Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n
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A30906
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Universal love considered and established upon its right foundation being a serious enquiry how far charity may and ought to be extended towards persons of different judgments in matters of religion and whose principles among the several sects of Christians do most naturally lead to that due moderation required ... / Robert Barclay.
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Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690.
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1677
(1677)
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Wing B741; ESTC R22018
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31,935
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48
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of this kind alledge the super-abundance thereof to proceed a fervido Scotorum Ingenio i. e. from the violent Complexion of our Country men I had scarce got out of my Child-hood when I was by the permission of Divine Providence cast among the Company of Papists and my tender years and immature Capacity not being able to withstand and resist the Insinuations that were used to Proselite me to that way I became quickly defiled with the Pollutions thereof and continued therein for a time until it pleased God through his rich Love and Mercy to deliver me out of those Snares and to give me a clear understanding of the evil of that way In both these Sects the Reader may easily conceive that I had abundant occasion to receive Impressions contrary to this principle of Love herein treated of seeing the straitness of several of their Doctrines as well as their practice of Persecution do abundantly declare how opposite they are to Universal Love as shall hereafter more at large be shown and Albeit the time it pleased God to deliver me out of these Snares I was so young that it may be presumed my Observations could be but weak and consequently my Experience inconsiderable yet for as much as from my very Child-hood I was very ambitious of Knowledge and by a certain felicity of Understanding I think I may say without Vanity successful beyond many of my Equals in Age though my Observations at that time were but weak yet since I have with more leisure and circumspection gathered thence so much experience as I am confident will serve for a sufficient foundation to any Superstructure I shall build upon it in this Treatise The time that intervened betwixt my forsaking of the Church of Rome and joyning with those with whom I stand now ingaged I kept my self free from joyning with any sort of People though I took liberty to hear several and my Converse was most with those that inveigh much against judging and such kind of severity seeming to complain greatly for want of this Christian Charity among all Sects which Latitude may perhaps be esteemed the other extream opposite to the preciseness of these other Sects whereby I also received an opportunity to know what usually is pretented on that side likewise and thence can say somewhat experimentally on that part also As for those I am now joyned to and whom I justly esteem to be the true followers and Servants of Jesus Christ the World speaks diversly of them as to this matter some highly accusing them of the want of Charity and quarrelling with them as such who peremptorily condemn all but themselves Others have a contrary conceit of them each according as they are prejudicated and informed What may be truly said in the case shall after appear I my self have been diversly censured in this matter being ingaged in Controversie which as they can be scarcely handled without something of sharpness so are seldom mannaged by any so successfully as not to bear the Censure of some or other in this respect Having then upon the whole matter observed that this want of Charity is that for the want of which each Sect accuses the other and yet are most averse to see this defect in themselves and that some do accuse all Sects as guilty of this Crime I have judged it meet to commit my sence hereof to writing according to the purpose signified in the Title afore-mentioned SECT II. The Nature of Christian Love and Charity demonstrated the Consistancy of true Zeal therewith it 's distinction from false Zeal THe Nature of Christian Love and Charity is fully and abundantly described in the Holy Scriptures where it is preferred before all other Virtues and properties whatsoever as that which comprehendeth in it all other perfections and is the root and spring of them for there can be no true Virtue but that which proceedeth from Love hence God himself is called Love I Jo. 4. 7. as being that under which all his innumerable and inutterable perfections are included By this Love we are Redeemed from the Corruption of our Nature and have received the benefit of a Mediator Joh. 16. This is the Banner wherewith God covereth his Children Cant. 2. 4. This is that which Constrained our Lord Jesus Christ to lay down his Life for us Joh. 15. 13. The exercise of this is given by Christ as the principal Token of his Disciples Joh. 13. 35. It is numbered as the first fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. It is called the fulfilling of the Law as that wherein all consisteth Rom. 13. 10. For to Love God above all things and our Neighbour as our selves is the sum not only of the Law but of the Gospel also 1 Cor. 13. 13. Therefore the Apostle Paul giveth to this Love or Charity the Precedency before either Faith or Hope in which Chapter he doth briefly but very emphatically describe it for having first shewn that the speaking with Tongues of Men and Angels that the gifts of Prophesying Understanding and Knowledge that the Faith that even could remove Mountains and the giving of all to the Poor yea and the Body to be burnt is nothing without it He proceeds to the description of it thus Charity suffers long is kind Charity envieth not Vaunteth not it self is not puffed up does not behave it self unseemly seeking not her own is not easily provoked thinketh no evil rejoyceth not in Iniquity but rejoyceth in the Truth beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things never faileth Albeit other gifts have 1 Cor. 13. from the first Verse As by this the excellency of Love is shown so the necessity of pressing after it and living in it will be readily acknowledged by all but seeing the sum of this Love as well as the perfection thereof consists in loving God above all so whatever diverteth in any thing there-from is not to be accounted Love though the same word be used to express it and that in the Scripture it self such as the Love of Self the Love of the World the Love of any Creature Hence for the attaining of the true and excellent Love the Love of all these other things is not only to be laid aside and the Love of God preferred to them but they are to be hated as Christ himself Phraseth it He that hateth his life Jo. 12. 25. Yea he useth it so as to speaking of hating Father and Mother Luk. 14. 26. though when the Love to such is truly subordinate to the other it is both commended and commanded The Testimony which is required of our really being in the Love of God Christ himself signifieth to us If you Love me keep my Commandements And as the Beloved Disciple John said in the case of Knowledge shewing us the falshood of such as pretend to know God and yet do not so saying He that says he knows God and keeps not his Commandements is a Lyar and the Truth is not
by all such Malefactors themselves I know not if one of a hundred thousand can be excepted and the punishment of such is justifiable as all generally acknowledge but to kill sober honest good Men meerly for their Conscience is quite contrary to the Doctrine of Christ as has been elsewhere upon other occasions largely demonstrated This being premised I shall briefly apply the same to the several sorts of Christians that thence may be observed whose Principles do most exactly agree with and lead to that Universal Love and Charity so much in words commended by all and for the want of which every sort take so much liberty to judge and condemn each other There are many other particulars by which the several Sects may be tryed in this respect but these two fore-mentioned being the principal I shall chiefly insist upon them in this present application To begin then with the Papists there is nothing more commonly acknowledged and assented to among them then that Maxim Extra Ecclesiam nulla Salus without the Church there is no Salvation which Maxim in a sence I confess to be true as shall hereafter appear but according as it is understood among them it does utterly destroy this Universal Love and Charity for by this Church without which there is no Salvation they precisely understand the Church of Rome reckoning that whosoever are not of her Fellowship are not saved and this must needs necessarily follow upon their Principles seeing they make the Ceremonial Imbodying in this Church so necessarity to Salvation that they exclude from it the very Children begotten and brought forth by their own Members unless formally received by the Sprinkling or Baptisme of Water And Albeit they have a certain place more tolerable than Hell for these Unbaptized Infants yet hence is manifest how small their Charity is and how much it is confined to their particular Ceremonies and forms since if they think Children born among them for want of this Circumstance are excluded from Heaven Albeit never guilty of actual Transgression they must needs judge that such as both want it and also are guilty of many sins as they believe all men are who are come to age especially such as are not in the Church go without remedy to Hell Secondly All Dissenters and Seperatists from the Church Infidels Turks and Heriticks which in short are all that profess not fellowship and Communion with the Church of Rome and own her not as their Mother are in a most solemn manner yearly Excommunicated by the Pope and it were a most gross inconsistency to suppose that such as are so Cursed and Excommunicated and given over to the Devil by the Father and chief Bishop of the Church can in the judgment of the Members be saved especially while they think he is approved of God and led by an Infallible Spirit in his so Excommunicating them And lastly To suppose any such Universal Love or Charity as extending to Persons either without the compass of their own Society or dissenting and separating from them so as to reckon them in a capacity or possibility of Salvation were to destroy and overturn the very Bassis and Foundation of the Roman Church which stands in acknowledging the Superiority and Precedency of Peter and his Successors and in believing that Infallibility is annexed thereunto Now such as are not of the Roman Society cannot do this and those that do not thus are such to whom the Church of Rome can have no Charity but must look upon them as without the Church and consequently as uncapable of Salvation while there abiding If it be objected that the Church of Rome professeth Charity to the Greek Armenian and Ethiopian Churches Albeit vastly differing in many things from them I Answer that whatsoever Charity the Church of Rome either doth or ever hath professed to any of these shall be found to be always upon a supposed acknowledgment made by them to the See of Rome as the Mother-Church and Apostolick Seat from thence seeking the Confirmation and Authority of their Patriarches at least as the Romanists have sought to make the World believe how true is not my present business to enquire and all these differences of Ceremonies that are betwixt them are only approved by the Romanists as such which are indulged to them by the Pope who pretends out of a Fatherly care and compassion to yield these things unto them which if it be true is done by him rather to uphold the shew of his Authority and because distance of place and other incommodities hinders him from pressing more upon them since in places nearer hand and where fitter opportunities hath been presented he hath shewn himself very Zealous and Violent to bring all to a ready obedience to the least of his Commands as by many examples could be largely proved yet some are of the mind that all these Stories and pretended acknowledgments of Patriarchs to the Romish Sea are but the meer effects of the Policy of that Court to uphold their Grandure and nothing better but pretty Comedies to amuse the Vulgar and Credulous and augment their Reverence towards the Pope and his Clergy but what-ever be in this it is abundantly manifest that there can be nothing more contrary to this Universal Love and Charity than Romish Principles and that no man of that Religion without deserting his Principles can pretend to it As to the other Principle of Persecution how much it is Preached and practised in the Church of Rome will need no great Probation Those that are acquainted with or have heard of the Spanish Inquisition of the many Inhumain Butcheries and Massacres committed both in France and the Netherlands upon Men meerly for the matter of their Consciences the many Plots Consultations Combinings and Wars contrived fomented and carryed on by the Bishops of Rome themselves and the chief of their Clergy yielding large and voluntary Contributions thereto for to ruin and root out the Dissenters from the Romish Society after Luther appeared cannot but see how natural and consequential it is to Romish Principles so to do And thence also observe how contrary and opposite these things are to Universal Love and Charity and how much they act the Hypocrite when they pretend Christian Charity to any that differ from them And this manifestly appears in these two which none of them that has understanding to know or honesty to confess their Principles can deny I might also add a third which Albeit by some Popish Doctors in some Nations it be denyed yet is no less firmly believed and contended for by other eminent Persons among them especially Bellarmine and approved by the Pope himself to wit the Popes power to depose Princes in case of Heresie and give their Kingdoms to others allowing them upon that account to fight against them and accounting their so purchaseing of them lawful Small offences heretofore would have provoked to this Sentence as appeared in the example of Hildebrand and others