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
A28590	A plea for moderation towards dissenters occasioned by the grand-juries presenting the Sermon against persecution at the last assizes holden at Sherburn in Dorset-shire : to which is added An answer to the objections commonly made aganst that sermon / by Samuel Bolde ...	Bold, S. (Samuel), 1649-1737.	1682 (1682)	Wing B3484; ESTC R6070	34,266	46

see them saith Augustus The Senator then brought him to a Room very well furnished The Emperor saw them beautiful to the eye but knew withall they might be the cause of much mischief therefore he brake them all with this Expression Better all these perish than one Man My Author saith he left it to his Majesty to apply and so do I to the Reader Did those we call Dissenters refuse to yield as ready and free a submission and obedience to any of the Laws we look on as purely Civil as any amongst our selves I do not know any man that would plead for them tho they were prosecuted with great severity But if their Consciences are so strait they cannot yield in these other instances relating to Religion it will be generally allowed they are not to be blamed whilst their Consciences are so affected And to say peremptorily it is not Conscience but Humour and Fancy is not only placing your selves in God's Throne and taking too much upon you but it is every jot as uncharitable as some mens proceedings are severe Especially considering they are made of flesh and blood as well as we Conformists be and they know it may be better than we do even by Experience what the difference is betwixt a warm house and a cold and nasty Prison betwixt the Poverty and other Inconveniences under which many of them suffer and the comfortable Enjoyments many of us do share in Thousands of pounds and hundreds by the year would be money to them as well as to any of us And if it be not Conscience that makes them deny themselves as to these things but it must still pass for Fancy and Humour 't is such a Humour I believe most of those who are fiercest against them are very little acquainted with That Passage of St. Austin deserves to be particularly considered and often thought on where he tells us it is a very unworthy and unbecoming thing to condemn and judg one another for such things as will not render us of greater or of less value with God Indignum est ut propter ea quae nos Deo neque Digniores neque Indigniores possunt facere alii alios vel condemnemus vel judicemus 4ly I never yet met with any Argument especially that I can at present call to mind for the absolute inforcing of some particular needless Ceremonies to be observed in the Church by all who live under one Civil Government but what would be of the same force if it were applied to all the Churches in the world There is as much Reason I think that every Church and every Congregation for the Service of God throughout the world should observe the same Ceremonies if we only respect the Observations and Reflections Heathens Strangers and Enemies to our holy Faith will make when they see that in one and the same Nation People professing the same Religion do observe Different Rites as that all the Congregations in one Nation should Because the Enemies of Christianity have the same ground to make the very same Reflections on our Religion when they observe that those who profess the same Religion and own the same Faith and use the very same Ordinances in different Nations have such a Disagreement amongst themselves they cannot consent together in the use of the same Rites For the Reason of their Reflection in this case is grounded on the Unity of their Faith and Religion And it is universally acknowledged they make up but one Church in how many Kingdoms and Nations so ever they be Now what peculiar Reason can be given on the account of Religion why it is more unseemly and will give greater occasion of offence for several Congregations which are but parts of one and the same Particular Church or for several Particular Churches which are but parts of the National Church to observe and use different Ceremonies than for several National Churches which are but Parts of the one Universal Church to do so And seeing the Notion of Catholick Communion is particularly insisted on at this time and urged with some earnestness some solid and weighty Reason such as may satisfie inquisitive Men should be given why Catholick Communion should not have Catholick Terms But I cannot perceive any such in the Writings of Dr. Sherlock the great manager of this Argument tho' he doth assert that all Christians are bound to joyn in Communion with that part of the Church where the Providence of God doth place them 5ly Long and often Experience hath made it undeniably evident that the putting of Penal Laws rigorously in execution against humble modest conscientious Dissenters and I plead only for such hath not answered the Design and End for which they were intended And therefore it may be more excuseable if those who were formerly very warm for the Prosecution of Dissenters do now after so many years experience begin to be more moderate and desire that a more amicable Expedient may be found out to compose our Differences severity is not a proper method for the satisfying of mens Judgments or the removing of their Scruples And tho' the using of such courses may hinder people from assembling so publickly as they desire nay may make some comply in opposition to their own Judgments yet it never made any real Proselytes it has rather prepared the minds of others to have a greater compassion towards and liking of them And therefore when ever by accident necessity or of choice the Reins have been let loose and they have found any Indulgence those very persons who according to some Mens thoughts were reclaimed have faln off and multitudes of others have discovered an unwonted inclination towards them This is evident in all the Instances Historians do relate and particularly in all those a late Author hath taken notice of with a design to urge and promote the severe and rigid prosecuting of all Dissenters without any Difference Severity has conduced as much as any thing to the growth and spreading of Nonconformity as all those Instances do demonstrate For the more any tollerable party is afflicted and frown'd upon the more is that party admired and owned if such occurrences do happen that any favour and kindness must be shewed unto it And the true Reason why the Nonconformists did multiply so numerously when the Publick state of affairs did require them to be indulged was not because they were then tollerated but because they had been before treated with obvious roughness and severity and under that usage had demeaned themselves with a very becomeing and graceful exemplary carriage If you will absolutely vanquish and root out Nonconformity by severe methods there are two things at least which you must have a peculiar regard to and be able to effect 1st You must lay an invincible check and restraint upon Gods Providence so that he may not suffer any publick occurrence to intervene which will make it Necessary to tollerate and indulge those who