Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	bind_v	church_n	communion_n	1,436	5	9.0889	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50491	Solomon's prescription for the removal of the pestilence, or, The discovery of the plague of our hearts, in order to the healing of that in our flesh by M.M.	Mead, Matthew, 1630?-1699.	1665 (1665)	Wing M1557; ESTC R18395	97,443	96

conclude That the laying such Restraints on so many faithful Ministers who might have been so eminently serviceable to their Master is one of those provocations of the Divine Majesty under the effects whereof we groan and that therefore those who have been the Procurers hereof ought to lament their sin and do their utmost to redress this grievance and restore that Liberty of which their Brethren have been deprived And if when His MAJESTY out of His Gracious Nature was inclined to have given that Indulgence which truly tender Consciences did strongly hope for and which would have rejoyc't the hearts of so many Thousands of His best Subjects if then there were any who stood in the gap to prevent the same as we were publickly told in those very words there were let all such now soberly consider what a breach they have help't to make upon us and by their intercession with His MAJESTY for that Liberty He is so willing to grant as by one singular means let them now stand in the gap and turn away God's overflowing wrath that we be not utterly consumed And to you Reverend Fathers the Rulers and Guides of our Church give me leave to re-inforce my earnest Request in the Name of our Common Saviour That as you value his blood and the purchase of it and the precious Souls for whom it was shed you would yield a gracious audience to those who beg of you nothing but a freedom to publish the glad tydings of Salvation by Christ our Redeemer to the lost Sons of men Consider what a reasonable thing it is that is beg'd of you no Honours or Preferments but a Liberty to serve your Lord and ours in the work of the Ministry Look over I beseech you your Commission again and again and see where you are commanded yea or allowed to cast out those whom God hath call'd to this work or keep out those whom he hath in some measure fitted for and strongly inclined to it upon such grounds and for such reasons as we are thus dealt with Will you thrust and keep such Labourers out of the Harvest whom our Lord hath bid us pray might be sent forth into it Was your power given you to any other purpose than Edification Oh Sirs what is it you seek Is it indeed to advance Christs interest to save poor Souls from the devouring flames to set up Holiness and root out Wickedness Why then will you remain at distance from your Brethren whose very hearts are set upon these works who had rather than all the Riches and Honors in the world be more in a capacity of employing themselves successfully herein Oh why will you restrain them from speaking whose very bowels yearn over poor sinners that are just dropping into the burning Lake and think not where they are When the faces of so many thousands gather blackness and they starve and swoon and fall in the streets why do you bind the hands of those who would so fain reach them forth the bread of Life When their miseries and necessities cry aloud for help why do you hinder those who would gladly afford them a seasonable Supply Who though they may employ themselves according to their opportunities with particular mens Souls yet what 's that to the having their Congregations to speak to Review your patterns I beseech you and see whether you find any carriages of theirs in their ruling of the Church which may justifie yours Our blessed Lord would not have those forbid to do Miracles in his Name who went not with him Nor doth Paul intimate any desire to have silenc't those who preach't Christ out of envy much less such had there been any Pastors of that mind who were for eating of Herbs only not meat He speaks indeed of having the mouths of some stop't Tit. 1. 10. viz. They of the Circumcision who would have obtrutruded their Mosaick Ceremonies upon the Christians and judge whether our cause be like theirs and yet even their mouths were to be stop't by sound doctrine and evidence of argument ver 8. Oh how confident should I be of obtaining that Liberty I am begging of you if Reasons of another sort hindred not was Christ himself alive amongst us or any of his Apostles our Governours Had I had the happiness to have lived in St. Pauls dayes and addrest my self to him with all humility and earnestness imploring a leave to preach the Gospel professing I had no carnal aim in it but that my Soul long'd to be disclosing those mysteries and treasures of Love to poor sensless creatures that were passing on to damnation as not knowing or considering what Christ had done to keep them thence and that I would endeavour faithfully to declare the whole Counsel of the Lord without adding to or diminishing ought from it had I made such an address do you think in your own Consciences he would have turned me away without my Errand I have sometimes thought that should I have put up such a Petition to the King I should have prevailed but fears of becoming ridiculous have deter'd me But let not this my Sute I beseech you be rejected for what pretence of Reason can be alledged against it It is not I know the things themselves which are required that you so much stand upon as if they were in their own Nature necessary antecedently to your commands And was ever yet any answer given to those demands which have been made amongst others by a person of that judgment and moderation that you can neither suspect him of prejudice or inclination to a Party when he asks what Charter Christ hath given the Church to bind men up to more than himself hath done What grounds there are why Christians should not stand upon the same terms now which they did in the time of Christ and his Apostles and whether Christ will ever thank men at the great day for keeping such out from communion with his Church we may well add from their service of the Church whom he will receive into Heaven and vouchsafe not only Crowns of Glory to but Aureolae too if there be any such things there He tells you there that the Commission the Apostles were sent out with was only to teach what Christ had commanded not the least intimation given of a power to impose any thing else except what they might be directed to by the immediate guidance of the Spirit of God and that they made an antecedent necessity either absolute or for the present state the only ground of imposing their commands and much more to the same purpose which however they are regarded may shew thus much That it is not only Humour and Singularity which judges it most reasonable that those things which the Defenders of them count Indifferencies should not be rigorously imposed on others nor the Peace of the Church suspenaed upon them But is it indeed the Publick Peace that by these things you consult for Why will you then in the