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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	scripture_n	understand_v	word_n	2,464	5	4.3985	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88870	The bramble berry: or, A briefe discourse touching participating in mixt assemblies at the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, wherein is most full and cleare satisfaction given to every weak and doubting Christian, both by testimony out of Gods Word, and many invincible reasons and arguments for that purpose, grounded upon the same, wherein is first principally discussed and resolved these three maine questions following: I. Whether the Congregationall assemblies in England be true churches of Jesus Christ, yea or no? 2. Whether it be lawfull to participate at the Sacrament of the Lords Supper among carnall and prophane men? 3. Whether the admitting of ungodly men to the table of the Lord be sufficient warrant for ministers to desist the publike administration of the Sacrament, or for particular members to decline it, or separate themselves? Secondarily, briefe and satisfactory answers given to all the principall places of Scripture alleadged to maintaine a separation from our church assemblies, besides their arguments and allegations sufficiently resolved: set forth for the benefit of the tender conscience. By W. L. a faithfull petitioner and carefull practitioner for the peace and welfare of the church and people of God.	W. L., a faithful petitioner and careful practitioner for the peace and welfare of the church and people of God.	1643 (1643)	Wing L84; Thomason E56_8; ESTC R413	53,887	63

can be no warrant for Gods people to separate from the Ordinances of Christ If they shall yet say the corrupt managing and dispensation of them make the ordinances uncleane and Idolatrous I hope there is formerly spoken enough to give satisfaction to that where it is proved lawfull to joyne in mixt assemblies and the unlawfulnesse of separation Rev. 18 ● As for this portion of Scripture where it is said Come out of her my people that yee be not partakers of her sinnes and that yee receive not of her plagues We must understand what is meant by this word her and if we examine the 17. and 18. Chapter of this booke of Revelation wee shall plainely finde it to be the scarlet Whore the Pope of Rome so all expositors the whore of Babylon that mother of harlots and abomination of the earth Chap. 16.19 And great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenes of the wrath of God Chap. 17. Vers 1. Come hither saith the Angell to Saint John and I will shew thee the judgement of the great Whore that fits upon many waters with whom the Kings of the earth have committed fornication and read c. read I say the fourth fifth sixt seventh and so to the end of that Chapter Now in the eighteenth Chapter the Lord by St. John foretells the fall and destruction of this great whore of Babylon by reason of her great abominations and gives an exhortation for Gods people to come out of her such as have joyned with her in her sins lest they do also partake of her plagues What warrant this gives men to separate from the ordinances of God and the publique assemblies of Gods people exercised in and about the worship of God I know not we all know that Rome is the very seate of Idolatry both for the matter and manner of their worship their doctrine false in fundamentalls more corrupt then Heathens and Pagans there is no ordinance of Christ among them onely the Word is preached in an erroneous and false way to the people to seduce and betray them from Christ to Antichrist they have ordained Sacraments of their owne worships of their owne nay in a Scripture sense gods of their owne from the assemblies of these Idolaters Gods people must separate not from publique Congregations of Gods worship for as I have spoken at large with us are the ordinances of Jesus Christ the Word of God taught sufficiently to salvation in all that beleeve we observe no other ordinances but what Christ hath instituted and ordained but it is impossible for any man to come to life and salvation by their Idolatrous worships though the Lord may have his number amongst them which have not bowed the knee to B●all yet these were never converted by the false worships ordinances and inventions but by some extraordinary or immediat blessing bestowed upon them from the reading of the Scriptures c. and inspiration of his Spirit c. for Satan never begets children to God Mat. 12.25 nor Antichrist convert men to Christ A kingdome divided against it selfe cannot stand And thus having very briefely spoken concerning those places of Scripture alledged by those that plead for a separation according as my weake talent and short time will permit I will shut up with the fifth and last thing I intended and promised to speake to which is onely to give a few words to avoyde mistakes for I earnestly desire not to offend the conscience of the weakest Christian or to bring upon my selfe that aspersion which some prejudicately would cast upon me For I call God to witnesse that according to that poore l●ght God hath given me I have not beene inj●rious to any knowne place of Scripture or winked at any knowne truth in this discourse but have as earnestly desired and unpartially indeavoured to convince my owne heart of the truth of this point of so great concernement and that makes so great difference among Gods people as for the informing of any other to whom I am in some measure engaged by way of promise or private interest Therefore I desire to deliver my selfe plainely as I can that whatsoever I have spoken upon this subject is neither to dignifie my owne opinion nor to maintaine or pleade for any corruption or abuse in our Church assemblies or dispensation of the ordinances for while I say it is unlawfull to separate from such assemblies for reasons formerly given yet I say not it is lawfull for corrupt and prophane men to bee admitted to the Sacrament onely I have desired to informe my selfe and others how and in what manner they may safely joyne and frequent the ordinances of life and salvation to their comfort though those in authority be remisse in the exercise of discipline and so corrupt in their offices and trust reposed in them But I doe earnestly desire to perswade and stirre up my selfe and all Gods people in all our severall addressements to God in prayer wee would make this on● speciall part of our desires that God would purge the Church of all abuses both in doctrine and manners and settle the ordinances amongst us in their power and purity and I desire not only that Gods people should pray against these corruptions but mourne for the continuance of them and every one according to the bounds and limits of his place and calling to show his utter dislike of them in all lawfull wayes though not by separating which I hope sufficiently appeares to bee unlawfull the premises considered and truely this I have done for these reasons following First to satisfie my selfe and others that were doubtfull in this point of joyning in mixt assemblies lawfully Secondly to make up the breaches and avoyd dissention division which Satan is apt to make between not onely carnall men and godly m●n but betweene the godly themselves which is that that Saint Paul reprehends in the Corinthians 1 Cor. 3.3 and tells them plainely it was an evidence of their carnality and this also hee earnestly exhorts them to by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 1.10 that they would all speake the same thing and that there be no division among them but be perfectly joyned together in one and the same judgement and in Rom. 16.17 hee intreates them to marke such as cause division and to avoyd them have no unnecessary society with them Thirdly that the enemies mouthes may be stopped not onely the Papists who as I formerly said shoot this as their maine thunderbolt against our Religion the diversity of opinions but also our prophane loose Protestants nay even our civill honest men who take occasion from hence to reproach the wayes and people of God of which wee have too much wofull experience yea and it is a maine stumbling blocke in the wayes of many weake ones that might otherwise bee won to Christ even the devisions among Gods people Ephe.

4.15 whilst Gods people by an even and peaceably walking following the truth in love and by keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Ephe. 4.3 might adorne the Gospell and by their godly conversation incourage others to come in And now in all that I have said having declared my owne judgement which I shall ever carry in my hand and lay at the feet of him that shall give mee further light though I desire not to meddle with too many doubtfull disputations my time nor abilities affording it I beseech the Lord to perswade our hearts what is good and acceptable to him and how to walke in all well pleasing before him to whom be all honour and glory for evermore Amen A Postscript AMongst many friendly solicitations I had for the publishing this Treatise I met with one whom I made acquainted with my intentions that thought it not convenient at this time by reason as be conceived it would give some advantage to our wicked Malignants to cherish in themselves their evill thoughts of the Chur●h and people of God for their division by reason this booke also in diverse p●aces of it reprehendeth the like misdemeanours in the Church which the Papists and our prophane ones so much cast in the face of our Religion and truely before I brought it to the presse I debated the businesse with my selfe whether the premises considered I ought rather in conscience to bring it forth for the benefit of the Church and people of God or to conceale it for this supposed disadvantage and being very willing to remove all scruples from their tender conscience I thought good briefely to set downe the reasons and arguments which inforced the birth of that which otherwise had beene buried in oblivion First I considered many had laboured with mee to have it made publike and but one onely that objected any thing against it and that onely for the time present be thought not convenient Secondly I considered the fuller of distractions the Church and State is the more need is there to hasten forth such a subject as this is Thirdly that we ought to have a farre more high esteeme of the satisfying the conscience of the weake Christian and to have a greater care to settle the divisions which are in the Church then to trouble our selves with the evill constructions of the wicked Fo●rthly there is nothing made knowne herein either to Papists or Ma●ignants that they can take the least advantage but what they already know they know too well by our rents and schismes in the Church that wee are divided whether any man should indeavour the unitie thereof yea or no surely w●e should not be ashamed to make peace betweene neighbours though some others doe thereby take notice of the difference betweene them much lesse ought wee to neglect to indeavour the quiet of the Church and people of God although even hereby some men take notice of the distractions in it Fifthly the best way to convince the adversaries of truth is to side with them so farre as they speake the truth neither ought wee to bee ashamed to speake that which is a truth although the prophanest wretch in the world sh●uld speake the same for by the same reason because the Devill acknowledged Christ to bee the Sonne of God the Disciples should have denied him Sixthly men of prophane and malignant spirits never trouble themselves much with bookes of Divinity especially in these times wherein nothing sells but State matters I dare presume where there is one malignant buyes this Booke to abuse it twentie honest men will buy it for their benefit Seventhly the neglect of treating upon this and the like subject is a maine cause of the divisions of the Church there not being one of a hundred that spend their time in publike or private by word or writing this way and if the consciences of Gods people bee satisfied in this point there will consequently be more peace in the Church and lesse ground of scandall the cause being removed the effect must needs cease Eighthly if every man should be silent this way it would be a tacit justification of the preposterous proceedings of them that make such disturbances in publike assemblies which no honest man dare doe Ninthly whatsoever truth of Gods Word there is that concernes his glory and his Churches welfare to bee declared this ought not to be smothered for some seeming disadvantage 10. If we must write nor speak no truths that wicked men will carpe at and draw false conclusions from truely many precious truthes would lie in obscuritie as that of free Grace of Predestination and many other of like concernment nay wee see by experience in generall how the standing so much for a reformation hath caused many malignants to spend their wits wealth time and strength to oppose it 11. There is not a word of encouragement in all the Booke to countenance wicked men in their sinfull approaching the Lords Table although Gods people may warrantably participate notwithstanding 12. If Christians would rest satisfied in this point and waite upon God in the use of the meanes of grace till the Lord by a lawfull power perfect the worke of reformation this would be both a great forwarding to the worke and the best way to stop the mouth of the adversaries of peace and truth 13. So long as the divisions of the Church are continued and especially if countenanced by silence it gives the enemy cause to blaspheme the name of God and speake evill of his wayes farre more then such indeavours for peace as this is or any way can doe 14. The worst they can say or see from hence is that the Church is divided this they say and see too apparent the more neede of a speedy reconciliation 15. If bookes of this nature give advantage to Papists and malignants to cry out upon the divisions of the Church how much more those hundreds that maintaine a separation and so occasion division 16. If this Booke maintaine malignant Tenets so doth the Author and as farre as it doth and then it can be no scandall at all to the people of God it will be conceived the worke of a malignant but I see no cause if it have Jacobs voyce why it should have Esaues garment put upon it it may peradventure meete with the like entertainment from some particulars as the Sunne and Moone doth in their course there is a kind of bird that loves not the Sunne and a kinde of beast that will barke at the Moone yet the Planets themselves of admirable use to the whole Creation even so some one or other may bee offended hereat that is no true friend to light truth or peace but I am comforted in this what I have written is well bottomed upon God Word intended for his glory and the peace of his Church And I am confident of this that while wicked men like Serpents sucke poyson out of the purest grape Gods people like the Bee will draw bony out of this Bramble Berry for whose sakes I have published it the Lord make it successefull FINIS