Selected quad for the lemma: honour_n
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A27054
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The true and only way of concord of all the Christian churches the desirableness of it, and the detection of false dividing terms / opened by Richard Baxter.
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Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing B1432; ESTC R18778
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282,721
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509
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laid in the dungeon nor had they forbid Amos to prophesie at the Kings Chapel or his Court nor had they mocked the messengers of God and despised his prophets till the wrath of the Lord arose and there was no remedy 2 Chron. 26. 16. Had this Spirit of Vnity been in the persecuting Jews they would not have counted Paul a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition among the people nor have hunted the Apostles with implacable fury nor have forbidden them to preach to the Gentiles that they might be saved and have brought Gods wrath upon themselves to the uttermost 1 Thes 2. 15 16. Had this Vnity of spirit prevailed in the Nicolaitans and other hereticks of old they had not so early grieved the Apostles and divided and dishonoured the primitive Church nor raised so many Sects and parties among Christians nor put the Apostles to so many vehement obtestations against them and so many sharp objurgations and reproofs Nor had there been down to this day a continuation for so many hundred years of the Churches woful distractions and calamities by the two sorts of afflicters viz. the Clergie Tyrants on one side and the swarms of restless Sectaries on the other And if the Spirit of Vnity ruled in the people there would he less rebelling repining and murmuring against Governours but subjects would render to all their dues tribute to whom tribute custome to whom custome fear to whom fear is due and honour to whom honour Rom. 13. 7. They would owe nothing to any man but to Love one another v. 8. For he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law For this Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness Thou shalt not covet and if there be any other Commandment it is briefly comprehended in this saying Thou shalt Love thy neighbour as thy self Love worketh no ill to his neighbour Therefore Love is the fulfilling of the Law v. 9 10. Love is long-suffering and kind Love envyeth not Love vaunteth not it self or is not rash nor is puffed up doth not behave it self unseemly seeketh not her own is not easily provoked or siercely angry thinketh no evil rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in or with the truth Love beareth or concealeth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things 1 Cor. 13. 4 c. Did the Vnity of the spirit and Love prevail it would undo most of the Lawyers Atturneys Solicitors Proctors It would give the Judges a great deal of ease It would be a most effectual corrector of the press of the pulpit of the table talk of calumniators and backbiters It would heal factious preachers and people and many a thousand sins it would prevent In a word Love and Vnity are the most excellent Law They are a Law eminenter For it is to such that the Apostle saith there needeth no Law that is no forcing constraining Law which supposeth an unwilling subject For what a man Loveth â—e need not be constrshained to by penalties And men need not many threats to keep them from beating or robbing or slandering themselves And did they but Love God and the Church and their Neighbours and their own souls as they do their bodies piety and justice and concord and felicity would be as common as humanity is As the best physicions are most for strengthening nature which is the true curer of diseases so he that could strengthen Vnity and Love would soon cure most of the persecutions schisms reproaches contentions deceivings over-reaching rash-censuring envy malice revenge and all the injuries which selsishness causeth in the world 4. The Vnity of the spirit is necessary to the fulness of our joy and the true consolation of our lives A private selfish Spirit hath very little matter to feed his joy even his own poor narrow and interrupted pleasures And what are these to the treasures which feast the joy and pleasure of a publick mind If Love Vnite me as a Christian to all Christians and as a man to all the world the blessings of Christians and the mercies of all the world are mine When I am poor in my own body I am rich in millions of others and therefore rich in mind When I am sick and pained in this narrow piece of flesh I am well in millions whose health is mine and therefore I am well in mind when I am neglected abused slandered persecuted in this vile and perishing body I am honoured in the honour of all my brethren and I prosper in their prosperity I abound in their plenty I am delivered in their deliverances I possess the comfort of all the good which they possess Object By the same reason you may say that you are holy in their holiness and righteous in their righteousness which will be a fanatical kind of comâ—ort to ungodly persons Answ He that is himself unholy and unrighteous hath not this Vnity with holy righteous persons He that hath not the spirit hath not the unity of the spirit This frivolous objection therefore goeth upon a mistake as if this Vnity were common to the ungodly But to those that have the spirit of Unity indeed the comfort of all other mens holiness is theirs and that in more than one respect 1. By some degree of causal participation As the common health of the body is extended to the benefit of each particular member And the common prosperity of the Kingdom doth good to the particular subjects Goodness in all men is of a communicative nature as Light and Heat are And therefore as a greater fire much more the Sun doth send forth a more extensive Light and Heat than a spark or candle so the Grace of Life in the Vnited body of Christ doth operate more powerfully for every member than it would do were it confined to that member separatedly As in the holy Assemblies we find by sweet experience that a conjunction of many holy souls doth add alacrity to every one in particular And it is a more lively joyful work and liker to heaven to pray and praise God with many hundreds or thousands of faithful Christians than with a few I know not how the conceit of singularity may work on some but for my part Gods praises sung or said in a full assembly of zealous sincere and serious persons is so much sweeter to me than a narrower Communion yea though many bad and ignorant persons should be present that I must say that it is much against my will when ever I am deprived of so excellent a help 2. And as Efficiently so Objectively a holy soul by this Unity of spirit hath a part in the blessings and Graces of all the world He can know them and think of them so far as he is One with them with such pleasure as he thinketh of his own For what should hinder him Do we not see that husband and wife are pleased by the Riches and honour of each other because
Church universal and such as we must have outward Communion with though only the sincere believers and consenters shall be saved § 8. 3. I believe that at death the spirits of the justified go to happiness with Christ and the souls of the wicked to misery And that at the end of this world Christ will come in glory and will raise the bodies of all men from death and will judge all according to their works And that the Righteous shall go into everlasting life where being perfected themselves they shall see God and perfectly love and praise him in Joy with Christ and all the Glorified Church And that the rest shall go into everlasting punishment where their worm never dyeth and their fire is never quenched § 9. II. AS I Believe thus in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost according to the Sacred Scriptures and the Creeds and constant Profession of the universal Christian Church so I do unfeignedly continue to give up my self presently absolutely and resolvedly to this God my Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier according to the Covenant of grace that I may be resigned to the will of God my Owner and obey the will of God my Ruler and please and rest in the Will and Love of God my Father the Chiefest End and Infinite Good And renouncing all Idols and enemies of God and this his Covenant I consent though with the Cross to follow Christ the Captain of my Salvation to the death desiring still more of the Love of the Father the Grace of the Son and the Communion of the Holy Spirit and hoping for the promised Glory All which I pray for according to that Prayer which Christ hath left to be the summary Directory of our desires Our Father which art in heaven c. § 10. III. ACcording to the foresaid Belief and Consent As God hath obliged me I do by Covenant oblige my self by the help of his Grace sincerely to obey this God my Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier according to the Law of nature summed up in the two Great Commands of Loving God with all our hearts and our neighbours as our selves and in the Ten Commandments as the Law of Christ explained by him with his superadded precepts and institutions By all which I am bound to take God only for my God by believing fearing trusting loving and obeying him To Avoid all Idolatry of mind and body To worship God according to his Law by learning and meditating on his word by believing-holy-fervent-prayer thanksgiving and praise and the holy use of the Sacrament of his Body and Blood I must reverently and holily use his name and not by perjury or otherwise profane it I must keep holy the Lords day especially in holy Communion with the Christian Assemblies in the publick worship of God and thankful commemoration of Christs Resurrection and our redemption I must if I be a superiour faithfully and holily govern my Inferiours and as an Inferiour I must honour and obey my Parents Magistrates and other superiours in power over me I must not wrong my neighbour in thought word or deed in his Soul his Body his Chastity Estate Right or Propriety but must do him all the good I can and justly give to all their own and do as I would be done by as Loving my neighbour as my self According to the Decalogue God spake all these words saying I am the Lord c. § 11. 2. ANd as the special duty of my office as in the Sacred Ministry I do Consent and Promise sincerely to perform that office for the flock over which I shall be placed or whereever I am called to exercise it Teaching them the doctrine of the Sacred Scriptures especially the greatest and most necessary parts which I have here professed and nothing contrary thereto so far as by diligent study I can discern it exhorting them to live by faith in love to God and man and in the joyful hope of heavenly Glory in humility self-denial temperance patience justice diligence and fruitfulness in all good works To be loyal and obedient to their superiours teachable to their instructors haters of sinful divisions and contentions and lovers and followers of peace To seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness to mortifie the flesh and not to overlove this world To repent of sin to resist temptations to prepare for death and judgement most carefully to please and quietly trust the will of God And in the publick celebration of the Sacraments and all the worship of God and Guidance of the flock the same word of God shall be my Rule to which also I will sincerely endeavour to conform my whole Conversation not following after vain-glory or filthy lucre or lording it over the heritage of God but seeking to please and glorifie Christ in my own and their salvation § 12. ANd as I expect my part in the benefits of godly and peaceable Government so I do profess to believe and promise to teach and practise accordingly That there is no power but of God and that Rulers are Gods Ministers for Good not for destruction but edification to be a terrour to evil doers and a praise to them that do well and this under Christ to whom is given all Power in heaven and earth That we must pray for Kings and all in authority that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty That subjects must obey their Rulers in all things lawful belonging to their office to command and not resist rebel or be seditious That they must give honour reverence and tribute to whomsoever they are due And all this not only for fear of man but in Conscience as hereby obeying God The Renunciation ANd as I have thus unfeignedly professed my Belief my Consent and promised Practice so I heartily Renounce all Doctrines Desires and Practices contrary to any part of this Profession And if by errour I hold or shall hold any thing contrary thereto as soon as I discern such contrariety I will renounce it Especially I Renounce Atheism Polytheism and Idolatry of Mind or Body All Infidelity Antichristianity and false Christs Profaneness ungodliness and malignant enmity to God and Holiness All contempt of Gods spirit and his word All serving the Devil the world or the flesh as enemies to God or Holiness All selfishness Pride and hypocrisie perjury and taking Gods name in vain superstition profanation of Gods holy day and contempt of his publick or private worship All Rebellion against my parents Prince or other Rulers All murder adultery and fornication theft and deceit lying and false witness bearing and all other injury against the life health chastity estate or reputation of my neighbour All sinful discontent with my estate and coveting that which is anothers And whatever is impious uncharitable or unjust From all these I desire to be free PArticularly to approve my fidelity to my Rulers I