Selected quad for the lemma: world_n
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A34207
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A guide to the true religion, or, A discourse directing to make a wise choice of that religion men venture their salvation upon seasonable for these times wherein there are such diversities of opinions and wayes of religion : to inform the ignorant, to resolve the wavering, and to confirm the weak / by I.C., M.A. of T.C.C.
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I. C., M.A. of T.C.C.
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1669
(1669)
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Wing C57; ESTC R5667
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45,610
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112
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Entertain it not in the notion only but let it be so digested that you feel your sin and misery at your heart and dare not to continue a day longer without reconciling and pardoning mercy and renewing and sanctifying grace lest you perish that you despair of any creatures help and feel your selves eternally undone if the God of Heaven help not 3 Concerning Jesus Christ our Redeemer That the Lord Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God coessential and coeternal with his Father upon the appointment and designation of his Father voluntarily undertook the office of a Saviour and Redeemer to Mankinde being made Man took on him our sins and the curse of the Law and giving himself up a Sacrifice and an offering to God for us purchased by his death all things conducing to grace and glory and having by his own power arisen from the dead and ascended into heaven he is become an alsufficient Saviour and will effectually confer pardon grace and Salvation on all those who shal truly believe in him And that there is no other name under Heaven to be saved by but by the name of Jesus Christ This is a great and necessary Doctrine of Salvation so clearly held forth in Scripture that it 's beyond controversie 1 Tim. 3.16 Let this Catholick verity be received not in the Nation only but dwel in your hearts that you may see the infinite worth and excellency of Jesus Christ prize him as the only Savior close with him on all those glorious accounts and end she was sent upon by the Father and yield up your selves to be saved by him in his own way and upon his own Terms 4 Concerning the application of Redemption That our Redeemer the Lord Josus Christ having all power in Heaven Earth given to him hath made a new Law or Covenant of grace caused it to be proclaimed to the world wherein he promises pardon and Salvation to all that shal sincerely accept and own him for their Saviour and Lord Redeemer and tâ—uly repenting of their sins shall rest on his death and merits alone for life love him above all things and sincerely obey his Gospel Laws and Commundments shal persevere in these duties to the end And after he shal have sent his holy Spirit to work Faith and conversion in his Elect He will certainly come again from Heaven in the glory of his Father with his mighty Angels and by his mighty power shal raise the dead and convene all both Quick dead before his Judgment Seat and then such as did truly repent them of their sins and sincerely believed in his Name and obeyed his Gospel he will adjudge to Eternal glory and happinesse with himself and his Father and the holy Angels but unbelievers and impenitent persons to eternal torments in Hell with the Devil and his Angels This is an unquestionable Article of the Christian Faith expresly delivered in the holy Scriptures and imbraced by the Catholick Church Let this truth be received not notionally but heartily Let it influence your hearts and lives so as you sincerely obey the Gospel and live in the dayly expectation of the coming of the Lord and give deligence to be found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse I shal add no other Doctrinal verities besides these fundamental Articles They are the very substance of the Christian Creed imbraced by the Church in all ages and places 2. For those Practical Duties in which all true Christians are agreed for as there are in points of Faith fundamental Articles so there are in the point of practice fundamental Duties Now these are either 1 Those Moral duties of the Law or Ten Commandements promulgated on Mount Sinai and written by the finger of God in two Tables of stone which Christians are obliged to observe as well as the Jews though the Ceremonial Law which was altogether typical and shadowed good things to come be abolished Yea wee are bound to keep it in a more strict and spiritual manner then the Jews did interpret it formerly as appears by Christs Sermon Mat 5. This contains all duties of piety toward God immediatly required in the first Table viz. to take and accept the God of Heaven that made us and gave us Life and breath and beeing for our God alone to know and acknowledge him to fear love and trust in him and seek his glory to give him that external worship he requires in his Word publick private and secret as invocation of his Holy Name by prayers and praises hearing and reading meditating and conferring on his Word receiving his Sacraments sanctifying his Sabbaths Doing all this in an Holy reverent manner so as Gods name may be sanctifyed by us in his ordinances as also in our ordinary communications and conversations It likewise contains all Duties of righteousness and charity towards Man required in the second Table viz. The preserving as well as not injuring of the honour and authority of the life and chastity of our neighbour in thought word and deed as also his estate good name c. And loving him even as we love our selves doing good unto all c. These are general Duties all Christians are agreed in Make Conscience to practise these 2 Those Evangelical Duties or Commandements of the Gospel For besides these Moral Duties of the Law which the Gospel doth inforce also by renewed and more indearing arguments there are peculiar duties required by the Gospel as True repentance for every sin and transgression of Gods righteous and holy commands for the Law gives no place to Repentance but threatens death for every offence Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for pardon through his blood and Salvation through his merits Fervent love to God and the Redeemer who loved us and gave himself for us who hath washed us in his blood made us Kings and Priests to God and his Father Sincere indeavours to promote his glory upon the new obligation of Redemption and living to him as his peculiar People being not our own but his bought with a price Love to all the Saints and Members of Christ and communion with them as we have opportunity on account of that near union in Christ which should make us bear with smaller differences that do not violat the bond of union whilst they hold of Christ the head and are of the same body c. These are confessed duties all Christians are agreed in Practise them Conscionably The Apostle gives us the sum of all these together Tit. 2.11 12. The grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world This then is the Counsel I would give to such as are resolved to be Christians but are stumbled at the variety of opinions and perswasions amongst the professors of Christianity that they know not what to believe or what to practis That they would believe
where would it be found in the whole World seeing there 's no Church on Earth but hath some corruptions 6. Let it be considered how unchristian it is to depart from the solemn Ordinances of Gods worship in those Churches where the presence of Christ is yet continued in them have you any warrant to leave them before Christ leave them when God was greatly provoked by the Jewish Church so as he was about to remove from his Sanctuary and stood at the Threshold ready to leave them we finde many godly ones mourning for the abominations of the times but none hastening to depart from that Church before the Lord departed Now can you deny the presence of the Lord in the Assemblies of the Church of England wherein as before was shewed the essentials of Faith and Worship be preserved if God should be as unmerciful as man is uncharitable then wo to all the Churches of Christ throgh the World nay wo to your selves But I question not but there are thousands can seaâ— to the presence of Christ in the Congregations of England at this day as well as in former times wherein the same Corruptions at which so much offence is taken now were urged to plead for a separation then Let such as cry out so much of Popery in others beware of that miserable Popish error they restrain the Church and the priviledges thereof the presence of Christ and Salvation c. to their own Sect and Party and in the mean time casting off the far greater part of the Catholick Church that maintain all the Essentials of Faith and Worship 7. I might enumerate the many great mischiefs that follow upon such unwarrantable Separation It plainly tends to the dishonor of Christ and the reproach of the Christian Religion so the hinderance of the success of the Gospel and the Salvation of Souls so overthrow the Worship of God and to open a Gap to Atheism and prophaness to Heresie and Popery c yea to the utter ruine of the Christian Church Mat. 12.25 But it may seem needless to spend more words in so clear a case nor should I have said thus much had not I been compelled thereto by the uncatholick nay I confidently call it unchristian practice of many well meaning people through their too great prejudice in other Temptations who do totally withdraw themselves from the publick Congregations in England and the true Worship of God therein 2. Having given my advice to hold Communion with the Churches of England in the True Worship of God notwithstanding the corruptions supposed to be therein I do next advise on the other hand not to communicate with her nor with any Church in the World in any evil but if any thing professed or practised therein be found really sinfull which may be supposed of any Church upon Earth in that thing to withdraw and have no fellowship in it to keep your selves pure from the same yea I shal add further if there be any thing that shall but appear sinful to thee thy Conscience after humble and diligent searching of the Word telling thee this is sin then to suspend thy consent or practice in that particular till it appear otherwise to thee I would be here so far from urging any to do that act that a truly tender Conscience upon probable grounds may scruple as sinful that I would rather perswade such to suspend their acting therein till they be better convinced of the lawfulnesse of it * Sanders de Juram p. 84. The dictate of Conscience whether right or erroneous ever bindeth not to act against it and supposing it be a thing not in its own nature necessary but among things disputable and tolerable I would rather become an humble Suitor to Authority could my intercession any whit avail herein for Indulgence in such a case then to be a violent inforcer of any by Terrours or Punishments of the Law to go against their Consciences to please men 3. Yet because Conscience may be deluded and my call that sinfull which is lawful and a duty and so induce men to withdraw in such Acts of Communion as neither the Law of God nor men will allow them to withdraw from for possibly the Devil may get into the Consciences of men and delude them And the Conscience may tell one he must separate from Baptism because Infant-Baptism is Anti-Christian Another he must withdraw from the Lords Supper because of mixt Communion therein A third from the hearing of the Word because the call of Ministers is Anti-Christian A fourth he must cast off Sabbaths yea Scriptures and all Gospel Ordinances because abolished All this we have too sad experience of in our times Let therefore every good Câ—â—istian labour for a due information of his Conscience in such points as he Scruples Communion in and not think his bare plea of Conscience wil warrant his total neglect of any duty Though his suspending his own actings till he may satisfie Conscience about them may be granted yet possibly a total neglect in some things will not be granted Impune by the Law of God or man * An erring Conscience cannot discharge any from a duty being not a Law-maker but subject to the Law Parisiens Now here it may be expected I should offer my help toward the satisfying Conscience in such Scruples as commonly do occurr this day to those that withdraw in whole or in part from the Communion of the Church of England in its present State and Administrations But to do this fully would too much disproportion this part of my discourse to the other parts aforegoing I rather chuse to send them to those Treatises of such eminent Non-Conformists as have written fully on this subject-especially to Mr. W Bradshaw's Book of the unreasonableness of separation prefaced to published by Dr. Ames and to Mr. Jo. Ball his tryal of the grounds tending to separation * only recommending a few general Rules which being observed may be useful in order thereunto and so conclude my Discourse * The Reader is Advertised that there is Published in Print an Aswer to that part of Mr. Ball 's Book which is a Discourse of the lawfulness of a stinted Liturgy and set forms of Prayer under the name of Mr. Jo. Cotton The Answer is highly valued by some but by comparing the Discourse and the Answer together it may be seen that great injury is done to Mr. Ball and to Mr. Cotton both and also that the Reader is grosly abused by it for it is not that Discourse Printed at Cambridge 1640. which is therein answered but probably some imperfect Notes before that was published which is evident not only because the number and order of the Arguments answered do differ from those laid down in that Discourse But especially because the principal things given in answer by Mr. Cotton are so fully spoken to by Mr. Ball herein by way of reply to Johnson Greenwood and others that formerly objected the same