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	unity_n	2,090	5	9.9512	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50549	A sermon preached before the King and Queen at Hampton-Covrt, July 14th, 1689 by Richard Meggott ...	Meggott, Richard, d. 1692.	1689 (1689)	Wing M1628; ESTC R794	12,555	36

effects upon several poor creatures that did not he is so far from being disturbed that he declareth himself well pleased with it Phil. 1.15 16 17 18. Some saith he preach Christ even of envy and strife of contention not sincerely What then notwithstanding every way whether in pretence or in truth Christ is preached and I therein do rejoyce yea and will rejoyce I do not doubt but they are much in the wrong who use this Text as an argument for all sorts of Preachers among us now there is not the same reason for it where the Gospel is planted as where it was to be planted in a settled Church as in a Heathen Country Yet this I say if the same Spirit that dwelt in him dwell in us where th● good that cometh by it will but preponderate the evil we shall not be otherwise affected It was a notable passage of my Lord Bacon that If Divines could but agree upon the exposition of those two sayings of our Saviour Mat. 12.30 he that is not with me is against me and Mark 9.40 and he that is not against us is on our part it might well put an end to all the controversies among Christians certain it is it ought For as whatever doth more dishonour to Christ than service we are like concerned to depress so whatever doth more service to him than dishonour we are alike concerned to promote If we do not thinking men will be apt to conclude it is nothing but our different interests as men is at the bottom of it For that is another thing wherein as Christians being many we are one one in our only justifiable and real interests that we ought to look after And this is all I shall say to the first part of the Text the Christians mystical union that all that in every place profess his name how many soever they be are one body in Christ By which we see what apprehensions we should have of and what behaviour to all those of our Religion even tho they differ from us The other observable I am now to proceed to is the means to remedy the differences themselves and that is by maintaining such communion among our selves as properly resuleth from this Vnion Being one and the same corporation we ought to live in mutual conjunction correspondence and fellowship every one as members one of another This Christians formerly were so very sensible of that they did not think it sufficient that each particular Church should be at unity within it self only but they wisely contrived that all the particulars should so agree with one another too as to make up one harmonious Catholick and thus by Ecclesiastical Canons they ordained it Spalat de Reput l. 7. c. 10. That all Presbyters should give account of the state of their several flocks to their Bishops the Bishops of their several Diocesses to their Metropolitans the Metropolitans of their several Provinces to their Patriarchs the Patriarchs of all these and of themselves too to one another Thus as much as in them lay they took care every one for all and all for every one that there might be no Schism in the body And however it is now disused and as the present state of the World is in great part unpracticable yet there is the same reason for it still As we stand in the same relation to Christ as the Christians of former ages so we do to one another too and ought to be as sollicitous to preserve it It is a Duty the peace and welfare quiet and good order of Masters and their Families Ministers and their Parishes People and their Neighbours Princes and their Subjects yea Princes and Princes doth very highly depend upon Few here can be of so little observation as not to be sensible of the inconveniencies the fewds the distractions the mischiefs that the rejecting and condemning each others communion hath been either the cause or the occasion or at least the pretence of among every one of these Seeing then 't is of such consequence not only to private persons but the publick too sure it behoveth every one in their stations to look that none of these offences come by them but that they so behave themselves towards all in every place that call upon the name of the Lord Jesus both theirs and ours as to their fellow members This all will allow a desirable thing but the great question is How it is possible How we can hold communion with all other Christians This is necessary to be enquired into and resolved particularly in these cases First in the case of that particular Church which each person doth regularly belong to how he is to behave himself as a member of that Secondly in the case of other Churches distant from and independent on us how we should behave our selves as Members of them Thirdly in the case of such Christians as upon dissatisfaction divide from and will not joyn with us how we should behave our selves towards them These comprehending the most considerable difficulties that can arise about this duty I will speak distinctly of them The first case to be resolved is about the particular Church which any person doth regularly belong to how he is to behave himself as a member of that That I call every mans particular Church not which it may be he himself doth call so but which the lawful Authority of the Country where he liveth hath made so This if he may acceptably serve God and finally save his Soul in he is to joyn himself to owning the Guides partaking the Ordinances observing the Constitutions of it or he doth no● walk orderly Too many well-meaning people among us are not so sensible of this as they ought but think 't is no matter tho' they do not that tho' they are obliged to hear and pray and receive yet they have no more obligation to perform these duties there than with any other Assembly of Christians that they have as good or it may be better opinion of For such to say that they agree with the Church in Doctrinals it is only upon account of Ceremonies that they separate I needs must say seemeth to me so far from excusing the thing it really maketh it worse For though it is our Duty to separate from a Church where she is corrupt in her Doctrines and maketh void the Commandments of God by her Traditions Yet where it is not so much as pretended to be so to do it meerly upon the score of ceremony is not to be defended For where When could such Persons have liv'd In what Place In what Age In what Established Church that now is Or heretofore hath been That upon this Principle they must not have divided from There is none but have determined something or other of this kind It is granted that every Church in determining and appointing them ought to have a careful tender prudent consideration of the temper the weakness the circumstances of