Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	catholic_n	communion_n	external_a	3,566	5	9.8048	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47967	A letter concerning the matter of the present excommunications	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1683 (1683)	Wing L1353; ESTC R9567	11,968	37

with Laughter Indignation and Confusion and if Dissenters are to be destroyed it is desired that the work were left unto the Penal statutes which as now prosecuted and interpreted are sufficient for it rather than that the name of Religion and a Divine ordinance should meerly for that end be exposed to contempt The last thing that I shall trouble you with at present is the consideration of the persons against whom the present Excommunications are blustered with the pretended causes of them These are they whom they call Dissenters concerning whom we may enquire what they are and the cause of this pretended Ecclesiastical severity towards them And as unto the first part of the enqury They are such as believe and make open profession of all the Articles of the Ch●istian Faith they do so as they are declared in the Scripture nor is the contrary charged on them There is nothing determined by the ancient Councils to belong unto Christian Faith which they disbelieve nor do they own any Doctrine condemned by them They profess an equal interest of Consent in the Harmony of Protestant Confessions with any other Protestants whatever They own the Doctrine of the Church of England as established by Law in nothing receding from it nor have they any novel or Uncatholick Opinion of their own It is therefore utterly impossible to separate them from the Communion of the Catholick Church in Faith or to cast them from that Rock whereon they are built thereby They do also attend unto Divine Worship in their own assemblies and herein they do practise all that is agreed on by all Christians in the world and nothing else for they do not only make the Scripture the sole Rule of their Worship so as to omit nothing prescribed therein to that purpose nor to observe any thing prohibited thereby but their Worship is the very same with that of the Catholick Church in all ages nothing do they omit that was ever used by it nothing do they observe that was ever condemned by it and this must be the principle and measure of Catholick Union in Worship if ever there be any such thing in the Earth to expect it in any other observances is vain and foolish Offering Prayers and Praises to God in the Name of Jesus Christ reading the Holy Scripture and expounding of it singing of Psalms to God preaching of the Word with the administration of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper in a Religious Observation of the Lords Day unto these ends all according as God doth enable them by his Spirit is the Sum and Substance of the Worship of the Catholick Church wherein all Christians are agreed These things the Scripture doth prescribe and these things the Church in all ages hath observed All differences about this Worship which have filled the World with inhumane contentions arose from mens Arbitrary Addition of Forms Rites Modes Ceremonies Languages Cringings Adorations which they would have observed in it whereof the Scripture is silent and Primitive Antiquity utterly ignorant And it may be it will be one day understood that the due observance of this Catholick Worship according as God enableth any thereunto leaving others at liberty to use such helps unto their Devotion as they shall think meet is the only Communion of Worship in the Church which the Scripture requires or which is possible to be attained About the imposition of other things there ever were since they were and ever will be endless contentions Wherefore these Dissenters practising nothing in the Worship of God but what is approved by all Christians particularly by the Church of England omitting nothing that either the Scripture or Catholick tradition directs unto they are notwithstanding this pretended Excommunication secure of Communion with the Catholick Church in Evangelical Worship Moreover they plead that their conversation is unblamable that they are peaceable in the Civil Government and useful among their neighbours if they do evil in these things let them that prosecute them bear witness of the evil but if they do well why are they smitten If they can be charged with any immoralities with any disobedience unto the Rule and Precept of the Gospel those by whom they are thus prosecuted are highly concerned if not in Conscience yet in Honour and Interest to manage the charge against them that some countenance may be given unto their Proceedings For the Law is not made as penal for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for unholy and profane and if it be otherwise with the Laws about these Excommunications they neither belong to nor are derived from the Law of God There are indeed great clamours against them that they are Schismaticks and Separatists and things of the like nature that is that they are Dissenters But in this case the whole force of any inference from hence is built on this supposition That it is the Will of Christ that those who profess Faith in him and Obedience unto him unblameably should be excluded from an interest in and participation of these Odinances of Divine Worship which are of his own Institution who will not comply with and observe such rights and practises in that Worship as are not so but confessedly of humane invention But no colour of proof can be given hereunto for it is directly contrary unto express Scripture-Rule to the Example of the Apostolical Churches and unheard of in the world before the branded Usurpation of Victor Bishop of Rome An Assertion of it is to prostitute the Wisdom Authority and Love of Christ towards his Disciples unto the wills of Men oftentimes pre-possessed with Darkness Ignorance and Superstition and other lusts as shall be more fully manifested if there be occasion Let any colour be given unto this supposition from Scripture or Antiquity and the whole cause shall be given up yet thus is it and no otherwise in the matter of the present Excommunications Persons of all sorts every way found in the Faith unreprovable in the Catholick Worship of the Gospel professing Love and Obedience unto Jesus Christ without blame are excluded what lies in them who manage these Ordinances of Divine Worship which the Lord Christ hath appointed and injoyned without pretence of any other cause or reason but only their not observance in that Worship of what he hath not appointed He that can believe this to be the Will of Christ neither knoweth him nor his Will as it is revealed in his Word and the Consciences of men are sufficiently secure from being concerned in that wherein such an open defiance is bid unto Evangelical Precepts and Rules with Apostolical Examples And further to manifest the iniquity of these Proceedings whilst these Dissenters are thus dealt withal all sorts of Persons ignorant profane haters of Godliness and openly wicked in their lives are allowed in the full communion of the Church without any disciplinary admonition or controul But as this serves

to acquit them from any concernment in what is done against them so nothing can be invented that tends more directly to harden men in their sins and impenitency for whilst there is a pretence of Church-censures they will be apt to think that they are sufficiently approved of Christ and the Church seeing their displeasure is no way declared against them so they are not Dissenters they have reason to judg that they are safe here and shall be so to Eternity let them look to themselves who deserve to be excommunicated Is this the Rule of the Gospel Is this the Discipline of Christ Is this the representation of his future Judgment Is this the way and manner of the exercise of his Authority in the Church a declaration of what he owns and what alone he disavows God forbid that such Thoughts should have any countenance given unto them Ecclesiastical Laws have been always looked on as cobwebs that catch the smaller Flies whilst the greater break them at their pleasure but amongst those lesser to spare those that are noxious or poysonous and to cast the net over the innocent and harmless is that which the Spider gives no pattern of nor can imitate I shall not mention the avowed end and design of these present Excommunications only I shall say They are such as many good men tremble to consider the horrible prophanation of things sacred which they manifest to be in them There are also many other things which evidence the nullity of these Proceedings which may be pleaded if there be occasion what hath already been spoken is abundantly suffitcien to satisfy my engagement unto you Namely That the Consciences of men are not at all concerned in the present Excommunications It may be it will be said That all this while we have been doing just nothing or that which is to no purpose at all as not concerning the present case for these of whom we treat pretend no power in Foro interiore or the Court of Conscience or unto nothing that should immediately affect it Their Authority is only in Foro exteriore in the Court of the Church which it seems is at Doctors Commons Wherefore by their sentence of Excommunication they oblige men only unto their outward concernments as unto what concerns conscience they leave that unto the Preachers of the Word It may be it will be so pleaded but before they quit their hands well of this business they will understand that Excommunication it self is nothing but an especial way of the application of the Word unto the consciences of sinners unto their Edification and that which is not so pretend what it will is nothing at all unto the dispensers therefore of the Word it doth alone belong and whereas the Apostle tells us that the weapons of our Christian Warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to bring into captivity every thought unto the obedience of Christ they seem herein to say that the Weapons of their warfare are carnal and mighty through the aid of some body to cast men into prison or to bring their persons into captivity And indeed this outward Court of theirs is part of that Court without the Temple which is trodden down by the Gentiles and shall not be measured in the Restauration of the Worship of God yea the distinction it self is silly if any thing be intended by this outward Court but only the outward declaration of what is or is supposed to be effected in the inward or the mind and consciences of men But let it be what it will those who have neither Name nor Place nor Office in the Church by Divine Institution who attend not at all in what they do unto any rule of the Scripture nor can nor do pretend any Authority from Christ in and for what they do are no way to be heeded in this matter but only as the instruments of external compulsion which for the sake of the publick peace is to be submitted unto with quietness and patience I find I confess by the books with me sent us weekly into the Country that in this state of things some of the Reverend Clergy do manifest great compassion towards the Dissenters in writing and publishing many discourses containing Persuasives unto and Arguments for Conformity whereby they may be freed from their troublesome circumstances But I must needs commend their Prudence in the choice of the season for this work as much their Charity in the work it self For the Conformity they press needs no other recommendation at this time nor need they use any other arguments for it but only that it is better than being hanged or kept in perpetual durance or stifled in Prisons or beggar'd they and their Families or be starved in Exile And it hath been always observed that arguments which march with Halberts Bills Staves Serjeants Bailiffs Writs Warrants and Capiasses are very forcible and prevalent But I have done and shall leave it unto others to declare what mischiefs do ensue on these Proceedings on civil accounts and what an inroad is made by them on the Government of the Kingdom For a new Tenure is erected by them whereon all men must hold their birthright priviledges especially that which is the root whereon they all do grow namely their Personal Liberty They hold them no longer by the Law of the Land nor can pretend unto security whilst they forfeit them not by that Law they are all put into the power of Chancellors Archdeacons Commissaries and Officials they may deprive them of them all at their pleasure aganst the protection of that Law under which they are born and which hath been looked on as the only rule and measure of the Subjects Liberties Priviledges and Possessions These things tend not only to the disturbance but the ruine of all peace and trust amongst men and of all good Government in the World And if they should Excommunicate all that by the Law of Christ are to be excommunicated on the one hand and all that are to be so by their own Law on the other and then procure Capiasses for them all it is to be feared the King might want Subjects to defend his Realms against his Enemies unless he should do as they did of old at Rome in great distresses open the Goals and arm the Prisoners or it may be the lesser part would at length find it troublesome to keep the greater in prison But these things concern not you nor me I beg your excuse as not knowing whether you will judg this hasty Writing too little for the Cause or too much for a Letter As it is accept it from FINIS