A caution to Christians: or, serious maxims of a desired reformation; according to Old and New Testament practice. Continued to this glorious day of a reformation; begun by Their present Majesties William and Mary, whom God long preserve, to see Their resolves for church and state compleated. With a short exhortation of a late eminent divine, to improve their high calling with the greatest zeal for the kingdoms interest, in this our day. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription B18829 of text R222956 in the English Short Title Catalog. Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 9KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 B18829 Wing C1559 Interim Tract Supplement Guide 816.m.22[30] ESTC R222956 ocm99885373

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 Early English books online text creation partnership. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. B18829) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 201304) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books; Tract supplement ; B2:1[40]) A caution to Christians: or, serious maxims of a desired reformation; according to Old and New Testament practice. Continued to this glorious day of a reformation; begun by Their present Majesties William and Mary, whom God long preserve, to see Their resolves for church and state compleated. With a short exhortation of a late eminent divine, to improve their high calling with the greatest zeal for the kingdoms interest, in this our day. 1 sheet ([1] p.) : ill. Printed for W. Thackeray, at the Angel in Duck-Lane, J. Millet, at the Angel in Little-Brittain, and A. Milbourn, at the Stationers-Arms in the Little Old-Bayly, [London] : [1690?] Caption title. Imprint from colophon; place and date of publication from Wing. Printed in three columns. Reproduction of original in the British Library.

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 eng Church of England -- History -- Early works to 1800. Church and state -- England -- Early works to 1800. Great Britain -- History -- William and Mary, 1689-1702 -- Early works to 1800. eebo A caution to Christians: or, serious maxims of a desired reformation; : according to Old and New Testament practice. Continued to this glorious day of n/a 1690 1 1423 1 0 0 0 0 0 7.03 B The rate of 7.03 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the B category of texts with fewer than 10 defects per 10,000 words. 2014-02 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2014-04 Sampled and proofread 2014-04 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2015-03 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion
A Caution to Christians : OR : Serious Maxims of a Desired Reformation ; According to Old and New TESTAMENT Practice . Continued to this Glorious Day of a Reformation ; Begun by Their Present Majesties WILLIAM and MARY , whom God long Preserve , to see Their Resolves for CHURCH and STATE Compleated With a Short EXHORTATION of a late Eminent DIVINE , to Improve their High Calling with the greatest Zeal for the Kingdoms Interest , in this our Day .

woodcut of king and queen with guargds and nobility at court

woodcut of church

PEople under Oppression Gods design is for a course for their Deliverance ; their Sighs and Greans move him to compassion , and he comes towards them in some eminent working , and engages a Leader to go before them . Moses shall have a Cail and a Message to deliver to Pharaoh , to let him know , that he must be the Instrument of Deliverance of Gods Chosen people , Exodus 3.

Times of Calamity are the Seasons for seeking God for direction of our Designs , that they may promote his own Glorious Ends : where God begins to Engage , his people find high encouragement .

When Gods Enemies are Plotting against a Reformation , 't is safest for you to let them see your Interest you rest on , and that your Judgement and Resolution is fix'd .

Holy preparations are the best foundation for Reformation , when carried on in the ways of Sanctification ; watching with both Eyes , one towards Heaven , and the other towards the work we have to do : knowing , that the Enemies strongest Conspiracies is , when Reformation appears with Success .

Reformation-times prove commonly very hard and Expensive Times , and Times of Murmuring : The more God is sought to , the more of Astoni●hment will the Success have in it , and their Wonder and Fear will fall upon the hearts of the Dispisers .

Beware of holding a Correspondence with those that have a secret opposition to Gods design , let them be Relations or Alliances , these the Enemy winds in to betray and act by .

The safest way in Gods work is , to imploy such Agents as have much of God in then . Heavenly work goes best on by Heavenly Instruments .

Gods work hath his Treasurers , that draw out the strength and contribution of all sorts ; and God only seems to lay up provisions amongst his people for such a time . Men are but Treasurers for God , and must open their Coffers , when Providence puts the Key into their hands .

If there be any one Eminent Agent whom God nath engaged and prospered in his work , there ought to be an eminent care for his preservation and accomodation , lest the light fall out , if the Candlestick be broken .

Godly Prudence is to prepare people in the way to Reformation ; to acquaint them as well with the Cross as the Crown ; to lay in a principle of Patience , before Trouble does appear .

Maxims of REFORMATION .

In Nehemiah's time , when the Remnant of the Captivity were under great Afflictions , and the Walls broken down , he wept and prayed for prosperity , and the Lord prospered the work , and behold his Diligence , Nehemah 1.11 .

Sanball it , Tobiah , and Geshem laughed and scorn'd at their Undertaking , but God prospers their work , Nehemiah 2.19 , 20.

Enemies to Reformation are troubled and cast down , when God appears for his people , Neh . 6.

If Hananiah , a faithful Ruler , have the Charge of Jerusalems safety , the work cannot miscarry , Nehem . 7.2 .

If Watches be appointed , every one over-against his own House , Self interest obliges Diligence , Nehem . 7.3 .

The Chief of the Fathers gave largely , and the rest of the people gave Twenty Thousand Drams of Gold , Nehem . 7.72 73.

Also Ordinances for Charging Yearly for the House of God , Nehem . 10.32 .

To Consult Scripture in times of Reformation , is the safest Guide ; Ezra did do that day by day , Nehem . 13.23 , 24.

A Spirit of Prayer and Supplication before-hand , is a great Signal that God is about some great work for his Churches Interest , Acts 12 , 14.

Differences amongst the Godly , are safest heal'd by the Godly . If the Graecians murmur against the Hebrews , then the twelve call the multitude of the Disciples together , Acts 6.1 , 2.

When Paul was design'd for Murder , the Disciples prevented it by night , in a Basket , Acts 19.

Of Gods Appearances in Reformation-Work .

All his Miraculous Actings for his Law and Church of Old by Moses , Joshua , and after several Judges , Judges 3. The sudden restoring of his Worship under Asa , Jehoshaphat , Hezekiah , Josiah , and the raising of the Temple under Cirus and Darius ; all shew the Wonderful Divine Appearances : the Lord stirred up the Spirit of Cyrus , and then rose up the Fathers of Benjamin and Judah , with all those whose Spirits God had raised up . Also Artexerexes , Nehemiah , Mordecai , &c. And under the Gospel , the Lord working with them , and confirming the word with Signs following , Mark 16.20 . And so all along to this of ours .

To close up all , here is encouragement to the faithful Ministry that promote the Interest of State and Church .

Let all faithful Ministers comfort themselves herein ; tho' men be against them , yet they have their calling from the Lord ; he will back them and bear them out ; he will give power unto them . They are stars in Gods right hand ; God will defend them . Fear not therefore , the faces of Men ; seek not to please Men , for if you do , ( as Paul speaks ) you cannot be the Servants of God . You have your Ministry from the Lord , seek therefore to approve your selves , not to the Wicked , but to the Lord , who will defend and give power unto you , as he promiseth to his two Witnesses in the Revelations .

And since the intent of this Discourse is for Reformation and weakning Vice , I have here inserted the Titles of those DIVINES that are most fit to take upon them the Charge of Souls .

Ephes . 4.11 . They are Pastors , and therefore their duty is to feed the people of God that dependeth upon them .

1 Cor . 3.9 . They are Husband men , and therefore in duty , must Till Gods Ground , and sow his Seed .

Ezek . 1.17 . They are Watch men , and therefore must give the people warning of ensuing danger .

1 Cor . 4.1 . They are Dispencers of the Mysteries of God , to deliver that to the people which they have received of him . Luke 22.24 . Called Stewards of Gods House , and therefore must give every Man his portion of Meat in due season .

Mat . 5.14 . They are the Light of the world , and therefore their duty is to shine forth by Heavenly Doctrine to enlighten Gods people .

Mat . 5.13 . They are the Salt of the earth , and therefore their duty is to season with wholsome Doctrine , the weak Souls that bend to Corruption .

1 Cor . 3.10 . They are Builders , and therefore musted fie the Body of Christ , the House of God .

Heb . 13.17 . They are Captains , and therefore it is their part to fight Gods Battels : and good Leaders and Chieftains , to instruct Gods people well in this Spiritual Warfare .

Ephe . 6.20 . They are called Embassadours , and therefore their duty is to declare Gods Message to the people .

Printed for W. Chackeray , at the Angel in Duck-Lane , I. Millet , at the Angel in Little-Brittain , and A. Milbourn , at the Stationers-Arms in the Little Old-Bayly . 33 :