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
A59578	Separation convicted of profanation, oppression, persecution, [brace] rebellion, self-destruction, and antichristianism being a further evidence of the mischief of separation, as asserted by the most learned and pious Dr. Edw. Stillingfleet, Dean of St. Pauls / by Lewes Sharpe, rector of Moreton-Hampstead in Devon.	Sharpe, Lewes.	1681 (1681)	Wing S3006A; ESTC R37382	32,652	45

a preference of their own thoughts and devices before Gods Institutions and Injunctions which is called in the holy Text Rebellion Isai 65.2 and the making of the commandments of God of none effect Mat. 15.6 Mark 7.13 There is nothing more plain and more easie to be understood in all the Bible than That the body of Christ is one and that all Christians are baptized into this one body 1 Cor. 12.12 13. and therefore though many are yet one body in Christ and members one of another Rom. 12.4 5. so that if one member suffer all the members suffer with it 1 Cor. 12.26 From which neer relation and sympathy they are obliged to the dearest love Rom. 12.10 and are to live in the exercise of it as the evidence of their neer relation to Christ John 34.35 and the bond of perfectness among themselves Col. 3.14 And that this be not weaken'd or interrupted they are commanded not to forsake the assembling of themselves together Heb. 10.25 and to give no of fence to the Church of God 1 Cor. 10.32 nor to any member of it Rom. 14.13 And if offences come as through Satans subtilty and the malignity of fleshly lusts they must needs do Luke 17.1 though wo to them by whom they come Mat. 18.7 their Christian Faith which worketh by love Gal. 5.6 must so moderate their passions that they must not easily be provoked but bear all things that are tolerable yea must cover a multitude of sins and suffer long 1 Cor. 13.5 7. and ought to be so far from rejoycing in iniquity and having advantages of dislike and separation that they must account it their Glorie to pass by offences Prov. 29.11 follow after peace and the things that make for it Heb. 12.14 Rom. 14.10 and do as much as in them lies do all that is possible to be done to live in peace Rom. 12.18 that is no condition of a peaceable Communion is to be refused but such as is morally impossible cannot be submitted unto without sin This is plainly the minde of God That we must never forsake the Communion of that Church unto which we are united so long as we can keep our innocency in it Nothing but the sinfulness of a Communion can justifie or warrant a Separation When we cannot continue in Communion without either the acknowledgement of some errour for a Truth or the practice of some sin for a Duty we may separate but for no other provocation The requiring of doubtful or suspected practices as some speak as the condition of Communion can be no warrantable ground of Separation because Engagements to a Separation must be equally certain as Engagements to a Communion They are certainly very badly advised and disposed who prefer their doubts and scruples before their known dutie and the Churches honour and safetie Sect. 44. And I must tell you too there may be real corruptions in a Church and yet no ground for a Separation from it because we may communicate with it in Gods Ordinances without partaking with it in its Corruptions for that may be tolerated which is not imposed practised by some which is disowned by others and required from none And in all lawful things condescention and yieldance is infinitely more commendable than selfwilledness and stubborn frowardness If therefore a Brother much more a Mother will have you go a mile with her in a way of condescention and yieldance to such things as you conceive inconvenient and burthensome you must to maintain peace and love go with her twain Mat. 5.41 The Philosopher calls a good man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Cube or Square implying that a good man is not like a Spherical Figure which is able to meet the plainest thing onely in a point but like a Cubical Figure which meets with plain things in whole broad-sides and hath a notable aptitude for Unity and compliance I am sure St. Paul was such an one and he is worthy to be a president to us all Who became as a Gentile to the Gentiles that he might gain the Gentiles and as a Jew to the Jews that he might gain the Jews yea though he were a free man yet he made himself a servant to all and was made all things to all men that he might gain some 1 Cor. 9.19 20 21 22. And certainly he was never baptized with the Spirit of Christ who will not do more for the unitie and Peace of that Societie to which he belongs than to please an ill-natured humour and that will not smother his private judgment and relinquish his private liberties and his more publick conveniences too rather than by a peremptory publication of the one and a stiff maintainance of the other disturb the quiet of Gods Church Sect. 45. Now it being generally acknowledged by most of the Separatists That the Church of England at least that our Parochial Churches are true Churches and that they may without the dangerous hazard of their Salvation communicate with them in their religious Administrations they cannot separate from them without exalting their own Imaginations above Gods Prescriptions and preferring the gratification of an Humour before the pleasing of God which is a grand rebellion against him Sect. 46. Fourthly Separation is an act of great stubbornness and contumacy 't is a sin excused justified and pleaded for which is the adding of rebellion to sin as Job speaks c. 34.37 The very same circumstances which rendered the sin of Saul in sparing Agag and the best of the spoil a Rebellion are fully applicable to the sin of wilful and causeless Separation and with some superiour aggravations Did Saul break the Commandment of God so do they And far more hainously for he transgressed onely a single positive temporary dispensable Precept but they an eternal and indispensable Law of Love and Righteousness Saul transgressed to preserve and save but they to ruine and destroy Did Saul notwithstanding his disobedience pretend that he had performed the Commandment of the Lord so do they They do it in obedience to the Call of God who will have them as they say come out from among us and separate Did Saul excuse and justifie his sin from the pretence of a good end and intention so do they The Church needs Reformation and they have covenanted to reform it and they will bring religious Ministrations to greater purity so that they are in a faithful pursuit of The good Old Cause are the men called forth to bear witness to the Gospel-designe and their Separation is for the Honour of God and the Edification of his Church that is they pull down the Church to build it up rend the Members of the Body asunder to joyn them the more orderly together wreck and quite mar the Ship to repair and mend it destroy to save Did Saul at last confess his sin so do not they but obstinately defend it yea glory in it as an attainment of an extraordinary size and which is the foundation of it