Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	evil_n	sin_n	4,011	5	5.5536	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77494	The araignment of the present schism of new separation in old England. Together vvith a serious recommendation of church-unity and uniformity. As it was lately presented to the church of God at great Yarmouth, / by John Brinsley.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1646 (1646)	Wing B4707; Thomason E335_10; ESTC R200782	79,884	81

properly so called Which again may be either from the Church or from a Church From the Church Catholike the whole Church That was properly Donatism the direct Error of the Seekers at this day Or from a particular Church and that is properly Separatism My eye is cheifly upon the latter of these Of which to advance yet one step further following the conduct of the learned Chameron there are two kindes or rather two degrees There is to use his terms a Negative and a Positive Separation The former is simplex secessio when one or more do quietly and peaceably withdraw themselves from communion with a Church onely enjoying themselves and their consciences in a private way not making a head against that Church from which they are departed The other when persons so withdrawing do consociate and draw themselves into a distinct and opposite body setting up a Church against a Church Exercising the Worship and Service of God Administring the Ordinances Word Sacraments Censures apart in a separated body and in a separated way This is that which Augustine and other Divines after him alluding to that act of King Ahaz's 2 Kings 16. in setting up an Altar of his own making after the fashion of that which he saw at Damascus besides the Lords Altar call the setting up of an Altar against an Altar And this it is saith that judicious Author which in a peculiar manner and by way of eminency is and deserves to be called by the name of Schism And thus you see both the name and thing in measure opened unto you What Schisms are viz. Church Divisions Which if they be in Doctrine are properly Heresies in Practise Schisms Which may be either without Separation or with it The former are Sects and Factions the latter more properly Schism Which consisteth in an unwarrantable separating and withdrawing from Church-communion Whether it be from the whole Church which is Donatism or from a particular Church which is Separatism Which may be carried either in a private way by a simple secession and withdrawing or in a publike and open-way by setting up a Church against a Church the former a Negative the latter a Positive Schism Now these are the things which the Apostle here with so much earnestnesse and importunacy diswades his Corinthians from And surely not without cause is it that he should be so zealous in this cause as will appear if we do but rightly consider the nature of such Divisions such Schisms which are Evils and great Evils Evils Take it as you will for the evil of punishment or sin We shall finde it true in both 1. Schism is an evil of Punishment a Judgement and that a great one It is one of the judgements which the Prophet Amos threatens against Israel Amos 6. Behold the Lord commandeth saith he and he will smite the great house with Breaches and the little house with Clests That place Joramo applieth and that not unfitly to Here●●●s and Schisms which are as Br●a●hes and Clests in the Church A sad Judgement Such are Divisions in the State Heal the Breaches thereof for it shaketh saith David speaking of the Civil Commotions in his Kingdom A judgement which we all feel of and groan under at this day And such are Divisions in the Church a judgement a sad and sore judgement Such are the Ecclesiastical Breaches in this Kingdom at this day The Schisms and Divisions which are broken in and that amongst God own people for my own part I cannot but look upon them as one of the blackest Clouds one of the saddest judgements which hang over the head of this Kingdom at this day Of sad influence for the present and unlesse they be healed of dangerous consequence for the future A great Judgement 2. And in the second place a great sin Such are heart divisions amongst a people They are both a judgement and a sin Their heart is divided saith the Prophet Hosea now they shall be found faulty Their heart is divided or He hath divided their heart as the Margin reads it This had God done In as much as they had divided their hearts from God God in his just judgement divided them amongst themselves taking away his spirit of peace and communion from them giving them over to Seditions and Fractions which afterward proved the ruine of their Kingdom And being thus divided now they were found faulty guilty of many and great evils Such is Sedition in the State and such is Schism in the Church each a● evil a Mother evil an inlet to an Ocean of Evils We have to deal with the latter Schism which is a sinful evil and that no small one Peccatum gravissimum So our judicious Casuist determines it concerning Schism properly so called It is a most grievous sin Musculus informs me of some who in point of sinfulnesse have compared it with H●resie and others who have aggravated it beyond it as the greater evil of the two Himself concludes it a sin of a high nature And therein all Divines agree with him Augustine that famous Doctor of the Church disputing against the Donatists about their Schism which was a Separation from the whole Church he calleth it by the name of Sacriledge Sacrilegi●m Schismatis The Sacriledge of Schism Withall not sparing to tell them that that Schism of theirs was a greater sin then that which they took such high offence at and which was the ground of their Separation because it was not so severely proceeded against as they judged fitting but some that were guilty of it were still admitted to intermeddle in the affairs of the Church viz. The sin of the Traditores as they called them such as in time of persecution had through fear delivered up their Bibles to the Persecutors to be burnt This sin that judicious Father compares with their Schism And to try which was heaviest he brings both to the ballance of the Sanctuary Where he findes this out weighing that So much he collects from the grievousnesse of the punishment inflicted by God upon this sin above that I or any other Three sins he taketh notice of each of which was grievously punished The first was the Israelites Idolatry in worshipping the Golden Calf Exod. 22. The second was a sin not much unlike to that of the Traditores though for circumstance far more hainous viz. That foul act of King Jehoiakim in cutting and burning the prophetical Rowl Jere. 36. The third was that Schismatical and Seditious attempt of Corah and his company rising up against Moses and assaying to make a rent a breach amongst the people by dividing and separating themselves from the rest All three hainous sins and each grievously punished But none of them like the last The first the Israelites Idolatry was punished with the Sword The second Jehoiakims contempt was punished with Captivity But the third Corahs Schism with an unheard of judgement The earth

be yet what is this such a Plague-soar as that there is no abiding in the House with it doth this inforce a necessity of Separation Answ. Here in the first place let it be enquired whether the purging which our Brethren desire be such as the word requires or no Possibly in this case they may fish with a net of a larger and wider maske then ever the first Fishermen Peter and the rest of the Apostles did a net which will take none but grown fishes As for weak Christians and persons inoffensive in their lives and conversations unlesse they can give positive clear and demonstrative evidences of the work of grace in their hearts it may be they will adjudge them unworthy of their Communion Now if so we must here crave pardon if we go not up with them to the height of strictnesse which we think the word will not bear us out in herein we must professe to exercise as much Charity as a holy discretion regulated by the Word will permit us accounting it the safest course rather ampliare favores to inlarge Gospelfavours and priviledges reaching them forth to all such as we have no just and clear exception against then to withold them from any to whom they of right appertain And herein we presume we shall do no more then what we have good warrant from our Lord and Master for who in the dayes of his flesh made good what was fore-told of him not breaking the bruised reed not quenching the smoaking flax but dealing gently and tenderly with weak and feeble ones reaching forth supportation and comfort to them as occasion was offered 2. But in the second place suppose it that herein we should fall short not coming up to such an exact separation as the Word requires but that still some persons be retained in the bosome of the Church and received to her Communion which are in truth unworthy of it What then doth this Laodicean temper in the Church inforce a separation from it Alleg. To this our separating Brethren will plead that it doth And that upon the forenamed ground because by communicating with such persons they shall also be intangled in their sinne at least in the Churches sinne in tolerating them Now in this case say they the warrant runs clear Come out of her my people that yee be not partakers of her sinnes where it once cometh to this that in holding Communion with a Church we must of necessity have communion in her sin here is a necessity of separation from her Answ. To joyn with them upon this issue In the first place we might not without just cause here demur upon the Proposition In as much as put the case a man cannot hold communion with a Church in some particular act or exercise without sinne yet is he not thereupon bound to separate from her It was the case of the pious and reverend Non-conformists of the last age they were perswaded many of them that they could not hold communion with the Church of England in receiving the Sacrament in the gesture prescribed without sin yet did they not thereupon separate from her True in that particular act they with-drew but yet so as they held communion with her in the rest farre from a Negative much more from a Positive separation But letting that passe That which we shall insist upon is this That communion may be held with such a Church wherein there are some unwarrantable mixtures tolerated and yet without sin The reason is plain God hath not made all private Christians Stewards nor yet Surveyours in his House so as that every one should take an exact notice of the conditions of all those whom they hold communion with who are fit to be members of the Church and who not who are fit to come to the Lords Table and who not No let them look to themselves That is Pauls rule 1 Cor. 11. 28. Let a man examine himself and so let him eate of that bread and drink of that cup●● Here is an exercise proper and usuall for private Christians each one to try and examine himself which if rightly and throughly done it would make men lesse intent upon others As for others they must stand or fall to their own Master Look thou to thy self if others be not what they should be see that thou beest what thou oughtest to be In the mean time be not distasted with the Church for their sakes It is Cyprians counsell cited by Aretius and it is very wholsome and proper for these times What though there be some Tares discovered in the Church saith he yet let not that be an impediment either to our faith or charity so as to make us desert that Church wherein we see such a mix●ure But let us for our parts labour every of us that we may be found good corn that so when God shall come to gather his crop into his garner we may not be cast out In a great house so he goeth on the Apostle will tell us that there are not only vessels of Gold and Silver but also of Wood and Earth Now let it be our care and indeavour to make this sure that we are of the former sort that we be vessels of honour As for the other leave them to their maker God hath not made private Christians Stewards or Surveyours in his house 2. Much lesse in the second place Fanners in his floore This work is primarily Christs who hath his Fan in his hand and he shall thoroughly purge his floore And ministerially the Church-officers whom Christ hath betrusted with the ordering of his Church according to the Rule of the Word them hath he made the Porters in his house for the opening and shutting of the doors of the Churches communion by the Keyes of Doctrine and Discipline Now in this case if either their hands be tyed by any human restrictions of civill Authority not permitting them to exercise that power which Christ hath committed to them and of right belongeth to them or if thorough remisnesse and negligence they shall let loose the reins of Discipline beyond what is fitting In this case themselves may be guilty others may be guilty But as for private Christians being not accessory to either of these how they by their bare communicating with persons so tolerated should come to be entangled in the guilt of that sinne it cannot be conceived Repl. No The Apostle saith it expresly 1 Cor. 5. 6. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump This he speaks touching the incestuous person who by his continuance in the Church of Corinth uncast out indangered the whole Flock Answ. Indangered True so hee did and so do scandalous sinners where-ever they are tolerated in a Church they doe indanger the rest of the members viz. by their evill examples and in that respect ought to be cast out from communion that