Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A36875
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The glory of Chelsey Colledge revived by John Darley.
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Darley, John, 1622?-1699.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing D259; ESTC R24871
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34,540
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59
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most have laid by their defensive Arms and are grown too much unacquainted with Controversies We have so much noted how Controversie in other Countries hath eaten out much of the power of Godliness that we have fallen by disuse into an unacquaintedness with the means of our necessary defence and whilst we thought that we might lay by our weapons as Sampson his Jaw-bone or David his Goliah's Sword and build with both hands we are too much unready to withstand the adversary Alas what work would liberty for Jesuits and Friers make in our Congregations in a few months space I must confess this though some will think it our dishonour it is not from any strength in their cause but from their carnal advantages and our disadvantages because we are not stored with our learned Garison with the Magazine of Library and maintenance For it is easier to pull down then to build and to set a Town on Fire then to re-edife one house and to wound then to heal But as the fountain was hid at the present from Hagar's eyes so Mr Baxter for the present did not see nor think on the adequate remedy of this viz. Chelsey College Project and design this being to this present utterly to all seeming as it were dead and buried without hope of recovery and so discovery unless some Angel awaken and open our eyes to see it And then if Popery should come in again through our giving over our watch and guards and then doubtless if so not without seven worse devils of Infection Rage Thraldom Superstition Tyranny gross Idolatry Perniciousness what measure Protestants may look for at their hands we need not go out of England and Ireland for proof To use therefore a little more Mr Baxter's words for Chelsey College which he urgeth indeed for another thing I leave it therefore to the Judgment of all men that are not asleep in their security and utterly unacquainted with the advantages and vigilancies of Papists whether this design of restoring and endowing Chelsey College according to the first wisdom of it for the defense of our Church Articles and oppugnation of the Adversaries be not altogether of Christ of the Angel of the New Covenant having discovered it unto our eyes and caused us to see this fountain for our selected and choice men to draw water out of the Well of Salvation Gen. 21. 19. as the strong men of David out of the well of Bethlehem 2 Sam. 23. 16. with Joy for the establishing of the hearts of the Saints in the true grace that they be sound in the faith and so be able and furnished when need is to convince the gainsayers and that the simple at length may be able to confound even the Scribes and the wise of the world who beat their brains with the deceivableness of that unrighteousness to build or rather daube up the Mystery of Iniquity the deceivableness of unrighteousness Thus have I at large related the nature and Condition of Chelsey College the nature of the Causes form uses and ends of prudence for happiness to our Church if we can receive it and the condition for the present of it in its impediments and obstructions so that if it be not now religiously looked unto it must and will be everlastingly forlorn and lost and such an opportunity never more can be hoped for And this I have related as principal and princely Bezaliels have meditated and designed it as a well-drawn and wrought fair piece of Arras and a Pattern to be made up accordingly and as it were from God in the words of Ezekiel Chap. 40. 4. Son of man behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears and set thy heart upon all that I shall shew thee for to the intent that I might shew them am I sent unto you Wherein you have not only a Synopsis and clear declaration of a Tower of Ophel a Church Garrison but also motives pregnant and powerfull enough of Archbishop Abbott's or one of the Fellows even flexanimous to hearten and help onward the Affair 1. From the Papists and Jesuits their industry and lavishing of gold for defence of their Idolatry and Antichristianism 2ly From the necessity as they account it to uphold the Mystery of Iniquity and from the necessity for us also to work counter unto them 3ly From the danger that our Church and Cause may be in if we provide not in time 4ly From the excellency of being valiant for the Truth 5ly From the honour of Christ and his Church and our King and Country 6ly From the reproach which otherwise will redound unto us 7ly Besides the suffering of the Abomination of Desolation suddenly to overspread us and so the adversaries to work their pleasure upon mens souls and have occasion to upbraid us saying Why is there a price in the hand of foolish English men to get wisdom and they have no heart to lay it out for wisdom So that after all this Remonstrance about the matter and heads of the motives so faithfully inforced and improved there needs no more inculcating of them but only praying to remember and consider what has been so carefully and conscionably urged and the Lord give us understanding in all things Only may I humbly crave leave to urge in fine what we have found and what was not considered and what the Spirit advertiseth the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3. 10. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience that is as the Apostle does paraphrase 1 Thes 1. 3. the work of faith the labour of love the patience of hope for all these are joyntly to be ingaged in the work therefore I will keep thee from the hour of Temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the face of the Earth that is to try their Faith to try their Love to try their Hope their Faith whether it work by Love their Love whether it be sincere and zealous for the Truth their Hope whether it indure unto the end in patience Heb. 6. 10 11 12. rejoycing in hope patient in tribulation and out of faith hope and love laying out themselves for this College leaving the success prospering and blessing to the Lord Christ And this the rather if our expectation be according to the fifth-Monarchy mens perswasion which is not an Heresie and so not to be condemned but to be looked for but to be endeavoured after but to be prayed for that Christ his second coming in bringing and setting up his Kingdom may so appear And in a sort is not this hour of temptation come upon us of England and has it not been even for no less then fourty years almost trying our Faith whether we will and do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for it our Love and Charity whether we will contribute any thing liberally to maintain the Champions of our Faith whether we will cast this sure anchor in the most holy place Heb. 6. 19. knowing and believing this most
Religious and yet yield no help to advance it Being a Project to maintain the honour of the State what good Subject will not contribute to set forward this Project But to touch only the point of Gods Honour let us remember the words of the Wise man Honour the Lord with thy substance let us also consider what the Lord himself saith Them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be despised Now who can say that he honoureth God that suffereth him by Idolatry Superstition Blasphemy to be dishonoured and will give nothing to suppress Baal's Priests but is content that the Pope be worshipped like the Idol Bel Can God's Honour stand with the Superstition Heresie Idolatry and Blasphemy of Papists and the Prophaneness of Atheists It is not sufficient for true Christians to profess true Religion but they must with zeal maintain it and with heart abhor and with hand suppress Idolatry and Superstition Who will rise up with me against the wicked saith the Prophet And Psal 139. 21. he saith he hated those that hated the Lord with a perfect hatred The Law Deut. 13. is direct against such as intice us to serve other Gods our eye may not pitty them nor may we shew mercy unto them no although they be our brothers our wives that lye in our bosoms An odious thing also it is either to suffer Truth to be suppressed or Lyes to be received St. Augustine in his Epistle ad Casulanum saith it is a foul Fault to hide Truth as well as to tell Lyes Vterque reus est qui veritatem occultat qui mendacium dicit Chrysostome Hom. 25. in Matth. doth charge him to be a traitor to Truth that dares not boldly utter it to defend it Non ille solum est proditor veritatis qui veritatem transgrediens pro veritate mendacium loquitur sed etiam qui non liberè veritatem pronuntiat quam pronuntiare tenetur aut non liberè veritatem defendit quam liberè defendere convenit Some suppose that Christianity and Popery may stand together and themselves as Newters stand between both or as Mediators would reconcile both But can Christ be reconciled to Antichrist There is no Concord between Christ and Belial saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 6. 15 16. Upon which place Dr. Featly's Paraphrase is here fitly to be inserted Mark the Apostles Gradation saith he What fellowship hath Righteousness with unrighteousness what Communion hath Light with daâ—kness and lastly what Concord hath Christ with Belial No more agreement may we have who are temples of the Living God with Idols There is great opposition between Righteousness and unrighteousness greater between Light and darkness greatest of all between Christ and Belial Righteousness and unrighteousness the one being a Vertue and the other a Vice are opposed contrarily but Light and darkness privatively which is a greater opposition but Christ and Belial contradictorily which is the greatest of all Righteousness and unrighteousness so opposite as that they cannot subsist in the same Soul Light and darkness so opposite as that they cannot subsist in the same room Christ and Belial so opposite as that they cannot subsist in the same heaven Righâ—eousness fighteth with unrighteousness wheresoever it meeteth with it Gal. 5. 17. But Light doth more it presently banisheth darkness But Christ doth yet more he utterly confoundeth Belial So true Religion not only fighteth with all Heresie and Superstition wheresoever it meeteth with it but banisheth it and in the end confoundeth it Dr. Featly Vertum. Rom. p. 156. No Toleration then of false and true Religion together no more then truce of the Dogg and the Hyaena Ecclus. 13. 18. No halting no halfing between God and Baal no sodering of Religion no pulling of Rome to Protestancy no more then the Fisher's pulling the Rock to his Boate who the more he pulls the more he brings his Boate to the Rock The Bishop of the Church of Pergamus was reproved for suffering them that taught the doctrine of Balaam and the Bishop of Thyatira for permitting Jezabel to teach and to deceive the people And shall the Church of England any longer suffer the Romish Balaamites the false Priests of Baal maintained by the Romish Jezabel and her Consorts to seduce God's people The false Priests of Bel used all Arts and cunning practices to deceive and now will not suffer any Religion but that of their God Bel the Pope And shall not true Christians use equal diligence to maintain holy Truth most pure Protestant holy and saving Truth and suppress Popery and all other Idolatrous and false Religions Ingemui fateor saith Hierome minus nobis inesse voluntatis ad propugnandum veritatem quà m inest illis cupiditas ad inculcandum mendacium I sighed saith he seeing less desire in us to defend Truth then in our Adversaries to maintain Lies Are not here motives of moment enough to be mighty with any that have any true tender Conscience more then to perswade them even to make them zealous after the Work Yet there is added more yet moving ones as followeth The College being erected then for the maintenance of Truth and God's true Service and for a resolute opposition against Errors and false worship of God it cannot but please God and content godly men if it be help'd onward The same also will be a means to increase Learning and prevent the dangers of places haunted with the spirits of Antichrist the Jesuits and Mass-Priests and therefore cannot chuse but be well accepted of all that either desire a learned Ministry or love Learning Finally seeing the Church hath received no greater dishonour by any then by insufficient and unlearned Church-men I hope this may be a means to recover some part of their lost Honour Wherefore whether we regard the Service of God or the Honour we owe unto the King or the love we bear unto our Country and State and above all that which omnes omnium complectitur charitates the Piety to our Church let us not shew our selves sparing and backward in yielding our aid to set forward a Work so religious and profitable for the Church so honourable for the State so necessary in regard of our Adversaries Malice and the defects and discouragement of our own Forces Other Collections have been either for private persons or Strangers or places remote or matters concerning some particular occasions This concerns a general good and toucheth every man both in Honour and Conscience Heretofore we have endeavoured to maintain Religion and favour others abroad let us not therefore now neglect our selves and our own honour and profit and necessary service at home Neither let any man think it strange that a work of such greatness should be advanced by this weak means or that a Project so necessary should proceed so slowly Almighty God albeit sufficient yet would have his own Tabernacle built by the voluntary Offerings of his own people Speak saith he to