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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	work_n	work_v	wrought_v	258	4	7.5911	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92845	A sermon, preached at St. Marie's in the University of Cambridge May 1st, 1653. Or, An essay to the discovery of the spirit of enthusiasme and pretended inspiration, that disturbs and strikes at the universities: by Joseph Sedgwick, Mr. of Arts, and Fellow of Christs Coll: in the University of Cambridge. Together with an appendix, wherein Mr. Del's Stumblingstone is briefly repli'd unto: and a fuller discourse of the use of universities and learning upon an ecclesiasticall account, submitted by the same authour to the judgement of every impartial and rational Christian.	Sedgwick, Joseph, 1628-1702.	1653 (1653)	Wing S2362; Thomason E699_2; Thomason E699_3; ESTC R510	26,942	31

in the service of God that and this partaking in the general notion of a religious Assembly their Ministery of a Ministery and their Worship of the Worship of God And observing the difference of their and our dispensations we may very lawfully make use of their institutions to direct us to discover many things which belong to religious Congregations Officers and Worship in generall That onely being abrogated of Moses which was typical and founded in God's Covenant with Israelites as Israelites i. e. as instated in the land of Canaan not as men and related to God by creation and the covenant of nature IV. Which follows from and may adde strength to what hath been already said Collections from Scripture though not to every eye exprest in Scripture and arguments drawn according to the different circumstances of the Primitive and Later conditions of the Church are proofs very admittable by any sober Christian This is no more then what reason readily grants as founded in the very nature of the things no more then what is commonly allowed as sufficient proof in collecting from any History ancient Custome and usage or old Law which is in force with respect to the alteration of times It is that which in other more uncontroverted cases is used in alledging of Scripture it self V. Custome and practice of the Church in succeeding ages and Ecclesiasticall History especially neare the Apostles times universal and in conformity to the former presumptions is an argument in it self as considerable as intolerable to Enthusiastick Spirits or men that affect novelty their own humours Now to our question The Christian Schooles in former ages are notorious and the high price then set upon Learning is cleare by their diligence in instructing their children in Arts and Sciences and by the sense they had of Julian's injurious forbidding them the Heathenish Learning and denying them the liberty of the then Schooles of literature What joy for their deliverance from this oppression by his death What industry in supplying the want of publick education It is evident Nazianzen had other thoughts of humane Learning then those that prefer Julian for a pattern of reformation But this way of arguing were I skill'd in it would be put off with the Antiquity of the Mystery of Iniquity which if we believe some had almost in every thing overspred the Church of Christ straight after the decease of the Apostles Indeed it would be ineffectuall because beyond the possibility of our Opponents Examination who have exprest their Christian justice in vilifying and condemning the Ancients whom they are not at all acquainted with Yet it needs no great reading to know that those which we acknowledge to be the times of greatest Apostacy in the Church were the freest from secular Learning and had as much darkness in that respect as our Adversaries can hope to bring England to if the Universities were utterly abolish'd The Reformation of Religion and the reviving of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in plaine English the Gentile Learning were contemporary and happily promoted by the same Instruments And it were strange if the Reformation begun in knowledge could no otherwise be carried on then by returning to the Ignorance of darker and more degenerate ages What can an adversary to the reformation in reason think else but that they have convinced us of the insufficiency of our Cause and that now we are sensible Learning was onely an argument for us when our Opponents had not attained to enough to discover our fallacies impostures learned juglings What greater triumph can the Jesuites desire then to see us beat out of our confidence of Learning and put to a poore and irrational shift of private infallible Inspiration One inclining to Atheisme will be perfectly possessed that the defences of Christian Religion were only proud triumphs over the too unexercised disputers against it in Heathenisme or that the power of the Christian Emperours was the strongest argument for the truth of Christianity Experience having as he may justly surmise if all Christians were of these mens minds discovered to our selves the weakness of our Religion unable to withstand the clearer light of natural and refined reason We come now to our former Conclusions Conclusion I. A Ministery was not to cease with the primitive times and Apostolical administration and gifts Which will be proved if in particular we evidence the truth of the Church of England and the lawfulness of its Ministery which may be done thus 1. There is a visible Church of God in England or the Church of England is a true Church of Christ in an Apostolical sense By a Church I mean according to the notion of a Church in the Apostolical writings to which I refer any attentive reader for proof of the notion I meane I say by a Church a Collection or Society of men united in the Worship of God in his Son Jesus Christ whom they professe to believe to be sent by the Father for the remission of sinnes and according to whose precepts they engage themselves to lead their lives in hopes of everlasting life through the same Lord Jesus Though as yet they are no otherwise renewed then by this more generall belief of the Gospel and Salvation promised by Christ i. e. but potentially and in gradu remoto sanctified their lives being unanswerable to their profession and promise And this is the case of the English communion whose members having been baptized in their infancy and having at yeares of discretion acknowledged their assent to the then-dedication of them to God and acknowledging their Baptisme into repentance for remission of sins are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saints by call called unto holiness and true members of the Church till duly and justly put out of communion This is in Apostolical phrase a Church of God and a Congregation of Believers in the Scripture expression And that is soberer language then carnal and worldly Church though there is a more invisible Church more spiritually and intimately united to Christ to which neither hypocrites nor unrighteous professours do belong the bounds of it being narrower and salvation attainable to none that are without it But the Church we speak of is such as those St Paul wrote to visible and externall the conditions of whose communion was in the Apostles time but a believing Christ to be the Messiah and submitting to Baptisme to the remission of sinnes and repentance from dead works This Church is not to be rested in neither are the members of it to be vilified and slighted as out of the Church as unbelievers or to be debarr'd communion who have the faith of Christ in them and whose hearts God hath purified by a belief wrought in them of the truth of the Gospel though their faith be dead as yet unprofitable and that which unless it be brought into act and work by Love will not save Yet there is that faith wrought in them by the Spirit of God in

experience shall warrant the truth to be on his side 4. Experience being private and particular of particular case constitution and arbitrary actings of the Spirit of Wisedome is not to be extended to general rule without ground in Scripture or the nature of the thing Else the new-experienc'd-Divinity argued consequently against the benefit of Ordinances and to other mens formality in the use of them from some mens own experience of their hypocrisy in duty and their receiving no good by them through their default and God's justice 5. Shall I adde That Duties are to be delivered above the shortness of our own attainments Duties as delivered in Scripture and therefore as they are to be prest exceed our experience But some will say we have some degree of experience and from that collect what is yet above us I answer So one as yet unexperienc'd apprehends in part some kind of knowledge being presupposed to experience Then secondly a notional knowledge is sufficient to a verball declaration and may in many things be clearer and safer while it follow 's Scripture-revelation other mens manifold experience though not its own IV. Gifts and endowments are principally requisite to a Gospel Minister as such For the nature of a Minister is office employment and what enables to be a Christian enables not to the function of a Minister 1 Cor. 12. peruse the whole chapter To cleare up this consider 1. The gifts of the Spirit in the Apostles times were not onely for a miraculous confirmation of the Doctrine's Divine Original and for a testimony of their designation to the work of planting the Gospel but for enabling them to their work Tongues indeed S. Paul tels us were for unbelievers but prophecying was for believers and their edification Indeed the miraculous way of conveyance and the wonderworking power was partly for attestation to the truth of Christian revelation But withall they were enabled for the carrying on the work of the Gospel by gifts given from above To be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. able as well as willing to teach was the condition of a Bishop in S. Paul's time and he exhorts to seek gifts 1 Cor. 14. 1. Then there was the Holy Unction and that not needless By the way I shall propose to examination whether S. John's Ye have received the anointing may not relate to this enablement of the primitive Pastours and Teachers and so be far enough from concluding any unnecessariness of a Ministery For S. John writes against False Apostles and may very probably be thought to direct his Epistle to the Christian Churches as a collection of Pastours and people Ye need not saith he any new Instructer new Revealer or explainer of revelation since you have among you in your Churches the Divine Vnction and the Spirit of God directing and enabling your Presbytery constituted by Apostolical Ordination You have received is very true though every individuall member of the Church had it not but by interest in the Pastours But let the able judge 2. Gifts and enablements are as necessary nay more now then then There is the same need of instructing reproving and convincing of gain-sayers demonstrating the truth of the Gospel by Scripture and answering objections against it Besides that our remoteness from the Apostles who in difficulties might then be readily consulted and the ambiguity essential to the plainest writings with the severall prepossessions and conceptions of severall parts of Christians have made the controversies in Divinity almost infinite Due consideration good judgement and all imaginable accomplishments are little enough to direct in what is to be preached for the truth of God and to distinguish Scripture and Catholick Verity from private conceits and upstart opinions For the teachings of the Spirit they are so diverse in severall pretenders sometimes so unagreeable to the true meaning of the Word that we are very well satisfied in the necessity of S. John's advice to try the Spirits Consider the Apostles speake not in our naturall language and many passages relate to customes now obsolete and History of those times not mentioned by any Inspired Writer Do not some proofs from the old Testament seeme to proceed upon some then-received traditional expositions The gifts then necessary to the preaching and explaining of the Gospel as so are still as necessary to that office and the more for the ceasing of miracles Heathens now must be convinced by rational evidence of the Divinity of our revelation Doubtless in this age Learning is necessary when Atheisme begins to creep up in the Church and to our-face Christianity And how nearely related Atheisme and Enthusiasme are and how subservient each to other is well observed by that judicious and faithfull servant of God and the Truth Mr. More in his preface to that most effectuall Antidote against Atheisme 3. Acquired gifts are many of them for substance the same with those then conferr'd by the Spirit The revelation of the matter by them then publish'd we have in our sacred Records and 't were as ration all for these men to bid us expect the Gospel truth too in an extraordinary way of discovery What we read is what the Apostles preach'd and our Ministers as the then-Teachers preach according to the sound or saving forme of words delivered to them by the Apostles now in writing as then also by word of mouth The other enablements given to them as preachers and publishers of this doctrine for enabling them in their duty were but the raising and directing their naturall faculties in order to clearing up the truth to themselves and others And this is the designe and effect of a great part of Learning Indeed if naturall parts be necessary to a Minister let our Adversaries understand that Logick Metaphysicks and Rhetorick are but rectifiers and perfecters of naturall endowments and then tell us why the perfecting and rectifying of natural parts is useless and unnecessary I am bold to repeate that the maintainers of this dispute against Learning understand not what it is but judge by their own undigested notions rude shadows of Learning 4. Acquired gifts are the gifts of the Spirit though not from its miraculous operation Studiousness and a blessing upon it are the gifts of Divine Providence in the World and especially in the Church Sure the diverse way of conveyance and the difference of ordinary and extraordinary vary not the nature of the things What was created by God produced still after its kind though here was generation instead of creation It is strange the gracious gifts of God should loose their esteeme because they are not bestowed in a way of miracle 5. Miraculous gifts were given upon account of the Apostles exigency It pleased God in his wisdome to make use of the simplicity and unlearnedness of the Apostles and that to magnify his great power in those miraculous abilities infused into them from Heaven So God chose David from a Shepheard to be King and furnish'd