Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A44973
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An humble apology for non-conformists with modest and serious reflections on the Friendly debate and the continuation thereof / by a lover of truth and peace.
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Norton, John, 1606-1663.
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1669
(1669)
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Wing H3402; ESTC R20176
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79,882
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174
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or as others the Consumption of the Elements in the Lords Supper holdeth the nature of a true Sacrifice Prayers for the Dead lawfulness of Monastical Vows the gross substance of Arminianism and some dangerous points of Socinianism had been preached or printed by some amongst us Quest If it should be proved true that the high Conformists should warp somwhat from the Doctrine of the Church of England yet have they not all and alwayes been constant and firm to the Government to King and Parliament and great admirers of what their Superiors do and say Answ Dr. Heylyn tells us that he cannot reckon the death of King Edward the sixth for an infelicity of the Church of England for being as he saith ill principled in himself and easily enclin'd to imbrace such counsels as were offered to him it is not to be thought but that the rest of the Bishopricks before sufficiently impoverished must have followed Durham and the poor Church left as destitute of Lands and Ornaments at when she came into the world in her natural nakedness The above-named Dr. Heylyn in his History of the Reformation chargeth the Grandees at Court and in the Parliament of those times with such vices and crimes as our Adversaries may make use of to blemish our Reformation All which with some other considerations may give occasion to some to think that what the Devil said falsly and maliciously against Job may a little altered be too truly and without breach of charity said of some high blades Do they fear and honour the King and Parliament for nought Have they not made a hedge about them and about their house and about all that they have on every side and their Substance is encreased in the Laud But let but King and Parliament put forth their hand now and touch all they have and they would if not for fear of punishment curse them to their face Quest Is there any other absolute promise besides that of sending Christ into the World Answ Yes many As that Gen. 9.9 not to drown the World any more That of calling of the Gentiles Gen. 49.10 The promise of the Conversion of the Jews as is generally thought Rom. 11. The promise of giving Christ the Heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession Psal 2. And that Isa 53. He shall see his Seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands That Christ shall have a Seed to serve him that Christ shall certainly and infallibly save some and the Lord knows who are his That he hath not shed his Blood in vain like water spilt on the ground that this glorious Head of the Church shall certainly have a Body in some measure answerable and suitable to the Head c. The promise of First Grace is thought to be absolute I will take away your heart of Stone and give you a heart of Flesh 'T is confess'd we are bid to convert and turn and to come to Christ and to make our selves new hearts and yet 't is as true that we cannot do any of these things of our selves without Divine Assistance and special Grace But this for out Comfort That which is the matter of Duty in one place of Scripture is the matter of a Promise in another And again That Gospel-Commands are not onely significations of out Duty but Conveyances of strength to do our Duty Quest Is not Mr. W. B. absurd in comparing Gods people to Plate Answ I answer There is Scripture-ground enough to justifie the calling of Gods people his Plate for in Scripture they are called Gods Jewels or his peculiar Treasure Psal 3.17 And obdurate wicked men are compared to Reprobate Silver Jer. 6.30 Quest. May we not say That we come to the Promises by Christ Answ In him are all the Promises Yea and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 As a woman hath a right to her Joynture by first taking the man to her wedded Husband so Christians have a right to the Promises and all good things by taking Christ first for their Lord and Husband Quest. Is fear the chief and principal motive of a Christian to Duty and Obedience I mean the fear of punishment Answ No The chief and best Principle is Love I look on them as of a lower form in Religion who onely serve God for fear of Hell Although this fear is useful yet 't is not the principal motive to obidience in Gods Children And this was the Divinity of former time I do not hold it unlawful to serve God for fear of punishment nor hopes of Reward yet this I say That fear alone speaks a man a Servant and love speaks a min a Son And those are the best Servants to Vertue who serve virtutis amore for the love of Vertue A man may hate the good he doth and love the evil which he doth not do If then a man do that which is commanded meerly or chiefly for fear of Hell is be necessarily one of Gods best Servants I think not because he may at the same time hate the good he doth and love the evil he abstains from As for working with an eye to the Reward intuitu mercedis 't is justifiable and commendable 't is that which Moses did Heb. 11.26 and which our blessed Saviour did and it sufficeth the Servant to be as his Master Christians to be Followers and Imitators of Christ their Lord and Master Quest. Are good Works necessary to our Justification Debate p. 13. Answ The Church of England in her 11th Article teaches her Children thus We are righteous before God onely for the merit of the Lord our Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith and not for our own Works or Deservings Wherefore that we are justified by Faith onely is most wholsom Doctrine and very full of Comfort c. And in her Book of Homilies Tom. 1. pag. 17. Edit 1623. thus Justification is not the Office of man but God or man cannot make himself righteous by his own Works neither in part nor in whole for that were the greatest arrogance and presumption of Man that Antichrist could set up against God Quest Hath the Doctrine of the Imputation of Christs Righteousness for our Justification been the Doctrine of our Church and the prime Doctors of it Answ The Papists indeed call it with a jeer Putative Righteousness And 't is storied of a Popish Bishop lighting accidentally on that place Rom. 4.6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth Righteousness without Works c. threw away the Book in great displeasure and said O Paule an tu quoque Lutheranùs factus es O Paul art thou also become a Lutheran 'T is observed by 〈◊〉 Conforming Minister that the Apostle Paul mentions this grace of Imputed Righteousness ten times in the 4th chapter to the Romans and Bishop Andrews in his most excellent Sermon on that Scripture Jehova Justitia nostra His naâ—â—
Ministry was questioned and disgraced appealed unto this 2 Cor. 3.2 Ye are our Epistle viz. of commendation to or from the Church of Corinth written in our hearts known and read of all men This Epistle was the Apostles Evidence and Seal that he was a true Minister of the Lord Jesus But this I must have leave to say that 't is no evidence of a real conversion to rail at Bishops or the Common Prayer nor on the other side at Nonconformists as Schismaticks Sectaries Rogues c. I know that Religion is another thing and teacheth other things better things than these And I believe there are serious sober solid godly persons excellent Christians placable Sons of Peace of both Perswasions that pray to God and would be ready to joyn in Petition to Authority for some expedient for a Reconciliation And such a spirit as this I look on as a Gospel-spirit and well-becoming Preachers and Professors of the Gospel of Reconciliation and if there be any of either side that have not attained to this or the like spirit I look on them as of a lower form of Godliness and on endeavours and actings contrary to this way of Peace to be no part of their Godliness or any evidence of their Conversion though I will not say they are therefore ungodly or unconverted Quest Why do not Nonconformists preach up Peace and Unity and Obedience to Superiours Answ You tell us that the Nonconformists hold it their duty to declare the whole Counsel of God and they tell us that 't is their duty to pray for Magistrates and to obey their lawful Commands for Conscience-sake and therefore 't is but Charity to judge they will not be wanting in what they are convinced of is their Duty If there be any that sow the Seeds or Tares of Division and Disobedience whether in private Meetings or publick Congregations I say concerning them O my Soul come not thou into their secrets unto their Assemblies be not thou united yet there are I fear who cry peace peace when there is no peace but war in their hearts all the Peace and Unity they intend and endeavour after is but to bow all to their own Bent Ways Opinions and Sentiments and to break all those whom they cannot bend Some there are who with much pretended Zeal cry and that aloud for obedience to Magistrates and Laws and act more out of policy and self-interests than Conscience making these but as stalking-horses the better to come near and to shoot at their own Game thus taking vengeance on their own supposed Enemies whilst they seem to do God and his Vice-gerent service Hereby breaking the whole Law of God pretending the observation of the fifth Commandment and that fundamental Law of our Peace and happiness the Act of Indempnity whilst they pretend Zeal to the Act of Uniformity Else what 's the reason that they seldom or never preach but upon that subject when as it sufficeth by the Canons to treat of it four times a year For my own part I acknowledge and profess 't is a duty to preach obedience to God and his Vice-gerent both to be obedient our selve and to teach others also this duty by Precept and Example Yet I must confess I do not think they do all things decently and in order who always preach up the Duty of the people at Court not they that preach the duty of Rulers in the Country Quest But are there not Nonconforming-Ministers who were formerly great Friends to the Army and Countenancers and Encouragers of them in their illegal unjust and horrid Proceedings against King and Parliament Answ I know none of the whole Tribe of the Presbyterians that are so I have heard of one Mr. Martin lately imprisoned for a Conventicle at Warwick that lost his Arm in his Majesties service and I have heard of one that marched before the Souldiers when they went to fight against his Majesty at Worcester that hath been a zealous Conformist since Not do I know that he and many others ever saw day till the Royal Sun arose in our Horizon to scatter the Clouds that hung over their eyes The horrid murther of his late Majesty as it was abhorred and declared against by the Presbyterian Ministers and others in City and Country from Pulpit and Press so it was that I know of never undertaken to be justified by any Minister in print but by J. G. that great Goliah and Champion of the Arminians And the Presbyterians yea those who were Commissioners for the View of the Liturgy Declare in one of the Papers to his Majesty That till the Covenant was decried as an Almanack out of date and its Obligation taken to be null that odious Fact could never have been perpetrated against your Royal Father nor your Majesty so long expulsed from your Dominions Quest Do the Nonconforming-Ministers call those Moral Preachers who preach obedience to the Moral Law and the necessity of good Works Answ He that rightly divides the Word of Truth must preach Law and Gospel both Moral as well as Evangelical Duties yet 't is best to preach the Law as it was first delivered in the hands of a Mediator Blame them not if they preach frequently the Gospel and the great love of Christ to sensible Sinners because the love of Christ constrains us to love him again 't is the Loadstone of Love Nothing they say is more easie than to love him that loves us and the Apostle John tells us That we love God because he first loved us But 't is not very long since Puritan Preachers as they were nick-named were charged to preach nothing but Hell and Damnation Quest Do Nonconforming-Ministers use to preach Comfort to ungodly Sinners resolving still to live ungodly Answ No by no means The Presbyterians and others used to declare against Antinomianism and to preach Repentance towards God as well as Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ to him that was sensible of sin and weary of it and that mourned for it they were willing to preach glad Tydings of Remission and Reconciliation They were and are Enemies both to presumption and desperation and seek to save Souls from perishing either way They are ordinarily first Beanerges's then Barnabas's and seek first and most to wash the inside of the Platter than the outside first they aim to cleanse the Heart then the Hands They press men first to seek God in prayer with their whole heart for pardon and grace and then direct them how to pray whether with or without a Book in private as shall be most expedient for them they deny those that I converse withal that they dissivade any from the use of the Liturgy or Common Prayer This indeed is a Maxime with them in Religion Quod cor non facit non fit and that the devotion of the Soul is the soul of Devotion Quest In case a person be truly troubled in Conscience for his sin to which is he to be sent for Comfort