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A43825
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Truth and love happily married in the saints, and in the churches of Christ the contract drawn in one of the spittle sermons, preached April 3, 1648 / by Thomas Hill ...
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Hill, Thomas, d. 1653.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing H2032; ESTC R25713
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34,858
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45
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Love now in short what reasons why this is the Gospel method to our welfare first considered Singly Truth and Love as they are in themselves contribute much Secondly Joyntly consider the happy marriage of Truth and Love they operate much to advance this Gospel-design First For Truth It hath a soveraign vertue to prevent and to cure those spiritual maladies which are most obstructive to the good of Persons and Churches Truth keeps from Ignorance from Superstition from Errors from Heresies yea from prophaneness Love keeps from Strife from Schism although there bee some differences amongst Saints all men see not by the same Light if there be Love it will keep them from making a difference in affection or keep them from all unwarrantableness disclayming communion with their Brethren It is want of Love that doth that Secondly Truth if there be differences in judgement as there may be yet it hath this power that it will teach men to hold their Christian liberty by satisfying their conscienees in the lawful use of it Love will teach them not to use their Liberty unseasonably to the offence of their Brethren the Truth makes you free if you know the Truth in John 8. 32. Truth will give us a Freedom that we shall not suffer our selves to be under unnecessary and unwarrantable humane impositions but shall see our Freedom and in the use of indifferent things Love will make me so tender and so Indulgent to the Conscience of my Brother that I le rather deny my self then offend him here is Love and Truth singly as to the preventing of evil And then Secondly Here is Truth and Love that have a direct Subservience to promote the best good of Saints in their Communion with Christ now Truth enlightens the minde concerning the whole Councel of God concerning agenda and credenda teaching us that like as Usurpers not as Libertines we encroach upon the Headship of Christ and Love enflames us and enclines to embrace Truth and reject Falshood and what ever is prophane Psal. 119. 127 128. I hate every false way I love thy statutes c. Truth will not onely inform us but engage us to inform others to teach and instruct them that they should know what they should do and Love will teach us to do it with Meekness Exhort them that are contrary minded with meekness oftentimes we preach smart Sermons give hot reproofs like as when Physitians give Potions scalding hot they will spit them out again and cannot endure them and they go away prejudic'd I cannot endure to hear such a man he is so hot and furious and vents his own spirit O it's Love and meekness causes us to deal tenderly and softly meekly with our Brother and this is indeed the Spirit of the Gospel There is no more diabolical Spirit then a furious Spirit and no more Gospel Spirit then a meek and calm Spirit But I must contract The next thing is Love and Truth joyntly when they are married joyntly together and go hand in hand and Saints by them joyn heads and hearts O then and then onely then operate fruitfully Truth without Love breeds onely empty dry Speculations which puff up Love without Truth is a blinde if not a Popish yet an unwarrantable devotion amongst formal Protestants Note What is the reason you shall see now amongst many of your dull and cold Protestants more zeal about Christmas day then the Lords day about hearing a Passion Sermon upon that they call Good Fryday then upon any other day Here is Love without Truth now Truth and Love joyned together would keep the people from being too fond about these unwarrantable practises But will some say what do ye blame us about Easter and a Communion at Easter c. Have we it not in Scripture See what Scripture they have for it I would this secret were declared to all the world it would break many snares with which divers are intangled In the Acts there is the word Easter indeed in the twelfth Chapter When he had apprehended him he put him in Prison and delivered him to four quaternions of Soldiers to keep him intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people There is Easter but will you hear now how it came in first You 'l easily believe that it must be jumbled in one way or other if you understand the Original There was the word Passover but no Easter the word Easter was not found out in many hundred years after this was spoken of Peter But here was a secret It was a glorious work of King James he set divers Oxford men and Cambridge men and City Ministers with others to Translate the Bible a glorious work how ever Translations may be slighted amongst us yet Bugenhagius and other Divines when they had the Bible Translated into the Dutch language Note they kept that day of the year a Feast of Thanksgiving for the Translation of the Bible they were so affected with the mercy but it 's a great unhappiness when the Translation of the Bible shall be brought to serve our purposes I have it from certain hands such as lived in those times that when the Bible had been Translated by the Translators appointed the New Testament was looked over by some of the great Prelates men I could name some of their persons to bring it to speak Prelatical Language and they did alter as I am informed by the means of one that was a great observer in those times and lived them Fourteen places in the New Testament to make them speak the Language of the Church of England that was so cryed up and I 'le tell you some of them First In the first of the Acts speaking of Judas Let another man take his Bishoprick it is forc'd it signifies Charge or Inspection but that you may believe that the Bishops are the Apostles Successors let another man take his Bishoprick Again In the second of the Acts it is Not suffer my Soul to lie in Hell this is clear Former Translations have it not suffer my Soul to lie in the Grave But it was learned Bilsons Opinion and thrust into the Thirty nine Articles that Christ did Locally descend into hell and to make that Translation agree with the Articles they must change Grave into Hell Also the Fourteenth of the Acts They ordained them Elders they loved to cry up Consecration of Churches and Dedication and such kinde of things and Episcopal Ordination too for these all advanced the power of the Priests and the Bishops which brought in Transubstantiation amongst Papists and therefore in the Geneva Translation that was render'd chosen by suffrages by lifting up of hands the word Primarily imports that it may be in some of the Fathers it includes both they will tell you because afterwards having chosen Elders by Suffrages or Voyces they did Ordain them Next I come to the first of the Corinthians 12. 28. An
TRVTH and LOVE Happily married in the SAINTS And in the Churches of Christ The Contract drawn in one of the Spittle Sermons Preached April 3. 1648. By Thomas Hill D. D. Master of Trinity Colledge in Cambridge PROV. 23. 23. Buy the Truth and sell it not JOH. 13. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye love one another Gravitèr peccant qui propter indifferentes ceremonias turbant Ecclesias damnant alios principes magistratus haeccine pietas quam jactamus haeccine charitas quam debemus fratribus Ecclestiis Zanch. 1. de Redemp pag. 765. LONDON Printed for Peter Cole at the Printing-Press in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1648. TO The Right Honorable Alderman Warner Lord Major of the Famous City of LONDON The worthy Sheriffs Aldermen and Common-Councel All the sweet fruits of Truth and Love through CHRIST JESUS AS when King Solomon built his Temple which was Typical to Christ and his Church there were two Pillars which did both adorn and strengthen it When Zachary speaks Prophetically of the Government of that Church he tells you of two Staves Beauty and Bands And when Paul writes Apostolically of the building up and beautifying the Churches of Christ he commends to you Truth and Love And if an Apocryphal Book may be heard as why not in the instruction of maners and things of this nature amongst three things of strength Wine Women and Truth Truth carries it away as most potent And as for the power of Love Solomon will tell you it is as strong as death the powerful workings whereof are most emphatically represented by Paul to the Corinthians Charity suffereth long and is kinde charity envieth not charity vaunteth not it self is not puffed up doth not behave her self unseemly seeketh not her own is not easily provoked thinketh no evil rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in the truth covereth all so I am bold to render the Greek word rather then beareth because you have even the same in the end of that verse endureth all things And surely never was there more need of such an union in England as Truth and Love would make up amongst Saints then now when the disaffected in all the Three Kingdoms are like to make a Prey upon the people by reason of their unkinde and most unbrotherly Divisions This is like to be our sad Motto Whilest we dash one against another we are both like to be broken in pieces If these differences were about Fundamentals or any matters of Faith God forbid but we should zealously and resolutely appear in it even they who are most moderate in their Opinions about externals and circumstantials I speak knowingly for my self and many of my moderate Brethren when it comes to Subsatials of Faith and Worship will answer as B. Andrews did being asked at the first coming over of the Archbishop of Spalato Whether he though the were a Protestant or no he answered Truly I know not but he is a detestant of divers Opinions of Rome So I am confident do we abhor not onely Romish Arminian and Socinian Opinions and whatever is unsound and contrary to the Doctrine according unto godliness Onely we believe about all matters of Church-Government which are neither so clear in Scripture nor of such concernment to salvation there had need be some Melancthons as well as Luthers there must be morter to binde the bricks together some soft Spirits if all be rugged we shall have no Spiritual building This is the scope of this plain Sermon which now you have been pleased to make more yours by your order for the publishing of it intending I hope by your desires to have it repeated to your eyes that you may the better repeat it in your practices Durandus tells us Paul was pictured with a Sword and with a Book intimating by the sword what he was before his Conversion by the Book what after when he so much minded the edification of the Churches of Christ O that we Ministers and Brethren who differ might lay aside our swords and seriously try what faith and love will do to compose our unhappy and most unseasonable Controversies which doubtless need not so divide us neither should we in things of this nature prescribe or impose one upon another There were three Fellows of Merton Colledge in Oxford the one a Thomist the other a Scotist the third an Occamist that going to Woodstock to petition the King that they might have a door out of Merton Colledge for their conveniency they all agreed to desire to have a door but could not agree upon the maner of the Petition one was for Habeamus ostium the other thought that too general and therefore would have it Ostium fieri but then the question was Who should make it or where the third Vt ostium factum sit yet that pleased not We all would have a Government but cannot agree upon the maner divers forms being in view O that Truth and Love might be the Vmpire This I have for divers years endeavored according to my measure and still shall what ever others say of me as being confident Moderate Counsels conduce much more to an happy settlement then such as are high and rigid And I rest assured that sober moderate Spirits are much better friends to Presbyterial Government which I desire may besettled here then they who drive so furiously It s true I believe the abounding of Heretical Opinions and Schismatical Practices have begotten many Malignants amongst us but withal I fear the severity of some Presbyterians gives too much advantage to Heterodox and Schismatical spirits I cannot believe it though I have often heard That some of my Brethren were angry at this Discourse because so moderate surely it is either because they are guilty and too much ingaged in a party whereas I being uningaged can with freedom of spirit which liberty I highly value unpartially oppose what is amiss in any and imbrace what is good where ever I finde it Solomon saith A man of understanding is of a cool spirit The Lord make us such which will express a more full conformity to Christ and a sweet resemblance of his spirit which will be the beauty of Ministers and other Saints My Lord Be pleased with my humble and hearty acknowledgement of the many Respects of this Renowned City to me to accept my Desires and Endeavors to approve my self From my Lodging in Westminster May 8. 1648. Your most faithful Servant for your Salvation Thomas Hill TRVTH and LOVE Happily Married in the SAINTS And in the Churches of Christ Ephesians 4. 15. But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ PAuls chains and tears have had a prevailing rethorique he hath wept as well as swet over his hearers with good success when he was to preach to Felix though a Prisoner