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A35903
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A dialogue between Timothy and Titus about the articles and some of the canons of the Church of England wherein super-conformity is censured and moderation recommended : with a serious perswasive to all the inferiour clergy of that Church / by one that heartily wisheth union amongst Protestants.
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One that heartily wisheth union amongst Protestants.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing D1336; ESTC R734
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65,452
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44
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cannot charge you nor I hope any one else Tim. No I am sure they cannot the People to whom I have Preached now Two Sundays together can bear me Witness I am sound here for I have handled these main Doctrines amongst them though I never knew they were part of the Articles of the Church before Tit. That 's not material to you whether you Preach according to the Articles you have subscribed or not But by the way I observe Tim. you have a Whisking Faculty at handling to handle Three such Points in two half hours or thereabouts Tim. Nay I was not longer yet performed so well that I had as many thankful scrapes as Dr. O. himself for his long interwoven Discourse of late at Tit. 'T is like you might have as many Tongues but I doubt not so many Guineys as he Tim. Guineys what are they Tit. Now I see thou art ignorant of something besides the Articles Guineys they are the great Procurers of Advousons Presentations and Ecclesiastical Preferments their Principal Residence is about the Court and they sometimes help a Church-man at a dead lift when Merits and Friends both fail Tim. I wish I could meet with one of these Courteous Gentlemen I am sure none ever stood in more need of his Assistance Tit. One no less than some hundreds according as the Place may be Thousands will do you any kindness at all Tim. Nay then I despair for having lived Forty years and never met with one 't is more than probable I shall be dead before I procure a Thousand to stand my Friends Tit. It will do you more good to understand the Articles of the Church and practise them for that will make you happier in Forty years more than all the Guineys in England can Therefore push on to the next Article V. The Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son is of one Substance Majesty and Glory with the Father and the Son very and eternal God. Tit. Here I hope you are sound too Tim. Yes truly for the Athanasian Creed teacheth me thus much touching the Holy Ghost which Creed I have often Repeated and do most stedfastly believe Tit. I wish all that have subscribed this Article could say as much But let us have the Sixth Article VI. Tim. Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to Salvation so that what soever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an Article of the Faith or be thought requisite or necessary to Salvation In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church Tit. As to this I hope you are perfectly Orthodox Tim. So perfectly that I wish all but the Canonical Books of Scripture had been left out of our Calendar for since our Church here Affirms that these Contain all things necessary to Salvation and consequently are sufficient for Example of Life and instruction of Manners I think we might have made a pretty good shift with these especially on Sundays without Tobias Bell and the Dragon with the use of the Apocraphites Tit. And I Assure you if our Calendar were to suffer a new impression and I were the Corrector I should not boggle much to gratifie you in this Opinion Tim. I thank you for your good will but since it is not in my power nor yours to amend it we must be content and make as much use of the former and as little of the latter as possibly we may Tit. Very good I wish we agree in the next as well as we do in this Article VII The Old Testament is not Contrary to the New for both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ who is the only Mediator between God and Man being both God and Man. Wherefore they are not to be heard which feign that the old Fathers did look only for transitory promises Although the Law given from God by Moses as touching Ceremonies and Rites do not bind Christian men nor the civil Precepts thereof ought of necessity to be received in any Common-Wealth Yet notwithstanding no Christian man whatsoever is free from the obedience of the Commandments which are called Moral Tit. This Article hath a great Deal in it Tim. Where lies it I don't perceive it Tit. No Why it Requires of every Christian Man Obedience to all the Commands called Moral now how do you Comport with it in your Practice Tim. I own it Obedience is Due to all the Commands that are Moral Tit. Why is there any that is not Moral Tim. Yes I think so Tit. Which is that Tim. The Fourth Tit. Why so Tim. Why the Article Termes it so Tit. I can't tell I don't believe it Tim. Nor a great many besides you who have subscribed this Article yet deny the sence of it Tit. I must be plain In troth I hold it no more moral than All Saints or the Fifth of November Why doth the Church require all her Members when this Command is read to say Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this Law c. Tit. I thought somewhat was the matter you make so slight of it that you can share one half of it Weekly to your own use and Service Tim. And I hope no Offence Tit. And as you give your People leave in the Afternoon so many of them took leave for the Forenoon and thus you share the whole betwixt you leaving the rest to God Almighty Yet no Offence I hope Tim. If it be Morral why is it not perpetuall without Alteration Tit. 'T is the shameful Prophanation of this Day by you and such as have Sucked in your Principles that hath Ushered in so much Irreligion amongst us and helped to pull down such severe Judgments upon us But hoping being better informed you will become reformed hear me a little as to this point Tim. When you have said all you can you can never prove it Morral and perpetual Tit. You have owned't is so by your Subscription of this Article and will you now question it Tit. Yes I do for I knew not there was any such Article amongst them if I had known it I Tim. Nay never Repent you have done it for you have no cause if you understood as you ought Tim. Understand what Tit. Tâ—ht the Morality of this Fourth Command lies not in observing the Seventh day from the Creation for the Fourth Commandment doth not require to use and sanctifie the Seventh Day from the Creation nor from any other Period or Date of time but only the Seventh Day after Six of Labour or coming between Six of Labour in a settled Course of Numbring from any Period that God should appoint and so in the Meaning of that Commandment we do now and ever must use the Seventh Day For the Seventh is that part
for himself yea even the wicked for the Prov. 16.4 day of wrath Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one Rom. 9.21 vessel unto honour another unto dishonour was ever any thing more fully and plainly said in holy writ than this part of our Article Tim. I think not or can be Tit. These portions of Scripture to which more might be added were it needfull doe not barely assert a Predestination of some and not of others but assign also all the causes of such Predestination as 1. The Cause efficient to be the everlasting purpose of God. 2. The Cause formal Gods infinite goodness mercy and free grace 3. The Cause material the blood of Christ 4. The Cause final or end why both God the Father hath loved and Christ for his Elect hath suffered is the glory of God and the salvation of men so that I cannot see how any man who is at enmity with this Article can hold any good friendship with these Texts of Scripture or with those that arise to prove the next point which is this 6. They who are Elected unto salvation if they come unto years of discretion are called both outwardly by the word and inwardly by the spirit of God. These things are most evident and clear in the Scriptures where is set down both the calling of the Predestinate their obedience to the word being called their adoption by the Spirit to be the chidren of God and their holiness of life and conversation whom he did Predestinate them he also Rom. 8.30 Gal. 1.15 1 Thess 2.12 2 Tim. 1. 9. Eph. 1. 13. called God separated me from my mothers womb Called me by his grace Walk worthy of God who hath Called you to his Kingdom and glory He hath saved us and called us with an holy calling according to his own purpose and grace c. In whom also ye trusted after ye heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation Ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father the same spirit bearing witness Rom. 8.15 16. with your spirits that we are the children of God. And for their being chosen and called to holiness of life and good works the Apostle plainly enough asserts saying we are his Eph. 2. 10. workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath ordained that we should walk in them And the Grace of God hath appeared c. teaching us that denying Tit. 2. 11. 12. ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and Godly in this present world yea saith the next Proposition 7. The Predestinate are both justified by faith sanctified by the Spirit and shall be glorified in the life to come All these blessed effects of Predestination doth the Scripture fully assert for know saith the Apostle a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ Moreover whom he predestinated c. them he also glorified If children then heirs heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ And as we Gal. 2. 16. have born the image of the earthly so shall we bear the image of the heavenly Now are not all these consequents of Predestination viz. Justification Sanctification and Glorification Rom. 8. 30. v. 17. 1 Cor. 15. 49. fully enough expressed in these Texts Tim. Very fully in my opinion Tit. Therefore very well doth our Church say in the next part of this Article That 8. The consideration of Prodestination is to the godly most comfortable but to curious and carnal persons very dangerous To the former the Meditation of it must needs be exceeding sweet pleasant and comfortable because it greatly confirms their faith in Christ and encreases their love towards God. I account the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us If God be for us who Rom. 8. 18. v. 31 32 33 34. can be against us He that spared not his own Son how shall he not with him freely give us all things Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth ye are sealed with the holy spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory And again grieve not the holy Spirit whereby ye are sealed unto the Eph. 1. 13 14. day of Redemption Here is a deep and large Well of Consolation to the godly yet not affording the lest drop to carnal and wicked men Eph. 4. 30. Tim. But doth not this Doctrine lead towards Desperation Tit. by no means for no man either from the word of God or this Article of ouâ— Church can gather that he is a vessel of wrath fitted for destruction but contrariwise by many and great arguments may perswade himself that God wills not his destruction as by the next proposition plainly appears viz. 9. That the general promises of God set forth in holy Scripture are to be embraced of us such are Come unto me all ye that travel and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Math. 11. 38. 39. Joh. 3. 16. 17. 1 Tim. 2. 4. God gave his onely beloved Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish c. Who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth These and many more such general Promiseâ— of grace and favour to mankind are heartily to be embraced of us as encouragements to faith repentance and an holy life So that whoever embraceth these promises and as our Church in the close of this Article saith 10. Will in his actions be directed by the revealed will of God hath no ground to despaire or to exclude himself out of the number of Gods Predestinate or chosen ones Thus you see the drift of this Article comprehending most fully and clearly that great doctrine of Predestination with all its coherent doctrines which is so much cryed down in our day and which is the wonder and shame of all by some sons of our Church who have subscribed it Tim. I must confess I have been one of those led by the example of the greater ones rather than by the depth of my own knowledge But surely these men have something to say for themselves is not our Church single in this point Tit. Admit she were yet there are two weighty reasons why they should not desert or oppose her in this First Because she hath the Scripture on her side And Secondly Because they have listed themselves her faithfull votaries by subscription Tim. That is true these are plaguy strong tyes Tit. But withall I say she is not single in this point for the Churches in Helvetia Basil and France believe and hold the same as their publick confessions bear witness yea all the reformed Church Tim. Who then are the enemies