Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	church_n	member_n	1,786	5	7.7946	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57346	The cursed family; or, A short tract, shewing the pernicious influence of wicked prayer-less houses, upon this church and kingdom Humbly tender'd by way of subserviency to His Majesties Royal Proclamations, and Acts of Parliament, for preventing and punishing immorality and prophaness. By THomas Risley Master of Arts, and sometime fellow of Pembrook-Colledge in Oxford. With a prefatory epistle by the reverend Mr. John Howe.	Risley, Thomas, 1630-1716.; Howe, John, 1630-1705.	1700 (1700)	Wing R1539; ESTC R218001	38,264	98

a Contagious Conversation One Bp. Hall In a Sermon at Hampton Court before King James the First 1624. person infects a Family one Family a whole Street One Street a whole City One City a whole Countrey One Countrey a whole World If sin begin with one Angel it infects Legions If with one Woman it inserts all the Mass of Mankind Thou sittest at home and thinkest that thou doest no hurt to the Kingdom or Church but sure is that thy Family-sins will abroad and as it s said of those that are infected with Plague sores so it may be said of sinners that they strive to infect others Sin never goeth alone whether considered as Criminal or Penal Thy Sabbath-breaking Idleness Pride Prodigallity Backbiting Drunkenness Coveteousness and such like breed more sins first at home then in thy Neighbours House then afterwards both thou thy self thy untoward posterity and thy corrupted Neighbours carry them into Company in Villages Market Towns and Cities and in process of time the whole Land where thou livest is defiled thereby This fire of Family sins being once kindled finds more fewel among sinful Men and so going from one to another at last it breaks forth into consuming Flames A whole Tribe was corrupted with Idolatry which first came from Micha's Family Judges 17 and 18 Chapters Achan's sin brought God's hand not only upon himself and Family but all Israel smarts for it Josh. 7. 13. And a long time after Achan is called the Troubler of Israel 1 Chron. 2. 7. But especially the Families of Great Persons as of Princes Magistrates Nobility Gentry Clergy bring Judgments upon whole Nations and Countries As in Saul's time Jeroboam's Baasha's Ahaz's and Manasseh's time The sins of Nobility and Gentry are of a more spreading Infection then the sins of Inferior Persons And as to the Contagion of the sins of the Ministry It is said From the Prophets of Jerusalem is Prophaneness gone forth into all the Land Jer. 23. 15. There be some sins which are Domestick and Private which grow quickly into National and Politick sins as Sabbath-breaking Whoredoms Murther Perjury Rebellion against Parents whether Natural or Civil Parents Oppression Idolatry Heresy Deut. 13. 19 and 21. Chapters Shewing the Punishment of Idolatry Murther Rebellion against Parents And touching the Punishment of Whoredoms see Deut. 22. 21 22 ver All which Texts shew the National Epidemical malignity of those sins And therefore all Israel must hear and fear and do no more any such wickedness as this among them 2. Consider That Ungodly Families 2. Aggravation of Family Impiety It Overthrows Churches Overthrow Churches Prophane hands in Parishes pull down Gods House It is Unbelief Impeuitency Sabbath-breaking common prodigious swearing revelling at Wakes Merry Nights Greens May Games Healthing Inlets to Debauchery and all Impiety to Atheism Blasphemy Whoredom Contempt of Religion and Morallity These are the Boars of the Wood and Beasts of the Field which waste and devour the Lords Vineyard These are the sins which the Prince of Darkness and his Infernal Rabble strive to maintain and propagate to the Overthrow of Christianity yea and I had almost said Humanity it self The Tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites of Moab and the Hagarens Gobal and Ammon and Amalek the Philistines with the Inhabitants of Tyre I mean wicked Families say Come let us cut them off from being a Nation a Church that the Name of Israel the Name of the Reformed Church of England may be no more in Remembrance Psal. 83. The General Ignorant and Scandalous sins of too many called Christians Is like unto the Abomination of Desolation in the Holy Place Dan. 11. 31. Parochial sins which rise out of Irreligious Households as Persecuting Saul's make Havock of the Church And are in effect the Bloody Hamans against Gods Church Family-wickedness of Princes Priests and People brought Destruction upon Jerusalem and demolisht the Temple the wonder of the World for Building a Type of Christ in the flesh and of his Church upon Earth Joshua a Good Ruler at a full and honourable Assembly of Elders Heads Judges and Officers delivereth this weighty charge in his Speech Namely to fear the Lord and serve him in Sincerity and Truth And not only in Cities and Towns but in all Families as the Principal Means for the Prosperity of Church and State Josh. 24. 1 14 15 20. Go ye now to my place which was in Shiloh where I set my Name at the first and see what I did to it For the wickedness of my People Israel Jer. 7. 13. It is most certain that the Church cannot flourish unless the parts and members of it perform Holy Duties and Offices in their Capacities both in Church and Family The want of Religion in Families is the Decay of Churches The difference between a Christian Family and a Church is that of Parts and Whole if the parts be wicked and profane the Constitution of the whole is Vitious and Depraved more or less according to the proportion of the parts Is it likely That Heads of Families should be truly Devout in the Church and Exercise no Religion at home How shall we Judge of the Churches encrease if not from Parochial Religion in Families Wickedness of Families maketh the Glory of Jacob thin Isa. 17. 4. Wicked Families eat up Jacob devour consume and make his Habitation desolate Jer. 10. 25. As by appearance at Musters we Judge of the military Strength and Population of Kingdoms so from Piety in Families the Strength and Prosperity of the Church and Christs Kingdom The Life of Religion and the Welfare Mr. B. Gildas Chap. 2. Sect. 5. And his Account of the Reason and Use of his Paraphrase on the N. T. and Glory of Church and State dependeth much on Family Government and Duty If there be any hope of the amendment of a Wicked Miserable Distracted World it must be mostly done by Family Religion and the Christian Education of Youth What Countrey Groans not under the Confusions miseries and horrid wickedness which are all the Fruits of Family neglects and the careless and ill Education of Youth In the Preface to the Record for Dissolution Dr. Fullers Ch. Hist. lib. 6. p. 310. of Lesser Monasteries the Reasons returned were The Vitious Living of those Houses Another saith That Fornication Adulteries Treachery Soddomy Incest were Committed and Brooded in those Houses And the Reverend Author goeth on saying An Hundred Thousand Whores made by Bp. H. In his Occa. Med. 76. On the Ruines of an Abby the Unmarried Clergy Every stone hath a Tongue to accuse of Superstition Hypocrisy Idleness Luxury the Late Owners How soon would the best part of the World Decay upon the Corruption of Families As in the Body Politick so in the Mystical it thrives or wasteth according to the Good or Bad Temperament of the Parts constituent If Families of Nominal Christians were Real Living Members of the Church succeeding Posterity would encrease it But

we have cause to lament the weakness of it by reason the wickedness thereof It is most He is no good Church-man who is not good Christian at Home evident from Scripture that such Professors are not True Members of Gods Church which are not Living Members of Christ. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the Flesh But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose Praise is not of Men but of God Rom. 2. two last verses He is not a sound Christian that is Baptized except he be inwardly renewed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost The real Christian Is a New Creature Old things are past away behold all things are become New 2 Cor. 5. 17. And the New Creature hath put off his former Conversation the old Man which is corrupt according to the Deceitful Lusts And is renewed in the Spirit of his mind And hath put on the New Man which after God is Created in Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4. 22 23 24. It is for want of Religious Government in The mischief of irreligious families Households that the Lords Day is not better observed that few profit under the Word and that there are so few prepared Communicants at the Lords Table It is from hence That Ministers have slender Congregations and that Taverns Ale-houses Walks Fields Gardens Tatlinghouses in the Neighbourhood are more resorted to then the places of Gods Worship Oh! All you Careless Ignorant Worldly and loose Heads of Families let not this Aggravating Consideration Namely That your Family-wickedness overthrows Churches pass out of your thoughts till it please God to change you and reform your Families Are you Friends to the Church Set up the Practise of Piety in your Families which are the Nurseries of the Church This Duty is of Great weight and Importance to the Interest of Reformed Religion and of the Church of England If professing Christians live in their Si ita Singuli id faciant quod pietatis est totum corpus facil● Sanabitur c. Synop. Bodini de Repub. lib. 1. c. 1. que 24. Houses in due Conformity to their Covenant in Baptism this through Gods Mercy will render our Church Beautiful as the Garden of the Lord And our Land as the smell of a Field which the Lord hath Blessed The Romans were as Careful to maintain their Vestal Fire as to preserve the Palladium as Pledges of Felicity to the Empire Signifying to us Christians that If Religion and Vertue Piety and Policy be Countenanc'd and defended and their Contraries Profaneness and Immorallity supprest and punished then the Lord will Build us and not Pull us down Plant us and not Root us up If we entertain the Life and Power of Christianity and Honesty in our Families Upon all the Glory shall be a Defence Isa. 4. 5. Quest. What think you of Errours and Heresies tending to the subverting of Christianity A. Quest. And what may we think of Parties and Sectaries Are they not greater Enemies to the Church then profane Families Answ. 1. Here is not intended a Comparative Answer Enquiry whether Damnable Errours and Heresies do more mischief in our Church then wicked Families but the main Business in hand is to shew that Profane and Wicked Families are Pernicious Enemies to both Church and Sate Sabbath-breaking Swearing Drunkenness Filthiness Coveteousness Oppression Pride Treachery Perjury Cursing Cheating Killing Stealing Lying and such like black infernal Sins in Families will without Reformation Ruin Kingdoms and Churches 2. Profane Scandalous Livers are Practical Atheists and Hereticks They profess that they know God but in good works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and to every good work reprobate Tit. 1. Last 3. Moral Evils of Sin and Intellectual are Conjunct A foul Stomach hath an aking Head and corrupt Streams come from a corrupt Fountain St. Paul In Titus 3. 10. And 1 Cor. 5. 11. Joyns together Hereticks and Sensualists or Scandalous Persons in Families and Parishes as Fatal and Capital Enemies to the Church and equally obnoxious to Ecclesiastical and Civil Punishments 4. We have sad experience what Mischief Parties and Sectaries Rents and Schismatical Causes and Instruments have wrought among Christians even to oppose That Great Article of our Faith The Communion of Saints 5. He is no better then a Wicked Man that hatcheth Divisions and Covets to make separations and will not admit of healing Such were the Donatists whose Tumults were supprest by the Magistrate O that all Scandalous Profane Families in Parishes would sit down and set themselves as in Gods presence seriously considering that they are no more Living Members of Gods Church then the Dead Bodies in the Church Yard are Living Members of that Family whence they came to be Interr'd 3. Consider That Profane Families are 3. Aggravation of Family Impiety It rendereth the Ministry of Gods Word unprofitable great Enemies to the Ministry If Heads of Families would perform their Duties according to Gods command that is to set up Religion in Families Prayer reading the Word of God Catechizing shewing good Examples in the Week Day and upon the Lords Day causing their Families to keep it Holy both publickly and privately I say were their Families thus Governed the word Preach'd would take better effect upon them Is it likely that Preachers should do any good when Parents by open Profaneness pull down what they set up As if they were resolved to live as they do let the Minister say what he will Is it likely that the Ministry should prosper in a Congregation when most Families will do nothing towards it themselves by keeping Holy the Lords Day and serving and worshipping him in the Week Day Would Masters of Families take hold with the Minister Religion would enter into Families through Gods Blessing But O what little is done to help forward the salvation of Souls by Good Parents They ought to prepare and break up the fallow ground of their Families they ought to Root out the Weeds of Vice and pluck up corrupt Principles out of this little spot of ground that it may be fit to receive the Seed of the word with profit Jer. 4. 3 Hos. 10. 12. Governours of Families ought to make their Families Nurseries for the Church i. e. well Husbanded well disciplined and well taught In their own Houses Parents are both Magistrates and Ministers in a Subordinate way to the training up an hopeful Generation for Church and Kingdom Why do Ignorant Loose Worldly Careless Prayerless Families cast off their Duty upon sureties for the Christian Education of their Children Whereas they themselves stand Bound as they are Believers not only to Dedicate them to the Lord by Baptism but as their Childrens Sponsors To bring them up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord Eph. 6. 4. 4. The Barrenness of the ground upon