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A43676
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No King but Jesus, or, The Walls of tyrannie razed and the foundations of unjust monarchy discovered to the view of all that desire to see it wherein is undeniably proved that no king is the Lords anointed but Jesus ... / by Henry Haggar.
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Haggar, Henry.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing H187; ESTC R31087
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42,037
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60
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to pass in their appointed times for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it but it is not yet come to pass therefore we must look for other times in the last days of all viz. not the rising of false prophets but the destroying and casting of them down which the Lord will hasten The second thing is How we may know a false prophet of which I shall speak as briefly as I can because by what hath been said before they may be known 1. They will preach and prophesie in the Name of Christ very much but they say and do not see Matth. 7.21 22 23 24. If Antichrist should not come in the name of Christ he could not deceive so many for the world hath been deceived these many hundred yeers by praying and preaching in his name by them that have not obeyed his commandments nor contended for the faith as it was once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. 2. They are of a persecuting spirit for they win stir up the Magistrate to persecute others which both say and do those things commanded in Scripture which was first preached by the Lord himself and his holy Apostles and yet they cannot tell us how we shall escape if we neglect it See Heb. 2.1 2.3 3. They commonly deny Christ to be come in the flesh in effect though not in words by grounding their Religion upon the Ceremonies of the Law as is well noted in that little book of Tho. Collier's called Three Parallels one between the Priests of our times and they under the Law 4. They love to give expositions of plain places of Scripture thereby to blinde the eyes of the ignorant by darkning the counsel of God with their words without knowledge thereby endeavouring to make the people set their faith in their wisdom and not in the power of God contrary to Paul and the Apostles of Christ See 1 Cor. 2.4 5. Lastly to escape their wiles let all men try the spirits by the Words of God remember the noble Bereans Acts 17.11 12. who searched the Scriptures daily to see whether the things were so Therefore let none venture their souls upon their expositions lest they lose them but let us he sure we have a written Word of God for what we believe and for what we obey for he is a wise man that believes and obeys the sayings of Christ and not their Expositions of his sayings See Luk. 6.46 47 48 49 Consider it well and learn to be wise The next thing we are accused of is that we are those that cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine we have learned Rom. 16 17. From which place our enemies take occasion to warn the people to take heed of us and avoid our company for say they Who are they which cause these divisions and offences amongst us but these Separatists and men of a new faith To which at present I shall briefly answer thus for the clearing of it First consider when the Apostle spake these words it was sixteen hundred yeers ago Secondly to whom he spake them it was to the true Church of Christ that was then at Rome Rom. 1.7 Thirdly what doctrine it was they had learned it was the doctrine of Christ which was preached to them by Paul himself in those days and therefore he exhorteth them to mark them that laboured to cause divisions and offences contrary to it for saith he they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellies and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple vers. 18. Now what is all this to a people that never learned this doctrine but the doctrine of their Teacher or his predecessor 〈◊〉 be if it were tried by the Word of God it is so far from that which Paul speaks of that they ought to separate and divide from it Secondly the same may be said of Jude's exhortation to the Saints to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints therefore it is not that which was delivered since Jude's days contrary to it but that which was delivered before in his days or else why should he say Contend for that faith which was once delivered if it were still to deliver Therefore let us make that which was first preached by Christ and his Apostles in that generation a perfect Rule of faith and obedience in this generation and let us contend earnestly for it and mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to what is written in the holy Scriptures and avoid them Lastly it is said that we are the ignorant and unlearned that wrest the Scriptures to our own destruction 2 Pet. 3.16 To which I answer If Peter meant those which are unlearned in reference to humane learning I confesse we may be some what guilty but if Peter meant humane learning then he condemns himself and the other Apostles for Acts 4.13 we read that Peter and Iohn were ignorant and unlearned men therefore he meaneth them which are ignorant and unlearned in the things of the Spirit of God which as Paul saith the naturall man perceiveth not nor any of the Princes of this world knew for all their learning 1 Cor. 2.7 8 9 10. with 14. Againe we know that the Pope his Cardinals and Jesuites want no humane learning and yet most men in England conclude that they wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction Again we know the ancient learned grave Bishops in our days wanted no Greek nor Hebrew and yet they are concluded to be Antichristian and erroneous Lastly the Apostle sheweth us plainly who he calleth unlearned 1 Cor. 14.24 where he saith If the church be come together into some place and they all speak with tongues and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers they will conclude they are mad but if all prophesie and there come in unlearned or unbelievers they will be convinced c. By all which we see that unbelievers are the unlearned once which wrest the Scriptures to their own distruction which indeed they must needs do if they have not heard and learned Christ and been caught by him as the truth is in Jesus Eph. 4.20 21 22. Thus having cast in my mite into the treasury towards the continuing and increasing the peace and prosperity of the Church of Christ and the Common-wealth of England I freely commit what is written to the view of all men desiring them to read and consider it seriously and trie it by the Word of God and judge impartially and if any finde profit let God have the praise and glory and let me have the prayers of all that fear God and regard not iniquity in their hearts To whom I desire while I live to remaine A loving brother and faithful servant in the service of Christ HENRY HAGGAR FINIS Christian Reader THe Author hereof hath another Treatise extant intituled The Spirit of Promise OR Those rich Treasures that so long have lien hid in Christ searched out and discovered to the Saints Wherein is undeniably proved that the holy Spirit of Promise and the gifts thereof are the Saints proper right now and may and ought to be sought after with all diligence so as be attained unto in this generation full as well as in the Apostltes Which is also to be sold by Giles Calvert at the signe or the black Spread Eagle at the west-end of Pauls
that are in high places for the God Israel hath said They which rule over men must be just ruling in the fear of God and as the light of the morning when the Sun ariseth in a morning without clouds and as the tender grass springing out of the earth by the clear shining after raine 2 Sam. 23.3 4. And truly there hath bin a great shower upon the nation these many yeers but now it is ended therefore the Lord grant that after you may so spring up and grow in works of Justice and mercy and righteousness that by them you may shine forth in the nation So as both your selves and they which do behold you may have cause to rejoyce and glorifie God Otherwise I for my part am very Confident that Englands miseries are not yet done but the Lord will again chastise us with chastisements seven times worse then before but I hope for better things although I thus speak Sixthly The example of Solomon is worthy of serious consideration who when the Lord had made him ruler over his people he then besought him for an understanding heart that he might discern between good and bad and that he might know how to judge righteously between man and man and how to go out and in before so great a people and this thing pleased the Lord so that he did not onely grant him his request but also gave him riches and honour which he did not aske nor cover after and promised him further that if he would walk in his ways and keep his statutes and commandments as his father David did he would also lengthen his days 1 King 3.5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. Now would the honorable Rulers of this nation know how to discern between good and bad and to judge righteously between man and man and how to go out and in before this great people which the Lord hath set them over Would you have honour and riches here and true happiness hereafter with God in glory Then ask it of the Lord as David and Solomon did meditate in his law and exercise your selves therein day and night learn out of that what is Justice and Judgement and equity and the Lord will be with you and give you wisdome and understanding in all things for he is no respecter of persons but giveth to all that ask in faith freely and upbraideth not James 1.5 Therefore Right Honorable dispise not these sayings because of the weakness of the instrument who at this time puts you in mind of them but let the counsell of the Lord be acceptable to you it may be as Daniel saith a lengthening of your tranquillity Chap. 4.27 therefore let all that are in authority labour to be such as they ought to be namely men fearing God and hating covetousness for if any be otherwise minded let them know the Lord will have such to rule before he hath done and aske the Lord for wisdome even that hidden wisdome which few or none of the Princes of this world have attaind unto 1 Cor. 2.8 that so you may wise and understanding hearts to judge the people righteously for without this wisdome who is able to go out and in before so great a people as God hath set you over especially when the eyes of most of them are upon the Rulers for evill and do watch for their haltings Be wise now therefore you that are the Rulers of the Nation and be instructed yee that are the Judges of the people and remember that although you be called Gods yet you must die like men and after that cometh the righteous and impartiall Judgement of God to whom you must give account at the great day of all your actions Therefore take heed ye be not conformable to their Image which God hath cast downe by you and do not tread in the footsteps of them whom God hath destroyed by your hands for their pride vaine-glory covetousness and oppression which wickedness in them was now come to the full But especiaily take heed of persecuting the Saints and men fearing God for conscience sake in the things of God the which they were deluded and led into by those wicked Antichristian Ministers which attended upon them in the Bishops days a great part of whom is left amongst us to this day and some of them so transformed into Ministers of righteousness that they will hardly be discerned from them but this need be no wonder for Paul saith the Devill himself is transformed into an angel of light 2 Cor. 11.14 15. but by their works they may be known Therefore if there be any secretly inticing your Honours to persecute men fearing God which make the holy Scripture a rule both for their faith and obedience you may be sure they are of that old generation the Lord Christ speaketh of you may read their genealogie and see whose children they are Mat. 23.27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37. compared with John 8.44 But I know by wofull experience they have so much of the wisdom from beneath as to call us Hereticks and pestilent fellows and movers of sedition and ring leaders of sects for after the same manner they accused Paul Act. 24.5 But his answer is sufficient for all those which tread in his footsteps and contend earnestly for that faith which was once delivered to the Saints in Pauls days which answer is written Act. 2.4.13 14 15 16. in these words They cannot prove the things whereof they accuse me but this he confessed to Felix that after the way which they call Heresie so worship I the God of my fathers beleiving all things that are written in the Law and the Prophets and have hope towards God which they themselves allow that there shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust And herein do I exercise my self always to have a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man From which words of Paul I observe these things 1. That they which persecuted him did themselves allow that it was lawfull for him to beleive all things written in the Law and the Prophets and yet they accused him for an heretick even so do men in these days they will allow us to beleive all things written in the Law and the Prophets and all the gratious words of Christ and his Apostles but if we practise them they will accuse us for hereticks 2. Those which do believe all things written in the holy Scriptures and acknowledge the resurrection of the just and unjust and labour to keep good Consciences void of offence towards God and towards man they are no Hereticks let them believe and do what they will if it be no more then is written in the word of God to believe and obey Therefore let all men take heed how they persecute any for believing or practising any thing written therein although it be never so contrary to their judgement 3. If any be Hereticks it must needs be they which