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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47481	The cause & cure of offences in a discourse on Matth. 18:7 / by R. Kingston ...	Kingston, Richard, b. 1635?	1682 (1682)	Wing K610; ESTC R965	56,152	182

is Doctrinal Observation upon the fourth of St. John 22. Lecture the 36. That those Assemblies that enjoy the Word and Doctrine of Salvation though they may have many corruptions in them are to be acknowledged the true Churches of God and such as none of the faithful may make separation from I am almost assured they would think it little less than Sacriledge not to allow these men to be theirs and whether it be not an offence for those of a second Edition to make their practices clash with these allowed Doctrines let Conscience judge Onely give me leave to make this use of their Doctrine That 't is extreamly sinful for Presbyterians to separate from the Church of England their own celebrated Teachers being Judges Our blessed Saviour refused not to communicate with the Twelve though he knew one of them was a Devil nay he lived and died in Communion with the Jewish Church though 't was abominably corrupted and was so indulgent and graciously applicable to sinners that the Pharisees call'd him a Companion and Friend of Publicans and Sinners One reason why Christ would be baptized among the common sort is rendred by Spanheim to be that he might convince the World he was no Friend to those Opinions that debarred men from frequenting the means of their Salvation under the colour of their present unworthiness for he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance It is the works not the workers of darkness that the Apostle enjoyns us to have no fellowship with Judas his personal action in eating the Pascal Lamb was an abomination but it had no reflection on the Apostles that communicated with him for as their Faith and Piety did not sanctifie him neither did his iniquity defile them or hinder the benefit of their worthy receiving The Sons of Ely were practically vitious scandalous Sons of Belial 2 Sam. 12.29 yet the People that communicated with them were Gods people Scripture almost every where is loud in the commendation of unanimous Congregations but stigmatizeth the privacy of a disjoynted Separation Neither is it fit for you my dissenting Brethren to complain against our Parochial Communions for the detestation of our Offences is no Priviledge nor Plea before Gods dreadful Tribunal for the prosecution of your own though spun with a finer thread First cast out the beam that is in your own eye and then you may see clearer to take the mote out of your brothers eye Give me leave I pray you out of love to your Souls and the Church's peace to be plain with you for I must not I dare not flatter you by sowing Pillows under your Elbows and calling you pretious Souls Gods elect people and your lawless Meetings the Assembly of Saints until I have other proof of your immunity from the common Errours of others besides your own naked affirmations Do not delude your selves nor suffer your Hirelings to do it you are not better than others but are dayly convicted of Pride and Covetousness Envy Malice and Vncharitableness Dissimulation Lying Over-reaching and Hypocrisie to every discerning eye and the reason why it is no more notorious to the common view is you have learn'd the knack to indulge each other in your close iniquities to palliate your open wickedness and obscure your own Crimes by defaming others But were you as eminent Vessels of Honour as you would be thought to be yet you may not disdain those that are but of wood and stone as unworthy your Societies 'T is one of Machiavil's principles that who they stagger with one wrong they must utterly cast down with more which you make your practice if you endeavour not by uniting with us to ward off that blow that from the hand of our common Enemy is falling on us 'T would well beseem the goodness you pretend to return and strengthen us with your better Members if you have any such that we may be thereby enabled to mend what is amiss and bless God for the mercy of making men to be of one mind in a house and stilling the Outrage of an unruly Faction And I beseech God Almighty to endue us all with a sorrowful apprehension of all our Offences that our Parochial Assemblies may be more sober and devout and that your separate Churches may be more just humble and charitable that we may all study to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace all minding the same thing and that there may be no Divisions amongst us but that with one mind and one mouth we may serve the living God that his Name may be glorified our Sins purged all our Souls saved and avoid that wo that belongs to them that cause Divisions and Offences Ve Segregatori Wo be to them that separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit 5. Neglecting the service of God in the publick Offices of Religion under the fallacious pretext of being above those subsidiary helps or being better employ'd on the Lords day at home is a most injurious and scandalous offence Do you provoke the Lord to jealousie are you wiser than he that you usurp a priviledge of doing onely what is right in your own eyes in opposition to the all-wise commands of a Deity Many Opinionists have done wickedly but this in pride and ingratitude exceeds them all Wo be to him that is alone in the want of a spiritual Guide to correct his wandering and direct his feet in the right paths For so pernicious is an affected curiosity to be wiser than our Neighbours and Teachers that it forces men upon dangerous precipices to their destruction Whereas abiding in their Station with a meek and humble obedience in a plain and well-ordered Devotion would have made them better men if not more knowing Christians To decline offences to be careful and conscientious in our several actions is a purity that every man ought to strive after but to cheat the world into a belief that we do so onely by separating from our Brethren is a double iniquity You think you are above Ordinances but I doubt it is nothing but a wanton fastus and proud temper of spirit that makes you boast so and if your own arrogance and presumption would give you leave to lay aside the flattering glass of Self-love you would find you stood in greatest need of them Object But say they we can better employ our time at home and read good Books and better Sermons than our Ministers can make And in these studied Excuses take themselves to be no less zealous but onely more discreet than their Brethren who do not the like when indeed they are guilty of folly and wickedness Of folly in ascribing as great applause to our private Devotions which lose their vertue and have no promise of audience being done in opposition to God's publick Worship as the united Orisons of religiously disposed persons in Gods House of Prayer And of wickedness in offering Sacriledge for Sacrifice robbing God of