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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	article_n	church_n	homily_n	2,467	5	11.7893	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34183	Episcopalia, or, Letters of the Right Reverend Father in God, Henry, Lord Bishop of London, to the clergy of his diocess	Compton, Henry, 1632-1713.	1686 (1686)	Wing C5666; ESTC R4911	21,581	113

Mat. 18. 11. This I think is most of what was discoursed and a diligent practice of it with our other Duties is that we must reconcile us to God and Man and give us temporal as well as eternal peace I have I bless God no reason in the general to mistrust your care And therefore with my hearty prayer that the Holy Spirit may ever rest upon you and work more and more in you for the edification and increase of Christ's Flock I remain Your Affectionate Friend and Brother Fulham 1682. H. LONDON The Bishop of London's Fourth Letter Good Brother I Do acknowledge that I am bound to lay my self out in any thing that may conduce to your Assistance for carrying on that Great Work which lyes upon you of the cure of Souls But when I reflect upon the cheerful concurrence I met with in those endeavours I have hitherto used for the promoting that Unanimity which is the Life and Strength of your performance and Cements and Embodies your whole proceeding to a lasting strength I cannot but with a most thankful Heart to God rejoyce in that just disposition with which by his Grace he has fill'd your honest Mind That therefore I may never be wanting and that this Repetition of what you were my Councellour in the last year may the more quicken you to do your duty in those things which you did then so readily consent and advise to Take your own and my sense so near as I can recollect it concerning the Subject of our last conference Upon Canon 54. THe Title and Substance of this Canon is The Licenses of Preachers refusing Conformity to be void And to compleat the expectation of the Church in matters of this nature We must look to Canon 38. which ordains That Obstinate Revolters after Subscription are to be depos'd from the Ministry The reason of these Severities proceeds from the absolute necessity of keeping up Discipline in the Church of God For Nature the Constitution of the World Experience in the subsistence and success of things teach us that the Maker of all things is a God of Order and hates Confusion Therefore is the Church of Christ likened to a Building which consists in an orderly disposing of different Materials into one Structure I will Build my Church says our Saviour Mat. 16. 18. You also are Built together c. Eph. 2. 2. St. Paul writing to the Schismatical Separatists of Corinth As a wise Master Builder I have laid the Foundation 1 Cor. 3. 10. Ye are Gods Building 1 Cor. 3. 9. In whom all the Building fitly fram'd Eph. 2. 21. And so in many other places It is also express'd as a Body See 1 Cor. 12. how the Apostle adapts the Constitution and Frame of the Natural Body to that of the Church and concludes vers 27. Ye are the Body of Christ. For the edifying the Body of Christ Ephes. 4. 12. and vers 16. The whole Body f●●ly joyn'd together c. maketh increase of the Body From which the Body by Ioynts and Bands Col. 2. 19. For his Body's sake which is the Church Col. 1. 24. There are many more expressions of this kind but I mention these especially to shew after what manner we are Embody'd and to what end Sometimes it is called a Kingdom which is a Body Politick under one Head The Gospel of the Kingdom Mat. 4. 23. I appoint you a Kingdom Luke 22. 29. And so in divers other Portions of Scripture But to let us understand how necessarily the utmost Rigour of Discipline is to be observ'd in a Christian we are most truly represented to be in a state of War continually encountring the Flesh the World and the Devil at the Peril of an Everlasting Death And therefore he says Put on the Armour of Light Rom. 13. 12. Put on the whole Armour of God Eph. 6. 11. Now we know under what severe Penalties almost the least fault is forbid by Martial Law and how strictly it is Executed not from the roughness of the Profession but the Nicety of the Case where every little disorder or disobedience to command always gives advantage to a watchful Enemy and many times endangers a total overthrow We are therefore to consider what is expected from us for the fitting our selves to this posture that we may be able to stand in the day of tryal 1. The first thing we are to do is so well to dispose our selves by an humble and peaceable Mind that in the Church where it has pleas'd God to place us In what state soever therewith to be content To study to be quiet and mind our own business And to yield a hearty willing and thorow Conformity to the Rules we are under For if nothing be ordain'd contrary to the express Will of God Every Ordinance of Man is to be submitted to for the Lords sake 1 Pet. 2. 13. To this end the two Acts of Uniformity ought to be strictly read and Observed by us As also the Constitutions and Canons Ecclesiastical Anno 1603. with the Rubricks to the several Offices in the Liturgy taking great heed at the same time to our Doctrin by having a special regard to the 39 Articles as expounded in the Books of Homilies That neither in word nor deed we may hurt or offend the Church we serve in What less can we think our selves obliged to when we consider in what manner St. Paul conjures the Corinthians Ch 1. 10. Now I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions or Schisms among you But that you be perfectly joyn'd together in the same mind and and in the same Iudgment And let us walk by the same Rule let us mind the same thing Phil. 3. 16. Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14. 40. Surely after this we may safely conclude that whosoever transgresses the Rule upon a less account then obedience to the express Will of God or shall teach men so he shall be call'd the least in the Kingdom of Heaven We are not here to understand every breach of the Rule to lye under this guilt but such as are committed wilfully or out of supine negligence Neither need we think it a neglect of Duty in those things which by an Universal omission the silence of our Superiours giving way to it lye under a tacite consent of Abrogation or Suspension at least Nor are we to think it a small matter the leaving these things undone because it is of greater immediate duty to observe the weightier matters of the Law I say immediate inasmuch as the consequence in the omission of lesser matters may occasionally and too freequently does prove more fatal to the peace of the Church and Mens Consciences than the other 2. In the next place we are to consider our selves in the State of Church Discipline as Watchmen and Shepherds to guard and secure our Flocks We must for