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
A50843	Samaritanism reviv'd, a sermon preached at the parish church of Great Yarmouth, upon the ninth of September being the day appointed for a solemn thanksgiving for the discovery of the late horrid plot, against His Majesty's person and government / by Luke Milbourne.	Milbourne, Luke, 1649-1720.	1683 (1683)	Wing M2037; ESTC R7778	45,022	57

the People but the Preacher shall be condemn'd at last This Vniversal Obedience being so indispensibly necessary to make a really Pious Man and a Good Christian and those who submit not to it being consequently no Christians whatever they call themselves but downright Pagans and Infidels nothing can be more plain than that such can desire an Interest or Concern in the Church with no other Design but to Ruin it 'T is no hard matter to blind the Eyes of Men so that ordinarily they may suspect no harm but 't is not so easie for Men to forsake their own Natures or to design the Conservation of those Laws they never design to submit to The Samaritans had they been entertain'd by the Jews would have pry'd into their most retir'd privacies and intendments Sacred or Civil that they might so have counterpois'd their Counsels and have betray'd their Designs to their Enemies and others who fear the Lord and yet follow their own base and lewd Imaginations being so many Pensioners of Hell i. e. assisted by the Devil for their faithful Adherence to his Designs so far as his Interest goes in this World those Persons would by all means get admission to Employment in the Church that so they may Cross the great Design of Vndeceiving and Reforming Mankind and by introducing abetting and encouraging Atheism Profaneness Schism and Disobedience under a shew of Zeal for Trifles may betray it to all its most dangerous Enemies So Men of Factious and Discontented Spirits by eager pretences to Loyalty labour hard to be trusted with Arms that with them in their Hands they may at once ingratiate themselves with Rebels and assist them Which Mischief that it may be the better avoided we must proceed to Obs 4. That the true Servants of God can never without danger Obser 4. and therefore in prudence never will admit such Persons at their request to joyn with them in restoring Gods Service and Worship seeing their design must be so fatal to the Church it self This we learn from the wise behaviour of the Jewish Chiefs in the Text who would not upon any account receive assistance from the Samaritans in building Gods Temple You have nothing to do with us say they but we only will build together I readily yield that the Governours of Gods true Church ought to make and admit as many Converts to the Truths of the Gospel as they can and to reduce as many Hereticks and Schismaticks as may be to Catholick Communion but to admit them further than bare Church Membership without long tryal of their sincerity would be little else than madness A Heretick a Schismatick though they profess Christianity are no more Christians indeed than Pagans as he is no more my Friend who engages himself in my acquaintance to ruine me or who endeavours it after my acquaintance than he who every where publishes himself my Enemy Our Saviour determines it so when he tells us He that is not with me that is Matth. 12.30 he that is not sincerely and wholly on my side is against me Now that such Persons who are not true Christians should be concern'd in edifying or defending the Church of Christ is extremely unreasonable this were to make the Wolf the Shepherd of the Sheep and would soon render the Church of God sentinam malignantium the very Sink or Common Sewer of all the Ill the World contains and the Scoff which Julian the Apostate by the Mouth of Constantius puts upon the Christian Doctrine would be a real Truth Whosoever is an Adulterer or Sodomite 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jul. Caes whosoever is a Murderer whosoever is polluted or under the greatest Curse let him come boldly for washt once with this Water meaning that of Baptism I 'le present him instantly pure and clean from all his Crimes nay should he again relapse into his former guilty state let him but beat his Breast and knock his Head and he shall presently be holy again So easie would an admittance into the Church be none could possibly be found so bad but he would be receiv'd into one Society or another and this would be the effect of that which some persons seem so eager for and that is Indulgence or Toleration Toleration known sometimes by the names of Liberty of Conscience and Indulgence the thing which in effect these Samaritans desir'd seems to have been very odious to those who some Years since held the Pulpit in our English Congregations as appears by the united Votes of a consid●rable number of them We are struck with horror and astonishment say they at the endeavours of many for it A Toleration would be putting a Sword into a mad mans hand a Cup of Poys●n in the hand of a Child a letting loose of mad Men with Firebrands in their hands an appointing a City of Refuge in mens Consciences for the Devil to fly to a laying a stumbling Block before the blind a proclaiming liberty to the Wolves to come into Christs Fold to prey upon his Lambs a Toleration of Soul Murder the greatest Murder of all other and for the establishing whereof damned Souls in Hell would accurse men on Earth Neither would it be to provide for tender Consciences but to take away all Conscience if Evil be suffered it will not suffer Good if Error be not forcibly kept under it will be Superior which we here the rather speak of to undeceive those weak Ones who under the specious pretext of Liberty of Conscience being indeed liberty of Error Scandal Schism Heresie Dishonouring God Opposing the Truth hindering Reformation and seducing Others are charm'd by Satan into a better liking of an unconscientious Teleration We dread to think what horrid Blasphemies would be belched out against God what vile abominations would be committed how the Duties of nearest Relations would be violated what differences and divisions there would be in Families and Congregations what heart-burnings would be caused what disobedience to the Civil Magistrate that might be palliated over with a pretence of Conscience as well as other Opinions and Practices what disturbance of the Civil Peace and dissolution of all Humane Society and of all Government in the Church and Commonwealth if once liberty were given by a Law for men to profess and practice what Opinions they pleas'd c. Harmonious consent of Lancashire Ministers with those of London p. 12 13. printed 1648. it looks as if men could not sin fast enough unless they were bidden as if God were not already enough dishonoured except the Throne of Iniquity were set up framing Mischief by a Law or as if men were afraid Error a goodly Plant to be cherisht would not grow fast enough except it were made much of We have searched the Sacred Records and yet we cannot find that ever such a thing was practic'd with approbation from God from the time of Adams Creation to the sealing up that Sacred Volume and the ceasing of Visions and all