544 6tn.I. 20 F/11] 5.to. Woeto them th:ttptuckrkndTcfOr light. E{"J l9·9· The Mother· hood ofthe ChurchcfEnlaud,howf.lrit obligcthus. Dlllf.tJ.1.t,t3 MtlltrF.cckji.~, M4Ut tft ttiam Matrisnoftu. Aug.Ep.Ji.J8• An Apologie againft Brownifls. untill you? Externalllight was Gods firft creature, and !ball this fpirimalllight, A wherebyall Churches fbould be difcemed, come thus late? •Mi!lru!l thereforeyour eyes,and yourlight: and feare EfoJel woe, and the Jewes m1ferabledif.1ppointmem: we wait for light, butloe,it is datkndfe :for brightne1Te,but we walk in obfcurity. SEP. Butthe church ofEngland(J•JJOH) i10ur Mother, •11dfoo•ght no to"be av07ded: { 111t fo1 I, we vtujl not fo cleove tol>d!J Miltl~r Church, aHP< neglefJo11r heaveniJ f athtr, and hiuommandefJients whichwe k,_now ;,. th., eflatewe coHidnot but tranfgrege, •ndthat h•inoNJlJ, andagainft our con(ciences, not on!J in the want ofmanyCbrijli.,, Ordinan· ces, to whichwearemojlJlralghiiJ boo11dhothb]GodsWordand our own fl(ceffiti u. SECTION XVIJ. B THeChurch ofEngland is your Mother, tohertinallcomfort; !be bath born you,and repented. Alas, you have given her caufe to powrc out ']oh curf<s upon your Birthday, by your not only forfaking but cutting her: Stood not upon her faults, which youfhall never prove capital!: N01 onely the be!l Parent might have brought forth a rebellious fonne to be !toned.What then?Do we prefer dmy to piety,and fo plead for our holyMotherChJJrch,that we negleCI: our heavenly Father,yea, offend him ?Seewhat you fay: itmuft needs be an holy Motherthat cannOt be pleafed withomthedifpleofureofGod: A good wife,thar oppofes fuch an hufband: agood fonne that upbraids this unjuftly: Therefore is fhe aChurch, your M01her, holy, becaufefhe bred you to God, cleaves to him, obeies his commandements, and commands them. And fo farreis fbe from this defperste comradiCI:ion, C that fbe voweth not to hold you for her fonne, unle1Teyou honourGod as a Fatlwr. It i; a wilfull Oander that youcould not but hainouOy tranfgrefle under her: I dare take it upon my foule, that all your tranfgreffionwhich yoo fbould neceffarily have incurred by her obedienc.,.is nothing fo hainous,asyour uncharitablene1Te in your cenfures and difobedience. Confcienceis acommon plea,even to thole youhate:we inquire not hpw ftrong it is, but howwell informed: not whetherit fuggeft this, but whereupon.To goe again!l the confcicnce is finne, to follow amiC-informed confcience isfinnealfo: Ifyou doe not the firft, we knowyou are fan! tie in the fecond :He thatisgrearetthantheconfcience 1 willnottake rhisforanexcufe: But wherein fhould havebeen this tranfgref!ion; {o unavoydable, hainous, againft confcience? D Firft, in thewamofmany ordinances, to which we aremoll ftrietly bound,both by Gods Word,andour own necdlities. . SECTION XVIII. CAn you thinkethis hangs well together? You fhould herewant manyofGods ~~:;~,. ~~dt~:~~e,~h~~fn~~~~~!~u~;,~~~:~~!~~~fd~~~%:~~~ifr!r;ea~~;~: God, wh<th<t nouOy offend,for wantingof thatwhich he could not havelWhat bath confcience to ~~:.d,";; doe with that which isourofour power l Isneceffitywith you become a finne, and theyorcto be that hainous. D•vidisdriven to lurke in thewildernes,and forced towantthe ufeof t<t up with'"' many divine Ordinances: It was his farrow, not his tranfgreffion: He complains of E Y~".:;.;;,.,_ this, but doth he accufe himfelfoffinne? Not rodefire them had been fin, nofinne f'l•w,&<. to be debarred them: Well might this be Sa11IJ finne,but not his.Haveyou not fins :;;:,t/t: enowofyour own, that you mu!l needs borrowofothers ? But I fee your ground: Ntmo I'""''" Y on are bound to have thele Ordinances;and thereforewithoutPrinces,yeaagain!l '>m•viok>tri- them:fo it isyour tranfgreffion to want themin fpight ofMagi!lrates:Gandtnti.w tbe j!:::,.~"'P''"' Don•tift taught you this ofold;and this is oneofthe HebrewSongswhich M.B•rum;.~ ~V:ft:;;. row fings to us in B:1bylon,rhat we carenot rd'make Chrift attend uponPiinces,and ~"'if:;-':,."~·•· to be fubjecr to their Lawes and Government : and his Predece1Tor ( the root of • '• '· yourSecr) tellsusinthisfenfetheKingdomeofHeoven mufrfufferviolence, and that it comes not with obfervarion :that men ma}:fay, loe theParliament, ot loe, the Bifhops decrees: and in the fame Treatife; The Lords Kingdome mull wait on yonr
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