Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	wit_n	word_n	worship_n	27	3	6.5892	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19569	A triall of our church-forsakers. Or A meditation tending to still the passions of unquiet Brownists, upon Heb.10.25 Wherein is iustified, against them, that the blessed Church of England 1 Is a true Church. 2 Hath a true ministry. 3 Hath a true worship. By Robert Abbot ...	Abbot, Robert, 1588?-1662?	1639 (1639)	STC 60; ESTC S100380	140,135	286

lashed who would rashly father it to such a breach yea and they tell us that they will have their name from scriptures not from men and will be called they of the separation In this I am yet glad that they love the scriptures more then men and I humbly pray that all that would be accounted good men would not tell us what this good man and that held and said but what Jesus Christ hath left to be held in the sure word of God that their faith may not stand in the wisedome of men But yet before we believe them we must know in what scripture their name of separation stands We reade indeed that God saith to Israel I am the Lord thy God which separate you from other people which Salomon thus expounds thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth But are not all christians separated thus as well as they from Iewes Turkes Heathens Israel was not separate from raigning sinne and sinners but for profession and service of the true God For even then God said of them yee have tempted me these tenne times and have not harkened unto my voyce this evill congregation are gathered together against mee thou art a stiffenecked people thou hast provoked me to wrath and I was angry with thee to destroy thee and I hope all christians are of no worse separation then this We reade againe that Paul at Ephesus departed from the wicked and separated the disciples It is well it was an Apostle who had an universall Jurisdiction by immediate Call and not private persons who may not doe as hee It was well it was Paul who went to Jewish synagogues to have spirituall communion and preached none other thing but that which Moses and the Prophets did say should come to passe and not his owne dreames But for his separating the disciples we reade he separated them from divers not from all and that from those that were hardened and believed not and spake evill of faith in Christ before the multitude as the text saith What is this to our church wherein they cannot find one member that believes not in Christ at least doctrinally nor one that speakes evill of the way of believing in Christ though thousands justly speak evill of their way which is the thing in question Wee reade also againe that renowned place come out from among them and be yee separate and touch no uncleane thing and I will receive you saith the Lord. For what fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse and what agreement hath light with darknesse But this will not affoord them the name of separatists neither Looke to the persons that must be separated from They are heathenish Infidels unbelievers Idolaters in utter darkenesse and so not acknowledging the true God And are wee in the church of England such Doe wee not pr●fesse saving truth Doe we not look from the first to the last to bee saved onely by Christ If any professe they know God and by workes deny him yet shall not all things be pure to them that are pure Looke next to the persons that are charged to separate They are the christian Corinthians to whom the Apostle gives sweete words The church of God called to be saints a gracious people by Iesus Christ called to the fellowship of Gods son in Christ Christs owne begotten in Christ Iesus thorough the Gospell the seale of mine Apostleship in the Lord whom I praise because yee keepe the ordinances and who are full of godly sorrow with the signes of it yet will these Corinthians justifie the church of England by their wicked vices both in publicke and in their private meetings as I shall if God please sh●w hereafter Consider now that this christian church which was commanded to separate from heathens in their Idol-feasts and abominable atheisme was yet in something worse then the heathens themselves yet doth hee not teach them to separate one from another in christian duties of piety and charity but to redresse each other as they could and onely to separate from the heathens that they may be all knowne to be professed and not dissembled christians Looke lastly to the matter the Apostle treateth of It is to warne christians from having fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darkenesse and to reprove them in their places in word judgement affection and conversation That with which they must have no fellowship Paul termeth unrighteousnesse darknesse Belial Idols The way whereby they may have fellowship with them he termes yoaking concord partaking and agreement And it plainely appeares that it is as murh as if he had said yee that are christians must not be with the unrighteous men of darkenesse sonnes of Belial and Idolaters as if ye were yoaked in their society living at one partaking and agreeing with them in their wicked course How I pray can they raise a name of separation to themselves from hence except they can prove that all of us live in unrighteousnesse and darknesse in league with Satan and in idolatrie and that we as paires and couples are linked together and partake of these evils or how can we justly give them that name of Separatists except wee will grant our selves to bee such let them bee from their first father Brownists and because they will be of the number and manner of those some that forsake the assembling of our selves together therefore let us with a good conscience and as quiet a spirit as their cause will permit examine their grounds by the word of God SECT 6. Of the Brownists opinions upon which they forsake our church 1. Because we are not a true church These grounds of Brownisme they referre to three heads to wit our church our ministery and our worship 1 They deny us to have a true church 2 They deny us to have a true ministery 3 They deny us to have a true worship If this charge were true surely they might say as David to Eliab Is there not a cause But whether it bee not most false let a good conscience guided by the word of God Judge First they deny that wee have a true church And though wee being in possession and they labouring to cast us out we might put them to the proofe yet shall I by Gods helpe tender them this one reason among many to prove that we have a true church Where there is the true matter and form of a true church there is a true church For this cannot be denied that the matter and forme of a true man make a true man that is the body and soule united so must it be in the church But our church hath the true matter and forme of a true church and therefore is a true church It is denied by the Brownists that wee have such matter and forme and it is proved thus first for the matter The true matter of a true church is such as professe saving

truth taught in the Scriptures and is proved thus That which makes a man a true member of a true churh that doth make a true church for members doe constitute the whole but profession of saving truth makes a true member of a true church for Symon Magus upon his profession was admitted a member till he fell away and the Eunuch upon the same profession was admitted too by baptisme and for ought wee know continued for ever Now that we in the church of England do professe saving truth according to the scriptures cannot be denied If the Brownists say that wee overthrow all by thousands of wicked lives in persons in and of our church I am sure that the church of Corinth was worse then ours can be in some things it was too bad with envyings carnall men uncharitable wretches that went to law before infidels scandalizing the weake partaking with Idols heresies abuse of the Lords supper by drunkennesse and contempt of the poore and with detestable incest yet when Paul writes unto them even before the incestuous person was cast out he salutes them all as those that are the church of God Saints by calling and sanctified in Christ Iesus at least by a sanctification of consecration in baptisme and their profession But say the Brownists doth profession make a church of the body of Christ will nothing but the body of Christ serve for a true church Then let them know that Christs body may be taken two wayes for a body of all those that shall be saved and this is the catholicke church which are in communion of saints for life and for a body of those that are in the way of salvation if they be not enemies to themselves as every branch in Christ that beareth not fruit Thus the whole church of Corinth was Christ as well as any other part of the church and in Christ Iesus though too many members of it professed without power For profession brings a church into outward fellowship with Christs body as bad servants with a good master and so into the way of being savingly of the body of Christ if they resist not grieve not quench not or despise not the spirit of grace Secondly for the forme of a true church that is Christ united unto the persons professing his saving truth For as the forme of a man is his soule united to his body so the forme of a church which is the body of Christ is Christ united unto it Now that Christ is united unto our church is proved thus because hee gives the law of union to us as to the body and makes it effectuall for conviction or conversion to serve the living and true God As a king is united to his subjects by his lawes and executions of them for rewards and punishments so is Jesus Christ to our church As the head united gives lawes to the body for safety so doth Christ give lawes to us for our salvation in his word He hath not dealt so with every nation yet blessed bee his name he hath so dealt with us to the joy of our soules True say the Brownists wee have his lawes but doe not answer them in our lives This doth not cut us off being but true in part till Christ hath sued out his bill of divorce no more then the disobedience of a wife makes her no wife the disobedience of a sonne no sonne and the disobedience of a servant no servant Againe Christ is united to us because hee makes his law effectuall for the convincing of all and for the converting of many soules to cleave unto him faithfully VVe are baptized and so put on Christ and are graffed into the similitude of his death and resurrection But as we grow in age many grow in gracelesnesse and forget the covenant of their God Then comes the word of Christ convincing and calls many backe kills sinne quickens grace and converts the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisedome of the just This the Brownists will not deny They confesse that God hath many gracious people amongst us by the word and sacraments VVhence I pray doth this proceed but from the influence and power of Christ united to us I am sure that Christ is the way to heaven and one soule cannot bee converted from the kingdome of sinne to grace but it is by the power and influence of Christs three offices As he is a Prophet hee must be his wisedome to teach him repentance from dead works and faith in Christ As hee is a Priest he must make his attonement betwixt God and him for righteousnesse And as he is a King hee must over-master the gates of hell and maintaine him to himselfe in the way of salvation for sanctification and full redemption Conclude therefore that if wee have the matter and forme of a true church wee must bee a true church against all exception if good conscience judge by the word of God SECT 7. Brownists first exceptions against us about the nature of a visible Church BUt because the Brownists make a great noise in maintaining against us that ours is not a true church therefore take particular view of their pleas against it that wee may see the unjustnesse of their forsaking it I shall by Gods helpe referre them to five heads 1 What they meane by a true church 2 The entrance into a true church 3 The head of a true church 4 The members of a true church 5 The governement of a true church They meane by a true church a set congregation of more or fewer separated from all false waies and having sufficient authority within it selfe for governement in all causes ecclesiasticall and assembling at times convenient for exercise of governement and solemne worship This is the full summe of what I can conceive them to say of a true church in which they would make it up of these foure ingredients First it must be a set congregation which we call a parish and they mislike Every one of these they would have an absolute church depending upon none but Christ and so they deny kings over countries and Bishops over diocesses to bee members of the church except they can shew those particular congregations whereof they are but equall members to be ruled by the joint consent of the whole number or it may bee the greatest part Secondly it must bee separated from all false wayes not onely of Iewes Turkes and Pagans but from all grosse sinnes and sinners which doe pollute the worship of the sincerest service of God Yet surely they would have them better taught and made good that by the consent of the members they might be jointed in at last Thirdly it must have sufficient authority within it selfe for governement in all causes ecclesiasticall that is a plenary power by consent of members to ordaine ministers call or cast them out as the necessity