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	faith_n	unity_n	2,037	5	9.1432	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61463	A thanksgiving sermon preach'd before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Court of Aldermen, sheriffs, and companies of the city of London at St. Mary-le-bow, April 16, 1696, upon occassion of His Majesty's deliverence from a villanous assassination in order to a French invasion by William Stephens ...	Stephens, William, d. 1718.	1696 (1696)	Wing S5465; ESTC R14197	18,938	34

of Worship which he in his Conscience doth disapprove The reason hereof is 1. Because our Christian Profession teacheth us to call no Man Master but Christ and 2. Because there is no Assembly of Men no not a general Council but may err as our Church declareth in her 21st Article even in things pertaining unto God 3. Because our Reason was given us to interpret the Scriptures for our selves not to be a standing Rule to others And 4. if the Reason of the learned cannot convince much less can the Force of the Magistrate But on the contrary put Force in the Place of Reason and all Religion will be alike and as Colours in the dark undistinguishable Force in its own Nature equally disposeth a Man to become Mahometan Christian or Pagan Not that it can convince Men of any Truth which is in these Professions but it may compel 'em thro' Hypocrisie to make a Shew of any Religion Had this Rule of our Court been observed Pope Victor had never put the World into a Flame by enjoyning the Day upon which the Feast of Easter was to be celebrated which Controversie produced such an unchristian Bitterness that the Eastern and Western Christians withdrew from the Communion of each other I cannot conclude this Point better than with the excellent Words of the Irenicum or Book of Peace written heretofore to compose the Differences in our Church by the present Right Reverend Bishop of of Worcester Were we saith he so happy but to take off things granted unnecessary by all and suspected by many and judged unlawful by some and to make nothing the Bonds of our Communion but what Christ hath made so allowing a Liberty for Matters of Indifferency and bearing with the Weakness of those who cannot bear those things which others count lawful we might be restored to a true primitive Lustre far sooner than by furbishing up some antiquated Ceremonies which can derive their Pedigree no higher than some ancient Custom and Tradition and after this he piously concludeth that God will one Day convince Men that the Vnion of the Church lieth more in the Vnity of Faith and Affection than in the Vniformity of doubtful Rites and Ceremonies p. 123. 4. This Court takes into special Cognizance all the Bonds of Union as well as Causes of Division which may be found amongst Christians For want of this impartial Consideration Men are apt to think the Differences betwixt each other to be wider than indeed they are and from hence chiefly it is that the deplorable Differences amongst Protestants are still maintained There is not any one Doctrin or Practice necessary to make us good Men here or happy hereafter but what we are all agreed in The Moral Law of Christ is equally receiv'd by us all and the Apostles Creed which containeth a Summary of our Evangelic Faith is owned by us all Idolatry and Superstition are cast out of the several Forms of Worship which all those Protestants who dissent from us adhere to Now these Bonds of Union so many in Number so strong and important in their Nature cannot but prevail upon a charitable Disposition to compromize those few Differences which arise from various Ways of Expression Rites of Worship or Forms of Discipline which are Matters of no great Importance if considered by themselves but if compared with the Fundamentals in all which we are agreed they will scarce be discernible by the Judgment of Charity 5. This Court puts the best Construction upon all cases which come before it 't will admit of no Innuendo's strain'd Aggravations arising from meer Probabilities or fanciful Conjectures Plainness of Sense is here better understood than Sharpness of Wit It looks upon the best Construction to be the right Handle of the Cause according to which it giveth Judgment This Rule was taught by Christ himself in his Behaviour to his Disciples on that Night in which he was betray'd At that time when the Troubles and Cares of the Master increase the Diligence of the Servant should be doubled But so heavy were his Disciples that they did not watch with him an hour in his Extremity of Grief But whilst the Master was in an Agony the Servants were so unconcerned that they fell asleep Yet Christ put the best construction hereupon not blaming their negligence but in compassion to their Humane Frailty he pronounced this Sentence Mat. 26.41 The Spirit indeed is willing but the Flesh is weak 3. The Third general Consideration was the Extent of this Court's Jurisdiction which reaches as far as the Body of Christ extends To this we are called in one Body saith the Text. Humane Nature obligeth us to compassionate Men as Men. But when it pleaseth God to distinguish a People from the rest of the World and take them for his own Lot by revealing himself particularly to them he doth oblige them to a closer tye of Love to each other in answer to the particular condescension he hath shewn to them Thus Israel was obliged to a stricter Charity towards their Brethren than to Strangers from them in point of Religion but yet they were to extend their utmost Compassion to all Proselytes let them come over to their Religion from what Nation soever In like manner Christians are by St. Paul exhorted Gal. 6.10 as they have opportunity to do good unto all men but especially to them who are of the houshold of Faith So that as every Nation and Government is by a true Civil Polity obliged to a particular care of all the Parts and Members belonging thereunto and every part and Member of that Body Politick is oblig'd to use his utmost endeavour for the good of the whole so all People who are united under one Head the Lord Jesus should look upon themselves as one Body and therefore every division and branch thereof should in Christian policy hold it self oblig'd in particular manner to contribute to the safety of the whole all one as every individual Member of a Family is bound in a more especial manner to support the common Interest of their own Houshold more than any other To exercise this Charity to the Rule of this Peace of God we are called in one Body The outward visible bond of Union which joineth this Body together is the pure Law of Christ unmixed with the Traditions of Men not levened with any Worldly Interest That Law which teacheth us to know that God alone is our Owner Governor and Benefactor and therefore to him chiefly belongs our Submission Obedience and Thankfulness Which enjoyneth us Sobriety Justice and Charity And hath no other Design but to adorn our Souls with all sorts of Virtue in as eminent Degree as we are capable of receiving All the Professors of this Law howsoever dispersed over the World are Members of this one Body and may therefore demand the utmost assistance of our Christian Charity This Rule of Charity was well understood in the beginning of our Reformation and

was held as a Maxim of State during the happy Reign of Queen Elizabeth of ever blessed Memory viz. That England should always make it self the Head and Protection of the whole Protestant Interest Our Christian Church or Nation call it which you please saw it self particularly oblig'd to this undertaking by the especial Providence of God which furnished us with that Strength Wealth happy Situation and Fertile Soyl which rendred us the Envy and Terrour of Antichrist And hence was it that our Church looked upon her self in relation to other Protestant Churches as the Elder Sister in the Family who being grown up to greater Strength and Abilities than the rest dischargeth the part of a Mother in giving her Assistance to the Younger and more tender Branches of that Houshould By pursuing this Pious State Maxim Englands Glorious Queen made her self the Nursing Mother of the whole Gospel-Reformation hereby she gave check to the power of Babylon and by making all true Protestants i.e. all true Christians her Friends she enabled England to make good her Oldest Maxim of State which was To keep the ballance of Europe equal and steady From whence it is evident if the Line which Succeeded that great Queen had Religiously pursued the Holy Politick of her Reign Europe had never heard of the overgrown greatness of France much less submitted to those Barbarous Insolencies which some places now groan under Nor had England at this day been startled by Popish Cut-throats who were to prepare the way for a French Invasion So that our Allies of the Roman Communion must allow this Protestant Maxim to be truly Catholick because their safety from the Power of France was wrapped up in it together with our own And hence it may be discern'd who amongst us are truest Protestants and best English-men Those who endeavour to heal up all Differences amongst Christian Churches who are willing to join with them in bonds of Affection as Fellow-members of the same Houshold of Faith or those who by vilifying all Foreign Reformations and all other Communions but their own divide the Body of Christ and the Affections of Christian Churches from one another From what hath been said also 't is evident that the Body of Anti-Christ can be no part of that One Body mentioned in my Text and no more within the perview of our Christian Law of Charity than Turks and Infidels I have read in the Turkish Alcoran some honourable mention of Jesus the Son of Mary but tho' the Mahometans join with us in paying some fort of Respect to our Saviour yet since they pay a greater Deference to their own Prophet and an intire submission to his Laws and since their Laws have inspir'd them with the Genius and Spirit of their Prophet which never faileth to exert itself in the highest degrees of Rage and Malice against all who profess an intire subjection to the Lord Jesus I do not remember that the Mosque hath ever been owned as a branch of the Christian Temple And altho' the State-politick Confederacy of Rome erect Temples and Altars to Christ tho more to his Mother yet in as much as they pay a more profound Respect to their own High Priest and the Laws which he hath confirmed and since the Genius and Spirit of those Laws is so directly opposed to the good Spirit of the Gospel that there is no Rebellion or Insurrection so bloody no Murder or Massacre so cruel no Conspiracy or Assassination so base and barbarous but what the Spirit of Popery not only alloweth but injoyneth in Opposition to those who own no High-Priest but the Lord Jesus it cannot easily be comprehended how the Mass-house should be any part of the Christian Church altho' the Papists assume to themselves in exclusion of all others the Sacred Name of Christians And in this they are follow'd by their Adherents among us tho' of another Denomination who chuse to serve Baal for the sake of Jehovah and to preserve our holy Christian Church in its original Purity joyn themselves to Antichrist This is indeed a Combination without precedent the Fundamental of their Faith is Contradiction and their Principles would best have been explained by the Philosopher who read Lectures concerning the blackness of Snow I have heard of a crazed Friar the fore-runner of these men who made his Prayer to God to reconcile himself to the Devil in order to establish Peace in the world just as this sort of Men assist French Dragoons into the Kingdom Popish Cut-throats into the Court and the late Subverter of our Religion and Laws into the Throne and all this in order to support the Church of England which Church does therefore cast them out as Apostates from her Communion But if there shall be found within the pale of our holy Church any Abettors of these Adherents who shall still be disputing our gracious King William's Right to the Brittish Throne who by divine Assistance first recovered and does still support all the Rights of these Kingdoms tho' this sort of men take great pains to sequester themselves from our Christian Charity yet I trust that God in his great mercy will continue to blast all the designs of Antichrist confound the Stratagems of Rome discover the Treacheries of France and prosper the Arms of our Rightfull and Lawfull Sovereign King William that his happy Success and our secure Settlement may be even to these men as a divine Illumination IV. The fourth general Head was the great motive to Christian Charity which in the Text is taken from our obligation to thankfulness be ye thankfull We cannot reflect upon any one reason which engageth us to be thankfull to God but what obligeth us to Charity towards one another Our Creation Preservation Redemption Means of Grace Hopes of Glory and all the Blessings of this Life for which we give daily Thanks are either common Bonds of Union or Talents to be employ'd for common good But how particular a motive to mutual Charity the wonderfull Deliverance which God hath so lately wrought doth assord us will appear if we consider the Particulars thereof so far forth as they have already been discovered as first The Deliverance of a Life as dear to us as the breath of our Nostrils from a barbarous Assassination and secondly Of our Nation from an unnatural Insurrection in order to assist a French Invasion All the parts of this Conspiracy were linked together in one Chain the Assassination was to facilitate the Insurrection the Insurrection to make way for the Invasion and all this in order to a French Conquest If any private person hath received injury from another there is in all civiliz'd Countries a Law and Court of Judicature from whence the Appellant may receive a Recompence so that there is no room left for any private Revenge much less for that which is in the highest degree barbarous as is an Assassination upon the meanest person If a difference ariseth between Sovereign Princes their