Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A41563
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Spiritual order and Christian liberty proved to be consistent in the Churches of Christ and impositions upon the consciences of believers in religious practices found to be antichristian and destructive to both / by R.G. a protestant.
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Gordon, Robert, fl. 1669-1675.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing G1291; ESTC R29926
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14,410
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15
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Corporations pretend to Many more are the Cavils and Clamours that are raised by Babylon's Builders against this Doctrine treated of in this Discourse which are easily confuted by such as will consult the New Testament from the plainness and simplicity whereof some Men of Learning Masters of Sects in their deep Wisdom finding it their Interest to depart making indeed a show of Wisdom in Will-Worship and Humility and neglecting of the Body have intangled themselves in many Inventions beginning even in the Apostles Days so early did the Mystery of Iniquity in the Churches begin to work at first indeed under a Form of Godliness but denying the Power thereof which once being departed from by degrees they come to make Shipwrack both of Faith and Order of the Gospel as it was at first delivered by the Saints In which Apostatized State the Church-Rulers puffed up with Pride and covetousness never rested until by crafty sinister and wicked means they had established in themselves an Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Supremacy over Emperours and Kings and the Consciences of all Persons in as they pretended the whole Catholick Church whereby under the Names of Church Ministry Ordinances and Order thereof the true Church-State Spiritual Order true Ministry and Ordinances of it were quite lost and the Image of those things in a Carnal Worldly Politick Ecclesiastical Church-State erected in the stead thereof against which in several times and seasons as it pleased God he raised up faithful Witnesses who sealed their testimony against some or other of these introduced Abominations with their Blood after whom others arose through their Ministry and Sufferings who running too hastily in their own Wisdoms to build up the Ruines of Zion out of the Rubbish of Babylon which as accursed stuff should have been utterly rejected God in his infinite Wisdom divided them in their understandings so that instead of Building one uniform Ecclesiastick Structure after the Pattern of that of Rome they were scattered into several Parties and Sects each pitching a Tabernacle for themselves and confining God to their Way or Party Among whom here is a sad Instance of them who having condemned this kind of Imposition as Babylonish and Antichristian in others are nevertheless casting after the same Copy yea behold here the very same Persons testifying of themselves that they were raised as Instruments in God's hands to gather his People out of Babylon out of the many divided Sects in Christendom have fixed themselves in one particular Sect bounded by and limited unto outward Observances and thereby established in themselves Preheminence over all their Little Flock who altho they have no authority from the Scriptures nor the Law of the Nation yet burden their Consciences with unscriptural Inventions under the preâ—ence of the Comely and Decent Orders of the Church being deluded with this Errour that they and they only of that particular Company and Denomination are the only true Church and People of God and that there is no further Dispensation of Light to be expected from the Lord in bringing his People out of Babylâ—n than that measure they are settled under hence boldly judging all oâ—hers not having their Outward Mark in their Foreheads as out of the Truth as if any further appearance of God in his People were to be avoided as New Light which thereby they become tempted to resist and oppose not considering that whatever Outward Dispensation of Light God hath once gloriously appeared in yet he is not limited thereby the Life of God in every outward Administration is one and the same the administration being but the Outward Garment that he chuseth and refuseth at his pleasure gathering his People not out of one Sect or Path only but out of various Administrations into himself who is Love and in his Love comprehending all the upright hearted however distinguished from one another who therefore cannot be tied to any one Form the Form being for ever to be subject to the Power of God in its various appearances there is therefore no certain knowing of the power of Godliness by any outward Form it hath manifestly once appeared in the outward Form being to be known and owned as the Power manifests it self in and through it and this the Lord doth that no Flesh may glory in his Presence that God alone and not Man may be exalted in delivering his People out of all the streets of that great City Babylon I shall conclude this Discourse with the words of our Lord to his Desciples in a day when a Lofty Spirit was exalting it self in some of them which be excludes out of his Church to have no place in his Ministers Mat. 20.25 26 27 28 29. Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise Dominion over them and they that are great exercise Lordship upon them but it shall not be so among you whosoever will be great among you let him be your Minister and whosoever will be Chief among you let him be your Servant even as the Son of Man came not to be ministred unto but to minister THE END Postscript THE Writing hereof did ease and lighten my Mind very much and I have Peace in casting in my Mite in behalf of Zion's Friends against the Builders of Babylon whose Spirit under various Disguises God hath in Mercy revealed to me and made me a Witness against the appearance of this Beast fore prophisied of and rightly described in the Spirit by the Apostle John Rev. 13. from the 11th verse to the end of that Chapter among the Quakers under the Government and Order of against in the year 1663 at which time I foresaw what is brought forth among them and now known to the sad Experience of many precious Souls under that Denomination and I expect no other Measure for if our Lord was judged and rejected by the Sect-Masters and Form-Builders in the Days of his Ministry for not observing the Traditions of the Elders what can those of his Family look for from Opposers and Gainsayers in this day brought under the Power of Forms and Outward Observances as the Band of their Church-Communion since it was ever and will be so in all Generations the Sons of the BOND-Woman will judge and persecute the Children of the FREE-Woman but I rest satisfied in the Will of the Lord waiting the day of Zion's Redemption when the scattered of the Lord's Flock through many Outward Forms shall be brought under the Power of that one great Gospel Truth That the Union of the whole Israel of God walking under various Outward Practices because of different apprehensions is in the Lord only in whom they are one even then when they are found in different Observances about Outward Circumstances Note Reader this above Postscript was not annexed to the Discourse but is part of a Letter to a Friend who apprehending it might be of Service to many of the scattered Ones of the true Fold who are despised and rejected by the Proud and Self-Righteous Pharisees the Sect-Masters of this PEOPLE hath therefore inserted it FINIS
SPIRITUAL ORDER AND Christian Liberty PROVED To be Consistent in the Churches of Christ AND Impositions upon the Consciences of Believers in Religious Practices FOUND To be Antichristian and Destructive to both By R.G. A Protestant Acts 2.42 And they continued in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship Yet Rom. 14.5.23 Let every man be fully perswaded in his own Mind for what is not of Faith is Sin But 1 Cor. 14.10 Let all things be done decently and in Order Yet 2 Cor. 1.24 Not that we have Dominion over your Faith For 2 Cor. 13.10 The Power given of the Lord to us was not to Destruction but to Edification Therefore Gal. 5.1 Stand fast in the Liberty wherein Christ hath made you free and be not again intangled with Yoaks of Bondage Yet Gal. 5.13 Vse not this Liberty for an occasion to the Flesh but in Love serve one another To the Christian Reader whether Bound or Free COuld I have satisfied my self in smothering this Discourse it had not appeared in publick from me now in this my retiredness from the noise of the many Debates about Rites and Ceremonies in Religion which have so miserably rent and divided Protestants-Societies in separate Communions judging and condemning one another because of different outward Practices and various apprehensions in debatable Questions wherein though they differ each abounding in his own sense yet they ought to continue as One in the Lord though in several distinct Fellowships and differing in Outward Practices But being alaramed with the loud clamour on the one hand of Church Government Laws and Orders of general and particular Meetings of the Friends of the Ministry and others the necessity of one or more in the Church having power infallibly to determine all Matters controverted therein to whom all must submit though unconvinced or unclear in themselves or else be branded with the odious Names of Schismatick Stragler Breaker of the Vnity of the Body and many worse appellations not worth the repeating And on the other hand with the Groans and Struglings of a few who have not defiled their Garments but are wrestling for their Christian Liberty under different outward Practices against Impositions and introduced Innovations contrary to that great Principle of Conviction and Choice upon which all Christians were at first united in distinct Societies And that from among a People separating themselves from â—he Communion of all other Christians of what Denomination soeveâ— upon the Principle of Immediate Inward Revelation of Light and Spirit communicated to every man as he cometh into the World for his convincement and conduct in all things he is to believe and practice in Religion and condemning in others an Imposing Ecclesiastical Power as tyrannous and contrary to that Inward Revelation they have so often asserted to be in every man to lead him into all Truth I am constrained in my mind thus to appear in publick testifying to that Spiritual Order and Christian Liberty established by the Apostles in the first Churches and recorded in the New-Testament as the only proper means for preserving any Christian Society from a confused disorderly Licentiousness and Tyrannous usurped Imposings I intend not by publishing this Discourse to enter into a debate with any Person being resolved what ever entertainment it may meet with to possess my Soul in Patience committing the Issue to the Lord. Neither would I be understood to be so ingaged in any particular Company of Protestants so as to plead for the one against the other It is the first great Foundation Principle upon which the Protestants separated from those of the Roman Communion that is here pleaded for to wit That the Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures without us and the Illumination of the Holy Spirit within us gives final determination in Matters of Religion Whereby every Christian for himself is restored to his Liberty of Inquiry Choice so freed from the Imposition of unscriptural Traditions by Popes General Councils Therefore what I am matters not to this Discourse and what others may judge me to be because of it doth but little concern me every man is to give an account of himself to God and not he that commends himself or is highly accounted of by others but he whom the Lord commends is approved FAREWEL Spiritual Order and Christian Liberty c. THE Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ having received the Promise of the Father and fitted with Power from on high went forth Preaching the Gospel with great Power giving Witness to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus and Multitudes believed and great Grace fell upon them all They came not with outward Force upon the unbelieving World neither did they magisterially as by an unaccountable authority impose upon Believers Doctrines and Practises to be received by them without inward convincement Nay nay God who commanded Light to shine out of Darkness shined in their Hearts therefore they knowing the terrours of the Lord perswaded men they beseeched prayed men to be reconciled to God commending themselves in the sight of God to every mans Conscience by requiring every one in the Church to be fully perswaded in himself Whereby they became manifest both to God and in the Consciences of those that believed Whereupon the Disciples multiplying first at Jerusalem and afterwards in other Places they were gathered into several distinct Congregations or Churches each distinct Congregation continuing together with one accord abode stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship the care of whom was upon them by whose Ministry they were first gathered for their Establishment in their most Holy Faith who therefore delivered to them when present among them and in Letters when absent from them such Instructions as being observed might preserve them though in distinct Fellowships as the Houshould of God built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Corner Stone in the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace Hence we read in their Epistles these and such like Precepts I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which you have learned and avoid them Be perfectly in the same Mind and in the same Judgment I beseech you Brethren be Followers of me for this Cause have I sent Timotheus who is faithful in the Lord who will bring you in remembrance of my ways as I teach every where in every Church Now I pray you Brethren that you remember me in all things and keep the Ordinances as I delivered them to you Know them that labour among you and are over you in the Lord esteem them highly for their Works sake exhort rebuke with all authority let no man dispise thee let all things be done decently and in Order Thus also the Apostles being guided by the unerring conduct of the Spirit of God in discarge of the Ministry committed to them whereof they gave sufficient Evidence to the stopping the Mouthes of