diametrally opposite and clean contrary to the Laws of God and Nature Penal Statutes there are inough and since knowing your zeal and forwardness I dare not so much as suspect the fault to lie in your selves I do therefore earnestly move That you would think upon some Safe and Honorable way Oderunt peccare boni virtutis Amore oderunt peccare mali formidine paenae Horat. whereby those Obstructions may be removed that lie in the way of Execution That so where love of Goodness will not melt yet fear of Punishment may at least restrain from those outward daring Iniquities that are indeed intolerable But one thing more and then I shall trouble you no farther Hearken to the cryes of the Poor as Jotham said to the men of Shechem Iudges 9.7 Hearken to them that God may hearken to you He that stops his ear at the cry of the poor he himself shall cry and shall not be heard says Solomon Proverbs 31.13 And did they ever cry lowder then now Stop not your ears at this cry therefore There was of old as some conceive from that place Deut. 15.4 to be no beggar in Israel why should there be any among us Be pleased to consider of some speedy course that such as can work may work or else not eat as the Apostle says 2 Thess 3.20 and that such as cannot through age or other infirmities that they may be otherwise provided for I have heard that such a Design as this hath been already thought upon and set on foot Now the Lord stir up your hearts to Reassume it and to carry it on vigorously even unto the full compleating of it Let me herein propound Jobs Example to you Iob 29 from vese 11 c. a Copy set by Gods own hand in his own Book for you to write after How did he make the ear that heard him to bless him and the eye that saw him to give witness to him The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon him and he made the widows heart to sing for joy He put on righteousness and it clothed him his judgement was a robe and a diadem He was eyes to the blinde and feet to the lame and a father to the poor and the cause that he knew not he searched it out c. Now that ye may be such Magistrates and such ministers of Justice Right Honorable and Right Worshipful even every way such as God himself would have you to be doing still more and more worthily in regard of all the Concernments and Ingagements that are upon you for the glory of God and the good of his people That God may not onely bless you but also make you eminent blessings in your Places to this famous and renowned City is the Prayer of Your most humble and obliged Servant JOHN CARDELL ERRATA PAge 10. line 19. for there r. theirs p. 17. l. 13. before Attributes r. these p. 20. l. 7. before us r. make p. 25. l. 6. before so r. to be GOD'S Soveraign Power OVER NATIONS JOB 12.23 He increaseth the Nations and destroyeth them he inlargeth the Nations and straitneth them again Introduction NOt to detain you long upon matter of Preface or Introduction to these words let thus much in short suffice for that This Holy man JOB whose course it was now to speak he is here in this Chapter upon a very high discourse concerning the most high God He was upon an Argument of the highest nature and his meditations are elevated or lifted up accordingly Chapter If you please to look back upon some former passages of the Chapter you shall see what mighty things are therein ascribed to God From the 16. ver and so on With him is strength and wisdom says he The deceived and the deceiver are his He leadeth counsellers away spoiled and maketh the judges fools He removeth away the speech of the trusty and taketh away the understanding of the aged He poureth contempt upon Princes and weakeneth the strength of the mighty which are all great things ye know mighty works and such as none but a God can do Text. But here in these words that I have read Iob declares the Soveraign Power and Command that God hath over Nations and Kingdoms to change and alter them to give them a Being or no Being even at his pleasure He increaseth the Nations and destroyeth them he inlargeth the Nations c. In which words you have three things chiefly considerable Divided into three parts First ye see here are very great changes spoken of Augmentation and Destruction Inlargement and Restraint Secondly Here are also the Subjects of these changes or the Stages whereupon they are acted and they are the Nations of the world or the Kingdoms of the earth they are sometimes increased sometimes destroyed sometimes inlarged and sometimes straitned Thirdly Here is the Author of these great and mighty Changes and that is God such a God as we shall afterwards describe He it is that increaseth the Nations and destroyeth them that inlargeth the Nations and straitneth them again The sum of all is this you may take the whole matter of the Text along with you in this one Conclusion or profitable Observation Doctrine That the Nations of the earth they are either increased or destroyed they are either inlarged or straitned according as God pleases This is both a very comfortable and a very seasonable Truth to put us upon considering That States and Kingdoms are not managed by men onely or according as they please but they are managed and ordered and disposed of by the Lord our God and according as he pleases so do things succeed or come to pass in them And for the proof or confirmation of this Truth Proved by several Arguments drawn That God hath this Soveraign Power or Command over Nations not onely over particular persons but over whole Nations to deal with them as he pleases I shall confirm this or make it good unto you by these Arguments following First 1. From the greatness of God It may appear to be so if we seriously view the greatness of God his unsearchable greatness as the Psalmist calls it Psal 145.3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised yea his greatness is unsearchable he had need to be a very great God that should have this Soveraign Command and Authority over Nations to increase them at his pleasure and to destroy them at his pleasure to inlarge them at his pleasure and to straiten them at his pleasure to build them at his pleasure and to break them down at his pleasure And yet this ye will easily apprehend to be feasible if ye do but consider the extent or view the latitude of the greatness of God True it is that the utmost bounds or limits of this greatness cannot be discerned or comprehended by us But yet by that which we may see and by that which the
GODS Soveraign Power over Nations Set forth in a SERMON Preached at Pauls before the Right Honorable John Warner Esq Lord Major of the City of London Febr. 20. 1647. WHEREIN Certain Endeavors for the settling of mens Spirits in a quiet peaceable posture in these tumultuous and unquiet TIMES By John Cardell Master of Arts and Preacher to the Inhabitants of Alhallows-Lumbardstreet London Isa 40.15 Behold the Nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the ballance Vers 17. All Nations before him are as nothing and they are counted to him less then nothing and vanity March 3. 1647. Imprimatur Joseph Caryl London Printed by John Field for Henry Overton and are to be sold at his shop at the entrance into Popes-head Alley out of Lumbardstreet 1648. To the Right Honorable The LORD MAYOR AND Court of Aldermen OF THE Renowned City of London Right Honorable and Right Worshipful THis Sermon was first Preached and is now Published by your special Appointment In which respect as also because it comes forth in a very stormy tempestuous time it humbly craves leave to shroud it self under the wing of your Honorable Protection until that mist of Pride and Malice and Prejudice and Passion that is now upon the world and that hinders Truth from being entertained for its own sake shall come to be dispelled by the glorious appearing of the Sun of Righteousness Mal. 4.2 What there was in this poor mean piece of mine that should move you thus far to own it is not yet so clear to me as hereafter it may be That God who first brought it to your Ears and that hath now put it into your Hands he may please exceedingly to glorifie himself by it amongst you and thereby teach others Zech. 4.10 and my self also to see and say That there is no despising the day of small things Among many other pressing Evils that are now upon us Religio à Religando taro Hominibus quam Deo Emollit mores nec sinit esse feros 2 Tim. 3.5 Diffudissi per omnem mundum Religios nominis membra Religionis vint non Habentia Salvian ad Eccles Cathol lib. 1. it is certainly very sad to consider That the Religion of God which was purposely appointed to cause Contentions to cease should among so many be the onely matter of Contention That that which naturally cools and quiets and meekens and moderates the Spirits of people should occasionally kindle such strange fires and such unnatural heats as are now stirring almost every where a certain sign That there is too much of the Form and too little of the Power of godliness to be seen or found amongst us It was a sage Speech that formerly dropped from the Pen of a great Statesman among our selves here and it still stands upon Record under his Name That in Counsels concerning Religion that Counsel of the Apostle would be prefixed Ira hominis non Implet Iustitiam Dei i.e. The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God Francis L. Verulam Viscount St. Atban better known by the name of sir Francis Bacon Ess p. 18 19. The same Author tells us moreover That it was a notable Observation of a wise Father and no less ingenuously confessed That those which held and perswaded pressure of Consciences were commonly interested therein themselves for their own ends My Lord The large Experience that I have providentially had within these few years of your Lordships Piety and Integrity and readiness to every good work hath mightily prevailed with me to conclude That your Honor will excuse it if upon this occasion I take upon me the boldness to represent unto your Lordship and the rest of those other worthy Senators that partake with you in the Government of this great City some few things in reference to present Actings First then this I humbly pray That your Care may be most where Gods Care is most Psal 8.26 Let not those that bear the Name of God be any way cruel or unkinde to those that bear the Image of God Eph. 4.24 Be ever tender over those that are tender gentle to those that are gentle meek to those that are meek I mean to those whom God by a supernatural work hath made tender and gentle and meek and humble Phil. 3.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our trading or commerce is for heaven we are citizens of and for the new Jerusalem vid. Bez. in loc Let it be the joy of your hearts according to the Apostles language to see men driving an open and a free trade for heaven * Isa 29.19 To see the meek increasing their joy in the Lord and the poor amongst men rejoycing in the holy One of Israel Cruelty to the Saints hath cost the * You may please to see this excellently cleared by Mr. Tho Goodwyn in a Sermon of his whereunto I refer pag. 31. of my ensuing Discourse world exceeding dear already England it self hath smarted for it not a little in the downfal of Bishops and divers other ways 2 Pet. 2.22 Isa 28.22 Levit. 26. Let us take heed of returning to the old vomit again lest our bands be made stronger and our punishments sevenfold greater then heretofore they have been Next unto this I humbly leave it at the feet of your Honorable Considerations whether there be not a very urgent necessity lying upon you to use your utmost endeavors That your City-Councel may from time to time cordially comply with the Kingdoms great Councel The Parliament of England in all their Just and Honorable Proceedings To this purpose be pleased to cast back your thoughts upon the years newly past what great things was God pleased to do for you and by you so long as ye were united How wonderfully did the Lord of hosts appear in the high places of the field blessing and prospering those Forces that were sent out by them and incouraged by you And withal I desire that this also may seriously be considered What Profit or what Honor hath it been to your City that ye have been thus far estranged one from another I say no more but this Certainly your safety lies in combining and uniting and what else but Ruine can be expected if there should still be a continued breach between you Divide Impera Divide and Rule is their Maxime that seek your Ruine and that have now great hopes of effecting that upon you by your own intestine divisions that hitherto through the goodness of God they have not been able to effect in any other way In the next place I do likewise humbly move That ye would please in your great wisdoms to think upon some effectual course of putting some farther Restraint upon Swearing Drunkenness Prophanation of the Sabbath private oppressions and acts of Injustice between man and man so far forth as they come within the compass of your Cognizance and other such like Enormities that are
Scripture plainly and clearly holds forth unto us about it we may perceive That our God the God whom we pretend at least to worship all of us he is so great and so glorious and so incomprehensible a Being as to dispose of whole Kingdoms and Nations on this maner To this purpose Isa 40.15 opened be pleased but onely to look upon that one place of Scripture that I may trouble you with no more Isa 40.15 Behold says the Prophet there the Nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the ballance Pray observe for here are two Similitudes that do very excellently adumbrate or shadow out the greatness of God Similitude 1 First he says that the Nations are as the drop of a bucket Now ye know that the bucket it self a whole bucket of water is no great matter in comparison of the main Ocean it is but as a thing of nothing but then the drop that falls from the bucket as it comes out of the well that 's so poor a thing that no body makes any reckoning or any account of it and behold says the Prophet the Nations are no more they are unto God but as the drop of a bucket And if that will not serve the turn to diminish the Creature and to set up God in his greatness you have another Similitude used Similitude 2 The Nations says he are as the drop of a bucket and they are counted as the small dust of the ballance Now ye know that the ballance it self that hangs in the Shop to weigh things by is no great matter no very ponderous or weighty thing but the dust that lyes upon the ballance that 's so poor and mean and inconsiderable a thing that it does not cast the ballance either this way or that way and Behold says the Prophet the Nations are no more they are unto God but as the drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the ballance And if neither of these will satisfie see a lower expression yet then either of both these at the 17. ver of the same Chapter Verse 17. says he there All Nations before him are as nothing and they are counted unto him as less then nothing and vanity I say do but view the greatness of God according to these expressions and according to these proportions and then ye will not think it strange that he should dispose of Nations at his pleasure since he is so infinitely above them and they so infinitely below him It is no more for the great God to have the command and disposition of all Nations then it is for the greatest man upon earth to have the disposition of a peny nay it is not so much for a peny is something in the great mans purse but all Nations to God are as nothing says the Prophet and they are counted unto him as less then nothing and vanity Secondly 2. From the Power of God Another proof or demonstration of the point shall be drawn from the Power of God which is fully as unlimited and as incomprehensible as his greatness so great is his Power that if he do but onely speak the word presently the thing 's done as at the first he said Let there be light and presently there was light and so all other things were created but with a word speaking as it were By the word of the Lord were the heavens made Psal 33.6 says the Psalmist and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth He spake and it was done he commanded and it stood fast ver 9. of that Psalm He can speak a Nation into a prosperous condition and he can again speak it into a ruinous condition So exceeding great is Gods Power that he can increase the Nations with a word and destroy them with a word inlarge them with a word and straiten them with a word If he do but say Let things be ordered thus and thus in the world let such Nations be planted or let them be plucked up let them be built or let them be broken down it shall certainly succeed and come to pass accordingly for there is no resisting of his will in any of these cases when his power concurs or goes along with it Lord says the Centurion Matth. 8.8 10. I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof but speak the word onely and my servant shall be healed I have not found so great faith no not in Israel saith Christ Great is the power of God and great was the Centurions faith in the power of God On the other side those rebellious Israelites that are spoken of Psal 78. They turned back and tempted God and limited the holy One of Israel and they said Can God do this or can he do that Can he furnish a table in the wilderness Behold Psal 78.19 20. he smote the rock indeed say they that the waters gushed out and the streams overflowed But can he give bread also can he provide flesh for his people Can he do it yes what cannot he do that is not onely potent but omnipotent not onely mighty but Almighty Is there any thing too hard for him Thirdly 3. From the Wisdom of God Another proof or demonstration of the point shall be drawn from the wisdom of God which is also influential upon Nations as well as upon particular persons Vere apud Deum sapientem est sapientia quiâ— in sapiente Deo est sapientia vere apud Deum vioam est vita quia in Deo vivo est Deus vita vere apud Deum verum est Deus veritas quia in Deo vero est Deus veritas vere apud Deum fortem est Deus virtus quia in Deo forti est Deus virtus Fulgent ad Mon. lib. 3. cap. 6. God orders all things here below according to the exactest way of wisdom And sometimes Nations in their Counsels and in their Proceedings are so wise and so happy as to comply with the Wisdom and Counsel of God and by that means they are increased and inlarged abundantly by and by again you shall have them to dash against the Counsel of God his Wisdom and there to stand in competition one with another and then they are in danger at least to be either destroyed or straitned Evermore observe this That when the power of Nations or the wisdom that they pretend to when these things are carryed on in a way of subordination to the power and wisdom of God then they do increase inlarge and prosper But when men will be so bold as to set their power not above the power of God or their wisdom above the wisdom of God for that I suppose they dare not do knowingly but when they shall but set the one of these in competition with the others when they shall but set their posts by Gods posts or their thresholds by his threshold in either of these
yet this is in and through Christ by whom the Iustice of God is both fully and exactly satisfied before ever any dram of grace or sample of mercy can come to us Thus I say that Attributes of God well studied The greatness of God and The power of God and The wisdom of God and The holiness of God and The providence of God and The justice and mercy of God a due pondering of these Attributes may be sufficient to satisfie us about this Truth That the Nations of the earth are either increased or destroyed inlarged or straitned according as God pleases Examples illustrating the Doctrine I might farther evidence the truth of this by Examples and shew you by many remarkable Instances how God hath increased the Nations and destroyed them inlarged the Nations and straitned them again That Image spoken of Dan. Dan. Image 2. it is generally conceived to have respect not unto particular persons Omnia imaginis â—â—ius epitheta pertinent ad ostenâ—â—â—â—â— amplitudâ—â—m gloriam majestatem tyrannicam REGNORUM quae per membra illius adumbrata sunt Iun. in loc but unto whole Kingdoms The golden Head and the silver Arms and the brazen Thighs and the iron Legs and the clayey Feet what became of all these Thou sawest says Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar till a stone was cut out without hands which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay and brake them to pieces Then was the iron the clay the brass the silver and the gold broken to pieces together and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors and the wind carried them away that no place was found for them and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth Dan. 2.34 35. Instance might be given more particularly in the Iewish Nation Jewish Nation ye know how God was pleased to increase and inlarge that Nation what mighty Priviledges he did conser and bestow upon that People For to them as the Apostle says Rom. 9.4 5. pertained the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises Whose were the Fathers and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever And yet after all these mighty Priviledges you see what a sad dispersion hath been upon that Nation for many hundreds of years already past and gone Other Instances of the like nature might also be given but I hasten to the Application of the Point And First Application to us of this Nation since the Nations of the earth are either increased or destroyed either inlarged or straitned according as God pleases 1. by way of Instruction This may teach us of this Nation to look sadly upon the business and even to fear and tremble lest after all our liftings up there should yet be a casting down lest after all these shakings of the Rod over us that are yet living God should still go on to destroy us utterly and even make us to be a perpetual desolation Who can tell Rev. 2.5 whether the Candlestick may not yet be removed Matth. 21.43 Whether the Kingdom of GOD may not yet be taken from us and given to a Nation that will bring forth the fruits of it in a better maner then we have done 1 Sam. 4.21 whether God may not yet write Ichabod upon all our present glory and us sadly to sit down and say That it is quite departed from us Evil symptomes upon us of this Nation Give me leave to tell you That there are at present three or four evil Symptomes upon us which may cause us not onely to look sadly for a time or to hang down the head like a bulrush for a day Isa 58.5 Micah 6.8 but to walk Humbly and Mournfully with our GOD. 1 Evil symptome A Spirit of opposition against goodness The first is that old Spirit of opposition against holiness and goodness it self that still remains amongst us untaken away notwithstanding all the late mighty pleadings of God with the Nation both by Word and Sword it does not appear but that the hearts of the people are generally as much bent upon and as violently carried after their old ways of Superstition Formality and profaneness and dedolency in holy performances as ever they were and as they of old that were weary of the wilderness and wished themselves back again in Egypt so do many now in effect speak the very same language Let us make us a captain Num. 14.4 and return into Egypt Secondly 2 Evil symptome Vnthankfulness Besides that old unsavory Spirit of Opposition against goodness that still remains untaken away Ingratum si dixeris omnia dixeris Sen. we are deeply guilty of the sin of Vnthankfulness a sin odious among the very Heathen And because we have not presently all we would have like froward children we are ready to throw away that which is in our hands already I shall briefly point at a threefold Vnthankfulness A threefold unthankfulne at this time amongst us which mightily reigns amongst us at this time and for which we may justly fear sad and heavy things to come upon us if not timely prevented The first is 1. Mental An inward mental unthankfulness as I may call it which consists in a secret grudging or repining at the very Providence of God himself for ordering things as he pleases amongst us The foolishness of man perverteth his way Prov. 19.3 says Solomon and his heart fretteth against the Lord And this I am perswaded is a sin which many lie under and yet feel not the weight of it nay they never so much as dream that they are under the guilt or weight of it But the truth is when we murmure at any thing that we conceive to be amiss and are extremely discontented at it and vexed at Instruments and are continually minding the Burthens that are upon us and in the mean time never consider what variety of Mercies we do enjoy I say that in all these murmurings we shamefully overlook many thousands of Mercies and we do secretly curse God in our hearts or that hand of his Providence which wisely order things thus and thus unto us and it may be for our good too and for our greatest benefit For God delights many times to bring things about for the good of his people in unknown ways and in such methods as they have not yet been acquainted with And do we well to murmure or to be discontented at that whereby good is intended to us and it may be a greater good then we can imagine Secondly There is besides this a verbal unthankfulness whereby men do not onely grudge inwardly 2. Verbal at Divine Dispensations and Providences of the Almighty but openly profess a dislike of them and say That it was better with them formerly then
their evil deeds Is not this very sad And that men who pretend to that Gospel which is the Gospel of peace and to that Christ who is the Prince of peace and to that Spirit which is the Spirit of peace Is it not very sad that they should be at such a deadly fewd and at such a woful distance in their Affections as not to love one another Let us bewail these evils and especially the riseness and frequency of them amongst us Prop. 4 Fourthly Study God more and the creature less Deus meus omnia Quoniam fecili nos ad te Domine ideo Irrequietum est cor nostrum done requiescat in te Aug. Conf. lib. 1. cap. 1. Omnis mihi copia quae Deus meus non est egestas est Id. confess lib. 13. cap 8. and that will satisfie your souls and quiet your hearts and help to compose your spirits All good is where that God is graciously present without whom all plenty is but penury Do but oppose the greatness of God and the power of God and the wisdom of God and the holiness and the justice and the mercy of God against whatsoever failings you finde among the Creatures and these things wisely improved will easily answer all objections whatsoever There is something in God that may abundantly satisfie and stay the heart when the creature is either at the greatest distance from us or in the strongest way of opposition against us When Davids wives were taken captive at Ziklag and the people in such a discontent that they began to talk of stoning him yet even then did he incourage himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30.6 And although the figtree should not blossom says the Prophet nor fruit be in the vine though the labor of the olive should fail c. yet even then says he Hab. 3.17 18. will I rejoyce in the Lord and joy in the God of my salvation Prop. 5 Fifthly Next unto God and Christ and the Spirit of Grace and Holiness see that the Saints may have a quiet and a comfortable abode amongst you for certainly See the great interest of States and Kingdoms by Mr. Tho. Goodwyn in a Sermon before the Honorable House of Commons on Psal 105.14 15. the great interest of Nations and safety of Kingdoms lies very much in that in laboring to cherish and to maintain a race of righteous ones a generation of holy ones that may still be looked upon as a blessing in the midst of the Land In that day says the Prophet shall Israel be the third with Egypt and Assyria even a blessing in the midst of the Land And I will bless thee says God to Abraham and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing And again Thus saith the Lord Gen. 12.2 As the new wine is found in the cluster Isa 65 8. and one saith Destroy it not for a blessing is in it so will I do for my servants sakes Jacob Gen. 30.27 says God that I may not destroy them all Ye know what a blessing Iacob was to the house of Laban and what a blessing Ioseph was to the house of Potiphar Joseph Gen. 39.5 Moses Psal 106.23 and what a blessing Moses was to the whole house of Israel He said he would destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrath lest he should destroy them Elisha And when Elisha the Prophet was ready to die Ioash King of Israel came and wept over his face with this expression 2 Kin. 13.14 O my father my father the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof as if he should have said When thou dyest all our strength dyes thou art worth ten thousand of us Prop. 6 Sixthly in your carriage towards the Saints especially Learn to distinguish between the person failing and the failing of the person between the weak infirm Christian and the weakness or infirmity of the Christian between the erring person and the error of the person And let not one that is otherwise very useful and precious be utterly rejected despised or laid aside because of some infirmity some weakness or other that he is peradventure guilty of Parisiensis As Parisiensis said of Excommunication that it should not be for toys and trifles for that were just as if one should see a flea on a mans forehead and should presently take a Beetle and knock the man in the head to kill the flea Have we not all failings Are we not all subject to infirmities Let us therefore bear with one another and look what allowance we do justly expect for our selves from others the same let us give to others Let 's not reject others for such a fault for the like whereunto we our selves would not be rejected Let not us be cruel to others in that case lest others be cruel to us For with what judgement ye judge ye shall be judged Matth. 7.2 says Christ and look what measure ye mete in that case the very same shall be measured to you again Prop. 7 Seventhly Do not rashly charge any man with that for a failing or for a gross miscarriage in him which in it self is no such matter Wo unto them says the Prophet that call evil good and good evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness Proprie in eo distinguuntur Haeresis Schisma quod Haeresis opponatur fidei Schisma charitati Ames de consc lib. 5. cap. 12. Isa 5.20 Call no man Heretick but he that is an Heretick nor no man Schismatick but he that is a Schismatick Names oftner used then well understood Take heed of charging that upon any mans score for an error which in it self is no error for it is certainly both a very dangerous See Mr. Burroughs H. Divis ch 25. and a very scandalous thing to do so Is it not to bear false witness against a Neighbor and so an absolute breach of the Ninth Commandment And although it be sadly to be lamented that there is so much amiss yea too much amiss amongst us both in point of Error and likewise in point of Heresie yet is it not of absolute necessity that all should be Error that men call Error or that all should be Heresie that they are pleased to call Heresie After the way which they call heresie says the Apostle Acts 24.14 so worship I the God of my fathers believing all things that are written in the Law and the Prophets Let no man uncharitably conclude from hence That I do any way favor fundamental Errors or any of those damnable Heresies spoken of 2 Pet. 2.1 which have hitherto been and I trust ever shall be an abhorrency to my thoughts This is all I contend for Let not Truth be called Error or Heresie nor yet Error or Heresie called Truth for then we are in a ready way of justifying the wicked and condemning