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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88987	Christian liberty vindicated from grosse mistakes, occasioning so great divisions in England. Or, A tract, shewing what it is, and what it is not, the diversity of errours, a generall councell to be the meanes of beating them down, and how far forth conscience is to be born with, and the insolencie of the late remonstrants. Most earnestly recommended to the reading of the Right Honourable Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, and all those that through a mistake stand so stifly for the priviviledge [sic] of conscience at large, ... Whereunto is added an appendix of 17. questions, necessary to be discussed and be determined by the Assembly of Divines without delay, that every one may know what to hold and rest in, and the unnaturall divisions in the same body may cease. / By John Mayer, D.D. of Divinity.	Mayer, John, 1583-1664.	1646 (1646)	Wing M1421; Thomason E361_4; ESTC R201203	21,204	33

CHRISTIAN LIBERTY VINDICATED From grosse Mistakes occasioning so great Divisions in ENGLAND OR A Tract shewing what it is and what it is not the diversity of Errours a Generall Councell to be the meanes of beating them down and how far forth Conscience is to be born with and the insolencie of the late Remonstrants Most earnestly recommended to the reading of the Right Honourable Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament and all those that through a mistake stand so stifly for the priviviledge of conscience at large that they stop the course of Government establishing thus keeping a gap open to many great enormities to this day that taking better notice of the truth they may make no such stopage any more And whether some of them doe or no those Higher Powers may make a way by forcing within the Church which they cannot doe by perswasion Wherein God grant that all expedition may be used and good successe follow for his Mercies sake in Jesus Christ Amen Whereunto is added An Appendix of 17. Questions necessary to be discussed and be determined by the Assembly of Divines without delay that every one may know what to hold and rest in and the unnaturall divisions in the same body may cease By JOHN MAYER D. D. of Divinity LONDON Printed by Eliz. Pu●slow for Matthew Walbancke 1647. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY VINDICATED From grosse mistakes occasioning so great Divisions in England GAL. 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made us free THere is no comfort to that of our Christian Libertie yet as out of the sweetest honey the Spider suckes Poyson so man out of this sweet comfort by turning it to an occasion of sinfull dissention to the corrupting of the soule For as it is now taken by some wee may say of it as August said of Drunkennesse Is not strife and contention by thee and are not wounds without cause by thee and are there not raylings blasphemies rednesse of the eyes dropsies plurisies and divers deaths So is not the disturbance of the peace of the Church by thee the dividing of Christs seamelesse coat by thee and by thee his beautifull Spouse the Church made full of wounds and blood So these as they who looke upon her have their affections alienated from her and their mouthes opened to blaspheme and speake evill of her To reforme this abuse then and to prevent the further increase of it give me leave to shew you what this libertie is First affirmatively and then negatively First It is a libertie purchased for all true beleevers by Christs most precious blood What Christian Liberty is from all the burthensome Rites and Ceremonies of the Law and from the servitude of our own lusts and of Satan and from everlasting death Here first I say it is a libertie purchased for all true beleevers by Christs most precious blood for we are redeemed not with corruptible things of gold and silver 1 Pet. 1.18 but with the precious blood of Christ by this word we here the faithfull being understood here and the word redeemed a freeing of us who before were in servitude and bands Secondly From all the burthensome Rites and Ceremonies of the Law Act. 15.1 From Ceremonies for so Peter calls them saying Why put yee a yoake upon the disciples neeks which neither we nor our fathers were able to beare our libertie herefrom is set forth Gal. 4.3 under the similitude of an heire atteining to full age before he was under tutors and governours but now he is free from this servile condition So we when we were children were in bondage under the rudiments of the world But When the fulnesse of time was come God sent his Son to redeem them that were under the Law Now then wee are at libertie from dayes before commanded to be kept whether new Moones or the Pasch Pentecoast or feast of Tabernacles or dayes set apart yearely for Humiliation and Attonement-making because they were set up onely to shadow out things to come or as a meanes of commemorating things past which were the greatest blessings imparted to Gods people under the old Testament The anniversary attonement was a figure of Christs blood shed whereby we attaine forgivenesse of our sinnes and reconciliation with God when he entred with it into Heaven as the High Priest with the blood of a Goat into the Sanctum Sanctorum The Pascall Lamb was both a figure of the Lamb of God that takes away the sinne of the world and a commemoration of that great benefit of being freed from their Aegyptian bondage The feast of Pentecoast of Gods miraculous putting them in possession of the Land of Canaan and consequently of the Corne then ready to be reaped which they sowed not the feast of Tabernacles of their miraculous preservation forty yeares in the wildernesse when they dwelt in Tents that of blowing Trumpets and those of new Moones both to figure out the Evangelicall Trumpet the preaching of the Gospel which sounded in all Lands to the beating downe of strong holds to commemorate the miraculous overthrow of Jericho by the sound of Trumpets of Rams-hornes 2 Cor. 10.4 and for a signe of God remembring them when they were to fight with their enemies Touching the Sabbath of the seven h day from the Creation it was also figurative of the rest comming by Christ unto all true Christian soules and commemorative of Gods resting from all his workes of Creation and therefore is no more to be kept under the N. T. he being now come even Jesus who is the Author of spirituall rest and peace as Joshuah gave rest in Canaan and a greater worke and benefit being now to be commemorated viz. of our redemption and restitution into the state of grace from which we fell by the sinne of Adam Wherefore we are at libertie from keeping that day also yet not so at libertie but that we are tyed to another viz. the Lords Day according to the example and practice of the Apostles and of Christians since because the commandement of keeping the seventh day is morall and perpetuall not Ceremoniall as of other Sabbaths And Heb. 4 4.5 the Apostle proving two rests or Sabbaths at two times one under the Old Testament the other under the new and concluding ves 9. There remaineth therefore a rest unto the people of God plainly intimateth a Sabbath now to be kept even the day wherein Jesus entered into his rest by rising againe from thenceforth never to suffer or travell about to teach and to worke miracles any more and hitherto of dayes Now for other Ceremonies and first of meats from which Gods people were tyed by his precept as namely All uncleane beasts fowles and fishes for so much as this was done in figure it being hereby adnumbrated that there were two sorts of people in the world cleane and uncleane Jewes and Gentiles which should continue thus distinguished till God should be pleased through Christ to breake downe

to have determined all that controversie They did doubtlesse therefore by so doing intimate unto us that it was the will of God in future times when they should be departed hence that the Elders should from time to time be assembled as need required to determine the controversies that should arise in the Church to trouble the peace thereof And this being done if the Decrees should be rejected by any because the Councell was not infallibly guided such assembling were a vaine and frustrate act which to say sith it is Gods way is no lesse then Blasphemy But some haply will say there must bee Heresies in the Church that the approved may be knowne and therefore no Councels should be called but all men permitted to their own opinions there is a day comming when every mans workes shall be tryed and then no erroneous opinion shall stand 1 Cor. 3. but vanish as stubble burneth by the fire before that day it is vaine to attempt it thus sith Christians of all Congregations in the Kingdome are not bound to follow the Decrees of any one Councell whatsoever which may erre as well as they I answer because there must be Heresies it doth not follow that the meanes most effectuall to beat them down should not be used as it doth not follow there must be diseases in the City therefore no Colledge of Physicians is necessary there Though by all the meanes that can be used errours will abide till that day and not all be extirped yet all will not but many will vanish before as they have done by meanes of Generall Councels in former times and many millions who are fluctuating without Decrees of Councels whereby they may know what is to be stood to shall hereby be established for the rest it mattereth not so much seeing they are not of the number of the approved as may now be knowne by their still adhering to their owne errours For how else are the approved knowne in times when there are errours but because so adjudged they are ready to revoke them And lastly as I said before in all right reason that which is most fallible must be regulated by that which is lesse fallible and whereof we may say as the Prophet sometime said O Lord if I be deceived thou hast deceived me And therefore in submitting to such Decrees there is safety but in following private opinions danger For here the Lord is to direct according to his promise and to approve what is decreed and his Spirit is by earnest prayer craved whom he hath promised to give to those that aske him and they that meet and aske are their success●urs who upon praying had visible signes of Gods Spirit comming amongst them all which are strong intimations that a Councell lawfully called and constituted is not so subject to erre as many conceive but so guided as that we may and ought to embrace the Decrees thereof being assured that in so doing God will never call us in question for ever whereas if we be led by private opinions how plausible soever they seeme to be in out shallow braines we must endure his severe examination and sharpe censure therefore And hitherto of this that Christian liberty is not to errour and of the meane whereby the truth may be known from errour that it may be imbraced and all errour rejected Now if any notwithstanding the Decrees aforesaid will still persist in his errour he is not to be tollerated in a Christian Kingdome For after the determination of the Priests and Judges before spoken of he that did contrary was adjudged to dye as doing presumptuously that others might heare and feare and indeed what feare of running with those that erre against such determinations but by corporall punishments Oderunt peccare boni virtutis amore oderunt peccare mals formidine poena It is evidently the cause why errours are so greatly multiplyed in these times every one without controle holdeth what is good in his owne eyes no higher power being feared in so doing as wanting a Sword to punish in such cases For let any man speake unpartially and he cannot but say that men have growne much more audacious to broach their errours since the Government of Bishops as bad as it was went downe then they were under it which verifies the saying That a tyranny is better then an Anarchy There must then be a Sword to punish errour as well as evill doing against the Morall Law which even Heathen Magistrates used the Sword against In the Bishops time there were two Swords one temporall and the other spirituall as they were called but improperly for the onely spirituall Sword is the Word the Discipline but a Rod of which S. Paul saith Shall I come unto you with a rod or in the spirit of meeknesse We are now to desire onely one Sword for punishment both of wickednesse and errour but it must then be drawne against both For as the Magistrate drawes his Sword against injustice because if hee should not his Kingdome could not stand So if a Christian Magistrate drawes not his Sword against errour his Christian Kingdome will be in dangered as ours is at this day but in ascribing to the Magistrate all power to punish we ascribe not power also to judge in divine things as hath bin already shewed lest any should take asserting of the Civill Magistrates government alone to be sufficient in a Christian Kingdome as an intimating of this power in them also the contrary to which the Author thereof doth in the same Tract declare But now to clear yet a little more that point of Ecclesiasticall Government if the Higher Powers will have it as it seemes by their Ordinance they will I have written nothing to oppose them herein but to shew that it may be spared in this Kingdome yet if this Government be set up it would be considered whether it may according to Gods Word consist of ruling Lay Elders in part or not and by those that hold it may whether those Elders should have equall power to censure with preaching Elders For first there is no plaine place of Scripture for them that 1 Timothy 5.17 being manifestly wrested to prove them as tending to nothing else but to shew that preaching Elders who both rule well and labour in the Word are most worthy of all others of double honour because some might think that being imployed in the office of Government wherein some other Preachers were not they needed not to labour so much in preaching to take them off from this and to put them upon assiduons preaching notwithstanding the Apostle gives that commendation to such teachers as both execute the office of ruling well and diminish not their labours in the Word upon this occasion for so we know some of them have done when they were once come into the ruling Office thinking it to be a supersedeas to any great paines taking in preaching for time to come Let ruling Lay Elders be here