Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	christian_a	church_n	unity_n	1,522	5	9.2638	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27030	A search for the English schismatick by the case and characters I. of the diocesan canoneers, II. of the present meer nonconformists : not as an accusation of the former, but a necessary defence of the later, so far as they are wrongfully accused and persecuted by them / by Richard Baxter ...	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1681 (1681)	Wing B1399; ESTC R6862	28,132	47

A SEARCH FOR THE English Schismatick By the CASE and CHARACTERS I. Of the Diocesan Canoneers II. Of the Present Meer Nonconformists Not as an Accusation of the former but a Necessary Defence of the later so far as they are wrongfully Accused and Persecuted by them By Richard Baxter One of the Accused LONDON Printed for Nevil Simmons at the Sign of the Three Golden Cocks at the West-end of St. Pau ls Church-Yard 1681. POSTSCRIPT THE strivings of Parliaments since Archbishop Laud's Government against Innovations Popery and Arbitrary over-topping Law and their jealousies of the designs and progress while they themselves were of the Old Church of England do call us to think what the difference was between the Old and New HE that would know what the Old Church of England is let him read I. The 39 Articles II. The Homilies III. The Apology with Jewels defence IV. Nowell's Catechism V. Deus Rex all owned by the Church VI. Hookers Ecclesiastical Polity in 8 Books VII Bishop Bilson of Christian Subjection VIII Bishop Downham de Antichristo IX The great Writers against Popery as Dr. Whitaker Dr. Reynolds Dr. Willet Dr. Sutliff Dr. White Dr. Airy Dr. Humphrey Dr. Fulk Dr. Prideaux Dr. R. Abbot Dr. Crakenthorp Dr. Challoner Dr. Hall Bishop Usher Dr. Davenant Bishop Carlton Chillingworth Bishop Morton c. X. The Writings against Bishop Laud viz. Bishop Hall ' s Epistle to D. L. Archbishop G. Abbots and Bishop R. Abbot ' s judgment of him and his Tryal with what was there charged against him XI The Harmony of Confessions and the Synod of Dort XII King James ' s Works HE that would know what is the New Church of England since Bishop Laud differs from the Old let him read I. Dr. Heylin ' s Writings Dr. Pocklingtons Mr. Dows Sybthorps and Mainwarings II. Heylin ' s Life of B. Laud particularly his description of the designed reconciliation with the Papists III. Mr. Thorndike's Just weights and measures and forbearance of Penalties IV. Archbishop Bramhall ' s book against me explaining the new way in these particulars 1. To abhor Popery 2. That we all come under a Foreign Jurisdiction obeying the Pope as the Western Patriarch and also as the Principium unitatis to the universal Church Governing by the Canons 3. That Dissenters from this be accounted Schismaticks 4. That we yield to what the Greeks have yielded and be of their Religion 5. That Grotius was a Protestant for the Church of England V. Dr. Parkers Preface to that book and Dr. Pierce's defence of Grotius VI. Grotius his Volume and Notes on Cassander specially his Discussio Apologetici Riveliani in which he professeth 1. That Rome is the Mistris-Church 2. Sound in faith 3. That he finds Protestants can never unite but by uniting with Rome 4. He owns the Doctrine of the Councils even that of Trent 5. The Pope to govern by the Canons of the Councils and not arbitrarily 6. Nor must invade the rights of Kings or Bishops 7. That if the curiosities of the School-men and the ill lives of the Clergy be disowned and amended this much is enough to sober men 8. And he saith that the English Bishops were many of his mind tho' the Separatists were not VII The Earl of Clarendon ' s Defence of Dr. Stillingfleet laying the nature of Popery in their injury to Princes VIII Guil. Forbes Bishop of Edenborough his Irenicon IX Mr. Dodwell ' s book against Schism and the same doctrine maintained by others who nullifie Ministry and Churches whose Episcopal Ordination hath not come down from the Apostles uninterrupted X. The Bishops endeavours since 1660 to silence fine imprison banish and drive five miles from all Corporations c. all such as receive not the Impositions Together with the rest of the true History of these last Twenty years The particulars are not now to be recited A SEARCH FOR THE ENGLISH SCHISMATICK OR The True Characters of the several Accused Parties by which they may be discerned CHAP. I. The Parties Accused The Parties questioned are I. The Papists II. The Diocesan-Militants or Canoneers III. The Passive peaceable Conformists IV. The Meer Nonconformists V. The Sectarian Church-Appropriators and Causeless Separatists and Dividers I. THERE is no Sect of Christians which maketh so great use of their pretence to Unity and crying down Heresie Schism and Separation as the Papists do and yet are the greatest Schismaticks and Dividers as thus appeareth 1. They have a self-made humane universal Church feigning the Pope to be the rightful Head of all the Christian World 2. They exclude all from Christs Chuch who are not the Popes Subjects though at the Antipodes where he never came nor sent 3. They presume to make universal Laws for all the World 4. They Curse men from Christ by Excommunications who refuse such subjection and obedience to these Laws 5. They have introduced many new Articles of Faith on pretence of declaring and expounding Faith 6. They have multiplied corrupting additions in the Christian Worship 7. Their regular objective Religion now consisteth in so great a number of the Decrees of Councils as no Christians can well understand while they accuse Gods Laws as unintelligible 8. They can give us no certainty which of these Councils are obligatory to us while they contradict each other 9. They agree not of the Essence of Christianity or necessary truths but resolve all into the uncertainty of sufficient Proposals 10. They damn men as Hereticks that deny not all humane sense believing there is no Bread and Wine when they see and taste them 11. They burn such as Hereticks and are for tormenting Inquisitions to destroy them 12. They bind Temporal Lords to exterminate all such and to swear to do it and this on pain of Excommunication Deposition and Damnation So that a Protestant Kingdom under a true Papist King hath a King that is thus bound to exterminate his Subjects if he be able and professeth to do it on these three penalties his Salvation lying on it 13. They decree the giving of his Dominions to another and absolving his Subjects from their Oaths of Fidelity if he obey not 14. They decree that it's Heresie to hold that a King hath the power of Investing Bishops and that he is not thus subject to the Pope 15. They tolerate their chief Doctors to write that a Heretick is no King at least if Excommunicate and may lawfully be killed 16. Their Canons exempt the Clergy from being Governed and Taxed by Kings 17. They forbid the reading of the Scriptures translated without a License 18. They say that we cannot well believe the Gospel but on the credit of their Church As if we must first know that the Pope and Council are authorized by Christ before we believe in Christ himself 19. They renounce Repentance by pretending to Infallibility 20. They cherish a numerous Clergy and Sects to carry on all this in the World and perswade high and low that to promote

another keeping sound Doctrine Love and Peace 21. The number and need of the people must determine whether a particular Church shall have one Pastor or more 22. If one for Concord be President to the rest and the Senior Pastors be guides to the younger we are not against it 23. Nor yet if the Magistrate or Churches by consent appoint some of the Graver to be visitors of many Churches and to instruct and keep the younger in peace 24. Nor will we quarrel against the Names of Bishops or Archbishops or their Wealth and Honour while Faith Worship Discipline and Love are preserved 25. If by a National Church they mean either a Christian Kingdom or all the Churches of a Nation as under one Prince or as associated for Concord we deny none such 26. For we hold that all Christians should live in as much Concord as they can and that Synods are useful to that end 27. We must honour our Rulers though they afflict us 28. We hold that we must separate from no Church or Christian farther than they separate from Christ though we must not sin against God for communion with any We take it for a great sin for any party to appropriate the Church only to themselves We own no Church but as part of the Catholick or universal Church and we hold all our Assemblies as in union and communion with All the true Churches on earth and put up our prayers and praises as in conjunction with theirs not owning their failings or our own but their duties And we will be members of no particular Church which alloweth us not occasional Communion with others but take such for Sectaries 29. The welfare of Souls is of so great concernment that we cannot think any Christian should be indifferent to whom as a Pastor he committeth the care and conduct of his Soul any more than what Physician he chuseth for his body And the difference between the ignorant and the wise and wicked and the godly the negligent and the faithful is of grand importance 30. We think that all Christians should prefer a faithful Pastor before an unfaithful or insufficient one and a purer Church before a more corrupt as far as they are free without doing more hurt than good But we will hold occasional communion with more faulty Churches so they compel us not to sin 31. We take not all the faults of the Pastor flock or service to be made ours meerly by our presence Nor do we think that all faults or many and great ones consistent with the necessaries to communion will allow us to separate that is either from a true Church as none or from lawful communion as unlawful For Natural distance is not Moral Separation 32. We take the Magisterial imposing of unnecessary Oaths Professions Subscriptions Practices much more sinful ones as necessary terms of communion and silencing and casting out Christs faithful Servants that obey them not to be the grand and common causes of Schism which have through the pride of a Domineering-Clergy broken most of the Churches on Earth for above 1000 years 33. We hate the spirit of pride and envy in Preachers who cannot endure to see others at least that differ from them preferred before them and if any do but go from them to others or worship God in another place or in other words or circumstances do frighten the people by their loud allarm and cry of Schism as if all were of a different Religion or species of Communion that differ from their book in Word or Ceremonies And by that blinding name of Different Communions alienate the hearts of the ignorant and make them think of the Dutch French and others that only differ from them in accidents as the Papists do of us that are called by them Hereticks 34. We take him not to have the Wisdom and Love of a sound Christian who cannot love and bear with his fellow Christians who differ but in such tollerable things 35. Yet we think not that all should preach and gather Churches that will and that the intollerable must be tolerated and that it must be All or none And the Magistrate is Judg whom he will tolerate but he must judg aright 36. We hold the Parish-Divisions to be of great convenience Not taking all in the Parish for the Church but confining Ministers to their proper bounds 37. And whatever differing Churches the Magistrate tolerateth he must force them to live peaceably and modestly towards others 38. Were every Church reduced to such a number as that all might in season have local personal communion like great Parishes that have Chappels and E. g. every Church of 6000 Souls have six Pastors conjunct or every Corporation or Market-Town of old called Cities with the Neighbour-Villages be one Church and one among these Pastors to be a President Bishop we should think it most like the ancient Government But we can live in peace where we cannot have all which we justly wish for 39. Though some preach not Christ sincerely but in envy and strife to add to our affliction we rejoyce that Christ is preached 40. We hold all that for the power of Kings the obedience of the Subjects and against rebellion which the Scripture speaketh and which the Christian Churches Politicks Lawyers as far as we know them commonly hold and more than divers chief Conformists Bishop Bilsons book of Subjection and Grotius de Imperio Sum. Pat. fulliest speak my thoughts in the greatest part 41. As these are the meer Nonconformists principles so their practice is accordingly They pray for the King and all in authority not for preserment but that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty And they pray and seek for the publick safety and live peaceably towards others 42. They sought reconciliation with the Diocesans before the Kings return and associating upon uniting terms 43. What the Nonconformists in City Countrey Monks Army and the next Parliament did for the Kings restoration is known 44. They offered but Bishop Ushers form of Primitive Government or Episcopacy for reconciliation and concord with the Bishops 45. They gave publick thanks for the Kings Declaration about Ecclesiastical affairs which had healed us had it not been cast away In which he declareth their moderation 46. They never made one motion for Presbytery Lay-Elders Independency Nor against Parish-Churches nor against the Bishops Lordships or place in Parliament or Wealth Though I confess they desired better than they saw fit to ask 47. They did as much with the Bishops as if it had been for their lives by Condescention Reason and Petition to have prevented the foreseen divisions and were the seekers of Peace 48. The Liturgy which they offered had not one word of exception returned by the Bishops nor were their Reply or Petition answered by them to this day 49. They offered their solemnest Protestation or Oaths that it was to avoid sin that they refused Conformity and yet