Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A35903
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A dialogue between Timothy and Titus about the articles and some of the canons of the Church of England wherein super-conformity is censured and moderation recommended : with a serious perswasive to all the inferiour clergy of that Church / by one that heartily wisheth union amongst Protestants.
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One that heartily wisheth union amongst Protestants.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing D1336; ESTC R734
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65,452
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44
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for himself yea even the wicked for the Prov. 16.4 day of wrath Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one Rom. 9.21 vessel unto honour another unto dishonour was ever any thing more fully and plainly said in holy writ than this part of our Article Tim. I think not or can be Tit. These portions of Scripture to which more might be added were it needfull doe not barely assert a Predestination of some and not of others but assign also all the causes of such Predestination as 1. The Cause efficient to be the everlasting purpose of God. 2. The Cause formal Gods infinite goodness mercy and free grace 3. The Cause material the blood of Christ 4. The Cause final or end why both God the Father hath loved and Christ for his Elect hath suffered is the glory of God and the salvation of men so that I cannot see how any man who is at enmity with this Article can hold any good friendship with these Texts of Scripture or with those that arise to prove the next point which is this 6. They who are Elected unto salvation if they come unto years of discretion are called both outwardly by the word and inwardly by the spirit of God. These things are most evident and clear in the Scriptures where is set down both the calling of the Predestinate their obedience to the word being called their adoption by the Spirit to be the chidren of God and their holiness of life and conversation whom he did Predestinate them he also Rom. 8.30 Gal. 1.15 1 Thess 2.12 2 Tim. 1. 9. Eph. 1. 13. called God separated me from my mothers womb Called me by his grace Walk worthy of God who hath Called you to his Kingdom and glory He hath saved us and called us with an holy calling according to his own purpose and grace c. In whom also ye trusted after ye heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation Ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father the same spirit bearing witness Rom. 8.15 16. with your spirits that we are the children of God. And for their being chosen and called to holiness of life and good works the Apostle plainly enough asserts saying we are his Eph. 2. 10. workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath ordained that we should walk in them And the Grace of God hath appeared c. teaching us that denying Tit. 2. 11. 12. ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and Godly in this present world yea saith the next Proposition 7. The Predestinate are both justified by faith sanctified by the Spirit and shall be glorified in the life to come All these blessed effects of Predestination doth the Scripture fully assert for know saith the Apostle a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ Moreover whom he predestinated c. them he also glorified If children then heirs heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ And as we Gal. 2. 16. have born the image of the earthly so shall we bear the image of the heavenly Now are not all these consequents of Predestination viz. Justification Sanctification and Glorification Rom. 8. 30. v. 17. 1 Cor. 15. 49. fully enough expressed in these Texts Tim. Very fully in my opinion Tit. Therefore very well doth our Church say in the next part of this Article That 8. The consideration of Prodestination is to the godly most comfortable but to curious and carnal persons very dangerous To the former the Meditation of it must needs be exceeding sweet pleasant and comfortable because it greatly confirms their faith in Christ and encreases their love towards God. I account the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us If God be for us who Rom. 8. 18. v. 31 32 33 34. can be against us He that spared not his own Son how shall he not with him freely give us all things Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth ye are sealed with the holy spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory And again grieve not the holy Spirit whereby ye are sealed unto the Eph. 1. 13 14. day of Redemption Here is a deep and large Well of Consolation to the godly yet not affording the lest drop to carnal and wicked men Eph. 4. 30. Tim. But doth not this Doctrine lead towards Desperation Tit. by no means for no man either from the word of God or this Article of ouâ— Church can gather that he is a vessel of wrath fitted for destruction but contrariwise by many and great arguments may perswade himself that God wills not his destruction as by the next proposition plainly appears viz. 9. That the general promises of God set forth in holy Scripture are to be embraced of us such are Come unto me all ye that travel and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Math. 11. 38. 39. Joh. 3. 16. 17. 1 Tim. 2. 4. God gave his onely beloved Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish c. Who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth These and many more such general Promiseâ— of grace and favour to mankind are heartily to be embraced of us as encouragements to faith repentance and an holy life So that whoever embraceth these promises and as our Church in the close of this Article saith 10. Will in his actions be directed by the revealed will of God hath no ground to despaire or to exclude himself out of the number of Gods Predestinate or chosen ones Thus you see the drift of this Article comprehending most fully and clearly that great doctrine of Predestination with all its coherent doctrines which is so much cryed down in our day and which is the wonder and shame of all by some sons of our Church who have subscribed it Tim. I must confess I have been one of those led by the example of the greater ones rather than by the depth of my own knowledge But surely these men have something to say for themselves is not our Church single in this point Tit. Admit she were yet there are two weighty reasons why they should not desert or oppose her in this First Because she hath the Scripture on her side And Secondly Because they have listed themselves her faithfull votaries by subscription Tim. That is true these are plaguy strong tyes Tit. But withall I say she is not single in this point for the Churches in Helvetia Basil and France believe and hold the same as their publick confessions bear witness yea all the reformed Church Tim. Who then are the enemies
Tit. Then I perceive you are sound as to this Article Read the last ARTICLE 39. Tim. As we confess vain and rash Swearing is forbidden Christian men by our Lord Jesus Christ and James his Apostle So we judg that Christian Religion doth not prohibit but that a man may Swear when the Magistrate requireth in a Cause of Faith and Charity so it be done according to the Prophets Teaching in Justice Judgment and Truth Tit. The summe of this last Article is this That vain and rash Oaths are unchristian and forbidden by the Gospel And that a lawful Oath by the same word may be given and taken in Justice Judgment and Truth Or when we are lawfully called to it by a lawful Magistrate Now touching the former some are too forward and as to the latter some too backward And all that I shall say here having spoken somewhat to you of this nature already is this I heartily wish that as some Dissenters from our Church may justly be charged for Swearing too little so that they could not as justly charge many of our Church with Swearing too much Tim. I wish so too the Lord grant it Tit. Sure I am that because of Oaths such as this Article forbids c. our Land mourns I pray God therefore that all Christians Ministers especially may learn of the Prophet David to set a watch upon the door of their Lips that they may not in this kind above all at any time offend with their Tongues Tim. Amen Tit. Now you have heard this short account of the Articles of our Church which you have subscribed give me your serious thoughts of them Tim. In brief and sincerely as I subscribed them I am convinced they are sound and good That those Ministers who deviate from them in Doctrine or Practice as I and many more have done God forgive both me and them are greatly to blame and justly deserve to be censur'd for it by the Governours of our Church And that such as hold them firm and inviolable Preaching and Living according to them are not only in regard of their subscription the most Conscientious Person but must needs be also the Truest Friends to our Church and strongest Foes to Rome and all other our Churches Enemies Tit. God be thanked for this Conviction and while you are in this good mind with my Prayers to God that you may continue so I bid you Farewel A Friendly and Cordial Exercitation to my Brethren in the Ministry Whose Lives are unbecoming their Function Reverend Brethren I Call God and his Holy Angels to Witness I have had many sad and serious thoughts for the Miseryand Destractions of our Church And can truly say the former discourse is the effect and result of such thinking and how would my heart rejoyce and my sadness be turned into singing might I conduce any thing by what I Preach or Write to her Settlement and Union But who can hope this till all her Sons shall speak and do the same things Preaching according to her Articles and acting and living answerable to her Prescriptions which are Sober Righteous and Godly Nothing gives a greater blow and bane to Religion than the discords and loose lives of her Professors and much more of her Ministers If Pride and Covetousness if Envy and Malice if Slander and Censoriousness if Division and Uncharitableness if Debauchery and Loosness look ill and are of ill Consequence in other men much more in Ministers We are not called the Salt of the Earth to corrupt others Lights to walk in Darkness Stewards to be Unfaithful and Angels to live like Devils We cannot Sin at so easy a rate as other men for as our evil examples do more hurt than others so our doom will be more dreadful when we come to give up our account to our Lord Jesus the Bishop of our Souls and of the Souls committed to our trust whom he hath redeemed by his Precious Bloud It is noted among King Alphonsus sayings that a great man cannot commit a small Sin. I may say much more that a learned man and a Teacher of others cannot commit a small Sin or at least that Sin is great in him which is smaller in another For we Sin against more knowledg and against more light and means of knowledg there must needs therefore be more wilfulness in our Sins If we Sin 't is because we will Sin. Yea our Sins must needs have more Hypocrisy in them than other men's by how much the more we have spoke against them O what an hainous thing is it in us to study how to disgrace Sin to the utmost by setting forth the Author Nature and danger of Sin thereby to make it as frightful and odious â—o our People as we can and when we have done to live in it and secretly cherish that which we openly disgrace To cry it down in others and keep it up in our selves in our own Hearts and Lives To call it publickly all to naught beastly Drunkenness hellish Swearing damned Covetousness Body and Soul destroying Whoredom c. and yet make it our Bedfellow and Companion what vile Hypocrisy is this is not this to bind heavy Burthâ—ns for others and not to touch them our selves with a finger what can you say to this in the day of Judgment Did you think still of Sin as you spake or did you not If you did not why did you dissemble if you did why would you keep and commit it if Sin be evil why do you live in it if it be not why do you disswade men from it if it be really dangerous how dare you venture on it if it be not why do you tell men so if God 's threatnings be true why do ye not fear them if they be false why do you trouble Men needlesly with them and put them into such frights without cause Do you know the Judgment of God that they that commit such things are worthy of Death and will you do them O my Brethren yet let not any of us who bear the Name of Christs Ambassadors bear the Badge of a miserable dissembling Pharisee They say but do not Our Sins have more perfidiousness in them than other Mens We have more engaged our selves against Sin. Besides all our common Engagements as Christians we have many more as Ministers How oft and how earnestly for God's sake Religions sake and their own Souls sake have we called others from it how oft have we declared the Terrors of the Lord against it All these did imply that we renounced it our selves Every Sermon that we preach against it every private Exhortation and Admonition every Confession of it in the Congregation is a renewed engagement upon us to forsake it Every Child that we Baptize and receive into Covenant with Christ every Administration of the Holy Supper of our Lord wherein we call upon Men to repent and forsake Sin to renew their Covenant with God and lead a new Life according to his