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 |
|
A44973
|
An humble apology for non-conformists with modest and serious reflections on the Friendly debate and the continuation thereof / by a lover of truth and peace.
|
Norton, John, 1606-1663.
|
1669
(1669)
|
Wing H3402; ESTC R20176
|
79,882
|
174
|
you would be pleased to reflect upon your self and to ask your self these few Questions Quest 1. Whether or no you might not with as much reason and more charity have produced Testimonies out of the Large Annotations Printed in the year 1651. to clear Nonconformists from temporizing and conniving at Sacriledge as you have done the Omissions you charge them withal in the Edition of 1646 to prove them guilty And sure I am if you had pleased to search you might have found in the Last Edition their dislike of Sacriledge in their Notes on Prov. 20.25 It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy That is say the Annotations to apply it or take it to his own use which was appointed to Gods yea to go about to do it by inquiring how the Vow might be made void As also on Acts 5.1 in the case of Ananias and Sapphira they declare plainly and fully against Sacriledge as followeth The scope of this History is to shew how odious to God that perfidiousness is which counterfeiting Sanctity would impose upon God as if He saw not what men do for otherwise Ananias giving a part had been commendable so great a mischief is Hypocrisie so dangerous the perversion of an Holy purpose and the with-drawing of things Consecrated to the Churches use though by himself who gave that the Sacriligious perished by detaining a part of that whole which he would seem to give If he that taketh from the Church but a little of that which was his own be Sacriligious struck dead for the same what punishment will the same Divine Justice lay on him who by fraud or violence taketh away the Possessions wherewith other men endowed the Church And upon Rom. 2.22 to that Question which some make why the Apostle doth vary the crime saying Thou that abhorrest Idols dost thou commit Sacrilege and not rather dost thou commit Idolatry They give this Answer for one That the Apostle useth an aggravation as if he should say Thou that abhorrest Idols dost thou commit a worse sin to wit Sacrilege Quest. 2. Whether Dr. Sherlock in his Visitation Sermon pag. 7 8 9. Preached at Warrington May 11. and Printed at London with an Imprimatur June 9. 1669. charging all Conformists who pray before and after Sermon any Prayers besides those of the Publick Liturgy as guilty of sacrilegiously breaking their Vows and Promises may not as justly be urged against Conformists as Mr. Case his Complaint against Covenant-breaking be urged against Nonconformists to prove them transgressors of the 3d Commandment in the main sence and meaning of it Q. 3. Whether it may not as reasonably be desired that the Conformists should be agreed about the Rule and Standard of Conformity before others be pressed to come up to it as to require that the Nonconformists should be all agreed what will satisfie them before any condescentions may be desired for or granted to them Are the Old Canons Law or are they not Are the Canons made in the Synod 1640 Law or not Must we read Second Service at the Communion Table or must we not Must we pray before Sermon or must we only bid or exhort the People to Pray Q. 4. Whether they are not to be reputed Nonconformists who go beyond the law do more then is required who use other Rites Ceremonies then the Act of Uniformity injoyns as well as those that fall short of doing some things by law required Q. 5. Whether it may not well become our Spiritual Fathers and Brethren of the Church to yield a little in things indifferent to the weakness of those suppose they be in an error who really scruple the lawfulness of them and who are ready to take a solemn Oath that they would Conform if they could but be once convinced that by their Obedience to mans Ordinances they should not disobey the Laws of God Q. 6. Whether what was said done or Printed in times of War ought to be remembered and produced in Evidence in times of Peace after a most solemn Act of Oblivion and Indempnity Q. 7. Whether it was seasonable when His most Excellent Majesty and the Parliament at the last Session had under Consideration some Expedient for Union and Reconciliation for a Minister of the Gospel of Peace of a professed large Charity to Print and publish such Books as might rationally be thought might prove to be Obstructions in the way of Accommodation Q. 8. Whether there be not as much evidence of Charity Modesty Meekness and Moderation in Mr. Corbet his Two Pieces as in the Three Parts of the Friendly Debate Q. 9. Why you are pleased to charge the Nonconformists with so much rigor severity against Dissenters formerly without remembring that the Archbishop of Armagh and Bishop Brownrig were Publick Preachers in the Inns of Court in those times or that the present Bishop of Worcester then Bishop of Oxford enjoyed a good Parsonage and that the greatest part of the now Conformists in England had publick Imployment in those times Q. 10. Whether you think that the late Assembly of Divines at Westminster whereof Dr. Reynolds Dr. Twisse Mr. Gattaker Dr. Tuckney Dr. Arrowsmith Mr. Herle Mr. Vines Mr. Anthony Burgess and others were members consisted of Persons of so inconsiderable and contemptible Parts Piety or Learning as is represented now a-dayes And whether the present Nonconformists such as Dr. Owen Mr. Baxter Dr. Manton Dr. Conant Dr. Bates Dr. Goodwin Dr. Dillingham c. are really such Ignoramusses as some of your Zelots would have the world imagine them to be Q. 11. Whether Dr. Heylins History of Presbytery doth not wound the Reformation through the sides of the Presbyterians Q. 12. Whether if the Nonconformists Confessions in their Prayers may be produced in Evidence against them How the Sons and Daughters of the Church will appear Innocent who are taught after every Commandment read by the Mister to say and pray Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this Law Q. 13. Whether if His Majesty and the Parliament would be graciously pleased to leave the use of the Three Ceremonies of our Church as indifferent as the Canons in 1640 do the Ceremony of Bowing towards the East or Altar That Rule of Charity might not be still observed namely That those which use these Ceremonies should not despise them that use them not and that those who use them not condemn not those that use them Q. 14. Who hath thriven most and prospered best the Spaniard with his Inquisition or the Hollander with his Toleration And now having desired you to ask your self these Questions Give me leave to reflect upon my self too and to consider what I have done I say not What I have written I have written but rather if I have written any thing which shall he truly interpreted Seditious or Schismatical or which is justly offensive to any of my Superiors Inferiors or Equals in Church or State I humbly beg Pardon and Conclude desiring you and all my Brethren Conformists and Non-conformists to joyn in that good Prayer Give Peace in our time O Lord. FINIS
flame with the Civil War were hot and fiery c. Ergo now notwithstanding that there has been nine years peace an Act of Indempnity and Oblivion passed the generality of men formerly divided quiet and quietly disposed uniting cementing and soddering together co-operating For the peace settlement and welfare of the whole a few Clergy-men excepted all that were sometimes of the one Side or Party must be looked upon as Hotspurs Incendiaries very dangerous Persons Enemies to Authority still c. must have the skins of wild Beasts put upon them and a hideous noise and out-cry made after them on purpose to stir up the People to hunt them down or worry them or else to move and provoke Authority to make and spread Nets and Toyles to take them Would it not have been more rational and Christian more Logical and Theological for the Author to have argued thus Mr. Baxter Mr. Allen Dr. Tuckney Dr. Conant and many others now living though Non-conformists are good men good Christians good Subjects good Preachers good Writers therefore we must not judge all our Brethren Inconformists for the failings or miscarriages of a few Or might not the Author of the Debate if he had pleased have argued much better and stronger thus Mr. Dod Mr. Ball Mr. Hildersham Mr. Rathband Mr. Geree and many others of the old Non-conformists were meek and moderate serious and sober zealous against Separation therefore it hath not been the way and Spirit of Non-conformists to be turbulent movers of Sedition in the State or makers of Rent and Schisms in the Church Or thus Mr. Love and Mr. Gibbons laid down their Lives for their Loyalty and Mr. Cawton was indicted of High-Treason for praying for his Majesty that now is The London and Country Ministers declared zealously against all proceedings against the Crown and Life of King Charles the First of Blessed Memory Mr. Vines Dr. Spurstow Mr. Young lost their Masterships at Cambridge and others their places elsewhere for refusing the Engagement The Cheshire and Lancashire Ministers published a Book in Print against the Engagement sided with Sir George Booth in his Undertaking for his Majesty The Presbyterians generally throughout the Kingdom were cordial and zealous for his Majesties Just and Royal Title Therefore they are good men and good Subjects to his Majesty Or if you will thus The Presbyterians and other Nonconformists have really lost their Livings pretending to keep their Consciences have been and still are generally either actively or passively obedient to the Laws pray for and seek the peace and happiness of the King and his Kingdoms have in patience possessed their Souls above seven years together and all this while have forborn even in their private Meetings all exasperating and provoking Language or publickly in print scurrilous Pamphlets or Libels against the Government And have not as the Author of the Debate hath endeavour'd to prejudice a great part of his Majesties Subjects by many Reproaches and Terms of distinction contrary to his Majesties Royal Declaration ordaining That all Notes of Discord Separation and difference of Parties be utterly abolished among his Subjects Therefore Presbyterians and other Nonconformists are men of Peace Religion and Loyalty Forasmuch then as the Author of the Debate hath endeavoured with his Sparks of Wit and Fire to inflame light-headed and hot-headed Persons if it be possible to make a combustion contrary to the Law of the Land the Peace of our Soveraign Lord the King and the great Law of Love and Peace the Act of Oblivion I would advise him to do Justice upon himself in executing his own Books in the Flames for being Incendiaries The worst I wish him is his Reformation that for the time to come he may be more charitable and good-natur'd or more Sanguine than now he is and less Sanguinary than these his Books speak him to be Next to our desires to cure our Adversary I hope we may have leave to go about to heal our selves and this I shall endeavour to do by pulling out the Weapons that have made the wound and by imitating the practise of the Sympathetical Doctors namely by applying some Soveraign Balsam or Healing-Plaisters to his two Weapons his Sword and Dagger or his Sword and Rapier call his two Books which you please if by any means I may heal the wounds Which they have made And though perhaps some others would never have scrupled to have answered these Pieces Railery with Railery or even Railing with Railing and to have thrown that Dirt in his Face which he put into our hands and to have laboured to quench his Wild-fire though with dirty and stinking Billings-gate Kennel-Water Yet this hath not been my design but rather the contrary to overcome him with good usage and good words and because I cannot give him as good Language as he brings therefore to study to give him better however nothing so bad to use hard Reasons and soft Words and herein to follow the Reverend and Judicious Hooker rather than Martin Mar-Prelate As for the way and method I take in assaulting his two strong Holds or Forts which some think impregnable namely why I do not charge in a right Line and rush directly upon the Pikes the Noli me Tangere's of the Books my answer is that of the Duke of Parma upon occasion I know very well what is fit for me to do for the attaining my Ends and am not come so far to take counsel of my Enemy Or as another Prince said I will not take a burning Coal out of the fire with my bare Fingers when I can do it better with a pair of Tongs I add further It doth not necessarily argue the want of a good Cause or a good Courage to come on the Flank or Reer of an Enemy as well as on the Front or to seem sometimes to give Ground and Wheel-about with a design to charge with the more advantage I shall not detain you much longer Good Reader in the Porch being sensible of being so long already May I crave your leave to make a brief Declaration a short Petition and to enter a reasonable Protestation I Declare I do hold the Elders that Preach Well or Rule well or Live well by what names or titles soever dignified or distinguished whether they be Archbishops Bishops Pastors or Curates whether they be Conformists or Nonconformists to be worthy of double honour And that I had much rather we could meet each other half-way to reconcile our Differences and to give each other the right hand of Fellowship than to try it out for Victory by these Pen and Paper Combates any longer lest Atheism and Popery be advantaged by our dissentions and enter in at our breaches I would not have Ministes of either perswasion be like the silly Coneys that continually fight and tear one another without ever joyning to make resistance against the Polcat I declare also I do not in or by this Treatise condemn Conformists or commend