory in the Spirit which drew up his body also till we in both be united to him in the Revelation of his Kingdome I do not know of any thing more worthy to take up the whole passion of pitty on the one side and joy on the other then to consider first the foule and sudden corruption and then after many a tedious age the long-deferr'd but much more wonderfull and happy re●…ormation of the Church in these latter dayes Sad it is to thinke how that Doctrine of the Gospel planted by teachers Divinely inspir'd and by them winnow'd and sifted from the chaffe of overdated Ceremonies and refin'd to such a Spirituall height and temper of purity and knowledge of the Creator that the body with all the circumstances of time and place were purifi'd by the affections of the regenerat Soule and nothing left impure but sinne Faith needing not the weak and fallible office of the Senses to be either the Vshers or Interpreters of heavenly Mysteries save where our Lord him-selfe in his Sacraments ordain'd that such a Doctrine should through the grossenesse and blindnesse of her Professors and the fraud of deceivable traditions drag so downwards as to backslide one way into the Jewish beggery of old cast rudiments and stumble forward another way into the new-vomited Paganisme of sensuall Idolatry attributing purity or impurity to things indifferent that they might bring the inward acts of the Spirit to the outward and customary ey-Service of the body as if they could make God earthly and fleshly because they could not make themselves hea●…enly and Spirituall they began to draw downe all the Divine intercours betwixt God and the Soule yea the very shape of God himselfe into an exterior and bodily forme urgently pretending a necessity and obligement of joyning the body in a formall reverence and Worship circumscrib'd they hallow'd it they fum'd it they sprincl'd it they be deck't it not in robes of pure innocency but of pure Linnen with other deformed and fantastick dresses in Palls and Miters gold and guegaw's fetcht from Arons old wardrope or the Flamins vestry then was the Priest set to con his motions and his Postures his Liturgies and his Lurries till the Soule by this meanes of over bodying her selfe given up justly to fleshly delights bated her wing apace downeward and finding the ease she had from her visible and sensuous collegue the body in performance of Religious duties her pineons now broken and flagging shifted off from her selfe the labour of high soaring any more forgot her heavenly flight and left the dull and droyling carcas to plod on in the old rode and d●…udging Trade of outward conformity And here out of question from her pervers conceiting of God and holy things she had faln to beleeve no God at all had not custome and the worme of conscience nipt her incredulity hence to all the duty 's of evangelicall grace instead of the adoptive and cheerefull boldnesse which our new alliance with God requires came Servile and thrallike feare for in very deed the superstitious man by his good will is an Atheist but being ●…carr'd from thence by the pangs and gripes of a boyling conscience all in a pudder shuffles up to himselfe such a God and such a worship as is most agreeable to remedy his feare which feare of his as also is his hope fixt onely upon the Flesh renders likewise the whole faculty of his apprehension carnall and all the inward acts of worship issuing from the native strength of the SOVLE run out lavishly to the upper skin and there harden into a crust of Formallitie Hence men came to scan the Scriptures by the Letter and in the Covenant ofour Redemption magnifi'd the external signs more then the quickning power of the Spirit and yet looking on them through their own guiltinesse with a Servile feare and finding as little comfort or rather terror from them againe they knew not how to hide their Slavish approach to Gods behests by them not understood nor worthily receav'd but by cloaking their Servile crouching to all Religious Presentments somtimes lawfull sometimes Idolatrous under the name of humility and terming the Py-bald frippery and oftentation of Ceremony's decency Then was Baptisme chang'd into a kind of exorcisme and water Sanctifi'd by Christs institute thought little enough to wash off the originall Spot without the Scratch or crosse impression of a Priests fore-finger and that feast of free grace and adoption to which Christ invited his Disciples to sit as Brethren and coheires of the happy Covenant which at that Table was to be Seal'd to them even that Feast of love and heavenly-admitted fellowship the Seale of filiall grace became the Subject of horror and glouting adoration pageanted about like a dreadfull Idol which sometimes deceve's wel-meaning men and beguiles them of their reward by their voluntary humility which indeed is fleshly pride preferring a foolish Sacrifice and the rudiments of the world as Saint Paul to the Colossians explaineth before a savory obedience to Christs example Such was Peters unseasonable Humilitie as then his Knowledge was small when Christ came to wash his feet who at an impertinent time would needs straine courtesy with his Master and falling troublesomly upon the lowly alwise and unexaminable intention of Christ in what he went with resolution to doe so provok't by his interruption the meeke Lord that he threat'nd to exclude him from his heavenly Portion unlesse he could be content to be lesse arrogant and stiff neckt in his humility But to dwell no longer in characterizing the Depravities of the Church and how they sprung and how they tooke increase when I recall to mind at last after so many darke Ages wherein the huge overshadowing traine of Error had almost swept all the Starres out of the Firmament of the Church how the bright and blissfull Reformation by Divine Power