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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29925	Vlastēma ex hypsous, or, The best vvisdome propounded to the gentry of Suffolk in a sermon at Ipswich : prepared for the 9th of April, 1660, the day of election of Knights of the shire for the afore-said county, but preached the morning after / by Benjamin Bruning ...	Bruning, Benjamin, 1623?-1688.	1660 (1660)	Wing B5231; ESTC R2801	32,130	63

Lord will do for us by means of your wisdome faithfulness and courage and let me take the boldness to put you in remembrance that ye are now the Stewards of God for us and that it concerns ye as ye love your own Souls so to mannage all your Parliamentary actions as if ye were assured at the instant of the Parliaments dissolution to be summoned by the most High to give an account of your Stewardship The Lord give ye a right understanding of the Times to know what ought to be done in all concernments of Church and State If ye know these things happy shall ye and the Nation be if ye do them Take Hezekiah for an example 2 Chron. 31.21 Who in every work that he began in the service of the House of God and in the Law and in the Commandments to seek his God he did it with all his heart and prospered That it may be thus with you it shall be the Prayer that it will be thus it is the hope Right Worshipful Of Your Humbly Devoted to serve Ye in the Service of Christ Benjamin Bruning ERRATA For Judges in Page 45. line 22. read Indies A SERMON Preached at IPSVVICH Upon occasion of chosing KNIGHTS of the SHIRE for SUFFOLK Jam. 3.17 But the wisdome that is from above is first pure then peaceable THe Text speaks of a thing that is much spoken of in the world I would it were as well known and as much possessed and that 's right Wisdome The Cynick Philosopher walked the Market-place at noon-day with a Candle in his hand and all to seek a wise man wise men were scarce in the judgment of Philosophers who by the rules of Christian wisdome were far enough from being truly wise Tertullian terms them alicujus sapientiae animalia a sort of animals wise in their kind and whilst they professed themselves wise saith St. Paul they became fools Rom. 1.22 Our Apostle James in the 13th verse of this 3d Chapt. he makes a search for a wise man with another manner of Candle in his hand and that among Christians in a time of bright Gospel day-light Who is a wise man and endowed with knowledg among you let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdome Now because true wisdome was so scarce and its counterfeit so common and consequently so hard to convince a man that wants wisdome that he is unwise the Apostle is forced to distinguish between wisedome and wisdome wisdome that is not and wisdome that is from above the wisdome that is not from above is earthly sensual and devillish verse 15th good for nothing but to breed envy strife confusion and every evil work as is intimated verse 16 Oh! how many wise men would there be in the world were it not for a But in the 17th verse concerning another kind of wisdome But the wisdome that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easily to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality without hypocrisie The whole verse you see is a discription of true wisdome by an enumeration of its properties I must stop at the two first first pure then peaceable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wisedome from above that is the thing described There is a wild wisdome as common as the high-way it growes in the hedg-rows of the world but this is only to be found in the Garden of the Lord and it is flos inversus a flower of admirable fragrancy that hath its root in heaven it is from above But what is meant by wisdome from above 't is not needful that I use many words about it the strict definition of wisdome as distinct from prudence giuen by Philosophers and School-men in their Ethical discourses it don't much concern my Text nor shall I trouble you with it and for the various acceptations of wisdome in the Book of God it might be worth your time to hear them had I liberty of time to speak them In this place 't is evident enough that we are not to conceive of wisdome as distinct from prudence but as including yea mainly intending it I may term it A Gift of God that inables men to a right judgment and dictates to them such action as is according to the revealed Will of God God's revealed Will or the Scripture which our Saviour in one of his Quotations calls by the name of Wisdome Luke 11.49 Therefore said the Wisdome of God that is the Scripture this may be tearmed sapientia docens teaching wisdom but then there is the gift or grace of wisdome that rules the judgments and actions of men according to the rule of the word this may be tearmed sapientia utens using or practising wisdome Now this wisdome from above 't is first pure then peaceable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pure peaceable there is the properties of wisdome in the matter of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first then there is the order of them 't is pure 't is peaceble 't is first pure then peaceable Wisdome from above is pure the only account I shall give of this shall be by some instances of rules and principles tending to purity which are the dictates of wisdome from above contrary to the rules and principles of carnal wisdome The first shall be this Divine insti●ution is the only pure rule of religious worship what God commands not in matter of worship he forbids and consequently all uncommanded worship is impure worship and the wisdome that dictates it impure wisdome As the first Commandment concerns the right object of worship so the second the right manner of it which according to known and received rules for understanding the Commandments condemns all manner of corrupt worship under the express mention of one more notorious kind of it namely the worshiping of God before an Idol The Commandment begins thus Thou shalt not make to thy self So much as there is in God's worship of mans device and making so much there is of impurity in it and as there is no Commandment that the appearing wisdome of man is more prone to make bold with than this so the God of Heaven hath taken care to fence it accordingly against abuse Here it is that the Lord represents himself a jealous God jealousie saith Solomon is the rage of a man what is jealousie then in God and jealousie you know will not only be stirr'd by gross uncleanness but by wanton dalliances And because the wisdome of man is so apt to judge its own contrivances in God's worship a fruit of love to him the Lord names it a a hating of him As much as you make of your right eyes none of you can be so tender of them as God is of his own prescriptions in his worship Whilst the Lord in the childhood of his Church prescribed a numerous multitude of Ceremonies for this reason among others as is thought by Divines that they might be the less under temptation to use their own

by renouncing all Magistracy let them be ashamed to urge this parable against his Authority in the vindication of the first table I speak not this as if I thought that Church-government were swallow'd up in the Civil Magistrate I am not for a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Church of God by Gods appointment and ordinance hath its Government proper to it distinct from Civil Government And both of them have their work though different work about Religion And if duly discharged no great fear but peace will flourish That any should commend a full Toleration in Religion upon the account of peace and peacemaking 't is much such a riddle to me as if one should undertake to keep a house from burning by putting fire to it I know unbounded Toleration sub nomine libertatis prophetandi under the goodly name of liberty of prophesie hath been highly commended to the World as a rare expedient for peace This was done by the Remonstrants a sort of men that created sufficient trouble to the Church But they that will read Learned Vedelius de arcanis Arminianismi will find how effectually he deals with Princes and Magistrates to convince them of the destructiveness of such Toleration to the Peace of Church and State whereever it obtains Odia religionum sunt acerbissima 't was ever a truth and will be to the worlds end No hatred to compare with such as is founded in diversities of Religion What woful experience have we had of it as the miserable effect of our late Tolerations We have learn't that not libertas prophetandi according to the Remonstrants but libertas perditionis according to St. Austin is Latine for Toleration 3. Another Dictate of Wisdome from above in order to Peace is this What may be left at liberty without apparent prejudice to purity peace and order that ought to be so left for peace sake Rigorous impositions in these cases are unreasonable severities and if the forbearing of one another in love required in the 4th to the Ephes 2. v. may not take place here I cannot apprehend to what purpose that precept is in our Bible I have already intimated some circumstances necessary to be attended to as natural or civil helps to worship and 't is the duty of the Church as to take care for the observation of Christs Ordinances so to see this done with a due respect to due circumstances 'T is not my intention now to unsay what I have said but to confirm and clear it There are circumstances I say about Gods Worship which are commanded in general by God himself either in Scripture or Nature but pro hìc Nunc are left by him undetermined and committed to humane determination I shall give an instance or two And first for the circumstance of time where by the way I do not at all intend the Lords day or Christian Sabbath that I take to be of another nature but there are circumstances of time that are left to humane determination Such as are in authority by Gods command are to see that his publick worship be observ'd in due season But whether the publick Assemblies shall be at eight or nine or ten of the Clock c. the determination of this is left to the Wisdome of Authority And necessary it is that some time be determined for if all be left at liberty some to take one hour others an other what inevitable confusion would follow upon this Again the Lord hath given a general rule for dayes of Humiliation and Thanksgiving but for the determination of these services to this or that particular day is left to the Wisdome of Authority So for the circumstance of place when God requires his publick worship to be sure it must be in some place now if particular places be not determined by man what order can be expected in Gods Worship But now for such circumstances as may be left at liberty without wrong to Gods Worship and breach of order I humbly conceive 't will more then a little conduce to the peace of the Church if they be so left As for religious Ceremonies that depend meerly upon the arbitrary pleasure and institution of man these are matters of another nature Let us for this present suppose them to be meer indifferencies and thus much was acknowledged long ago by the Church of England in the 34th Article which begins thus It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies be in all places one or utterly like for at all times they have been divers and changed according to the diversity of Countries Times and mens Manners c. The same Article ends thus Every particular or national Church hath authority to ordain change and abolish ceremonies or rites of the Church ordained only by mans authority so that all things be done to edifying By this 't is evident that Ceremonies long ago were lookt upon by the Church of England as meer indifferences that might be chang'd or abolished without sin For governors then that are thus perswaded of them to impose them with rigour upon such as think in conscience they are sinful it seems to me a harshness of carriage ill becoming the meekness of Wisdome But what do you talk of conscience will some say 'T is an easie matter to cover a peevish refractory humour with a pretence of conscience Let them lookt too 't say I that incur such a guilt But for those that are real put case that they be mistaken and that Ceremonies are indifferent things yet if they refuse them whilst in conscience they think them sinful I cannot imagine but their plea will be much better at Christs tribunal then their 's who rigorously impose them whilst they think them indifferent If it be pleaded upon supposition of the indifferency of Ceremonies in themselves that the injunctions of authority take away this indifferency and make the omission of them to become a sin according to this principle there still rests a power in authority to abolish them and withall I hope I may say without presumption it concerns authority to be very cautelous how they make injunctions that may occasion sins which would not be were it not for those injunctions can any be offended with me for this that considereth how manifold the precepts and institutions of Christ are and how much the world groans under the weight of that guilt that is contracted by not observing them And as for peace I cannot imagine that ever the Church got so much by Ceremonies as will pay for the peace it hath lost by them I must confess my self hard to be perswaded that England would have had so much cause to complain of division and seperation that have rent and torn the Church into many pieces had there not been so much ceremoniousness in former times Not that I justifie seperation upon this account as will appear by that that followeth 4. In the fourth place I take this to be another Dictate of Wisdome in

be like Davids upon them that are faithful in the Land one of the great advantages that the Devil hath made of politick and jugling pretences to godliness hath been to render real godliness and godly men odious to the world The Lord give them repentance by whom the offence come and keep you from the woe of them that take the offence Remember it hath been a time of exquisite temptation the ingenuity of a Gentleman and much more the charity of a Christian may well suggest thoughts that some that belong to God and are dear to him have been sadly miscarried in the simplicity of their hearts by others more crafty then themselves shew all possible kindness to such that will consist with Peace and order in Church and State and I am confident to say That the God of heaven will take it kindly at your hands Remember what I have told ye concerning Religion that Magistrates by the Ordinance of God are appointed to the vin●ication and guardian-ship of it Let the concernments of it have the preheminence in your aimes and actions every person among us is made up of soul and body now though the Law of God and Nature obligeth to a care of both yet the excellency of the Soul requires the chief care and what will it advantage a man if he get the whole world and loose his soul Thus is the publick Interest of Nations that own Christianity compounded as it were of soul and body of religious and civil Interests A true publick spirit will have an eye at both but more especially at the Interest of the Gospel and Religion let him go like an Atheist as he is that thinks not this the life and soul of the body politick We may well say What wil it advantage us should we gain the Lordship of both the Judges and have the whole world at our command if we loose the Soul of our Nation the soul of our publick welfare Let it be seen Honoured Patriots that the precious concernments of Religion purity of Doctrine and purity of worship are truly precious in your eyes As for Government in the Church I am as far from presuming punctually to prescribe as such a presumption would be from becoming me thus much I say A tender regard to such a Government in the Church as will most conduce to purity of Doctrine in the encouragement of a learned and faithful Ministry and suppression of Heresie and to purity of worship in the prevention of superstition I could heartily afford to beg it of every Parliament-man upon my bended knees for the Lord's sake And let not second Table purity be left out do justly and love mercy or ye do nothing As for particular cases that may nearly concern the civil state of the Nation the mention of them will be fitter for a Parliament than a Pulpit This only I shall say as ye are intrusted for the whole Nation so it behooveth ye in all good and righteous wayes to take care for the body of it from head to foot how glad a people should we be to see judgment that hath sprung up as hemlock at length to return to righteousness and where ye find the vowes and oaths of God upon the Nation let the world see that ye are men that fear an oath In a word be pure and no great fear but ye will be peaceable did I know that any of ye would so much as offer to dream of Peace in contrary wayes and upon other tearms I should make bold as a messenger of God to say What have ye to do with Peace and to tell ye that my God saith there is no Peace to the wicked Unless the God of Heaven layes aside his pure nature or be shortned in the power of his wrath what Peace can be expected in impure wayes I have already hinted concerning sin that should the Lord leave it to it self and not follow it with any other punishment then what is the genuine off-spring and product of it we should find it as natural for sin to breed disturbance and trouble as for a Dunghill to breed Nettles and Vermine In the times of our late troubles whence came the Wars and strifes of the Nation but from the lusts of men whence came the beginning of latter separations but from former superstitions and whence came the zealous inclinations of many to old superstitions but from the miserable effects of late separations and should God punish us with a Parliament that would cherish these inclinations what could be expected but more separations and thus one extream by a most unhappy antiperistasis would beget another in infinitum And may I take the boldness to speak freely I cannot but tell ye that I find a great deal of liberty taken by some to suspect that this is the time in which we are like to return to our old extremities I hope better things things that accompany moderation and the peace of the Church I am not unsensible that worthy Gentlemen may meet with tempters and temptations enough to court them to a zealous love of Ceremonies by the plausible mention of the Fathers and the ancient Church so far am I from reflecting disparagement upon them that I really account the Histories we have of the ancient Church and the Writings of the Fathers one of the richest treasuries of the Christian World And a rare accomplishment it is not only for a Divine but for a Christian Gentleman to be well studied in them a great deal of excellent Instruction they afford not only in matters of Doctrine and Conversation but likewise concerning the prudent management of Church affairs witness that rare Tractate of Vedelius de prudentiâ veteris Ecclesiae But to take them up as a determining rule in matters of Doctrine or Worship this is plainly to set them as a check-mate to the Bible It is true the Fathers are ignorant of us but could they see us in such an action and speak to us from Heaven they would say as the Angels to John We are your fellow servants why do ye worship us And as I think it unreasonable in them that slight almost every thing in God's Worship that is not new so on the other hand I cannot assent to them that will take up any thing meerly because it is ancient if truth and error be compared I readily grant that truth is the most ancient But who can say that truth is of one whole dayes longer standing in the world than error and doth not St. Paul say of his time the mistery of iniquity doth already work Don't we read of several carriages of divers Churches even in the Apostles time that were far from being apostolical Had the carriage of the Church of Corinth about the Communion been brought to our knowledg any other way but by Scripture and without the rebuke of the Apostle some no doubt would have thought it a great impiety not to have imitated the practise of a Church so