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	separation_n	1,256	5	10.3360	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26871	Cain and Abel malignity that is, enmity to serious godliness, that is, to an holy and heavenly state of heart and life : lamented, described, detected, and unananswerably [sic] proved to be the devilish nature, and the militia of the devil against God and Christ and the church and kingdoms, and the surest sign of a state of damnation / by Richard Baxter, or, Gildas Salvianus ...	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1689 (1689)	Wing B1195; ESTC R2643	73,886	164

in a schism and in sin That the Ministerial power is not the gift of Man but only of Christ who by the Charter of his recorded Word giveth the power and the obligation to that person who is duely chosen and called thereto As the Kings Charter giveth the power to the Mayor of a Corporation duly qualified and chosen that the ordainers are but partly Judges of due qualification and partly Ministerial Investers and not at all the Donors of the Power that ordination is for order sake needful when it may be had to keep men from being Judgers of their own sufficiency But order being only for the thing ordered as the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath is not necessary against the end That there is no necessity that a Superior must ordain but as the Colledge of Physicians Philosophers c. make Physicians Philosophers as approved so may equals in the Ministry Do not Bishops make or consecrate Bishops If this were not so who makes the Pope If he did not pretend that his power is given him immediately from Christ he must grant that there are some men above him to give it him and so he is not the Soveraign If they say that the power of Popes and Kings is given by the whole body the Church he is then no Pope for it 's known that three parts of the Christian World are against him If he will say None are the Church but those that are his party any sect or rebels may say the like and appropriate authority to themselves Nothing more cheateth the ignorant than ambiguous words and confusion And explaining those words and needful plain distinction would save the writing of many volumes and would make truth easily meet the seeker and unravel all the spider Webs of deceivers Do but well use these few distinctions and all Popery vanisheth into smoak 1. Distinguish between a Catholick Church as headed by Christ This we are all members of and a pretended Catholick Church headed by the Pope or any men This is another Church as to the denominating form having another informing unifying head And this is it which we deny 2. Distinguish visibility Christs Church is so far visible as to have a Head who was visible on Earth is visible in Heaven and will visibly come to Judgment and visibly reign for ever It hath visible Laws Protection and Officers The subjects bodies and their profession are visible And it is no farther visible no not as to the Souls or real faith of the subjects The Papists Church hath an Usurping Visible Humane Head on earth 3. Distinguish of Baptism and Ordination as into Christs Catholick Church and done by Papists as Christians And as into the Popes Catholick Church and done by Papists as Papists 4. Distinguish of Subjection and Communion We owe Communion when we owe no Subjection and where men have no right to be our Governours 5. Distinguish between Communion in Christianity and that in Essentials Integrals or Accidents and Communion in errours and corruptions or defects We have Communion with Papists and all Christians in Christianity if they be Christians indeed But we renounce Communion in the errours and sins of them and all others as far as we are able to avoid them All Christians have Union and Communion in the Essentials of Christianity No Christians have Union and Communion in all the Integrals on Earth all being imperfect But the more such Union and Communion the better No Christians have or ought to have Communion in all the Accidents All should avoid Communion in sin 6. Distinguish between Communion of Hearts Communion of Profession and Communion in Local presence We have Heart Communion in one Essential Faith Hope and Love with all true Christians on Earth We profess all one Faith in the Essentials We have nearer Communion or fuller with the Reformed Churches which are soundest in the Integrals than we have with the more faulty and corrupt But we have Local presence but in one place at once and we ought to avoid Local presence where we cannot have it without sin though we have Communion in Faith Love and Profession with the same men If a Reformed Church will not admit our Local presence without subscribing some one untruth we must be absent when we may be present with a worse Church which excludeth us not by any such Imposition 7. Accordingly distinguish of Separation We separate not at all from Union or Communion with Papists as they are Christians or as they hold any Truth But 1. We separate from Subjection and Obedience to them which we never owed them or any other Church 2. We separate from Communion with their Church as it is a Policy informed by an Usurping Humane King or Head. 3. We separate from all their sins so far as we know them 4. We deny Local presence in their Mass-worship because of the sin imposed on us both before it and in it 5. We are uncapable of Communion in all accidents or mutable indifferent things Understand and use well these few plain distinctions and you need little more to answer all the Papists And I fear not to add that were the Papists in my power as I never did I never would use any inhumanity or cruelty towards them yea I would use no Offensive but only Defensive force against them nor hurt one of them further than they made it necessary for the Defence of the Land or those whom they would hurt I knew not till a Book called The Liberties of England lately told me how many very severe Laws are against them I am no Judge of the times that they were made in nor of their occasions But I think that of late they have done more hurt than good For 1. Some of them seem too severe 2. Some I cannot prove to be justifiable viz. Those which would compel them to come to our Sacramental Communion when many a good Minister would not receive them if they came And that which excommunicateth them that never were of our Communion And that which layeth the Excommunicate as such in prison c. 3. It greatly tendeth to misinform Forreigners who seeing these Laws think they are all put in Execution and so believe those that tell them that the Catholicks here are under constant Cruelties and frequent Martyrdoms whenas I never in all my life knew of one Papist that suffered so much for his Religion as I have done my self within these few years past though my sufferings are so small as to be no meet matter of very great complaint 4. These Laws being a continual danger to them should there be Governours that would execute them doth put them on continual plotting and striving against them Sufferings or great dangers put men by fear upon self-defence and the utmost endeavours for deliverance who would be more quiet if they found themselves in safety and though their Clergy would be still plotting the recovery of the Papal power to

they say that there are some things that will be closely united by no cement so well as by humane blood Doubtless the Gospel as used in English and Preached by true Protestants such as the Pseudo-Bellamie in Philanax Anglicus hatefully calleth Protestants off Sincerity goeth not with many beyond Sea for the same Gospel which they believe And therefore no wonder if the Preachers of it be unpleasing to them and he that will please them and unite with them must silence or oppose those that they would have to be silenced and disgraced And some think that Union with many Kingdoms of Christians which call themselves the Catholick Church is much to be preferred before the Love and Concord of a hated party in our Island And as Dr. Saywell the Master of a Colledge and Bishop Gunnings Chaplain saith to prove that there is a Universal Legislative and Judicial power in the Clergy over Kingdoms as well Persons If more persons or particular Churches give offence by Heresy Schism c. The CHURCH UNIVERSAL or the rest of the Bishops may reprove them for it and then there is no Reason why one man should be censured and many should go free and consequently our Saviour hath established the Authority of his Church over all Christians as well particular Churches as private men Churches of Kingdoms and Nations have a SOVERAIGNTY over them to which they must yield obedience Isa. 60. 12. The Nation and Kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish yea those Nations shall be utterly wasted pag. 343. Though Kings have no Civil Universal Soveraign over them but Christ yet it seems all the world both Kings and Kingdoms have an Ecclesiastical Soveraignty over them all Communion of equalls and Christian Counsel and Reproof is not enough such as all Neighbour Princes may use towards one another Nor the denial of such Communion to the uncapable But all Kings and Kingdoms must be under one Church Soveraignty which hath a Legislative Judicial power over them all to excommunicate absolve them c. And how much more in ordine ad Spiritua●ia the common exposition of Ecclesiastical Power tells you As experience long told many Kingdoms what the Excommunicating of a King and Interdicting a Kingdom the worship of God do signify towards their Dethroning or Invasion And all this must be done not as for the Pope but under the name of a General Council and the poor Pope shall have no power but say some to call that Council and call it General when there is no such thing and preside in it and rule us as chief Patriarch and St. Peters Successor in the Intervals of General Councils that is continually and that not Arbitrarily but by the Laws of the Church or Councils and no mortal man can tell which those Authorized Legislative Councils are among the hundreds of erroneous or contradicting ones So that Popery in England is an abhorred thing for it is nothing with some but the Popes absolute Government of the whole Church as without or above Laws and Ecclesiastick Parliaments And can you reconcile all this to our Oath of Supremacy and the Canons that establish it renouncing all forreign Iurisdiction Yes easily we have been told it meaneth only forreign Civil Iurisdiction which belongs to the King and not forreign Ecclesiastical Iurisdiction which is all that the sober Popes do claim save indirectly in ordine ad Spiritualia To Command a Nation on pain of Excommunication and Damnation according to divers Councils to renounce their Allegiance to their Excommunicate Prince and to depose him and set up another is no act of Civil but of Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction which yet hath dethroned Emperours and overthrown Dominions And saith A. Bishop Laud in Dr. Stillingfleet's defence of him p. 540. It doth not follow because the Church may err therefore She may not Govern. For the Church hath not only a PASTORAL Power to Teach and Direct but a PRETORIAN also to controul and censure c. And for external obedience to General Councils when they err Consider whether it be not fit to allow a General council that honour and priviledge which all other Great Courts have Stillingfleet p. 534. So that instead of a Council of equals for concord as Princes use for peace with their neighbours We have an Vniversal Soveraign Court set up with Pretorian Power to make binding Laws and pass Iudgment to all the Christian World and say some They are Schismaticks that obey not these Vniversal Laws and obedience to them and suppressing all forbidden Assemblies for Gods worship is the only way to Christian concord And where this forreign Jurisdiction is made of such absolute necessity that without subjection to it by Kings and Kingdoms there is no concord to be had nor any avoiding of the guilt of Schism what wonder if some can wish that silencings reproaches ruines and confusions may be thought no dear price to obtain an universal union for which Christ and his Law are insufficient They that have read Grotius Cassander Baldwin Hoffmeister Erasmus A. Bishop Laud Dr. Heylin of his Life Bishop Sparrow A. Bishop Bromhal and the Prefacer Bishop Parker Thorndike Bishop Gunning and his Chaplain Dr. Saywell and such others and against them all have read Dr. Isaac Barrow of the Supremacy against Thorndike c. may understand where our difference and danger lyeth § 8. And is Englands self destroying disease uncureable God hath in wonderful mercy given us peace from forreign Enemies And is there no hope of prevailing with English men to live together in peace Must that of Isa. 49. 36. be our case to eat our own Flesh and be drunken with our own Blood as with sweet Wine Alas no counsel no petitions no tears no experience no judgments of God by Plagues and Flames have hitherto one jot prevailed But the Ulcer of mens minds grows more and more putrid and malignant Two ways are by some proposed First that all the Consciencious worshippers of God in the Kingdom should bring their judgments to a full conformity in every particular to their rulers Whenas first they cannot tell us who these must be some say to the King or Law Some say to the Bishops in a National Convocation Others say to the foresaid forreign universal Soveraignty of General Councils with the Patriarchs If the first be the way what Kingdoms must it be in Is it no where but in Britain Or also in France Spain Italy Germany Poland And must there be as many Religions as Kings and Laws will make And how far must this go And where must we stop Must Kings choose us a God Or chuse whether we shall have any God any Christ any Bible any worship of God and so any Heaven If it be the Bishops that must be the common rule of our Religion what Countreys and Ages doth this rule serve for Was it the rule where Princes and Prelates were Arians or Nestorians or Eutychians or Monothelites or Papists Is it

their ancient and accustomed Liberty Regiment Laws they may not well be counted Rebels saith he of Obedience pag. 520. But I hear many now say the contrary and Condemn such Doctrine as disloyal I find some joyn with the Papists in accusing the Reformation as caused by Rebellions in Germany Geneva France Belgium c. And I find Bishop Iewel Bilson and other Bishops defending the French defence and Dr. Peter Moulin of Canterbury in his answer to Philanax Anglicus Contradicting their accusers as false in Point of History Abundance of such Political Controversies are now lately agitated some charging their adversaries with Rebellion and some with Tyranny Some saying they are guilty of Treason against the King and others They are Traitors against the Kingdom And too ordinarily damning one another as if these matters were Articles of our Creed What a dismal difference is there now about those words in the Declaration in the Corporation Act There is no Obligation on me or any other person from the Oath called the solemn League and Covenant Some say there are none but Rebels will refuse it And that if any obligation had been granted to things lawful or necessary some would have extended it to Rebellion or Schism And therefore all Obligation is to be renounced Others say that National perjury is a forerunner of National Calamity or ruine and that where Oaths bind not there can be no Trust and no Trust no Commerce And they think as Dr. Sanderson and Casuists Papists and Protestants do that though an Oath or Vow be unlawfully Imposed and Sinfully taken and part of the matter of it be unlawful and the Imposers and Takers are bound to repent and no one is bound by it to the unlawful part yet the taker is bound to that part of the matter which is lawful or necessary And they take it to be lawful and necessary to Repent of sin to oppose Prophaneness Schisms Heresy and Popery to defend the King and therefore that it obligeth them to these I meddle not with the Roman opinion that it is the Henrician Heresy to say that Kings have a power of investing Bishops and disobeying the Popes Excommunication and of such as Cardinal Perron that dare not question or deny the power of the Pope and Councils to Excommunicate and depose Kings because then they must condemn approved General Councils which are their religion itself and saith he must grant that the Pope is Antichrist and the Church erroneous that hath so long used this I name all these Political Controversies 1. To tell you that it is not factious and passionate enmity to each other on such accounts which I mean by enmity to Religion 2. And to remember men that if in so many and great points of Politicks and Government the Learned and Christian World have so great difference what reason is there that we should Damn or Excommunicate or hate each other about a hard opinion in Religion or a Ceremony 3. And to tell the Popish Church that if it were a good argument that there must be one Pretorian Court or Church to oblige all the World by an universal determination in what sence to expound the Scripture because it is abused to errour by mens mistake and there must be an end of Controversies by the same reason there must be an universal Pretorian Court to expound all human Laws and end the controversies of Lawyers Yea and to master all mens Reason for Scripture is no more commonly controverted and abused than Law is And not half so much as Reason is which is pleaded for almost all the falshood and wickedness in the World. § 10. Moreover it is not personal feuds between Man and Man that I mean by Enmity to Godliness No though any such be against an Innocent and Godly Man where it is not for his Godliness but some other difference § 11. I will say more though some dislike it it is not a Papist as such that I mean by a Malignant Enemy of Godliness I know that Education and Temptation and want of hearing the confutation of their errours judiciously made may cause Godly persons to think that the universal Church must be united in some humane Head or Soveraign power and that there is no other way to end controversies and schisms and that as Dr. Saywell saith there must be some over Kingdoms or National Churches as well as over particular persons that many may not escape while a few are punished It is easy to be deceived by the pretences of Unity and Concord while men see the divisions and discords of others And the false pretences of Antiquity are so confidently uttered by their Clergy that men unacquainted with the history may verily believe them And the plea for an uninterrupted succession of Ministerial ordination and that a Superior must give power to the Inferiors deceiveth many If there must be a Diocesane to ordain and rule all Presbyters and a Metropolitan to ordain or rule the Diocesanes and a Patriarch to rule them from whom shall the Patriarchs receive their power or commands but from a Pope The poor reasoning which the French now use with the Protestants puzleth unskilful persons viz. Was there any Church before your reformation If yea where was it And had not you your Ministerial power from it It was Rome or none And if it was the true Church then it is so now We answer them there was and is one only Catholick Church Of this Christ only is the Head or Universal governour and no man or men Of this all Lawful Pastors are his official guides in their several Provinces as many Justices and Mayors of Corporations under one King That all these having one King Jesus and one Law of Christ and one Spirit and one Faith and Hope are to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and to use Synods when needful to that end but not as a Pretorian or Regent Aristocracy or Court. That the Church before Luther was all over the World where ever there were Christians in Ethiopia Egypt Syria Armenia Georgia Circassia Asia and where ever the Greek Christianity is in Moscovy and in all Europe where there were true Christians That the envious man having sowed Tares this Church is unhappily fallen into many corruptions diseases and factious sects almost all censuring one another no part of it is perfect That the Papal part is in Doctrine Worship and Government one of the most corrupted parts Yet so far as their diseases or errours nullify not their profession of Christianity they are parts though leprous And therefore though they are the most uncharitable and schismatical part as they cut off or unchurch all the Christian World save themselves yet being as Christians united to the rest in the common faith their Baptism Ordinations are not nullities as they invest men in the Christian Society and Christian Ministry though that part of them is a nullity which engageth men