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
B20729	A letter of Mr. John Cottons, teacher of the Church in Boston in New-England, to Mr. Williams, a preacher there wherein is shewed that those ought to be received into the Church who are Godly, though they doe not see nor expressely bewaile all the pollutions in church-fellowship, ministery, worship, government.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; Williams, Roger, 1604?-1683.	1643 (1643)	Wing C6441	9,474	16

your selfe at Salem and others for separation Thirdly in particular that my selfe have conceived and spoken that separation is a way that God hath not prospered as if say you the truth of the Churches way depended upon countenance of men or upon outward peace and liberty Answ 1. In stead of halting betwixt Christ and Antichrist wee conceive the Lord hath guided us to walke with an even foote betweene two extreames so that we neither defile our selves with the remnant of pollutions in other Churches nor doe wee for the remnant of pollutions renounce the Churches themselves nor the holy ordinances of God amongst them which our selves have found powerfull to our salvation This moderation so farre as we have kept it in preaching or printing wee see no cause to repent of but if you shew us cause why we should repent of it wee shall desire to repent that we repented no sooner 2. I know no man that reproacheth Salem for their separation nor doe I beleeve that they doe separate Howsoever if any doe reproach them for it I thinke it a sinne meet to be censured but not with so deepe a censure as to excommunicate all the Churches or to separate from them before it doe appeare that they doe tolerate their members in such their causelesse reproachings Wee confesse the errours of men are to be contended against not with reproaches but the sword of the Spirit but on the other side the failings of the Churches if any be found are not forth with to be healed by separation It is not Chirurgery but Butchery to heale every sore in a member with no other medicine but abscission from the body 3. For my selfe I acknowledge the words which you mention that the way of separation is not a way that God hath prospered But you much mistake when you thinke I speake it for want of their outward countenance peace and liberty The truth is they finde more favour in our native country then the way of reformation wherein we walke which is commonly reproached by the name of Puritanisme The meetings of the Separatists may be knowne to the Officers in the Courts and winked at when the Conventicles of the puritans as they call them shall be hunted out with all diligence and pursued with more violence then any law will justifie But I said that God had not prospered the way of separation because he hath not blessed it either with peace amongst themselves or with growth of grace such as erring through simplicitie and tendernesse of conscience have growne in grace have growne also to discerne their lawfull liberty to returne to the hearing of the word from English Preachers Object But this you feare is to condemne the witnesses of Jesus the separate Churches in London and elsewhere and our jealous God will visit us for such arrerages yea the curse of his Angel from Meroz will fall upon us because we come not forth to helpe Jehovah against the mighty we pray not for them wee come not at them but at Parishes frequently yea we reproach and censure them Answ The Lord Jesus never delivered that way of separation to which they beare witnesse nor any of his Apostles after him nor of his Prophets before him So farre as in that way they hold or practise any holy truths wee beare witnesse to them both in our profession and practise The Angels curse in this case wee blesse God we doe not feare because we doe come forth according to the measure of grace given us to helpe the Lord against the mighty although we doe not come forth to helpe them against Jehovah It is not to helpe Jehovah but Satan against him to withdraw the people of God from hearing the voyce of Christ which is preached in the evidence and simplicity and power of his Spirit in sundry Congregations though they be Parishes in our native Country In which respect though our people that goe over into England choose rather to heare in some of the Parishes where the voyce of Christ is lifted up like a trumpet then in the separated Churches where some of us may speak by experience we have not found the like presence of Christ or evidence of his Spirit do not you marvaile or stumble at it Christs sheepe heare his voyce If any carelessely heare at randome making no difference betwixt the voyce of Christ and the voyce of strangers or if they shall stoope to any defilements of themselves that so they may heare a good Preacher as I know none such so neither doe any of us approve them in so doing That wee doe not pray for the separate Churches by name it is because we cannot pray in faith for a blessing upon their separation which we see not to be of God nor to be led to him If any reproach them I will not goe about to excuse it onely they may doe well to consider whether they also have not reproached others If there bee so many separate Churches in London and in other parts of the Kingdome as you write it is little comfort to the true servants of Christ to heare that either such inventions of men are multiplyed as like stumbling blockes doe turne any well minded men out of the way or that such men being desirous of reformation should stumble not onely at the inventions of men but for their sakes at the ordinances of the Lord which appeareth the more evidently because they separate not onely from hearing the word in all the Parishes but also from fellowship as your selfe say both of the Church of Plymouth and of that whereof Master Lathorpe was Pastor and yet they refuse all the inventions of men and choose to serve the Lord in his owne Ordinances onely Now truely Sir to use your owne words I feare this newes pleaseth not the Lord Jesus and therefore the more inwardly sorry I am that it pleaseth you rather to returne to them not to helpe the Lord against the mighty to wit either against the high Prelates or against the inventions of men as you suppose for that you might have done here or in Plymouth or in Master Lathorpes Congregation but to helpe erring though zealous soules against the mightie Ordinances of the Lord which whosoever stumble at shall be broken for whosoever will not kisse the Sunne that is will not heare and imbrace the words of his mouth shall perish in their way Psal 2.12 FINIS