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truth_n apostle_n doctrine_n scripture_n 3,000 5 5.6215 4 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A60632 A general summons from the authority of truth, unto all ecclesiastical courts and officers wherein they may see what truth objecteth against their practice and proceedings in cases of conscience / by William Smith. Smith, William, d. 1673. 1668 (1668) Wing S4304; ESTC R38258 21,636 28

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is much greater in the latter forasmuch as you exclude from that which you cause to be presented as an offence for not going to and then if People were willing to go they are excluded and being excluded they may not be received until they have purchased your Absolution and this maketh an offence on your parts and that according to your own conclusion For if not going be an offence then exclusion must needs be greater and that falleth upon you as the Actors and here you draw a guilt upon your selves in your own work And what neccessity is there for you to cast out and exclude People for that which they are not in is not this a high degree of confusion in your proceedings For if you would have People go to your Steeple-house and Service then overcome with Love and convince them by sound Doctrine and if you judge them unworthy then let them alone where they are and do not run your selves into such confusion as to cast such out as are without before and then judge them unworthy of coming in without your Absolution But if you should do so then you would lose your gain after which you seek and your Diana would fall and your Craft be spoiled and indeed to speak plainly that is the main thing you strive to uphold for your Courts draw sees from such as cannot withstand you and your Absolutions bring money from such as fall under you and so your proceedings end in money by which it is manifest that you are not so much for the honour of Almighty God as the love of Lucre and if that was not to be obtained there is good cause to believe that your Courts would soon dissolve of themselves but whilest there is any hope of gain or profit you will keep them up if the Magistrate will but help you and you have found out so many devices to compass your gain besides that device for not coming to your Steeple-houses and Service as it is a hard matter to escape your Snares especially such as be of a tender Conscience and for the sake of such here are some of your devices opened and with the Scriptures of Truth compared by which trial you are found much wanting 1. You have devised to bring people into your Courts for not Baptizing their Children as you call it and where doth the Scripture command Baptizing of Children after your manner as to sprinkle water in their Faces and to sign them with the sign of the Cross and to have Godfathers and Godmothers to undertake for them For though Christ in his love and tenderness towards little Children would have them suffered to come unto him and not forbidden and that he took them in his arms yet we do not ●●ad that he sprinkled water in their faces and signed them with the sign of the Cross or that they had Godfathers or Godmothers to undertake for them but he said Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 19.14 by which he shewed their Innocency and his love to them in that state And now you have gotten a Law to compel people to Baptize their Children as you commonly use it though Christ used it not and if People refuse to use it then you have a snare for them And was it not above four hundred years after Christ before sprinkling Infants came in Read Eusebius And Christ did not mention water when he sent forth his Disciples to Teach and Baptize all Nations but commanded them To Baptize in the Name or into the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost Mat. 28.19 And the Apostle said That by one Spirit they were all Baptized into one Body 1 Cor. 12.13 and this is beyond your outward sign which you are commonly using and it standeth by the Authority of the Spirit and of the Scriptures without the help of any Temporal Law And do you not say the Scriptures are your Rule and yet you are using such things as are not to be found in them and have a Law to compel or punish those that cannot use the same things with you 2. You have devised to bring People into your Courts concerning your Communion as you commonly use it and call it holy and it is believed that the Communion of the Saints and Apostles was as ho●y as yours and yet we do not read that they Excommunicated and cast such into Prison as would not be partakers with them And was not the Communion which they used the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ See 1 Cor. 10.6 And did not the Apostle put people upon the Examination of themselves before they ate of that Bread and drunk of that Cup which was their Communion 1 Cor. 11.28 So mark He did not say If there be any that will not receive this Bread and this Cup as we commonly use it that then we will Excommunicate them and cast them into Prison They did not proceed in such a manner who had the true Communion amongst them but said Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. So see what your Communion is who proceed to punish people that cannot receive it as you commonly use it for the Apostle bids People Examine themselves and so let them eat and you bid People either come and eat or you will proceed to punish them and here is a great difference between your minds and the mind of the Apostle 3. You have devised to bring people into your Courts for Error in matters of Religion and Doctrine by you allowed and do you not believe your selves That the Religion and Doctrine which Christ and the Apostles allowed was as sound and true as yours And we do not read that they Excommunicated and cast such into Prison who differed from that Religion and Doctrine by them allowed for the Apostle bid people examine themselves whether they were in the Faith He did not say You are in Error as to the Religion and Doctrine which we allow and we must Excommunicate you and cast you into Prison and we have a Temporal Law to do it but he saith Examine your selves whether you be in the Faith prove your own selves know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 And by that Examination and proof he would bring people to know Christ Jesus in them and so bring them out of the Reprobate State in which is the Error And this was sound Doctrine by which he laboured to bring people to the knowledge of the Truth that they might be saved and that was to Christ Jesus in them who is the Salvation of God And so the Apostle would not that people should be Reprobate concerning the Faith and live in Error and therefore he preached sound Doctrine to them that he might open their Understanding● to know the Truth And the Doctrine that he preached was Christ Jesus in them And this was the Religion and
as he is chief in outward Government and so in general tearms he includes his Interest and good in theirs and their Interest and Good in his own and do not you proceed to Excommunicate and Imprison such People and do you not make them uncapable of common dealings and society amongst men and do you not make them uncapable of having any benefit by the Law as complainants and do you not judge them unworthy of the Kings Protection and is not this to make a distinction between the King and his People for no common good as to outward things can arise to the sufferers and as the King concerns his own good in the good of his People by a joynt Interest do you not wrong the King by intruding upon his Interest Surely the mind of the King as it is manifest and your proceedings which you practise are at a great distance and much contrary one to the other for you plainly endeavour to blot out that known Truth which he would have imprinted forasmuch as you destroy the common good of his People in which it so nearly concerns his own And now upon what Foundation will you have your building to stand and by what will you uphold your work in which you are so busie for your work is found contrary to the Law of the Nation and contrary to the Spirit of Truth and contrary to the Scriptures of Truth and contrary to Christianity and contrary to Reason and contrary to the Law and the Prophets and contrary to the Doctrine of Christ Jesus and contrary to what is manifest to be the Kings mind and where will you have a Foundation to build your work upon for as it is found contrary to all these weighty things so by their Authority your work in cases of Conscience may well be questioned yea the Law of the Nation may justly question you and the Spirit of Truth may justly question you and the Scriptures of Truth may justly question you and Christianity may justly question you and Reason may justly question you and the Law and the Prophets may justly question you and Christ Jesus may justly question you and the King may justly question you and what can your Foundation be but the love of money which is the root of all evil And these things are opened thus fully and largly that you might see your selves as in a glass others might see you with open face And what sad effects have ensued the execution of temporal Laws which have related to Spiritual things was not such a Law pretended when the Lord of Life was condemned and was not such Laws pretended when the Martyrs suffered and are not such Laws now pretended by which the Innocent and Guiltless are punished and hath not the prosecuting of such Laws been the occasion of destroying the natural Life of many innocent People at this day and doth not this fill your hands with blood and how can you say that you wash your hands in innocency and so approach to God's Altar if your hands be full of Blood And that is the end of your Laws and proceedings in cases of Conscience for such Laws never brought prosperity in their execution but alwayes have been destructive and so brought calamity and misery and it need not be declared what hath hapned by the execution of such Laws both as to years past and the time present for the blood of many declares it and the loss of Estate declares it and the long suffering Bonds and Imprisonment declares it and the sound of this Declaration is higher and louder than Tongue or Pen can declare and will not the Lord make inquisition for these things yea surely he will find out the work of every one and the guilty he will by no means clear therefore love Mercy before you offer Sacrifice for until you love Mercy and live in it all your Sacrifices and Prayers are but as empty shadows and though you may offer and make many of them yet whilst you mingle them with violence and oppression they never reach the Throne of Grace to find acceptation and so the showrs fall not down upon you with a blessing and that makes Briars and Thorns spring out of the ground unto persecution And as for the Quakers you may as easily force the Sun to go backward as force them into your practice and observation or you may as easily restrain the showrs from falling as restrain them from worshipping God in his Spirit for as they fulfil the mind of God by yeelding their obedience and service unto him so they cannot fulfil or satisfie your minds by yeelding their obedience and service unto you and if you were spiritually minded you would never endeavour to force and compel them by the power of temporal Laws but the wrong being greatest to your selves even so they pitty you as well knowing the terror that will come upon you and therefore they labour to perswade you for your own good and do not count them your enemies because they tell you the truth in plainness but be warned to forsake the evil of your doings and live in love and peace as becometh Christians for Christ Jesus must Reign and have the Glory THE END