Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	king_n	parliament_n	peer_n	2,127	5	10.3888	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81927	A peace-maker without partiality and hypocrisie. Or The gospel-way to make up the present breaches of brotherhood, and heale the divisions, whereby some of the reforming professors and ministers of the kindome at the time, sadly dishonour their profession, mainley obstruct our reformation, utterly destroy the safe constitution both of church and state. Wherein are handled, 1. How the meanes of Christian peace, as well civill as ecclesiasticall, may bee found and ought to bee followed, both by pastors and people. 2. What are the speciall lets of Ecclesiasticall reconciliation, and what the causes of divisions are, and how to be remedied. 3. What are the grounds, termes and motives of brotherly unitie and forbearance, which the ministers and members of the churches of England ought ot professe and practise one towards another for the gospels sake. / All written upon severall occasions and at severall times by Mr. John Dury, one of the assembly of divines, &c. and now published by Samuel Hartlib, to whom they were sent.	Dury, John, 1596-1680.	1648 (1648)	Wing D2877; Thomason E458_19; ESTC R205070	94,791	118

publick and private reports are not altogether to bee slighted for the finding out of men so are they not either way easily and much to bee credited for they are carried for the most part by interests and a man of judgement that doth set a rule unto himselfe in all his wayes will both on this fide and on that side arme himselfe against the strong impressions of evill and good reports Against the evill ones hee will have in store charitable constructions of things that may bee well taken lest his spirit be rashly byased to a wrongfull affection against him that deserveth it not and against the largenesse of the good ones hee will ballance himselfe with discretion and prudence lest hee bee swayed through too much credulity to a groundlesse confidence in one that may deceive him and thus keeping himselfe both wayes free in an equall temper neither too high nor too low in his apprehensions to rise and fall with the blasts of reports hee will bee able to steer an even course in his cariage towards all measuring himselfe and all other men in his and their actions by one and the same rule which is the life of Christ in the Spirit for that is the onely standard by which all are to bee measured that is the onely touchstone by which all spirits are to bee tryed whether they bee true gold or not In this search and discoverie of persons although none are to bee excluded of what qualitie and condition soever yet those that are called Divines are chiefly to bee sought after because they have a great influence upon the spirits both of the multitude and also of the ordinary sort of stayed men to sway their affections Except then wee deale with these men according to these rules to gaine them to our ayme wee shall finde the wayes of peace and union mainely obstructed and the gall of bitternesse now stirred and overflowing in many almost impossible to be allayed I have done with the discovery of persons fit to bee dealt withall The third point is concerning the means by which confidence may bee begotten in these towards us and set a working towards all for the composure of differences This meanes I conceive is none other but a free and orderly Treatie to be set afoot between some of us and some of their side And to the end that by this meanes mutuall confidence may bee begotten The meanes to beget confidence is a treatie of which the requisites are briefly noted equall power to propose matters to bee taken into consideration and equall freedome from awfull prescriptions must bee assured unto all and an equall engagement must bee conscionably laid upon all alike to meet to meet I say constantly and never to leave off the Treatie till the end for which it shall bee undertaken be attained or at least the course which therein should bee followed shall be brought to a full period The disagreement was originally about the frame and constitution of Churches The subject thereof is twofold but now it is about the power of setling the government of the Kingdome the first controversie hath still an influence upon the latter so that this will never bee well agreed without some determination of that 1. Concerning civill government to bee transacted in the Parliament The treaty concerning Civill government can bee no where set a foot but in the Parliament The Parliament is there where by the Kings authority according to the constitution of the Kingdome the bodies of Peeres and Commons are met to order the affaires of the Kingdome intrusted to their care Onely now for matter of order it is to bee wished that the things henceforth to bee debated and voted should looke rather forward then backward that is that the Houses should rather determine things tending to our settlement in time to come then alter or unsettle things present or call things past into question before our settlement bee in view or the foundation thereof established If an Act of Oblivion were past on all sides for things done in the heat of strife since the parties were formed and positive Counsels entertained for preventing of breaches hereafter wee might hope to see better dayes shortly then otherwise wee are like to enjoy in this generation But I shall leave the civill Treaties to those to whom they are intrusted by the Kingdome and beseeching the Lord to give them one mind in his feare to make them all faithfull to their publick trust without selfe-seeking and interests of parties I shall speake of a Treatie which may relate unto the settlement of the Churches 2. Concerning Church matters To advance which This Ecclesiasticall Treatie is of absolute necessitie that ingenuous men may not mistake one another as for the most part in these differences they doe for it is cleer that matters are misunderstood on both sides and being misrepresented hainously to the simple multitude by many and no body labouring effectually to rectifie mistakes 1 Railing is to be restrained on all sides our divisions must needs bee multiplied and our breaches made greater If then the freedome which hitherto hath been taken and abused on both sides to traduce each other in the Presse and Pulpit can neither by authoritie nor by perswasion bee restrained wee are never like to gaine any advantage for the composure of mens affections by a Treatie though never so faire never so orderly never so peaceable and effectuall in it selfe for it will never become so unto others because as long as the windes blow fiercely the Seas will bee stormie as long as railing accusations continue passions will bee raised and whiles passions rule conscience is asleepe judgement is darkned and men are not capable of rationall and good proposals For this Reason also the men to be chosen for the Treatie on both sides must not onely be conscionable judicious and learned but moreover free from all pre-ingagement and passion 2. The countenance of authoritie is to be had to set it afoot Then the Treatie it selfe although for the same cause it may not bee publick for then it must have publick authoritie whereupon a thousand inconveniences will follow to make it fruitlesse yet it must not bee altogether private but should have the foreknowledge and countenance of authoritie to beget it lest it be wholly slighted and inconsiderable So then let some of the peaceable and chiefe leading States-men of both sides being thereto either deputed or allowed by the rest of each side order and direct the Treatie in a course which shall bee wholly free from partialitie and let a jealousie be raised against the intent and purpose of such a Treatie let it bee declared that it shall not bee to conclude any thing for that cannot bee done without the full knowledge and consent of parties but onely to try what hopes there may bee of finding a sure way to procure an accommodation either by the meanes of a reconcilement or by

embraced by all 6 By brotherly communion and correspondency I mean not a bare name and profession of brotherhood but a reall conjunction of the thoughts of the desires and affections and of the endeavours of men proceeding from this principle that they acknowledge one another to be the children of the same Father or at least the servants of the same master for as a master is a father to servants so fellow-servants are brethren in service 7 By the meaning of the communion and correspondency I meane a constant following of the duties thereof through the acknowledgment of some professed engagement obliging thereunto 8 By the glory of God in this dutie to bee aimed at I mean besides the generall praise due to him for all his goodnes a more speciall manifestation of the unitie of his Name in all his Saints 9 By the perfection of the Saints in this dutie to be advanced I meane three things 1 The building of them up into one body by the onenesse of the Name of God Ioh. 17.22 23 as Christ and the Father are one that they may be perfect in one 2 The strengthning of them with might by the Spirit in the inner man Ephes 3.16 that being knit together in love they may be comforted unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the Ministery of God Col. 2.2 and of the Father and of Christ 3 The powerfull propagating of the Gospel of truth in the world to be a testimony thereunto to convict it that Christ is sent of the Father Iohn 17.23 and a means to call in all the elect of God to the communion of Saints out of it 10. By the standing and walking by ones selfe I meane not the distinction of charges as if none might stand or walke in a distinct office wherein another hath no right to intermeddle or the maintaining of the particular rights belonging to particular Congregations for I hold that every Church hath within it selfe a right to all Christs ordinances in respect that it is built upon the foundation but I meane the disjoynting of mens practises and the dividing of their affections and purposes in the exercise of their distinct charges whereby as parties in opposition to one another they set up markes of distinction and separation between themselves and others whom they cannot deny to belong to Jesus Christ and to be built upon the same foundation with themselves 11 By the maintaining of principles of a singular distance I meane such a plea for the rights and priviledges of particular associations of professors as doth make void the fit joynting and compacting of themselves together with others that stand upon the same foundation that according to the purpose of God the whole building may bee fitly framed together and grow unto an holy temple in the Lord. Ephes 2.21 For all are called unto the unitie of the same body by God 1 Cor. 12 13. Col. 3.15 Ephes 4.13 and the ministeriall worke is appointed to bring all to the unitie of the same faith and knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ If therfore any plea bee taken up for a singular distance which is grounded upon disjoynting principles this will not suit with the purpose of God which is to make up the whole body of Christ into one that by the compacting of the members thereof there may bee an effectuall working in the measure of every part Ephes 4.16 to make the increase of the body for the building of it self up in love What principle then soever doth overthrow this compacting of the whole for this end to bee fulfilled in and by every part is destructive to the glory of Christ and the happinesse of his members If then the principle of Christian libertie and the plea for it and for the particular rights of distinct Congregations is made by the subtiltie of Satan the chief instrument of our divisions and distractions at this time and in this kind it must bee qualified by the principle of holy communion and the plea for the unitie of the members of Christ and for the common rights of the profession of Christianitie For the Apostolicall rule is cleer that wee are indeed called unto libertie onely wee must neither use libertie nor plead for it Gal. 5.13 14. that it may give an occasion to the flesh but wee are commanded by love to serve one another because the whole Law is fulfilled in this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe And if this Law bee not observed Rom. 13.9 it is cleer that wee walke not worthy of the calling wherewith wee are called what ever the truth of our principle or the justice of our plea may bee in it selfe For it is not the Theoreticall upholding of a truth that will save us but the doing of the will of God woe be then unto us if by our disputes for that which wee think to bee truth and righteousnesse Satan doth insnare us and by the practise of a singular distance doth so far lead us out of the way as to make us his instruments to divide and disjoynt the spirits and the practises of professors that the essentiall unitie of the whole and the visible conjunction of the members being put out of the thoughts and aimes of common professors all societies may bee broken to pieces and all relations to common duties made void according to the will and fansie of every one that will pretend to bee a Saint in such or such a degree above his neighbour that so by our singular distances through strife for selfe-interests scandals may bee multiplied and the honour of Gods Name in the holy profession blasphemed in the world Therefore to avoid all this nothing is so fit or more necessary and usefull then to maintaine this communion and correspondency which we plead for which is nothing else but a free and voluntary concurrence of spirituall counsels and endeavours which God as the Father of Spirits and King of Saints doth require in his children and Office-bearers for the advancement of the kingdome of his Son that it may appear unto the world that the Church is his house that hee is the ruler of it by his Word and Spirit and that the Ministers thereof depend unanimously upon him as his children and servants and that in their mutuall relations they stand united to each other not by a rule of their owne chusing and transacting from which they may exclude one way or other whomsoever they please but by the common rule which is his love whereby they are bound to each other as Brethren and as his servants that is fellow-members of the same body of Christ for al the members of every body are but servants to the head in the whole to to each other for the heads sake and for the good of the whole Although then every member hath