Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A51048
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The covenanters looking-glasse discovering his duty and dignity with sundry motives and directions tending to further our keeping covenant with God : also an epistle containing an exact relation of all the most principall things done in the Parliament of England since their first sitting to this present day : with divers other materiall things very usefull for all sorts both for the present and future times / by Thomas Mocket ...
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Mocket, Thomas, 1602-1670?
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1644
(1644)
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Wing M2305A; ESTC R43458
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41,433
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51
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instance if which God forbid we should see or know any person that should rise up against the King or Parliament wilfully infringe their just and good orders and priviledges or indeavour to set or maintaine division or dis-affection betweene the King and Parliament or betwixt the three Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland be his pretence as Papists and Popish persons want not excuses and colourable pretences he is declared a publick enemy of the State and peace of the Kingdome See the Declar. of Parl. Ian. 17. 1641. and we are by this Protestation bound by all lawfull means to bring such a person to condigne punishment So againe doe we see or heare any seeking wittingly and wilfully to disgrace suppresse or bring into contempt the true Reformed Protestant Religion or to vent and advance Popery or Popish Innovations within this Realme to set up any woodden stone or painted Image Crosse or other scandalous resemblances we are by vertue of this Protestation bound by all lawfull meanes and wayes according to the rules of Christian wisdome and prudence to bring that person or persons to condigne punishment for his demerits And we have warrant for this in the word of God Husha◠the Archite did prevent the dangerous plot against David and discovered it to him 2 Sam. 17.7 8 15. c. Mordecai discovered treason against Ahasuerus Hest c. 6. You the very Pagans would doe thus endeavour to bring to deserved punishment those that were enemies to their Idoll gods Religion King Country or publick-wealth And Gods word requires this of us Pro. 24 21 22. My sonne feare thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change that is to bring in any Doctrine worship or discipline or any thing contrary to the true Religion or word of God and the wholesome and good Lawes of the Land especially such as are fundamentall for their calamity shall rise-suddenly and who knoweth the ruine of them both Yea in case of seducing from the true to false Religion or worship of God as is well observed by a godly * M. I. G. Divine it is cleare that we must bring any to punishment how neare or deare so ever unto us See Deut. 13.6 7 8 9 10. If thy Brother the sonne of thy mother or thy sonne or thy daughter or the wife of thy bosome entise thee saying let us goe and serve other gods Thou shalt not consent unto them nor hearken unto them neither shall thy eye pitty them Our love to God and the true Religion ought to over-rule our affections to our friends and naturall Parents in the flesh much more our affections towards others which our Saviour confirmes Mat. 10.37 He that loveth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me and he that loveth Son or Daughter more then me 〈◊〉 not worthy of me And in case of the publicke weale if any person be an enemy to it and will not be reclaimed our affection to our Country and the Common-wealth must over-rule naturall and private affection even to such as are neare and deare unto us and Cicero an Heathen determines this among other cases Cicero de Ossicijs l 3. That if a mans owne Father would betray his Country and do any thing that tends to the apparent ruine of the Common-wealth he must not keepe silence but preferre the safety of his Country before a Father and indeavour to hinder him or complaine of him This is just and reasonable for a publicke good of such concernement ought to bee preferred before a private Seventhly we also promise In all just and honourable wayes to indeavour to preserve the Vnion and Peace betweene the thrée Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland And there is great reason for it because they being now as it were one the division of them or disturbing their peace is the way to ruine all especially in these evill times when all our forces united together will be little enough and too little without Gods more then ordinary assistance to preserve our peace yea to keepe them from sinking and ruine by the common enemy to our Religion to our King and Kingdom And this is the first thing I here promised to speake off viz what we doe here promise vow and protest Now for The second What it is to maintaine and defend the true Protestant Religion or Doctrine and oppose the contrary viz. in our hearts to beleeve imbrace love professe and walk according to the Rules of the true Reformed Protestant Religion to justifie and defend the same as occasion requireth and calleth on us and to disavow the Popish Doctrine and Innovations which are contrary hereunto and set our selves against it and them or any that shall endeavour to attempt any thing contrary to the true Protestant Religion the Person Honour and Estate of the King the power and Priviledges of Parliament c. Thirdly The grounds and reasons of making and entring into this Protestation or Nationall Covenant are included in the preamble to the Protestation to which I referre you for fuller satisfaction only thus much here in a few words I conceive it may be of use 1. To binde all true Protestants more firmely to God his truth wayes and worship and to prevent the growth of Popery and Popish Innovations and in time to root out both as in conscience reason Religion and policy we should And this is a very speciall meanes to effect it for this binds us not only to embrace maintaine and defend the true Religion but also to reject Popery yea to oppose it and all such as seeke to advance or uphold it 2. To discover all Popish persons and such as stand disaffected to the true Religion and the peace and welfare of the King and Kingdome Church or State that they may be dealt with according as to justice doth appertaine 3. Thereby also the better to disappoint all the Adversaries plots and designes against true Religion the King Kingdome Church and State And 4. To continue and increase the honour peace and welfare of the same to all which purposes this bond may be of speciall use and the most effectuall meanes to accomplish such blessed ends Now Fourthly How far and how firmely this bond or Covenant bindeth us 1. How far in respect of the wayes and meanes to be used and that is only to lawfull wayes to doe all these things as far as lawfully I may and by all good wayes and meanes that is by such wayes and meanes as are warrantable by the Law of God and the wholsome and good Lawes and Statutes of this Realme As for instance when we see any Popery or Popish Ceremonies and Innovations in the Church which we have protested against we may not in a violent and tumultuous way without any lawfull call and warrant set our selves against them and remove them but by our prayers to Almighty God and petitions to his Majesty the honourable Assembly or others
this is the way to prosper Or Obedience is the way to true Prosperity The former onely is that which here I intend to insist upon and shall include the other in the motives to this point In handling of which the Rules of Method do require that I do shew you before I come to Application 1. What a Covenant is and the kindes of it 2. What it is to keep Covenant with God 3. How it must be observed 4. The proof and grounds of this Duty For the first A Covenant to speak of it to the present purpose is a solemn promise whereby a man doth engage himself to God to perform all that Obedience unto God required in his Word by strength from Jesus Christ 1. I call it a promise Because the party Covenanting doth promise unto God Obedience 2. I call it a solemn promise Because it is ordinarily made with some outward solemnity Of this outward solemnity which is for the greater ratification of it we finde divers forms in the sacred Scripture Sometimes by Sacrifice as a Seal of the Covenant with God so Psal 50.5 Sometimes with subscribing of hands as Isai 44.5 Sometimes by sealing it also as Nehem. 9.38 Sometimes by an Oath as in this Chapter vers 12. and 2 Chron. 15.12.15 Sometimes with an Oath and a Curse so Nehem. 10.29 All formes binde firmly only some in a greater degree and lay a stronger tye upon the soul then some others do So that to break either must be dishonest and damnable 3. It was added whereby a man doth engage himself to God for it lays a strong band and engagement on the soul you have the phrase Jere. 30.21 Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me saith the Lord. 4. To perform unto God viz. in respect of sincere endeavour all the obedience which God in his Word requireth of him for otherwise it is as good as nothing to binde our selves to obey God in somethings and in othersome to take liberty to our selves to transgresse at our pleasure It is universall obedience that God requireth Deut. 5.33 5. Lastly It was added in the description By strength from Christ or in the name of Christ c. All our ability is from him and without him we can do nothing that is truly good and acceptable unto God John 15.5 Now there is a double Covenant Personall and Nationall Personall is that which is presupposed and sealed in Baptism and renued in the Lords Supper The Articles whereof are these two 1. Faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ And 2. Obedience to his Commandments the summe of which is contained in the Decalogue or ten Commandments as a fruit of that our Faith in God Nationall is when a whole Nation at least the generality do thus engage themselves to the Lord and such is the Protestation lately taken Thus much of the first thing propounded now of The second What it is to keep Covenant and wherein it consists To keep Covenant with God is to imbrace and observe his Commandments and that must be done inwardly and outwardly and so by the whole Man Inwardly the Covenant is laid hold on and observed 1. In the minde by knowing and beleeving them First By knowing the minde and will of God and what he requires of us in his Word which is the Book of the Covenant Exod. 24.7 containing the Articles or Conditions of the Covenant on both sides what we must expect from God and what we must perform unto him which are propounded by Moses the Mediatour and assented to by the people Exod. 19. and a Copy of them fair Written delivered to the people Exod. 20. Secondly By Faith beleeving his Word resting on his promises For though Faith being an affiance or fiduciall resting on the promise of life be an act of the will and heart as well as of the minde yet I place it here because it hath its originall the assent in the minde understanding and giving assent to the promise as true and good 2. In the memory it consists by retaining in minde what the Lord requires of us and what we must perform unto him for we cannot keep our Covenant with God unlesse we both know remember and bear in minde the Articles and Conditions which we are to observe 3. In our wills by imbracing of his Covenant that is freely willingly and heartily making choice of God to be our God in Christ our Father and Soveraign Lord and imbracing these Conditions upon which he is pleased to accept of us to be his peculiar people and which we engage our selves to observe and to our power perform unto him as most holy just and good not only good and right in themselves but good to us also and all those that in conscience do observe them Rom. 7.12 4. In our affections we lay hold on the Covenant and keep it when we do not onely assent to the conditions of the Covenant embrace them and resolve to observe them to our power but do it out of love to the Commandment joying and rejoycing in this Covenant with the Prophet Jer. 15.16 delighting in it fearing to break it caring to observe it according to our promise and bounden duty Thus we must embrace and keep the Covenant in our inward man viz. In the mind by knowing and believing it in our memory by retaining it and meditating on it in our wills by embracing the conditions of it freely and willingly as just and good and in our affections by loving joying delighting in it c. Outwardly also By obeying his Commandments by a hearty endeavour in the whole course of our lives to observe and do them Nebem 10.29 They clave to their brethren their Nobles as if you should say The Parliament-men to walk in Gods Law and to observe and do all the Commandments of the Lord and his Judgements and his Statutes This is the second Thirdly How we must keep Covenant with God for the manner and extent of our Obedience viz. 1. Willingly and heartily do every duty every service we do unto God from the heart with a ready mind as unto the Lord as Josiah did who made a Covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandments and his Testimonies and his Statutes with all his heart and with all his soul 2 Chron. 34 31. It is certain That in every good action there is tantum bonitatis quantum voluntatis so much goodnesse as there is willingnesse and hearty affection therefore it is that in every service God calls for the heart Prov. 23.26 My sonne give me thine heart without which all our services are but hypocriticall and the most plentifull expressions of Obedience little regarded by the Almighty God is a spirit and therefore looks on the spirits of men and will be worshipped in spirit and truth Job 4.24 2. Vniversally In all things as well in one thing as in another we may not observe some things and omit