Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A48098
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A letter from the protesters with an answer thereunto, from an asserter of the authority of the two late general assemblies, at Dundee and Edinburgh.
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Asserter of the authority of the late general assemblies of Dundee and Edinburgh.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing L1538; ESTC R9563
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23,439
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32
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A LETTER FROM THE PROTESTERS WITH AN ANSWER Thereunto from an ASSERTER Of the AUTHORITY of the two late GENERAL ASSEMBLIES AT DVNDEE and EDINBVRGH Printed in the Year 1653. The PROTESTERS Letter Right Reverend THe gracious dispensations of the Lord our God toward his People in this Land have been many and great who can utter the Mighty Acts of the Lord or who can shew forth all his praise marvellous things did he in the sight of our Fathers and this generation hath also seen his wonderfull Works to the Children of Men. How beautifull was the Spouse of Christ in this Land as Tirzah comely as Jerusalem and terrible as an Army with Banners How great was the harmonie of the sons of Zion they took sweet counsell together and walked unto the House of God in company How good and how pleasant was it to see Brethren dwell together in Unitie It was as the dew of Hermon and as the dew that discended upon the Mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore but now he hath cast off and greatly abhored Israel he hath commanded concerning Jacob that his adversaries should be round about him he hideth himself and his wrath burneth like fire the Lord hath covered the Daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger and cast down the beauty of Israel from Heaven unto Earth Zion spreadeth forth her hands and there is none to comfort her How shall we be silent when the Lord hath so great a Controversie with his People and pleadeth with Israel because he saith he is innocent and hath not sinned Nothwithstanding he hath gadded about to change his way and hath followed the way of Egypt and of Assyria And though the Lord hath rejected his confidences that he doth not prosper in them yet will they not return again unto the Lord their God We desire sadly to Regrate these things and that so many stumbling blocks are laid in the way of the Lords People It doth also much afflict us that groundlesse prejudices and needlesse jealousies are so readily received and intertained and so hardly removed and that many are so far from the meeknesse and gentlenesse of Jesus Christ as alienation of mind and affections hath in a great measure gotten place whereby it commeth to passe that clear and evident Truths concerning the Lords controversie with the Land are not received in simplicity of heart but are by many laid aside as unworthy to be taken into consideration It is our hearts desire that we may obtain mercy of the Lord so to speak unto and walk with our Brethren as may be unto edification and that we may do nothing which may either heighten or continue Differences in this Church but every lawful way studie to remove them We have in that measure of sinceritie which the Lord hath bestowed on us endeavoured to approve our selves before him in speaking our Judgement to others with whom we have to do And in the fear of God we are constrained in the bowels of love and compassion to speak our thoughts also unto you that so far as in us lyeth we may in the Lords strength yet further endeavour to prevent his departure from the Land and that sin and transgression may be acknowledged and mourned for that so the Lord may yet delight to dwell amongst us For this end we conceive it a good and ready way to look back where we were when these differences began and whence these matters which have overflowed the Land have broken in upon us and to repent and do our first works the time was not long since when all that feared the Lord in the Land were of one heart and one way against adversaries on either hand and O that it were his good will and pleasure to unite us again upon the same Principles and for the same ends in carrying on the Lords Work as heretofore How graciously did the Lord countenance the purging forth of corrupt men in the Ministery in some places of the Land and plentifully blest the Labours of these that were planted in their rowm He poured water upon him that was thirsty and flouds on the dry ground they sprang up as among the Grasse as Willows by the water courses and it might have been said who are these that flee as a cloud and as the Doves to their Windows But now alas How hath loosnesse and prophanity got up the head in the Land How is Piety mocked and shamed yea even trampled upon and endeavoured to be crushed so soon as it begins to break forth even in the the tender bud How doth the Work of Reformation ly behind and the mourners in Zion look on the dust and rubbish of the Lords House with weeping eyes and bleeding hearts How are the mountains of Zion laid wast how do the Foxes spoil the tender Grapes and How is the Lords Vineyard become like unto the Vineyard of the sluggard through the negligence of unworthy Labourers scandalous and insufficient Ministers and Elders who ought to have been long since cast forth How are the Sheep scattered and exposed to Wolves by Idol Shepheards which feed themselves and not their flocks and have seen vain and foolish things and have not discovered their iniquitie to turn away their captivity neither have we it only to lament that the work of purging the Lords House is obstructed but that too many Ministers in the Land repent of what hath been formerly done therein and condemn it as a sin which before was avowed and highly commended as a most necessarie dutie how great reason have we to tremble at the words of the Prophet Ezekiel She hath wearied her self with lies and her great scum went not forth out of her her scum shall be in the fire in thy filthinesse is lewdnesse because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthinesse any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee I the Lord have spoken it it shall come to passe and I will do it I will not goe back neither will I spare neither will I repent according to thy wayes and according to thy doings shall they judge thee saith the Lord God In October 1651. after seeking the Lords Face and humbling our selves before him we did agree upon some courses of the Lords dreadfull wrath which hath gone forth against the Land and because of the grosse corruption and iniquitie abounding among Ministers In reference to which we fear that sad charge of the Prophet Malachi may be applyed But ye are departed out of the way ye have caused many to stumble at the Law ye have corrupted the Covenant of Levi saith the Lord of Hosts therefore have I also made you base and contemptible before all the people according as ye have not kept my ways but have been partiall in the Law we did therefore at the same time condescend upon some of the sins of the Ministry in both
are generall and ambiguous expressions are used which no doubt is a sin before the Lord if in any case surely in the confession of sin and transgression and humiliation for the same we ought to studie to be clear plain and distinct and to avoid ambiguitie neither fearing the power of men upon the one hand nor desiring to please the multitude upon the other especially after so much wrath from the LORD upon the Land We know and desire to acknowledge that there was alwayes so much sin and iniquity abounding in this Land as might have justly provocked the LORD to anger and indignation but in the LORDS ordinary way of dealing with his People we do finde that there have usually been some publict sinnes and breaches of Covenant preceeding such sad judgements which brought their other sins to remembrance you would not look upon it with a light eye that so many of the Godly in the Land cannot away with nor joyn in your Fastings and Humiliations and that all the wicked and grosly profain in the Land who have alwayes hated and do still hate the ordinances of GOD in their power and purity do with such a furious carnall zeal defend and maintain your Humiliations and carefully attend such diets and opportunities with delight and approbation and yet do slight other occasions even with your selves for worshipping the Lord. We take no pleasure to mention those things they are matter of lamentation unto us before the Lord neither is it our purpose to render you odious and if our duty to God and unto you did not constrain us we would much rather choose to be altogether silent in such an evill time It is from the love we bear in our hearts toward you and the earnest desire we have to recover you from the snares into which you have fallen and that ye may through the Lords blessing upon you become instrumentall for the good of Zion in the day of her calamity and distresse We do therefore exhort you by the Lord Jesus to weigh these things in the Ballance of the Sanctuary and to take with your sin and guilt therein before the Lord and to forsake that way of the Publike Resolutions as that which is greatly displeasing to him and to joine cordially with your Brethren in the former way we have been upon for carrying on the Work of Reformation which was acceptable in the Lords sight and signally blessed in our hands from heaven let it be far from you to put a hard construction upon our intentions herein or upon any of our words or expressions which may seem harsh if we could have made choise of smoother words in such a purpose we would willingly have made use of them We hope likewise that you will not offend at the freedome and plainnesse which we have used with you as being our Brethren it is a great sin in the Lords sight to make a man an offender for a word and to lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate But how excellent are the words of the sweet Psalmist of Israel Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindnesse and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oyl which shall not break my head If we would rent our hearts and turn unto the Lord our God he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth of the evill who knoweth but he will repent and leave a blessing behinde him and shall yet again choose Jerusalem and dwell in the midst of us Surely he would rent the heavens and come down that the mountains might flow down at his presence and make his Name known to his adversaries and should say unto us Fear not O Land be glad and rejoice for the Lord will doe great things Now he whom God hath exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance unto Israel and forgivenesse of sins fill you with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome and spirituall understanding and the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you and in us and in all his people that which is well pleasing in his sight through JESUS CHRIST to whom be glory for ever Amen We desire you to communicate this to the Brethren that are of your judgement in these Differences Subscribed in the name and at the desire of many Ministers Elders and Professors of the Gospel met at Edinburgh the 17. of March 1653. By Mr. ANDREW CANT The ASSERTERS Answer Right Reverend WE received a Letter subscrived by You in the Name and at the desire of many Ministers Elders and Professors met at Edinburgh which all along charges us and those of our Judgement with the guilt of many Land-destroying sins and with obstinacy in them This doth necessitate us in order to our clearing unto those among whom that your Letter is spread as also least you take our silence for an evidence of our conviction to give you this ensuing answer We are very confident that ye who plead for so much charity at our hands while ye are loading us with such a weight of unjust and odious imputations will take it well from us while we go about to clear our selves and by force of Reasons to wipe off our Persons and Ministry that contempt and disgrace which the matter of your Letter and your other Papers hath wrongously cast upon us We could gladly have chosen to be as deaf men who hear not and as dumb men who open not their mouth if we alone and what concerneth us only did herein suffer But for Zions sake we dar not hold our peace The respect we owe to our Mother Church and to the hitherto untainted reputation of many faithfull men Ministers Elders and others all imbarked with us in the defence of one common Truth forceth us to speak Far be it from you to put an hard construction upon us or upon any of our words and expressions while we are giving a reason of our Faith and practice with meeknesse and fear especially being constrained to it by your selves We acknowledge with you the former mercies of God unto this Church together with the astonishing terror of his present judgements How good and how pleasant was it when Brethren dwelt together in Unity it was like precious ointment the dew of Hermon then the Lord commanded the blessing Our Church then looked forth as the Morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun and terrible as an Armie with Banners How excellent were the fruits of Church government when inferiour Judicatories and persons of all ranks Ministers and others did move each in their own place in their due subordination prescribed unto them by the Lord Christ When publict warnings concerning dangers and duties did come from the Watch-tower of Supream