their ignorance and denyal of God and of all true Religion whatsoever their Faith or Profession may be as will be manifest from a brief discussion of these Words with deductions of some few Instances They profess that they know God Now to know God is to understand as much as Nature Reason and Revelation discover to us of his Being or his Perfections and Attributes included therein and of that Worship and Service due to him from us his Creatures which we call Religion in general Thus far as men ought we to know God but much more as Christians must we know him to be not only our Creator Preserver c. but our great Lord and Judge our merciful Redeemer Saviour and Sanctifier too as well as Lawgiver in his only begotten eternal Son and Holy Spirit Yea further must we thus draw near or come unto God that we may please him and in order thereunto we must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. xi 7. And then moreover we must obey his Laws live up to his Gospel of Grace and Salvation which is our Christian Profession if we would truly and rightly know him Then and not till then we may well profess that we know God since hereby alone we shall know our selves that we know him if we keep his Commandments Herein shall we be fully satisfi'd when we thus endeavour to love adore and imitate his infinite Perfections as his Laws direct thus to renew his Image upon our souls and resemble him as far as we can to our own sole happiness purifying following and uniting our minds to the Divine For whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected yea hereby know we that we are in him so he that professeth to know him or saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked But he that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments is a lyar and the truth is in him 1 Joh. ii 3 4 5 6. But in Works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good Work reprobate So to deny God in our Works is to allow our selves in any known wilful sin that is hateful and dishonourable to his Nature and transgressing his most Holy Just and Good Laws To continue in any wicked Customs sinful Habit or any evil Course of Life without timely Repentance and Amendment to have hereby seared Consciences hardned Hearts and stupify'd Wills reprobate Minds and corrupt Judgments ever prone to impiety backward and unwilling to do good perverse and stubborn in acts of iniquity following the bent and inclination of our vile Lusts and Affections and so easily yielding to the Devil's suggestions and the World's deluding Charms and Allurements thus frequently and notoriously Rebelling against God to slight God's sacred Ministry resist the good motions of his Holy Spirit disregard the most pious Instructions and neglect the means of Grace and Salvation ordain'd in Christ's Church Militant here upon Earth Thus do the many pretended Professors of a Deity and Vaunting Worshippers and Religionists deny God and all by their common inconsiderate foolish doings by their devilish sensual earthly living by their secret sins and avowed Crimes so odious in God's all-pure Eyes and nauseous to every good Soul Hence they form such Notions of the Divinity and favour such Doctrines and Interpretations of Scripture which they read to their own destrustion as might raise their defilements in Mind and Conscience and please their Corruptions most thus would they make God like one of themselves have his ways as their ways or else they seem to set up the vile Deities of the Heathens to profess only by their Deeds a a cruel Saturn a wanton Jupiter a thievish Mercury and a drunken Bacchus or with the grossest Idolaters in Egypt to Worship Leeks and Onions and make their Bellies their Gods What less do our Self-Contradictors inconsistent ridiculous Professors manifest Do not their Actions belye their Mouths And are they not thus far worse than the very Ethnicks or Atheists denying the only true God whom yet they affirm to own c. As for instance to expostulate this Case with all Rational People and Christians let us consider in the general that those who live and act contrary to the Divine Perfections and Laws do so far deny the same and such who deny God's Attributes which are essential to his Being do thus deny God So in particular this consider first in relation to his Holiness Purity and Goodness in the Abstract does not all manner of Irreligion and Prophaness plainly contradict the most Holy Being Is not every unclean Thought and Desire every filthy Discourse and lustful beastly Action diametrically opposite to God's all-pure Nature And is not all manner of ill-nature and evil-doing absolutely contrary to the most lovely Essence to Goodness it self If so what are the common false Swearers and all the guilty takers of God's most holy Name in vain What are the Contemners Neglecters and Prophaners of his holy Word and Ministry of his Sacraments and other Ordinances of his true Church and most pure Religion What are the Sacrilegious Robbers of Churches Robbers of God in Tythes and Offerings greedy encroachers upon the Pastors Divine Rights and bold Invaders of holy Church's Patrimony the proud Despisers of holy Persons and domineering Violaters of things Sacred thus bringing a Curse upon the whole Nation If so what are the Fornicators Whoremongers the Adulterers and Adulteresses the Brutes and Sodomites what are the lascivious vile obscene Wretches the carnal and earthly minded Herds of Animals In short what are the selfish Unrighteous the wicked vicious ungodly sinful Livers If so what are any such better than Atheists Yea are not they rather worse and dot they more shamfully deny by these abominable Courses that most holy pure and good God whom yet they profess to know So secondly Consider this Point in reference to God's Justice Mercy and Truth Can any thing more directly affront the Just and Righteous Judge of all the World than Rapine Violence and Oppression than Fraud Knavery with all sorts of Dishonesty and Unrighteous Dealing What can bid defiance more to our most gratious long suffering compassionate heavenly Father than Cruelty Tyranny and barbarous Usage than Malice Envy dire Revenge Hatred and all manner of Uncharitableness Can any thing more impudently contradict the only Wise and True God him who is Truth it self than Falshood Dissimulation Perjury Scepticism Infidelity than Diffidence Deceit Lying with all kind of Guile and Hypocrisy So thirdly In relation to God's infinite Wisdom and Power or his Omnipotence Omniscience and Omnipresence how bold Presumption on the one Hand and slavish Despair on the other or distrust of Providence with crafty Designs and secret Sinning c. does call these adorable Attributes into question Will not humane Strength and Policy carnal or worldly Wisdom bend and submit hereto Shall
ENGLISH CRETES AND Atheistical CHRISTIANS DESCRIB'D and INSTANCED WITH Directions for the Reformation of all FROM St. PAUL'S Epistle to TITUS the first Bishop of CRETE Wherein is Intimated the Sacred Order and Supreme Power of Episcopacy in the CHURCH with the Inferior Ministry Concluding all With Supplemental Instances AND A Lamentation of the Churches present Miseries Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Heb. xii 14. LONDON Printed for Jos Hindmarsh at the Golden Ball over against the Royal Exchange in Cornhil 1695. THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY OR A LETTER TO AN Honourable Member of PARLIAMENT TO THE Honourable Sir W. T. Bar. Ever honoured Sir MAY I presume to lay this at your feet with an humble congratulation of your late honourable unsought for Election at too such distant Places paying you that meritorious esteem and regard which the best of our Gentry and Regular Clergy unanimously bear you in that County whereto you are so great an Honor and ever will be in despight of Ignorance Malice Ill-Nature Self-Interest and Faction however shamefully dividing us c. Your Orthodox Piety admirable Parts and Learning your unbounded Charity Meekness Candour and unbiass'd Judgment and Integrity which has no Interest to serve but the Publick-Good c. We can't but declare as we love and value this was conspicuous to the Nation while you were formerly our truly honourable Representative with general applause and will be now again Therefore your utmost Service for our true Episcopal Church whose Zealous Learned Champion your renowned Father was likewise and Clergy we doubt not of May all honest tender Consciences be Tolerated and Sufferers duly reliev'd may Prophaness Atheism and all manner of Licentiousness so scandalous in and dangerous to a Christian State be severely suppress'd May Sacrilege be shun'd by all and according to the Pious and Learned Sir Henry Spellman in particular may the Church's Divine Rights be well consider'd or at least the Case of poor Vicarages be justly and charitably Redress'd and secur'd from the base encroachments and oppressions of Hypocrisie Pride and Avarice insatiable c. Or finally were these things in such worthy Hands as yours and would all Live and Act like you for the Glory of God and his Church then might be compleated the just Wishes of Your ever oblig'd humble Servant T.W. DEO TRIUNO Aeterno Incomprehensibili Omnipotenti Omniscienti Omnipresenti Infinito Justitiâ Miserecordiâ c. Super in omnibus Gloria COnversionem Mundo Pacem Ecclesiae Fidem Principibus regnis Tranquilitatem Angliae Salutem Benefactoribus Poenitentiam Inimicis Sincerè Vivet Optat Humillimus indignissimus Servus gaudens solummodo confidens in Jesu Christo ipsoque Crucifixo T. W. Psal lxxxii Out of Patrick's Metre THE Rulers of the world that bear God's name and represent him here Know that this Judge among you sits If you enact unrighteous Laws Or Countenance a wicked Cause Your guiltiness no plea admits You act like God when you defend The Poor and your assistance lend To helpless men that Justice crave Absolve the Innocent with speed Obnoxious only by their need And from th' Oppressors power save They cry too oft to you in vain who 'll know no other right but gain Whose Eyes are blind by Bribes you take Thus Justice cannot find its course But Laws neglected lose their force And all the Land's Foundations shake I said y' are Gods but you shall dye And fall tho sons of the most High As other men and King's have done Arise Great Judge of all and Reign Fal'n Justice then will rise again When God doth sit upon his Throne ENGLISH CRETES AND Atheistical Christians described c. TIT. i. 16. They profess that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate or void of judgment As it is in the Margin SAint Paul a Servant of God and an Apostle of Jesus Christ according to the Faith and Truth c. ver 1. having ordain'd Titus the first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians as he did Timothy of the Ephesians he begins here to shew him in a very solemn and blessed Stile for what end he thus left him in Crete ver 6. As particularly to Ordain and Settle the inferior Ministry the due qualifications whereof he next declares ver 6. and then proceeds to set forth the life of a good Bishop manifesting the necessity of their Faithfulness Ability and Zeal because of Deceivers and that the mouths of those evil corrupt Teachers who crept in Houses and swarm'd about the Church might be stopped to ver 12. Then he gives him some description of the people whom he was set over with admonitions concerning them c. Now these let us briefly consider with parallel Instances of the great Numbers of pretended false Christians among us and the directions here for their reformation concluding with an earnest recommendation of all the Duties laid down in this Epistle as now requir'd indispensibly both of Ministers and People First then The Apostle begins his description of these Cretians with an irrefragible testimony of one of their own Poets ver 12. one of themselves even a Prophet of their own said the Cretians are always Liars evil Beasts slow-bellies i. e. deceitful false sensual carnal and earthly-minded which is plain enough howsoever Poetical and as St. Paul affirms in the next verse this Witness is true whence necessarily follows his admonition wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the Faith not giving heed to Jewish Fables and Commandments of men that turn from the Truth This beastliness or impurity of their lives notwithstanding their Conversion to Christianity polluted and corrupted their Profession of the purest Religion which none but the pure can rightly understand and practice and so continu'd them sinful Brutes and guilty Infidels still For as it follows ver 15. Unto the Pure all things are Pure but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing Pure but even their Mind and Conscience is defiled well therefore might there be so many Hereticks Seducers and Hypocrites among such filthy Pretenders yea and Atheists too or worse for so are they who profess as St. Paul here concludes their Character That they know God but in Works they deny him being abominable disobedient c. These are call'd Practical Atheists and are thus far worse than the Speculative in that they act contrary to their declar'd Principles their Lives run contrary to their Creed O they do the greater dishonor to Almighty God Now every customary habitual Sinner particularly is such and such are the common Prophane Unjust Vitious and Uncharitable Wretches of this vilest Age who fill our Church and Nation These unreformed Sinners who make up the generality of our People of all Ranks and Degrees are the English Cretians and the Atheistical Christians whose Lives and Conversations prove
was Titus to manage the Stubborn and Heretical within his Diocese Chap. iii. 10 11. A Man that is an Heretick after the first and second Admonition reject knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himself Yet these our Rulers must especially avoid all Pride Ambition Tyranny Idleness Corruption and Covetousness with all Vice Passion or Selfishness wherewith the Princes of the World and Civil Magistrates too often exercise Authority and Dominion but we must all dischage our Sacred Function and do all things with the greatest humility and in the true Gospel Spirit of Meekness and Charity strictly imitating our blessed Saviour and giving good Example to all others Matth. xx 25 26 27 28. 1 Pet. v. 1 2 3 4. And now thus must the Younger obey their Elders c. ver 5. who may thus rebuke with all with the highest i. e. Divine Authority and let no Man despise them as St. Paul here sums up the Episcopal Office to Titus Chap. ii 15. which is the first direction for the Reformation of all and particularly for the suppression of the many unruly and vain Talkers and Deceivers urging the Commandments of Men that turn from the Truth legendary Fablers c. Like the bigotted Jews whose Mouths must be stopped who subvert whole Houses Teaching things which they ought not for filthy Lucre's sake Who with the rest before testified of and described must therefore be rebuked sharply that they may be sound in the Faith and become pure and undefiled Chap. i. 10 11 12 13 14 15. That none may give heed to fables nor regard needless controversies or any jarring disputes but avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions and strivings about the law for they are unprofitable and vain Chap. iii. 9. Thus comes in the next Directions which all should constantly observe and so diligently mind and practice the sound grave uncorrupt sincere Doctrine which they are dayly Taught under the true Gospel-Ministry in our excellent Communion Then would aged men be sober grave temperate sound in faith in charity in patience And the aged women likewise would be in behaviour as becometh holiness not false accusers not lyars or slanderers Not given to much wine teachers of good things teaching the young women to be sober to love their husbands to love their children to be discreet chast keepers at home good obedient to their own husbands that the word of God be not blasphemed Then would young men likewise be exhorted to be sober-minded Chap. ii 2 3 4 5 6. Then would servants too be obedient to their own masters and please them well in all things not answering again Not purloyning but shewing all good fidelity that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things ver 9 10. Then would Christians in general remember their necessary Duties and Obligations signified in the verse following and elsewhere For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works These things must we speak exhort and preach both in our life and doctrine ver 7 8. As thus too Must our Bishops rebuke with all authority and let no man despise them verse 15. And thus farther Must they and we and all be as we put others in mind to be subject to Principalities and Powers to obey Magistrates whose Civil Authority how great soever in Church-Matters supposes the Spiritual Authority of the Church and neither should interfere with the other c. See Bishop Parker's Religion and Loyalty and Letter Thus moreover ought we all to be ready to every good work to speak evil of no man to be no brawlers but gentle shewing all meekness unto all men Chap. iii. 1 2. So finally thus is pressed on the general Reformation with these indispensible Duties both of Clergy and Laity here briefly recommended concluding all verse 3 4 5 6 7 8. Wherein the Apostle exemplifies the state of Unbelievers and Sinners before Conversion and regeneration and their blessed condition after through Sanctification Justification c. For we our selves also were sometimes foolish deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour that being justified by his grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life This is a faithful saying and these things says St. Paul to his Bishop I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men Wherefore As 't is in Heb. xiii 16 17 18.20 21. to do good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Pray for us for we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly Now the God of Peace that brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Supplemental Instances of some notorious Sins very dangerous in Church and State as to all Souls Collected out of the brief Heads of Self-Examination especially before the Sacrament in the Whole Duty of Man With a Lamentation of the Church's Calamities IN the black Catalogue of Sins or Transgressions of our respective Duties to God our Neighbour and our Selves laid down by that incomparable Author from this his first excellent Treatise that best of Books next to the Inspir'd These following Sins of Omission and Commission are particularly enumerated viz. 1. Not believing in God nor his Word Practically so as to live according to our belief 2. Presuming groundlesly on his Mercy while we go on in wilful sin 3. Not loving God for his own Excellencies nor for his Goodness to us not labouring to please him Not desiring to draw near to him in his Holy Ordinances Not longing to enjoy him in Heaven 4. Not fearing God so as to keep from offending him Fearing Man above