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
A29529	Stand still: Or, A bridle for the times A discourse tending to still the murmuring, to settle the wavering, to stay the wandring, to strengthen the fainting. As it was delivered to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth, Anno 1643. By John Brinsley, Minister of the Word there, and now published as a proper antidote against the present epidemicall distempers of the times.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1647 (1647)	Wing B4729; ESTC R217245	80,497	119

therefore take we the counsell here in the Text Stand still First Stand still not falling off to the left hand not remitting or abating ought of the stricknesse either of our Profession or Practice Turn not aside from serving the Lord This is the charge which Samuel giveth the people when they were in a strait having provoked the Lord by their sinnes and God having manifested his displeasure against them by such visible signes and tokens as that they were afraid least his wrath should breake ●●rth upon them to consume them Yet saith Samuel turne not aside from following the Lord 1 Sam. 12. Let it be spoken to all those amongst us who have given up their names and themselves unto God let not them now turne aside from following the Lord It matters not what disgrace the Profession but specially the Power of godlinesse at the present lyeth under how those who desire and indeavour to walke most closely with God make themselves not onely a Reproach but a Prey to Gods Enemies and theirs Let not all this turn us aside If this render us vile in their eyes let us yet be more vile Better be vile in their eyes then in the eyes of God and his Saints which our turning aside will make us to be I hate the works of them which turne aside saith David Psal. 101. As for such as turne aside unto their crooked wayes the Lord shall lead them forth with the workes of iniquitie Psal. 125. Take wee heed how wee doe it No though it were to purchase a temporall securitie Such counsell carnall reason will readily suggest in these loose times for the saving our skin to cast off our coat the cloake of our Profession but take heed how we listen to it In so doing as Samuel tels the people we shall but turne aside after vainethings which cannot profit nor deliver for they are vaine Fall not off to the left hand Secondly Nor yet in the second place to the right hand Let not any ●ere be prejudiced against this piece of counsell I shall handle it tenderly but freely and faithfully as becomes a Minister of Christ and one that unfeignedly desires the peace and welfare as of the whole Kingdome in generall so of this place in particular Herein taking that counsell my selfe which I am now commending unto you viz. not to turne aside to the right hand or to the left from ought that the Lord hath put into my mouth to speake unto you this day That there are right-hand Errors abroad in the world and some of them rise in this Kingdome at this day I suppose it will be granted at all our hands A word of Caveat then can neither be unreasonable nor unseasonable These Errors take wee heed of And so much the rather because they are such errors as Gods own people are most subject to And here particularly take we speciall heed of those Errors which are directly destructive or dangerous to the Communitie to the whole Body of the Church wherein we live Such amongst other is that error of the seperation to which I may joyne that other of Anabaptisme which teacheth men to forsake the publique Assemblies and to breake off Fellowship and Communion with the Saints of God in publique Ordinances nay to renounce and disclaime the true Churches of Christ as false and anti-Anti-christian An error of dangerous consequence at all times but never more I thinke never so much then at this day For Souldiers to desert and fall off from the body of the Army at any time it is dangerous but much more when it is engaged That is our condition at the present the whole Body of the Church is engaged Now at this time for any to fall off and turne aside though they doe not goe over and turn to the Enemy yet their turning aside is of dangerous consequence the next way to let in the common Enemy upon us and so to rout the whole Church And therefore to all such if there be any here present that have but an eye that way let me speake in the language of the Text Stand yee still As yee tender the good and welfare of this Church and in it of all the Churches this day under heaven all which have a venter in this bottome As you would not have a hand in betraying of that Church of God in whose wombe you were once conceived and whose breasts have given you suck stand you still And what I here speak as a poore Minister of Christ in the name of God let Authoritie according to the power committed to them second I do not goe from my Text in making this motion Moses here in the Text he represents both Minister Magistrate having left a president for both shewing them what they are to doe if at any time they shall see the people in a mutinous distemper ready to flye every one his way In this case they must bid them stand stand still Obj. Stand still will some say what then may we not flye out of Egypt out of Babylon A. Babylon Yes we may doe it we must doe it The voice from heaven is expresse for it Come out of her my people But here take heed we mistake not First That we take not Sion for Babylon To call Sion Babylon is no lesse a fault then to call Babylon Sion Now as for the Church of England the marke at which that arrow is let flye sure I am though it be not Sion the Perfection of beautie yet she hath so much of Sion in her as will free her from this charge of being Babylon Obj. Why but she hath much of Babylon in her some Reliques of Rome yet remaining besides many corruptions cleaving to her Ordinances and much confusion in her Administration A. Suppose all this should be granted what then must she presently be called and counted Babylon You would thinke him but an undutifull child who because as he thinkes he espies some lightnesse in his mother should therefore presently spit in her face and call her whore Surely whatever it is that can be charged upon the Church of England make the worst of it it is but lightnesse lewdnesse it is not no sufficient ground for any to sue forth a divorce upon it and to disclaime her as none of Christs Spouse Babylon she is not Secondly In the second place let such as call and count her so take heed least in flying from Babylon they flye to it from Babylon to Babylon I from a supposed to a reall Babylon Certainly if the word Babylon signifie Confusion as it doth then may we find Babylon amongst those who call the Church of England BABYLON Amongst them what Confusion Confusion upon Confusion Seperation upon Seperation God writing their sinne as in other cases frequently he doth in the punishment of it Obj. 2. Why but it will be said Suppose it that we be got out of Babylon

heare his voice and follow him Thus did the people of Israel not goe before but follow after Moses and Aaron being guided and ordered by those directions which they had received from God for them And surely my Brethren would wee but take this course not to runne before but follow after our Leaders I meane following them as Paul would have his Corinthians to doe him so farre as they are followers of Christ our advance would have both more beautie and safetie in it whereas being confused and disorderly it can have neither Thus much I have spoken more I shall not speake wishing if it were the will of God I might never have occasion to speake againe of this Subject being led to it as I conceive very aptly by the word in my Text Sure I am my aime in speaking it hath been proved no other then Moses his here was viz. to stay the spirits of the Lords people amongst us which at this day are so ready to runne out and to hold them downe in a quiet expectation of what God will yet doe for us that so by their precipitancies and over-hastinesse they may not outrunne their owne and the Churches mercy One Branch of this Point is yet behind and that is touching Temporall Enemies Where the Question may be how Christians ought to demeane and carry themselves in the case of outward and open Persecution when they are pursued by cruell and bloody Persecutors such as Pharoah and his Egyptians here were A case which the Lords people in most ages of the Church have been well acquainted with how soon we may be we know not It will not be amisse therefore to enquire afore-hand what to doe or how to demeane our selves in such a case To which the Text returnes an answer which being rightly understood will prove not unusefull bidding us to stand stand still Q. Stand still you may say what then May not Christians flye in times of Persecution A question which we find often put up and as variously prosecuted and resolved by Divines and Casuists A threefold answer I find returned to it each having an antient Father for the countenance of it The two former extreames the third a medium a middle way betwixt both which as in other cases so here we shall find to be the viatuta the safe way and the way for us to walke in First The first and most antient is Tertullians who held it simply unlawfull for Christians in any case to flye in time of Persecution upon which Subject hee hath written a whole booke indeavouring to strengthen his opinion with many Arguments Herein wee find him followed as by those antient Heretiques the Circumcillions so by some of the Anabaptists of later times Secondly A second opinion is Athanasius his who in opposition to Tertullian held it not onely lawfull for Christians to flye in Persecution but necessary as a thing not onely permitted and allowed but enjoyned and commanded grounding his opinion upon those words of our Saviour Mat. 10.23 Where speaking to his Disciples he bids them When they persecute you in one Citie then flee into another Thirdly A third is Augustines who in an Epistle to Honoratus yeeldeth it to be sometimes lawfull though not simply necessary a thing at sometimes and in some cases permitted and allowed though not enjoyned and commanded To this judgement of his Divines generally subscribe as being sound and Orthodox declining the two other the one as being an Error on the right hand the other on the left And in this middle way wee shall goe along with them Flight in persecution is not at all times and in all cases simply unlawfull Christians are not alwayes bound to stand still Arguments to evince the truth of this assertion if need were we might soone muster up many some taken from Scripture others from Reason Scripture will furnish us with Permissions and Presidents For Permission wee shall need no other but that of our Saviour fore-named Mat. 10. When they persecute you in one Citie flye into another An expresse allowance for flight in some cases I in some cases a Precept not onely permitting but commanding Obj. I know what Tertullian and some others reply to that Text viz. that it was a Temporary precept peculiar to that time and those persons to continue onely so long till the Apostles should have preached the Gospell throughout the Cities of Iudea and no longer A. This Evasion is groundlesse in as much as wee no where find any other Text of Scripture repealing or countermanding that permission And besides as our Master Perkins further alledgeth we shall find the Apostles to whom this commandement was given practizing it after our Saviours Ascension and not onely amongst the Iewes but almost amongst the Gentiles To back this warrant we have many Presidents many Examples and that both of Christ himselfe who being in danger as the Story tells us frequently withdrew himselfe escaping out of the hands of his Enemies not yeelding himselfe to them untill the houre of his Passion was come of many other Worthies both of the Old and New Testament In the Old Testament Iacob flyeth from his brother Esau Gen. 27. Moses having slaine the Egyptian and being in danger of his life flyeth from Egypt into Madian which act of his the spirit approveth recording it as a work not of Feare but of Faith Heb. 11. By faith he forsooke Egypt c. Elias being threatned by Iezabel and in danger of his life flyes to Mount Horeb 1 King 19. The rest of the Prophets many of them betaking themselves unto their Caves under Obadiahs protection In the New Testament Ioseph and Mary being guardians to our Saviour during his minoritie and being in danger by Herod they flye with the Babe into Egypt Peter being in prison and destinated by Herod to be sacrificed the next day to the fury of the people the Angel of the Lord awakning of him in the night bids him be gone Paul being in Damascus beset by the Governour the Garrison there he maketh an escape being let downe by the wall through a window in a basket Act. 9. The woman in the Revelation the Church being persecuted by the Red Dragon Satan and his instruments cruell and bloody persecutors she had given unto her two wings of an Eagle meanes for a speedy escape that she might flye into the wildernesse a place of secrecy and safetie Here is Permission here are Presidents If need were wee might sub-joyne Reasons proving the Lawfulnesse of flight at some times and in some cases First It is that which Nature dictates to preserve it selfe and that not corrupt but pure nature Now what nature dictates Grace doth not contradict onely it regulateth and ordereth it for the way and meanes of that preservation that they be lawfull and warrantable Secondly Christians are bound

to serve the divine Providence in drawing forth the thread of their life and carrying it on to that period which God himselfe in his secret counsell hath appointed and determined Thirdly It is their dutie herein to have a regard not onely to themselves their owne bodies but also to their Enemies to their soules not permitting them so farre as they can prevent it to draw the guilt of innocent blood upon their owne heads Fourthly And lastly to name no more Christians in all their actions they must ever have an eye to the glory of God which sometimes as I shall show you anon they may promote more by their flying then by their standing still In some cases then let it be yeelded which cannot be denyed that Christians are not bound to stand still they may flye As for those Arguments which are brought against it I will not spend time in answering of them rather referring those who desire further satisfaction in this point to our judicious Perkins in his Cases of Conscience as also to our learned Florentine P. Martyr in his Common Places who returnes particular answers to all those objections alleged by Tertullian in that booke of his upon which Saint Ierome hath passed this censure that it was written as some other bookes of his were Adversum Ecclesiam rather against then for the Church Q Christians sometimes may Fly But when may they flye And when must they stand still Two usefull questions the latter of which will bring us close home to the words of the Text To both of them I may returne this generall answer A. When God biddeth them flye they must flye when he biddeth them stand they must stand In both observing the Direction of God their Commander as the Souldiers and Servants of the Centurion are said to doe his I say unto this man goe and he goeth and to another come and he commeth and to my servant doe this and he doth it Thus are Souldiers ordered for their standing or marching their advancing or retreating their comming on or falling off all by the word which they receive from the mouth of their Commanders And thus must Christians be ordered for their flying and standing by the command and direction of God himselfe When God biddeth them flye they may they must flye when he biddeth them stand they may they must stand Q. But here the question will runne on when doth God bid them flye And when doth he bid them stand Or how is the will of God made knowne to them in this case A. For a more particular answer know wee that God maketh knowne his will herein two wayes either in an Extraordinary or in an Ordinary way First In an Extraordinary way by Dreames Visious Revelations immediate Inspirations Thus the Angell of the Lord appeared to Ioseph in a dreame saying Arise take the young Child and his Mother and flye into Egypt Mat. 2. Thus also an Angel appeared unto Peter in the prison awakning him bidding him shift for himself Act. 12. Even as the Angells did to Lot when they had brought him out of Sodom they did him shift for himselfe Flee for thy life looke not behind thee stand not still Gen. 19. And so on the other hand by a like meanes God maketh his will known unto Paul touching his abode at Corinth promising him a protection there which was done in a Vision as the Story tells us Act. 18. Afterwards when he was to goe up to Hierusalem he went bound in the Spirit as himselfe telleth us put on by a secret Inspiration Thus God hath made his will knowne to some of his people heretofore and I will not deny but hee may doe the like at this day But this wee have no warrant to expect or looke for Secondly That which we are to have an eye unto for the regulating of our Flight or Stay is the will of God made knowne to us in a more ordinary way viz. by his Word or Worke These two wayes God doth ordinarily make knowne his will unto the sonnes of men touching whatever he would have them doe or not to doe By his Word giving them at least some generall Rules and directions By his Worke his worke of Providence seconding the word giving them at least the hints of more particular directions And thus doth he make his will knowne unto his people in this particular case the case of flying or staying viz. by his Word and Worke These two as some Expositors carry it are the two wings which are said to be given to the woman in the Revelation in the place fore-named viz. Gods Oracle directing and his Providence protecting And both these must Christians have an eye upon in this case First Upon the Word which holdeth forth unto them this generall Rule and Direction Christians in their flying or standing must do that which may conduce most to the glory of God and good of others These are two of the maine ends which every Christians should live too his owne salvation being the third And these two he must have an eye unto as in all other his actions so in this First In the first place he must have an eye to the glory of God which should be to the Christian as the Pole-starre to the Marriner Now here sometimes it may so fall out that a Christian may glorifie God more by his flying then by his standing In this case God bids him flee Sometimes on the other hand he may glorifie God more by his standing then by his flying In this case God bids him stand And accordingly a Christian is to order himselfe Q. But who shall be the Iudge of this A. Why that must every mans owne Conscience Non externus judex sed domesticus as P. Martyr resolves it not any forreigne Iudge at least not primarily and principally True it is wee may and ought to consult with others about it because we are prone to be partiall in our owne cause but the Judge that must give Sentence in this case must be the Iudge in a mans owne bosome every mans owne Conscience This is that which every Christian in the case of flying ought first to consult with Aske Conscience what it is that induceth him to flee and presse it to give a true answer viz. whether it be the glory of God or his owne safetie his owne peace and tranquillitie whether God or himselfe that he looketh at Perhaps here Conscience will answer both I accept the answer yeelding it that where both may stand together a Christian both may and ought to have an eye to both Gods glory and his owne good even his outward peace and Tranquilitie But here to presse Conscience a little further let it be enquired First Which of these is the maine spring the first Principle that which first setteth a man a going Is it God or himselfe Gods glory

or his own safetie This question my Brethren put home upon Conscience it may happily come neere us We are all naturally neere unto our selves and oft-times too neere So it is when wee set up our selves our owne peace our owne outward tranquilitie as the first and maine thing which we looke at In the meane time making the glory of God subservient unto that Secondly Let it be enquired whether our providing for our owne safetie in this way of flight be not some diminution to the glory of God Whether wee might not glorifie God more by our standing then by our flying Here presse conscience to give sente●ce according to evidence and according th●reunto order we our selves for our flying or standing doing that which may conduce most to the glory of God Secondly And secondly that which may conduce most to the good of others specially the Publique good We are not borne neither should we live meerly for our selves all of us for others all of us for the publique As members doe for the good of the body so should Christians live for the good of the Communitie the good of the Church And this wee must have an eye unto as in our whole course so in this case of flying or standing in time of Persecution Now here sometimes it so falleth out that Christians cannot flye without both publique scandall and danger the case specially of publike Persons Magistrates Ministers Their flight oft-times indangers the Communitie as the flight of the shepheard doth the flock or as the flight of the Mariners in Pauls voyage would have done the passengers touching whom Paul telleth the Centurion and Souldiers Except these abide in the ship yee cannot be saved Now in this case they being thus engaged God biddeth them stand and therefore they may not flee Upon this ground that worthy Governour Nehemiah tooke up that Heroick Resolution Shall such a man as I flee A Magistrate in whose standing the safetie of the Communitie of the whole body of the people is bound up though others flee he may not And so Augustine in the place fore-named determines the case of Ministers Where they cannot flye without eminent danger to their flocks there God biddeth them stand A determination grounded upon that of our Saviour Ioh. 10. Where describing the good Shepheard and the Hireling he tells us the one standeth and the other fleeth The good Shepheard giveth his life for his sheepe but he that is an hireling c. He seeth the woolfe comming and leaveth the sheep and fleeth and the woolfe ●atcheth them and scattereth them The hireling fleeth c. Where the safetie and welfare of a flock is bound up in the presence of the Minister where his flight tendeth directly to their dissipation or eminently indangereth their seduction there God biddeth him stand On the other hand sometimes as private so publique persons may withdraw themselves without any detriment to the Church Nay their fleeing may be an advantage to it Thereby they may have the opportunitie off doing moregood to the Church then otherwise they could doe In this case God bids them flee and they have their Master going before them in it Our blessed Saviour as I told you being in danger by his Adversaries he often withdrew himselfe this he did for the greater advantage and benefit of his Church that he might have opportunitie for the finishing of the worke which his Father had given him to doe What himselfe therein did he orders his Apostles and Disciples to doe the like When they persecute you in oxe Citie flee into another And wherefore must they flye Why that so by that meanes they might have opportunitie to doe the worke which their Lord and Master had given them to doe viz. to publish the Gospell throughout all the Cities of Iudea This it either is or ought to be the desire and designe as of every private Christian so specially of every Minister of Jesus Christ that they may finish the worke which God hath given them to doe in doing what good they may to his Church and people Now that way which may most conduce unto that end that they must take If they may be more serviceable to the Church in their flying now God bids them flee If in their staying now Gods bids them stand This is the generall Rule which the word holdeth forth unto us God thereby making knowne his will unto us touching our flying or standing in time of Persecution Secondly For more particular and personall directions herein taking this Rule of the word along with us we must have recourse to the worke of God I meane his Providentiall worke the passages of his Providence from whence we may ordinarily learne somewhat more of his meaning and purpose towards us This worke of Providence in this case observable is two-●old viz. Inward or Outward his worke within us and his worke without us First His inward work his work upon the inwardman upon our hearts and spirits in the ordering and tempering of them This wee find God doing variously even as the Smith dealeth with his Iron which sometimes he hardens sometimes he softnes Thus dealeth God with the spirits of his owne people sometimes he hardeneth them take it in a good sense fleeleth them as it were with an Heroicall Resolution putting into their hearts a Spirit of courage and fortitude so strengthning them with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulnesse as Paul prayeth for his Coloss●ans as that they dare looke whatever dangers or enemies in the face Thus was it with Elias when he tooke up that Resolution that whatever came he would looke his Arch-enemy Ahab in the face Notwithstanding that Ahab had vowed his death and had made a most strict and narrow search for him throughout all the bordering Kingdomes and Nations as Obadiah tells him yet for all that Eliah is resolved come what will come he will face him As the Lord liveth before whom I stand I will surely shew my selfe unto him this day so he tells Obadiah Thus was it with Paul when he went bound in the spirit to Ierusalem whatever dangers were represented to him he weighs them not his resolution was to face the worst that could come I passe not at all saith he neither is my life deare unto me so that I may fulfill my course with joy and the Ministration which I have received of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospell of the grace of God Such a motion of the Spirit others of the Martyrs of Christ in the Primitive times many in latter times some have found and felt strongly inclining and carrying them on to give testimony to the truth steeling their spirits against whatever dangers whatever sufferings Now in this case God seemeth to give the word to such bidding them stand calling them to resist though it be unto blood And