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Show So6 An "Atltlfejs to PfottflaKts: 1679· ford, Philpot, Sa11ders, Rogers, fie. at Home; and as good Men, and con .. ~ ftant Martyrs, in Ages before them. Patt II. But fuppofe Confcientious Diffenters as ill Men 3S the Apollle defcribes Sea. 6. an H«ttic!r. to be; what is the Punithment ? Th1s lS clofe to the Point : Stand it. 3d/y. A Mttn that U an Htrttick after tbt firfl a.nd feeond Admonition, re:. jeU ; that is, deny his Communion, declare he IS none of you, condema his Proceedings by a publick Cenfure from among your felves. What more can be ftrained, by the fierceft: Profecurors of Men for Religion, out C'lf thefe Words? But will we be governed by the Rules of Holy Writ? Have we any true Venera cion for the Exhortations and InjunCtions therein? Then let us foberly confider, what the Apoftle Paul advifes and recommends to his be· lo\'ed Timoti?J upon the prefent Occafion, and [dare _prom ire an End to Co,.._ ufl and Perfecution for Religion. Flee youtbfui Lujts; but foUow Righteou[ ne}i, Faith, Charity, Peau, with them that coll6n rbe Lord out of a pure Heart; hut fooli/h and unlearned !l_uefiionr avoid, )mowing that thty do gender Strifu. And the Servant of the Lord muft not {lrive, but be ge11rle 11nto all ft1en, apt to teach, patient, i11 Meelmifr inflru{/ing tbl![e that oppofe tbtmfelver, if God peradventNrt will give them Repentance to the odnov:ried, tiflg of the Truth. 2 Tim. 2. 22, 23, 24, 2). f. There is fuch a Depth of Wifdom lodged in this one Pafrage, that I find Difficulty to exprefs my felf upon it, and yer I fhall with Pleafure endea• vour it. Here is both Rritb and Government, Rebgion and Duty, all that becomes us rewards God, our Brethren, our Neighbour, c.>ur Selves, yea, our Oppofers and Enemies. Flu youthful Lujls: that is, avoid Sin, turn away from every Appearance of Evil, fiee the Temptation as foon as thou feeft ir, left it enfnarc thee; but follow Righteoufnefs, Charity and Peace; f(:ek a'nd love Holi· nefs lind there will be Charity and .Peace to thy felf, and in thee, to all Men. E,.om. 14 J7. 1 Cor. 4· 20. For the Kingdom of God /fandr in Rig!J., teoufnifr and Peace tznd Joy in tbt HolyGhofl; not in ConteO: about Words, nor in maint:tining foolifh and unlearned QJ)eftions, uhic1J rea&h not. t1J~ Soul, nor carry :wy Force upon our Affe8:ions, nor learn Men to be better, to have more Piety, Virtue, Goodnefs; but are meer Notions aod Speculations, that have no Influence upon Holy Living, or Tendency to the Regiment of our Paffions: Such Qpeftions as the Curioficy or ·wanton· 11efs ofMen•s Wit or reftlefs Fancy are apt to ibrt under Pretence of Divine Truth, and Sublime Myfteries :. Thefe Niceties, Concei ts and Ima~inations of Men, (not bottomed on the Revelation of the Eternal Spirit., but Human Apprehenfion and Tudition) fucb. !!Jte/lions avoid, meddle not with them; but, next to Youthful Lufis, flee them by all Means; for they draw to Strife, to Heau, .Arrimojities, Envy, Hatred and Perfecution, which unbecome the Man of God 1 for fays this Apoftle, He mufl not flrive, hut be gentle unto all Men, apt to tea&b, patient : Let his Rank, Notion, Opinion or F.aith be what it will, he muil not he Fierce, nor Cenforious, much lefs lhould he ptrfecute or excite ~far to do it for him; no fuch Matter : He mufl be apt to teach and inform the Ignorant ; and in Cafe ir: fuccced not, he ought not to be Outragious, or go about to whip or club it into him: He muft be patient, that is, he mufi: nor think to force and .bend things ro his own Will or Time, but commit his Honeft Endea-vours to God's Bleffing, that can rnife, of the Stones of the Streeu, Children. tmto Abraham. This Sort of Man will ferve God againfl_ hU WiU, infteld o£ fubmitting his Will to God's: There is no Evil he will fiick ar to ferve God. his Way, he will plunder and kill for God's Sake, and meritorioufiy fen& :111 his Paffions upon the Errands of his ignorant Zeal; and the Trophies that it loves, are the Spoils and H~vock it makes upon Mankind ; the molt, 'Unnatural and dangerous Temper in the World. Our Bleffed Lord, that knew what was in Man, has left us his Remark upon it, Luke 9· 55, The W~nt of this Patience has be<n tbe Undoing of all. · llut VoL.L An Addrefs to 'Protel1antr. . J'' • So7 ~ut fome wlll Ob]efi, 0! hut it u not l no , , · . ./itron: Hardly judged, rny Friend 1 bur a~mi~7: · '" /bfi'"'~Y and Oppoo 1679. for the Malady, and that of the Apoftle' fi .. were o, heres a Recetpr ~ rng Words: In Mulmefr inf/rM9ing ,,.jf';b c;•bmg;r. O~ferve rhe follow. Parr. 11. peradventure wiO live tbem Repentance. to rb: ogo_,~ j ~mfelvu, if God Sefl. 6, T~~n not Fining, Plundering, Beatinl, 'stocfdn °J. 0 'f»_ e 8f»l of t~e .Truth. Kr~ml, even Oppofers themfelves for Relig· !Ct mp{i.{:nrn,r, Banifhmg and ~o;ng th~efike Th8ings with Gentlenefs, Patieoc~o:"~ Me~kn~~re heh.ahWiay of rtJ! I t tn no ody ever heard of. ~ W IC con- But as the Apollle gives Timothy another Me hod b • the Sons of Violence for reclaiming Oppofers, fo tth ~ afl IS now ufed by fel makes all other Ways unlawful v·:: /fGod e ea on of the CounRepentance to the .Aclmowled,gmen/ o/ the 1i t'rjdventure wiU live them th~ Lift 'Yith a P~rfecutor : Is Re eotance 'f~ • would hereup~o ~n~r thlne to gtve me? The Apofile fayt neither I t'f!"~ O":'IJ P?wer, or JS 1t rn ptradventllre roiU liVe them Repentance f.!J& s·IS ~ s Gtft alone l /fGod the. Cafe, .and rhar God alone can give 'it of w~~~eUfiepeotaV~cel then is in wh1ch never be et Re enta ) 0 ' e are to ent Courfes, to raife Prejudic~ and ~get H:rdne~ ~~et~~"~Jre' they hapv~ r~rely fail'd holder. u erer, and uym the Be- But was this the Evangelical Rule and P.aaice 1 y · then 1 whence. comes Impojition, Force Cruelty Sp;il ot!f·J~t ItJwas':r. 0 menu, Knodrngr, Btorin,gs Bruifin s' S 1ci' l by . o .r, mpruon ... of B/~od for Religion? Whai Church 'li; t;:: w~g:{e ~ff(P111l1, trnd SpiU1n1 clothmg the Naked rhar they lhip the Clothed fl f< ccrs are fo far from th~t they t2ke tbeir Bread from them; <~nd ~h~~em iieedmgf rhhe Hungry, Widows and helplefs Orphans) And :(( ' orne o t em, poor Sick an~ Imp~fon'd, that they dra aw~ r~~~i~e.;re they from vititing the caft theu Perfons into Prifon for Confci~nce Sak~ds fNm ufider them, and fo unnatural that they haled away an Hone1l:Man from ay, o.me have been Rlodlingd, 1~ while Iince,, not permitting him to take Lea~~fe~\~gproooGoWa~;t new y e 1vered and m a Dying co d' · h r he, Hddliv'd hut juft .bY the Meeting, fro':n'~~in~e~~;: t~~k~~~.de~r~ it-, un red more Thtngs, that I forbear being parricular in be ' Wit an not be thought to provoke when 1 aim only at Ch ·fti Rufe I would Amendment. In fine, What are they that for no ot~l an eproof and Dreadful Excommunicatiom, as render the Exc ~r Cauf~ paf5 fuch , th~n Outlawed PerJons, fubjtr£ling their Civil an~N~~~:~iJi~ ~tttle bett~r Pnde, Paffion, Intereft or Revenge, unlefi they will purcha.feg tbs. t£ t~elr ment at the dear Rate of giving their own Confciences the Lye> err nJ~y .. elfe c~n be the Confcquence of conforming to that 1 do 0 t heror w> a1t Rot thts to defiroy fince~e Men, and make and fave H ocrite~ ~ Jeve: . s but too-palpable ~ha~ Vtce reigns without Controul, ~~d few ~f~h~~n lt 15 Men, thefe ConfcrtntiOIIs~Hunttrs,give themfelves the thought f eJ~fy Manners, defending Virtue, or fuppreffing Vice. o corre tng , 0, that fuch as arc concerned would foberly confider 'fan Th · b Scan~alous to True Religion as Force! Who can think thi t Ey'd mg G e fo that IS extorted ? And what a Church is that which is ~ad VI encef fiood Profelytes, or that employs fuch Means to make them > I e. u~ ;fl Q,ch that .nee.ds Impofition to make it current, but true Metai P:tfe5th a fu .'Y,n fwb mtnnfick Value. 0 where is that Chriftian Meeknefs Patienc~ a~!J or earanc~! How many have been ruined, that were never 'exhorted and Gxcommumcated before they were .once admonifhed ~ This is not to fervc F ~' but wordly I~tereft : It's qutte contrary to Chrift's Counfel and his o o~ers ~nd PraEl:tce. He came to favc, and not to dellroy Nature to ~a~mfy hts Grac~. You prete~d ~oft of you, to diflike ]. Czlvin~s un~on~ d!t~onal Reprobanon,, yet pratltfe It: If you fay, no, Omformity is your Con~ dltJon, I anfwer, It IS as unreafonabie to require an lmpoffibility as cruel to damn Men for nor doiog it: For, as you fay, bH DoUrine md~s God tfJ command them to repent, that CMf1not repent; anJ yet d11111n them if they re~ pe.nt |