Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A95733
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Regulated zeal. Or, an earnest request to all zealously affected Christians, to seeke the desired reformation in a peaceable way. Shewing further, in severall particulars, wherein they are offensive who disturb the peace of the church By. W. T.
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W. T. (William Thomason)
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1641
(1641)
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Wing T996; Thomason E160_29; ESTC R1508
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4,714
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8
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Regulated ZEAL OR An earnest request to all Zealously affected Christians to seeke the desired Reformation in a peaceable way Shewing further in severall particulars wherein they are offensive who disturb the PEACE of the CHVRCH If it bee possible as much as lyeth in you live peaceably with all men ROM 12.18 BY W. T. homason LONDON Printed for Samuel Rand. 1641. Regulated Zeale ZEALE for Gods glorie and love of the Truth are two such transcendent excellencies that whosoever will not for the advancement thereof being lawfully called thereto most willingly ingage both his life and fortunes deserves not the name of Man but yet it necessarily concernes as the times now stand every good Christian to know that good actions may be ill done as châ—yse meats may be slovenly handled and so mard in the dressing in a word things are never well done that are not orderly done Order being their beautie The businesse I drive at is this The generall crie at this day of the Kingdome is Reformation and in truth this is now a verie seasonable and blessed desire and what heart is not full of it But I wish from my soule we were as right in the way to that long'd-for redresse as we are desirous of that end But I feare there are too many who whilst in their over-vchement and unwarrantable proceedings they seeke to quicken this Reformation they lay stumbling-blocks in the way and involve it with more difficulties Zeale where it s well ordered is a precious Diamond there is no service pleasing to God without it but yet where it is not qualified with knowledge on the one side and a calling on the other too much zeale may prove dangerous I wish we could not experimentally say scandalous both to Church and Common-wealth It is an undenyable truth that every man in his place should endeavour a Reformation every man should pray for it everie man should perswade to it but no private man may breake the peace of God and the King for it no man may swagger for it or cause tumultuous and seditious meetings for it much lesse overthrow the frame of all Government and Order in the Church for it For private men to labour the redresse of publick grievances in a peaceable way as by their humble Petitions to the seat of Justice I say happy are those men that doe it but for such to forget their stations to involve themselves into the mysteries of Government and to make themselves Reformers where their place is to informe I thinke the Lawes neither of God nor man will warrant it It would make a mans heart to bleed to see what divisions we have in our Church what differences even to separations what distractions what disgracefull handling one of another to the shame and reproach of our Church and derision of our adversaries and all this for poynts not fundamentall yea for Circumstances and Ceremonies which are not parts but appurtenances to Gods worship What comfort can such men reap of their zeale who living in a Church which doth heartily desire a Reformation of her blemishes and at this very present is seriously imployed in the pursuit thereof yet will not tarrie the leisure of their Governours but will snatch the sword out of the hand of Justice and have a Reformation of their owne devising certainly such men pull downe more by their impatience than they build by their zeale Is it now a time to be divided amongst our selves when all our forces united are little enough to withstand the common adversarie Alas those seditious oppugners of the publick weale little know and lesse consider how grievously they wound the cause of Religion and how many they wrong at once They are offensive to God in the contempt of his ordinance who commands every soule to be subject to the higher powers they are injurious to the State they live in whose power they despise and Government they trample under foot they bring a blot upon the Ministerie who suffer through their sides and are perhaps by some malevolent spirits though unjustly censured as the seditious projectors of their unwarrantable insolences And lastly that which is seriously to be considered on and I would to God they would take it more to heart they render us a gazing stock to all Christian Churches and make us the derision of all that are round about us I would counsell these unquiet spirits but to walke by the same light which themselves set up for others let them regulate themselves by the rule of the Scriptures What one thing is there that the holy Scripture doth more aboundantly insist upon than this That we should keep the unitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace with what vehemency of Spirit doth St. Paul urge it If there be any consolation in Christ saith he if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any compassion and mercie fulfill my joy that you be like minded having the same love being of one accord and of one judgement that nothing be done through contention or vaine glorie Phil. 2.1 And againe let us follow those things which concerne peace and wherewith one may edifie another Rom. 14.19 And the Apostle doth urge the same so farre that hee exhorts all good Christians to presse on uncessantly towards this mark even untill they find an utter impossibility of obtaining the same If it be possible saith he and as much as in you lyes live peaceable with all men Nay our Saviour himselfe when he departed the world left as a Legacie to his Disciples this blessing of peace My peace I leave with you My peace J give unto you And excellent to this purpose is that of St. Cyprian Qui pacem Christi rumpit adversus Christum facit That man which breaks the ligaments of Christian peace fights against Christ himselfe Cypr. de unit Eccles Runne over the whole volume of the Word of God and and you shall not finde any grace or vertue whereunto God hath vouchsafed greater honor than to this of peace God Himselfe is stiled the God of peace Christ the Prince of peace the Word the Gospell of peace his Angels the messengers of peace his Ministers the reconcilers to peace So exceedingly God delights in it so strongly he pleads for it yea and blesseth them that make it Blessed saith our Saviour are the peace-makers and he promiseth them a sweet blessing indeed for they shall be called the Sons of God Alas then by what name shall I terme those who for things of smaller moment for Ceremonies will rend the Church shake off the yoak of obedience and as farre as their indeavours will extend reduce all Government into a confused Chaos Oh that such minded Christians would sit downe a while and commune with their owne hearts Am I now in Gods way where is my warrant what ground have I where is my Commission is the cause I now undertake of that weight and consequence that it will beare me
out being a private man in these boysterous proceedings We all agree that the Scriptures are the perfect rule of our faith wee all accord in the fundamentall grounds of Religion may I then for things that are meerely appurtenances and no parts of Gods Worship make a tumult in the Church of God and trouble the peace thereof God is the God of Order and shall I be the Author of Confusion God would not come to Eliah in a Whirle-wind but in a quiet and still voyce and shall I breake out in thunder But some perchance may object the cause we stand for is Gods we strive to vindicate Gods service from the defilements of Poperie the Ceremonies of our Church are the rags of Antichrist I answer who hath given you a calling to this imployment I am sure the Apostle gives private men a better direction namely to study to be quiet and meddle with their owne bunesse and to see that all things be done in love It is true that libertie is given to everie Church to use what Ceremonies they please that agree to the generall rule and tend to edificati n and decencie but libertie is not left to everie one in the Church that he may set up and pull stowne what he will This must bee left to the wisedome of the Governours onely who if they finde the Ceremonies of the Church not conduceable to that end for which they did intend them may and ought also to bee as ready to give them a dismission as they were willing to receive them If everie one in the Church of Creet might set up what his list to what purpose did St. Paul leave Titus there to set in order the things that were wanting Tit. 1.5 Order is the usher of peace and if every one should rule it would be no vertue to obey It is a happy conjunction betweene Prince and people where Unitie and Order knits their severall hearts into one The Apostle St. Paul puts us in minde of one body one Spirit one Lord one faith one Baptisme one God one Father of all who is above all and through all and in us all Ephes 4.3 -6. Declaring to us by this multiplication of Vnities as a most reverend Father of our Church observes upon this place that the knots whereby we are tyed together are both in number more and of far greater moment then that matters of smaller consequence should dissever us And therefore leaving Church government to those it doth concerne our dutie is I speake of private persons to stand fast in one spirit with one minde striving together for the faith of the Gospell Philip. 1.27 and if we passe these limits wee disturbe the state and in it our selves since in the quiet and prosperitie of our Church consists both our weale and safetie But what need we many perswasions to peace love one with another when we have Gods owne example for our rule For did wee with a serious eye look upon the face of these times and well consider our strange irregularities and sinfull provocations both in Church and State on the one side and Gods mercifull dealing towards us even to admiration and astonishment on the other wee could not but acknowledge that we have infinite cause to spend the whole stock of our time yea though it could be doubled in breathing out praises and thanksgiving to God rather than to squander it away in matters of strife How strange a deliverance did God not long since vouchsafe us when the Sword accompanyed with blood and death was entred into our Coasts which had not Gods over-ruling hand seasonably prevented had undoubtedly devoured us What matchlesse Conspiracies hath hee revealed unto us which it was thought were laid so deep that they could never have seen the light but that it appeared hee that was higher than highest regarded it and there be higher than they Now what shall we say to these things what shall we repay God for these blessings we see with our eyes and our hearts may rejoyce in it the Lord hath had thoughts of peace towards us and shall wee now have thoughts of contention one against another God hath wrought wonderfully for our safetie and shall we in the want of a common enemie divide our selves into parties God forbid The Prophet David saith and our experience hath found it true that God hath pleasure in his people why then should not his people delight in him againe and in him and for his sake delight in one another It s strange to read in some places of Scripture what emphaticall expressions God hath given us of his love how hee doth beseech us to be reconciled 1 Cor. 5. how he even waits to have mercie on us Esay 30.18 yea and wonders at our back wardnes Esay 59 16. And how sweetly doth the Lord reveale himself to his people the Jewes I will rejoyce over them saith hee to do them good and wil plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with all my soule Jer. 32.41 O how convincing and prevalent should this compassion of God bee with us even to enforce us to love and compassionate one another Happy were it if they would advisedly consider of this Gods gracious indulgence to his people who for Circumstantiall matters which God hath neither commanded nor forbid are ready to contend even to bloud But let me not be mistaken it is not my intent here to patronize defend the Ceremoniall Ordinances of our Church but wish rather since they are of that nature that they may be safely abrogated without any offence to God but cannot as the times now manifest be so safely retained without breach of peace that for the quiet and peace sake of our Church they were returned into the bosome of that Church from whence we had them that so we might all as one man serve the Lord in the purity of his Ordinances with a cheerefull peaceable minde But yet so long as they stand established by the hand of Authoritie it s every private mans portion to obey Onely thus far extends the duty of us all if private men to pray zealously if Ministers to preach zealously if Magistrates to endeavour zealously that we may with one heart and soule keep the unitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace And when all this is done if those whom the care charge of Reformation shall concerne neglect their duties the sin will be their owne and private men are free FINIS