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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52476	Three choice and profitable sermons upon severall texts of Scripture viz. Jer. 30. 17, John 14. 3, Heb. 8. 5 : the first of them being the last sermon which he preached at the court of election at Boston, the second was the last which he preached on the Lords-Day, the third was the last which he preached on his weekly-lecture-day : wherein (beside many other excellent and seasonable truths) is shewed, the Lords soveraignty over, and care for his church and people, in order to both their militant and triumphant condition, and their fidelity and good affection towards himself / by that reverend servant of Christ, Mr. John Norton ...	Norton, John, 1606-1663.; Norton, John, 1606-1663. Copy of the letter returned by the ministers of New-England to Mr. John Dury about his pacification.	1664 (1664)	Wing N1324; ESTC R40050	44,511	76

belongeth not to them we must do nothing but according to the Patern Instr 3. A Religious Worshipper or a man truly religious doth not rest in this That externals do answer the Prescript Rule of the Word without proceeding to internal Worship You finde that God doth not onely bear testimony against our Worship but also against hypocritical Worship First against our Worship or our Administrations that as you see is Will-worship and it is vain Worship all the Institutions of men are so they are Will-worship i. e. there is sin and defilement in them we must not set our posts by Gods posts But then suppose we are brought to external worship doth God rest here no do you think that God liveth on goat's bloud Psal 50.13 And hence also Amos 5.25 saith the Lord you did not offer unto me your sacrifices during the space of fourty years speaking of the time in the Wilderness It is like there was a cessation in respect of the condition that they were in as who should say then I can be without Sacrifices Ier. 7.22 23. God saith there He did not command Sacrifices or external Worship i. e. Comparatively in respect of Obedience he commanded it not but I Commanded them saying Obey my voice and I will be your God and ye shall be my people So God will say to us He did not Command us to come hither to set up the external Worship of the Gospel i. e. comparatively in stead of Obedience Holiness and Righteousness this is that which Stephen pleads Acts 7.42 43. Oh house of Israel you have not offered to me slain beasts but you had the Tabernacle of Moloch c. but they could not bear with Stephen when he came to this So our Saviour Christ tell 's them They have made my House a den of thieves Those among you that are given to injustice drunkenness or other scandalous wayes this or that I tell you God requires not your Sacrifices but Obey my voyce that I may be your God this is the thing God aime's at As for our external worship it ought indeed to be according to the Rule but this may be and yet as it is in Isai 1.13 14 15. Your Incense is an abomination and your solemn meetings iniquity my soul hates them saith the Lord they are a trouble unto me and when ye make many Prayers I will not hear them your hands are full of blood c. It would be a dreadful thing if God should say to any of us that are full of duties and concerning our Sabbaths Lords Supper our Fasts our Feasts I am weary of your Worship bring no more vain Oblations c. God forbid that we should forget the internal part of worship whilest we are exercised in the external Amos 5.21 I hate and despise your feasts I will not smell in your solemn Assemblies Look not onely to external regularity but look we unto inward piety lest God hate and despise our Worship Joshua saith God Why lyest thou upon the ground Chap. 7.10 11. Israel hath sinned and transgressed my Covenant c. we have been much in fastings and in external duties many years but what reformation is there are we brought sny more unto the Rule in Church and State I beseech you know that God aimes at Obedience as the internal substantial part of his Worship Instr 4. That the external Order of the Gospel Church-order is no other then the external Throne of Christ Jesus Worship that is mixt partly Divine and partly Humane this is so much defilement in Gods Worship but when it is according to the Rule that is Christs Throne Satan hath his throne that is where Antichrist reignes and Christ hath his Throne that is where his Institutions are in force there Christ sits as Lord. If the Polity be according to the Gospel Jesus Christ is there acknowledged Lord and there is never a Member but is a Subject there must be an Order and according to that Order there must be subjection do you think it an easy thing to be subject to Order Remember it was matter of tryal to those that came out of Egypt and through the Sea as we have done yet there were men of renown that could not bear Church-Order Let me tell you it is a greater matter to be subject to Order then to come over the Seas or to endure the troubles of a Wilderness many will bear a Prison before they will endure the Government of Christ and Gospel-order in his Church Vse 2. Of Exhortation to us all in our Churches especially to sanctifie God according to this truth viz. That our polity may be a Gospel-polity and may be compleat according to the Scriptures answering fully the Word of God this is the work of our generation and the very work we engaged for into this Wilderness this is the scope and end of it that which is written upon the forehead of New-England viz. The compleat walking in the Faith of the Gospel according to the Order of the Gospel 1. And for your direction first remember that we have the patern in the mount I mean we have the Scripture as a Rule and you have the Platform of Church-Discipline given to you in way of Council as the Confession of our Faith to this way of Church-government you know in what manner it was that which for the substance of it ownes the cause Congregational if any are departed from it let them look to it I know none of the Elders that have receded from it It was given many years ago as the Confession of our Faith to this Country and to the World it is distinct from the Episcopacy and from the Presbyterian way from the Morellian way from that of Separatism and it is for the substance of it precisely the way Congregational And as David said to Solomon 1 Chron. 28.10 11. I give unto thee the patern of the House of God c. what God will do with us he knows best David lived not to build the Temple himself but he left the patern thereof to his Son Solomon And so we have the patern only this is complained of that it is not practised though we have had it many years ago now practice is the end of Doctrine 2. Consider that we are all concerned in this service I mean in setting up the Throne of Christ Moses is concerned and it is his commendation that he was a man of God who erected the Tabernacle and set up the Worship of God according to the Patern in the Mount and so David and Solomon c. Thou Solomon my Son if thou doest hold here the Lord will be with thee and let the Churches look to it we are all concerned herein our Fidelity in this cause is our Crown see that it be not taken from us 3. It is a matter of very good Policy times of trouble danger may approach and we read in Ezr. 3.3 that they set the Altar upon its Bases for

Three Choice and Profitable SERMONS Upon Severall TEXTS of SCRIPTURE VIZ. JER 30.17 JOHN 14.3 HEB. 8.5 By that Reverend Servant of Christ M R. JOHN NORTON Late Teacher of the Church of Christ at Boston in N.E. The First of them being the LAST SERMON which he Preached at the Court of Election at Boston The Second was the LAST which he Preached on the Lords-Day The Third was the LAST which he Preached on his Weekly-Lecture-Day WHEREIN Beside many other excellent and seasonable Truths is shewed the Lords Soveraignty over and Care for his Church and People in order to both their Militant and Triumphant condition and their Fidelity and good affection towards himself 2 Sam. 23.1 Now these be the LAST words of David David the son of Jesse said and the man who was raised up on high the Anointed of the God of Jacob and the sweet Psalmist of Israel Deut. 31.29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt your selves and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you and evil will befall you in the latter days c. Ezra 3 3. And they set the Altar upon his Bases for fear was upon them because of the people of those Countries Zech. 1.5 6. Your fathers where are they and the Prophets do they live for ever but my words and my statutes which I commanded my servants the Prophets did they not take hold of your fathers and they returned and said Like as the Lord of Hosts thought to do unto us according to our wayes and according to our doings so hath he dealt with us CAMBRIDGE Printed by S.G. and M.I. for Hezekiah Vsher of Boston 1664. JOHANNES NORTONUS ANAGR NONNE IS HONORATVS NOnne is Honoratus Deus ipse coronat honore Servum cum periit non pereunte suum Abstulit Enôchum translatio mira sed ejus In Coelis decorat pulchra Corona Caput Qui nobis subito raptus miser esse videtur Forsitan Ignaris vivit at usque Deo Vivit in Coelis cumulatus honoribus amplis Regnat in aeternum sic ait ipse Deus Mors inopina potest Jobi cito perdere Natos Sors quibus in superis inviolata datur Multa priùs passi Moses Aaronque fuere Tempus ante suum jussus uterque mori Quid si non licuit Canaanem visere Tanto Celsior in Coelis cessit utrique locus Curribus ignitis Elias raptus at illis Ad summi vehitur culmina summa poli Esto Sit in Bello Josias victus ictus Mortuus in pace est non pereunte tamen Funera non unquam Mage lamentanda Sioni Josiae nunquàm Gloria major erat Quem deflent homines Deus optimus auget honore His dolor ast illi Gloria summa fuit Si Caput amisit gladio resecante Iohannes Ejus honor Christo judice quantus erat Sit Stephanus lapidum licet obrutus ictibus Illum Christus in amplexut traxerat inde suos Christus ipse fuit quàm dirâ morte peremptus At sequitur tantam Gloria quanta Crucem Sic Deus ut Christum sic Christus honore Coronat Eximio quibus est Gloria chara Dei. Qualis erat noster syncero corde Iohannes Cui nisi quae Christi chara fuere nihil Hoc scio nemo negat nisi veri Testis aequi Non velit esse Bonos Consule sive malos Pro Samuele olim contestabantur omneis Hunc qui pro meritis vix coluere suis Vel siquis forsan magis invidet Ejus honori Hinc cumulus crescet major honoris ei Anagr. 2. JESV ANNON THRONOS JOHANNES NORTONIUS Anagr. 3. ANNON JESV HONOR SIT ANnon dandus honor sit ab omnibus omnis Jesu Est quibus in Jesu sanguine parta salus ENGLISH OH Iesu hast not thou prepared Thrones For us thy poor and ill deserving ones How should we then to Thee all Honour give And to thy Name who in the Heav'ns dost live And there preparest Mansions for thine Where they may all in endless Glory shine To the same purpose JOHN NORTON Anagr. INTO HONNOR FRom Honour into Honour go the Lord thus calling thee To higher Honour then there could on Earth obtained bee Heav'n is the Seat of Honour for those whom he Crowns with Grace For the most honourable Crowns Heav'n is the onely place By men that are most ignorant of Gods revealed Will Thou may'st be miserable thought for so they construe still Like bruitish ones the minde of God if Saints die in a swoon As if their Sun all bright before Were now gone down at Noon As if their case were now by farre the more to be deplor'd As that which doth but little hope or none of Bliss afford Yea holy Job his Friends to this did too-too much incline That sudden Changes such us his do argue Wrath divine But when the Saints do perish thus as foolish men conceive That is the time and means whereby more Honour they receive As being Crown'd with Royal Crowns which are at Gods right hand Like Joseph from his Dungeon rais'd by the Kings Command 'T was a translation marvellous which did Enoch remove From out this sinful world to be crown'd in the Heav'ns above Where now he lives reigns with heaps of highest honour fill'd All his Predictions to be from time to time fulfill'd An unegnected death did saize on Jobs posteritie But in the Heiv'ns a glorious Lot for them prepar'd did lie Moses and Aaron when as they had suffer'd much were bid As 't were before their time to die as in their Mounts they did What if the Land of Canaan they might not visit yet A place more glorious in the Heav'ns they both of them did get In flaming-fiery-Charet wrapt from earth Elijah was And by the same convey'd he was unto his bliss-ful place Be it that good Josiah were cut off with suddain stroke He dy'd in peace and unto rest eternal was he toke No funeral to Sion was as his so lamentable Yet was his death as well as life to him most honourable Theirs was the griefe the joy was his God highly honourd him Although his death to carnal eyes might miserable seem The cursed executioner cut off John Baptist's head But how did Jesus honour him both when alive and dead The Crowned Martyr holy Stephen in cruel wise was ston'd But by his blessed Saviour's most sweet imbraces own'd Yea Christ himself Gods own dear Son whose death more woeful was Yet from his cross how soon advanc'd to that most glorious place So God his Christ with honour crown'd So Christ doth honour his To whom Gods Honour and his Christ's most dear and precious is And such an one our Norton was whose death we so lament Whose whole desire was upon Christ and on his glory bent None can deny it good nor bad like as to Samuel They all were forced to confess he had done all things well If any one should have an heart with envy fill'd so

religious then so to carry it that they should no sooner see a Congregational-man then to have cause to say They see an Enemy to the Crown Prov. 24.21 My son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change Eccles 10.20 Curse not the King no not in thy thought Dan. 6.22 Innocency was found in me saith Daniel and also before thee O King have I done no hurt Is this thy voice my son David 1 Sam. 26.17 really so not hypocritically We have severe Observers Tongues are not untaught to inform against us It is but wisdome to give no cause especially such as our own Consciences cannot testifie for and such as all Orthodox Churches in the Protestant world will testifie against In matters of the State-Civil and of the Church let it be shewn that we are his Disciples who Matth. 22.21 said Give unto Cesar the things that are Cesars and unto God the things that are Gods and in matters of Religion let it be known that we are for Reformation and not for Separation 6. Lastly Take care thar the Order of the Gospel may have a free passage in the Churches I mean that our Practice may effectually answer our Doctrine in that Book entituled The Platform of Church-Discipline 'T is that for which we are Out-casts at this day that for the substance of it is it that sheweth what New-England is I would I might say that there are none among our selves that are against it There was a time when the General Court did approve of it and when the Members of that Synod pleaded for it Our reality herein will be in no small degree critical of our Integrity in this Undertaking and our Actions must be the demonstrations of our Sincerity This is a principal Ingredient of this healing Plaister and for the defect-hereof are such frequent and scandalous Breaches in our Churches so many Administrations in vain and such sad Non-administration and Remora's occasioning that sad Quaerie of Spectators Whether the Congregational-way be practicable yea or not I beseech you consider whom it is that it doth concern to answer this Objection you that are conscientious do not forget it at whom the stick lyes in one order or another If we cannot build without the noise of Hammers yield that we are not Temple-workmen yield we must either that the Congregational-way is not the way of God or that We are unfit for the behaviour of the House of God As concerning the Church-government according to the Platform of Discipline the practice of which doctrine who careth for is not this that truth which the Synod Churches the General Court sometime made a good Confession of and that now no man comparatively careth for Ezra 4.8 Rehum cares not for it ver 23. Artaxerxes careth not for it Nehem. 4. Sanballat and Tobiah care not for it the Episcopal man the Presbyterian care not for it the Morellian careth not for it the Merchant the Souldier the Husbandman the Labourer careth not for it Haggai 1. The people of Jerusalem the Church-members care not for it I am apt sometimes to think that Aaron may be under a temptation of irregular complyance but minde Ier. 15.19 Let them return unto thee but return not thou unto them I may say thus much and pardon my speech A more yeilding Ministry unto the People I believe is not in the World I beseech you let not Cesar be killed in the Senate after he hath fought it out and conquered in the Field let us acknowledge the Order of the Eldership in our Churches in their way and the Order of Councils in their way duely back'd and encouraged without which Experience will witness that these Churches cannot long consist God hath opened the mouth of the Speaker to you this day it being a day wherein after so many attempts and feares you are betrusted with your Liberties for another year You have this years oportunity and at such a time and blessed be the Lord God of our Fathers who hath put such a thing in the Kings heart so farre to accept your Application to his Majesty as not onely to give you the oportunity of the year present but also encouragement for many years to come Let all of us be stirred up by the Lord and at such a time to strengthen the hand of Zerubbabel and Jehoshua by your professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ Do not betray liberty under the pretence of liberty You that are in the honoured Magistracy remember Davids troubles Psal 132.1 5. he could not rest till the Ark had rest And those that are in the Ministry remember Paul's troubles and what his cares were 1 Cor. 11.28 Let us all minde what were the troubles and thoughts of heart that were in them that lived in the dayes of Malachi Chap 3.16 But are there not many that minde onely their cieled houses c and how much doth the work of the Out-cast lye unattempted witness the sick estate of the Churches and how can it be remedied if we will not acknowledge Order and shall I say that we are real therein You have brought upon your selves real troubles and likewise upon your Relations and Friends in England and those here that suffer with you in this Exile See then that you be not hypocritical but real to the Truth which you have professed I could tell you and you must not forget it That there have been Men of Renown as they are called Numb 16.2 Famous in the Congregation of Israel that did go out of Egypt but yet could not endure the Order of God in the Wilderness Let us shew it that we mistook not our selves pretending to come into this Wilderness to live under the Order of the Gospel We are Out-casts indeed and reproached but let us be such Out-casts as are caring for the Truth and therefore not to neglect an Apologie it doth become and greatly concern Gods Out-casts to minde it You know there are those who represent you as disaffected to Government and as Sectaries and Schismaticks and as Fanaticks you see cause to Apologize therein And for that term of Fanatick you must remember it is not of yesterday however it be now used or abused You may learn the original use of it from that distribution of Professors in relation to Church government in former times into four sorts viz. Orthodoxt Pontificii Rationales and Fanatici But I trust that God doth and Angels and Men shall know that we are Orthodox Gods Out-casts are not Fanaticks The Woman in the wilderness may have the vomit of the Dragon cast in her face if you let it lye on you will suffer wash it off therefore by an Apologie Thus did Justin Martyr Tertullian Iuel and others in their time Give not the advantage of interpreting Silence as Consent nor think it labour lost if an Apologie will wash your face And though we may be cast out by men yet may we hope that God will

to be fetched from Divine Writ and not to be framed after our own pleasure The Rules of Sacred Society are certain beyond which or short of which it is not in our power to extend or withhold the Right-hand of Brother-hood Whoever having attained these shall acknowledg them and having acknowledged them shall walk according unto them so holding Communion with sinners as he doth not in the least communicate with their sins so as he is wanting neither to the Truth nor himself nor his Brethren him we deservedly esteem both as a Guide and Pillar of the Church will we or nill we we are Brethren and seeing we are Brethren let us acknowledge our selves what we are namely Brethren in the Lord. A day would scarce suffice to rehearse how many and how great incitements do call for and require this To account the weak in Faith for none is indeed it self a greater weakness The name of Brethren is sweet it is matter of great delight to be such indeed But it is much to be lamented that those who are so should not be acknowledged to be so So to stand for Truth that by too tenacious insisting upon Doctrine we make no reckoning of the Rights of Society is to be carried with the study of Parties not of the Truth and to undertake the Patronage of an Opinion rather because it is our own then because it is true Sounder Philosophy determines that the excellency of Union is to be esteemed according to the dignity of the Cause We here pass over in silence the conspiring together of the waters and dry land to make one Globe as also that of the frame of the Heavenly and the Earthly Globe to make one Sphere of the World There may be found an heap of Miracles in the quiet gathering the living creatures into the Ark and their abiding in it where the most savage of them laid aside their savageness being ready to acknowledge Noah for their Lord not much otherwise then Adam in giving Names unto them where might be seen the Wolfe standing amongst the Sheep neither do the Flocks seem affraid of the great Lyons These are indeed very great things but yet if they be compared with the Myst cal Union shining forth in one of the very least of Christs Members there would want words to express how great the distance is To proceed therefore if the Union of a very few Believers be of so great moment of how great account should be the Uniting of all Protestants in the Faith But let us here pause a while and not think much to weigh this matter a little more seriously and we shall finde unless we are much deceived this very Union about which we are treating if it be without hypocrifie and deceit but as the very off-spring and image of the Hypostatical Union and onely next unto it on Earth as to the kinde and like unto which there will not be found any in Heaven no not when Angelical Nature remained in its perfection We do believe indeed and not out of a vain conceit That this Agreement is a bright Looking-glass made of the Blood of the Lamb wherein Jesus himself the Prince of so great a Peace clearly shines forth in passing through which also he doth irradiate the World with its brightness while it stedfastly beholds this clear Looking-glass and by irradiating ingenerates Faith therein In which respect we need not fear to affirm That the perpetual conjunction of all Mankinde established by the Bond of the first Covenant would be by infinite degrees exceeded by it That they all may be one as thou Father in me and I in thee that the world may know that thou hast sent me Joh. 17.21 If the possibility of such a Peace should appear we could not do much in the pursuing the necessity thereof Notwithstanding if we may have leave that this Necessity may be fastned in our mindes as they say with the strongest Nayle before we leave this Exhortatory part of our Discourse we think meet for a Conclusion to adorn and strengthen it with the Sayings of some Famous men tending much unto Peace At Marpurg Luther long since professed That he would not yield this Praise to the Adverse Party that they should be more studious of Concord and Peace then himself From whence arose that famous Concord of Marpurg We finde also Calvin thus expressing himself that he might compose mindes and allay so great Commotions at a time when Contention was grown much too hot But I desire you to consider first How great a man Luther is and in what great Gifts he doth excell and with how great Courage and Constancy of Minde with how great Dexterity with how great Efficacy of Learning he hath hitherto endeavoured to put to stight the Kingdome of Antichrist and propagate the Doctrine of Salvation I have been often wont to say That if he should call me Devil a thousand times that I would yet give him that honour as to acknowledge him the eminent Servant of God But our Davenant most severest of all If the Schismes of Churches might be taken away as without doubt they may I would rather have a Mill-stone hanged about my neck and be cast into the Sea then either hinder a Work so acceptable unto God and so necessary to avoid Scandals or not promote it with my whole heart and all my utmost Endeavours Epiphanius would not that Christians should have any By-name Let the Nick-name of Zuinglians and Calvinists then cease the Marks rather of Faction then of Brotherly Vnion What should we have to do with Luther What should we have to do with Calvin We Profess the Gospel we Believe the Gospel Bellarmine somewhere hath a Catalogue of a great many Kingdomes that fell off from the Papacy whose defection from the Mystery of Iniquity if it hath troubled the Cardinals of Rome how much more would their Uniting together in the Mystery of Piety be a terrour to the Roman Party When the truly holy League shall wholly stand for the Lamb when Humane Endeavours and Dissensions being laid aside they shall onely intend that one thing to afford their mutual help for the promoting of Religion when they shall unanimously carry on the war of the Lord against the Whore as if they were indued with the very Spirit of the Revelation when they shall be called neither English nor Dutch nor Swedes nor Danes but onely Christians If Poets Writings any truth contain Ages fierce Wars shall never more maintain But it is not in our power most excellent Dury to adde our counsel either to the beginning or the preserving this Agreement You are not ignorant that we are Exiles Britains altogether divided from the rest of Europe wherefore we are less fit to perform this Task Neither are we so unsensible of our own weakness as not readily to confess our inability for so great a Service nor is there need seeing we must thankfully acknowledge and own that this office hath