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	part_n	pastor_n	1,253	5	9.2889	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66578	Nehushtan, or, A sober and peaceable discourse, concerning the abolishing of things abused to superstition and idolatry which may serve as one intire, and sufficient argument, to evince that the liturgy, ceremonies, and other things used at this day in the Church of England, ought neither to be imposed, nor retained, but utterly extirpated and laid aside : and to vindicate the non-conformists in their refusal to close with them.	Wilson, Joseph, d. 1678.	1668 (1668)	Wing W2927; ESTC R38669	118,485	216

Rivet vol. 2. in Hos 2.16 p. 558. Voetius select disp part 2. p. 607. or in a way of approbation but out of necessity and by way of distinction only that we may signifie our minds and make known what we have to impart These being our utmost bounds in this case how Mr. Ritschel who thinks that though we may lawfully lay aside abused phrases that yet we are not by any law bound to it wil justifie the Lutherans of Augusta in the voluntary and unnecessary retaining of the word Mass which he thought fit to instance in in favour of his cause I leave him to consider But to proceed if God will have not only the Idols themselves but their very names abolished what shall we think of such Authors as Erasmus Politian Lipsius with many more of the same stamp who upon every occasion invocate and swear by the heathenish deities mentioning them so frequently as if they could not speak elegantly unless they stuff their discourses with their names What more ordinary than Dii Immortales Propitia Minerva Mehercule and a thousand more such passages unfit to enter into a Christians mouth what lightness and vanity of this kind Castellio hath shew'd in his Translation Beza Praef. in def translat suae cont Castell Praefat. in Nov. test Grac. 160. Hist t. 2. l. 35. p. 271. Psal 2.12 Ad Christum referre ipsa absurditate absurdius est in Job 31.17 Stephanus Thuanus have pritty well told him That Christians should use heathenish terms in their ordinary discourse is sad but that they should bring them into the Bible and make the Holy Ghost speak such language is intollerable Drusius speaking of that passage Kiss the Sun and of some that think the Psalmist doe's in the use of it allude to the manner of Idolaters who testified their reverence and subjection to their Idols by kissing their hands saith to referr it to Christ is most absurd He thought it an improbable thing that the Psalmist should expresse the honour due to Christ by a Phrase in use among Idolaters And there passes a manuscript from hand to hand said to be written by that learned man Dr. Sanderson wherein he advises us to observe formam sanorum verborum and to abstain not only from suspected opinions but as much as may be also from scandalous and offensive Phrases Nay some of the Papists themselves do concurr with us herein Aquinas discoursing of unfit words and expressions produces a passage out of an Epistle of Pope Leo to Proterius Bishop of Alexandria Vnde Leo Papa in quadam Epistola c. 22. q. 11. a. 2.2 Nunquam probavi vocem Divus c. init Beatus Sylvester nolens c. Ration l. 7. c. 1. n. 11. p. 426. See the Rhemists Annot. on 2 Cor. 6.14 1 Tim. 6.4 Rev. 1.10 wherein he tells him that the enemies of the Cross of Christ do diligently observe all our words and syllables that so if we give them the least occasion they may improve it against us And Bellarmine being grown old and better advis'd having in the first book and the third chapter of his disputations de verbo dei used the heathenish term Divus he do's in his recognition of that book admonish his Reader about it telling him he never thought fit to give that title to Saints not only because he found it not used by the antient Latin Fathers but likewise because the heathens gave it to their gods and therefore will have him to know that wherever he meets with that term in his writings it either fell from him imprudently or else was put in by the Printer without his order And Durand shews that Pope Sylvester judging it unfit to speak of the dayes under Jewish terms such as prima Sabbati secunda Sabbati or under heathenish terms such as dies Solis dies Lunae appointed they should speak of them under the terms feria prima feria secunda which he look'd upon as more harmless and inoffensive Had they taken the same course in other matters they had come nearer to the present example of Hezekiah and administred less matter of scandal and separation Sect. 5. 3. HE would have such times as have been devoted to superstitious and idolatrous services and thereby have been defiled to be laid aside It hath been the manner of superstitious and Idolatrous people out of the blind reverence and indiscreet devotion which they have born to their respective deities to set apart some special times in their behalf which they have esteem'd holy and spent in the solemnities belonging to them As the Jews celebrated feast dayes in the honour of their God so did Idolaters in the honour of theirs Jeroboam did so in the honour of his Gods 1 Kings 12.32 Dan. 5.1 5. and Belshazzar in the honour of his And who hath not heard of the Saturnalia Bacchanalia Lupercalia and such like festivals among the Romans in the celebration whereof they committed such horrible wickedness Now when men do either appropriate time to false gods take up superstitious opinions of them or imploy them in unlawful services they do thereby imprint such defilement on them as renders them unfit for more pious and holy use The Jews not thinking it sufficient to give their festivals the sober and just respect belonging to them did no less than make Idols of them in ascribing to them those virtues and excellencies which were not in them and thereby cast such filth upon them as rendred them unmeet for those who professed the Gospel and desired to keep themselves pure to have any thing to do with them This the Apostles saw and therefore would not give way that the people under their charge should joyn in the observance of them And when Paul took notice that the Galatians notwithstanding this did observe them he blames them for it Ye observe saith he dayes Gal. 4.10 and months and times and years Nay he was so affected with it that he tells them in plain terms he was affraid he had bestowed upon them labour in vain The reason wherefore he was so much set against the observing of these festivals was not only because Christ was come and the Ceremonial Law whereon they depended abrogated Cultum meritum c. in loc but because the Jews both had and did as Pareus shews abuse them to superstition by ascribing merit and satisfaction to them which was highly injurious to the interest of Christ and the design of the Gospel Concil Tolet. 4. can 10. Grat. decret part 2. caus 26. q. 7. c. 13. Baron ad ann 184. And if we consult the Records of the Church we shall find that the Godly Pastors Teachers and Christians of succeeding ages look'd upon the abuse of such and such times and dayes as a good and sufficient reason wherefore they should decline the observation of them They would not observe the Calends of January nor Play-dayes in the beginning of the Spring

his own Supper and one is hungry and another is drunken what have ye not houses to eat and drink in The Jews and the Heathens likewise had a double kind of feasting the one was wholly and altogether of a civil nature having no relation to their Sacrifices and was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the liberal drinking used at it Ester 5.6 Isa 29.1 Dout. 16.14 Quasi char tatis Christianae Symbola vincula in loc See Just Mart. Apol. 2. p. 97. Ed. Morell c. Tertul. Apol. p. 69. Ed. Pamel The other was in a sort religious inasmuch as it immediately succeeded their Sacrifices whence it was called ●n which signifies both sacrifice and feast Now the Corinthians in complyance herewith still when they had eaten the Euc harist celebrated certain feasts which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 charities or loves for that they were as Pareus shews as it were the testimonies and bonds thereof The manner of the Christians of those times was to meet every first day of the week and when they were come together they begun their service with Prayers for the Church the Emperors and others which being ended they rose up and kissed each other Then he who was Lector read to them some part of the Prophets and Apostles and he having done the Praepofitus or President made a Sermon wherein he exhorted them to faith piety and vertue When the Sermon was over they went to prayer again and so proceeded to the Eucharist and then to the collection part whereof by the Presidents appointment was distributed among the indigent and the rest laid out in provision for the love-feast at which rich and poor sate familiarly together refreshing themselves not only with the sober use of the creatures but likewise with religious conferences and sacred hymns Thus they managed things for a space in divers places and particularly at Corinth And had they stuck here they had not laid themselves under such censure and reproof as they met with from the Apostle Agapas qnamvis d●u quidem laudabiliter anctoribus ipsis Apostolis in Ecclesiis usurpat as c. Apud Trem. Jun. Bibl. in loc but not contenting themselves herewith they brake forth into several disorders such as preposterousness contempt of the poor divisions schisms intemperance and the like which he being informed of labors to take them off those feasts and bring them back to the first institution of the Supper willing them since they could make no better use of them to forbear them The substance of what I have said concerning this matter you may take in the words of Beza The love-feasts saith he were by the authority of the Apostles themselves long and laudably used in the Churches but because of their abuse the Apostle Paul judg'd they ought to be laid aside We see then that though these love feasts were so antient of Apostolical institution and might had they been rightly observ'd have contributed much towards the advancement of piety and charity yet when the Apostle saw them so abused he takes them away See Moulins Nov. of Pop. l. 1. c. 15. Sect. 30. p. 53. Gillesp against the Cerem p. 108 271. And if he dealt thus with them what would he do you think have done with our Christmas Easter and Whitsontide solemnities wherein men drown themselves in all manner of riotousness and licentiousness as if they were then at absolute li-l berty and not under any law save what either the emptiness of their purses or weakness of their appetites do give them Do you think such plea's as Mountagu Selden Fisher use in the behalf of them would have prevail'd with him to have spar'd them I suppose not 2. The Christians of former times had a friendly kind of salutation wherein in token of love peace familiarity and brotherly respect they kissed each other Rom. 16.16 1 Pet. 5.14 This the Apostles often make mention of calling it one while an holy kiss another while a kiss of charity And it being not only an innocent but in some respects a convenient custom of long standing amongst che Jews from whom they deriv'd it they did not only allow the faithful to use it but exhorted them to it What more frequent in the close of Pauls Epistles than Rom. 16.16 2 Cor. 13.12 1 Thes 5.26 salute one another with an holy kiss which yet we must not understand as if that serious pious holy mortified man intended them the liberty of any salutations that were light or vain or any way unbecoming the strictness and honor of the Christian Religion it were no less than impious absurdity to entertain such a thought but that in the same way whereby they were wont to express their civil respects he would have them to shew their Christian respect to each other And for the utter removal of all matter of suspicion and jealousie in the case we must know that it was not his mind that the men and women should in the sacred assemblies where this custome did in an especial manner take place Gen. 29.13.33.4.45.15 promiscuously embrace and kiss each other but that the Men as was usual among the Jews should do it by themselves and the Women by themselves for the Men and Women as Baronius well observes did not sit as they do amongst us Ad. ann 45. Sect. 26. in a mixed way but apart It is not to be imagined that he who wrote so much about abstaining from appearance of evil shunning occasions of sin avoiding of scandal and laboured so much to maintain the honor of the Gospel should allow much less exhort them to express their respect in the assemblies in the former promiscuous way but in the latter which as it was common so it was less lyable to exception and offence I speak this the rather to obviate the Atheistical profane vanity of some who that they may the better disgrace religion and bring it into contempt use to make themselves merry with such kind of passages Well this custome having this foundation Ed. Paris graecol a Jac. Goar p. 134 c. Ad. ann 45. Sect. 26. Com. in Rom. 16. De Antiq Bapt rit l. 1. c. 36. hath spread far and continued long In the Greek Church it remains to this day as several passages in their Euchologium shew And in the West it remain'd so long till it became highly abused which the Pastors of the Church taking notice of did for the preventing of scandal and other evils likely to proceed from it prudently disswade from the further use of it upon which it was omitted and laid aside not without the approbation of Baronius A Lapide Vicecomes though men as tenacious of abused customes as most that their Church hath afforded 3. It was an use among the Christians heretofore in the honor of deceased Saints who had born eminent witness to the truth to celebrate nocturnal vigils or night watches Their manner was

p. 68. Ps 78.60 1 Chron. 15.1.16.1 and forbids his servants to come at it And when the Prophet contrary to his command ate and drank in it he was so incensed against him that he caused a Lion to meet him and slay him Nay the Tabernacle it self though it was made by his special appointment consecrated to his special honour and had for a long time been imployed in his special service yet when it became defiled he cast it off forsook it and never made use of it more He would neither have the Ark brought back to it nor it fetch'd to the Ark but caused a new one to be made wherein it re●●●'d 〈◊〉 the building of the Temple These you 'l easily grant were emphatical intimations of his Mind and strong motives to stir up this people both to decline and abolish such abused places yet such was either their love to them or want of zeal against them that they still let them alone to the high provoking of him and insnaring of themselves who were so apt to be overcome by every temptation And thus notwithstanding the many good men that time after time they had amongst them it continued all along down to the dayes of Hezekiah who was the first that undertook their removal He being acquainted with the mind of God in this particular and indued with a Spirit of rare and princely zeal no sooner gets the Crown upon his head but he goes up to the high places and destroys them with all the instruments and incitements of Idolatry he found in them Amongst all the particulars mentioned in his reformation this is the first that he removed the high places Presently after him rises up the famous Josiah who though when he entred upon the Kingdome 2 Kings 23.7 c. he came short of him in years yet not in zeal Such was his indignation against all false and corrupt worship that he went through out all Judah and Israel and demolish'd the high places groves houses and what ever had been an occasion thereof I say Judah and Israel for though Israel at that time were a distinct Kingdom and govern'd by another power yet the Inhabitants thereof were then carried away and those who remain'd regarded not what became of the Idols that were amongst them which before they had so much doted on but gave way to this good Prince to come and do with them what he pleased and he having such liberty went to them and utterly destroy'd them The like is reported of Asa and Jehoshaphat though their zeal did not carry them so farr as to remove all such places as had been abused yet it put them upon removing all such as had been abused to Idolatry 2 Chron. 14.3.17.6 1 Kings 15.14.22.43 It s said both of the one and the other that he took away the high places Indeed in the Kings it s said they did not take away the high places but there the Holy Ghost speaks not ad idem he there speaks of other high places then he intends in the Chronicles There were two sorts of high places excelsa cultus idololatrici and excelsa cultus divini The former were consecrated to Idols and used in their worship the latter to God and used in his Now they should have taken away both these the former because they had been abused to Idolatry the people having worshipped a false god in them the latter because they both had been and still were likely to be abused to superstition the people worshipping the true God in them after a wrong manner inasmuch as they did it not in the place he had appointed and set apart for that end and purpose But they contented themselves with removing the former suffering the latter to remain which the Holy Ghost takes notice of and blames them for Thus you see what God commanded Julius Firmicus de Err. profan relig p. 68. Ed. Wouver Enseb vit Const l. 3. c. 52. Niceph. l. 8. c. 33. l. 12. c. 24 c. Socrat. l. 5. c. 15. c. Sozom. l. 2. c. 4. l. 5. c. 7. l. 7. c. 15. Ruffin l. 2. c. 23. Theodoret l. 5. c. 3. August Serm. 241. Cent. Magd. cent 4. c. 15. Zanch. vol. 2. col 406. Com. in Deut. 12. 2. Colloq Momp part 2. p. 29. Com. in 2 Reg. 10.27 Pol. Christ l. 3. p. 229. Synt. l. 10. c. 68. vol. 2. col 711. and the most pious Kings in the time of the Old Testament practiced as to the present business They suffered not the Temples Chappels Houses Groves and other places that had been abused to remain but set upon them and demolish'd them And if we come in to the times of the New Testament we shall find that such Christian Emperors Kings Princes States as have been tender of the glory of God and the beauty of Religion have taken the same course No sooner did the civil powers after our Saviours time become Christian but the Pastors of the Church addressing themselves to them and acquainting them with the danger of the reviving of Idolatry so long as the Pagan Temples remain'd they gave order that they should be demolish'd And when God was pleased some years ago to begin a reformation of Religion amongst us the Magistrates of these and other Nations did the like they fell upon the Abbies Monasteries and other places that the Papists had polluted with their Idolatry and pull'd them down to the ground And herein they did no more than what was allowed by Calvin Beza Wolphius Danaeus Polanus and the ablest Teachers of the reformed Churches Zanchy who hath writ a learned Treatise on this subject is so peremptory in it that he cries out Quis hunc zelum Domini improbare queat Who can be against this zeal of the Lord Let such places alone and there is danger they will in time be imployed to bad uses as they have been heretofore Hereof History affords too many instances Euseb vit Const l. 3. c. 52. Theod. hist l. 5. c. 20. Socrat. hist l. 3. c. 1. Zanch. vol. 2. col 709. Pet. Mart in 2 Reg. 10.27 Constantine hated Idols forbad the worship of them and destroyed divers of their Temples yet left others standing and so upon Julians coming to the Empire and allowing the Heathens the liberty of their religion they entred into them and celebrated their idolatrous mysteries in them as in times past This Theodosins taking notice of did not only forbid the worship of Idols and destroy some of their Temples but levell'd all before him and thereby buried Idolatry with the instruments of it in oblivion Though pious Magistrates do by laws forbid Idolaters the worship of their false Gods yet so long as they see their Temples stand they will be in hopes of recovering of their liberty and when they have it will enter into them and abuse them as much as ever Lavater therefore thinks it meet that all such places should be destroyed Com. in 2

See Dr. Hamm. in Mat. 15.3 Mar. 7.4 The Sanhedrim appointed it to be observed as a standing Ordinance insomuch that a man must not eat till he had performed it Nay some of their Rabbi's laid such stress on it that they counted him guilty of no less than a capital offence and worthy of death who neglected it R. Aquiba saith in plain terms that he who takes meat with unwash'd hands is worthy of death and being in prison and having water given him both to wash with and drink and by accident spilling one half of it he wash'd him in the remainder thinking it fitter to do so than drink it nay to dye rather than to violate the tradition of his Ancestors And R Jose saith that to eat with unwash'd hands is all one as to lye with a Whore which yet their law punished with death Now our Saviour taking notice of the great and horrible abuse of this rite charges the Scribes and Pharises with it asserts the liberty of his Disciples and encourages them to stand out against it Though a rite in it self be never so lawful yet gross abuse renders it unfit for further use And thus divers Persons and Churches in different ages See Hommius disp Theolog. 45. Sect. 4. p. 246. have conceiv'd and therefore have declared against nay wholly abolished various ceremonies meerly upon this account because they have been abused and have look'd upon that as a sufficient reason for their so doing It seems to be a thing of an arbitrary and indifferent nature whether in the ordinance of Baptism Quia nunc huc usque ab hareticis infans in baptismo tertio mergebatur fiendum apud vos esse non censeo c. l. 1. Ep. 41. we use a trin-immersion that is a threefold dipping or plunging or a single one yet some antient Churches have refused to use the former upon this account that it was abused by Hereticks and Idolaters The western Bishops taking notice how the Arrians made use of it to signifie a trinity of natures in the godhead thought those Churches did no other than what was convenient who declin'd it Gregory the great writing to Leander one of the Bishops of Spain whose manner was to dip but once tells him that they at Rome did it three times and upon what account partly to represent our Saviours lying three dayes in the grave partly to signifie the Trinity of persons subsisting in the divine Essence Simplicem teneamus baptismi mersionem c. can 5. yet lets him know that in regard Hereticks used to do it he thought they in Spain ought to forbear it and to dip but once And the fourth Council of Toledo treading in his steps do in the like manner assert and commend the use of single immersion and that for this reason lest they should seem to allow of the opinion of the Arrians who used it to a contrary end Though the Bishops of this Council thought trin-immersion lawful nay in some respects convenient and useful yet in regard Hereticks with whom they were not to hold communion or confirm in their way both had and did abuse it they thought good to wave it and content themselves with a single immersion which had not been so abused neither neither would be so scandalous and offensive And the Divines of the reformed Churches beyond the Seas do ordinarily in their writings shew the concurrence of their judgements with them herein Pelican is full and vehement Voluit Deus una lege abominari abjici c. in Levit. 18.3 4. writing upon one of the Levitical precepts against the Jews symbolizing with Idolaters he thus delivers himself God saith he by this one law would have them cast away and abhorr whatsoever had in worship pleased the Gentiles much more care ought Christians to have of this who being taught to worship God in Spirit and Truth ought first and last to have abhorred the idle unreasonable and deceitfull forms and rites of Idolaters Modo ne superstitio pravus abusus eos abolere cogat Epist ad Versipell p. 413 which if the antient Bishops had well understood the Church had never been pestred with so many profane rites and base ceremonies by which it is come to pass that some Christians differ little from the antient Gentiles save in the names of their Idols To the same purpose writes Calvin As for antient rites saith he which it is lawful indifferently to use because they are consentaneous to the word we reject them not provided superstition and evil abuse compell us not to abolish them Addititias illas innumerabiles nugas c. Disp Genev. 66 84. de Caena adv Hargium p. 4 Beza goes so far that I believe there are few Non-conformists in England will say more The trifles saith he which had proceeded to manifest superstition we have abolished as will-worship And we affirm that they who retain the reliques of unprofitable ceremonies and out of preposterous judgement correct them rather than abolish them deserve ill of the Churches Yet some there are who would have Pastors put on garments which if not by their first bringing in yet by their abuse are Baals garments The Church of England likewise renders this as you heard even now as the weightyest reason of abolishing certain of the ceremonies that they have been so much abused Nay Lyra a Papist writeing on the forementioned precept against symbolizing saith Intendit excludere a filiis Israel omnem Gentilem ritum that God intended thereby to exclude from the children of Israel every rite of the Gentiles And the reason hereof was partly because they had abused and defiled them with their superstitions and partly because he would not have his people hold communion with them And thus I have dispatch'd the second particular and shew'd what those things be that God upon their being abus'd would have laid aside Sect. 7. Thirdly HAving in the preceding particular See this point handled in Zanch. vol. 2. col 406 799 shewed what things upon their being abused are to be laid aside I shall in the next place acquaint you to whom the power and duty of doing it do's belong If such things must be removed it concerns us to inquire who must do it that so in order to the effecting of it Walae●s loc co●● p. 542. we may neither usurp what is above us nor neglect what belongs to us Now for the better clearing of this matter we must consider that the management of the work is either more private or publick The more private management of it belongs to every particular Christian who in his respective place is to contribute his assistance towards the promoting of it Ministers in their places are by preaching writing discoursing to shew the scandalousness and dangerousness of them people in their places are to decline the use of them and both Ministers and people in their several places are to remove such of