Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	believe_v	faith_n	love_n	1,510	5	5.7755	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54407	Indulgence not justified being a continuation of the Discourse of toleration, in answer to the arguments of a late book entituled A peace-offering, or plea for indulgence, and to the cavils of another call'd The second discourse of the religion in England.	Perrinchief, Richard, 1623?-1673.	1668 (1668)	Wing P1594; ESTC R26874	40,846	54

be thus minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded the Lord shall reveal even this unto you Nevertheless whereto we have already attained let us walk by the same rule let us mind the same things Here it is plain that those to whom the Apostle commends Forbearance one to the other were those whom he calls perfect and such certainly could not be persons that had separated from a mutual Communion for all such Divisions he brands as carnal 1 Cor. 3. And the Dividers as men not perfect and at best but babes nay he calls them in the beginning of that very Chapter Dogs Evil workers and in scorn the Concision and therefore bids them have a care and beware of them and in the following verses weeps over them as Enemies of the Cross of Christ whose end is destruction These are not words of forbearance and Indulgence and therefore that place gives no countenance to it But then they urge That the whole Society of the Apostles observing the difference between the Jewish and Gentile Believers to prevent any Evil Consequent in their Assembly at Jerusalem assigned to the several parties their particular bounds how far they should accommodate themselves unto one another by a mutual Condescension that they might walk in peace What is all this to an indulgence of those who have forsaken the Communion of the Church and who write preach and do all they can against it The Case is far unlike The differences between the Jewish and Gentile Beleevers had brought as yet no evil Consequent for they themselves say the Apostles consulted to prevent any evil Consequent Let the world judge whether the Differences among us have not brought upon us a large series of such Consequents The Apostles determined and set bounds and measures of forbearance to prevent a Schism then which nothing was more dreadful to the Church and these men would have forbearance and Indulgence to a most dangerous schisme already made that so it might with impunity be continued SECT 5. The Primitive Christians did not allow Indulgence WIth far lesse success but with more art doe they indeavour to make the first Christians to speak for them from whom they bring some passages yet do not tell us where we also may find those Testimonies nor give us the words of the Authors for fear they should be deprehended Socrates the Historian say they gives us a long Catalogue of differences in External Rites of Worship which they looked upon as no breach of Union at all l. 5. c. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. To which we say that That Historian doth tell us indeed that the Churches of several Provinces had different observations of the feast of Easter of the measure of Fasts before that Feast and of the different meats they did abstain from but so that one observation was in the whole Roman Church another was kept by those in Illyrium all Greece and Alexandria c. Which we easily admit for we grant to every Church their particular Rites Our Rites in the Church of England are not press'd upon those in Scotland nor those in Ireland and we do not think our Union with the Protestant Churches abroad is broken by their different Ceremonies Therefore the Practice of the first Churches is maintain'd by us and not violated But they can neither out of Socrates nor any other Historian of those times give us an instance of any one National or Provincial Church that did indulge those within their jurisdiction who professing Christianity did yet contemn her Orders and separate from her Communion and did declare her Rites in Worship Idolatrous Superstitious and Antichristian which is now our Case Then they bring in Victor Bishop of Rome is branded for disturbing the peace of the Churches by dividing their Communion They tell us not for what he was censured either because they knew it not or because they know it would do them no good The Case was this All the Churches of the lesser Asia by an ancient Tradition did on the fourteenth day of the Moon observe the Feast of our Saviours Passeover and upon whatsoever day of the week that happened to fall they ended their Fasts This custom was observed in no other Church throughout the whole World for in all the rest that custom which was delivered by the Apostles was continued as Eusebius saith to his time Notwithstanding this difference the several Churches had preserv'd Peace and Communion among themselves as Irenaeus saith of Anicetus Pius Hyginus Telesphorus Sixtus Bishops of Rome who had received Polycarp and others of the Asiaticks that came to Rome to Communion not contending about that Rite But afterwards when a controversie was moved about it and both sides in different Councils decreed for their own practice and sent their Letters to justifie themselves to the other Churches Eus l. 5. c. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Victor heated with the letter of the Asiaticks without consulting the other Bishops of his own Perswasion excommunicates all the Churches of Asia as Hetorodox This displeased all the other Bishops who commanded him to consult the peace and union of the Brethren Now what in all this concerns us Victor was to be blamed for breaking a long continued Peace for invading the Liberty of other Churches but none would have condemned him had he required obedience from the members of his own Church to the Orders and Canons made by Councils of those who were over them in the Lord. For Irenaeus in his Epistle to Victor to disswade him from breaking Communion with the Churches of another observation tells him that his Predecessors Anicetus Pius c. kept the Communion entire Jul. l. 5 c. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 although they did not observe those Churches Rites nor suffered those among them to observe them And if the infamy of Victor is to be a terror to any it must be to those who break the Communion and it is plain who they are that have done that among us Origen is the next whom they would make the world believe is for their cause but they are forced to make a testimony for him which he himself never writ viz. That there ever were differences amongst Professors of Christianity from the beginning and that it was impossible but that there should so be which yet he shews hindred not their Faith Love and Obedience For when Celsus did upbraid and reproach the Christians because of their many Sects as Atheists and Papists do now to us Origen gives some reasons of them and then confesses indeed that There were Differences among Christians from their beginning but then he doth not say what these writers say for him That it was impossible but that there should so be for this would have been to have giuen the lye to the Holy Ghost who in the Acts c. 4. v. 32. saith That the multitude of them who believed were of one

seek the Lord and where they might most assuredly receive the Word of Life Which distractions it was not possible for them to avoid if the Christians were divided into several parties 2. Towards those of the World who though they would not believe and so should not be concerned in the truth of Christians yet they must be in the Quiet and Peace of them For experience shews that when Divisions and Contentions turmoild the Church the State and even the mixt company of unbelievers soon found themselves under many miseries while the contending parties mutually armed to a destruction of their Opposites Thirdly These commands of Christ and this compassion to mankinde do oblige every man to endeavour to preserve that unity by all wayes proper for them in their several Callings And therefore Christian Kings may and ought to do it in their way which is by just Laws and the Church by wise and pious Injunctions and all are to avoid and mark them that cause Divisions among them to restrain their furious and carnal heats in prosecuting their own private apprehensions to the reproach of Religion and Disturbance of Mankind Fourthly Such wayes to preserve Peace can never be to the destruction of those who in sincerity desire to Love and obey Christ although they should mistake in their apprehensions of some few things c. For 1. It is not true which these writers say that such persons are concluded under an unavoidable mistake and being not so they will in sincerity indeavour after a full and clear information in those things that are pleaded to be according to the mind of Christ 2. All such persons will in that Christian humility which the Spirit of Christ works not oppose their private apprehensions to the judgment and practise of that Church of God from which they have received the Doctrine of Salvation and therefore will not think of themselves above what they ought to think but think soberly according as God hath dealt to them the measure of faith And being thus lowly in their own eyes knowing themselves lyable to mistakes and errors they will not be so fond of their own apprehensions as for their sakes to bring a scandal upon the Church of God and set the World in Flames Besides 3. having a desire to Obey God they will be careful to testify their obedience in a manifest and undeniable Duty as is the Peace and Unity of Christians and obedience to Governours and not think to justify the breach of that with the observance of what their singular and private apprehensions represent especially being secur'd that the Church from whom they differ do retain all things necessary to salvation as these men do profess they agree with the Church of England in all things of that degree Therefore such persons are secur'd enough from those severities which are necessary to preserve the Peace of a Church and Nation And such sincere humble enquirers after Truth and those that walk up to what they have already attained are the only persons dear to Christ Not every one that cries Lord Lord that pretend to preach and prophesie in his name for he himself hath told us that he shall reject the pleas of many such to his indulgence And indeed should every one that is so kinde to himself as to publish to the World that he in sincerity desires to obey and love Christ be believed upon his own word and have an indulgence for his differing practises the greatest Impostors that ever appear'd among Christians must be permitted to practise their Cheats and Impieties For the Gnosticks the Manichees Montanists Circumcelliones of old and those among us who are yet Red and polluted with the blood of their Lawful Soveraign that violated the known Laws of the Land of their nativity rob'd the Churches and invaded the just rights of every one within the compass of their lust and their power These I say would have perswaded the World and it may be were so mad as to believe themselves that they were the men that loved Christ when in their works they did deny him And yet 4. It cannot be said that the gradual destruction even of these men is intended by such Laws as do command nothing but what may be for the Security Peace and welfare of Christian Communities and it is an high slander of any Law-givers to say that they intended Punishment and not Obedience That instance of Christs reproof to his Disciples for being so forward to call Fire down from Heaven upon the neglectful Samaritans is altogether impertinent especially as they interpret those words You know not of what Spirits you are To be an unacquaintedness with their own Spirits imagining that for Zeal which was indeed self-Revenge So that in their Sense Christ reprov'd their revengeful Spirits Now it cannot be said of Laws made to restrain violations of Peace that they are the Dictates of Revenge since Revenge looks at acts past but Laws indeavour to prevent those to come SECT 4. No ground for Indulgences in the Practice of the Apostles THe third Argument is drawn from the practice of the Apostles whom we may well wonder that they should be suspected as Patrons for indulgence of Dissentions and Schisms in Religion Since we finde them describing the Authors of them as Monsters and Prodigies that dishonour the Generation they live in and fill the place wherein they appear with confusion and danger and threaten a Tempest at their first rising Therefore the Apostles dealt with them as such in their dayes For although they did not exercise on them Coertions Restaints and Corporal punishments as these Writers wisely observe because indeed they had no Temporal power yet they used their Ecclesiastical power and delivered them over to Satan which in those times was a giving them up to that Tormenter to be afflicted in their flesh a severer punishment then the Sword of the Magistrate can inflict Rom. 16.18 1 Tim. 6.4 They commanded the sound Christians to avoid them as contagious Pests and to cut them off as cankerd and infested members that would bring destruction to the whole body of the Church if a just severity prevented them not nay they call'd for Gods assistance to cut off these troublers of the Israel of God Gal. 5.12 I would they were even cut off that trouble you They also commended nothing more to the conversation of Christians then Peace and Unity to minde the same things to walk in one minde to follow after those things that made for Peace and Edification which are impossible to be attained in Dissentions It would be very strange therefore to imagine that they who do all this to Dissentions should yet give any ground for an Indulgence of them But yet these men have found out that St. Paul is for this forbearance Phil. 3.15 16. Which Text if they had faithfully set down would have discovered their Sophistry For the Apostle saith Let us therefore as many as be perfect