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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	true_a	visible_a	3,262	5	9.6634	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95091	Gods covenant the churches plea: or A sermon preached before the Honorable House of Commons at a late solemn fast, in Margarets Church at Westminster, Octob. 29. 1645. By Francis Taylor B. in D. pastour of Yalding in Kent, and a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Taylor, Francis, 1590-1656.	1645 (1645)	Wing T278; Thomason E307_20; ESTC R200348	29,106	33

strong advocate for Popery and an opposite to Reformation His Arguments if they bee of any weight run all that way Hee might have told the Queen that shee ought not to make any change in Religion no not so much as to give the poore Protestants a toleration of the publick exercise of their Religion Much lesse to establish it by Authority For her people were very ignorant yet and had need of many yeers teaching They knew not which was the true Religion neither could shee finde Preaching Ministers enough for a quarter of the Congregations in the Kingdome Yet that good Queen of famous memory thought it her duty to make that happy change and wee have cause to blesse God that shee did it This Writer takes it for granted that our Parishionall Assemblies are no true visible Churches Have our worthy Davids for above fourescore yeers defended them to bee such against the Goliaths of Rome and our faithfull Nehemiahs maintained them for such against the Sanballats of Amsterdam and are they not yet fit for a Government If our people bee not fit to govern they had need to bee governed In Corinth were some that had not the knowledge of God others that denyed the Resurrection others that made rents others guilty of fornication yet there was a government there If wee stay till all places bee fit for Government in this Authours sense wee may stay till the Church need no government at all As our Writers tell the Popish Commenters on the Revelation who to avoid the Popes being Antichrist and not being able to deny Rome to bee Babylon make heathen Rome the Beast and Antichrist the Whore that should ride on him not to come till neer the end of the world that the horse is gone long before the rider come So may wee say this Writer builds Castles in the aire and will afford us no Church Rulers till the Church need none Yet no doubt there are many Congregations in this Kingdome that can afford good Elders to rule and good people to bee ruled And the rest may well bee trained up in knowledge and piety under a Classicall Presbytery till they bee fit for a Congregationall Object 3 It is further Objected There are great contentions about Government The rigid Presbyterians say their particular form of Government is Jure divino of Gods institution The strict Independents say as much of theirs Neither of which appeares to our Governours out of Scripture Therefore it is safest to set up none till that controversie bee determined Answ So may weee stay long enough for a Government Suppose some person in the Country wronged in an high nature should come to the Judge for justice and hee should say I must stay till I bee resolved out of Gods word whether I must doe you Justice here where you dwell as Boaz had it done in Bethlehem Ruth 4.2 or whether I must doe it in the chiefe City of the Kingdome as the Sanbedrin did at Jerusalem Yee would think this no good Answer but rather say God requires Justice should bee done Hee tyes us not to this place or that Therefore it must bee done where it may bee done most conveniently If no Jus divinum appeare to you of a particular form of Church Government yet seeing it is cleer out of Scripture that there bee Church Rulers and Church censures God expects that you should set up such a form as comming within the generall rules of Scripture conduceth most to the propagation of piety and conservation of unity in the Church Object 4 Lastly that it is a very hard thing to finde out what form of Government is best to settle and doth most conduce to the former ends Answ It is not for mee to give direction to such Honourable wise and worthy Patriots as yee are Yet if as a Minister of God I shall in a modest way discover any thing that may further so good a work I doubt not but it will bee lovingly received First if yee bee not convinced in your Consciences of a Divine right for any one particular forme then the Covenant and your solemne Oath will goe a great way with you For yee sweare to settle the Church-Government according to the rule of Gods Word and the example of the best reformed Churches Not that wee are the servants of other Churches but to maintaine love among the reformed Churches wee are willing to come as neare them as may bee so wee infringe not the priviledges of our owne Kingdome which may and ought to bee maintained * Viam qui nescit qua deveniat ad mare eum oportet amnem quaerere comitem sibi Plaut Pers Hee that knows not the way to the sea had need take a River for a companion It is easie to discerne which way the Government of other reformed Churches goes Looke also to your owne government in the State which in such a case yee may lawfully doe Would ye bee content that every Towne should have a court in it self not depending upon any higher court but for matter of counsell nor subject to any higher sentence Why should it bee thought to do well then in the Church unlesse God have commanded it and then indeed all inconveniences must lye downe at his feet Looke upon the courses ye take in your families Doe fathers onely give counsell to children and servants and then leave them to themselves Lycurgus when one desired him to set up a popular government in the City bid him * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first set it up in his owne house Last of all all I beseech you like skilfull Physitians feele the pulse of the times Consider what diseases now reigne in the Church ignorance schisme prophanenesse dangerous errours and apply such a Government to them as may soonest cure them I beseech you beare with me I have not spoken the words of passion and bitternesse but God knows I have spoken the words offorrow and heavinesse occasioned by our sad distractions for want of a setled government in our Church for which I doubt not but your godly soules condole with me I thinke no Church on earth wants a setled Government but ours Is it not then time to speake (a) Isa 62.1 For Sions sake I cannot hold my peace and for Jerusiems sake I cannot rest till the righteousnesse thereof goe forth as nightnesse and the salvation thereof as a lampe that burneth I hope no man will bee so uncharitable as to conceive that I have spoken these things to lay the least aspersion upon the Honourable Houses of Parliament to whose care as singular Instruments blessed of God wee owe our present helps and future hopes of reformation Had not you stood up in the gap our Bethel by this time might have been a Babel or (b) Hos 4.15 5.8 10.5 Vid Chald. Par. Shel Iar. Dan Qimchi Bethaven our Religion Idolatry our Liberty slavery Wee and our posterity have cause to blesse God to the worlds end for raising up and upholding such a Parliament as this and to say (c) Ruth 2.12 The Lord recompense your work and a full reward bee given you of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings yee are come together 〈◊〉 trust I know yee may say of England Scetland and Ireland as the Apostle said of all the Churches (d) 2 Cor. 11.28 29. The care of three Kingdomes comes upon you daily Who is weak and yee are not weak who is offended and yee burn not It is a greater labour to build up one house then to pull down ten What is it then to settle the Church and Common-wealth in three Kingdoms that have been many yeers unsetling I intreat you that yee would take my words only as incitations to a quick setting up of a needfull government in a dangerous time Will yee know first that Egypt is destroyed will ye stay till wee have not the face of a Church before yee give us the government of a Church will yee not apply the remedy till the disease bee lacurable The God of Heaven and King of the Church give you wislome and courage in a liberall measure and all good incouragements to make a swift progresse in so glorious a work and he that honoured you to bee the beginners make you the finishers of an happy Reformation Amen FINIS