Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	catholic_n	church_n	communion_n	6,888	5	9.4764	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A24968	Sober and serious considerations occasioned by the death of His Most Sacred Majesty, King Charles II (of ever blessed memory), and the serious time of Lent following it together with a brief historical account of the first rise, progress, and increase of phanaticism in England and the fatal consequents thereof : now made publick in tendency to the peace of the kingdom / by a gentleman in communion with the Church of England, as now by law establish'd.	Gentleman in communion with the Church of England.; P. A.	1685 (1685)	Wing A26; ESTC R11430	26,528	49

be doubted they will not especially when the Sin hath become in great part General and National For particular Persons are to expect their Judgment and Punishment in the other Life but Nations Kingdoms and Societies of Men cannot then be punished as such as our Divines hold And in consideration of the great mischief and danger in Schisms and Rents among Christians I mean such as profess to own that Name in the Christian World May we not therefore well Pray earnestly to Almighty God as our Mother the Church of England directs us for the Good Estate of the Catholick Church That it may be so guided and governed by God's Good Spirit that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of Truth and hold the Faith in Vnity of Spirit in the Bond of Peace and Righteousness of Life It cannot possible therefore favour of a Christian Spirit or Temper to be of peevish froward contentious Spirits but to study Peace at Home in the Church we live in And in the next place it is doubtless our great Duty as Christians not to be wid'ning the Christian Church's Wounds abroad but rather earnestly to endeavour if possible to heal them to promote the Peace and Unity of Christendom That all sober Christians throughout the World might be united together Although in regard of the Lusts and Passions of Men and that there are so few sincere and true Christians in Christendom it seems to be a Work next to impossible to be effected although indeed all good Christians could willingly joyn with that Worthy Man who said Who would not be ready with the loss of his Life to Redeem and free Christianity from that horrid Scandal of Discord and Dissention Mar. Bucer As for the Differences among Christians in the Christian World I heartily wish they were less than they truly are at this Day But this is most certain That by their Passions and Animosities on all Hands they are made greater than they truly are when we all agree in the main and principal Foundation of our Faith contained in the Three Creeds that of the Apostles the Athanasian and the Nicene Creed This one would think should make us more kind and treatable one to another especially not to damn one another to the Pit of Hell and Destruction as too many do But in this respect the Church of England by their Moderation shew themselves to be the better Christians who to their Honor abound in Charity to their bitter Enemies the Romanists and allow unto them a possibility though not without Difficulty of Salvation in their Communion who yet have nothing in return for their Charity but Hereticks and Damnation But certainly they very weakly and absurdly argue from it That therefore it is safest for us to go over to them Just as if I being in a tyte well-built and sound Ship should leave it and go over into an unsound and leaky Vessel upon this presumption That possibly I may with hazard and danger come safe to Land in the same But certainly we may better argue with them and say Amend the apparent Leaks and Faults in your Vessel and if there be any Faults in ours we are willing to amend them also that we may both with safety and in Christian Love and Unity accompany one another in our Course for the Celestial Port which we both porfess to intend and aim at And to this purpose let me present you with what the Worthy Dr. Brown in his Religio Medici speaks to this purpose I have not saith he so shaken hands with those desperate Resolutions meaning the Romanists who had rather venture at large their decayed bottom than bring her in to be new Trim'd in the Dock who had rather promiscuously retain all than abridge any and obstinately be what they are than what they have been as to stand in Diameter and Swords point with them And then speaking of the Reformation he saith As there were many Reformers so likewise many Reformations some angrily and with Extremity others calmly and with Mediocrity not rending but easily dividing the Community and leaving an honest possibility of a Reconciliation which though peaceable Spirits do desire and may conceive that Revolution of Time and the Mercies of God may effect yet that Judgment that shall consider the present Antipathies between the two Extreams their Contrarieties in Condition Affection and Opinion may with the same hopes expect an Union in the Poles of Heaven It is saith he as uncharitable a point in us to fall upon those popular Scurrilities and Opprobrious Scoffs of the Bishop of Rome whom as to a Temporal Prince we owe the duty of good Language I confess there is cause of Passion between us by his Sentence I stand Excommunicated Heretick is the best Language he affords me yet can no Ear witness I ever returned to him the name of Antichrist Man of Sin or Whore of Babylon It is the Method of Charity to suffer without Re-action Those usual Satyrs and Invectives of the Pulpit may perchance produce a good Effect on the Vulgar whose Ears are opener to Rhetorick than Logick yet do they in no wise confirm the Faith of wiser Believers who know that a good Cause needs not be patron'd by Passion but can sustain it self upon a temperate Dispute The true Sons of the Church of England consider this and that Passion and unnatual Heats and Transports never do advantage a Good Cause and that Uncharitableness and much more Cruelty is unworthy and unbecoming Christians and therefore avoid them But Alas their Adversaries the Romanists as if they were faultless and had not given just Occasion of Offence Retort in requital nothing but Damnation and most bitter Reproaches yea brutish Revenge and Cruelty which disingenious Dealing how much it hath been to their Reproach and Dishonor to the disadvantage of their Cause in the Christian World I shall leave them seriously to consider For honest and ingenious Souls are not to be imposed upon by Club-Law to receive for Articles of Faith such Doctrines and Opinions which have no Foundation from the Scriptures and the Antient and Primitive Church Alas The great Disorder and Confusion that is upon the face of the Christian World at this day is not to be so much wondered at if we consider the Corruption the Wickedness which abounds in the Hearts of most Men in the World which corrupts all things Why therefore should it not in process of time as it did among the very Jews themselves corrupt and deprave the Holy and Pure Religion of Jesus Christ especially in time of Prosperity that like Sun-shine Weather corrupts most things subject to Corruption even the very Humors of our Bodies and breed Abuses in the Christian Church Plenty and Prosperity strangely prevailing upon Men's Minds yea sometimes the best of Men to corrupt them with Pride Idleness Covetousness And by this means the Holy Christian Religion came to be debased to be corrupted both in