Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	england_n	homily_n	1,679	5	11.5743	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34541	The point of church-unity and schism discuss'd by a nonconformist, with respect to the church-divisions in England.	Corbet, John, 1620-1680.	1679 (1679)	Wing C6260; ESTC R37663	30,758	79

the Diocess or other peculiar Jurisdiction in which relation I do not now stand being cast out and made uncapable thereof Moreover in whatsoever capacity I now stand the said Promise must be understood either limitedly or without limitation If limitedly as in things lawfull and honest as I conceive it ought to be understood then I am not bound by it in the present case For it is not lawfull nor honest for me to comply with the now injoyned Conformity against my conscience or in case of such necessitated non-compliance to desist from the Ministery that I have received in the Lord. If it be understood without limitation ●t is a sinfull promise in the matter thereof and ●hereupon void Absolute and unlimited obedience to man may not be promised Let ●t be considered also that the objected promise could not bind me to more than the Conformity then required But since my Ordina●ion and Promise then made the state of Con●ormity hath been much altered by the injunction of more and to me harder terms than ●ormerly were injoyned When I was Or●ained I thought that the terms then requir●d were such as might be lawfully submitted to But young men such as I then was may be ●asily drawn to subscribe to things publickly ●njoyned and so become engaged before they have well considered The Ordainer or Ordainers who designed me to this Office of Christs donation and not ●heirs could not by any act of theirs lessen it ●s to its nature or essential state Nor can they ●erogate from Christs authority over me and ●he obligation which he hath laid upon me ●o discharge the Office with which he hath ●ntrusted me That a necessity is laid upon me in my present state to preach the Gospel I am fully perswaded in regard of the necessities of Souls which cry aloud for all the help that can posibly be given by Christs Ministers whethe● Conformists or Nonconformists The necessary means of their Salvation is more valuable than meer external Order or Uniformity in things accidental I receive the whole Doctrine of Faith an● Sacraments according to the Articles of th● Church of England and am ready to subscrib● the same I have joyned and still am ready to joyn with the legally established Churche in their publick Worship The matter o● my sacred Ministrations hath been always consonant to the Doctrine of the Reforme● Churches and particularly of the Church o● England I meddle not with our present differences but insist on the great and necessar● points of Christian Religion I design not th● promoting of a severed Party but of mee Christianity or Godliness I am willing to comply with the will 〈◊〉 my Superiors as far as is possible with a saf● conscience and to return to my Ministeri●● station in the Established Churches may I b● but dispensed with in the injunctions wit● which my conscience till I be otherwise informed forbids me to comply In the whol● of my dissent from the said injunctions I ca● not be charged with denying any thing essen●●al to Christian Faith and Life or to the ●onstitution of a Church or any of the weigh●er matters of Religion or with being in any ●hing inconsistent with good Order and Go●ernment My Case as I have sincerely set it forth I ●umbly represent to the Clemency of my Go●ernours and to the charity equity and candor ●f all Christs Ministers and People I am sure design to follow after the things which make ●or Peace and I hope I am not mistaken in ●he way to it J. C. FINIS Books lately Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheap side ONe Hundred of Select Sermon upon several occasions by Tho. Horton D. D. Sermons on the 4th Psal. 42. Psal. 5● and 63. Psal. by Tho. Horton D. D. A Compleat Martyrology both of Fo raign and English Martyrs with th● Lives of 26 Modern Divines by Sam Clark A Discourse of Actual Providence by John Collings D. D. An Exposition on the 5 first Chapter of the Revelation of Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 Charles Phelpes A Discourse of Grace and Temptat●on by Tho. Froysall The Revival of Grace Sacrament Reflections on the Death of Christ Testator A Sacrifice and Curse by John Hur● A Glimps of Eternity to Awaken Sinners and Comfort Saints by Ab. Coley Which is the Church or an Answer to the Question Where was your Church before Luther by Rich. Baxter The Husbandmans Companion or Meditations sutable for Farmers in order to Spiritualize their Employment by Edward Bury Mr. Adams Exposition of the Assemb Catechism showing its Harmony with the Articles and Homilies of the Church of England The present State of new-New-England with the History of their Wars with the Indies Popery an Enemy to Truth and Civil Government by Jo. Sheldeck Spelling Book for Children by Tho. Lye Principals of Christian Religion with Practical Applications to each Head by Tho. Gouge Almost Christian by Matth. Mead. Godly Mans Ark by Edmund Calamy Heaven and Hell on Earth in a good or bad Conscience by Nath. Vincent Little Catechism for Children with short Histories which may both please and profit them by Nath. Vincent Ark of the Covenant with an Epistle prefixed by John Owen D. D. This Author hath lately Published this Book Intituled The Kingdom of God among men A Tract of the sound state of Religion or that Christianity which is described in the holy Scriptures and of things that make for the security and increase thereof in the World designing its more ample diffusion among Professed Christians of all sorts and its surer propagation to future Ages Printed for Tho. Parkhurst

such Persons have fallen as were otherwise worthily esteemed in the Church Cyril with the greater number of Bishops in the Ephesine Council too rashly deposed John of Antioch and his Party of Bishops upon a quarrel that arose between them And John with his Adherents returning to Antioch did more rashly depose Cyril and his Party and yet both Parties were Orthodox and in the issue joyned in the Condemnation of Nestorius But the most remarkable instance in this kind is the disorderly and injurious proceeding of so venerable a Person as Epiphanius against so worthy a Person as Chrysostom to which he was stirred up by the instigation of that incendiary Theophilus of Alexandria The said Epiphanius goes to Constantinople and in the Church without the City held a sacred Communion and Ordained a Deacon and when he had entred the City in a publick Church he read the Decree made by himself and some others in the condemnation of Origens Books and excommunicated Dioscurus and his Brethren called the long Monks worthy and Orthodox men persecuted by the Anthromorphites And all this he did without and against the consent of Chrysostom the Bishop of the Place and in contempt of him I may further instance in the long continued division between Paulinus and Meletius with their Parties at Antioch though both of them were of the Nicene Faith likewise in the long continued Separation made from the Church of Constantinople by the followers of Chrysostom after his banishment because they were exasperated by the injuries done to their worthy Patriarch These weaknesses in good men of old times I observe not to dishonour them but that we may be thereby warned to be more charitable and less censorious towards one another in case of the like weaknesses and disorders and to be sollicitous to maintain Peace and to prevent discord among all those that are united in the substantials of Christian Faith and Practice and for this end to be more carefull in avoiding unreasonable oppositions unwarrantable impositions and all causless exasperations True Holiness is the basis of true Unity For by it the Faithfull cleave to God and one to another in him and for him and are inclined to receive one another on those terms on which God hath received them all And by it they are turned from that dividing selfishness which draws men into several or opposite ways according to their several or opposite ends Let not a carnal wordly Interest in a Church state be set up against Holiness and Unity Let the increase and peace of the Church visible be sought in order to the increase and peace of the mystical Let no one Party be lifted up against the common Peace of sound Believers and let not any part of the legitimate Children of Christs Family be ejected or harassed upon the instigation of others but let the Stewards in the Family carry it equally and so gratifie one part in their desired Orders that the other part be not oppressed Let not them be still vexed who would be glad of tolerable terms with their Brethren In Church-Governours let the power of doing good be enlarged and the power of doing hurt restrained as much as will stand with the necessary ends of Government Let the Discipline of the Church commend it self to the consciences of men Let the edge of it be turned the right way and its vigor be put forth not about little formalities but the great and weighty matters of Religion Zeal in substantials and charitable forbearance in circumstantials is the way to gain upon the hearts of those that understand the true ends of Church-government and what it is to be Religious indeed Let the occasions of stumbling and snares of division be taken out of the way and let controverted unnecessaries be left at liberty Discord will be inevitable where the terms of concord remain a difficulty insuperable The Conscientious that are willing to bid high for Peace cannot resign their consciences to the wills of men and humility and soberness doth not oblige them to act contrary to their own judgments out of reverence to their Superiors they cannot help themselves but their Superiors may T is the Spirit of Antichrist that is fierce and violent but the Spirit of Christ is dovelike meek and harmless and that Spirit inclines to deal tenderly with the consciences of Inferiours Tenderness of conscience is not to be despised or exposed to scorn because some may falsly pretend to it The Head of the Church and Saviour of the Body is compassionate towards his Members and he hath said Whoso shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea As the way of unity lies much in the wisdom equity and charity of Superiours so in the humility and due submission of Inferiours in their ready closing with what is commendable in the publick constitutions in their bearing with what is tolerable in making the best improvement of what is therein improvable for their own and others Edification in a word in denying no compliance which piety towards God and charity towards men doth not forbid Matters of publick injunction which Inferiors stick at may be considered by them either as in themselves unlawfull or as inexpedient Now it is not only or chiefly the inexpediency of things commanded but the supposed unlawfulness of divers of those things that the Nonconformists generally stick at whereof they are ready to render a particular account when it will be admitted Howbeit a question may arise about the warrantableness of submission to things not in themselves unlawfull but inexpedient especially in respect of scandal the solution whereof may be requisite for the clearing of our way in such things Upon this question it may be noted That in those cases wherein there is no right of commanding there is no due of obedience Nevertheless things unwarrantably commanded are sometimes warrantably observed though not in obedience yet in prudence as to procure Peace and to shew a readiness to all possible compliance with Superiors Moreover Rulers have no authority to command that which in it self is not unlawfull when Christian charity forbids to do it in the present circumstances by reason of evil consequents For all authority is given for Edification and not for Destruction Likewise our Christian liberty includes no Licence to do that act at the command of Rulers the doing of which in regard of circumstances is uncharitable But here it must be considered how far the law of charity doth extend in this case and when it doth or doth not forbid my observance of what the Ruler hath unwarrantably because uncharitably commanded True charity doth not wholly destroy Christian Liberty though it regulates the use thereof and it doth not extend it so far one way as to destroy it self another way If I am bound up from doing every indifferent thing at