Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n
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A61651
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A rebuke to the informers with a plea for the ministers of the Gospel, called nonconformists, and their meetings and advice to those to whom these informers address themselves for assistance in their undertakings.
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Stockton, Owen, 1630-1680.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing S5699; ESTC R34618
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98,356
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92
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men in Gods account who walk in all his Ordinances and all his Commandments in a blameless manner Luk. 1.6 They were both righteous before God walking in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord blameless That evidence which is given of the righteousness of Zacbarias and Elizabeth may be given of these men they walk in all the Ordinances of God they have respect to all the Commandments of God and are blameless in their conversations They are baptized and baptize others in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost they often celebrate the Lords Supper they praise God in singing Psalms they keep holy the Sabbath day they pray to God in secret and pray in their Families they worship God in publick Assemblies as well as privately they are just sober temperate patient under afflictions c. 3. They visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and they keep themselves unspotted of the world and they that do so being sound in the Faith are Religious men and their Religion is pure and undefiled in the sight of God Jam. 1.27 Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this To visit the fatherless and widow in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world They endeavour according to their abilities and their opportunities to do good unto all men And that is an argument that they are born of God 2 Joh. v. 11. He that doth good is of God 4. They train up their children and servants in the knowledg and the fear of the Lord and that is an evidence of a righteous man when he doth not only serve God and walk with God himself but teacheth his houshold to do so also Josh 24.15 As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Cornelius his piety was evidenced by training up his house in the fear of God Act. 10.2 A devout man and one that feared God with all his house God takes special notice of Abrahams piety in that he was careful that his children and his whole house should keep the ways of the Lord Gen. 18.19 I know him that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him If it be said Some think and speak otherwise of these Ministers which are called Nonconformists as if they were deceivers of the people and were not good men I answer 1. So did many among the Jews say of Christ and his Apostles Amongst the Jews there were differing thoughts concerning Jesus Christ Joh. 7.12 Some said he is a good man others said nay but he deceiveth the people There were as evil reports raised and as dishonourable speeches given out against the Apostles as there are against these men 2 Cor. 6.8 By honour and dishonour by evil and good report as deceivers and yet true 2. The Spirit of God foresaw that scandalous reports would be raised against righteous men and that they would be misrepresented in the world whereby many would be deceived and be ready to condemn the innocent and therefore he hath given us a sure rule to judg who is a righteous man He that doth righteousness he is a righteous man 1 Joh. 3.7 Little children let no man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous These men approve themselves to be righteous men by their constant care to do those things which are just and right in the sight of God and men 3. Their adversaries that reproach them would be glad to be in their condition when they dye then they will wish that their last end may be like theirs If any say Do you know all those Ministers which are called Nonconformists that you know them to be righteous men I answer 1. With some of them I have had intimate acquaintance for several years and have fully known their Doctrine and manner of life and I am abundantly satisfied in what I have asserted that they are men of sound judgments of upright holy and exemplary conversations And Charity obligeth me to believe and hope the like of the rest although I have no personal acquaintance with them 2. If any Minister that goeth under the name of a Nonconformist be not a righteous man I plead not his cause but dislike and disown such a man as much as the Conformists do And as these Ministers are righteous men so there are many of those that come to their Assemblies I say not that they are all righteous that come to their Meetings for the Gospel is like a Net which draweth good and bad but this I say there are many righteous persons come to their Assemblies such as are of an holy blameless conversation well reported of for good works who have no other design in frequenting these Meetings than the glorifying God and the saving their own souls 2. Praying to God in the Name of Jesus Christ for things agreeable to his will and Preaching and Hearing of Gods Word are good works Prayer is a good work 1 Tim. 2.1 2 3. I exhort therefore that first of all supplication prayer intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men for Kings and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour 1. It is commanded of God v. 8. I will therefore that men pray every-where lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting These words may relate to verse 3 where the Apostle had told us that praying for all men is good and acceptable in the sight of God And therefore commands that men pray every-where 2. Prayer when made by upright men is delightful to God Prov. 15.3 The prayer of the upright is his delight 3. God promiseth great blessings to them that pray to him as eternal life Rom. 10.13 Whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved The giving of the Holy Ghost Luk. 11.13 Your heavenly Father will give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Yea all good things Psal 31.10 They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing And as Praying so Preaching of the Gospel is a good work For 1. It is commanded by God Mark 16.15 Go ye into all the world preach the Gospel to every creature 2. It doth great good to the souls of men It turns them from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God It is the great instrument of saving mens souls even that preaching which the world counteth foolishness 1 Cor. 1.20 It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe 3. God promiseth to reward this work with a Crown of glory 1 Pet. 5.1 2 4. The Elders which are among you I exhort Feed the flock of God which is among you And when the chief Shepherd
unto thee against Israel and against Judah and against all the nations It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive them their iniquity and their sin I observe here 1. Jeremiah had no assurance that the Jews would read or hear what he wrote there was only a probability of it It may be the house of Judah will hear Yet he was commanded to write in a book the judgments of God that hung over their heads for their sins 2. When Jeremiah was hindered from preaching as he formerly had done ver 5. I am shut up I cannot go into the house of the Lord. God prescribed this way as the most likely means to bring them to repentance for Jeremiah to write unto the Jews Write all these words that I have spoken to thee against Judah It may be the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way 3. Though these Informers should not hearken to the counsel that I have given them yet whether they will hear or whether they will forbear it is the mind and will of God that sinners should be called to repentance Ezek. 2.7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them whether they will hear or whether they will forbear for they are most rebellious 4. Scorning is a great sin and bringeth down mighty judgments Prov. 19 29. Judgments are prepared for scorners Jer. 22.28 Now therefore be ye not mockers lest your bands be made strong Yet though these Informers should prove scorners we must not conclude their case desperate but use means to bring them to repentance both reproving them for their sin and letting them see there is mercy for them if they will turn when they are reproved for their sins Prov. 1.22 23. How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and the scorners delight in scorning and fools hate knowledg Turn at my reproof behold I will pour out my spirit upon you I will make known my words unto you But if they will persist in their sins and scorn those means that are used to bring them to repentance their scorning will not hurt me but themselves Prov. 9.12 If thou scornest thou alone shalt bear it And let such persons consider what is said Prov. 3.34 Surely he scorneth the scorners And Prov. 1.24 to the 32. 5. If none of these Informers should vouchsafe to read what I have written for the convincing them of their sin yet it may fall into the hands of their friends and relations and they may hereby be put upon mourning and praying for them and endeavouring their conversion 6. As for their being enraged at what I have written I shall reply 1. Our Lord Jesus spake nothing but the truth yet many of the Jews were so incensed against him that they would have thrown him down headlong from an high hill Luk. 4.28 29. And all they in the synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the City and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their City was built that they might cast him down headlong Yet he did not forbear reproving them for their sins though he was hated by the world on this very account for testifying that the deeds thereof were evil Joh. 7.7 The world cannot hate you but me it hateth because I testifie of it that the deeds thereof are evil Yea though their hatred arose to such an height as that they wont about to kill him yet he taught them and reproved them for their sins v. 14 19. Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went into the Temple and taught none of you keepeth the law why go ye about to kill me Joh. 8.40 And now ye seek to kill me a man which hath told you the truth 2. If God shall touch any one of their hearts and reclaim them from their evil ways instead of being enraged they will bless God and be thankful to them whom God makes instruments of keeping them from sin When David was kept by Abigails advice from shedding of blood he was thankful to God for putting it into Abigails heart to come to him and thankful to her for her good counsel 1 Sam. 25.32 33. And David said to Abigail Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging my self with mine own hand Nabal was a son of Belial who had requited David evil for good To be kept from persecuting the servants of God is as great a favour as to be kept from avenging a mans self on a son of Belial And if David was so thankful to God the author and Abigail the instrument of his preservation from sin why should not these men in stead of railing and fretting say in their hearts Blessed be the Lord God of Israel that sent this man to shew us our sin and blessed be he and blessed be his advice To prevent mistakes and the uncharitable censures that some may be ready to pass upon this ensuing discourse I do freely and sincerely declare that I have no design to take off any Magistrate Officer or any other persons from using all due care and diligence to prevent tumults and Insurrections but only to lay open the greatness and prevent the growth of their sin who under a pretence of preventing seditious Meetings do suppress religious Exercises The discovery of the folly of these men and their practises being a likely means to put a stop to their sinful proceedings as the Apostle speaks of those that resist the truth 2 Tim. 3.9 But they shall proceed no further for their folly shall be manifest unto all men as theirs also was CHAP. I. THere are certain men risen up in this Nation called INFORMERS whose trangression saith within my heart that they are wandred out of the path of life and are going on apace in the broad way that leads to destruction I have not only heard of them but I have met with some of them in the very act of their sin When I had considered their ways I thought my self obliged to endeavour the turning them from their sinful courses For I find in the Law of Moses a strict charge given to him that meeteth his Neighbours Ox or Asse going astray to bring it back though his Neighbour be his enemy Exod. 23.4 If thou meetest thine enemies Oxe or his Asse going astray thou shalt surely bring it back to him again It is a greater act of Charity to bring back a sinner that is gone astray from God than to bring back an Oxe or an Asse of our enemies that was gone astray from him And we are under stronger obligations to endeavour the