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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85036	Truth maintained, or Positions delivered in a sermon at the Savoy: since traduced for dangerous: now asserted for sound and safe. By Thomas Fuller, B.D. late of Sidney Colledge in Cambridge. The particulars are these. I That the doctrine of the impossibility of a churches perfection, in this world, being wel understood, begets not lazinesse but the more industry in wise reformers. II That the Church of England cannot justly be taxed with superstitious innovations. III How farre private Christians, ministers, and subordinate magistrates, are to concurre to the advancing of a publique reformation. IIII What parts therein are only to be acted by the Supreme power. V Of the progresse, and praise of passive obedience. VI That no extraordinary excitations, incitations, or inspirations are bestowed from God, on men in these dayes. VII That it is utterly unlawfull to give any just offence to the papist, or to any men whatsoever. VIII What advantage the Fathers had of us, in learning and religion, and what we have of them. IX That no new light, or new essentiall truths, are, or can be revealed in this age. X That the doctrine of the Churches imperfection, may safely be preached, and cannot honestly be concealed. With severall letters, to cleare the occasion of this book.	Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.; Saltmarsh, John, d. 1647. Examinations. Selections.; Fuller, Thomas, 1680-1661. Sermon of reformation. Selections.	1643 (1643)	Wing F2474; Thomason .36[9]; ESTC R23497	61,984	103

As last comes the supreame Power who alone is to reforme by its own Authority though not by its owne advise alone For because it is rationally to be presumed that Divines have best skill in matters of Divinity they are to be consulted with and here comes in the necessity and use of Councels Convocations Synods and Assemblyes And because there is not onely a constant correspondency but also an unseperable complication betwixt the Church State States-men are therefore to be advised with in a Reformation so to settle it as may best comply with the Common-wealth For God in that generall warrant Let all things be done decently and in order p●ts as I may say the Cloath and Sheeres into the hands of the Church and Christian Princes to cut out and fashion each particular decency and order so as may shape and suit best with the present Time and Place wherein such a Reformation is to be made These parts therefore are to be acted in a Reformation by the supreame Power First he is either by his owne Motion or at the instance and intreaties of others to call and congregate such Assemblyes Secondly to give them leave and liberty to consult and debate of matters needing to be reformed Thirdly to accept the results of their consultations and to weigh them in the ballance of his Princely discretion Fourthly to confirme so much with his Royall Assent as his judgement shall resolve to be necessary or convenient Lastly to stamp the Character of Authority upon it that Recusants to obey it may be subject to civill punishments But now all the question will be what is to be done if the endeavours of Subjects be finally returned with deafnesse or deniall in the supreame Power In this case a pulike Reformation neither ought nor can be performed without the consent of the supreame Power It ought not First because God will not have a Church reformed by the deforming of his Commandement He hath said Honour thy Father and thy Mother and requireth that all Superiours should be respected in their places Secondly the Scripture rich in Presidents for our instruction in all cases of importance affords us not one single example wherein people attempted publiquely to reforme without or against the consent of the supreame Power and in this particular I conceive a negative Argument followeth undeniably wherefore seeing the Kings in Judah there the supreame Power were alwayes called upon to reforme commended for doing so much or condemned for doing no more and the people neither commanded to remove nor reproved for not removing publique Idolatry without the consent of the supreame Power it plainly appeareth that a publique Reformation belongeth to the supreame Power so that without it it ought not to be done As it ought not so it cannot be done without the consent thereof for admit that the highest subordinate Power should long debate and at last conclude the most wholsome Rules for Reformation yet as Plato said that amongst the many good Lawes that were made one still was wanting namely a Law to command and oblige men to the due observing of those Lawes which were made So when the best Resolutions are determined on by any inferiour Power there still remaines an absolute necessity that the supreame Power should bind and enforce to the observing thereof For instance Some Offenders are possessed with such uncleane Spirits of prophanenesse that none can bind them no not with Chaines of Ecclesiasticall Censures onely outward Mulcts in purse or person can hold and hamper them Scythian slaves must be ordered with whips and a present prison more affrights impudent persons then Hel-fire to come In the Writs De Excommunicato capiendo de Haeritico comburendo such as flout at the Excommunicato and the Haeretico are notwithstanding heartily afraid of the Capiendo and the Comburendo Wherefore in such cases the Church when it is most perfectly reformed is fame to crave the aid of the State by civill and secular penalties to reduce such as are Rebels to Church-Censures sometimes inflicting death it selfe on blasphemous Heretickes and this cannot be performed by any subordinate Power in the State but onely by the supreame Power Otherwise Offenders if pressed by any inferiour Power would have a free Appeale and no doubt find full redresse from the supreame Power without whose consent such penalties were imposed on them Now if it be demanded what at last remaines for any to doe in case the supreame Power finally refuseth to reforme Thus they are to imploy themselves First to comfort themselves in this that they have used the meanes though it was Gods pleasure to with-hold the blessing Secondly-they are to reflect on themselves and seriously to bemoane their own sinnes which have caused Gods justice to punish them in this kind If a●rhumaticke head sends downe a constant flux to the corroding of the lungs an ill affected stomacke first sent up the vapours which caused this distillation And pious Subjects conceive that if God suffer Princes to persist in dangerous errours this distemper of the head came originally from the stomack from the sinnes of the people who deserved this affliction Thirdly they are to reforme their selves and Families and if the supreame Power be offended thereat to prepare themselves patiently to suffer whatsoever it shall impose upon them having the same cause though not the same comfort to obey a bad Prince as a good one By the way a word in commendation of passive obedience When men who cannot be active without sinning are passive without murmuring First Christ set the principall copie thereof leading Captivity captive on the ●rosse and ever since he hath sanctified suffering with a secret soveraigne vertue even to conquer and subdue persecution Secondly it hath beene continued from the Primitive Church by the Albigences to the moderate Protestants unlesse some of late ashamed of this their Masters badge have pluckt their cognisance from their coats and set up for themselves Thirdly it is a Doctrine spirituall in it selfe It must needs be good it is so contrary to our bad natures and corrupt inclinations who will affirme any thing rather then we will deny our selves and our owne revengefull dispositions And surely the Martyrs were no lesse commendable for their willing submitting to then for their constant enduring of their persecutors cruelty And it was as much if not more for them to conquer their owne ●indicative spirits as to undergoe the heaviest tortures inflicted on them Fourthly it is a doctrine comfortable to the Practisers bitter but wholsome Yet it is sweetned with the inward consolation of a cleere conscience which is Food in Famine Freedome in Fetters Health in Sicknesse yea life in death Fifthly it is glorious in the eyes of the beholders who must needs like and love that Religion whose professors where they cannot lawfully dearly sell doe frankly give their lives in the defence thereof Lastly it is a Doctrine fortunate in successe

without or beside it And as hereby they are heightned to an Heroicall degree of Piety so though sometimes we may say of them in a Rhetoricall expression that they goe beyond themselves yet they never goe beyond their calling nor never goe beyond Gods Commandements Now if any shall pretend that they have an extraordinary excitation to make a publique Reformation without the consent of the supreame Power to whom by Gods law it belongs such an excitation cannot come from the holy Ghost For if the spirit of the Prophets be subject to the Prophets much more is it subject to the God of the Prophets and to the law of that God And truly Sir this passage of extraordinary incitations as it is by you rawly laid downe and so left containeth in it seed enough if well or rather ill husbanded to sow all the Kingdome with sedition especially in an age wherein the Anabaptist in their actions beaten out of the field by Gods Word doe daily slye to this their Fort of extraordinary excitations And you may observe when God gave extraordinary excitations quo ad regulam stirring up men to doe things contrary to the received rule of his Commandements then such excitations were alwayes attended with extraordinary operations Phinehas who killed Cosby and Zim●y could stay the plague with his prayer and Eliah who cursed the Captaines with their fifties could cause fire to come downe on them from Heaven It appeares this his curse was pronounced without malice because inflicted by a miracle It is lawfull for such to call for fire who can make fire come at their call and would nore would kindle discord on Earth till first they fetcht the sparks thereof from Heaven Neither doe we proudly tempt Gods providence but truly trye such mens pretended extraordinary incitations if when they wander from Gods Commandements in their Actions and plead inspirations we require of them to prove the truth of such inspirations by working a miracle Now Sir you being as it seemes an opposite to Prelacy would make strange worke to put downe one Ordinary in a Diocesse and set up many extraordinaries in every Parish And for ought I know if some pretend extraordinary excitations publikely to reforme against the will of the supreame Power such as side with the supreame Power may with as much probability alleadge extraordinary excitations to oppose and crosse the others Reformation and so betwixt them both our Church and State will be sufficiently miserable And now Sir remember what you said in the last Paragraffe To the law saith the Scripture and to the Testimony to such Judges we may safely appeale from all your speciall excitations extraordinary Incitations and christian Inspirations B In the building of the Temple you shall see in Ezra and Nehemiah such workings of God when the people were gathered together as one man they spake to Ezra the Scribe to bring the Booke of● the law of Moses The unanimous consent of so many we acknowledge to be Gods worke O that we might see the like agreement in England where the people are so farre from being gathered together as one man that almost every one man is distracted in his thoughts like the times and scattered from himselfe as if he were many people Well they spake to Ezra to bring the Booke of he law what of all this C Here the people put on even Ezra to his duty And little speaking would spurre on him who of himselfe was so ready to runne in his calling But I pray what was this Ezra who were these people Ezra was indeed a Priest a learned Scribe of the law who brought up a party out of Babylon to Jerusalem armed with a large patent and Commission from Artaxerxes The people here were the whole body of the Jewish Church and State together with Zerobabel the Prince and Jeshuah the high Priest who by leave from the Persian King had the chiefe managing of spirituall and temporall matters And judge how little this doth make for that purpose to which you alleadge it that from hence private persons may either make the supreame power to reforme or doe it without his consent Had you free leave of the whole Scripture to range in and could the fruit of your paines find out no fitter instance for your purposes EXAMINER And whereas you say Reformation is of those duties that are D impaled in for some particular persons I answer this were a grand designe if you could heighten E Reformation into such a holy prodigy as you would of late the Church into the Prelacy and F Clergy and excluded the Layty as a prophane G Crew and to be taught their distance Luther H will tell you this is one of the Roman engines to make such an holy businesse like the mountaine in the law not to be touc●t or approacht to but by Moses alone Thus you might take off many good Workemen and honest l Labourers in the Vineyard whom Christ hath hired and sent in and to whom he hath held out his Scepter as Ahasuerus to Ester TREATIS D And whereas you say Reformation is of those duties that are impaled in for some particular persons It appeares that publike Reformation is so impaled for whereas every man is commanded to observe the Sabbath honour his Parents and every man forbidden to have other Gods worship Images take Gods Name in vaine kill steale c. Yet the supreame Power alone in Scripture is called on for publike Reformation and no private person as Saint Austin hath very well observed E I answer this were a grand designe if you could heighten Reformation into such an holy Prodigy I need not heighten it which is so high a worke of it selfe that our longest armes cannot reach it though we stand on the tip-toes of our best desires and endeavours till God shall first be pleased to send us a peace A prodigy it is not not long since you tearmed it an extraordinary businesse yet if it be performed whilst warre lasteth it is a worke of the Lord and may justly seeme mervallous in our eyes F As you would of late the Church into the Prelacy and the Clergy When and where did I doe this I ever accounted that the Cetus fi●●l●um the Congregation of the faithfull was Gods Church on earth Yet I often find the Church represented in generall Counsels by the Prelacy and Clergy who are or should be the best wisest in the Church their decisions in matters of Religion interpreted and received as the resolutions of the Church in generall G And excluded the Layty as a prophane crew and to be taught their distance What honest man ever thought the Layty as Layty prophane I conceive our Kingdome would be very happy if none of the Clergy were worse then some of the Layty And I am sure that the godly Clergy are Gods Layty his {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the godly Layty are Gods Clergy his {non-Roman} {non-Roman}

the old light be meant that which shined from the Ancient of dayes into the Scriptures and thence through the Fathers to us I preferre it before any new light whatsoever P. A good policy to stay the Reformation till His Majesties returne It need not have stayed till His Majesties returne which might have been done before His going away who so often and so earnestly offered to reforme whatsoever could justly be convinced to be amisse in our Church which proffers had they been as thankfully accepted as they were graciously tendered long since it had been done what we now dispute of though it matters not for the spilling of our inke if other mens blood had beene spared And I doubt not when opportunity is offered His Majesty will make good his word whom no Vollyes of discurtesies though discharged never so thicke against him shall drive him from His Princely Promise whilst he lookes not downewards on mens behaviour to him but upwards to his Protestations to God learning from Him whom he represents to be Unchangeable But if which God foresend and yet all earthly things are casuall it should come to passe that in point of Reformation what formerly was proffered by the Sovereigne and refused by the Subject should hereafter be requested by the Subject and denied by the Sovereigne we shall have leisure enough to admire Gods Justice bemoane our owne condition and instruct our Posterity not to outstand good offers least for want of seeing their happinesse they feele their owne misery But to returne to your mentioning of His Majesties return when all is done for ought I can see Reformation must stay till His Majesties returne As for the time and manner thereof when and how it shall be done God in his wisdome and goodnesse so order it that it may be most for his glory the Kings honour the good of the Church and State But this I say againe that till this his returning the generall enjoyning and peaceable practising of any Reformation cannot be performed Q. And then there is hope it may coole in their hands If by their hands you meane his Majesties and what else can your words import it is as disloyall a suspition as his would be an unfitting expression that should say that Reformation would boyle over in the hands of the Parliament But Sir thus farre you have excepted against my Sermon in generall now you are pleased to confute some particulars thereof Sermon Paragraffe 10. Withall we falsly deny that Queene Elizabeth left the dust behind the doore which she cast on the dunghill whence this uncivill expression is raked up The Doctrine by her established and by her Successors maintained in the 39. Articles if declared explained and asserted from false glosses hath all gold no dust or drosse in them Examiner I will not detract from the Religious huswifry of such a Queene of famous memory but we know her Reformation is talk'd of now in a Politicke R Reverence and we are commended backe into her times onely to hinder us from going forward in our owne for I am sure till this Engine was contrived Shee was not such a Saint in the Prelates S Calender Treatise R. If there be any so base that they now make Queene Elizabeths Reformation their protection which formerly they disdained running in raine to that bush for shelter which they meane to burne in faire weather shame light on them for their hypocrisie Let such be stript naked to their utter disgrace who onely weare the Memory of that worthy Queene to cloke and cover them in their necessity whose Reformation was signed with successe from Heaven our Nation in her time being as famous for forreigne Atchievements as now it is infamous for home-bred dissentions Yet God forbid our eyes should be so dazled with the lustre of her days as not to goe forward to amend the faults thereof if any such be justly complained of S. Shee was not such a Saint in the Prelates Calender I never saw the Prelates Calender but in the late reformed Almanacks I find neither Her nor any other for Saints EXAMINER For the Doctrine established from Queen Elizabeths times though it be not the businesse so much of our Reformation as the 39. Articles where it dwels yet this we know either the light of the Doctrine was very dimme or the eyes of our Bishops T and Jesuits for one of them would needs spy Arminianisme and the Jesuit Popery And some will make it a Probleme yet whether their glosse may accuse the Articles or the Article their glosse such Cassanders ●ound so much Latitude in our Doctrine as to attempt a V Reconciliation of their Articles and ours together TREATIS T. I expect and ever may expect that you would have produced some drosse in our Articles instancing in some false place or point contained in them and then I must either have yeelded to you with disgrace or opposed you with disadvantage But instead of this you only tell us how some have seene Arminianisme and Popery in them I answer So the Papists doe read every point of Popery where you will say it was never written in the Scripture Those who bring the jaundies in their eyes doe find yellownesse in every object they behold and nothing can be so cautiously pen'd but ingaged persons will construe it to favour their opinions V. As to attempt a reconciliation of their Articles and ours together Thus many Egyptian Ks. attempted to let the red sea into the Mediterranian A project at first seeming easie to such as measured their neernesse by the eye and at last found impossible by those who surveyed their distance by their judgement seeing art industry can never marry those things whose bands Nature doth forbid And I am confident that with the same succes any shal undertak the Accommodating of English and Romish Articles Nor can the wisest Church in such a Case provide against the boldnesse of mens attempting though they may prevent their endeavours from taking effect For my owne Opinion as on the one side I should be loath that the Bels should be taken downe out of the steeple and new-cast every time that unwise people tune them to their Thinke So on the other side I would not have any just advantage given in our Articles to our Adversaries However what you say confutes not but confirmes my words in my Sermon that the 39. Articles need declaring explaining and asserting from false glosses And seeing it is the peculiar Priviledge of Gods Word to be perfect at once and for ever on Gods blessing let the darke words in our Articles be expounded by cleerer doubtfull expressed in plainer improper exchanged for fitter what is superfluous be removed wanting supplyed too large contracted too short enlarged alwayes provided that this be done by those who have calling knowledge and discretion to doe it SERMON Paragraffe 11. Againe we freely confesse that there may be some faults in our Church in matters of practise and

like his prophesie and our Marian times approach too fast I hope otherwise trusting on a good God and a gracious King But if those times doe come woe be to such as have been the cause or occasion to bring or hasten them One day it will be determined whether the peevish perverse and undiscreet spirit of Sectaries bringing a generall dis-repute on the Protestant hath not concurred to the inviting in of superstition and Popery may come riding in on the back of Anabaptisme If those times doe come I hope that God who in justice layeth on the burthen will in mercy strengthen our shoulders and what our prayers cannot prevent our patience must undergoe Nor is it impossible with God so to enable those whom you tax to have onely a forme of Godlinesse to have such Power thereof as to seale the Protestant Religion with their blood SERMON Paragraffe 13. 14. Such who are to be the true and proper Reformers they must have a lawfull calling thereunto duties which God hath impaled for some particular persons amongst these Actions Reformation of a Church is chiefe Now the supreame Power alone hath a lawfull calling to reforme a Church as it plainely appeares by the Kings of Judah in their Kingdome EXAMINER I had not knowne your meaning by the lawfull calling you name but that you expound it in the lines that follow to be the calling of the supreame Magistrate as if no calling were warrantable at first to X promove a Reformation but that But you must take notice there is an inward and an outward Call The inward Call is a Y speciall excitation from the Spirit of God and such a Call is warrantable by God to be active I am sure it hath beene sufficient alwayes to set holy men on worke Another Call is outward and that is either of Place and Magistracy or publike Relation Now though Magistracy be of publike Relation yet when I speake specifically of publike Relation I meane that in which every man stands bound in to God and his Country now all these Callings are commissions enough either to meddle as Christianly inspired or Christianly ingaged In ordinary transactions I know the ordinary dispensation is to be resorted to but the businesse of Reformation as it is extraordinary so God giveth extraordinary Conjunctures of times and circumstances and extraordinary concurrences and extraordinary incitations In the building of the Temple you shall see in Ezra and Nehemiah such workings of God when the people were gathered together as one man they spake to Ezra the Scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses Here the people put on even Ezra to his duty TREATIS Before I deale with the particulars of this examination I will enlarge not alter what I said in my Sermon of this point promising as much brevity as God shall enable me to temper with Clearnesse and desiring the Readers patience whilst at mine owne perill I deliver my opinion But first here we promise necessary distinction Distinguish we betwixt those Times when the Church liveth under Pagan or persecuting Princes and when God blesseth her with a Christian King defender of the Faith In the former case the Church may and must make an hard shift to reforme her selfe so well as she can for many things will be wanting and more will be but meanly supplyed without any relating to a supreame Power whose leave therein will be dangerous to desire and impossible to obtaine But withall they must provide themselves to suffer offering no violence except it be to drowne a Tyrant in their teares or to burne him with coales of kindnesse heaped on his head In the latter case when the supreame Power is a nursing Father to the Church suckling it not sucking blood from it the Church must have recourse to it before shee may reforme Reforming of a Church must neither stay behind for Nero his leave nor runne before without the consent of Constantine Religion it selfe must not be deckt with those flowers which are violently pluck'd from the Crownes of lawfull Princes Come we now then to shew how in a Christian state all are to contribute their joynt endeavours to promote a Reformation In a Church and such a State I consider three degrees thereof First meere private men without any mixture of a publike Relation Secondly persons placed in a middle posture with the Centurian in publike imployment over some yet under Authority themselves Thirdly the absolute supreame Power who depends of God alone For the first of these meere private men they have nothing to doe in publike reforming but to advance it by their hearty prayers to God and to facilitate the generall Reformation by labouring to amend their owne and their Families lives according to the Word this is all God requireth of them and more I feare then most of them will performe Next succeed those persons in a middle posture and these are either Ministers or Magistrates Ministers even the meanest of them have thus far their part in publike Reforming that they are to lift up their voice like a Trumpet though not like Sheba his Trumpet to sound sedition both to reprove vitiousnesse in Manners and to confute errors in Doctrine And if men of power and imminent place in the Church then as their ingagement is greater so their endeavours must be stronger to presse and perswade a publike Reformation to such whom it doth concerne Magistrates may have more to doe in publike Reforming having a calling from God who therefore hath set them in a middle place betwixt Prince and people to doe good offices under the one over the other betwixt both And having a calling from the King especially if they be his Counsellours whose good they are to advance by all lawfull meanes and rather to displease him with their speech then to dishonour him with their silence and having a calling from their Country whose safety they must be tender and carefull of First therefore they are with all industry both from the Ministers mouth and by their owne inquiry to take true notice of such defects and deformities in the Church or State as are really to be reformed Secondly they are with all sincerity to represent the same to the supreame Power Thirdly with all humility to request the amendment of such Enromities Fourthly with all gravity to improve their request with arguments from Gods glory the Princes honour the peoples profit and the like Lastly with their best judgement to propound and commend the fairest way whereby a Reformation may as speedily as safely be effected And if they meet with difficulties in the supreame Power delaying their request they are not to be disheartned but after their servent prayers to God who alone hath the hearts of Kings in his hands they are constantly to re●ue their request at times more seasonable in places more proper with expressions more patheticall having their words as full of earnestnesse as their deeds farre from violence

By preaching of passive obedience the D●ve hath out-flowne the Eagle Christ's Kingdome hath out-streatched Ca●sars Monarchy Hereby the wisdome of the East was subdued to the folly of Preaching The Sunne of the Gospell arose in the Westerne parts The parched South was watered with the dew of the Word The fro●en North was thawed with the heat of Religion But since the Doctrine of resisting the supreame Power came into fashion the Protestant Religion hath runne up to a high top but spread nothing in breadth few Papists have beene reclaimed and no Pagans have beene converted Alas that so good a Doctrine should be now in so great disgrace yet will we praise such suffering though we suffer for praising it If we cannot keepe this Doctrine alive we will grieve because it is dying being confident that though now it be buried in so deepe dishonour God in due time will give it a glorious resurrection And though I must confesse it is farre easier to praise passive Obedience then to practice it yet to commend a vertue is one degree to the imitation of it and to convince our judgements First of the goodnesse of the deede is by Gods blessing one way to worke our wils to embrace it In a word if this Doctrine of passive Obedience be cryed downe hereafter we may have many bookes of Acts and Monuments but never more any bookes of Martyrs And now these things premised we returne to Master Saltmarsh his examination of my Sermon X As if no calling were warrantable at first to promote a Reformation but the supreame Power I never said or thought so But in what manner and by what meanes inferiours may and must labour to promote it I have at large declared Y The inward call is a speciall excitation from the spirit of God and such a call is warrantable to be active I shall have presently a more proper place to deale with these speciall excitations when I come to answer your extraordinary incitations Z Now all these callings are commission enough to meddle I am not of so froward a spirit as to quarrell at a word Otherwise I could tell you that to meddle generally importeth an over-businesse in some Pragmaticall person tampering with that which is either unlawfull in it selfe or hurtfull to at least improper for the party who medleth with it and in Scripture it is commonly used with a prohibition Meddle not To passe this by the question is not whether Magistrates may meddle as you say in advancing a publique Reformation but how and how farre they may be active therein Therein I report the Reader to what I have largely expressed A In ordinary transactions I know the ordinary dispensation is to be resorted to but the businesse of Reformation as it is extraordinary so God giveth extraordinary conjunctures of Times and circumstances and extraordinary concurrences and extraordinary incitations Now you soare high give us leave to follow you as we can First I confesse that a publique Reformation is an extraordinary worke in this sense as not common or usually done every day as private amendment of particular persons is or ought to be But it is a rare worke which commeth to passe but seldome and the doing of it is out of the road of ordinary mens imployment But I deny a publique Reformation to be extraordinary in this acception as if it were to be ordered or managed by any other rules or presidents then such as are ordinary and usuall in the Bible where many patterns of publique Reformations are presented in which respect the ordinary dispensation is to be resorted to in the performance thereof Whereas you say that in publique Reformations God giveth extraordinary conjunctures of Times and circumstance and extraordinary concurrences It is true in this sense that the great Clock-keeper of Time so orders the coincidence of all things that when his houre is come wherein such a Reformation shall be made every officious circumstance will joyfully contribute his utmost assistance to the advancing thereof Whetefore if men cannot make a Reformation without roving from their calling or breaking Gods Commandement according to which it cannot be done without the consent of the supreame Power Hereby it plainly appeares that the hand of Divine Providence doth not as yet point at that happy minute of Reformation there being as yet times distracted with jarres and disjunctures not onely in circumstances but even in substantiall matters requisite thereunto And therefore seeing Gods good time may not be prevented but must be expected men are still patiently to wait and pray for that conjnncture of Times and concurrency of circumstances whereof you speake But whereas you speake of Extraordinary Incitations paralell to what you said before of speciall excitations and christianly inspired In these your expressions you open a dangerous Pit and neither cover it againe nor raile it about with any cautions so that Passengers may unawares fall into it For everyman who hath done an unwarrantable act which he can neither justifie by the law of God or man will pretend presently that he had an extraordinary Incitation for it a fine tricke to plead Gods leave to breake his law Nor can we disprove the impudence of such people except we may use some touch-stones thereby to try their counterfeit incitations my opinion herein shall be contrived into three Propositions First no such extraordinary incitations are extant now a dayes from God as stirre men up to doe any thing contrary to his Commandements Indeed some such we meet with in the Scripture where the Law-giver dispensing with his owne law incited Abraham to kill his son Sampson to kill himselfe and the Isralites to rob the Egyptians In such cases it was no disobedience to Gods publique command but obedience to his private countermand if the servant varied his practice according to his absolute Masters peculiar direction But such incitations come not now a dayes but from the spirit of delusion Secondly no extraordinary excitations are extant now a dayes from God seizing on men as anciently in Enthusiasmes or any such raptives as make sensible impressions on them For these are within the virge of Miracles which are now ceased and our age produceth things rather monstrous then miraculous Thirdly extraordinary incitations are still bestowed by God in these dayes namely such that he giveth to some of his servants a more then usuall and common proportion of his grace whereby they are enabled for and incited to his service with greater rigour and activity then ordinary Christians My judgement herein shall nto be niggardly to restraine Gods bountifull dealing but I verily beleeve that he who was so exceedingly liberall in former ages is not so close handed in our times but that in this sence he bestoweth extraordinary motions especially on such whom his Providence doth call to eminent Places either in Church or State But such motions quicken them to runne the way of Gods Commandements not to start

by Gods will in his Word the greatest and onely vacuity they are to feare is Gods displeasure whose glory they are to preferre before their owne temporall self-preservation and indeed mans eternall good is wrapped up in his obedience to Gods will Wherefore except you can produce a place in Gods Word wherein private men are commanded to make publike Reformations there is a meer vacuity of all you have alleadged W The very Romans by a morrall principle would contend to be first in the service of their Country It was well done of them Their forwardnesse in serving their Country will one day condemne our frowardnesse in deserving our rending our native soyle asunder with civill dissentions but in such cases as this is which we have now afoot whether private persons may reform without the consent of the supreame Power we are not to be guided by the practice of the Pagan Rom●ns but by the precept of the Christian Romans Let every soule be subject to the higher Powers X And it remaines as a crime upon Record that Gilead abode b●yond Jordan and that Dan remained in ships Thus it was Sicera a Pagan generall under Jabin a Tyrant and Usurper hostilely invaded I●rael Deborah a Prophetesse by Divine inspiration incited Barach to resist him In this case each single man had a double call to assist Barach One from Nature to defend his Country another from Gods immediate vocation Here it was lawfull for all to be active sinfull for any to be idle Jacl the woman was valiant shall men be womanish and cowardly Now prove that private men have the like calling in point of publike Reformation and if they be not active we will not only confesse it their crime but proclaime a curse against them with Meros till this be done this instance befreindeth not your cause EXAMINER And Y though you would put private men upon such duties here as are godly commendable the policy is to keepe them exercised in one good duty that they should not advance another thus you would cunningly make one peece or Divinity to betray another and make the freinds of Reformation doe it a discurtesie in ignorance TREATIS Y I confesse it is an ancient subtilty of Satan to keep men exercised in one good duty that they should not advance another Thus he busieth some men all in praying to neglect preaching all in preaching to neglect Catechizing all in prayers preaching catechizing to neglect practising Jesabels body was all eaten up save onely her head hands and feet But indiscreet zeal so consumes some that they have neither hands nor feet left either to worke or to wa●ke in their Christian calling Yea of all their head nothing remains unto them but onely their ears re●olving all Gods service into hearing alone But this accusation is not onely improperly but falsly here layed to my charge because I forbid meer private men to meddle with publike reforming which belongs not at all unto them That so cutting off the needlesse suckers the tree may be fed the better and that private men leaving off those imployments which pertaine not to them may the more effectually advance their owne amendment a taske which when it is done the severest Divine will give them leave to play And because one dangerous Policy hath been mentioned by you it will not be amisse to couple it with another device of the Divell as seasonable and necessary in these times to be taken notice of Satan puts many meere private men on to be fierce and eager upon publike reforming thereby purposely to decline and avert them from their own selfe-amendment For publike reforming hath some pleasure in it as a Magisteriall act and work of authority consisting most in commanding and ordering of others whereas private amendment is a worke all of paine therein a man as he is himselfe the judge so he is the malefactor and must indite himselfe arraigne himselfe convict himselfe condemne hmselfe and in part execute himselfe crucifying the old man and mortifying his owne corruptions And we can easier afford to put out both the eyes of other men to force them to leave their deare darling sinnes then to pluck out our own right eye in obedience to our Saviours precept and forsake our owne sinnes which doe so easily beset us Besides men may be prompted to publike reforming by covetousnes to gather chips at the felling of the old Church goverment by ambition to see and be seene in office by revenge to wreck their spight on the personall offences of such whom formerly they distasted Self amendment is not so subject to private ends but goeth against the haire yea against the flesh it selfe in making men deny themselves in duty to God Yea at the last day of judgement when God shall arraigne men and say Thou art a drunkard Thou art an adulterer Thou art an oppressor it will be but a poore plea for them to say Yea Lord but I have been a publike Reformer of Church and State This plea I say will then not hold water but prove a broken ●●sterne Nor will God dispence with their want of obedience because they have offered him store of sacrifice Such people therefore are daily to be called upon to amend themselves and their Families which is a race long enough for the best breathed private Christians though they start in their youth and runne till their old age SERMON Paragraffe 26. Lastly with carefulnesse not to give any just offence to the Papists EXAMINER I Z wonder you would here expresse an indulgence which is not allowable and the memory of the Parliament will be honourable for that they knew so much divinity as taught them not to value their offence to proclaim to them both in England and A Ireland an irreconcilable warre This carefulnesse and tendernesse you plead for was the first principle which our Church so farre as to take up their Altars and Ceremonies to avoid offence Saint Paul was of another spirit who forbore not B a Disciple and Apostle When I saw saith he that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospell You much mistake the Divinity of Christ in matter of offence who never forbore to preach or publish any necessary truth Nay when his Disciples were scandalized and said this is an hard saying doth this offend you saith he What and if c. He goeth on C and pursues the offence till they left him and his Doctrine too And for the Papists they are much of the relation and constitution of the Scribes and Pharisees not without as you say nor within yet see if you can find our Saviour or his Apostles letting out themselves into such restrictions and moderation and cautions Those truths which are essentially D universally alwayes and at all times holy ought not to be measured by the unbrage and scandall of the Adversary Indeed in things meerly civill or indifferent our use or liberty may