The Loyal Baptist OR AN APOLOGY FOR THE BAPTIZED BELIEVERS CONTAINING I. His humble Resolution to be a constant Conformist to the Scriptures and especially in these four great Duties viz. 1. To Honour all Men. 2. To Love the Brotherhood 3. To Fear God 4. To Honour the King According to 1 Peter 2. 17. II. His unfeigned endeavour for Unity in the Truth with the Church of England wherein is shewed what 〈◊〉 a distinction in Communion between the Parochial 〈…〉 those of the Baptized Believers Wherein fourteen 〈◊〉 lately published by Mr. N. T. M. A. in defence of Infant-Baptism are considered and answered III. His Plea for Church-Assemblies to be permitted to the Baptized Believers To which purpose is declared IV. The Nature of his Call to Christianity and to the work of the Ministry OCCASIONED By the great and long continued Sufferings of the Baptized Believers in this Nation BY THOMAS GRANTHAM a Servant of Christ Job 21. 4. As for me is my complaint to 〈◊〉 And if it were so why should not my Spirit be troubled Causabon's Birth of Heresy c. 3. p. 11. In all Ages Men have never been contented with the true Adoration instituted by God But instead of external Signs instituted by God they have forged and brought in their own Inventions London Printed for the Author and are to be Sold by Tho. Fabian at the Bible in St. Paul's Church-yard 1684. The Loyal Baptist OR AN APOLOGY FOR THE BAPTIZED BELIEVERS BEING ALSO An Earnest Persuasive to them and all Christians to study to be Quiet and do their own Business in these important Particulars VIZ. I. To Honour all Men. II. To Love the Brotherhood III. To Fear God IV. To Honour the King Delivered in two Sermons upon 1 Pet. 2. 17. By THOMAS GRANTHAM a Servant of Christ My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change Prov. 24. 21. But whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judg ye Acts 4. 19. London Printed for the Author and are to be Sold by Tho. Fabian at the Bible in St. Paul's Church-yard 1674. To all the Baptized Believers in England c. Grace and Peace through Christ our Lord be multiplied THE great Apostle St. Paul having taught the Christian Churches in Creet their Duties towards God and towards Caesar and leaving Titus a Messenger of the Churches behind him there very strictly warns him to put them in mind of their Subjection to Principalities and Powers and to obey Magistrates Knowing how impossible it would be to propagate the Profession of Christianity if Christians did not adorn their Profession with a meek and harmless Conversation towards all Men and especially by their Obedience to those in Authority And considering the manifold Temptations that attend Christians in these days upon that account I thought it my Duty as one that has obtained Mercy to be faithful to do my best in giving warning to my Brethren lest any of them should be ensnared with ill Principles or specious Pretences to speak or do any thing that may be inconsistent with Gospel-Rules either in things relating more immediately to Almighty God or to the King's Majesty and those that are in Authority under him Such heady Persons there were in the Apostle's Days and therefore the less strange if now some such be found in the best of Churches as are not afraid to speak Evil of Dignities All Ages and sorts of Christians have been troubled with such Evil-Workers And as it hath been the care of faithful Men all along to protest against them that the Truth which such Wretches only prophane by their Profession of it might not be worse thought of because of them So let it be our care to bear a faithful Testimony against all such in these Days And I beseech you Brethren whom God hath made as Guides to the rest that you give all diligence to teach and instruct those under your Charge in the Duties which pertain to every state of Life as well as in things which pertain to the Worship of our Gracious God For these are the things which become sound Doctrine and of these our Obedience to Magistrates is not the least I commit the ensuing Discourses to the Consideration of all Christians and to the Blessing of God and remain Your Brother and Servant in the Gospel THO. GRANTHAM The Loyal Baptist OR AN APOLOGY FOR THE BAPTIZED BELIEVERS BEING ALSO An Earnest Persuasive to them all to study to be Quiet and to do their own Business in these important Particulars VIZ. I. To Honour all Men. II. To Love the Brotherhood III. To Fear God IV. To Honour the King Delivered in several Discourses upon 1 Pet. 2. 17. Honour all Men Love the Brotherhood Fear God Honour the King THis great Apostle St. Peter having preached Christ in many Countries thought it meet to leave some Monuments of his holy Doctrine with all the Churches And having in two sacred Epistles assured them of the certainty of the Doctrine which he had preached and that it was no Fable or new Device but the very Truth which from the Beginning God made known to his Prophets He then exhorts them to Stedfastness and to hope to the end for the grace or fulness of Glory which shall be brought to all true Christians at the revelation or second coming of Christ He warns them to beware of Sin chiefly that root of Malice Envy and Hypocrisy for these are usually complicated in one for as it gave being to all our Misery and has been all along the ruine of Nations Churches and Communities so we are advertised that it will abound towards the end of the World To avoid this damning Iniquity we are willed to consider our new Birth and as new-born Babes to evidence our delight to be in the sincere Milk of the Word of God not in the Vanities of this World where we are but Pilgrims and Strangers assuring us that as Christ is the sure Foundation to support his Church So however some Builders do set him at naught he is the Head of the Corner and will certainly in time confound the Disobedient 1 Pet. 2. 7 8. Howbeit lest Christians should be too impatient of the seeming delay of Christ's Exaltation and of the manifold Tribulations which in the mean time they must suffer he further warns them to be of an obedient and submissive Spirit to such as are in Authority and to adorn their Profession by an honest Conversation as the best way to silence their Opposers For so is the Will of God that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish Men 1 Pet. 2. 15. For tho it be very true that all Christians are the Lord's Freemen 1 Cor. 7. 22. yet they may not maliciously despise any Man nor dishonour any Man much less any that are in Authority Christianity being indeed the greatest Obligation that any Man can be
respect of that which is now every where to be found shut Heaven against them unless those converted Souls were converted in that Case Let us tremble to think of this It 's clear from this Instance that such as are of an haughty Mind cannot honour all Men. They are Bladders puffed up with this Wind break this Bladder there is meer Emptiness Their Goodness vanishes when they cannot lift themselves above others Whereas the truly gracious Soul studies how to serve God and all Men for his sake and thus to honour them is the greatest Respect that any Christian can give to Men. Thus did our Lord himself honour all He took upon him the form of a Servant Phil. 2. 7. And indeed his great Design in his Life and Doctrine was to restore Mankind to a State of Grace and Reconciliation with God and thereby to Amity and Concord one with another 2. Next to our Saviour let us hear his beloved Disciple John He often speaks to the whole Church under the Title of Little Children and the Metaphor is very fit for Christians as in other respects so chiefly in this to put them in mind they must in no wise be of a lofty and wrathful Spirit He tells us the Love of God is not in those Men who have the Pride of Life in them 1 John 2. 15 16. They cannot honour esteem or count all Men precious till that Image of Christ which standeth in Humility be formed in them 3. The Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 10. 32 33. does not only teach the Brotherhood that they must shew all Meekness to all Men and give no Offence to Jew nor Gentile but puts himself as becomes all true Ministers of Christ for a Patern to the Flock Tho saith he I be free from all Men yet I have made my self Servant unto all that I might gain the more I am made all Things to all Men that I might by all means save some 1 Cor. 9. 19 20 21 22 23. How precious did he count the Jewish Nation tho they generally hated him he could be content to be undone himself rather than they should be lost Rom. 10. 1. And no less concern'd for the poor Gentiles that they also might be happy Rom. 15. 16. And hitherto did tend the Scope of all his Labours to warn teach and to present every Man perfect in Christ Jesus Col. 1. 28. 4. And forasmuch as the Tongue is the ordinary Witness of the Spirit of Pride and that whereby all Men are incident to dishonour one another he strictly obligeth all Christians to let their Speech be always with Grace seasoned with Salt that they may administer Grace to them that hear them Col. 4. 6. And he that will obey our Text to honour all Men must remember that he speak evil of no Man an Impiety which God knows even reigns amongst Christians The Tongue is an unruly Member a World of Iniquity And hence the Apostle James is very bold telling us our Religion is vain if we bridle not that Member Jam. 3. 9 10 11 12 13. How can that Tongue be fit to bless God to profess the Christian Religion which is exercised in cursing speaking evil or wishing ill to any Man My Brethren these Things ought not to be Doth a Fountain give sweet Water and bitter at the same place This is not to be found in Nature nor to be expected in Grace Christians must be known to all Men by their Fruits of Righteousness Meekness Goodness and Faith otherwise Men shall never be moved to glorify God in their behalf 5. That Christian who will honour all Men must love all Men without this he cannot esteem them nor count them precious Whom we love not we have no delight to honour It is in a manner peculiar to the Christian Doctrine that Men should love their Enemies pray for them that persecute them and despitefully use them Let us therefore pay this Debt to honour all Men in Love He that will do this must bear Mankind upon his Heart in Prayer and Supplication 1 Tim. 2. 1. This is a Lesson for Christians as such they must love their Neighbours as themselves and all Men are their Neighbours The Royal Law obliges them to it Jam. 2. 8. If ye fulfill the Royal Law according to the Scriptures Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self ye do well but if ye have respect to Persons that is love one and hate another ye commit Sin and are convinced of the Law as Transgressors Were Christians filled more with this Fruit of the Spirit we should see an end of these Animosities opprobrious and abusive Epithets or Brands of Reproach and Infamy which are daily cast upon Men and too frequently found among Christian Men. It is to be lamented that Men who are precious in the esteem of God should not be esteemed so by one another But honour all Men says our Text and the Arguments to enforce the Duty are many of which some we will urge in this place and the first shall be this First They are Men as well as our selves our Equals by Creation the Workmanship of the Hands of the same God and therefore are we bound to honour all Men as Men nor can we slight despise or dishonour them but we dishonour our selves For they are Flesh of our Flesh and God hath made of one Blood all Nations of Men to dwell upon the Face of the Earth and he is the God of the Spirits of all Flesh And thus we have all one Father as one God hath created us we are all his Off-spring not as some prophanely have said that Man is no more God's Off-spring than an Hog for he did not consult the Creation of any thing as he did the Creation of Man Gen. 2. Nor did he breath into the Nostrils of Hogs the same Spirit of Life and Wisdom which he breathed into Man David admires the Goodness of God in the degnified State of Man Psal 8. 4 5. And let us beware of base thoughts concerning Man lest we value him no more than the Beasts of the Field and so dishonour him whom God created in great Honour and to this day notwithstanding his Fall hath set him over the Works of his Hands All Men are our Brethren let us honour them as such for what Brotherhood soever we attain yet our humane Fraternity is antecedent and not made void by any Post-Fraternity which is good but rather more indeared This was seen in St. Paul the nearer his Relation was to God upon the account of Christianity the more was his Love and the greater his Sorrow for his Brethren according to the Flesh Rom. 9. 2. Let not Christians think that their Relation nor Obligation of Nature to Mankind is destroyed or made less by their being Christians such a vain Conceit will alienate us from our own Flesh and make us quite pervert the Text which puts us in mind that our Religion does strongly engage us to honour them all
love their Brethren And every one that loveth is born of God And our Saviour makes it the true Character of Christianity By this shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another Joh. 13. 35. 3. Because this is the uniting Grace among Christians this makes their Society sweet their Fellowship desirable it s a Fellowship of Love Phil. 2. 1. This makes them like David and Jonathan they are bound in one Girdle and their Love was wonderful 4. Because this makes the Sufferings of Christians easy when those that suffer love them in defence of whose Faith they do suffer and see themselves beloved of their Brethren even then when all Men seem to hate them This made Paul himself rejoice in his Sufferings Phil. 4. 10 14. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again Ye have well done that ye have communicated with me in my Affliction Let us touch the things briefly which may be sure Evidences of this Brotherly Love 1. If then we love the Brotherhood we are much concern'd about them in our Thoughts For what is the Object of a Man's Love is the Subject of his Meditation All true Lovers know this by Experience and let the Love of the Brotherhood exceed our Love in other cases An instance of this Love we have in St. Paul Col. 2. 1 2. For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you and for them of Laodicea and for as many as have not seen my Face in the Flesh That their Hearts might be comforted being knit together in Love c. 2. If we love our Brethren we bear them much upon our Heart in our Prayers we cannot forget them if we rightly love them Paul made mention of him in every Prayer of his whom he dearly loved 2 Tim. 1. 3. Let all Christian Brethren do so too for we cannot do less for any of them or for many of them we can do no more 3. If we love the Brotherhood we will esteem them highly according to the Vertues which we see in them 2 John v. 1 2 3. And whom we love we will commend and advance as much as we can because it 's the native Property of Love to do so as appears in the interchanges of Love in the Song of Solomon between Christ and his Church and is the way too to encrease Love as all Experience shews 4. If we love our Brethren we will to our best defend their Reputation against those that injure them Thus Paul vindicated not himself only but those faithful Ministers which were with him when some reported of them that they walked after the Flesh and said Let us do Evil that good may come whose Damnation for such vile Reproaches against the Servants of Christ he avers to be just 5. If we love the Brotherhood we will to our Power relieve their Necessities For He that hath this Worlds Good and sees his Brother want and shutteth up the Bowels of his Compassion how dwells the Love of God in him And saith another Apostle If a Brother or Sister be destitute of daily Food and ye say Be ye filled and give them not those things that are necessary what doth it profit Wherefore let Love be without Dissimulation Let it be fervent For to this end were our Souls purified in obeying the Truth through the Spirit even unto unfeigned Love of the Brethren 1 Pet. 1. 22. 6. The last Evidence If we love the Brotherhood we will seek and preserve as much as we can the Peace of the whole and the Prosperity of every part Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem saith David they shall prosper that love thee for my Brethren and Companions sake I will now say Peace be within thy Walls and Prosperity within thy Palaces How greatly does the true Son of David our Lord Jesus pray for this Blessing upon the whole Church That they all may be one as he and his Father are one And what Christian will not tremble to think of doing any thing against the tenour of his blessed Prayer I will conclude this point with a solemn Protestation against those Evils which chiefly hinder the love of the Brotherhood and the first is Pride 1. Only through Pride cometh Contention saith the Spirit when Men are admirers of themselves Proud Boasters they soon become despisers of those that are good and Enemies to the Love of the Brotherhood Diotrephes being got to this point presently makes havock of the Church by casting the Brethren out of the Church that shewed their brotherly Love to the travelling Ministers And why because he loved to have the Preheminence insomuch as he spared not to undervalue the Apostle himself Aproud Professor cannot love the Brotherhood 2. As all proud Men are Enemies to brotherly Love so most of all such as take themselves to be infallible about things most disputable being vainly confident that God is opposed when their Impositions are not obeyed These Men commonly drive furiously rend and tear if their Mandates meet with dislike or non-reception These Men will ever stand strenuously upon Niceties and make things which are doubtful and meerly indifferent to become necessary 3. Those who make Gain their Godliness are great Enemies to Brotherly Love these are called greedy Dogs by the Prophet greedy Wolves by the Apostle these seek their own not the things of Christ They are Enemies to him their God is their Belly they mind earthly things they change with every Wind for Preferment They are Lovers of their own selves They teach things which they ought not for filthy Lucres sake They love not the Brotherhood but their Money Thus much to the second Point We come now to the third part of our Text. Fear God Hence the Doctrine has been propounded thus Doct. III. Christians must have an awful Fear of God before their Eyes that in Matters of Religion they may serve him only and not provoke him by sinful Courses nor by the Fear of Man To come rightly to the performance of this Duty we must endeavour to have a right knowledg or Belief of this God whom we are to fear for this our Saviour makes to be the weighty part of our Religion Faith and the Fear of God Now in this Faith which anteceeds the Fear Worship and Service of God we must consider the Essence and Attributes of God In the first he is infinitely beyond the reach of our knowledg or finding out unto Perfection Job 4. 24. It is but a small portion that we know or can know of him in this World Faith therefore satisfies it self with knowing that God is or that there is one God That he is a Spirit Eternal Pure Omnipotent Immutable Invisible Merciful Faithful Holy Just and Good and that he is infinitely and perfectly so and whatsoever else may be said to represent him Great and Glorious Great in his Sovereignty and Dominion Glorious in his doings towards
any account of this Matter And indeed it holds the nearest resemblance to that Government which God himself exercises over the World in general For he is King of Kings and his Kingdom ruleth over all Let us then come more directly to the Text Honour the King And 1. Of the Honour which we owe to his Royal Person We must esteem it very highly and behave our-selves towards him with that Fear and Reverence which belongs to him as placed next unto God My Son fear thou the Lord and the King Prov. 24. 21. Give unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and to God the things which are God's So the Text Fear God Honour the King We see the King holdeth the next place of Honour unto God Hence Tertullian personating the Christians of his time says We honour the Emperour as a Man next unto God And saith Optatus Above the Emperour there is none but God who made the Emperour If we will honour the King's Person or esteem him highly we must not only upon all sit occasions give him with Reverence his Place and Titles of Honour but also defend his Person with the hazard of our own as those did who would not suffer King David to hazard himself saying Thou art worth ten thousand of us Let us hate to think or speak evil or contemptuously of him whom God hath exalted and set over us We find a remarkable Instance of true Love and Loyalty to a Prince 2 Sam. 15. 19 20 21. Here tho Ittai was willed by the King not to put himself in danger for him yet he answers thus As the Lord liveth and as my Lord the King liveth surely in what place my Lord the King shall be whether in Death or in Life even there also will thy Servant be This poor exiled Stranger for such he was shall rise up in Judgment against many native Subjects who have done quite contrary hereunto even in our days 2. We must Honour him in Love Sincere Love and Loyal Affection as he is King can in no wise be wanting in a good Subject Nor can we honour the King heartily if we do not love him entirely Now he that truly loves his Prince has him much in his serious Thoughts especially when he prays to the God of Heaven He will not then forget him whom he truly Loves whom he honours in Love If he love him he will pray for him perhaps that is all the good he can do his Prince and in this a mean Subject may serve his King as much as any so that his Prayer be Serious and Godly It is highly observable how the duty of making Prayer for all Men and particularly for Kings and Rulers with Supplication Intercession and giving of Thanks is required of Christians especially of those in the Ministry That by the Ministers constant and devout performance of this Duty in behalf of all that are in Authority the Hearts of the People may be more endeared towards their Prince and themselves hereby instructed to perform their Duty and manifest their Love to their Governours in like manner 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. And to enforce the Exhortation to this Duty the Apostle tells us that it is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour vers 3. 3. The next Demonstration of honouring the King shall be taken from the manner of our Language and the matter of our Discourse when concerned to speak of him or of his Doings In these we must hate the thoughts of Scurrility or reflecting Expressions for the Tongue is the Index of the Mind and we are expresly forbidden to curse or speak evil of the King even in our Bed-Chamber for these things are so odious that Providence will fight against such as do so and the Iniquity of such doings will return upon the Offenders For a Bird in the Air shall carry the News and that which hath Wings shall tell the Tidings Eccles 10. 20. Are they not marked out in Scripture for the worst sort of Men that are not afraid to speak evil of Dignities More daring and presumptuous than Angels who are great in Authority and may lawfully do more than Men yet they dare not bring a railing Accusation against the Devil who is the Prince of Darkness but they refer the wrong done to them unto God who both can and will rebuke him But why may not the good Angels rebuke Satan Why they know as wicked as he is he could do nothing about the Body of Moses nor any thing else without License from the Almighty He must indeed be withstood in his Temptations but he must not be rail'd on it seems And then what manner of Men are they that will take Liberty to rail on their Princes if they do not what they would have them Nay tho they should do Evil yet must they in no wise be evil spoken of Thou shalt not revile the Gods nor speak evil of the Ruler of my People Exod. 22. 28. Acts 23. 5. Object But have not the Prophets reproved Kings when they did Evil I answer Yea God reproved them by his Prophets frequently And no doubt that Men of God such as have Commission from him may and ought to deal faithfully with Kings and Rulers when they do that which is Evil in the sight of the Lord. But this is that which is intolerable that the Errors or Infirmities of Princes should be made the Subject of Mens Discourse Surely they are rather to be lamented before the Lord in secret Is it meet to say to a King Thou art wicked and to Princes Ye are ungodly Job 34. 18. The true Sence of these Interrogatives is No. It is by no means thus to reflect upon a King St. Paul having spoken rashly Acts 23. 5. corrects and excuses himself by saying I wist not Brethren that he was God's High Priest For it is written Thou shalt not speak Evil of the Ruler of my People Let Christians beware of this evil Disease which reigns in these days Let them remember They are bound by Gospel-Rules to Honour the King next to God himself Thus much of the Honour which we owe to the King's Person Let us now consider how we are obliged by Gospel-Rules to obey his Authority And here 1. Let the Subject consider how much God has set him below his Prince for Obedience seldom issues from a lofty Mind It 's not impossible for a Subject in conceit to be a Prince's Mate and then Subjection is Death to him That Passage concerning Mephibosheth the Son of Jonathan 2 Sam. 9. 8. was written for our Learning When he considered the Majesty of King David and his own Condition as a Subject What is thy Servant saith he that thou shouldst look upon such a dead Dog as I am Such self-abasing Thoughts in a Subject especially those of low degree does argue an Heart full of desires to honour him whom God has exalted as his King and a Mind willing to obey him Let Christians learn by