Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	day_n	observe_v	sabbath_n	4,146	5	9.8777	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42679	A general epistle given forth in obedience to the God of peace. [part 1] for the preservation and increase of charity and unity amongst the professors of Christ Jesus, and the teachings of his divine light within / by ... William Gibson.	Gibson, William, 1629-1684.	1682 (1682)	Wing G684_pt1; ESTC R18589	75,922	183

words viz But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to Devils and not to God See Acts 15. 28. And I would not that ye should have fellowship with Devils My Friends these Testimonies I bring not only to shew good Conscience from evil Conscience and weak from strong but also to shew how careful the Apostle was that those believing Gentiles who had received the knowledge of the one true God should walk in faithfulness to him according to the knowledge which he had given them that by their good conversation in Christ as well as by their preaching of the word and Doctrine of the Gospel those Idolaters might be turned from their dumb Idols to serve the living God Concerning them that are weak in the Faith YET something further concerning them that are weak in the Faith The Apostle writing to the believing Romans writes thus viz. Him that is weak in the Faith receive you But not to doubtful disputations for one believeth that he may eat all things another who is weak eateth hearbs Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him One man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike Let every man be fully persuaded in his own Mind c. See Rom. 8. 1 5 c. My Friends some unruly and some unskilful persons of our time who would be accounted strong faithful and wise under the Profession of the Light of Christ Within have endeavoured to strain and wrest this last cited Scripture thereby to justifie and cover themselves in the practising of some things which are contrary to the Truth as it is in Christ Jesus as also in the omitting and neglecting of some things which the Light of Jesus hath led the faithful into not only the Elders or aged in Christ but the younger also In bearing with weakness we are of the Apostles mind and concerning eating of Hearbs or any sort of Food or Meat we would have all who profess the Light of Christ Jesus to wait diligently in it that by it their Understandings may be cleared that they may see as the Apostle did and be persuaded as he and many more were and are that there is nothing unclean of it self that so out of weakness they may grow strong in the Lord. The same Apostle who took this care that they might not judge one another about Meats Drinks and Days Hear what he further saith concerning these things when some among the Christians would or did command to abstain from Meats and would have it received as a Principle or Doctrine of Christ in his Church then the Apostle judged it and ranks it as one of the Doctrines of Devils See Tim. 4. 1 2 3. Observe whilst the abstaining from Meats in the before mentioned sense was practised as a Weakness which it really was through shortness of Understanding he bore with it and exhorted others so to do saying We who are strong ought to bear the Infirmities of the weak Rom. 15. 1. But when some did account themselves strong and wise in Christianity but were not so would have enjoined it as a Command that he judged as aforesaid Concerning Days AGain concerning Days hear what he saith viz. Howbeit then when ye knew not God ye did service to them which by nature are no Gods But now after that ye have known God or rather are known of God how turn ye again to the weak and beggerly Elements whereunto ye desire again to be in Bondage Ye observe Days and Months and Times and Years I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed on you Labour in vain Brethren I beseech you to be as I am Gal. 4. 8 9 10 11. Again hear what he saith viz. Now the God of Patience and Consolation grant that you be like minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus that you may with one Mind and one Mouth glorifie God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 15. 5 6. Again hear what the Apostle saith concerning these things writing to the believing Colossians viz. Let no man therefore judge you in Meat or in Drink or in respect of an holy day or of the New Moon or of the Sabbath days which are a shadow of things to come But the body is of Christ c. Col. 2. 16 17. Observe That the Apostles and Primitive faithful Christians who bore with the weaknesses of some in their observation of Days and limiting themselves to eating of Hearbs they were not to be judged in their eating or drinking who eat and drank in the Faith and Counsel of God neither were they to be judged because they did not observe the Jews Holy-days so called neither because they did not observe the Jews New Moons or Sabbath days which are a shadow for they were come to Christ who is the end of the Law for Righteousness sake to every one that believes as it s written Again hear what Christ saith And he called the Multitude together said Hear and understand Not that which goeth into the Mouth defileth the Man but that which cometh out of the Mouth defileth the Man Do not you understand that whatsoever entereth in at the Mouth goeth into the Belly and is cast out into the Draught but those things that proceed out of the Mouth cometh forth from the Heart and they define the Man For out of the heart proceed evil Thoughts Murders Adulteries Fornications Thefts False Witness Blasphemies these are the things which defile a man Matth. 15. 10 11 17 18 19 20. And concerning the Jews Sabbath hear what Christ saith And he said unto them The Sabbath was made for Man and not man for the Sabbath therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath Mark 2. 27 28. Observe this he said unto the Pharisees who judged his Disciples for plucking the Ears of Corn on the Sabbath day who said unto him Behold why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful Upon which he brought them an Instance what David did in eating the Shew-bread c. But Christ by offering up himself through the Eternal Spirit hath since that put an end to these shadows so that the Apostles and Primitive Christians were not to be judged for their refusing to practise them when Christ had ended them And though the Apostles and Christians did bear with the Practice of these things in some after they came to make some profession of Christ yet they bore with it as weakness which it was which the strong in Christ knew they would outgrow as they diligently did follow on to know the Lord through obeying him in what they did already know for that is the way for every one to know what is needful for them to know which they yet know not even to be obedient to God in what they do already know For he is faithful who hath promised saying He

that is faithful in a little I will make him Ruler over much The Path of the Just is as the shining light which shines more and more unto the perfect day as 't is written And again The light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold as the light of seven days c. Now if those weak ones with whom the Primitive Christians bore in these things should have called them A●●states and Innova●ors and have called their Epistles rotten Orders M●ns Prescriptions and Edicts and have judged them in their Christian freedom because they did not continue with them in Bondage in Eating Herbs Observation of Days Years and Times and should have cryed up their Jewish bondage to have been Christian Liberty and themselves to be strong Christians and the others to be weak or darkned and Apostatized Would the Apostles and Primitive Christians have owned them as Brethren in Vnity and have had Fellowship with them in their so doing Yea or Nay Let Gods faithful Witness in all that know it answer this Question Oh! my Friends I am grieved in Spirit because of the hardness wilfulness and self-conceitedness of some whose work at this day is to unsettle the minds of Gods people by drawing them from their diligent attendance unto the Spirit Light and Voice of God in their own hearts and souls and in the mouths of his faithful Servants which Spirit Light and Voice in their hearts and in the mouths of his Servants is not contradictory to it self in the one or the other after them into ungodly jealousies evil surmises thoughts and imaginations words and actions by which evil work several persons whom the Lord in mercy had gathered near to himself have been drawn out from the simplicity which is in Christ into prejudice evil jealousies and also into some practices which are inconsistent with the Truth as it is in Christ Jesus divers of whom the Lord hath in mercy given the sense thereof and through his righteous Judgments upon the evil hath restored them into Unity with himself and with his tender people who in his tender bowels have travelled for their restauration who now greatly rejoyce in their return Glory yea Glory to his Eternal Name for the same and that for evermore 'T is my Faith that God will disintangle some who are yet held by the aforesaid Snares for whose return my Soul travels in Prayers and Supplications to God Faithful is that saying of the Apostle Rom. 14. 22. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in the thing which he alloweth Again he saith Now I beseech you Brethren by our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no division among you but that you be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgment For it hath been declared unto me of you my Brethren by them which are of the House of Cloe that there are Contentions among you Now this I say that every one of you saith that I am of Paul and I of Apollo and I of Cephas and I of Christ Is Christ divided Was Paul Crucified for you Or were you Baptized in the name of Paul Christ sent me not to Baptize but to Preach the Gospel not with wisdom of Words lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect For the Preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God For it is written I w●●● 〈◊〉 ●he wisdom of the wise c. We preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a Stumbling Block and unto the Greeks foolishness but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God c. 1 Cor. 1. 10 to 19. Oh! my dear Friends and all you who profess the Divine Light of Christ to be your Teacher seriously consider of these things My earnest desire for you all is that you may all diligently wait in the Light of Christ therein to receive a right understanding thereof for if you therein diligently wait you will see that it was not the Apostles desire or pleasure that they should contend or be in strife for Apollo or Cephas or Him or for them one against another but that they should all exalt and magnifie Christ who died for them and rose again to govern and lead them in righteousness and to uphold and justifie them in the same And also consider that he Preached not the Gospel with the wisdom of words or the words which mans wisdom teacheth lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect but he Preached the Gospel with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven in the words which it taught him that their Faith who heard him might not stand in the wisdom of those words which mans wisdom teacheth but in the power of God for as he saith in 1 Cor. 4. 19 20. I will come to you shortly if the Lord will and will know not the ●pee●h or words of them which are puffed up but the Power for the Kingdom of God is not in 〈◊〉 but in po●●r neither doth it stand in meats or drinks but in righteousness and peace and ●●y in the Holy Ghost into which Kingdom God hath gathered and is gathering them that have or yet do or hereafter may in sincerity Hunger and Thurst after it Again consider the Apostle took great Care in his Preaching that the Cross of Christ might Not be made of none Effect that those who were come to bear it might Not be weary of it and Cast it off because of the offence taken by the wicked at them for their Obedience thereunto nor for any other cause for it is true as he writ the Preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us it is the power of God and as it was then so it is now he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit and they that live godlike on in the likeness of God in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived Again Consider oh my friends and all you who profess the Light of Christ within to be your Teacher Ruler and Guide what is the cause that some professing the Light within make such a Noyse against that wholsome Method or Order which the God of Order hath brought forth amongst us in taking Care of his Glory and the good one of another that the professors of the Gospel and its Light may walk Orderly in the Light as becomes the same that their Light might so shine before men that they might see their good works and glorifie their Father which is in Heaven according to Christs Command Is it not obvious and plain that their Noise and Clamour is because they seek a Liberty which Christ and the bearing of the Cross Admits not