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A62739
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A sermon preached near Exeter on Cant. c. vi. v. 13 being an exhortation to all Protestant dissenters to joyn together against popery.
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Tanner, Thomas, 1630-1682.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing T146; ESTC R1224
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22,033
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31
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Church of England against their wills and are ever ready to regain their good will and to reduce them to a better state for though we speak it soft and mildly we do judg indeed that these do much interrupt and disturb the way of salvation to themselves and others and do much impeach and prejudice those amongst our selves who before did run well and would yet proceed to do so if they did not object their rubbs and impediments in the way We answer further that whereas it is truely said Opinionum varietas opinantium unitas non sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Variety of opinions and unity of Opiners are not inconsistent Our Church alloweth a greater latitude in this kind than any of those that do pretend a latitude only to palliate their own restraints for amongst them if one be for Lay-Elders and another against it one for the power of Pastors another for the power of the People one for laying on of hands after baptism and another against it nay one for free-will and another for free-grace and so in certain lesser questions it hath been found enough to divide and sub-divide them into Parties Churches feuds and animosities whereas in our Church great variety of opinions may and do consist very well with the Unity of the Church Every Scholar knows how ingenious men do abound in their own senses even in the Schools and it is not at all to the prejudice of the Church but may be rather to her benefit that certain points be not carried otherwise in extremes but that there may be here a little and there a little and one to ballance with another But when this rule of variety or diversity of opinion is traduced to a contrariety of establishment they must give us leave to assume that such a diversity is utterly inconsistent with the Unity of the Church In vain therefore do they declaim in general against schism as much as we could wish being sensible of what Pamelius hath delivered viz. Schismatis nomen in Ecclesia semper ignominiosum publiceque damnatum In Tert. de praescript ad◠Haeret. that the name of schism hath been alwaies ignominious in the Church and on all hands condemned whilst they defend in particular all the Sects at this day besides the Quakers to be true particular Churches that a man may safely joyn with any of them to do better that separation is no schism that the Church which imposeth though it be but things indifferent is the schismatical Church if it will not vary from her orders for the satisfaction of the weak or scrupulous and that in such cases the schismatical Churches which are so called are the truer and purer Churches of Christ and have all Church power within themselves to all intents and purposes for where can we now find a Schism which is culpable or a Church which can stand if she must vary from her order upon all demands or any possibility either of a Church or of a Schism By all which it seems that some of our dissenting Brethren do misdoubt themselves as lyable unto this charge of schism and would either cloak it neatly if they could or if it come to the worst defend that schism is no such sin as they sometimes granted and that they may lawfully live in schism especially when their maintenance ariseth that way as some have put themselves upon that exegency and so are bound to maintain that which maintaineth them framing their lives and doctrines according to their interests Not to grate any further upon that point wherein they are so tender there remaineth yet another word about the Unity of the Spirit that they have the same desires if not more intense and earnest than we our selves for the good of souls for the saving of themselves and others We do not doubt but that there is a zeal of God amongst many of them though not according unto a right knowledge not because they are more weak or ignorant than We but only otherwise perswaded or inclined howsoever it hath happened to them We trust that many of them do sincerely mean as they profess And so far as this is true we acknowledge the working of one and the same spirit in them and Us We look upon them as a part of the body and wherein they are not only not against Us but for Us that they are so far One with us But then if they do really believe that we have the same spirit amongst us or some of us at least why should they so magnifie the same spirit in themselves above the same in Us as if there were not the same power and purity of the spirit amongst Us to conveigh grace unto the hearers or to make them perfect that do come unto Us which Query we have the more reason to put home to our Brethren since they may seem now to cease from their instance upon the work of conversion a gift which they thought almost singular to themselves before as a thing below their Auditories or to preach against prophaneness wherein they were once the Boanerges's of the Age seeing their followers must be taken for no such and it may be cannot well bear it so that all their writings of late which are the reports of their Preachments to such as cannot hear them do run in a new strain which is much different from that way which they did admire and applaud before Again if they do acknowledg such an Unity of Spirit with Us how can they think or pretend as they do to be compleat without Us and to have no need of Us 1 Cor. 12.15 c. how happeneth it that they do so little weigh what the Apostle saith that one member hath need of another And if the foot shall say because I am not the hand I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body And if the ear shall say because I am not the eye I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body The eye cannot say unto the hand I have no need of thee Nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you That there should be no schism in the body but the members should have the same care one for another But if these members separate from the body can each member which is separated subsist by it self or any few that joyn together presently constitute themselves an entire Body a complete Church Or can any of their Officers which was but as an hand or a foot before make it self an heart or an head in a New Church and think that in truth they are such if they be not altogether useless Judg. 9.15 which cannot but put us in mind of Jotham's Parable and though we shall abstain from applying the prickles of it to our Brethren yet we doubt that it is this ambition of some hand or foot or other which thinks it self worthy of a better place that is one of the sad occasions
A SERMON Preached near EXETER On CANT c. vi v. 13. BEING AN EXHORTATION TO ALL Protestant Dissenters To joyn together against POPERY H B LONDON Printed for Henry Brome at the Gun at the West End of St. Paul's 1677. To the Honourable The Lady VRITH POLE The Virtuous Consort of Sir COURTENAY POLE Baronet Colonel-General of the Eastern Division of Devon a Member of the Parliament c. MADAM YOur Ladiship heard this Call of the Shulamite with a pious sympathy and compassion and since it took so well with you in the hearing the first view of it is in gratitude returned to Your Ladiship 's hand and eye that you may trie whether it be not the same that it was And because this Call did not sound alike to every ear but was judged of as every head was more clear or full of pre-possession and could not reach to others to whom it was more especially intended but by the Eccho's of a sinister report I must confess I was not hard to be induced upon some perswasion to let it go unto the Press that I might have a few Copies to distribute among some of these in hope that their apprehensions might be some wayes rectified or reduced by them without any further trouble to my self So praying to Your Ladiship an encrease of all the blessings of this life and at last that full of years and good works which are your only studies You may sweetly drop into a better being that that You do infinitely more desire I humbly beg Your Ladiship 's pardon and protection too MADAM Your very humble and obliged Servant Tho. Tanner A CALL TO THE SHULAMITE Cant. 6.13 Return return ô Shulamite return return that we may look upon thee what shall ye see in the Shulamite as it were the company of two armies LET us take that for granted which will hardly be denied us on any hand or if it be the majority of Interpreters will over-rule it that this Song of Excellency setteth forth the passionate desires of the Church after Christ and the most affectionate returns of Christ himself towards Her But in the words which I have read he doth not only shew his own affection in his Call after the wandring Shulamite but that of his Body too which is the same Christ mystical saying Return return that we may look upon thee plainly intimating that there is more than one in this Call And no one will deny or doubt but that the ingeminating of the words doth express the greater ardour and elegancy of intention Wherefore for the better opening of the words let us 1. consider the Call what it is viz. to return 2. The Person called who she is viz. the Shulamite 3. The End that we may look upon thee 4. The Answer of the Shulamite what will ye see in the Shulamite 5. The Rejoinder as it were the company of two armies First for the Call what it is It is to riturn implying that the Shulamite was some time before in the right way if she had but held it Else it had been rather said Come hither come hither ô Shulamite but it is Return return she had left the way that before she was engaged in And the ingemination in the Call seemeth to import that since she went off she occasioned much trouble to the Church and as much inconveniency to her self so that the saving of more trouble to the Church was a just motive to make her call out unto the Shulamite and the compassion of her made it more intense and earnest for the Church loved the Shulamite and wished her well-doing even as her own Secondly for the person called therefore and called the Shulamite who or what was she some understand her to be the Church of the Gentiles called upon by the Synagogue or Church of the Jews to return that is to joyn her self to the Jewish Congregation and to worship with her but as we hinted before Return signifies that the Shulamite was once in the right way which could not be said of the Gentiles in the time of Solomon if at any time before Others therefore take the Shulamite to be the beloved wife of Solomon and that her name doth seem to be framed out of his for the more ingratiating of Shelomoh with Shulamith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Shulamith with Shelomoh as if he had called her the Shelomah but one entirely with my self This Shulamite is therefore thought to be the Daughter of Pharaoh who to gain the greater power with her Husband became Proselyre to the Jewish Church but being her self unstedfast in the Covenant proved an occasion to draw away the heart of Solomon to worship in the High places wherewith the Lord was offended Thus we find in Scripture that from divers literal and historical hints of passages many things purely spiritual and mystical have been extended to a more general and universal intention and so conveyed to the Church which we see almost in all the types relating to our Savioir Christ as they are exhibited and exemplified in the New Testament Let the Shulamite then be the diverted Proselyte once a Member of the true Church and let this voice Return return be either that of Solomon converted from his own error and now calling upon the Shulamite in the name of Christ and longing to reclaim her Or that of the Daughters of Jerusalem in the name of the true Church longing also to regain her Return return ô Shulamite from thy High-places and from thy divers Worships according to thine own inventions and readjoyn thy self to us Return return Thirdly To this end That we may look upon thee that is that we may both contemplate and admire thy taking beauty and enjoy it as our own even as we did before Return ô Shulamite return we acknowledg the splendor of thy virtues oh that they were ours once again we adore thy piety oh that it were well informed we admire the variety of thy gifts and graces which are thy rare embellishments oh that thou mayest not have received them to thine own and our prejudice Return ô Shulamite return that we may look upon thee in such a manner as we earnestly desire viz. as our own entirely without division Fourthly Then we have the Answer of the Shulamite what shall ye see in the Shulamite It seems to be a kind of shye and coy answer cast as it were with half a look as if she had said I know well enough that you do but compliment and flatter with me you have no such opinion of my accomplishments and beauties as you pretend nor any such desire of my company why should you dissemble so for what can you see in the Shulamite that can be taking unto you that are of another way and fancy other looks than such as the Shulamites Some do joyn the latter part to this as it were the company of two armies viz. that are jealous of one another q. d. If I should return