Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	church_n	communion_n	separate_v	1,901	5	9.2917	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63461	The True cause of all our miseries, discovered in their visible effects as I find it (to my great satisfaction) most manifest, in The lay-man's religion, lately published, licensed, Octob. 1, 1690 : which vindicates the doctrine of the Church of England, (above all others,) to allow liberty of conscience, according to the tenour of the Gospel ...		1690 (1690)	Wing T2593A; ESTC R38360	10,212	10

Disputes long Prayers or fruitless Discourses If these things were laid to heart so as to be well weighed and considered by all sincere and well meaning Christians who now separate from our publick Communion into private Congregations that from thence they might be awakened to examine and with me seriously enquire into the Truth of Things they would soon find how miserably they have been imposed upon and drawn into Prejudice and an ill Apprehension of the purest and best established Religion on the Earth by such designing Leaders as can be contented to sacrifice the Peace and Safety of the whole Kingdom to promote the Interest of a Party in order to gratifie their own Ambition and Worldly Design though under a Disguise of Liberty of Conscience when in truth by Separation from us they do but exchange one Shell of Religion for another for so I reckon and so our Church doth esteem the most resined Discipline or outward Way of Worship to be and lays no more stress in it than Decency and Order requires Therefore it is no wonder that the most Ignorant and Short-sighted and such as look no farther into Religion than the outward Appearance but are never capable of discerning the vital Substance should from the Scandal of some wicked Members from which the Gospel it self was not wholly exempt be so apt to despise our established Discipline and yet at the same time idolize another Form or Way of Worship as if God were more pleased with one Shadow than another Whereas we esteem our outward Discipline no otherwise than as outward Means composed and adapted by the most pious and learned Men from the sacred Fountain of the Scriptures suited to every Capacity through a whole Kingdom the Least Knowing as well as the Most Learned that all may joyn together In which the pious and well-disposed Christian may worship God in the Beauty of Holiness and the Youth and Ignorant as with a Leading-step may be trained up from the first Principles of Religion to the greatest Perfection and whereby also the Profane and Loose are by a venerable Authority influenced and reclaimed at least kept within some Bounds from scoffing at Religion which is daily occasioned by the Separation of such who are still subject with their Neighbours to the same Infirmities attending Humane Frailty as well as to Pride Ambition Self-Love in the inordinate Love of the World Railing at and Censuring of others and yet puffed up with a false Conceipt of their own Way do herd and distinguish themselves under their several Leaders into so many and various Ways Opinions and Persuasions I wish it were not so near a Resemblance of the several Orders in the Church of Rome and all under Conduct of their peculiar Guides From whence it comes to pass that vain and loose Persons beginning first with light Thoughts of Religion and by degrees declining the publick Prayers of the Church and private Family-Duties and from thence giving scope to boundless Lusts at last cast off all Religion and become downright Debauchees and practical Atheists This may satisfie any but such as are in love with a false Persuasion and beforehand resolved to know no better that the Offence is taken and not justly given by those that thus separate from our National Communion especially when they may be all so clearly convinced that the original Cause of Separation from our Communion did not arise from any thing either in our Doctrine or the Discipline of our Church but from what was acted by Temporal Rulers as they were steered by Jesuites and Popish Interests in Ecclesiastical Courts procuring a Toleration of Sports on the Lord's Day and Indulgence to be granted in other Matters which our holy and pure Religion expresly condemns and abhors which could not but be very offensive to many honest and well-meaning Persons especially when so industriously improved by subtile Jesuites and whispering Sectaries the secret Enemies of our Church who insinuated into the Minds of the Easie and Credulous that our Religion did countenance such Evils and thereby drew them into separate Congregations whereby they had opportunity to introduce so many strange Doctrines and variety of Persuasions the Seed and Cause of all our Heats Divisions and Animosities on the one hand and of Practical Atheism Debauchery and Immorality on the other Both which as gross Hypocrisie and bare-faced Impiety do equally expose us to the Divine Vengeance and lay us open to our Foreign Enemies For it is most Plain the Enthusiastick as well as the Debauchee when thwarted in their Designs have an equal Tendency to Rebellion and Treason I say were sincere though mis-persuaded well-meaning Persons but once fully sensible of these great Truths and of the unavoidable Necessity of their Returning into our Communion as the only Means left to unite and save us by restoring True Piety and Christian Charity in Sobriety and Righteousness among us it is impossible they should sleep quietly one Night before they returned into this Bosom of Safety For God knows I fear there is no other Cure left for our universal Distemper and it is high time to begin so happy a Work Wherein their Leaders if they have as they all pretend to have the Spirit of Primitive Christianity may as faithful in God's Vineyard outstrip all our idle Labourers in painful and powerful Preaching and especially by their exemplary and holy Living so influence their Doctrine on the Mind as to reclaim many profane Persons who now take occasion from their Separation into so many Forms and Shadows of Religion to inveigh and rail against them all And the Lay-Menbers if they return into our Communion and live up to what our holy Religion which is defective in nothing but good Living doth most plainly and powerfully teach may boldly reprove by our Church-Authority and put to silence many open Transgressors and Evil-doers who now take occasion from so many Fashions of Religion among us to deride and scoff at all Religion in general and also to their great comfort may thereby shame a scandalous Clergy-Man into a Reformation of his Life by saying with the Spirit of Meekness in the Language of the holy Prophet I have more Vnderstanding than all my Teachers for thy Testimonies are my Meditation Psal 119. And this I bear witness is countenanced by all our reverend and pious Fathers and Pastors who would have all come to the Knowledge and Practice of the Truth and who it is most manifest are willing and ready to comply with any thing that may tend to heal our Breaches and to purchase Vnion with their Dissenting Brethren if desired in such a way and to be done in such a manner as may preseve Peace and Vnity in the Church Which we can never reasonably hope should be done without some orderly Application of such as must own themselves inferiour to those whom the Government under which they live have made their Superiours which nothing can hinder or obstruct but Pride

Obstinacy and Worldly Design all which are directly contrary to the meek yielding and self-denying Temper of Primitive Christianity And here I may with an humble Confidence inforce this Argument from the greatest Example and the most excellent Pattern even that of His Sacred Majesty now in the Throne the Head of our Government and Chief of our Communion whose incomparable Perfections whether we consider Him as a Man or as a Christian are sufficiently known to the whole World WHO to give us the clearest Evidence of his Zeal and Sincrity hath exposed himself to the greatest Dangers for Defence of the Reformed Religion And though his Education was in a different Persuasion the Discipline established in his native Country yet to demonstrate both his Piety and Prudence when he had searched into and was fully satisfied that the vital Part of that Religion wherein he was bred and the Doctrine here taught in our National Church was one and the same he was neither tenacious in his own Opinion nor bigotted to the outward Form or Persuasion which is but the Crust and Shell But as best became the Head of his People he together with his Royal Consort as one Soul do openly profess our established Religion the greatest Blessing Heaven could bestow if we know our Happiness And Oli that all Their Majesty's Subjects would resent it accordingly And farther I might urge another eminent Instance in His Royal Highness the Prince of Denmark whose Education was most strict in the Lutheran Church the established Religion of that Kingdom where the Discipline is as different from that of the Calvinists in Holland as ours is from both and yet from the same Christian Principle founded in the vital Substance of Truth and Goodness and not wedded to the Shell and Shadow finding the pure Doctrine still the same he joyns himself with His Sacred Majesty in the same Communion Who both during their late Expedition abroad in the defence of their Religion and Country have constantly in a devout manner offered up their Morning and Evening-Sacrifice at the Publick Prayers according to the Discipline establish'd in our Church From whence we may appeal to all impartial Christians herein whether such as are Natives of our own Country and Fellow-Subjects with us in one Kingdom and do all pretend to hold Vnity in Doctrine with the Reformed Churches abroad and with us too in our National Church and can so readily conform to the Fashions Garb and Attire of the present Age and are apt enough to insist upon the least minute Particle of Precedency with the rest of Mankind in Honour according to Order and Decency in Temporal Government yet are so tenacious in their Opinion and wedded to their own outward Form or Shadow of Divine Worship as by a continued Separation to sacrifice our Religion and the Peace and Safety of our Government our Laws our Liberties and our Lives as a Prey to our Foreign Enemies rather than with those most Illustrious Persons and many other eminent modern Instances who were all as strictly bred in different Persuasions under Foreign Governments to embrace that holy and pure Religion so here established and setled among us from the first Reformation by those pious and learned Martyrs the Founders of it I say whether this Stiffness and Obstinacy doth not arise from Ignorance and Prejudice in the honest and well-meaning who are seduced and imposed upon and from Self-Love Ambition and worldly Design in the Leaders and Seducers rather than from any pure Principle of Primitive Christianity I leave to all Persons concerned herein to be themselves Judges of the Matter I shall only add to compleat this Discourse these following Paragraphs out of the Second Part of the same Lay-man's Religion published since the First Licensed Nov. 13. 1690. Page 13. I Do not hereby charge all Non-conforming Clergy as culpable herein God forbid For I am fully satisfied there are many reverend pious and sincere Christians of that number who have great Veneration for our Established Religion yet have so far engaged themselves in their different Persuasions as they judge themselves uncapable Salva Conscientia entirely to communicate with us without some Accommodation in those things which have hitherto obstructed so happy an Union to which it is well known the most holy and learned Fathers of our Church have been and still are readily and most willingly inclined if such Application were made as according to the decent Rules of Civil and Religious Order in Government is required And to stop the Mouths of such as endeavour to render such an Accommodation either unpracticable or impossible whoever shall read and will consider the 34th Article of our Established Religion may be fully satisfied that as the pious Founders of it took care nothing therein should be repugnant to the Word of God so they never intended the Rites and Ceremonies which are the Shadow or Crust and Shell of Divine Worship established in our Church should like the Laws of the Medes and Persians be unalterable thereby declaring plainly that as those Rites and Ceremonies might be changed according to the diversity of Countries Times and Manners of Men so every particular or National Church not particular Parties or private Judgments hath Authority to ordain change or abolish them so as all be done to edifying But it cannot be reasonably supposed such an established Discipline the alone Medium of Unity and the Nerves and Sinews of all Government should be so from time to time changed much less abolished to gratifie every Leader or Founder of a Sect or different Persuasion that separates from our publick Communion into gathered Churches though on never so specious Pretences no more than may be reasonably required of a Master of a Family to alter the Oeconomy of his Houshold to gratifie the Humour of every petulant Servant or of Magistrates in Corporations to endanger the Peace and Safety of their Civil Established Government by a Change or Alteration therein only to remove or prevent the Murmurs or Complaints of every discontented Citizen that through Ignorance Interest or Design shall scruple or refuse to comply with the Rules and Orders made long before they were there Inhabitants for the Safety and Well-being of the Place Every reasonable and unbyassed Person that shall seriously consider these things and well weigh the Consequence of it must necessarily conclude that such a Condescention in Superiours herein would quickly unhinge all Government and turn all setled Order in the best Constitution in the World into Anarchy and Confusion How infinitely happy then would it be for this Kingdom if all that are Men of Learning and Parts and every way fitly qualified for their high and holy Calling to whose Judgment I humbly submit the Consideration of these great and growing Evils would labour after such an Accommodation in so sacred and weighty Affairs that they might all as Fellow-Labourers join in the promoting and endeavouring after so desirable a Blessing as Harmony in Divine Worship the only Means to heal our Divisions and effect an universal Reformation of Manners among us For as it is most plain Separation was the original Cause and hath increased all our Miseries so nothing but such an Union can heal and effect our Cure God grant all Their Majesties Subjects may approve themselves herein as worthy Members of such a Communion in order thereto by following the Royal Pattern and Example of our Sovereign and chief Member himself now on the Throne But after all I would be so understood as I have plainly in the First Part already declared that I do not aim at in any thing I have said the least Abridgment of that honest and innocent Liberty of Conscience the Christian's Birth 〈…〉 live peaceably under the Government in all Godliness and Honesty But still I say it is both equal and just that till such Persons shall be so rightly informed and convinced in their Judgments as to conform to our Religion established they ought to be content with such Liberty of Conscience and Indulgence as the Law allows them and not to make it a Stalking-horse to serve their Worldly Interest or Design for it is from Lucifer and not from Heaven if they aspire after or attempt to share in the Government upon any other Terms FINIS LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's Hea● in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1690.

but the same Principle of Ambition and worldly Design animates the rest that are under to supplant that in order to advance themselves into the Government so that their whole Babel of Designing and Contriving ever ends in Anarchy and Confusion which hath caused many of their chief Builders convinced by their own woeful Experience at last to acknowledge their Errour and to declare That to seek a Kingdom in this World by carnal Means and Weapons is no true Badge of the blessed Redeemer's Followers What clearer Demonstration can we have that there is always such a designing Party at the Bottom under the most specious Vizor of Zeal for Reformation and Liberty of Conscience than to see those who pretend to the greatest Purity and Sanctity though of several Persuasions all to unite and diligently to apply themselves to such Patrons and Leaders whose Interest and Influence may best promote their Design though they all know them to be of no Religion at all nay such as are guilty of the greatest * Flectere si nequeo superos Acheronta movebo Immoralities who can thunder out bloody Oaths without Reluctancy and make use of their Power and Interest to oppress others and ingross the Widow and Orphans Estates Such Men as these are proper Objects of all the Courtship and Address of those consecrated Politicians for they well know they are adapted for their Turn who readily prostituting their Conscience to their Interest can be most serviceable to their ambitious Designs And as they are Favourites in the highest station so they are capable of the greatest Acts of Oppression and Injustice therein as they may by alienating the Hearts of Subjects contribute more to dethrone a Monarch or subvert a Government than Ten Thousand armed Men especially as those designing Hypocrites manage it to their own Advantage who though they always carry the Flattery of a Loyal All hail in their Mouths yet by secret Trumpets in every Corner they arraign the Prince himself as Author of all Acts of Injustice and Oppression done by such his Ministers to render Monarchy uneasie to the People and at the same time with no less Industry both in publick and private expose the most faithful and loyal Counsellors and Magistrates who are most true to the Church and Government and the very Pillars and Security of the Throne as Betrayers of their Country their Laws and Liberty rendring them odious to the Prince and People that they may remove them in order to get Champions and Agents of their own Faction into all Places and Offices of Trust and Power in the Government This discovers plainly that the Patrons and Clients are both governed by one and the same Principle of Self-Love which ebbs and flows with their own Interest the vital part of their Religion and so disposeth them to divide or unite against that which opposeth their Designs and at length to quarrel among themselves about what they all aim at Dominion and Rule The Result of all which may be this To put us upon a Modest Enquiry WHat Endeavours have been made by all the separate Congregations in general towards an universal Reformation of Manners and allaying our Heats to heal our Divisions in order to Union among our selves the only Means under Heaven to secure us in these perilous Times against our Foreign Enemy And wherein Christian Charity and Purity of Life farther than in the cheap and easie Fruit of the Lips hath appeared in Dissenters or those that separate from our National Communion and pretend to Extraordinary Call and Conversion so as to distinguish them by any visible Change in their Lives and Conversation from those of our Communion who live according to the Doctrine and Discipline of our Church or from what they themselves have ever before been in their Life-time And also what visible Effects the late Indulgence granted to Dissenters hath wrought for the better in procuring more meek humble and peaceable Spirits or abating Pride Murmuring or Discontent railing against and censuring of others even among their own Party in order to heal our Breaches and compose our Differences * It is manifest our Religion and Government is undermining Therefore O England England Consider in this thy Day the Things of thy Peace before it be too late At last for shame lay aside passionate Heat and furious Zeal for particular Interests and as becomes Christians calmly consider the publick Weal Be wary in Choice of Magistrates of the two Extreams that poison all Religion and Morality the Designing Hypocrite and the Profane Atheist Chuse Men fearing God and hating Covetousness such as have been sincere and constant to our Kingly Government and Religion established And be wise as Serpents to countermine and evade the most glorious and specious Pretences of all others Nay We may modestly enquire whether the Scope and Tendency of all Endeavours in the Leading Party among them hath not been more after Dominion and Rule here below than to advance the Kingdom of Christ in the Hearts of Men And in order to that Whether they have not with the greatest Subtilty and Partiality improved their Factories and Agency by Humane Policy to direct order or influence the Choice of Magistrates and Officers in every Colony among us from whence the greatest Heats and Disturbances have arisen let the visible Effects speak for themselves And when we have so done we may from the History of the last Age reflect upon that happy Vnion which continued among Protestants in this Kingdom in the open Practice of Piety Sobriety and Righteousness from the first time of the Reformation but especially during the Forty four Years of Queen Elizabeth's Reign when all as one Soul joyfully and constantly assembled together at the set Times appointed by the Church to celebrate Divine Service and hear the Scriptures daily read as the only Means to keep up a venerable Awe and Sense of the holy Majesty of God in the World and in the Mind of every individual Person and to maintain and increase Christian Charity and Brotherly Kindness the alone Medium of Vnion in a Kingdom as being all fully persuaded in their Minds it was a Service most acceptable to God without any other Discipline or Way of Worship than what had been so setled among us by those pious and learned Martyrs the Founders of it who carried their own Faggots not loving their Lives unto Death to bear their Testimony for it By which Means that happy Queen so long reigned in Peace by Love in the the Hearts of all her Subjects and a Terrour to all her Enemies whereby our National Church became the Envy of Rome and the only Sanctuary for all distressed Protestants abroad All this plainly demonstrates That pure and undefiled Religion founded in Piety Sobriety and Righteousness may be easily known of all as it consists in Humility Self-denial and sincere Practice of what we know all epitomized in Good Living and not in profound Knowledge needless