Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	apostle_n	church_n	creed_n	1,331	5	10.2664	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92190	Jacobs ladder, or The protectorship of Sion, laid on the shoulders of the Almighty; in a description of the sufficiency of providence, suitable in these times of tentation. With Jacobs wrestling. / By Francis Raworth of Shoreditch.	Raworth, Francis, d. 1665.	1655 (1655)	Wing R373; Thomason E1507_2; ESTC R209489	136,597	367

cognizance they are not competent Judges of our conversations I answer We must then endeavor to silence them as much in our lives as they condemn us with their lips otherwise pretence of assurance and participation of the Divine creature will make them abhor profession as a meer design and say Lo there is so much difference between that Religion that is in our Bibles and that which is in your Conversations that we profess either you are not Evangelical or this is not Gospel Take heed of putting out the eyes of Conscience and then to make apology for your blindness Conscience is Gods Vice-gerent but it is not our Law-giver Conscience is out guide but the Word is our way and there is no excuse in following our Guide out of our way Fourthly Call not that poyson which is your Milk and strike not those Breasts which once you stroaked say not the preaching down of sin is the preaching up of the Law Trample not those Ambassadors under your feet who have rejoyced to carry your souls in their arms to Christ have not low thoughts of them that have low thoughts of themselves and high thoughts of Christ that care not though they be accounted nothing who yet are something in your eyes that Christ who is little esteemed in the world may be All in All. But if the Bridemen be despised oh that the Bridegroom might the more be honored Oh that that love which is denied to the Servants might abundantly be given to their Master I confess it were better for some to have an hundred a year to be silent they so instead of preaching Christ crucified crucifie Christ in preaching they so wound and kill Religion in the Pulpit where they should give it life While you endeavor their downfall forget not to pray for their conversion Paul was a Saul Let not therefore your vertue be only in speaking against the Vices of others It is an easie matter to trample on those that are on the ground already Fifthly Take heed of the Corinthian disease I am for Paul no I am for Apollo no I am for Christ as if we might not love Christ and Paul and Apollo too In the primitive times they as in the Acts kept together in singleness of heart and there was no controversie at all amongst them one copy adds but oh that those now that have but one Head had but one heart It is sad to consider how that the nigher any come to an agreement in matters of Religion and yet differ in some things that the greater should be their difference as there is a greater difference between the Protestant and Papist than between the Protestant and the Jew was it not so in Germany is it not so in England between those that are called Independents and Presbyterians Oh that we did consider that though Paul and Peter be in Heaven yet that there are neither Paulians nor Petrians in Heaven that Christ is not a Calvenist in the Calvinists or a Lutheran in the Lutherans but in those that are Christians amongst both All in All. God must scourge this folly from us his children are a wrangling and we may expect that either he should separate or correct us O Lord if mans Apostate were thy Apostate and mans Heretick thy Heretick and mans Reprobate always thy Reprobate Election to Eternal life would prove but a Fable and all the world would be damned We are so censorious of others often and that but in things disputable possibly in many things indifferent as if Heaven and Hell did hang at our Girdles as if those were in a damnable estate whom our passions condemn and those onely saved indeed that have our good opinion or word The yoke of Christ which he said was easie may it justly be made heavier by the Governors of the Church nay by private partial Christians in after ages The Apostles profess They revealed to the Church the whole Counsel of God keeping back nothing needful for our Salvation what tyranny is it then to impose any new certainly doubtful matters on the Faith of Christians especially as some Popelings daily do under that Cananding form He that beleeves not shall be damned In the Apostles time or a little after as is judged There were twelve Articles of the Creed but now we have more Creeds than they had Articles so many men so many minds nay so many opinions which yet are far from the life of Christ so many Faiths and though our Lord Jesus saith he that beleeves in him shall be saved we now cannot be saved but by beleeving more and as the world continues so we increase in our Beleef and upon this giddy accompt poor ignorant destracted sinners know not when they shall beleeve enough to salvation But when our Redeemer shall appear he will not prefer one Opinion and reject another so much as prefer all the upright and reject all the Hypocrites he being not the Lord of Opinions but of Souls not one sheep that hath his mark shall be left out of his Fold nor one Child that bears his image shall either be kept or thrust out of his Family now they are Faith and Love Singleness and sincerity of heart Sixthly Remember that the Ordinances of Christ are not his Grave wherein he lies but the Throne whereon he sits as King of his Church That you shall never be above Ordinances untill you are above tentations and that they lose not their Authority because sometimes we miss their Influence and that they are appointed not onely to bring men into but also to bring men up in Christ The Bible is not the Word of God because it is imprinted in the hearts of men but because it was written by the inspiration and finger of God These are Breasts though sometimes we cannot suck or milk out consolation from them for otherwise every time we have new affections there should be a new Gospell and in the end there should be as many distinct Bibles as there are new Experiences in the world It is true they are the Conduit-Pipes and we have no comfort from them unless Christ convey his blood through them Yet shall they be nothing in respect of Gods Authority because they quoad hic nunc do nothing upon us The Ordinances are dead creatures onely to those that are dead in their Consciences and are not alive in Christ The Ordinances cannot work without the Spirit and the Spirit ordinarily will not work without the Ordinances Wherefore Christians prefer not the Letter before the Spirit neither oppose the Spirit to the Letter as the manner of some is lest in the end you prove neither for the Letter nor the Spirit but the Flesh As ever you would be comforted by take heed of scoffing at the Spirit Quench not the Spirit in your selves grieve it not in others Seventhly Let us take heed of Lukewarmness Let us not spend that time in examining the Lamps of others while we neglect to get oyl