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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	authority_n	church_n	word_n	2,098	5	4.2654	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47777	The parasynagogue paragorized, or, A parenetical confutation of the epidemical error which asserteth, separation from parochial church-communion : demonstrating their practice, who on the Lords day neglect the publick exercises of divine worship in their parochial congregations, and frequent (cæteris paribus) other churches, to be anti-scriptural / by John Lesly ...	Lesly, John, d. 1657.	1655 (1655)	Wing L1171; ESTC R11754	60,778	214

hear as every one liketh in a distracted church-Separation contrary to the Ordinnances of God and good Magistrates Exceptions indeed may be taken at the overlarge extent and disordered situation of divers Parochial congregations But Parochial Assemblies not the name but the thing is the way that comes up to the Rule of Scripture Light of Reason and the Presidents of Primitive times Our congregational Bretheren will have the limit of a Particular Mr. Blakc Cov. Cap. 3. church to be within that number of persons that may congregate in one place for Ordinances If this be yeilded then it will easily be proved that Parish-congregations are of Divine Institution and then it will consequently be true that peoples Separation from Parochial Church-communion hath this Sinful Effect to be a Disorderly confusion contrary to Divine Institution For Contiguas pictas jussit habere domos Saints that made up a church were still Saints in cohabitation they were as in faith so in Habitation joyned together § 3. It were easie to relate the abundant fearful Effects and sinful consequents which this Practice of Church-Separation doth produce as the disorderly confusion which of necessity it doth occasion the weakning of the work of the Lord in the place where providence hath seated them Mr. Blake loco supra citato and conferred many Mercies upon them the depriving of Pastors of their Flock Spiritual Parents of their Children the animosity of Spirit that is wrought in those that withdraw themselves judging them whom they leave as scarce Ministers of Christ nor their congregations as churches of Christ withdrawing then and thence when and where Christ is pleased to reside I do only urge this that it is without all Scripture precept or president to depart from the solemn and publick worship of God to which his special providence hath bound us It was accounted dangerous not only to estimate one Apostle above another as Papists do Saint Peter contrary to the ancient practice and doctrine of the church in Tertullians time Ter. de praescrip c. 24. Non mihi tam bene est imo non mihi tam male est ut Apostolos inter se committam I am not so wise saith he nay I am not so foolish as to value one Apostle above another But it was thought dangerous also to esteem one Father or Teacher in the Greek or Latin church as if he had the mind of Christ above another 1 Cor. 2.16 as the Apostle speaketh The Greek Menologie mentions a Division like that among the Corinthians in the Greek church in the daies of the Emperour Alexius In which one preferred Basil An. 1103. another gloried in Nazianzone a third extolled Chrysostome until they heard this voice from heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are all one before God It is dangerous then to extol one of the servants of Christ who speaks according to the Spirit of Christ Doroth. Bilioth Patr. Tom. 2. above another lest as the Historian reporteth such Admirers become Miriones that is like to the man who first magnified Zosimus next Macarius then the Apostles Peter and Paul lastly the Blessed Trinity which also blinded through Inconstancy he renounced totally and finally This is our fear this is our complaint § 4. This Error of Indetermined church-communion was of old taken for a consequent yea a symptome of Luxury and Wantonness It was observed of the Corinthians that they were rich and luxurious and therefore proud and contentious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so on as Strabo describeth them Strab. Geor. l. 8. We should therefore beware of such Separation as a Mark of Spiritual Wantonnesse And we find in Hesychius that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is no better then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus you may see the Genius or Inclination of what people is strongly bent unto this Sin And though it be true that Grace doth not only polish Nature Morality knoweth how to do that but even subdue it and change the very frame and constitution of it yet being that it is not wholly conquered in this life it is like it will shew it selfe most in some domineering corruptions Ball against Can. which generally reign among Christians This Error tendeth to the renting of the church the disgrace of Religion the advancement of pride Ignorance contention Offence of the Weak Grief of the Godly Hardning of the Wicked and rising againe of Antichristianisme For they that voluntarily depart from their determined congregations if in words they do not maintaine Antichrist really they do him more credit then his chief upholders Seeing of necessity they must confesse that in other churches which may be Antichristian for any thing they know the pure Faith may be entirely professed the Doctrine of Salvation plentifully preached the Seals of the Covenant rightly administred for substance and by the blessing of God upon his own Meanes Christian Soules ordinarily converted and nourished unto eternal Life Which is more then all the Factors for Antichrist shall ever be able to make good Upon this account it seemeth the Council held at Nantes decreed Conc. Nannat c. 1. et 2 Anno. 800. Grat. causa 9. qu. 2. Can In Dominicis that no Pastor should admit unto Divine Ordinances any man of another congregation that willingly despised the Dvine Exercise of his Ordinary Minister And Gratian reporteth that to the same effect and purpose one Canon was established in Concilio Meldensi § 5. Unto all these I could add Musculus his judgment who relateth five dangerous consequents of this Error 1. That it casteth the Soul into danger of its Salvation while as it departeth from communion with the appointed and approved Congregation Museu Loc. Comm. de ●●…hismate 2. That it divideth as much as in it lyeth the whole and entire body of Christ 3. That it despiseth not one or two christians but the whole congregation which it forsaketh 4. That it doth not only despise but condemn that congregation as not genuine but adulterate 5. That it violates the bond of Peace which is charity in that it not only departeth but seduceth others to depart from their proper and peculiar congregation All which are confirmed and amplified by that Pious Divine How dangerous this Error is may further be declared by many testimonies of Judicious Calvin Calv. Instit l. 4. c. 1. per totum praesertim § § 4. 10. Who often telleth us that so highly doth the Lord regard the communion of his church that he counteth them Traitors and Fugitives who contumaciously separate from any Society or congregation which maintaineth the true Ministery of the Word and Sacraments And that so highly the Lord esteemeth his church That whosoever wrongeth her authority he judgeth it derogatory to his own Honor c. But I study brevity CHAP. XIII The causes which men pretend for Separation from Parochial Church-Communion are frivolous and invalid And First Indetermined Church-communion is no part but an Abuse

his sincerity and foreknow his perseverance The fruit of Church-separation appeareath that now when Satan hath a design to burn up the Nurseries of Learning and R●ligion how few are watering Gods plants when the greedy mouth of sacriledg is gaping for their maintenance how few are voluntarily adding for the supply of its defect when the Gospel is so undermined the Ministry so maligned and their maintenance so envied how few are they that appeare for them How few are like that Noble man who publickly tore and rent the impious Edict of Dioclesian the Emperour against Cristians Euseb l. 8. c. 5 What God will yet do with us we cannot tell but if he will continue his Gospel to us these few may have the greater comfort in it if hee will forsake a proud and unworthy people yet may these few souls have comfort of their sincere endeavours they may escape the gnawings of conscience and the publick curse and reproach which the hystory of this age may fasten upon them who would either in ignorant fury or malicious subtilty or base temporizing cowardize oppunge or undermine the Gospel or in perfidious silence look on whilst it is destroyed CHAP. XVIII The Conclusion § 1. HAving taken the boldnesse to deliver my Reasons against this common Sin and Error I humbly crave that if ever Christians would have their soules converted they would labour to frequent Divine Ordinances in their due circumstances If we look to the quality of the Action 1 Sam. 13.18 Arn. contra Serapien Saul did well saith Arnobius when he offered Sacrifice unto God But we must not consider the quality of the Fact but the Pride of the contemner for there are many Duties Quae cum bona fint opera perniciem pariunt cum non eo ordine quo sunt constituta peraguntur Which though they be good works bring damnation when they are not done in that order as they should No man will be much wrought on by that which he despiseth The great causes of this contempt are a Perverted Judgement and a gracelesse Heart It is no more wonder for a Soul to loath Divine Ordinances that savoureth not their Spiritual Nature then it is for a sick man to loath his food Where a sanctified Judgment is wanting the most hellish Vice may seem a Vertue and the most sacred Ordinance of Divine Institution may seem as the waters of Jordan to Naaman Oh! How many Soules may curse those wretches in Hell fire for ever that have by them been brought to contemn the Meanes that should save them And let the greatest that are guilty in this crime Cyprian Epist 72. read Cyprian his words and tremble What greater crime can there be saith he then to have stood up against Christ In his Officers and Ordinances Then to have scattered the church of Christ which he hath purchased with his blood Then to have fought by the fury of hostile Discord against the unanimously agreeing people of God Who though themselves should repent and turn to the church yet can they not recover and bring back with them those seduced by their Example or those that being by death prevented are dead without the church whose Souls at the day of Judgment shall be required at their hands who were the Leaders of them to Perdition c. § 2. And now I have given you my best advice for the avoiding this Error The manner of it is imperfect and too much mine own but for the main matter I dare say I received it from God in his Holy Scriptures And from him I deliver it to his People and his charge I lay upon them that they entertain and practise it Yet I know there is a remnant of Paganisme and Infidelity in the best of christians concerning the Divine Authority of the Sacred Scriptures August de Fide Op. c. 4. The chief cause besides many others which perverteth the Understandings of men in this point in my poor observation is this When men have deeply wounded their consciences by sinning against Knowledge and given the Victory to their fleshly Lusts so that they must either deeply accuse and condemn themselves or deny the Scriptures they choose that which seemeth the more tolerable and desireable to them and so rather condemn the Scriptures then themselves These are Lucifuga Scripturarum as Tertullian calls them Owles or Bats Tert. de Resur Carn c. 47. which can no more take heed unto that light that is the Life of the World then Bats do unto the light of the Sun And what Malefactor would not do the like and except against the Law that doth condemn him if that would serve his turn And when men that are engaged in a sinful course do see that the Word of God doth speak so terribly against it they dare not live in that sinne while they believe the Scripture because it is still wakning and galling their guilty consciences but when they have either cast away their Belief of the Scriptures or otherwise mistaken them through misinterpretation misapplication c. then conscience will let them sin with more quietnesse The like may be expected from those I oppose For these men refuse their Physick because it is unpleasant and not because it is unwholesome yet at last their Appetite so mastereth their Reason that they will not believe any thing can be wholesome which goes so much against their stomack Ahab believed not the message of Micajah not because he spake falsly 1 King 22.8.18 but because hee spake no good of him but evill Men will easily be drawn to believe that to be true which they would faine have to be true and that to be false which they desire should be false But alas how short and silly a cure is this for a guilty Soule And how soone will it leave them in uncurable Misery § 3. Only I must crave this of the Reader that my confessed weaknesse be no prejudice to Gods Truth and that he will not judge of the cause by the Person nor take the Name or Person for a Fault Which is the thing that the ancient christians did so deprecate of the Pagans and therefore I hope every Christian will grant For in regard of the churches present necessities I dare not give over for all my Imperfections Though I have ever been of a Spirit too easily discouraged and ready to say as the Prophet I will speak no more in his Name Jer. 20.9 yet God hath so suited his Providence to my Infirmities and Necessities as not only to cure my backwardnesse but also to convince me of the pleasantnesse of his Work I am assured that it was the Lord that sent me into his Vineyard and without him none shall force me out Mat. 25.16 He that gave me fewer Talents then others will Expect but an answerable Improvement at my hands but be they never so small I dare not hide them He that calleth for two Mites will accept them Mat. 11.25 Zech. 4.10 Hee despiseth not the day of small things Hee sometime revealeth that to babes which he hideth from the wise and prudent For the Wisdome of the World is foolishness with God 1 Cor. 1.25 and the foolishness of God is wiser then men and no flesh shall glony in his sight The Lord grant that I may so use the small abilities that I have that I be not condemned as an unprofitable and unfaithful Servant and then I do not feare being condemned for their smalness § 4. More I would say but I feare to spoile the elegancy or learned Camero in his Epistle ad Theologos Leidenses Can. pag. 720. folio by Englishing it wherein is the summe of what I would say and thither I refer the Reader In the mean time look upon my aberrations where you find them with pity and Pardon And where you shew me that I have erred as a man you shall see that as a Christian it was not my want of love to the Truth but want of light to discover it that hath misled me from it My Prayer is that the Lord would save his People from that spirit of Pride hypocrisie separation and Giddinesse which is of late gone forth and is now destroying and making havock of millions of Soules in England And that the Lord would keep his People unspotted of the guilt of those Sinnes which in these dayes have been the shame of our Religion and have made us a Scandal and Scorn to the World And pardon O Lord thy Servants Sin for I do daily dishonour thy Holynesse and disgrace thy Work and Service by my weakness and unworthinesse I bewaile from my heart that my Apprehensions are so dull my Affections so stupid and my Expressions so law and unbeseeming thy Service Remember with whom thou hast to do What canst thou expect from dust but levity or from corruption but defilement I know thou wilt be sainctified in them that come nigh thee And before all the people thou wilt be glorified But though weaknesse and irreverence be the fruit of mine own Corruption yet the fire is from thy Altar and the work is of thy commanding Oh therefore wash away all my Sins with the blood of the Lamb which taketh away the Sin of the world Imperfect or none must be they Service here Oh take thy Sons excuse The Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak Gratias tibi Domine Jesu