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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80742	Gospel-libertie in the extensions limitations of it. Wherein is laid down an exact way to end the present dissentions, and to preserve future peace among the Saints. VVhereunto is added good newes from heaven; to the worst of sinners on earth. The former in nine sermons on 1 Cor. 10. 23. All things are lawfull for me, but all things are not expeaient. The latter in three sermons on Luke 2. 10. Feare not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. By Walter Cradock late preacher at All-Hallows Great in London;	Cradock, Walter, 1606?-1659.; Homes, Nathanael, 1599-1678.	1648 (1648)	Wing C6762A; ESTC R204983	178,682	290

that are godly of the Presbytery must reprove those men that are full of fire and fagot and nothing else rather reprove them then connive at them 5. The common multitude Fiftly and lastly and so to end for this time the last sort of people are the common superstitious multitude They exceedingly blow up the fire how They cry out of divisions there are so many Religions amongst us there is this religion and that and they are all for conformity and O that the Synod would settle some government they care not what if it be Rome it self and it is dishonourable that we should have divisions and stirres among us Thus the blinde multitude cry whereas it is better to have division than an evil uniformitie It is true the time will come that all shall be of one heart and one way but it hath never yet been There were abundance of differences in the Apostles times in the first Churches between the Jewes and Gentiles and they were alway wrangling about blood and about the Law and Geneallogies yet they were the Churches of God deare to the Lord. So I say every little difference and discent makes not a new religion No opinions are profitable in a sort in the Churches that some should discent from others sometimes Therefore for the multitude to conclude this use labour to appease the multitude the multitude are ignorant labour to instruct and teach them Presbytery and Independency are not two religions but one religion to a godly honest heart it is only a little rufling of the fringe therefore make not the breach wider and blow not the fire more The Lord give you and me every one of us wherein by any of these sorts of people we finde our selves guilty to endeavour to reforme and to follow the things that concerne our peace that however our enemies will not receive termes of peace yet we may be at peace among our selves which the Lord grant The vvay to peace in a mans selfe 1 CORINTHIANS 10.23 All things are lawfull for me but all things are not exdient THe last lesson from these words was this That a Christian under the New-Testament ought not only to eye what is lawfull what is absolutely commanded or forbidden but to eye also what is expedient and what is inexpedient what is convenient and what is inconvenient what edifies and what edifies not We opened this to you and came to a Use where we are at this time to exhort you that this may sinke into your hearts to wit that you would not make lawes to your selves in the New-Testament where Christ hath not bound you and where Christ hath left you free and hath not determined things Secondly I exhorted you that you would be carefull and vigilant and wise to take notice in all things what is expedient and to doe the same and to presse it on you we proposed one Motive to you which was the maine drift of all the discourse we intend upon this Scripture to wit that this is the ready way of peace and to end strife and contention among the Saints Now how that is I have opened to you as I was able and so finished it this morning Now to set it on a little more upon your souls not to repeate any thing there are two or three words more that might stir you up Consider it for I know it is a harsh truth to many of your eares I feare you have many prejudices against it but I beseech you consider it well it is of great consequence it is one of the master stones in your foundation I mean in your walking and conversation towards men at least I say therefore I will add certaine motives more and as the first was the way to peace among the Saints to end controversies that are among them Motive 2. The way to peace in a mans self So secondly it is a way to peace a way to end the controversies of a Christian with himself For Beloved I dare say and I am able to make it good and have known it by experience in other Saints that the most of your guilt and the most of your trouble that is within you most of the guilt on Christians it ariseth not from doing of things simply sinfull or neglecting things simply commanded but from some disorderly doing of lawful things and that is two wayes 1. Doing lawfull things with commō hearts Either that you doe lawfull things as eating and drinking and sleeping and divers other things with common hearts and eye not God in the doing of them you doe them in a carnall fashion without holines for we must be holy in all manner of conversation You are not holy when you are eating you have not a holy frame of soule when you are sleeping therefore your sleep and your meat and such like things they produce a world of guilt and trouble you doe them with common hearts as the Pharisees said the Disciples eat with common hands 2. Doing lawfull things inexpediently Or else secondly it is from doing lawfull things inexpediently you eye not what is expedient Meat and drink and sleep and talking and walking and cloathes and recreations they are lawfull but in all these you look not what is expedient And I mean not only Beloved those civill things that I named to you but also in religious things wherein God hath not determined you make laws to your selves and then you faile in keeping of those lawes as usually when God sees men make lawes to themselves let them keep them themselves if they will it is just with God not to give power to keep lawes that are not of his own making God will not give strength to keep lawes that hee hath not made God will not help you you make lawes I say and you have no strength to keep them and then there ariseth a world of guilt and trouble As thus God commands us to pray alway to be earnest in prayer to read the word to teach our children to help our neighbours to doe good to their souls and bodies Now you have made a law that you will pray in your family so oft and pray privately so oft and read so many Chapters a day and keep so many dayes of humiliation once a week or so here is a law of your own making I say not but it is expedient to do so sometimes and many times but you make it an absolute law that when God comes and calls you to another thing contrary to your law Trouble of conscience in Christians whence then there is nothing but guilt and horrour on your soules As for instance you make a law that you will pray twice before you goe forth every morning privately and in your familyes and it is a good course if things be according because you are bound to pray alwayes but you make an absolute law and there comes another busines of greater weight you have prayed once and

in the old Testament All things are LAWFULL Lawfull what is that Lawfull what it is A thing is lawfull when in it self it is neither commanded nor forbidden in the word of God when it is not determined by the will of God whether we shall doe it or not doe it that is lawfull so when he saith all things are lawfull he meanes that there are abundance of things left in the new Testament that are neither commanded nor forbidden by the Lord. Misunderstand me not Sin in doing of lawful things you sin when you doe unexpedient things and then you are readie to say is it not lawfull no though the thing in particular be not unlawfull yet you sin in that you cross a generall rule that is those things that are lawfull yet you are not to doe them in extreames As for instāce you may marry yet you may sin in marrying not that you cross a particular cōmand for it is lawfull to marrie but you crosse a generall rule and so you sin BUT all things are not expedient BUT that is when I say all things are lawfull you think you have all libertie by that but hold all things are not expedient Though it be lawfull yet look not only to that but see that it be expedient and so if you look to the rule of expediency you will walke a hundred times stricter than men that only looke what is lawfull and what is not ALL THINGS That is divers things are not expedient ARE NOT That is they are not so altogether alwayes in all places to all persons all things in all places at all times and in all circumstances are not expedient for all persons for there is nothing almost but in some places and at some times Expedient what and for some persons are expedient E XPEDIENT What is that It doth not edifie it doth not beseeme the profession of Jesus Christ it is not lovely it is not venerable it is not true it is not honourable it doth not edifie the brethren it doth not win sinners it doth not adorne the Gospel it doth not become our profession When he saith all things are not expedient it is as if he had said there are abundance of things that are lawfull that doe not honour God that do not win sinners and build up the Saints So now you understand the words All things are lawfull for me but all things are not expedient There are three Lessons that I meane to observe from these words and which if the Lord will I intend to open to you First you may learne this that The Saints under the new Testament they are not so strictly bound in point of LAWFULNES as the Saints were in the old Testament The Second is this that The Saints under the new Testament are as strictly or rather more strictly bound in point of expediency than they were in the time of the old Testament For you shall seldom read of expediency in the old Testament but if a thing were lawfull for the generallity they might doe it Thirdly you may learne this Lesson that If a Christian will walk honourably and spiritually as becometh the Gospel he must not onely so much eye what is LAWFULL as what is EXPEDIENT These three things are taught here as I apprehend in the words And of these let me this day only open a little of the former for you must take them together you must not without wrong to your owne soules and dishonour to God take one Doctrine and not all but heare all and without prejudice compare all and weigh and try them The first Observation Doct. 1 That S t s in the New-Testament are not so strictly bound in point of lawfulnes as in the Old or Doctrine is that The Saints in the new Testament in point of LAVVFULNES are not so strictly bound as the Saints were in the old Testament That is many things in the new Testament are lawful for the Saints to doe that were not lawfull in the old Testament or there is a greater latitude there is more space for a Christian for a believer in his walking and conversation in the new Testament than there was in the old Beloved There is some truth in this that you may apprehend presently for goe no further than these very questions that were here asked It seemeth that in the old Testament all these things were not lawfull it was not lawfull for them to eat all kind of flesh no flesh that was defiled that was offered to Idols it was not lawfull to eat swines flesh and divers other things Now all things are lawfull every creature of God is good If they had unbelieving wives strange wives Ezra 9. Nehem. 9. It was not lawfull to keep them they must drive them away and their children but now it is lawfull for a man that hath an unbelieving wife to remaine with her I say there is somewhat that you presently see that the Saints in the new Testament in point of lawfulnes are not so strictly and absolutely bound up as they were in the Old I will give you a few Scriptures before I come to open it further Mat. 11. ult Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke on you for my yoke is easie and my burthen is light If you will give me leave to tell you my thoughts upon these words I conceive that the meaning of it is this that Christ Jesus saw poore people trudging in the way to Heaven as they thought and every one thought to be saved in his own way and labour as the Papists that do abundance of good works by their own righteousnesse they will be saved And there the poore Jews were under a yoke that they nor their fathers could beare And by fasting and prayer they did strive and struggle and all in vaine Now saith Christ Come unto me all ye that are weary heavy laden Now I say with submission I think the meaning is not as we usually take it come to me all yee that are laden with sin and receive salvation though that be true but yee that wearie your selves with the yoke and burthen of your own righteousnesse Christs yoke what and labouring to fulfill the law Come unto me yee that are wearie and heavy laden and I will give you rest How is that I will take away the rough yoke and the heavie burthen that is on you and I will give you an easie yoke as I shall shew anon you shal have now saith Christ an easier and more comfortable way to Heaven than ever you thought of Christ doth not onely pittie poore grosse sinners that are not in the way to Heaven but it pitties him to see men goe in odd wayes to Heaven that labour and goe about the bush and tire themselves in their own waies when there is an easie sweet way that Jesus Christ offers Come unto me for my yoke is easie

for ever Here it is not so the curse is taken away In those few things thou art to do for Christ if thou faile there is no damnation the hell and curse is gone Fourthly Compare it with the service of the devill that all men naturall are in 4. With the service of the devill you shall see that in the service of the devill there is abundance of charge and cost and paines As for instance if you look to a drunkard he spends the whole weeke and wastes his estate in the service of the devill The adulterer doth not cease to sin the devill will not give him rest And the worlding drudgeth all his life to serve the devill The service of the devill is a great slavery and drudgery that a Saint often pities a carnall man not only for the danger of his soule but for the drudgery of his life he pities a worldly man to see him rise early and goe to bed late As we say he must needs goe that the devil drives The devil drives the drunkard to the alehouse and the worlding to his mammon and eates out the strength and marrow of his bones It is not so in the service of Christ But you will say Object the service of the devill is sweet wee see men continue to be his servants Men finde sweetnes in the service of the devill and will not be the servants of Christ I could speak many things of that but only a word 1. It will one day be soure It seemeth sweet to men But it will be soure one day And besides though it be sweet to them 2. That sweetnes is from distemper yet it is a sweetnes that ariseth from their sicknes and distemper As a child e that will eate no meat sometimes but coles and ashes it is sweet but it is a distemper he is sicke there is no such sweetness in coales And a man in a feaver he desireth to drink water it is but his sicknesse So if wee be drunk and sweare and be whoremoungers and proud men and women and delight in worldly things in pleasures and the service of the devill it is an evil humour and corruption that makes us finde that sweetness But the maine reason is this 3. It is sweet because you never tasted the sweetns of Christs service you find sweetnes in the service of the devill because you never tasted the goodnes of the service of Christ I dare say if there were no heaven nor hell if thou diddest know the sweetnes and comfort in the service of Christ thou wouldest scorne and disdaine to seeke comfort in a cup of drink or in worldly things but that is the reason thou hast not tasted that the Lord is gracious I remember a godly blessed man that when carnall men made bonefites and the ministers would have reproved them to see what a stir they made on a Candlemas Even let them alone saith he that is all the comfort they have they have noe acquaintance with better comforts if they had they would leave them So he was readie to weepe for their joy So the pleasure and comfort thou hast in the service of the devill the Lord pittie thee it is only because thou art not acquainted with the sweetnes of the wayes of Christ If you object Object I but some of the servants of Christ have turned the servants of the aevill againe Some of Christ servants have gone back to serve the devill I answer they are but few there are more of the devills servants that become the servants of Christ than of the servants of Christ that become the servants of the devill But those people that do so 1. They are but few they are but wooden leggs they never drew sap and sweetnes from Christ they were never truly members of Christ they did but hang on 2. They were not true members of Christ they found some sweetnes in the back of Religion in the circumstances of Religion but if they had tasted of God rightly they would never have gone away from him So I say this should encourage thee to come in First that the maine work is done to thy hand Secondly That that that is left are but a few and easie things in comparison of the service of Satan and of Papists and of the Jews under the Law and of naturall men that serve God for life Thirdly to make it more easie yet 3. Christ will give his Spirit to doe that he requires those few things that are to doe the Lord Jesus will give his Spirit to doe them he will doe all thy works for thee he expects not that thou shouldest doe them in thy owne strength but he hath promised to give his Spirit and that shall pray according to the will of God So here thou shalt have a yoke an easie one and in that yoke thou shalt have Christ himselfe to draw with thee I can doe all through Christ that strengtheneth me saith Paul There are but a few things that wee are bound to doe and those few things Christ will doe for us Fourthly and lastly Consider those few things that thou hast the Spirit of Christ to doe for thee how weake soever thou art in thy performance the Lord Jesus continually accepts of them that is the weakest prayer and the weakest service of a sincere Saint in the new Testament it is a sacrifice well pleasing to God Who would continue in drunkeness and lie in sin refuse to come to Christ when the wayes of Christ are so comfortable You will say What doe you meane by comming to Christ You would have us come to Christ and you say here is a comfortable way and an easie yoke what is it to come to Christ Coming to Christ what I will tell you that least we loose all our labour Joh. 6.35 Iesus said I am the bread of life he that commeth to me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall never thirst So that comming to Christ is believing in Christ But you will say I am to seek againe I know not what that is to believe in Christ I will not stand upon the definition but a word that thou maiest understand what I meane by believing in Christ There are three things in it Believing in Christ what First it is to give credit to all that Christ tells thee That is one thing Secondly to receive that life and salvation all that Christ Jesus gives thee Thirdly to submit to the lawes that Jesus Christ layes upon thee To give credit to what hee teacheth I say if thou wouldest know what it is to come to Christ or to believe in Christ it is when thou wilt be taught by Jesus Christ when thou wilt give credit to the things that he teacheth As you see Isaiah 2.2 Come say the people let us goe up to the mountaine of the Lord and to the house of God Let us goe up Why so He

will teach us his waies and we will walk in his pathes for out of Sion shall goe the Law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem This is to come to Christ when our eares are open and our hearts are ready to heare and learne whatsoever Jesus Christ shall teach us Therefore when we say to a drunkard or to a carnall man or woman that are in their sinnes as I was come to Christ what doe we meane by that Be not refractorie be not wise in thine owne eyes any more doe not come and heare the Preacher and yet believe as thou list but lay thy soule at the feet of Christ and be willing to receive the instruction that Christ teacheth thee Doe not as children doe with their bread take it and crumble it on the ground to the dogges and eat one bit themselves and throw away another So doe not crumble the word of God to take one bit and throw another bit to thy neighbour and another at thy heeles when thou goest out of doores no but receive all that Christ teacheth thee though it be contrarie to thy corruption and above thy reason yet indeavour to believe it That is one thing Secondly to believe in Christ or to come to Christ 2. To accept life and salvation from him is when thou art willing to accept of and to receive life salvation that Christ offereth Whereas it may be thou now art a naturall man this is thy condition either thou art a sottish creature and doest not think of life and salvation any where thou carest not for life or death but goest on like a beast or if thou doest thou hast a little devotion of thine owne procuring or thou liest desperately in sin either of these is thy condition Therefore now this is to come to Christ looke not what thou art worthy to have but what God is willing to give God is willing to bestow everlasting life freely therefore looke upon the brazen Serpent that is lift up and indeavour to receive and accept of that salvation that is offered by him Thirdly 3. To submit to Christs lawes be willing to submit to the lawes of Christ for Christ calls to thee as a King Therefore in Mat. 11. I believe that is the meaning of the place though there be more in it Come unto me yee that are wearie and heavie laden and I will give you rest for my yoke is easie and my burthen is light What is it to come to Christ When I am willing to come out of other services and to leave other masters I will serve the devill and my lusts no more but I will come under the Standard of Christ Christ hath lift up a Standard expects that every one should submit to his blessed Law Therefore put these things together labour to understand them and remember them and the Lord blesse them to thee that after this day thou maiest not lie sotting in sin but that every one may come to Christ that he may teach you inrich you with life that hee may rule over you and that you may be his subjects for ever There are other Uses of this point that I must leave till the afternoone 1 CORINTHIANS 10.23 All things are lawfull for me but all things are not expedient c. YOu remember that I proposed to you three Doctrines from these words tending I hope to the healing of the divisions that are among the godly The first was That Saints in the new Testament in point of lawfulnes are not so strictly bound as the Saints were under the old Testament This you had proved and opened to you in some measure the last day In the morning we had occasion from this doctrine by the by to call upon poore sinners to come in to Christ because their is such largenes and liberty and spaciousnes in the wayes of Christ The yoke of Christ is so easie Now I shall goe forward to a Use or two more that remaine of this doctrine that wee may proceed to the next In the next place therefore Use 2 Reproofe of two sorts of people we may hence see the errours or mistakes that are in divers Christians among us that doe cause contention we may justly reprove them from this doctrine we may discover them at least I will not use any nick-names it may be you would understand more clearely what I mean if I should But I see the devill gets much advantage by nick-names by calling men Prebyterians and Antinomians and Anabaptists and I know not what therefore I beseech you beware how you use those names though I say not it is unlawfull yet there be mistakes let us call them as gently as we can that are generally among us either On the left hand or On the right Those that erre on the left hand And both are to be reproved from this doctrine On the left hand I mean those that make every thing lawfull and would have no band 1 Those that would make the way wider than Christ hath nor tie as it were they would make the way wider than Christ hath made it they would makea greater latitude than God hath made Now I say these all come to be reproved from this word ALL in the text for I shewed that by the word all is not meant all things in a universallity that I may be any thing I may be a drunkard and be a Christian I may be a swearer and be a Christian I may doe what I list and yet be a Christian but as I said by all things is meant many things those that take it universally will doe nothing Therefore on the left hand I say these doe mistake and of these there be three sorts all godly Christians I hope they are I wish every one to own his share and my selfe where I am guilty There are one sort of people among us you have a name for them but I will not use it that doe apprehend so much beautie and lovelines in spirituall things in grace and the worke of the Spirit in the person and excellencies of Christ and the like that they looke upon the externall manner of Gods worship or government as a smal contemptible thing with a disdainfull eye Beloved I make not men of straw to speak to but I know many godly people that hold so that say it is ridiculous and they care not which way the Church of God be ordered or governed because the Kingdome of God consists in righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost And they smile to see contentions between Presbyterians and others and think that these are too mean and too low things for Saints to looke after Give me leave to tell you my thoughts I confesse as I conceive that of all others this is the least error yet it is an error and mistake for though it be true that spirituall things are the maine and other things are but little to be regarded in