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	schism_n	separation_n	4,536	5	11.0940	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40709	The general assembly, or, The necessity of receiving the communion in our publick congregations evinced from the nature of the church, the Word of God, and presbyterian principles, in a sermon / lately preached in the Cathedral Church of Exeter by Francis Fullwood.	Fullwood, Francis, d. 1693.	1667 (1667)	Wing F2504; ESTC R35476	18,644	34

Primitive Church every Lords Day and as if this were the Sum Total of all Worship all Liturgies seem to be compiled chiefly in order to it this Ordinance therefore is expresly known by the name of the Communion and I could heartily wish that many that attend our Prayers and Sermons do not hence conclude they are yet none of us they have no Church-Fellowship or Communion with us because they refuse to Communicate with us in the Lords Supper My matter is now fitted I hope for a very serious application to which I hasten as my great aim I Doubt not but you all remember what joy and encouragement Application General the context offer'd us to Come unto to Joyn with and continue in the Fellowship of the Church of God For we thus come to the General assembly we have Communion with our own Church and with all in every place that Worship God and at all times too with Adam and Abel with Abraham Isaac and Jacob with N●a● Daniel and Job with all the Patriarchs Confessors and Fathers the glorious company of the Apostles the goodly fellowship of the Prophets the Noble Army of Martyrs and the holy Church throughout all the World Yea thus you dwell in the holy Hill Moun● Sion the new and heavenly Jerusalem where even in this life you have fellowship with Myriads of Angels who have the charge of you where you have fellowship with Jesus Christ as Mediatour and all the virtues of the blood of sprinkling and thereby also in the pardon and favour and presence and glory of God himself the Judge of all Who would not covet who would not stedfastly continue in and carefully improve such a society where such are priviledges of every member and such honour have all it's Saints Let us then hold fast the profession of our fa●th without wavering when the blessed Apostle preach't this Doctrine this was the use he made of it Seeing we are all come to this General Assembly let us never depart from it never forsake the Assembling our selves together as the manner of some is This in the Apostles sense is not only to let loose but to let go the profession of our faith ye have heard of the excellent unity of this General Assembly tremble to think of breaking it ye have heard of the glor●ous advantages of all that come to it and have true and sincere fellowship with it let us therefore fear least any of us should seem to fall short of Ca● 4. 1. them The Apostle speaks bitterly so some would express it Mark those saith he that cause divisions and offences R●m 16 17 and ●void them he useth a hard some perphaps would think it a railing word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it signifies dissention causing Schism or Separation yea Sedition and Faction whereby they greatly Scandalize wound and divide the Church therefore the Apostle chargeth the Church with some heat that they should mark such and avoid them that they should mark them as men do a Rock at Sea that they may avoid ruine and sh●pwrack There are two degrees of Schisme The first is a renting and dividing in the Church 'T is against this the Apostles indignation ariseth as you have heard this therefore doubtless in his opinion whatever favour we have for it was a very great sin but the other is a renting our selves or others from the Church And this is so great an evil that 't is both sin and punishment 't is its own guilt sentence and execution If we rent our selves from the Body how do we Extra Ecclesiam nulla Salus hold the Head If we depart from the Church where shall we finde salvation and what is it to draw back but to draw back unto perdition Pardon my plainness censure not my charity for I only repeat the Apostles Arguments which he once used upon the same exhortation they are these and such like To forsake the assembling of our selves together is to despise the Gospel Heb. 6. is to shame and crucifie Christ is to prophane his Blood and rent and tear his Sacred Body and if those Heb. 10. 25. to 30. that desp●sed Moses Law died without mercy of how much sorer punishment shall these be thought worthy to forsake the assembling our selves together is by the Apostles interpretation a si●ni●g w●●fully and if we sin wilfully by the Apostles Argument there remains no mere sacrifice for sin and what then remains I fear to speak it a certain fearful looking for of Judgement and fiery indignation that shall devour the adversaries for Heb. 2. 3. Phil. 4. 1. how shall they escape that neglect the means of so great salvation If there be therefore any Corsolation in Christ to be expected in his Church and Ord●nances if any ●omfort of love among Brethren If any fellowship of the Spirit in the Assemblies of Gods people if any bow●l of mercies towards your own and others souls towards us that watch for them towards this divided distressed calamitous Church of England and the General Assembly Remember ye are Subjects of the same Kingdom ye are Children of the same House Partners in the same Fellowship Members of the same Body and that ye have all these Relations only or chiefly in order to Communion let this minde then be in you and rejoyce in the gates of Sion co-habit in the Courts of Gods House and with one accord and one minde preserve the Unity of the Church and save your selves from this untoward Generation dreading to make the least breach when a Torrent of Popery or Irreligion threatens daily to break in upon us So sad a prospect is in my eye that were my words Spirit and Life or had I the Tongue of Men and Angels could I utter power and effects or pronounce a fia● like to Gods I say if our divisions continue or increase so black a prospect is in my eye that pretend not to see afar off that I should imploy all my strength and Oratory here to advise and perswade you all to Worship the Lord Jesus Christ in the Unity and fellowship of his Church Obj. BUt why so earnest especially with us we could not hear your reproof did not our presence confute it or receive this counsel but by shewing we need it not do not we attend the Word and Prayer do we forsake the General Assembly Answ So far you have run well yet you must be remembred I am sorry you must that the Apostles fellowship consisted not only in Doctrine and Prayers but in BREAKING OF BREAD 'T is sad that the Communion Application ●pe●ial should be the great matter of our Division but the Text and our present condition assure us that by BREAKING of Bread we may be ONE BODY again and now you may see my MARK Three things especially give life and vigor to an Argument the seasonableness of it the necessity of it and the capacity or disposition of the persons to whom it

is addressed and do not all these conspire to quicken a most earnest application to you in this point of the Sacrament 1. For the Season such a discourse is never mis timed where the Communion is so frequently administred besides its monthly course is now at hand but alas expecting a slender appearance with sadness enough unbecoming such a feast as it is wont to do 2. Therefore the necessity of such an Argument is too too evident yet it is not without its advantage for herein I need not shoot at Rovers as in other matters I have the Mark before me and I am sure to hit it I am to reason with persons and to endeavour to perswade those very persons to practise a duty of great moment who have sadly and long neglected the same duty I wish there be not hundreds of such in my eye 3. Yet of your capacity and well disposedness to receive satisfaction I cannot doubt I know you are not of the fierce and giddy but you are of the moderate part of the City in whom there is but little or nothing wanting to make you intire and la●king nothing in the fellowship of the Church excepting only this one thing necessary the receiving the Lords Supper You are willing already and I trust that with a little perswasion and meditation and Gods blessing upon them you will be obedient in all things Th●s I have much encouragement to proceed but alas wherewithal shall I perswade 1. ARE YOU NOT CHRISTIANS are you not bound by the sacred Vow of your Infancy that Bo●d of God upon your So●l are you not bound to obey your Lord and to renounce all carnal and spiritual temptations to the contrary or is not the command of our Lord again and again Do this do this in remembrance of me hath he spoken any thing more plainly or commanded any thing so expresly shew it if you can I mean touching his outward worship What is the matter then is there no fear of his command who saith Do this no lov● to his Person who saith do it in remembrance of me is there no faith left in his Promises and Presence annex'd to his Worship and Ordinance is there no more conscience of duty no more comfort in performing it or danger in neglecting it Consider I beseech you that the Lord of the Feast was as truly provoked as appears in the story by the omission and the slight excuses of those that were invited to his Supper as by the unpreparedness of him that came without a Wedding Garment and a whole City for contriving to depise the gracious invitation and Feast of the Gospel was made as Sodom and like unto Matth. 22. 7. Gomorrah Certainly the Body and Blood of Christ is the provision of the Gospel Feast and this is especially s●rved up in that Ordinance which is called the Communion of his Body and Blood and the Lords Supper 2. ARE YOU NOT MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH of Christ wherein you constantly hear his word and commands yea do you not by your daily profession do you not say you will obey him you know the Law as you are Chr●stians you acknowledge your Allegiance and promise obedience by the prof●ssion of the Church of which you are members you know your Masters will and say you will do it but is it done you say Lord Lord but despise his Communion you cry the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord but refuse Fellowship with its Assemblys Indeed it is not plain Rebellion but here is Disobedience with the witness and the horrid aggravation of Hypocrisie Besides the very nature of the Church of which you are members is as you have heard an Assembly and a Society Now the direct and immediate expression of a Society is communion and fellowship and you know that Communion in this ordinance is most signally and expresly the Communion of the Chu●ch neither lastly can it be denied that by Communion with the Church especially in this ordinance we have communion also with Christ himself in all the ben●fits of his Body and Blood Consequently by not communicationg with the Church in this or●inance we do so far w●nt commun●on with Christ we do so far divide from the Church of Christ and blot out the Mark I mean the most v●●lent character of our own Church Member ship allowing our selves too in that very sin we so much pretend to abhor I must be plain and speak out the sin of Schism For what is Sch●sm● but a b●eak●ng the fellowsh●p of the Church without just Cause 't is total when men renounce it wholly but doubtless 't is so in a very great part when we deny to communicate with it in that most signal mean of communion with it the Lords Su●per Yea let it be seriously and sadly considered if you as I fear too many do I say if you refuse our Communion because you would not joyn with the Church whatever otherwaies you do actually joyn with us yet in your own Intention you are not only guilty of a Schisme with respect to that particular Congre●ation to which you belong but our fellowship with a particular Church being the mean and Bond by which we have Communion with the Church Univers●l you thus also separate from the Catholick Church and General Assembly LAstly Let me speak unto you as unto wise men and Judge ye what I say and what is that which may perswade a PRUDENT man to go ON but that he hath BEGUN well and that there is no OTHER WAY for him that what is behinde is regular to his OWN PRINCIPLES of Right and Justice and that his proceeding may greatly advantage both himself and his generation If all these fail I know not with what Arguments I should deal with you but I cannot but hope better things would you wisely consider that it is your own Case that is strengthned with all the particulars mentioned 1. You have begun well neither can it harbour in a sober thought that you are not already embodied with us or no Members of the Church of England 't is acknowledged but now that your own intentions to separate from us do make you guilty of separation in your own minde and intention but you may be guilty of that sin both in intention and affection that you never yet actually committed a Mistake in your selves cannot make that not to be which really is neither doth your abstaining from this one Ordinance n●llifie your Communion with us in the rest or your visible Church-Membership with us Thoughts cannot void the natural effect of Actions You were at first Baptized into one Body with us 1 Cor. 12. 13 and 't is far from you to renounce that Baptism by your means your children also are still presented to God and our Church in the same Ordinance and are Baptized as you were You joyn with our Prayers and constantly hear our Sermons and attend upon our Publick Assemblies and indeed in a great

Worship 's have we therefore any shadow left us or any ex●use shall we any longer neglect so great a duty or dare we say we may not or we fear we may not receive it Kneeling 2. But the Goliah is at hand the onely objection so far as I can learn is now taken from the Worshippers 't is complain'd Discipline is Neglected the Profane and Scandalous are admitted to the Sacrament and thus the Church is Corrupted Ans Were all this admitted yet we may therefore separate is no good Consequence in your own Logick but give me leave a little Was not the Church of the Jews that Crucified their Lord as Corrupt as ours especially in the Rulers of it Yet Christ himself held fellowship with them and was a Minister of the Circumcision he d●tects their Hypocrisie and cruelty yea their leaven of false Doctrine and Superstitious vanities but never perswades to separat on only from their sins not from the Worship of God among them The Church of Corinth though exceedingly Corrupt partly in Doctrine many at least questioning the Resurrection partly in discipline not casting out that wicked person but chiefly in Manners Divisions and Disorders in Gods worship these things the Apostle observed particularly wrote against Yea the point of separation came in his way 2 Cor. 6. ult and he calls upon them to come out from Idolaters and separate from them but not a word of separation from so wicked a Church he sharply reproves their profaneness severely exhorts every one to his duty but gives leave to none to separate Indeed he chargeth them not to Company with the scandalous and with such a one no not to eat and perhaps this eating may be stretched to signifie eating at the Sacrament but on whom doth he lay this charge and how is it to be observed he doth not call to a few of the best and p●rest and advise them to forsake so wicked an assembly but he speaks to the whole Church and directs them how to avoid 1 Co● 5. that wicked company by casting them out of the Church and delivering them to Satan If any that is called a brother be a fornicator c. with such a one no not to eat ye judge those that are within Therefore put away Ult. v. from you that wicked person 'T is not therefore separate from the Congregation no moral wickedness can justifie this This were to throw away all means of reformation and by our divisions to let all run to ruine and destruction but therefore put away from among you every one doing his part in his place for the purging the Church of corruption and casting out of the Scandalous if they will not reform You know this is the only course allowed by God all other wayes of reforming are tricks of our own devising and hitherto the success hath been answerable the foolishness of God is wiser than men But seeing we are so near it let me be plain with you and put it home upon your Conscience if our Church be so very corrupt and discipline be not executed pray where lies the fault do not you know that you must first tell your brother of his fault if not a publick scandal This you do not However you know the Officers must proceed Secundum allegata probata upon complaint and evidence you if you know such persons in the Congregation you must tell the Church This you do not Judge your selves censure not others the sin lies at your own door not altogether at the Churches or your Ministers Do but your duty faithfully and who knows but the Church may be reformed however that it is not is first your fault and till you have done your duty you have least cause to complain Certainly endeavours of reformation in your place is your duty but separation a complicated sin Thus you have found a way to forsake your duty in the Communion of the Church and to have fellowship with it only in its sin You your selves connive at wickedness and then charge your Minister and the Church with your own crime and give occasion to your selves to take offence and be gone Is this fair or equal dealing is the complaint reasonable or the ground of separation sound and sollid yea you know the contrary and I would believe you are ashamed of it You know though they do not their duty you must not omit yours you know 't is your own rule and light that if you are prepar'd your selves you do not communicate with the wickedness of unworthy receivers you know if you have done your part the Governours must answer for corruption in discipline You know that corruption in manners cannot justifie a separation or a refusal to joyn with the Church in any Ordinance of God You know that such refusal or separation is sinful is schismatical this you know all this is according to your own principle Give me leave to reduce the Argument and I have done with it Schisme is a forsaking of the Communion of the Church without just ground This you acknowledge To refuse to receive the Sacrament because of the wickedness of the Members of the Church is to forsake the Communion of the Church without just ground This also you acknowledge 'T is indeed no just ground in the Scripture or the Judgment of the Church in any age before us or in the opinion of the old Non-conformists or the late Presbyterians for which I appeal to all their own Books and leave you to remember the many years Sermons heretofore out of this very pla●e to confirm it Now what remains but if you continue to ref●se to receive the Communion with us upon th●s g●ound because our Church is Corrupt according to the Sc●ipture Antiquity the Judgment of your Brethren and your own principles you thus continue in sin and in the ●in of Schisme which God forbid Remember therefore how you have received and heard R●v●l 3. and hold fast and repent of your folly and easiness to contradict your principles with your practice not considering you did so be not still beguiled to so strong a course of keeping with a party by leaving and going from its Doctrine or of keeping your Conscience by violating its Laws To conclude Mark those which cause these Divisions Schisms and Offences contrary to the Doctrine you have received and avoid them as Fire-Brands and scorn their Temptation especially if any would perswade you to neglect a duty upon such Arguments as you have cause to believe they do not believe themselves because they have taught you the contrary and never taught you otherwise Though truly would you be perswaded to communicate with us you would be easily convinced that there is too little ground of your scruple for generally those that are really profane save us the labour being profane in this also that they despise or neglect the Sacrament and so far excommunicate themselves However I must not forget to caution some of you who