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	separate_v	separation_n	2,045	5	10.3917	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29544	Balm from Gilead, or, The differences about the indulgence stated and impleaded in a sober and serious letter to ministers and Christians in Scotland / by an healing hand.	Bairdy, John.	1681 (1681)	Wing B475; ESTC R22267	103,282	194

and lovingly confer with them anent what ye and they differ in And if ye get not satisfaction recommend the matter to God but let Love and Peace stand intire notwithstanding What is Satans great Engine and consequently his design for marring your good of Ministers but by stating prejudices in your minds at them Shut your ears and hearts then to all charms that would suggest ill thoughts of your honest Ministers Receive not lightly ill reports of them spread perhaps industriously to make them odious Jer. 20.10 to alienate you from them as Gal. 4.15 16. Be not then too credulous try e're ye trust and admit no bad impressions of them before ye have found that truly they deserve To add no more In the XI and last place Carefully avoid the Sin of Separation as well as Conformity so called Is not Schism one of your abjured ills and contrary to the Word of God as well as Prelacy O run not upon the one rock while ye shun the other Guard well against complyance with the Prelacy and all Erastianism too which ye see by what is said your Ministers are free of but stand no less at distanee from dividing and separating either from Communion with your Ministers or with the Congregations whereof ye are stated Members We hope we need not insist to convince you of the evil of Schism what a sinful and what an hurtful ill it is Nor when and in what cases it is that Separation is unlawful Read precious Mr. Rhetorfoord his Piece against the Separatists entituled Peaceable Plea Chap. 10. Also the eminently godly and Learned Mr. Durham in his Commentary upon the Revelation Ch. 2. Pag. 172 173. and his Treatise of Scandal part 4. chap. 7 nor dare we think ye will contemn to peruse also some of the English Presbyterian Writers upon Schism who treat thereof judiciously and with tenderness such as learned Cartwright holy Hildersham pious Mr. Bayn but namely Mr. Bradshaw his Book of the Unreasonableness of Separation and Mr. Ball his Tryal of the Grounds tending to Separation As also Mr. Hales Tractate of Schism Brinsley his Arraignment of Schism and Mr. Baxter in his Christian Directory part 3. cap. 8. These and such others will inform you in what cases Separation is unlawful how unwarrantable and weak many pleas for Separation are and yet perhaps more plausible and stronger-like than yours and what is the lamentable mischief of it Read them carefully and ponder what of the mind of Christ they hold forth and see it no Presbyterian but a Brownistical and Independent Principle to be either for rigid or moderater Separation where Communion may be kept without either natural or moral Bars in the way as there are none such in your case Referring you therefore to such Writings we shall say the less only this to the case in hand that if any of you through instability or seduction be tempted to separate from and shake off your Indulged Ministers so as merely upon account of their Indulged Liberty you shall refuse to hear them or communicate in the Sacraments and other Ordinances of God dispensed by them specially if your separation be usual and ordinary total and perhaps also out of contempt and withal not only Negative statedly withdrawing your self from them but also positive erecting altare contra altare setting up in distinct and opposite societies by your selves tempting others also perhaps to desert them and that both by word and deed we dare be bold to affirm before the Lord and intreat you to believe it that it will be your grievous sin your fearful judgment and a woful sign 1. It will be your Sin being a voluntary groundless unjust rash Separation in regard you are not fugati but fugitivi not driven away by any violent or sinful conditions of Communion imposed upon you as your Fathers were when they separated from the Church of Rome but run away of your own accord and that without any Relevant Cause which may hold weight in the Ballance of the Sanctuary for joyning with them in Church-Communion is neither upon sinful terms there being none at all required of you neither of it self doth it involve you in any sin their Ministry being lawful valid and without stain as hath been before evinced What spot we pray you can you prove to be in their Office or its exercise which may prove it unclean to you or justifie your withdrawing and casting at them The usual Alledgances are confuted and wiped off before and we take no pleasure eandem cramben saepius recoquere rep●nere as some of yours ad nauseam usque do Consider what is said to the nine Objections and ye'll find the most material exceptions taken off and both their office their investiture with it and their access to the exercise of it justified and fairly acquit from all Homologation of Erastianism or the sinful Supremacy c. But beside suppose there were some petty Defects or Irregularities in their entry to the exercise of their Ministry which yet appeareth not from any reasons which hitherto we have seen yet ye should know it is not every lighter fault of that nature which will warrant Separation but only such attrocious crimes as either destroys the Essence of the Ministry and makes it null and void as your Reverend Mr. Browne teacheth in the Preface to his Book against Wolrogen and excellent Mr. Bowels in his Pastor Evangelicus lib. 1. cap. 4. for recte fieri is one thing and ratum esse is another and multa impediunt Matrimonium contrahendum quae non dirimunt contractum or else does so vitiate their Ministry as people cannot joyn therewith in its Ministerial acts without real and native participating in the sin in Gods account and in the construction of his holy Law Otherwise if there be any pollution adherent to their Ministry which neither evacuates the essence thereof nor so intrinsecally leprosieth it but ye may communicate in its Acts abstractly from and without touching the spot the sin resteth on the Men themselves and ye are not concerned therein farther than to lament it but not to be skared and debarred by it from joyning in their Ministerial Administrations they being to you clean whatever they be to the men themselves Now plain and sure it is neither of these evils has place in the case in hand nor can ye instruct the contrary Your bare alledgance or apprehension of Homologation accession c. will not serve the turn here Therefore since ye may communicate with them without sin it will be sin in you to separate O shake not off these lightsome Guides whom God has set up and over you by the warrantable Instrumentality or means of men Leave it to the adversary to cast down these blessed stars let the Philistines stop those Wells God has opened for you but make not ye it your work Forsake not lightly the Shepherds Tents lest ye meet with the Wolf in your wandering If these Ministers

back Fourteenthly Notwithstanding the severity of those in Authority unto you be not ye tempted to slight duty unto them Let not their commanding unlawful things diminish your readiness of obedience in things lawful Remember they are the Ordinance of God and reverence them accordingly Rom. 13.1 2 4. Pray for them 1 Tim. 2.1 2 3 4. Else if ye cast them out of your prayers God may justly leave them to be a sadder scourge unto you and ye may have little peace of Conscience there-under considering how little ye wrestle with God upon their behalf that he would guide them right Ye might perhaps rule your Kings heart Counsels and Courses were ye Nehemiah-like or Ezra-like high in Court with God and plying the Throne of Grace hard for him Be admonished withal not to speak evil of Dignities Exod. 22.28 Act. 23.5 Despise not Dominions Jud. v. 8. However they miscarry lament ye that to God yet speak not disrespectively of them Bear all due reverence to them for the Lords sake as the fifth Command obligeth and while they gall you do not ye fret your selves to any reciprocal exorbitancy Let not sharp sufferings canker and imbitter you Learn to be subject and respective not only to the good and gentle but to the bad and afflictive 1 Pet. 2.13 14 15. Obey none of their unlawful commands yet submit not uncheerfully molesting of you bearing the Cross patiently meekly contentedly 1 Pet. 2.18 19 20 21 22 23. And who knows what mollifying influence upon the heart of Rulers your meekness in suffering might have see Prov. 25.15 Eccles 10.4 However we are perswaded in the Lord your patient Christian bearing of hardest things will adorn the Gospel and in end be victory to your cause come of persons and particular interests what will see Revel 12.11 Rom. 8.36 37. Often has the Church and Truth of God conquered more by sufferings than by actings Sanguis Martyrum semen Ecclesiae Crescit sub pondere virtus But beyond many other things beware of wronging your Conscience and Cause by being tempted by your sufferings to take up either ill Principles or ill practices against the Magistrate Let none dare to think as we hear some one or two begins to mussitate that the Magistrates miscarriages about the matters of Religion does forfault him of his right to govern and so cadens titulo is no more to be owned as King A principle which all sound Presbyterians abominate as witness your Confession of Faith cap. 23. § 4. Sure none but Papizantes or Novaturientes will own such unwarrantable Principles O let no severities byass your judgment unto error nor tempt you to put forth your hand to iniquity if any unhappy one or other by so doing bring an odium upon an honest cause and party whose soul hateth to espouse such things they have much to answer to God for And no less injustice will it be for any to lay the dotages of one or two bearing your name to the charge of the whole We heartily wish in so far as may be without sin and farther we desire it not that Friends of Reformation as you pretend highly to be would instead of irritating stretch themselves to insinuate upon the Magistrate and to set what value they lawfully may upon any thing of favour from him Whatever the Rulers have done or are for which ye are to beg repentance and remission and reformation to them nevertheless they are the Ordinance of God to be submitted unto tendered and respected for Conscience-sake And though we are not to set limits to the Soveraign Grace Wisdom and Power of God who can deliver his people and interests when and by what means he pleases yet we are sure ye are in the way of your duty when ye look to God for deliverance by their means by the returning of Judgment to Righteousness being sensible that if he take not that method readily he will plead both with Rulers and people which will rather increase spiritual Plagues than diminish them And in order to this it is your duty and wisdom not to foster the Magistrates jealousie that Christs interests cannot rise but to their prejudice which it is feared hath no small influence upon them but rather by all your deportment to convince them that they do well consist together and that the promoting of Christs interest and shewing favour to the friends thereof is the security and stability of the Throne Dear Brethren we doubt not but all these counsels are your study and care yet pardon us to stir your pure minds and let that of 2 Pet. 1.12 13. be Apology for our presumption And hoping God writeth his Laws in your hearts and after the hour and power of darkness is over will recover you from your distempers we shall therefore supercede to say any more a word to wise men being enough Only in the last place we would speak a word or two to you the good people who adhers to the Truth and labours to keep your Garments clean of the publick pollutions Verily your resolution courage constancy and zeal for God your affection to the purity and power of Ordinances your respect to an honest Ministry c. are most commendable your adventuring to suffer hardest things rather than stain your integrity in the meanest point your taking joyfully the spoiling of your Goods and tedious Imprisonments exile from your Native land and other severities and all for the sake of Christ is no small document of much good in you Pity it were such a choice Generation of forward Christians were not always rightly acted or did in any thing stumble Yet alass who that looks with an impartial eye may not see several things to be lamented in you To meet with and amend which suffer us dear friends to propose a few counsels unto you in like manner We hope ye shall not find them dissonant from the mind of Christ nor find cause to refuse to follow them as causing to err First of all Let not all your Religion consist in publick matters Make sure your personal interest in God neglect not your own Vineyard your own souls case and werr not out of Heart-exercise and self-judging c. while ye are so much taken up about the publick but let Personal Godliness be happily joined with publick-mindedness else your selves may be cast-aways after ye have done and suffered much for the name of Christ 1 Cor. 9. ult 1 Cor. 13.2 3. Particularly let never your publick sufferings or the Righteousness of your Cause as to man hide from you your Personal failings and guiltinesses before God Neither pride your self in being strict and tender in publick matters and mean time lax enough in your Personal Walk and Moral Duties Will ye not hear a Conformist and yet make no conscience of lying slandering your Neighbour c. will ye run after Preaching and yet make little conscience to practise what ye hear O place not the sum of your Religion in publick