Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	faith_n	great_a	1,696	5	2.8785	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57861	A true representation of Presbyterian government wherein a short and clear account is given of the principles of them that owne it, the common objections against it answered, and some other things opened that concern it in the present circumstances / by a friend to that interest.	Rule, Gilbert, 1629?-1701.	1690 (1690)	Wing R2228; ESTC R28113	15,541	24

Conscience Where the matter is not of the highest moment and the person appeareth Conscientiously to follow his Light Church Discipline may then be forborn 2. When the fault is universal either the whole or the greater part or a great part of the Church is guilty The rigour of Censure that otherwise might be due is to be abated even the primitive Church though very severe in Discipline used a great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this Case When many or most had fallen in Persecution though the crime was of the highest nature even denying the Faith A general Humiliation of the whole Church may be in stead of particular application of Censures I hope there is no cause of fear from Men of such moderate Principles If in this or any thing else we have been chargeable with Excess as who can clear himself of all blame I hope our riper Thoughts Studies and Sufferings by the Blessing of God on them hath taught us and will engage us to let our Moderation be known to all men considering that the Lord is at hand And though we have been severely Beaten by our Fellow Servants yet we will stand in awe and be loath that the Lord when he cometh should find us so doing to them 8 ly Some Object That in this way Ministers may Domineer over People even the greatest Men at their pleasure Answ. Beside that they must walk by the Rule set down in the Word and if they exceed that bounds they may be curbed by Superior Judicatories Or if their Insolence amount to the disturbing of the peace the Magistrate may restrain them We say beside this the Ministers do nothing alone but with the peoples Representatives the Elders who may be of the Nobles or any other Rank as they are qualified for that Work and chosen to it by the Church Some other Objections are tossed among Men that talk of these things which do not so much concern Presbyterial Government in general as some parts of it or things about it that are now in agitation The 9 th Objection then may be framed against the taking away the Election of Ministers by Patrons viz. That if that be done men of Note and Interest in Parishes may be over-ruled by the multitude which often is ignorant and heady and have Ministers imposed on them Answ 1 That Patronages are an intolerable Grievance and yoak of Bondage on the Church and have alwayes been the cause of pestering the Church with a bad Ministry and a temptation to Intrants please the Patron farther than to his Edification rather than to please God Beside the Simoniacal buying and selling of Gospel Ordinances that frequently and in all times have attended this Device of Men But which is worst of all that it is a direct crossing Christ's Institution and a robing his people of the priviledge he hath bequeathed to them These things I say are fully proved elsewhere And therefore if it be supposed that the Incovenience mentioned should follow from taking away of Patronages yet it will not I hope move them who regard Christ's Institutions or the good of his Church the Salvation and Edification of Souls to be for their continuance 2 The same inconvenience was apt to follow on popular Election in other Ages of the Church and yet in the Apostles times and in the first and best Ages till the seventh or eight Century or later Patronages were not settled in the Church they came in among the latest Antichristian Corruptions and Usurpations The primi●ive Christians were not so tender of their Grandeur and such priviledges as their rank in the World gave them nor so little tender 〈◊〉 the Liberties of the Church and the Interest of Christians as such And if any such pretensions appeared to be owned by the Grand●●● of these times they met with a severe Check and that in lesser matters than acclaiming a Power of choosing Ministers for the whole Church● as appeareth by the Apostles reproving the Distinction even in 〈◊〉 Seats in their Assemblies that was made between the Man with the Gold Ring and gay Cloathing and the Man in Vile Raiment We are content to allow great Men all due Respect but not to complement them with what is Christs Legacy to his People And therefore we hope That they who are willing to subject themselves to the Laws of Christ will be content to stand on equal Ground tho we be far from aiming at the Leveling principle in other things with their poor Brethren in the Church with respect to Church priviledges which belong not to Men as Poor or Rich as Great or Small but as they are Christs Disciples 3. It is carefully to be Observed that the Election of a Minister is not to be left to the Management of the confused Rabble tho' the meanest adult male Member of the Church hath a Right to assent or dissent but it is to be ordered by the Eldership and that under the inspection of the Presbytery and by the Presbytery where no Congregational Elderships is in the Number of which Elders it is to be supposed that He●etors and Men of Interest in the Paroch will be if they be tolerably qualifyed for and will undertake such an Office and then they have a special hand in the Election and cannot complain of being imposed upon And the Eldership is to exclude from having an hand in the Election them that are scandalous grosly ignorant Heady and Scismatick or any way disorderly And if Divisions fall in the Elders are Judges of the difference between the two Parties and are to consider the Reasons on both Hands and to ponder and weigh as well as to Number the Votes They ought also to exclude from voting in such Elections all such as are not fixed Members of the Congregation And to lay more weight on the suffrages of them that are more fixed and less on them that are otherwise caeteris paribus For though Christianity maketh one a Member of the Church Catholick yet a fixed abode is needful to make one a Member of and to give a share in the priviledges of that particular Flock But how to limit this fixation is not easie For though some be manifestly unfixed as servants and others are manifestly fixed as ancient inhabitants who are like to continue long in that place yet there may be a midle sort who cannot be determined by General Rules but it must be left to the prudence of the Church to judge in this If these things be duely considered Great Men need not fear having a Minister obtruded on them especially if we add that Men of interrest usually are able to influence those that live under them or that do depend upon them 4. In the times wherein Patronages were taken away by Law Men of Interest and Respect found no cause to complaine of being ●●●●osed upon but the Church laid down such directions as may b● 〈◊〉 in the Acts of the General Assembly August 4. 1649. Sess 4● And

Massacres Inquisitions horrid Tortures Imprisonment Fining and strange Severities Is there any thing that can be alledg'd against Presbyterians that can be once compared with the Persecutions that many in the west of Scotland and elsewhere have lately Endured Yea Independents cannot compare with the Moderation of Presbyterians For they most of them will not communicate with any but of their own way And so with none but those of their own Congregation which is far from Our way As for Anabaptists and Quakers They own none for Members of the Church but Men of their own Stamp So that it may be on good ground said That Presbyterians are the most Moderate of any Party that pretend to Religion 2. That which Men call Rigidity in Presbyterians is mostly against Men's Immoralities that are unquestionable such If other Men be Gentle to these it may recommend them to wicked Men's good liking but will not render them acceptable to God This strictness of discipline against scandalous Sins is injoined in Scripture and we go not beyond the bounds there set we rebuke such before all we do not punish them in their Bodies or Purses and our strictness falleth very far short of that of the primitive times as every one who hath read any thing of the History of the ancient Church knoweth both their Catechumeni were detained from Church priviledges and their Penitents put to long and hard Pennance at another rate then any thing that we do 3. Wherein lyeth the Regidity of Our discipline Do not our Ministers deale with them who fall into scandalous sins with all Meekness and Tenderness admonishing them laying before them the Evil and Danger of their way the necessity of Repentance the hope of Mercy through Christ that there is to the penitent It is our way even where the Sinner is most obstinate and rejecteth all advice to wait for many weeks before we proceed to Excommunication that that dreadful Sentence if possible may be prevented We give publick Admonition three several Lords dayes and sometimes oftner We poure out Prayers to God not only in secret but with the Congregation as long that the Sinner may be turned from his evil way And after all this we use to wait Patiently for the Mans Repentance If he appear Penitent the Sentence doth not pass against him and after Sentence is past upon the hardned Sinner if afterward he shew any signs of Repentance how readily is he received into the Church again and we chearefully confirme our love to him And where Church Censures are used it is not for Worldly matters not paying Church dues as is the practice of some others not for small offences but for Gross and Scandalous Sins 4. For their severity toward such as differ from them in Principles they think it their Duty not to bear them that are Evil and to try them that say they are Apostles and are not They have a zeal against Errour Disorders and Usurpations in the Church and cannot understand how they who do not own Presbyterial Government should be the managers of it Yet can use that Moderation and resolve to do so when opportunity shall be put in their hand as not to deny Church Communion to any sober and Religious Person though of a contrary sentiment to them in these inferior points of Truth 5 ly Another Objection is from the Indiscretion of the present Ministers of this way Their want of that Learning Prudence and other good parts that may fit them to manage so great a Trust as is the Government of the Church Answ. We know these are the diminutive thoughts that our Adversaries have of us And we have not such high thoughts of our selves as to magnifie our selves We have cause to be humbled as we hope we are in some measure for our imperfections both in Gifts and Grace Yet we may and must being thus put to it say that there want not men amongst us who fall not short in Ministerial Qualifications of them who have lately had the Rule of the Church and for the generality of us it is the Opinion of the World and of unbyassed men yea even of some that are not of our way that these of the other party have no cause in their Glorying over us in this 2 Church Government doth not require any great degree of politick Accomplishment A plain Man who understandeth the Laws of Christ and the Scripture Directions concerning Censures is fitter to Govern the Church than a great Statesman is 3. Any Indiscretion that of late years hath appeared in our Conduct may and should be imputed to our want of Liberty to govern the Church Every one among Ministers and People did what was right in his own Eyes and we do not deny but there are some Indiscreet persons among us as there are in all parties And even wise Men in our Circumstances could not shon some Acts that might seem Indiscreet either to Adversaries or to less considering Persons 6 ly The Divisions of Presbyterians are objected Answ. 1. Where are these not to be found neirher Bishop nor Pope have been able to keep them out of the Church or from among their own Party 2 Our Divisions we do not deny or approve we are men of like Passions with others We labour to shun Divisions as much as is possible and through Grace have come to more Unity than they who reproach us with our Divisions 3. The Divisions that were among us as we deny not that our Mistakes and Corruptions had a hand in them so we knew that Enemies were active to promote and heighten them Which though it excuse not us a toto yet it doth a tanto and put our Enemies in mala fide to reproach us with them 4. The Unity that the Prolatick party made in the Church was like that of a conquering Tyrant who beholdeth all that oppose him slain before him there was peace to the King and Haman when there was none to the people of God the Unity of some is a Combination in Errour and the result of a Conquest over mens Consciences that now dare not mutter against the 〈◊〉 of their Imposing Task-matters We think contending about Truth more desirable than such peace It is known that our Church enjoyed such Unity for many years after the Reformation as was Celebrated by Churches Abroad as is evident from the Preface to Corpus Confessionum till ambitious men began to trouble her with their Innovations and Usurpations and so were the cause of Division 7. Many Object that if Presbyterians get Power they will force all to make public Repentance who have owned Bishops taken the Test or other Oaths that they dislike Ans. Our principle is that that publick Scandals ought to be publickly rebuked yet there are Cases in which the strickness of Discipline in this matter may and must be relaxed I shall name two 1. When the matter of Offence is controverted and the sinful practice is from the mis-information of the