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	great_a	schism_n	1,418	5	9.7695	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52054	A sermon preached to the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, and Court of Aldermen of the city of London, at their anniversary meeting on Easter Monday April 1652, at the Spittle wherein the unity of the saints with Christ, the head, and especially with the church, the body, with the duties thence arising, are endeavoured to be cleared : tending to heale our rents and divisions / by Stephen Marshal ...	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1653 (1653)	Wing M782; ESTC R206697	37,461	44

into their errors and labour to infect all yea to put all into flames of division and confusion unlesse they can prevaile Shall we indure to see our brethren and our people before our eyes drawne into errors although those errors it may be are not fundamentall I answer First I know no great hurt for men to be permitted modestly and humbly to debate among their Brethren the things wherein they differ But Secondly I answer If men who hold differing opinions in these lesser points can neither be content to follow Pauls counsel to have their faith in these to themselves before God nor modestly propound their arguments and grounds and so be quiet but must make it their work to draw it may be weak ones into doubtful disputations and thereby take them off from the study and prosecution of more weighty things I can bee no Advocate for such people if they judge the spreading of their opinions to be such a duty that they take themselves bound in conscience to do all that is possible to draw all others in to them I know no remedy but such people must be contented to with-draw and joyne with such Churches where their opinions are received for it cannot be conjectured that in any Society of any nature men will be quietly tolerated who shall professedly be boutefues and kindle-fires to disturbe their peace and alwayes putting them into flames Suppose a man were of Erastus his opinion that there is no Church-Government by Christs appointment and yet withall should joyne in a Congregationall or Presbyterian way and they also willing to joyne in Church-Fellowship with him as knowing his errour not to be fundamentall if this man will now make it his worke to draw them off from what they beleeve to be Christs Ordinance and their duty that they must either all yeeld to him or enjoy no quiet this I say will prove intolerable thus also it is in Civil associations Suppose in any Corporation where a Court of Aldermen or Common-Counsell should bee Judges if the major part judge any Cause before them and the residue who judge otherwise wil not be content to sit downe but be alwayes quarrelling and calumniating the rest charging them to be erroneous or unrighteous Judges such unquiet and turbulent carriage over-throws all and is not compatible with humane Society Beloved I beseech you pardon me that I have been so long upon this third Branch for I confesse it is deeply settled upon my spirit that were this rule received it would have a great influence upon the healing of our divisions I know indeed that many learned and holy men think otherwise and doe conceive that their zeale for Christs truth must not suffer them thus far to tolerate them who hold errors derogatory to the truth of Christ but I humbly conceive that zeale for Christs truth should never use other meanes to preserve Christs truth then Christ himselfe hath appointed zeale to preserve Justice and Righteousnesse and to punish disorders in a Common-wealth is very commendable but yet that zeale would not be commendable in a Magistrate who should hang a man for such a fault for which the Law hath only appointed the house of Correction or Whipping-post Let us confine our selves to Christs rules and then let our zeale burn as hot as may be Fourthly There is yet one sort more and they are such whose principles carry them to separate from particular Churches for light causes suppose some defects or some miscarriages in their Church-government it may be some too great connivence at unworthy or scandalous persons or it may be some defects or miscarriages in their publick administrations I say the renting off and departing from particular Churches for such causes as these wil be found to be but Schism to separate from Churches from which Christ doth not separate is schismatical now it is cleare in the Scripture Christ Jesus owneth Churches who are defective in many things and if as I said before Churches should bear with particular persons in their errors certainly particular persons should bear with Churches and therefore when a Churches faith is sound for the substance and their worship Gospel-worship though their Government be not perfect and other defects found among them we must not separate and separation from them is the more unjust if that Church bee seeking for light and willing to be informed I grant there may bee slitting from one Church to another for greater edification which is without condemning that Church they slit from but separation from a true Church for want of some desirable perfection is a fruit of this bitter root of Schisme because it rents where Christ rents not for if we looke into the Scripture we shal find there were Churches who had many errours in Faith others disorderly in their Worship others had many among them loose in their conversations but not one word of the Holy Ghosts counselling the Lords people to with-draw from them or to go and gather into a body by themselves they are often called upon to do what they can to heale them but not one word of separating from them or with-drawing from them indeed we sometimes read of some who separated themselves but we may also read in the same places what sad brands the Spirit of God gives them and should it bee lawful for every errour and every miscarriage or for the want of some desirable perfection thus to rend off we must rend and rend and rend for ought I know to the end of the world and the union and communion of Christs people would come almost to nothing whereas he would have all his throughout the world as they injoy communion with himselfe so to injoy as their occasion and need requires communion with all his Saints now such limitations and restrictions as these are make such a communion impossible I am veri●y perswaded that were the union and communion of the people of Christ rightly knowne there is no Saint in any part of the world but where ever he comes might demand upon the profession of his faith and his voluntary subjection to the Gospel his right in the Ordinances hear the Word with them pray with them receive the Sacrament with them I say onely upon that ticket that hee professeth that faith which is the common faith of Gods people and while hee is with them walkes according to the Gospel rule now where mens principles doe shut them up after the manner I have been treating of these things are not practicable I shut up all this discourse concerning all these who are schismatical through erroneous judgements with this briefe corollary The communion of Saints one with another is not only a priviledge but a duty injoyned by Christ he hath not left us at liberty to chuse with whom we wil hold communion and to refuse whom we lift no as ever wee wil appear before him with comfort wee must hold communion with those who professe his