Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	according_a	apostle_n	doctrine_n	2,761	5	5.6844	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09949	A sermon preached at Eggington in the county of Darby concerning the right vse of things indifferent, the 3. day of August, 1596. By Symon Presse minister there.	Presse, Symon, b. 1558 or 9.	1597 (1597)	STC 20207; ESTC S102087	9,747	29

the faith the weake in the faith are either such as are offended with the vsing of things indifferent or such as are offended with the refusing of the same The former sort are such as bee perswaded that the word of God and sacraments are prophaned where things of their owne nature indifferent but heretofore abused in the time of Popery are vsed And these men had rather flie from the word then bee presēt to see such a ceremonie as the surples worne as by experience I knewe 600. men and women flie from a sermon because the surplesse was worne in the sermon time such men are indeede weake for they will either haue Christ naked or none of him at all not considering that the kingdome of God standeth not in any outward thing Rom. 14.17 18. The weake of the other sorte are they who bee so addicted to the ceremonies that either they will haue them vsed or els they will not heare the word nor receiue the sacramēts Yea they are resolved that the word and sacramentes are betiered by the ceremonies and made of lesse force without them These men must haue Christ in what garment pleaseth them or they will haue none of him at all Now what must a minister do in this case shall hee hand ouer head vse or refuse the ceremonies I trowe not But must teach both these their weakenesses by declaring vnto them that the commaunders and vrgers of ceremonies are of two sorts and they haue either of them a severall end of their commaundement The one sorte of commaunders and vrgers are the Pope his adherēts the end of whose commandement is to bynde mens consciēces vnto the vse of ceremonies vppon paine of dānation Yea they will not stick to pursue to death such as refuse any one of their ceremonies by this meanes many a poore wretch is driven for feare of one wicked man to vse such things against his owne conscience and with the grievous offēce of the weake both which are intollerable sins against himselfe that doth the thing against his weake brother that seeth the thing done and against Christ the head of the mysticall body Any one of which offences is sufficient to cause a good christian to resolue with himselfe never to vse the surplesse or any such ceremony in such a case For God forbid that such cōmaunders and vrgers of ceremonies as are the popes friends should draw a man into the danger of his owne soule whereas wee are taught rather to obeye God then men Acts. 5.29 and to go forward in our calling without feare what man can do vnto vs. The other sorte of commaunders and vrgers are christian princes and such as are substituted of them who cōmand and vrge such things because no church government can stand without some ceremonies And it is thought fit by them that in one and the same region and regiment one vniforme order should be vsed which otherwise being left to the discretiō of everie private mā there would be as great varietie and alteration in ceremonies as there is in apparell To prevent which disorder certain ceremonies are stil retained by the Queens most excellent maiestie whome God longe preserue not to binde mens consciences with feare of dānatiō but to traine all her subiects in due obedience respecting this end that according to the Apostles doctrine all things may bee done comly and in order For as disorder in the common wealth is dāgerous So much more in the church of God for thereby men are brought from superstition to no religion a thing in these last dayes much to bee regarded But some men will aske what if the things commaunded by the prince haue beene heretofore abused in the time of superstition may we then vse them with a good cōscience I aunswer yea if the thing commaunded bee one of Gods creatures when the superstition is removed and it restored to the original without offence to his conscience that vseth the same the people beeing taught the indifferencie of the thing viz that it is not forbidden in the worde neither by expresse cōmaundement nor by necessarie consequence then it may bee vsed without grudge or scruple of conscience As for example the censors which the conspiratours against Moses and Aaron abused were lawfully made a covering for the altar of the lorde Numb 16. And also the bullocke fedd 7. yeares to bee sacrificed to Baall was now sacrificed to the lorde with the woode of the grove and by the lorde accepted For the abuse was taken away the thing was brought backe to his originall and then vsed in the service of the lorde and not by him reiected So must wee deale in the practise of thinges indifferent to cut of occasion from them that seeke occasion that God in al things may bee glorified the prince obeyed superstion banished the people edified and the peace of the church preserved Thus shall the weake of neither sorte haue any iust cause to be offēded with our vsing of things indifferent And thus much of thē that are weake in the faith The other sorte namely the stronge in the faith knowe the right vse of things indifferent aswell as hee that vseth them him selfe For as they cannot bee greeved with the vse so will they not be offended with the want of such things But when they are practised these men remember the obedience due vnto princes And when not vsed they call to mind that the woorde of God is neither bettered by them nor made worse with the want of them Where a man hath such to looke vpon him he may without scruple of conscience vse the ceremonies to shew his obedience to christiā princes Wherfore to conclude let every man in the vse of things indifferent measure his actions towards his weake brother by charitie let his charitie proceede of fayth and his faith abhorre the Pope bring forth true obedience to his prince not so much for feare of punishment as for conscience sake So shall hee neither offend his brother his prince nor his God And then needeth hee not to care who seeth him to practise things indifferent And thus much of the first observation If any man see thee c. In these words againe our Apostle covertlie giveth a caveat to every mā to take heed to his eies lest by them hee bee unboldened to imitate such thinges as are wrought in his sight From whence wee learne that sinne entereth into our souls by our eies as light into an house by that window for the eie vieweth the obiect and sendes it by degrees into the heart the hart pōdereth vpon the report yeeldeth consent and setteth the eie on worke to performe the harts desire And hereof it cōmeth that our saviour Christ sayth a wicked eye mommeth out of the hart and defileth the man Mark 7.22 Yea and proceedeth further affirming that he who looketh vpon a woman and lusteth after her hath committed adulterie alreadie with her in his hearie Math. 5.28