Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	action_n	good_a	sin_n	1,408	5	4.8951	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77398	A brief and plain discussion of that question which of late hath troubled many tender consciences; namely, whether it be lawfull to receive the sacrament of the Lords Supper in those congregations where there is a mixture of some ignorant or prophane persons.		1652 (1652)	Wing B4531; Thomason E678_27; ESTC R206806	11,973	16

A brief and plain DISCVSSION Of that Question which of late hath troubled many tender CONSCIENCES NAMELY Whether it be lawfull to receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in those Congregations where there is a mixture of some Ignorant or Prophane Persons Tit. 1.15 To the pure all things are pure 1 Cor 11.28 Let a man therefore examine himself and so let him eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup. LONDON Printed for John Wright at the Kings Head in the Old-Baily 1652. Whether it bee lawfull to receive the Sacrament in those Congregations where there is a mixture of some that are Ignorant or Scandalous THat the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a most sacred Ordinance and ought to be used in a sacred manner that it ought not to be polluted by prophane persons and such as come altogether unworthily and unpreparedly all will easily grant That such as these ought to be kept back and not to be admitted yea that every one in his place and order according to that power which God hath given him ought to use his best endeavour to keep such back will not be denied by any that desire this holy ordinance may be preserved in its purity But if for want of right Discipline which is yet wanting in most Congregations of the Kingdome or want of right Excercise of this Discipline some Unvvorthy ones do thrust in and mix themselves with others in the use of this Ordinance whether it be lawfull for a worthy receiver to joyn himself with them is the question And this is such a thing as hath much troubled the minds of many piously affected who though they excedingly desire to partake of this Ordinance yet dare not do it where there is such a mixture That it is not unlawfull to receive the sacrament in such Congregations where there is a mixture of some that are Ignorant or Scandalous may appear by these reasons following Argu. 1. Whatsoever Duty we are called unto by a Clear command from the word we ought not to forbear the performance of it unless we have as clear a command to the contrary But we have a clear command to do this that is to receive the Lords Supper in remembrance of Christs death and hereby to shew forth the Lords death till he come c. No such clear command to call us from it when there is a mixture of Unworthy ones therefore we are bound not to forbear it If there be any such clear command to the contrary let it be shewed The Apostle when he delivers the doctrine of the Sacrament 1. Cor. 11 23. when he shews the danger of comming Unworthily and calls upon men to Examine themselves before they come v. 27.28 had fair occasion likewise to have shewed the danger of joyning with others that came unworthily yea it had been necessary for him to have done so when there were some of the Corinthians that had divisions and contentions among themselves v. 18. others that came drunken to the sacrament v. 21. others that despised the Church of God v. 22. yet he doth no where charge them not to joyn with these in the use of this Ordinance but onely enjoynes every man to examine himself and so to eat of the Bread and drink of the Cup. As for those places that are alleged by some to shew the unlawfulness of joining in mixt congregations in answer to them afterwards it shall be plainly demonstrated that all of them fall farre short of holding forth any such clear command for the Forbearance as those before-mentioned do for the Performance of the duty Argu. 2. If it be unlawfull for a worthy receiver to joyn with those that come unworthily it is because he doth some way com●unicate with them in their sin But he that comes rightly prepared doth no way communicate with the sin of the unprepared so he may lawfully come If the worthy receiver doth communicate with the sin of the unworthy it is either because he communicates with such in the outward action or in the inward affection For the inward affection he hath no communion with them that way at all the affections of the unworthy and worthy being altogether of a differing nature The one comes with a heart humbled for sin the other with a heart hardened in sin the one comes with a heart hungring after Christ and his righteousness the other without any sense of the need of him or any true desire after him The one comes with a serious purpose to forsake all sin the other with a purpose to continue in sin or at least without any serious or setled resolution to forsake all sin For the outward action wherein both do communicate that it is in it self good being the very thing which Christ himself requires namely to receive sacramentall Bread and Wine in remembrance of his death and passion and would be good in him that comes unworthily if his inward affections were right As the outward action of hearing the word and joining in prayer and calling upon God is good when done by a wicked man so is the outward action of receiving the Sacrament The evill that accompanies these actions is want of doing them in a right manner 2. In all actuall sins mans will is principium actionis the principall cause of the act how then can a man be guilty of that sin which another man commits wherin his wil hath no concurrence 3. If the worthy receiver should be accessory to the sin of the unworthy then the unworthy should pollute the Ordinance of God not only to himself but to others but this he doth not for To the pure all things are pure Tit. 1 15. Object But is there nothing else required to free us from being accessory to the scandalous evills of such as come unworthily to the sacrament but only self-preparation Answ Yet It is our duty to admonish such if their scandals be known to us and we have opportunity to do it Mat. 18.15 2. If they regard not our private admonition it is our duty to do it before one or two witnesses v. 16. 3. If they will not yet hear it is our duty to acquaint the church-officers with it if they be such as are fit and willing to yeeld any help v. 17. 4. If by none of these meanes unworthy ones can be kept back it is our duty to mourn and be humbled before God earnestly seeking for redress of this evil 1 Cor. 5.2 If we have used our best endeavour for performance of these things we shal not be involved in the guilt of such as come unworthily to the sacrament Arg. 3. If be it unlawfull to receive the Sacrament with those who come unworthily then it is unlawfull to do this with any such or with those whom we know to be such if with any such then we must not join in receiving with those Hypocrites from whom scarce any congregation is free If it be unlawfull only to receive with those whom we

neglect it And when wicked men do thrust themselvs in and joyn with us in the action it is altogether contrary to our minds wills A man hath liberty to choose those companions whom he will familiarly converse withall but many times he hath not liberty to choose his own company in receiving the sacrament so that this differs from civill society both in regard of intimacy and liberty which that is accompanyed withall but this not so Ob. 1. Cor. 5.6 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump Hence it is gathered that we shall be infected with the guilt of wicked men if we join with them in receiving of the sacrament because in that action we make our selves one lump with them Ans The Apostle directs this speech not to any particular Christian but to the whole Church of Corinth and his scope is not to call off any Christian from receiving the Sacrament though some unworthy ones did joyn in the action but to stirr up the Church of Corinth to exercise the Church censure against the incestuous Corinthain by shewing the danger which his example and company might bring to others if he went unpunished ●amely embolden them to the committing of the same or other like sins or if this sin went uncensured it might involve the whole congregation in the guilt of it because they did not what they might and what they ought to do against it 2. The argument which the Apostle here useth is a similitude now similitudes do not hold in all things and therefore must not be stretched beyond their due bounds Leaven is a naturall cause of souring the lump and therefore works certainly and constantly if no hindrance comes in ●he way Scandalous sins are not naturall but morall causes of infection and therefore work not necessarily but contingently namely where there is a fit disposition to receive their impression There is a disposition in some or other in a congregation fit to receive infection from the example of a scandalous sinner that goes uncensured and a readiness to be emboldned by it but there is no such danger in a worthy receiver to receive infection because he is of another quality and disposition and this example doth not incourage such an one to ill but rather afflict and grieve him The Gospel is compared to leaven Mat. 13. and it is a morall cause of conveying its sweetness namely of working saving grace in the hearts of the hearers but it doth not this in all or the greatest part but only in those whose hearts God is pleased to fit and dispose for the right receiving of it 3. As scandalous sins are leaven so is hypocrisy Our Saviour bids his Disciples take heed of the leaven of the Pharises which is hypocrisy Luk. 12.1 if therefore the whole lump the whole congregation must needs be leavened by the presence of some wicked men it must be leavend by the hypocrisy of others and so we shall be free in no Congregation All therefore that this place proves is that it is the duty of every Church and Congregation to use the best meanes they are able that scandalous sinners may bee censured lest their example and presence prove hurtfull to others but it proves not that it is unlawfull to joyn with others in the use of Gods ordinances in such actions as are in themselves good and which God requires Ob. 4.2 Cor. 6.14 15. What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness hath light with darkness c. so we must not communicate with wicked men Ans The thing which the Apostle here condemns in the Corinthians is the having fellowship with idolaters at feasts in their Idoll Temples eating those things which had been sanctified to Idols or joyning with heathens and infidels in mariage society Now what a wide and far-fetcht consequence is this Christians must not haue fellowship with Idolaters and heathens at their idol tables they must have no mariage society with them which is the nearest society of all therefore they must not have society with such as profess Christianity in the use of the Sacraments we must have no fellowship with wicked men in the wicked works of darkness will it follow therefore that we must have no fellowship with good men in good actions because some wicked ones are mixed amongst them may we not joyn with wicked men in the use of Gods ordinances as hearing the word prayer c. for if this argument hath any force it reacheth to other ordinances as well as the Sacrament to exclude us from having felllowship with them in my of them for what fellowship hath righteousness Ob. 5. Come out from among them and touch no unclean things 2. Cor. 6.17 Go out of her my people that you be not partakers of her sins Rev. 18 4. Hence some collect that we must come out from those congregations where wicked men are admitted Ans These collections are as wide and weak as the former we must touch no unclean thing we must joyn with no wicked men in wicked actions doth it therefore follow that we must not joyn with them in good actions we must come out from Babell which is the mother of fornications which teacheth the doctrine of Devils which practiseth all manner of idolatrous worship which makes herself drunk with the blood of the Saints doth it therefore follow that we must come out from Christian congregations where the word is purely and soundly taught and the sacraments for the substance of them administred according to Christs institution 4. He that bade his people come out of Babel bade them not come out of Pergamy and Thyatira where there were as great corruption tollerated if not greater than are to be found in many of our Congregations We may wonder that such as seem not to own separatists their way should yet plow with their heyfer bringing the very same Scripture and applying them the very same way and to the very same ends that they have done when as satisfying answers have been given to these long since by many worthy men and that myst of darkness which some sought to rayse from them hath been so fully dispelled scattered and that again and again To conclude let every sober-minded Chiristian seriously consider whether this separating from the Sacraments in all our congregations do not open a direct way to the infringing violating those great Gospell-rules whereby we are tyed to the preserving of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and maintaining Christian love and fellowship one with another which the scripture holds forth ten times more clearly than it doth any point of purity aimed at by this separation We are called upon again again to the preserving of love Above all things put o● love which is the bond of perfection Col. 3.14 Above all things have fervent love among you 1. Pet. 4.8 this is made the character whereby Christs true disciples are distinguished from others John 13.35 and the note