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
A77100	Paideia Thriamous. The triumph of learning over ignorance, and of truth over faleshood. Being an answer to foure quæries. Whether there be any need of universities? Who is to be accounted an hæretick? Whether it be lawfull to use coventicles? Whether a lay-man may preach? VVhich were lately proposed by a zelot, in the parish church at Swacie neere Cambridge, after the second sermon, October 3. 1652. Since that enlarged by the answerer, R.B. B.D. and fellow of Trin. Col. Camb.	R. B. (Robert Boreman), d. 1675.	1652 (1652)	Wing B3760; Thomason E681_10; ESTC R206793	32,371	43

who labour to draw the people's mindes from the love of the publick Congregation and engage them to their private meetings whereby they commonly intangle them in their errours and Haeresies Therefore if they say as the Vid. August Ep. 48. Donatists once did that Christ is onely amongst them in their Crypts and Conventicles beleeve them not for they doe contrary to the precept and practise of Christ He wills or enjoynes us to † Luk. 12.8 confesse Him and his Truth before men i. e. to make an open profession of our Faith both in times of persecution and peace He himselfe ever * Joh. 18.19,20 taught publikely as he witnessed of himselfe before Pilat He † Luk. 4.15.44 did so to teach us this lesson That Truth seeks not corners but loves the light therefore it is sometimes called light in the Holy Scriptures Eph. 5.8 Walke as Children of the Light Vid. Act. 26.18 But they that * Joh. 3.19 Men love darknesse rather then light because their deeds are evill hate the Truth delight in darknesse dare not say that in an open Congregation what they spawn and vent in a Conventicle or private meeting Therefore avoyd them joyne not with them beware of making a Schisme in the ●hurch or making that rent wider which was first begun of late by the Presbyterians Adhere not to Schismaticks whose portion without a deep repentance for so great a sinne as wounding Christs Church shall be after death in the Land of darknesse because they loved darknesse rather then light I never read that saying of August Aug. Ep. 204. but with horrour and dread when I considered the common guilt Foris ab Ecclesiâ constitutus separatus à communione unitatis vinculo charitatis aeterno supplicio punireris etiamsi pro Christi nomine vivus comburereris i. e. He or She that out of pride or peevishnesse separates himselfe from the bodie of the Church whose members are knit together by the ligaments of one faith and bond of love that man shall be punished with everlasting torments although he should die in the flame and be burnt for the name of Christ Such biting Truths as these are the cause why Schismaticks and Hereticks love not to read the Fathers nor vouchsafe so much as to name them in their Sermons or writings Therefore let no man deceive you with vaine words for for such things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of Disobedience Be not then companions with them for ye were sometimes darkenesse but are now light in the Lord walk as Children of Light Eph. 5.6,7,8 And conforme your selves to the * Christi actio nostri debet esse instrinctio Aug. example of our Lord and Master Jesus who † Luke 19.47 preached in the Synagogues and the Temple notwithstanding they were places full of disorder and corruption He * Mat. 21.13 called the Temple a Denne of theeves and are there not too many in ours † Mat. 15.3 The Doctrine of the Law was then corrupted by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the false glosses of the Scribes and Pharisees is not the Doctrine of the Gospel as much corrupted by ours Besides all this they were loose and wicked in their lives witnesse that charge of our Saviour to his followers and Auditours against the Jewish Doctours Mat. 23.23 Doe not after their workes c. Notwithstanding all these corruptions and deformities in the Jewish Church yet our Saviour Christ made no separation from it but came and preached in those places of publick concourse where the Seducers and false Teachers were If this example and practise of our Saviour will not convince and startle into feare and obedience the Separatists of our age both Teachers and Disciples I know not what will doe it Area Dominica nondum ventilata est sine paleis esse non potest Nos eremus atque agamus quantum possumus ut palea simus Aug. Ep. 203. If Christ should have trodd in their steps been led by their fond opinion he would have made a Separation and fled from the Society of the Jewes and not so much as once gone into the Temple or taught in their Synagogues but he did otherwise and from what he did we may conclude that the practise of those Phanaticks who separate themselves from all Assemblies or publick places of Gods service pretending either a want of gifts or a defect of holinesse in the Ministers I say the practise of such men doth speake them to be those Antichrists which the Apostle S. John mentions in his first Epistle 1 Ep. Ioh. c 2. v. 18 19. Now there are many Antichrists whereby we may know it is the last time They went out from us c. i. e. They turn'd Separatists therefore Antichrists because they went flat against the practice and precept of Christ who commands us by his Apostle Phil. 1.27.2.2 to be of one heart and of one minde to thinke and speake and doe the same thing in good to love as Brethren who forsake not one anothers company and desert not their family when they discocover any infirmity in their Father or any deformity in their Mother but keep close to both in observance and humble duty We may have communion or fellowship with mens persons in publick worship and not partake in the guilt of their Sinnes I lle communicat malis qui consentit factis malorum Aug. Ep. 171. He communicates with the wicked that consents to their wickednesse abhorre and forsake his sinne then maist thou without feare or danger communicate with a wicked man Si malos odistis vos ipsi mutamini à Scelere Schismatis Si malorum permixtionem timeretis Optatum inter vos in apertissimâ iniquitate viventem per tot annos non teneretis Thus Augustine bespeakes the Donatists So may I the men of our times If you hate the ungodly shew your hatred towards your selves by repenting and turning from your Schisme and Heresies And if you feare the mixture or company of the wicked shun the Society and abhorre the persons of your Leaders by whom you are seduced and corrupted To conventicle on the Lords day a breach of the fourth Commandement A third Argument against such meetings in private on the Lords day may be deduced from the intent and scope of the fourth commandement whose morality in the judgement of all both Fathers and moderne writers consists in this that God be worshipped in the Congregation with publicke service in an open confession of our Faith and a profession of our love and thankfulnesse to him for all his mercies and blessings those which concerne our Soules and those which respect our bodies c. But to wave this and other Arguments which might be produced to confirme my former Thesis I proceed to reasons against Conventicles First Reason suggests this Truth to our Spirits that our Soules being as it were so many sparkes of the