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A41561
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Some observations upon the keeping the thirtieth of January, and twenty ninth of May by J.G.G.
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Gailhard, J. (Jean)
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1694
(1694)
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Wing G129; ESTC R17606
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41,903
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64
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is Sin The Conscience of Man though it be deceived and Erroneous yet hath a binding Power and it is a matter of great Danger for any one to go against it all Men must seek to inform their Conscience aright by the Word of God which is the only true Rule to guide our Conscience by Let every Man be fully perswaded in his own mind Rom. 14.5 But though it be a Sin for a Man not to seek to have his Conscience rightly informed by the Word of God yet in him 't is a double Sin to do any thing against his Conscience If therefore thou seest a Man who is otherwise Conscionable in all his ways fearful to do that which thou knowest and art fully perswaded he may lawfully and ought to do pity him inform him instruct him and with Arguments and in a meek way labour to bring him out of his Errors but Scorn Hurt and Condemn him not The Second Ground is The one is able to use and do lawfully the thing he knows to be lawful and take no hurt by it The other though he knows the thing to be lawful thorough his weakness findeth he is not able to use it but shall receive hurt by it All things saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 6.12 are lawful for me but I will not be brought under the Power of any And certainly this is the thing that restraineth many a good Man from the use of several Recreations which he doth not doubt to be lawful in themselves because he finds his own Weakness to be such as he cannot use them without receiving much hurt thereby And this should restrain many more from them if they had care of their own Souls as they ought to have This Tenderness of Conscience which some sort of People want they condemn it in those who have it and call it Trifles Peevishness and Niceties but if they be grounded in the World they are Truths of God though some Truths be comparatively greater than others as our Saviour saith yet is not any one Truth of God to be accounted small of little or no Moment even of those Points of the Law which he calls but Gnats in comparison of others Our Saviour saith Matt. 23.24 These ought ye to have done Matt. 23.23 and not to leave the other undone They are all great things that God hath written and revealed in his Holy Word all the Truths uttered by the Apostles on the day of Pentecost are called the great Things Acts 2.11 or the Wonderful Works of God yea the least Truth of God that he hath revealed in his Holy Word is to be esteemed of greater Moment than Heaven and Earth Luke 16.17 It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass than that one tittle of the Law should fail 'T is every ones Duty to seek after the Truth and to stick to and not depart from it when 't is found He who like David Psal 119.128 doth not hate every false way every Error in Matters of Religion Errors about the smallest as well as the greatest thing and doth not value that which God hath taught in his Word he hath not that Esteem of God's Word as he ought to have As a Man can make himself Abominable to God with the least Sin such as eating the least forbidden thing as a creeping thing Levit. 11.43 as it was under the Law so a Man doth by willingly receiving the least Error or willingly forsaking the least known Truth See how earnest the Apostle is in disswading from receiving an Error which of all Errors they could receive seemed the least Dangerous 2 Thess 2.1 2 3. as about the day of Christ's being at hand To receive any thing as Divine Truth which God hath not taught us though it carries never so good a shew of Piety and Devotion is certainly a very dangerous thing else the Apostle would not have been in this case so earnest as he is in that instanced already out of the second of Galatians about eating and drinking with Gentiles we see how steady is St. Paul that he would give no place by subjection no not for an hour Ver. 5. If some Politicians had then been to confer with him they would have said alas Paul why art thou so Obstinate and Peevish in such a Trifle 1 Cor. 7.19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing as thou hast taught But he gives this reason why he was so resolute in opposing an Error of that Nature That the Truth of the Gospel might continue with you These things being thus made out is it not a sad thing That we have amongst us Men that were and now if they could would as much as ever be pressing for the Execution of those Laws whereby they may trouble any of their Brethren And as David saith Psal 35.20 They devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the Land They are glad when they have the least colour of Law to justifie any of their unwarrantable Practices against those who dissent from them but they do not regard good Laws for the Glory of God as those we have for the due Observation of the Sabbath and against Swearing Drunkenness and Uncleanness c. these they look upon as not worth being taken notice of by them That sort of Men far from advising and promoting a necessary Reformation of Abuses in Religion according to the Word of God the only Rule for such things though 't was their Duty they hindred and opposed it and persecuted them that were for it slandering them with the names of Fanaticks Schismaticks Obstinate Factious And not satisfied with this meerly for Non-conformity which is properly upon the account of Conscience and Religion they deprived Ministers not only of the publick Exercise of their Office but also of doing it in private as in the Capacity of Chaplains School-masters Tutors and when they met in private to serve God though they prayed for the Government they were Fined turned into Prison where some died and many more things of that nature were acted whilst Papists our common Enemies who by these means were since in a fair way to have ruined us all enjoyed Peace and might hear Mass without Disturbance except some times for a shew I am not so much out of Charity with all those who had an hand in the Persecution at that time carried on as to believe but that some were not so acted by an inconsiderate Zeal but that they knew better than they seemed to do it did not consist with the Lights they had to approve of every thing they did or saw done the former Principles of some of them were too much contrary to their then present Practices but that sometimes they must needs have had Checks of Conscience And now there are some alive who once were against offering Violence about Matters of Ceremonies who if God had not by an Act of Indulgence and Liberty provided against it
Stamp Sometimes God may happen to say to those who are so fond of those Will-worship Ceremonies who hath required this at your hands Isaiah 1.12 And to uphold this Practice they must pull it over Head and Shoulders out of the Text of the Epistle to the Philippians 6.2 10. I do not so much wonder that Papists who seldom make use of Scriptures but to wrest them would make use of the place But for Protestants who pretend and ought to know better I admire they would make use of it It is plain the Text is not literally to be understood or else Men should bow at the Name of Jesus Son of Nun or of the Son of Sirach or of Jesus called Justus then 't is said the Knee not the Head Then there is no Knees in Heaven nor none that can bow under the Earth 'T is there spoken of an Honour due to the Divinity Person Attributes and Works especially as he is our Redeemer and Saviour which is signified by the name of Jesus and if we must kneel or bow when we hear that name the like must be done when we see it written The Apostle doth not mean the Letters of the name but a most humble Submission and Obedience with a giving Praise and Glory to the Person and Commands of the Lord Jesus As to kneeling at the Sacrament I know there must be a Posture that of the time of Institution or as near it as may be must be used several Protestant Churches have different Postures when they receive it and a Care ought to be had of avoiding Superstition and keeping as far as we can from Appearances of Idolatry I confess I would not for all the World if ever beyond Seas where Papists are in a full Liberty and where Protestants receive it not on their Knees I say I would not because my Conscience would not give me leave receive it kneeling which is a Posture of Adoration for fear it were thought I partake of their Idolatry in worshipping a piece of Bread for the true natural Body now sitting at the Right Hand of the Father which thing I abhor more than Death it self But here though with a safe and even Conscience I could receive it kneeling yet may be another could not Must my Will and Practice be the Rule of another Man's Will and Practice Every one is bound to seek for the best Information he can have but when all is done every ones Conscience must be the Judge of what he doth in indifferent things that is which are neithe commanded nor forbidden in the Word of God And the true Christian Prudence is to leave such things at liberty and administer it to those sitting or standing who make scruple to receive it kneeling for 't is no Rule of Charity or Christianity for the sake of Uniformity to break Unity and the Bond of Peace And Ministers ought to have a great care not to become Instruments of Damnation to any for they who receive kneeling Rom. 14.23 and doubting as St. Paul saith are Damned Such Practices must be left for the Wicked Communion of Rome which with Fears Threatnings Sword Fire and every violent way forces People to do things contrary to their Conscience as of late in an high degree it was practised in a Neighbouring Nation and for what they did they gave this reason We know they must be Damned and as good they should be so within our Church as out of it Let them come in and believe what they please Indeed a great Evil there is amongst us That the Posture of receiving the Holy Sacrament an Ordnance of God to Seal the Pardon of our Sins and strengthen our Faith is made use of for a Trial of those who are qualified for Worldly Employments to turn it to Temporal Ends is an unaccountable Prophaneness of that Holy Institution And though without such a by Consideration I could receive it kneeling I declare if I should receive in that manner upon the account of such a Trial I could not avoid believing I had eaten and drank my Damnation All foresaid Lets and Hindrances being laid aside and a Blessed Reformation of all Abuses set a-foot and by every one in their several Stations carried on then upon good Grounds we might hope for Peace grounded upon Truth and for an Happy Success especially if in our different Capacities we would propose to our selves the Glory of God the Salvation of Souls and the Good and Advantage of Church and Country The good Laws we have to encourage Piety and Virtue and to discountenance and punish Ungodliness Vice and every unjust and sinful Practise being renewed put in execution and if any thing therein wanting supplied with new ones good Instructions good Examples good Rules in Families and Care taken by Parents and Masters to see them well observed this would take away Evil and Cursed things from amongst us The Prudence of Officers in Church and State should remedy old Inconveniencies and as much as 't is possible endeavour to prevent new ones Amongst the old ones I shall name a very palpable one which concerns both Church and State and hath been and is every day cause of Grievance and great Inconveniencies and as much as any Destructive of common Society 't is Clandestine Marriages stealing and trappanning young People into Marriages without Advice or Consent of Friends which as yet the Wisdom of our Law-givers hath found no effectual Course to prevent though daily Complaints have at several times put them upon consulting about it He who steals my Goods shall be Hang'd and he who steals my Child shall go Free And if once they be Married according to the Practice of the Church though by reason of young Age and other Considerations unable to bind themselves with such a Tie What is in part or chiefly the cause of this is the Abuse of selling Bonds of Matrimony the Dishonesty and Covetousness of a Minister to get some few Guinea's And Privileged Places by Law or Custom whereof there are too many in and about the City there People are Married in Secret let the Disparity Inconveniency Tricks and Cheats be never so great so visible or so many which to prevent it requires the Prudence Study and Authority of both Civil and Ecclesiastical Powers FINIS