Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A95705
|
Thirty and two extremes of these times discovered and reduced to sixteene golden meanes tending to the reducing of strayers, the establishing of waverers, and the uniting of judgements and hearts together in the truth.
|
|
1647
(1647)
|
Wing T916; Thomason 669.f.11[66]; Thomason 669.f.14[48]; ESTC R210613
|
6,084
|
1
|
degrees in Schooles may stand a man in stead and surely it is lawfull for any gifted man to exercise his gifts privately either in his owne Family or elsewhere for the good of others provided it be not in the time of publike exercise yea and publikely also before he be ordained if he intend to be ordained 13. Old Ext. Our Minister preacheth now and then for the lawfulnesse of peoples paying Tythes to their Ministers for their maintenance and urgeth it very much and I thinke he doth very well in so doing for surely it is meete that Ministers should be thereby maintained 14. New Extreame But though your Minister and all the Ministers in the Kingdome should presse it never so much rather then I would give a Minister a penny under the notion of Tythes I would see him starve for lack of maintenance for that were in effect to deny the comming of Christ in the flesh 7. Golden Mean I would not advise any Minister of the Gospell to require any maintenance under the notion of Tythes because some men do take offence thereat neither is it materiall whether any man give him maintenance under that notion so he give it him because the Apostle or rather because the Lord by the Apostle saith Let him that is taught in the Word Gal. 6 6 15 communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things 15. Old Extreame Our Minister doth well deserve maintenance for he is a very honest painfull man continually pressing us to repent of our sins and to do good works according to Gods Commandments 16. New Extreame But I should like him much better if he were continually declaring unto you what is the Kingly Office of Christ in his Church and what Discipline and Government he would have set up there 8. Golden Mean But that Minister is best of all to be liked who doth chiefly indeavour to informe his people in the Mysteries of Jesus Christ for though to handle the points you speake of 1 Cor. 2. 2. be sometimes expedient yet the Doctrine concerning Christ and him crucified is that one point necessary 17. Old Extreme I am perswaded that the Civill Magistrate is to have a hand in reforming the Church and in ordering and doing all things in the Church for it is said Isa 49. 23. That Kings shall be nursing Fathers and Quéens nursing Mothers to the Church 18. New Extreme I know no other Reformation that Christ requires in his Church but onely the Reformation of the heart and I am sure the Civill Magistrate hath no power to do that and therefore it is cleare to me that he hath nothing at all to do neither in nor about the Church of Christ but onely about the Common-Wealth 9. Golden Meane In the Church of Christ besides the Reformation of the heart which indeed is the chiefe Reformation and Christs Worke onely and not mans there is required a Reformation of Religion in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government and this the Civill Magistrate is to have a hand in by compelling to the meanes and to the externall acts of Worship and Government as you may see Nehem. 13. 31 32. 2 Chron. 34. 32 33. and indeed the Civill Magistrate is to do much about the pale of the Church as to punish the wicked and encourage the godly and the like but how they are to be nursing fathers and nursing anothers to the Church is ar I conceive a hard matter rightly to determine 19. Old Extreame Some men do talke very much of worshipping God in the Spirit and not with outward formes but for mine owne part I am resolved to stick to my outward formes of hearing reading praying fasting and other such like Religious exercises for I know no other way of worshipping God 20. New Extreme But I am all for the Spirituall Worship of God and to tell you truly I use no outward formes at all for I know very well that God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth Joh. 4. 20. 10. Golden Mean As we are not to content our selves with outward formes without the inward power and spirituall Worship of God so are we not to conceive that the inward power and true spirituall Worship of God can be where outward forms are wilfully neglected when God calls us unto them therefore surely he doth best that doth both 21. Old Extreme I am perswaded that Christians are bound to observe the Sabbath day very strictly for we are forbidden so much as to kindle a fire on that day as you may see Exo. 35. 3. or to gather a few sticks to lay thereon as you may see Num. 15. 35. 22. New Extreme I finde not in all the whole new Testament any command to keep any Sabbath at all and therefore I do believe that now in the daies of the Gospell every day is to be kept as a Sabbaâ—h and a Christian is not to restraine it to one day more then to another nor make any difference of daies at all but all daies are to be alike to him 11 Golden Meane Indeed the precise and strict rest of the Jewes on the Sahbath Day was Ceremoniall and therefore now by Christ so taken away that a Christian is not so bound to rest but that he may doe workes of urgent necessity as you may see in the Disciples plucking the eares of Corne and rubbing them an the Sâ—bbath Day 〈…〉 Saviours defending them for so doing Luk. 6. 1 2 3 4 5. yea and a Chr 〈…〉 also doe workes of mercy on that day as you may see Mat. 12. 11 12. 〈…〉 st day of the weeke or Lords Day is to be kept as a Sabbath to the Lord for surely Christ had no other reason to bid them pray Mat. 24. 20. that their flight should not be on the Sabbath Day but for that it would disturbe and hinder them from attending upon the Worship of God 23 Old Extreme I cannot abide your assembling together and your preaching in private houses for I am perswaded Gods Word ought not to be preached any where else but in the Church of God 24 New Extreme But I had rather heare a Sermon in a private house then in any of your Steeple-houses 12 Gold Mean Certainly the place appointed for Publike Worship cannot properly be called the Church of God Mat. 18. 20 for the Church of God is where two or three or more of the Saints of God are gathered together to worship God neverthelesse for as much as the Apostle willeth 1 Cor. 14 40. that all things be done decently and in order I thinke it meet we should assemble together to heare the Word rather in publike then in private because it is so appointed by authority 25 Old Extrem There is much talke now adayes about liberty of Conscience and many men seeme much to desire it but for mine owne part I know not what they meane by it and therefore I regard it not 26 New Extreme Liberty of Conscience is so deare and precious a thing to me and I doe prize it so highly that I would spend my blood rather then I would want it for to live without it were to live in slavery 13 Golden Mean The Apostle Gal. 5. 1. willeth Beleevers to stand fast in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free that is from the yoke of the Cerimoniall Law and the condemning power of the Morall Law and this may truly be called Liberty of Conscience and this we are to desire and plead for and yet we must beware that we use not this liberty for an occasion to the flesh as the same Apostle adviseth verse 13. and this we shall doe if we truly say with David Psal 119. 45. I will walke at liberty for I seeke thy precepts 27 Old Extreme I have heard some men speake as though there were a great defference to be made betwixt the Old Testament and the New and much to under-value the Old in comparison of the New but for mine owne part I doe beleeve that they are both of them the Word of God and therefore I see no difference that there is to be made betwixt them 28 New Extreme But for my part I doe make such a difference betwixt them that I doe beleeve the Old Testament is utterly to be abolished and that a Beleever is to have nothing at all to doe with it for doth not the Apostle say in plaine termes that the Old Testament is done away 2 Cor. 3. 11. Heb. 8. 13. 14 Golden Meane Indeed it is true the Ceremonies and the circumstantiall Administrations of the Old Testament are done away but yet the substance remaines so that we are not to imagine that the Booke it selfe is done away for therein is contained the Law of God and Word of God even the perfect Will of God which shall remaine for ever 29 Old Extreme Surely the Presbyterian way of Church-Government must needs be now the onely way to Salvation seeing that Authority is pleased to set it up in this Kingdome 30 New Extreme And I am confident that the way which they call the Independant way is the very way to Heaven for I have been more confidently assured of my Salvation since I entred into that way then ever I was before 15 Gold Meane Assure your selves that no man shall be saved simply because he is under such a way of Church-Government whether it be Episcopacy Presbitery or Independant nor damned simply because he is under any of them but a man shall be saved if he beleeve truly on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Joh. 3. 38. and damned if he doe not which way of Church-Government soever he is 31 Old Extr. I would have every man constrained by Authority to conforme himselfe to the Presbyteriall Government because it is established by Authority 32 New Extreme I would have all men to have liberty of Conscience of what Opinion or Religion soever they be 16 Gold Mean I would have all men to have liberty of Conscience who are sound and Orthodox as touching Fundamentalls and godly in their lives and conversations though they doe not conforme themselves of the Presbiteriall way but none else Printed at London for John Wright at the Kings Head in the Old Bailey 1647.
Thirty and two Extremes of these times discovered and reduced to sixteene Golden Meanes tending to the reducing of Strayers the establishing of Waverers and the uniting of Judgements and Hearts together in the Truth Mat. 5. 9. Blessed are the peace-makers Rom. 14. 19. Let us therefore follow after the things that make for peace and things wherewith one may edifie another Job 32. 9. Great men are not alway wise neither doe the aged understand judgement Ould Exstreame Job 27. 11. I will teach you by the hand of God that which is with the Almighty will I not conceale Goulden Meane Job 38. 2. Who is this that darkneth counsell by words without knowledge New Exstreame 1 Old Extreme I Cannot abide to heare of your whimsicall wayes and your new lights which are so much talked of and set up now adayes for mine owne part I am resolved to go on and live and die in the old and true Protestant Religion and doe you take all your whimsicall wayes to your selfe 2 New Extreme And I do so esteem of our new wayes and new lights that I have no regard at all to any thing that is old 2 Cor. 5. 17. considering that the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4. 6. Old things are past away behold all things are become new And that God who commandeth light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 1 Golden Mean It is not good so to adhear to any Old truth as to cast away any clearer discovery thereof neither is it good so to catch at any new notion as to cast away all Old truths because of a clearer discovery Jer. 6. 16. but it is good to stand in the wayes and see and aske for the Old paths which is the good way and walke therein And yet when any clearer discoveries of that light which shineth in a darke place 2 Pet. 1. 19 comes by meanes of the day-star arising in our hearts we are not to obscure it but yet say I to the Law Isa 8. 20. and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them 3 Old Extreme Well my desire is that Archbishops and Bishops might be restored againe to their places and dignities and that all things in the Church might be ruled and governed by them and their Officers as they have formerly been in this Kingdome 4 New Extreme You speak like an old simple and ignorant man and do well deserve to be questioned for your speeches for that were to bring the Saints of God into bondage againe 2 Golden Mean Doubtlesse the constitution of a Diocesian Bishop hath no footsteps in the word of God Luk. 22 25 26. and that Lording or Magistraticall power which they have exercised in the Church 1 Pet. 5. 3. especially of late yeares hath rather been Antichristian then Christian and therefore we are not to desire their restoration againe notwithstanding if any one through ignorance doe wish for such a thing let us beare with his weaknesse and endevour to instruct him better 5 Old Extreme I wish in mine heart that the Service-booke might bee read again in our Churches as it hath formerly béene for therein as I conceive the true Protestant Religion is contained 6 New Extreme But rather then I would come into a congregation where any of the Service-booke is read I would never come into congregation whilst I lived 3 Gold Meane Vndoubtedly the true Protestant Religion is contained in the old and new Testament and not in the Service-book and therefore a man may live and die in the true Protestant Religion though hee never hear leafe of the Service-book read in all his life nor one line of it be read at his death yet rather them I would omit the hearing of the Word I would heare much of it read 7 Old Extreme I wish in mine heart that every man and woman might be fréely admitted to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as formerly they have béene 8 New Extreme But rather then I would receive the sacrament in the company of any man or woman whom I doe conceive are carnall unregenerate and unconverted I would never receive the Sacrament whilst I lived 4 Goulden Meane Surely none but such as are in the state of grace are to bee admitted unto the Sacrament of the Lords supper Rom. 4. 11 it being a scale of the Covenant of grace notwithstanding though I should bee jealous that such a man or woman were in the state of nature yet they being admitted by the Eldership I should rather chuse to thinke that they upon Examination had found more evidences of their being in the state of grace then ever I imagined and therefore would not omit the receiving of the Sacrament because of their presence there 9 Old Extreme I would have all infants that are borne alive to be Baptized presently because I am perswaded that none can be saved which die without Baptizme 10 New Extreme But I say that Beleevers are the only subjects of Baptisme but infants cannot beleeve and therefore no infant is to bee baptized 5 Golden Mean All elect infants shall undoubtedly bee saved though they bee not Baptized for they are saved by vertue of Christs blood and not by vertue of Baptisme neverthelesse I would have all the infants of beleeving parents to be Baptised Act. 2. 39. first because the promise is made both to them and their children Col. 2. 11 12. Secondly because Baptisme is come in the roome of Circumcision Act. 16. 33 34. And thirdly because we read in the new Testament that when the Master of the house was turned to the faith all his whole houshold were Baptized and that the houshold is taken for man woman and childe is evident Gen 18 19. Genes 49 8. 11 Old Extreme I would not have any man to take upon him to preach or expound or any way to doe the Ofâ—ce of a Minister except he be endewed with humaine learning and have taken some Degrées in the Vniversity and be ordained and set apart thereunto 12 New Extreme But for my part I am so out of conceit with humane learning and degrees in Schools that I could wish every Minister of the Gospell were without them for I verily thinke a man cannot be a right Gospell Minister that makes any use of them and I would have every man to whom the Lord hath given any gifts to take all opportunities to exercise the same either publikely or privately whether he be ordained or no. 6 Golden Mean The truth is that humane learning and degrees in Schooles neither make a man a Saint nor an able Minister of the New Testament and yet considering that the originall of Scripture cannot be attained unto without the gift of Tongues and that in these last dayes the Lord doth deny men that immediate gift humane Learning and