Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A42476
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Charis kai eirēnē, or, Some considerations upon the Act of uniformity with an expedient for the satisfaction of the clergy within the province of Canterbury / by a servant of the God of peace.
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Gauden, John, 1605-1662.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing G347; ESTC R26763
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28,892
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52
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〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OR SOME CONSIDERATIONS UPON THE Act of Uniformity WITH AN Expedient for the Satisfaction of the CLERGY within the Province of CANTERBURY By a Servant of the God of Peace London Printed for Edward Thomas and Henry Marsh 1662. Some Serious CONSIDERATIONS UPON THE Act of VNIFORMITIE WITH AN Expedient for the Satisfaction of the CLERGY within the Province of CANTERBURY K. CHARLES I. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 161. Neither do I desire any man should be further subject to me then all of us may be subject to God SECT I. ALthough fraile nature below Heavenly grace above and the common float of all things round about me the lively Emblems of Mortality summoned me to dye dayly the misery of late time giving leisure enough their injustice allowing occasion more then enough to those Contemplations of Mortality which are never unseasonable because this is alwaies uncertain Death being an Eclipse which often happeneth as well in a clear as in a cloudy day Although the common burden of Mortality that lyeth upon me as a man the clear apprehensions of another world that I am indued with as a Christian and the serious observation of the successive Revolutions of nature that I am capable of as an inhabitant of the world have put me most of the dayes of my appointed time to wait when my change should come when I should say I shall not see the Lord even the Lord in the land of the living I shall behold man no more with the Inhabitants of the world the keepers of the house trembling the strong men bowing themselves the grinders ceasing because they are few and those that look out at the Windows being darkened this dust of mine expected that it should return to the dust from whence it came and this spirit of mine should return to God that gave it I was willing that God should hide me in the Grave and that he should keep me secret untill his wrath and our calamity was overpast Although I was thus willing to retire to another world while that darknesse covered the face of this Yet when by a wonderfull Revolution of Providence managed by nothing lesse then an Omnipotence that perplexed Chaos of affairs and confused heap was admirably disposed to a sweet order and beauty and a new frame of another world viz. a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousnesse I was in a strait betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better neverthelesse to abide in the flesh I thought might be more needfull for the Church whose sad breaches I hoped should now be carefully repaired whose sacred order peace honour unity and happinesse I hoped should now be recovered to a glory becoming so antient so holy so true so venerable so divine a Religion as ours in its nature author end center and circumference so one so deserving to be most united and uniform in the Catholick truth which is according to holinesse justice order and charity after the Primitive pattern and constant practice of all true Churches Preachers and Professors founded upon Verity fortified with Charity edified in Unity Reverend for Antiquity permanent in their Constancy according to the particular Constitutions of every Church which still kept the great and Catholick Communion as to the main every Christian Catechumene Penitent Communicant Deacon and Presbyter keeping the peculiar place wherein God Nature and the Church hath set them every Member keeping to its Congregation every Congregation to their lawfull Minister set over them to watch over their Souls every Minister to his own Bishop obeying them that have the rule over them and submitting themselves every Bishop to his Metropolitan upon whom is the care of all the Churches and the Metropolitan to his Soveraign as Supreme and he to God over all blessed for ever The Faith delivered to the Saints I thought might have been solemnly established the worship in spirit and truth decent and in order legally settled the Primitive Discipline orderly restored and our antient Church recovered to that beauty order glory and majesty for which it was spoken of throughout the Reformed world that rejoyced to behold our Faith and Order and therefore I was contented if it stood with the good pleasure and will of God to be absent a while from that Church which Christ presented to himself that glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing that it should be holy and without blemish that City of the living God that Heavenly Jerusalem from an innumerable company of Angels from the generall Assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven and from God the Judge of all and from the spirits of just men made perfect which I well hoped to enjoy that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Heaven upon Earth the Church in rest and peace round about with the beauty of holinesse without as well as all-glorious within in its Doctrine Apostolical in its Government Primitive in its Order Venerable in its Members Holy and Devout in its Worship Heavenly in its Laws Exact and Prudent which preserved every Christian every Family every City every Country every Province not only in a Church way Communion and Correspondence as to their particular bounds and nearer Relations in every Parish Congregation City or Country but as to that generall bond of charity that Catholick unity of an universal spirit in a bond of peace which binds all Christians in one fellowship of one body whose head is Christ to whom every true believer and visible professor in the whole Latitude of the Church being by the word of God and spirit of Christ fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part doth both edifie and increase it self and others in truth and love 1. Instead of the immediate presence of God whom blessed are the eyes who see which I hope to enjoy with these eyes face to face One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple for I have loved the habitation of his house and the place where his honour dwelleth ever since I have gone with the multitude ever since I have gone with them into the house of God with the voyce of joy and praise with a multitude that kept Holy day How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord God of Hosts my soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God blessed are they that dwell in thine house for they will be still praising thee 2. Instead of that perfection of Soul Nature Faculty Gifts and Graces which I hope for I am contented to stay here a while growing in grace and in the knowledge of God perfecting
God is 1. To do such things constantly cheerfully and without sinful impediment which are most proper and advantageous to the excellent nature of man towards God in devout piety 2. To do those things charitably orderly and gravely and soberly which are duties of obedience publick or private which God hath commanded every one not onely in general but in particular places and callings as God hath set them in as free from that malice uncharitableness those envys discontents and worldly disorders in any kind as they may have dominion over meer natural and sinful man To be free out of a principle of love to obey God and Man for the Lords sake in order to Gods glory the pâ—ace good example and benefit of others in any humane or Christian society Prop. 9. We are agreed That there is a Liberty of wisdom piety and charity which ought to be exercised by Governors in Church and State according to their consciences making such Laws and Restraints as they in conscience think fit for the publick welfare although those Laws and Restraints are against the private opinions and liberties of singular men Publick men thoughts and conscience and not private are to be the rule of publick Lawes and good it were as unreasonable as it is impossible for Magistrates to frame Lawes according to their Subjects consciences and not their own and so when they do not regard the Pleas of private Liberty to overthrow publick order they are not to be spoken against as persecuting men when they onely keep them from those exorbitances that may undo them or as oppressing other mens consciences when they are onely discharging their own duty and consciences which they bear to Gods glory and the publick good for which they must be accountable to God According to the Magistrates conscience Christians truly blessed with tender consciences and meekness of wisdom are most willing to be kept within christian bounds and most unwilling to take any liberty either in opinion or manners beyond what in the truth of the word or in charity unto the publick peace is permitted and most thankful for all just restraints Prop 10. We are agreed That it is net enough for us to please our selves Rom. 15. 1. and satisfie our own consciences that we do but what we lawfully may but we ought also to bear one anothers burthen and do for o hers sake what we may otherwise and are willing to leave undone and so fulfill the Law of Christ and by love serving one another Omnia libera per fidem omnia serva per charitatem In indifferent things and that there are some things indifferent we all agree we should know and be fully perswaded that all things are lawful and to purpose and fully resolve for charity and peace to use or forbear the use of those things as we finde them expedient or inexpedient He that will have his own way in every thing whatsoever though others will take offence at it maketh his Liberty but a cloak of maliciousness by using it uncharitably we may retain our judgement concerning things indifferent with christian liberty but we mâ—st conform our practâ—ce for christian charity I am free â—â— my judgement for anyhabit gesture c I will submit in my practice to that which is publickly imposed I am free in my conscience and opinion by the law of man concerning things commanded I may think of them what I please I am bound in my conscience to submission active or passive by the Law of God and I must not do what I please when orderly Ceremonies are enjoyned not as the party but as the decencies and becoming circumstances of worship which all allow a man may be free to think that there might be more decent Ceremonies pitched upon by himself or others if they were in place or power and in the mean time submit to the wisdom of those in authority that imposed Prop. 11. We are agreed That as the publick Constitutions enjoyning Orders Decency and Uniformity tending to edification restrain not the Liberty of conscience whereby men are free to do or leave undone some things so the suggestions of men against those Constitutions do restrain mens liberty exercise dominion over their mindes by forbidding them that which we say they are free to as it is in superstition to enjoyn that as necessary which is indifferent so its superstition to forbid that as sinful which is in truth indifferent and therefore lawful so making that sin which God never made and ensnaring mens consciences and teaching for doctrines the commandments of men and therefore we should stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free Prop. 12. We are agreed That they who can submit some impositions about things may submit to all which are imposed by the same Authority in the same manner to the same end Prop. 13. We are agreed That no Authority can in conscience or with safety allow men Liberty in ways of Worship different from the publick profession and conscience 1. Not in conscience because as the good Kings of Judah he is to allow no known evil 2 Not in safety because differences in Religion are dangerous to the State when that which should restrain stirs up mens passions therefore Josiah and the King in the Gospel compelled them to come in to serve the God of their fathers Inde furor vulgo Indeed for men furnish'd with just power in Church or State to leave men in a full liberty of seducing and being seduced is to concur with the malice of the devil and the folly vanity and madness of mens hearts to the ruine of multitudes I leave it your own consciences whether it would not be thought safe and conscientious by them if power were in their own hands and Church-affairs left to their ordering to forbid those things they now mislike with as much rigor and necessity of imposition as the Church now enjoyneth them Prop. 14. We are agreed That though many godly men should refuse to conform yet should we submit to order peace reason and Law not suffering our selves to be carried away with the high estimation of any men as to subject our selves to their judgement and wits without questioning the truth of what they teach or the lawfulness of what they enjoyn having not mens persons in admiration knowing that they are subject to such infirmities as we are Prop 15. We are agreed That it is lawful for the Magistrate to impose severe punishments upon the small faults of dangerous men of dangerous principles knowing that men of such dispositions who disobey in this are prepared to disturb in all so it s not lawful for the people upon the least offence to cast off necessary duty as knowing that they are at liberty to pray preach c. with what gesture or garment they will yet refusing to pray kneeling or preach in a Surplice O When