Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	call_v	church_n	society_n	1,435	5	9.0715	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48849	A sermon preached before the King at White-Hall The 24th. of Novemb. 1678. By William Lloyd, D.D. Dean of Bangor, and Chaplain in ordinary to His Majesty. Published by his Majesties Command.	Lloyd, William, 1627-1717.	1678 (1678)	Wing L2710; ESTC R217682	63,317	74

A SERMON Preached before the KING AT WHITE-HALL The 24 th of Novemb. 1678. BY WILLIAM LLOYD D. D. Dean of Bangor And Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty Published by His Majesties Command LONDON Printed by M. C. for Henry Brome at the Gun at the West-End of St. Pauls 1678. A SERMON ON ACTS ii 42. And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrin and Fellowship and in Breaking of Bread and in Prayer THey of whom this is said were that Multitude of People whom the Apostles first converted to the Christian Faith All together in one word they are called the Church in the last verse of this Chapter Which being observed it will soon appear what we are to learn from these words They teach us First What the Church of Christ was in the Apostles days Secondly What Church is now a true Member or Branch of it Thirdly That having such a Church it is our duty to continue in it Accordingly in my discourse on these words I shall endeavour to shew you First a description of that Original Church by all it's Tokens and Characters which are described in my Text to have been First the Apostles Doctrin Secondly their Fellowship Thirdly their Sacraments Breaking of Bread Fourthly their Worship of God and Prayers Second●y I shall consider what Church in our days hath those Characters of the Original Church I shall shew they are very confused in that Church which will own them in no other They are through Gods blessing in great Purity and Perfection in our Church Lastly I shall shew that it is the Duty of every Christian to continue stedfastly first in the Church that hath these Characters and secondly in these things that are the Characters of the Church and thirdly to live sutably to them in his whole Conversation First be●●re I speak of the Characters of a true Church I ought to shew in few words what it is that is to be known by them The Church Ecclesia among Christians in the largest use of the word is the whole Multitude of Believers joyned together in one Body or Society under one Head Iesus Christ. In the Nicene Creed it is called the Catholic Apostolic Church Apostolic because it was planted at first by the Apostles and still retains the Characters of their Original Church Catholic that is Universal for that is the plainer English word because it is made up of all those Particular Churches of which every one hath these Characters in my Text and is therefore a true part of the Catholic or Universal For the word Catholic as fond of it as they are now in the Roman Church If any Christian of Rome for some ages after Christ had heard any one say I am a Catholic he would not have been able to have guest what Religion he had meant But when the Greeks had used the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their language First to distinguish the Christian Church as extending to all Nations from the Jewish which was confined to one Nation in particular Afterwards to distinguish the Common Christianity which was in all parts of the World from that of a Sect which sprang up in some particular Country After this the word Catholic was taken up by them of the Roman Church And in process of time they came to distinguish themselves by it from the Greeks and from those of the other Eastern Churches that first used it It could not but seem very strange to the Greeks to see them of the Roman Church whose Communion extended no farther at that time than only to the West part of Europe that they should call the Roman Church the Catholic or Universal in Opposition to the Greeks and to all other Christians that then possest not only all the rest of this Europe but all that was Christian in Afric and Asia besides But this is not strange to any one that considers how natural it is for men of any Sect to make a great Business about Words As they are apt to bestow the worst words they can find upon their Adversaries so with the same Partiality they are ready to appropriate the good ones to themselves Thus the Jews will have none but themselves to be the children of Abraham The Turks will have none but themselves to be called Musulmans Believers The Arrian Heretics in their Day would allow none but themselves to be Catholics If they of the Roman Communion will be the only Catholics now who can help it But we shall not allow it them till they can prove all other Christians to be Schismatics and us in particular Which will be tried in the issue of this Discourse The mean while to give the word its Original use the Catholic Church as I have shewn signifies the Universal And by the Universal Church we mean that which from this Head in my Text came to disperse it self into all parts of the inhabited World The Original of this Church Universal was that Church which the Apostles planted first at Ierusalem Therein following the Command of our Saviour who bade them Go preach to all Nations beginning at Ierusalem The Body of this Universal Church consists of all those whether National or Less that are called Particular Churches Which were either derived from that Original Church in that age such as were those seven Churches of Asia and the rest which are mentioned in Scripture or that have been deri●ed from th●m by any after Conversion in whatsoever Country or Age. These Particular Churches are many as the parts of the Body are many And as all those parts together are one Body so all these Particular Churches make up one Universal One I say in both respects both as being derived from one source that Original Church at Ierusalem And also One as being united together in those Common Characters by which that Original Church is described in this Text. Those Characters are four which I come now to consider particularly The Apostles Doctrin and Fellowship and Sacraments and Prayers The first is the Apostles Doctrin the Doctrin of Faith and not the Inward Belief but the Outward Profession of it The Inward Belief is required to make us true Christians but the Outward Profession makes us Members of a true Church And as it can be no true Church that has not a Public Profession of the Apostles Doctrin so it can be no sound Church that embraces any other for the Doctrin of Faith then what was received from the Apostles Now their Doctrin at this time referred to in my Text was no other than what they preached as the Faith of Iesus Christ. But considering how long ago it was that they preached how many ages have past since and especially what ages they have been many ages together of Darkness and gross Ignorance as they cannot but know that are any thing acquainted with History I say after so many extreme ignorant Ages it is impossible we should have known what was preached by the

Christ also sheweth us this in his perfect Pattern of Prayer For the Fathers of the Apostles times See Justin Martyr before in P. 20. Note ● i. The Church or 〈◊〉 in their Epistle concerning Polycarp's death says It was a Calumny of the Iews who said that we would worship him after his death For we cannot leave Christ nor can we worship any other For we worship him as being the S●n of God But for the Martyrs as being the Disciples and F●ll●wers of the Lord we 〈◊〉 them accordingly Uss. Edit p. 27. Theophilus Antioch ad Au●ol l. p. 77. A. The King will not allow any that bear Office under him to be called Kings So neither is it lawful for any so be worshipped but God only Tertullian Scorp c. 4. p. 620. I am prescribed not to call any other God nor so other nor so worship any other in any manner whatsoever a Austin Confess Lib. 6. c. 2. Tom. I. p. 108. B. Saith It was the Custom in Afric to bring Potages and Bread and Wine to the Monuments of the Saints And thus his mother Monica did till St. Ambrose rebuked her for it The like was done in other Countries It was a Custom brought in out of Heathenism a Austin Serm. de Sanctis 47. We expect by their Intercession to receive of the Lord Temporal benefits It is in the R●●an Breviary the fourth Lesson in Commune Plu●im Mart. extra temp Pasch. b Some of the Fathers as Nazianzen c. used those Rhetorical or Poetical streins which sounded like formal Prayers But they were not so intended as appears by his calling upon Saints with these Additions If you have any sense or if you have any care of our matters Which plainly sheweth that he spoke in imitation of the Heathen Orators and Poets or of the Academic Philosophers who held nothing certain concerning the state of departed souls Greg. Naz. in Gorgoniam Stelit 1. c Basil and Austin have some tast of that Platonic Opinion That souls hover about those places where their bodies or any part of them is laid And hence they thought that the souls of the Martyrs might be present to hear and to dispatch those suits that were made at their Memories Bas● of St. Mamas Tom. I. p. 595. D. Aug. de Cura pro mort c. 16. Tom. IV. p. 892. B. d St. Austin de Ver● Religione c. 55. Tom. 1. p. 716. C. Says he worship● 〈◊〉 dead men● should be no part of our Religion If they have 〈…〉 to be honoured for Imitation not to be worshipped for Religion e Epiphan haer ●g cap. 5. Neither is Elias to be worshipped 〈…〉 among the living● nor is John to be worshipped 〈◊〉 is Tecla no● any 〈◊〉 the Saints worshipped and cap. 7. Though Mary was a 〈…〉 and holy and honoured yet not so as to be worshipped f Greg. Nyssen Cont. Eunom or 4. Edit Paris 1635. Tom. II. p. 146. B. We are taught to consider every Creature as being without the Divine Nature and to worship and adore that Nature Only which is not Created Aug. de Quant Animae c. 34. Tom. I. p. 598. C. It is Divinely and singularly delivered in the Catholic Church that the soul is to worship no Creature but him only that is the Creator of all things g Aug. in Psal. lxvi Tom. VIII p. 661. B. He alone of them that hath w●rn flesh there within the veil makes Intercession for us Id. cont Parmen l. 2. c. 8. Tom. VII p. 32. B. He who Intercedes for all and none for him is the only and true Mediator h That this is not the sense of the now Roman Church appears by the Index Expurgatorius Ed. Madrit 1667. Which on those words of Nyssen Note ● bids strike out the word Only p. 146. Col. 1. from the Index of Epiphanius bids strike out these words That no Creature is to be worshipped and also those that Saints are not to be worshipped p. 547. Col. 1. and 2. and from the Index of St. Austin strike out those words that only God is to be worshipped and also those that Saints are to be honoured and not worshipped p. 56. Col. 2. and p. 57. Col. 2. We may be sure that what they dislike is not their own Doctrine a Bellarm. de Sanct. Beat. l. 19. Probatur quinto shews how it was proved by Visions and Miracles b By Hymns and Antiphons c Gratian deer II. caus 13. c. 2. c. 29. The Case has his sense in these words Gratian m●ves the Question Whether they that are departed this life know what is done here by the living and he Answereth that they do not Lombard Sent. l. 4. c. 45. Sed forte Puts the Question Whether Saints hear the Prayers of their Petitioners and he answereth that it is not Incredible that they do This was far enough from a certainty d Conc. Trent Sess. ult Founds this worship on this Doctrine That the Saints are in Heaven and reign with Christ. This is the Foundation of all saith Bellarmin de Sanct. Beat. in Praef. For therefore the Souls of the Prophets and Patriarchs were not so worshipped and called upon as we n●w worship and call upon the Apostles and Martyrs because they were yet kept shut up in the infernal Prisons Now that all deceased Christians are shut up in like manner the Saints not excepted was the Doctrine of the Old Roman Church For thus she Prayed Lord remember all thy Servants and All thy Handmaids who have gone before us with the sign of Faith and who sleep● the sleep of ●eace Grant to all that rest in Christ a place of Refreshing and of Light and Peace we humbly beseech thee Liturg. Gregor in Bibl. Patr. Gr. Lat. Tom. II. p. 129. C. Therefore also in their Masses for any Bishop that died they prayed thus Grant O Lord that this Oblation may profit the Soul of thy servant and Bishop Such a one Gregor Sacram. super Oblata Edit Menardi p. 227. and Edit Pamelii p. 38● And thus they Prayed yearly for Pope Le● I. on his day Iune 28. as appears in Edit Menardi p. 112. and thus for Pope Gregory I. on his day Ma●th 12. as appears in Edit Pamelii p. 209. But in the now Roman Missal all these Prayers are changed And great reason they should be so when the Church has changed her Doctrine For as the Gloss saith of Le● Antiently the Church prayed for him but Now he prayeth for us and so the Church Office was changed Gregor Decr. III. 41. 6. Tertio Loco Therefore now the Prayer on those Saints-days is thus Grant Lord that this Oblation may profit Vs by the Intercession of thy servant Le● or Gregory And yet in the Office pro defunctis and that as well for any other as for a Bishop the words are still what they used for those Saints in former times Grant O Lord that this Oblation may pr●●it the Soul of thy Servant Such a one And