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	particular_a	pastor_n	2,231	5	9.9163	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18436	Charity enlarged: or The abridgement of the morall law Delivered by way of sermon, and preached for the maine substance thereof in a publicke assembly, on a lecture day, Dec. 4. Ao. Dom. 1634. and now published according to the authors review, with some new additions, for the farther instruction of the ignorant, satisfaction of the ingenuous, conviction of the uncharitable, and benefit of all sorts of people. By a serious welwisher to the peace of Ierusalem.	Serious welwisher to the peace of Jerusalem.	1636 (1636)	STC 5004; ESTC S119118	61,426	212

to commend my selfe as fooles use to doe though not foolishly with them to bespeake a good report from the people but as m 2 Cor. 12.5.11 Ch. 12 13. Ch. 10.8.17 18. compelled by you to justifie Gods gifts and graces in me and so to glorifie the author of all good Those men looke on things after the outward appearance 2 Cor. 10.7 whereas Christ forbids all such kind of judgement n Ioh. 7.24 But the kings daughter is all glorious within Psal 45.13 Lastly see how hee meetes with those that reviled him practizing upon them that revenge which hee had learned of Christ Matth. 5.44 and which hee taught his Romans Chap. 12.20 c. sc by rendring good for evill by powring upon their heads who were within full of heart burning towards him o Carbones congregabis c Rom. 12.20 Non in maledictum et condemnationē sed in correctionē poenitentiam ut superatus beneficijs ex●octus fervore Charita tis inimi us sse desistat Hier. circa finem lib. 1. Advers pelag onely such coales as were kindled by the fire of Charity 1 Cor. 4.11 hee saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. wee are buffeted it followeth in the next verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and wee labour Againe there being reviled wee blesse being persecuted wee suffer it yea more yet vers 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. being defamed we intreat sc God to forgive our enemies and 1 Tim. 4.10 we labour and suffer reproach saith he Odimur laboramus maledicimur benedicimus we labour and suffer reproach wee blesse being reviled Mee thinkes this is the most excellent motto that can bee inscribed on Levi his standard like that divine impresse on his forehead Exod. 28.36 and on his horses bridles Zach. 14.20 Holinesse to the Lord It is like the inscription upon Constantine his ensigne of the Crosse of Christ A figure then terrible to the adversaries onely not to the professours of Christianity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by this wee overcome even the whole world for faith is our victory Ioh. 5.4 and that works by such love as I have described with which I conclude all that I have hitherto spoken and this almost in S. Paul his owne words 1 Cor. 4.14 I write not I speake not these things to shame you either of the Clergy or Laity but to warne you on that side as beloved brethren on this other as beloved sonnes § 2. Of the application ad populum To the Laity Then in the next place Levi having first received his charge as once his maintenance apart from his brethren be p Gen. 49.2 ye gathered together all yee other sonnes of Israel in the unanimity of affection in the unity of the spirit and in the band of peace and heare attentively what your spiritual Father saith in his house in his testament both old new concerning first generall love towards all men Secondly speciall love towards all Christians Thirdly more particular love towards the Church first Nationall then Locall wherein you live and whereof you are members Fourthly singular love towards the Ministers of God but chiefly towards your owne severall pastors Fiftly and lastly mutuall love towards one another In our Liturgie wee are truely taught to pray for * 1 Of generall love towards al men ●● all men which we cannot doe as wee ought if wee be not in charity with all therefore we must love all all men are our brethren even the heathē jure naturae as q Tertul. in Apolo cap. 39. Tertullian saith i. e. by the right of nature and nature teacheth brethren to love one another Againe saith S. Augustine r Aug. de doct Christi lib. 1. cap. 27. Omnihomo in quan●um est homo diligendus est propter deum c. Although a sinner as a sinner ought not to be beloved yet ſ Charitas est dilectio qua d●ligitur Deus propter se proximus qui est omnis homo propter deum vel in Deo Lomb. 3. sen dist 27. lit B concords cum definitione Augustini lib. 3. de doct Chris Cap. 10 Sicut dilexi vos id est ad quod dilexi vos sci ut f● sitis ut vitam habeatis Lomb. loc cita lit D. ibid. lit b ait sicut dilexi vos id est propter deum Q●● enim nisi deum dilexit in nobis Christus non quem h●bebamus sed ut haberemus c. ex Aug. in loc Io● every man as a man is to bee loved for Gods sake i. e. as bearing the same image of God with us or as a convertible unto God by our meanes or others This is to love one another as Christ hath loved us Iohn 13. vers 34. Namely to love for Gods sake and that wee may bee made our selves and make others the sonnes of God that so they and wee may have eternall life together Lastly this love following our Saviours precept Matth. 5.45.48 is correspondent to God his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 t Tit. 3.4 i. e. his love to mankinde Verily God is loving to every man and his mercy is over all his workes Psal 145.3 The mercy of man of fraile imperfect man surely is toward his neighbour u Sci. His neighbour by reason of kindred or cohabitation or some beneficiall relation whereas hee should love his neighbour in the large● extension i. e. every man est enim proximus multiplex secundū Lomb. 3. sen dist 28. 1. conditione primae nativitatis 2. Spe conversionis bis duo bus modis quisque homo est proximus 3. Propinquitate cognationis sic est una tantum familia proximorum 4. Ratione beneficij exhibitionit 5. Addendum ratione propinquae cohab●tationis quae est vulgaris potius quam theologica verbi acceptio 2. Of spirituall love towards al those that hold the founation of christianity but the mercy of the Lord is upon all flesh saith the sonne of Sirach Ecclus. 18.13 then since God his hand of bounty is stretched out and opened to all flesh what convulsion of uncharitablenesse is it that so shrinkes up our armes that we cannot hold them out to our owne flesh But truly God is especially loving or good to Israel Psal 73.1 so let our chiefe love be towards the whole Church of God stirring up our prayers and all our endeavours for the generall peace of Ierusalem For they shall prosper that love her Psal 122.6 Surely if every man bee to bee loved as a man as S. Augustine hath taught us though not as a sinner much rather every Christian is to bee loved as a Christian though not as an erronious Christian As erronious onely I say For if hee destroy the foundation by any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. damnable heresie as S. Peter calls it Ep. 2. Ch. 2.1 w Non enim quaelibet haeresis destruit fundamentum mortifera est Notissimum est quod tum

there is no such end as of other precepts I have seene an end of all perfection Psalm 119.96 But thy commandement is exceeding broad quia ubi est charitas ibi non est Angustia for where for where there is Charity there is no straitnesse S. Paul a man of transcendent Charity tells his Corinthians that his p 2 Cor. 6.11 12. mouth was open towards them his heart enlarged Yee are not sayes he straightned in us whose love is abundant to doe you good but yee are straitned in your owne bowells you want affection to receive or acknowledge such good q August ibid. vis non Angustari In lato habita i. e. in Charitate Wilt not thou then bee straitned on what side soever either in communicating good where it is due or suffering evill which thou hast not deserved r Dilatamini vos sc haritate ib. ●13 dwell at large that is in Charity ſ Psal 101.2 In the midst of this house thou shalt bee sure to walke with David with a perfect heart without Charity no perfection for it fulfills the law t August in Psal 100. Lat. Translat Arcta omnis malitia est sola innocentia lata est Malice and all wickednesse straitens and shackells the soule onely innocence which is the immediate fruit of charity is of a diffusive v Out of the abundance of the Charity of the heart the mouth speaketh the words of Charity that tend to edification And alwaies the heart is larger than the mouth that affects more than this can utter Sincere Charity speakes more than shee talkes yea shee cryes to God for others with Moses Exod. 14.15 when her tongue is silent But on the other side the tongue may speake many things for necessity for vain glory for advantag sake and yet all that is said may be nothing without charity 1 Cor. 13 1. Goe first get a charitable heart then loquere ut te videam speake that I may see thy charity and enlarging nature It widens the narrow heart of man into a receptacle for him who is incomprehensible into a pleasant walke or holy Temple for him whom the heaven of heavens cannot containe For God hath promised to those that keepe his statutes which love fulfills to walke amongst them Levit. 26.3.12 i. e. to dwell in them to walk in them as in a Temple 2 Cor. 6.16 But froward thoughts separate from God and into a malicious soule wisdome wilt not enter sayes the Author of the booke of Wisedome Chap. 1.3.4 But to conclude this point note that though Charity reach unto all in the latitude of her extension yet shee affects not all men in the same degree of intension But as heat diffused through a large roome from the same fire is more intense to those that stand neare unto that fire more remisse to those that are farther of but yet it warmes all more or lesse so Charity is extended to every one in the whole circuit of the world but not equaliter equally the heate of her affection is greatest to the nearest shee teaches us as well to love one as another For our neighbour is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any other besides our selves but shee bindes us not to love one as well as another ordinavit in me Charitatem saith the Spouse w Vul. Trans Canticles 1.4.10 Hee hath ordered my charity x Casian col 6. cap. 14. The degrees of Charity Haec est charitas ordinata odio habens neminem quosdam meritorū jure plus diligens This is ordered charity which hates none but loves some more than others for their deserts sake Love must bee without dissimulation to all not without severall degrees to divers objects y Incomparabiliter plus charitatis deo debemus quam nobis Nam Deum propter sc nos vero proximos propter deum diligere debemus August Lib. 8. de trim cap. 8. The extremity or utmost of our love is due to God nothing is to bee loved above him nothing in competition with him all things in subordination to him z Ille iustè sanctè vivit qui rerum integer aestimator est Ipse est autem qui ordinatam dilectionem habet ne aut diligat quod non est diligendum aut non diligat quod est diligendum aut amplius diligat quod minus est diligendum aut aequè diligat quod vel minus vel amplius est diligendum aut minus vel amplius diligat quod aeque est di●igindum Aug Lib 1. de doct Christ cap. 27. Id. Aug ib. cap. 23. in enumeratione obiectorum quae sunt diligenda ordinem dilectionis insinuat 1. quod supra nos 2. quod nos 3. quod iuxta nos 4. quod infra nos ut not ex eo Lomb. 3. sent dist 29. Lit. A. Next to him and under him the Church challenges the height of love First as shee is Catholicke then as shee is Nationall lastly as shee is a I meane limited to a particular dioces or parish wherein wee live locall This love men owe as Christians Now as the lives of men are subject to the government of one kind or other in respect not onely of religion but externall policy and order they owe as I suppose love b So Lucan sayes of Cato Lib. 2. p. 42. that he was Iustitiae cultor rigidi servator honesti that his opinion was Non sibi sed toti genitum se credere mundo and therefore he himselfe was In commune bonus urbi pater est urbique maritus first to mankind to the good of the universe then to that c Et Clcero ait non nobis solum nasci mur c. neque sane nobis primo nascimur sed patriae state and commonwealth under which they live Lastly to that incorporation or place wherein they dwell For still caeteris paribus all things being alike bonum quò communius eo melius Good is so much the more amiable by how much it is the more generall This love moves inanimate creatures to leave their particular nature to serve the universall as the ayre to descend to avoyd vacuity which nature abhorres This love mooved Codrus the Decij to devote themselves to death for their countries sake Is this a small matter to save a body politick by the temporall destruction or abscision of one of the members See the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of humane Charity d Exod. 32.31 in Moses and e Rom. 9 1. Paul offering up their soules in f Hom. 16. upon the Romans Saint Chrysostomes judgement and bodies to eternall death to procure mercy and salvation unto Israel and so more ample glory to God g Coment in Lo. Calvin supposes those wishes to have proceeded out of rashnesse and confusion of mind as if saith he they had bin in a ecstacy besides themselves desiring that which was impossible who may both returne that answer

apud patres tum Scholasticos quilibet error circa religionem ortus haeresis d●citur inveteratus vero pertinaciter defensus schisma vocatur Immo Zacharias papa asserentes Antipodes aliquas esse haereseos damnavit or if he apostatize from the faith hee is then no Christian at all It was a famous proverbe in the primitive times which now reflects infamy upon our dayes x Tertull. in Apol. ca. 39. vide Act. 4.32 Ecce ut se invicem diligunt Christiani See how the Christians love one another Then hatred of Christians declared men to bee no Christians at all and can it now consist with any new stampe of Christianity I conclude this point with that of Saint Augustine y Aug. de Bap. Cont. donat l. 3. cap. 16. Non habent dei Charitatem qui non diligunt ecclesiae unitatem id est they have not the love of God in them who love not the unity of the Church of God or the Church in unity In the next place let us looke with a tender eye of affection upon our mother Church our Ierusalem which is as a Citty that is compact together whither the tribes goe up to the testimony of Israel Psal 122.3 4. reade the glosse on the place which runnes thus By the artificiall joyning and beauty of the houses hee meaneth the concord and love that was between the Cittizens In like manner let us who are the united members of the same Church in joynt affection though in severall assemblies endeavour all as one man to be of one heart and of one minde as those converts were Act. 4.32 Away farre away with that factious love which is as it were impropriated from the unity of the Church and appropriated to I know not what selected brotherhood● distinguished by new-fangled liveries of religion z This is to make Gods heritage a bird of divers and therefore superstitious colours of which God complaines Ierem. 12.9 whereas the Church should be as an army with banners Cantic 6.10 namely in which all hold together and follow the same colours so let all Christians follow the unvaried ensigne of Christs Crosse Why I beseech you good people have not wee all one father a Quanto dignino fratres dìcuntur qui unum patrem deum agnoscant qui unum spiritum biberunt sanctitaris qui de uno utero ignorantiae ejusdem ad unam lucem expiraverunt veritatis Tertull. Apo cap 39. Did not one God make us Mal. 2.10 yea have wee not all one father as well by redemption as by creation Thou Lord art our Father our Redeemer Esa 63.16 Or be some bastards and not sonnes Are we not fratres uterini borne all of the same mother the same Church by the same Spirit and by the same laver of regeneration brought out of the common wombe of naturall ignorance and originall sinne into the marvailous light of the same divine truth and grace Are wee not all without question in Charities judgement nourished with the same spirituall and sacramentall foode Did not our Saviour pay a sufficient price to redeeme us all or lastly cannot one b Sumus corpus de conscientia religionis disciplina veritate spei foedere Coim●s in caetum quasi manufacta deum precationibus ambimus Tertull in Apolog. cap. 39. Church hold us all in the same faith and hope under the same order of discipline or may not one heaven hold us all hereafter sure I am it cannot hold us and our uncharitable opinions or schismaticall practises the severall roomes there are for severall degrees of glory certainly not for severall factions For if Ierusalem that is below much more shee that is above is a Citty that is compact together or as another translation goeth at unity in it selfe The beauty of a body politicke or naturall consists not so much in the excellency of severall parts as in the Symmetry and proportion of all parts together So that hee that defaces any part deformes and marres all even so the beauty and grace of Christs body the Church consists not in the absolute perfection of some few parts but in the relation which all the parts have the one to the other in the communion of Saints This makes Christs spouse though c Cant. 1.5 blacke by the reliques of sinne yet comely by concord and causeth all her actions to shine forth though not without spot yea in d 1 Cor. 14.40 decency and order as the Moone shines in her season for the Church is faire as the e Cant. 6.10 ibid. Moone even in this life but she is cleare as the Sunne onely in the life to come Now they which break this order of the Church by schisme not onely impaire the comelinesse but alter the very constitution of Christs body and so dispose it to finall corruption Divines prove God to be immortall because he is indivisible and Philosophers prove both the greater world the universe and the lesser world man to be mortall because both consists of contrary elements which by little aad little prepare unto the dissolution of the whole which is then neare at hand when there is excesse of any of them in a notable measure as the f 2 Pet. 3.6 overflowing of water destroyed the old world and a g 2 Pet. 3.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Procellae in morem interprete Erasmo Sic mentio fit pluviae ignis Gen. 19.24 storme or flood of fire shall overwhelme this or in the lesser world as redundancie of watry flegme or fiery choler soone brings us to our end of consumption But wee are united to Christ our head by faith and to one another by love neither doe petty errours dissolve the one band nor petty quarrells breake the other For then Christ should bee as oft re-united to his members and they to one another as h Maecenas toties litem agebat cum uxore toties amorem cum câ redinte grabat ut dictum sit Hunc esse qui uxorem millies duxit cum unam habuerit Sen Epi. 114. Idem lib. de providen c. 3. de scribit eundem Maecenateum amoribus anxium morosae uxoris quoridiana repudi● deflentem Maecenas was married to the same wife as it were a new But capitall heresies which cut Christ the head of the Church quite off or notorious schismes which divide the principall parts of the spirituall body cause the speedy ruine of a Church For as the parts of a naturall so of the spirituall body have no life in them being severed from the head Ierusalem may well stand though a few stones drop out of her walls and draw some that lye nearest unto them out with them but when the intire walls begin to be battered downe at once then her curse is neare viz. that a stone shall not be left upon a stone A Church may still flourish though some busie factionists separate themselves from her and draw a few