Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	according_a	church_n	word_n	2,212	5	4.2793	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25208	A faithful rebuke to a false report lately dispersed in a letter to a friend in the country Concerning certain differences in doctrinals, between some dissenting ministers in London.	Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.	1697 (1697)	Wing A2910; ESTC R215794	39,818	63

Meaning against its Will The Purer Primitive Times were wisely concerned for the preserving the Truth that they decreed in the Sixth General Council that it should not be lawful to introduce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any unusual way of speaking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any new invented Terms upon great Penalties and a modest regard to this Canon had prevented a world of Miscief and all this Blunder and Confusion which 〈◊〉 arbitrary Terms have produced among 〈◊〉 § 6. I will shut up this Head of Discourse with this modest Proposal Let this Matter be thus worded That Christ in his suffering and dying was considered by God and placed himself in the place and stead of all the Elect so that he made Satisfaction to the Divine Iustice for all their Sins the Benefits and Advantages whereof every individual Person shall partake of in that Order and Method and upon those Terms which the Wise and Holy God has prescribed in the Gospel Which Proposition you and I and all sober Persons in the City and Country would readily subscribe and leave these Gentlemen who it seems are at leisure to invent new Controversies to their own imperious Humours II. The Reporter has miserably imposed upon you in Matter of Fact nor has he shewn that due Regard to Truth which he and all of us owe to so great a Soveraign A few Instances I will give you that you may be convinced how little Reason you have to take him or his Narrative upon their bare Words 1. One Specimen of his Honesty you shall meet with at the Entrance of his Paper and its ominous to stumble at the Threshold lest he should break the Neck of his whole Discourse And thus in a pompous Stile he breaks into the Business After sundry Attempts made by the industrious Pacificators an Instrument was pitcht upon which gave Satisfaction to the most Learned of both Parties This Paper was sent by Six or Seven of the biggest Name among them who do or at least have gone under the Denomination of Presbyterians unto some Congregational Brethren and gladly embraced by them Now Sir do you not judge that this Instrument which gave such Satisfaction to and was so gladly imbraced by the Congregational Men had redintegrated the violated Union had reclaimed them who had deserted their former Station that all Distances were wholly removed and Jealousies and Suspicions of Socinianism on the one side and Antinomianism on the other were cured and that a Coalition between the Two Parties had hereupon ensued that they were all now got together again at Little St. Hellens I assure you Sir not one Word of this was true and that you shall truly learn from these Particulars 1. Whereas he affirms This gave Satisfaction to the most Learned of each Party what does he then think of Mr. Tho. Cole and Mr. Nath. Mather are not these to be reckon'd in the Number of the most Learned of that Party These great Persons will hardly return him Thanks for expunging them the Catalogue unless they judge him no competent Judge of their Learning 2. Whereas he tells us that it gave Satisfaction to the most Learned of each Party it appears it gave no Satisfaction at all For they of the Congregational Interest never intended to receive such Satisfaction as to return to a Re-union and this was openly avowed by one of that Number who was not of the least Name nor made the smallest Figure amongst them That they never designed to enter into an Union with the Presbyterians and of this I can produce incontestible Proof this Rational Jealousy was the Reason why Mr. G. Hammond refused his Hand to that Paper yet declaring if the Reporter says true he would gladly have done it if it might be a mean to restore Union which he had just Grounds to believe it never would and therefore refused The Truth is it was known from first to last through the whole Transaction of that Affair that this Expedient would never Retrieve the Union only if they could get any Advantage by it to put a Slur upon Mr. D. Williams this they would gladly embrace and then let the Union shift for it self 3. But will you see with your own Eyes how these Gentlemen were satisfied and how gladly they embraced the first Paper Thus it was After all the Pains taken after much Attendance great Courting of and Waiting upon them they obtained this Little this No●hing or Nothing to the Purpose of Re-union They are glad to find so good an Agreement amongst us as this Paper doth express No doubt a little is better than nothing and so much Agreement as this comes to is better than going to Logerheads But are there any Expressions that intimate they are satisfied upon the Terms of this Paper to unite do they express any embracing of Communion with one another 2. I come now to a Second Instance of the Reporters regard to Truth where you will easily observe how by a wretched Synecdoche he has given you a part for the whole of a just Narrative This is called the Politicks of the Pismire which nibbles off the Grain at both Ends that it may never grow but come to nothing Or rather this Report is framed according to the Law of a Good Heroick Poem which our Criticks tell us must always commence at the middle of the Story This is the Method of our Reporter who enters upon his Report about the Middle of his Matter and therefore expect a pure Poetical Fiction He begins with the Mention of Pacification I think he should have informed his Country Friend That there was once an Union that this Union was broken and then who they were that made the Breach and upon what Grounds and how the Breach was pieced up again and then how it was without any visible Reason broken again and then he might seasonably have enter'd upon the Story of his so celebrated Attempts for Pacification Now Sir to supply the Deficiency of his Story I 'll give you a full and faithful Account of the whole wherein I shall inform you of nothing but what you know already § 1. In the Year 1691. After many Meetings of Ministers of both Persuasions after frequent Applications to the Throne of Grace certain Heads of Agrement were drawn up and assented to by about Eighty Ministers in and about the City of London and by some others in a little time This Agreement was solemnly transacted and seriously concluded with this Protestation As we Assent to the forementioned Heads of Agreement so we Unanimously Resolve as the Lord shall enable us to Practise according to them Amongst those Heads assented to the Eighth contains the Test and Standard of Orthodoxy and speaks thus As to what appertains to Soundness of Iudgment in Matters of Faith we esteem it sufficient that a Church acknowledge the Scriptures to be the Word of God the Perfect and only Rule of Faith and Practice and own either the Doctrinal Part

of those commonly called the Articles of the Church of England or the Confession or Catechisms shorter or larger compiled by the Assembly at Westminster or the Confession agreed on at the Savoy to be agreeable to the said Rule This Agreement was the Honour and Strength of the Dissenters and in the Practice of which they made the greatest Figure in the Eyes of all wise Men They became the Rejoycing of their Friends the Envy of their Enemies to whom they had formerly been a Scorn In the Practice of this Union they walked together ●eaceably holding Communion in Prayer Preaching ●he Word and Sacraments mutually strengthning the Hands of each other consulting counselling and advi●ng and assisting one another and one of the great ●lessings of this Union was that they contributed to the Relief of their poorer Brethren in the Country supporting and encouraging them in the Work of the Lord. § 2. But a little before this 1690 a new Impression of Dr. Crisp's Works with an Addition of some Sermons came into the World which was judged by some to contain divers strange Doctrines ether evidently Erroneous or of dubious Construction creating a suspicion in some tender Minds lest some Doctrines were openly vouched or secretly couched in them which might disturb the Harmony of the Confession they had signed and without great Care and Caution might weaken if not dissolve the Union § 3. This awaken'd some of the more Zealous among the United Brethren to consider of some proper Expedient to obviate the growth of those Errors Amongst and before the rest Mr. Williams a Brother of the Union composed a Book stiled Gospel Truth Stated and Vindicated wherein some of Dr. Crisp ' s Errors are considered c. A Book to say no more ingeniously Penned exactly Methodized the Truths and Errors fairly Stated and for ought I can see piously designed To this Book upon its first Edition several Ministers gave their Judgment thus far That he had in all that was material fully and rightly stated the Truths and Errors c. and in 〈◊〉 second Edition many more gave their Iudgment of it in th● same Words § 4. But now Sir as if Aeolus had opened all the Treasures of his blustring Winds or a Flood-Gate had been drawn up to let in the Sea upon us such a Storm of Passion such Indignation against the Author and his Book broke out as had almost overset the United Brethren with their Union if Providence had not timously interposed by a powerful Word Peace be Still For upon the 17th of October 1692. a Paper wa● brought in to the Brethren at Dr. Annesly's Meeting● House importing a heavy and high Charge against th● ●uthor and his Work subscribed by Six Brethren Is●ancy Geo. Griffith Tho. Cole Nath. Mather Rich. Tay● Rob. Trayle Accusing him amongst other things fall in with the Antinomians under Colour of opposing ●em for setting up a way of Justification by Evangeli● Works That he denies the Covenant of Grace to● made with Christ with some others and a Reserve more Objections and Articles of Impeachment to ● alledged in due time Now Sir Whilst its fresh upon my Memory let ●e beg your Patience while I make and your Pardon ●at I do make some short Observations upon this ●aper 1. I will observe to you that among the many and ●ievous Crimes laid to his Charge they never objected ●at he denied a Change of Persons between Christ and us 〈◊〉 that he denied Christ's taking upon him the Person of Sin●ers and yet now all the Quarrel centers in this one ●ing that which I note it for is that you may employ our piercing Head in considering what should be the ●eason that all the Weight all the Stress is ●aid upon this 2. Observe further That the Phrase of Change of Per●ns between Christ and us and his taking upon him the ●erson of Sinners are Terms wholly unknown to those ●onfessions and Articles which were made the Test of ●oundness in the Faith by the united Ministers Nay ● you have the Leisure search the whole Body of Con●essions of the Reformed Churches from Helvetia to Tran●ylvania thence to America and you shall not find these Terms Phrases or Expressions in any one of them 3. Hence you will infer that Mr. Williams cannot up●n that Account be judged erroneous by any of the Reformed Churches seeing he has not as it does not appear that he has contravened any of their Doctrinal Articles nor can he or ought he to be censured by the ●ody of the United Ministers because he never subscribed to these Expressions inasmuch as they 're not to be found in any of those Articles which made the Standa●● of Soundness in the Faith 4. And let me observe this further that amongst 〈◊〉 Six Persons that gave in the Charge against Mr. William one Moiety of them never entred into the Union a●● it 's strange upon what Principles they should char●● Mr. Williams as breaking that Union when they the●selves had never enter'd into it After this short but necessary Digression I will no● re-assume my Narrative § 5. Matters standing in this dubious Posture and v●sibly inclining to a scandalous Rupture some Brethre● of a cooler Temper and there were always such amo● the differing Parties moved that an equal Number 〈◊〉 the Brethren and of each side might be chosen to a●vise and consider if any healing Expedient might 〈◊〉 found out to beget a right Understanding between th● litigant Parties It was done the Ministers convene● and after many servent Prayers for the Spirit of Lig●● and Love the Result was this That Nine Articl● were drawn up and subscribed by the chosen Brethre● by Mr. Williams and Mr. Chauncy and when brought 〈◊〉 the Body of the united Brethren it received their Approbation § 6. Amongst the Nine Articles then agreed on 〈◊〉 shall only mention part of the Third and the Fift● Articles because these relate to our present Controversies 3. Article Of Christ the Mediator The Lord Iesus Christ by his perfect obedience and Sacrifice of himself which he through the Eternal Spirit once offe●ed up to God hath fully satisfied the Iustice of his Father 5. Article Of Iustification c. Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth 〈◊〉 by infusing Righteousness into them but by pardoning their ●●ns and by accounting and accepting their Persons as ●ighteous not for any thing wrought in them but for ●●rist's Sake alone nor by his imputing Faith it self the Act of ●elieving or any other Evangelical Obedience to them as ●●eir Righteousness but by imputing the Obedience and Satis●●ction of Christ unto them they receiving and resting on him ●nd his Righteousness by Faith which Faith they have not of ●●emselves it is the Gift of God § 7. These things thus setled they proceed to a for●al and solemn Agreement 16 Decemb. 1692. This day the Brethren who endea●oured to accommodate the Controversy did with Mr. Wil●iams Mr. Chauncy and the other Five