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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A31000 A sermon preach'd at the assizes at Hertford, July 10th, 1684 by Miles Barne. Barne, Miles, d. 1709? 1684 (1684) Wing B864; ESTC R10100 11,593 32

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the Universe could be confined within the narrow compass of a shrine and now lest a sad reflection upon their former Idolatries should create a despair of pardon in the close he tells them that at the times of their former ignorance God would wink provided they would now repent and turn unto the Lord their Creatour By this their warrantable Court and prudent condescent they captivated the stubborn Jews and humbled the prouder Greeks They brought Christianity into the Synagogues and turn'd Idolatry out of the Temples But notwithstanding this their prudent Execution of that great Commission their Lord and Master had entrusted them with there soon arose false Teachers and false Prophets who debauch'd men of unstable minds either by intermixing Judaisme with Christianity or else what was far worse perswading them that an impure conversation was not destructive of their hopes of a blessed Resurrection And so they would have made them swallow the most palpable contradictions as that justice and unrighteousness were consistent a communion might be held of Light with Darkness a concord effected between Christ and Belial an agreement between the Temple of God and Idols that they might be Partakers of that Celestial Banquet the Lords Supper and yet not sin in Epicurizing upon the Reliques of those impure Beasts which had been offer'd unto Devils And consequently by a most malign influence they poyson'd the Sovereignty of Christianity and under pretence of advancing Christ's Kingdom promoted that of the Prince of Darkness In short they either wronged men in their Estates whilst they pretended the welfare of their souls or else under colour of furthering their interest in this world they infected their minds with such pernicious Principles as did certainly cut off all their Right to an Inheritance in the world to come and so under shew of instructing they made a prey of their Auditours and by a most unparallell'd piece of cruelty endeavour'd at once to destroy both their souls and bodies In opposition to these false Teachers S t Paul Courts his Corinthians to receive the true ones and one would think his Address should easily prove successfull especially considering how mightily it tends to the advantage of those to whom 't was made which is plain enough from the Address it self Receive us we have wronged no man we have corrupted no man we have defrauded no man Setting then aside the particular occasion S t Paul had thus to accost the Corinthians and taking the words in their extended sense as they concern all those who are lyable to be seduced by false Teachers as the Corinthians were they afford these three following considerations 1. That 't is the duty of all men but especially of those in authority to receive all such and only such as preach the word in sincerity and truth 2. The danger of tolerating those who do not preach the word in sincerity and truth 3. The surest expedient to prevent the mischiefs which are sure to arise from such a toleration I. That 't is the duty of all men but especially of those in authority to receive all such and only such as preach the word in sincerity and truth That Religion is absolutely necessary to the more orderly Government of the world is so undeniable a truth that they who have been its greatest Despisers as to the concerns of the other world have been forc't to own themselves its greatest Votaries for the acquiring and promoting Empire in this and a man may as soon hope to reconcile the greatest contradiction in nature as blot the sense of Religion out of the minds of the people who rather than have none at all will debase themselves to the worship of the meanest of Creatures even stocks and stones Now since amongst the almost innumerable opinions which through the malice of the enemy and the perverseness of men have arose concerning the very fundamentals of Religion the people are not capable of themselves to judge which are true and which false but are herein wholly influenc'd and guided by their Teachers Nay such is the pravity of humane nature such its affectation of novelty and desperate obstinacy against the truth that 't is odds but the false Teacher gains the greater number of Disciples For instance should an Arian or a socinian be permitted publickly to preach and teach the people I am afraid the Divinity of Christ would be much endangered and the merits of his Passion soon render'd ineffectual the case will be much the same though we mould instance in any other Sect which stands in opposition to the Religion by Law establish't suppose either in the independency of Jeroboam or the Presbytery of Corah What outrages would not these restless Sectaries commit were they once establish't by Law who had like to have brought an utter desolation upon this our Israel for want of putting the Laws in Execution against them Since the case stands thus do's it not mightily concern those who are in Authority to see that the Doctrines and Practices of such as inform the people are conformable to the establish't Religion and to be well assured that that be no other than what the Apostles taught the Church than what Christ taught the Apostles than what Christ receiv'd from God the Father That such is the Religion of the Church of England we dare appeal to our greatest Adversaries to alledge any one considerable argument to the contrary Let them if they can convict Her of Heresie or Errour in Doctrine of Disorder or Tyranny in Government of Indecency or Superstition in Her publick forms of Worship I am not altogether ignorant of the several Reasons which have been formerly alledged for Toleration i. e. in effect for indifferency in Religion But that which is most material and is at this day chiefly insisted on is that by this means all heats about Religion would be allayed the discontents of the people appeas'd and consequently the Government secured from those Broils and Commotions which do arise from a restraint put upon men in the worship of God I cannot but with horrour and amazement reflect upon those dismal Desolations which Beautefeus in Religion have occasion'd in all parts of Europe and particularly in this Nation But that this is not a means to prevent the like outrages is most apparent to all that are not willfully blind for was it not Toleration that gave life strength and maturity to the late Fanatick Conspiracy and so long as there is a Conventicle left in England so long will there be a seminary of Schism and Sedition But the Religion which we contend for and that which S t Paul would have received is altogether consistent with the civil Powers and has asserted the Rights of Government beyond any Systeme of humane Politicks whatever for therein we are taught that the seat of all Dominion is originally in God there is no Power no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but of God which is implied in the very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all along used in the new Testament to signifie lawfull Power for that comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is Lord of Lords and King of Kings To secure obedience to this Power it has made Rebellion no less a crime then fighting against God and entail'd Damnation upon the Rebel He that resisteth the Power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation And for the support of this Power it has commanded men to pay tribute and give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's On what a sandy foundation does the Malmesbury Politician set his Almighty Leviathan when he makes love of ease and the fear of Death and wounds the Principle causes which dispose men to obedience Princes would be in a very uneasie condition did not Religion tye up mens hands more then their natural dispositions for if this were all they had to trust to they must expect assistance from none of their subjects but such as are altogether useless viz. Sluggards and Cowards Conformable to this Doctrine of the Scriptures was the practise of the best and most primitive Christians when they lived under the most persecuting Emperours and then too when they were numerous enough to have made the Roman Eagles stoop to the Cross of Christ by force of Arms had not they had other motives for their obedience besides those of the aforecited Author they must have been Chronicled for the very Princes of Rebellion for they were so far from the love of ease that they voluntarily enured themselves to all kind of hardship so far from fear of wounds that they courted Death in her most terrible shapes No they had learn't obedience from a higher and more divine principle they knew that Emperours were by Gods appointment and therefore solely accountable to him à quo sant primi post quem secundi they knew that to them belonged the sole Power and use of the sword and therefore that it was not lawfull upon any occasion to unsheath it against them and therefore they condemn'd Rebellion not only as inconsistent with the Imperial Laws but moreover destructive of the Doctrine of the Cross and thereupon instead of raising a band of Rebels to dethrone their persecuting Emperours they rais'd an Army of Glorious Martyrs who resisted unto bloud striving against sin and conquer'd their enemies by dying for the Truth Conformable to the Doctrine of the Scriptures and the practice of the Primitive Christians is both the Doctrine and the practice of the Church of England She dares not own them any longer for Her Genuine Sons whom either ambition avarice or any allurements whatsoever can tempt to a disloyal thought much less to an Actual Rebellion Then as to Her constitution does not Hierarchy in the Church agree well with Monarchy in the State on the contrary may not a Presbyterian parity endanger it Independency quite overthrow it and what hopes that he should ever become a good subject who disputes the lawfulness of his Superiours commands till he finds himself free to obey If then we respect the peace and prosperity of the nation regard that beauty order and unity which ought to be preserv'd in the Church if we consider that tranquillity and happiness which will necessarily follow from the maintaining the establisht Religion in its Just Rights and Priviledges or would avoid those miseries and confusions which will arise from a Toleration of different Religions under the same Monarchy then certainly 't is the Duty of all men but especially of those in Authority to receive all such and only such as preach the Word in sincerity and truth i. e. those who can come up to all the Heights of the Discipline Doctrine and Publick Worship of the Church of England And so I come to consider in the second place the Danger of Tolerating those who do not preach the Word in Sincerity and Truth And the danger will appear to be very great First from their numbers Secondly their Principles Thirdly their Zeal in propagating and resolution to put their Principles in Execution First from their Numbers where we are to reckon all those who profess and openly avow a dislike and hatred to the Government those who are secret Friends and well Willers to these bold Professors And Lastly Those who steer the whole course of their Actions by a cowardly treacherous Neutrality And we are to look upon all these as one united Interest When ever they get an advantage against the Government They have often boasted of and threatned the Government with their Numbers and a late dying Enthusiast In the Name of the Party pronounces they conceiv'd three Parts of the City would have been concern'd in the Insurrection I hope he has much overshot himself in his accompt but at present let us take him at his word and esteem their Legions as Formidable as they would make us believe they are But tho' they were less numerous yet their Principles render them very dangerous which must respect either the Church or the State If the Church they have made so many and such deadly wounds in that seamless coat that perhaps Epiphanius his censure of the old Hereticks will be found defective both as to the Number and the Malignity of our Modern Schismaticks Later ages increasing the Number and this last still improving the filthiness of these filthy dreamers who defile the flesh despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities Aetas parentum pejor Avis tulit nos nequiores but I shall instance in two and those very obvious yet such as charge the whole Party of Dissenters with a dangerous Separation First their aversion to all Ecclesiastical Order and Discipline their irreconcileableness to Episcopal Government with publick solemn Forms of Worship administration of the Holy Sacraments all prescrib'd decent Ceremonies without which 't is impossible to maintain that one Holy Catholick and Apostolick Faith which was once deliver'd to the Saints that Christ's Spouse the Church should become all Glorious within according to his own promise or that the peace of Jerusalem and the prosperity of sion should be lasting and undisturb'd 2. That tho' they are multiplied into several almost innumerable Sects yet each would be thought the Elect of God the Peculiars of Heaven to the uttter exclusion and reprobation of the rest and so 't will be I Saint thou Reprobate to the end of the Chapter and yet this Cadmean Progeny always agree in a cursed Conspiracy to perplex and destroy the Religion by Law establish't Secondly If we consider their Principles relating to the State whatever Rebellious Antimonarchicall positions have been forg'd in the Schools by the subtle Disciples of Ignatius Loyola broach'd by the more Factious Off-spring of the Factious Calvin practis'd by the Holy Leaguers of France the Diabolical Covenanters of Scotland have been all of them faithfully transcrib'd and improved by our late Atheistical Associators who are so far from owning the Divine Right of