Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	cause_n	just_a	separation_n	3,235	5	9.9864	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67047	A word in season. Or Three great duties of Christians in the worst of times viz. abiding in Christ, thirsting after his institutions, and submission to his providences. The first opened, from 1 John 2.28. The second from Psal. 42.1,2. The third from Jer. 14.19. By a servant of Christs in the work of his Gospel. To which is added, by way of appendix, the advice of some ministers to their people for the reviving the power and practice of godliness in their families.	Servant of Christ in the work of his Gospel.	1668 (1668)	Wing W3548A; ESTC R204145	100,163	272

which it brought forth leaves and was green and flourishing being thus withered Husbandmen use to appoint their Servants to gather them up and burn them 1. He that hath made a profession to Religion a purer way of worshipping God and a stricter conversation before him if he maketh a defection from it he is cast forth Cast forth by the Church if that be in a calm and Pacate State and not in such a crowd of disturbances from the world that it cannot draw out its spiritual Sword and ●et me tell you Christians that is a dreadful thing to be orderly excommunicated by a Gospel Church The Apostle calls it a delivering up to Satan ●he separation of the Israelites from the Tents of Corah Dathan and Abiram was 〈◊〉 forerunner of Gods dreadful Venge●nce on them the Churches separation from an apostatized Professor for his Apostacy is not to be flighted Pro●ided this be done by a true Church ●nd for a just cause it is formidable enough for other Bruta fulmina they signifie little according to that of Job How forcible are right words but your ●rguings what do they reprove But this ●s not alwayes I told you the Church ●s not alwayes in a condition to execute this Vengeance upon Traitors However they are cast out by the Providence of God A notorious sinner may be cast out in the sight of God when h● is not so in foro Eccles●ae in the view 〈◊〉 men and there is no branch not abiding in Christ but in this sense is cast forth God casts him forth he never had any true union with Christ he shall no● now have any appearing relation God will not own him his Saints shall not● he shall be none of them that God will care for with that special care which God extendeth to all those that are visible members of his visible Church h● hath made a defection from the City of God and hath removed himself into the suburbs of Hell he shall no● now have the priviledges of common Citizens Thus men use to do Tu●● saith it was never known that those who made defection and proved false to the City of Rome jura civium tenuerunt enjoyed the priviledges of Citizens God will let it be seen that those who are false to his City shall not retain the priviledges of the City of God Secondly As the branch casts out with thereth So it ordinarily is with professors they lose their beauty and glory whether it lay in their quick and excellent parts these oft times abate their gifts dwindle and come to nothing or whether it lay in the repute and credit they had in the Church of God they are lookt upon as Fugitives and Renegadoes by the sincerer professors of Religion Nay for the most part this is not all they lose also their hopes for repute and credit with the world Who regard them as little as the Pharisee did Judas when he had betrayed his Master The wise God so ordereth it that the world shall not trust those that his Church cannot trust A fugitive from his Profession sheweth too little of a Christian to be valued by the Church and too little of a man to be much valued by the world who ordinarily love the Treason but hate the Traytor they like it well enough to see one professing to Christ spitting in his face to hear him jear and mock at the wayes of God in which he once walked but in the mean time they hate the traytor abhorring the levity and inconstancy of this weather-cock in Religion that turns in obsequiousness to every wind Thus he withers every way That which he hath is taken from him his gifts and parts his credit and reputation he becomes a man of no value to every one But there is worse yet that follows Thirdly Saith our Saviour Men gather them and they are cast into the fire and burned Thus men deal with the withered branches of Vines once separated from the Vine Thus will God do with Professors that abide not in him They shall be gathered up it the great day of Judgement Our Saviour tells us who shall gather them the Angels Mat. 13. They shall be burned with unquenchable fire The Apostle saith There remaineth nothing for them Heb. 12. but a certain dreadful looking for of fiery indignation Now our abiding in Christ in the truths of Christ which we have formerly owned in the wayes of Christ to which we have formerly professed and in which we have formerly walked is by our Saviour himself prescribed as the only means to avoid this unspeakable evil otherwise hanging over our heads Thirdly Our abode with Christ is the excellent means to keep his presence with us Joh. 15 4. Abide in me saith our Saour and I in you So John 14.23 If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him What is this for Christ to abide with the soul I answer as it is one thing for a soul to be in Christ another thing for a soul to abide in Christ So it is one thing for Christ to be in the soul another thing for him to abide in the soul The abiding of Christ with a soul I think implieth 1. His manifestation of himself to the soul John 14.21 He that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and be that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him The Lord may be in the soul and yet be hid so as the soul may go about trying Where is my God become The soul may walk in the dark and see no sight Christ is then said to abide in the soul when he appeareth to it and that in some constancy that he is not to use the Prophets expression Jer. 14.8 as a wayfaring man who tarrieth but for a night And 2. Gods sensible manifestations to a soul may be in the influences of comforting quickning or strengthening Grace Take a soul under the greatest desertion and cloud of Divine light there is yet as an Vnion so some communion betwixt God and it as the soul doth in some degree communicate it self unto God under the greatest apostacy it can be guilty of if it truly belongs to him its backsliding is but gradual so God doth in some degrees communicate himself to the soul under the greatest desertion the Union abiding some communion is necessary But now the Lords abiding with the soul argueth more than this it argues thus much that the soul who thus abides in Christ shall be under some sensible influences of Divine Love and that not only for its consolation chearing and refreshing it under dark issues of Providence but for its strength and liveliness in the way of God it shall grow stronger and stronger every day more fresh and lively and active in the wayes of God Without this how heavily doth a soul

their deliverance should be speedy So as Jeremiah on purpose writeth a letter to them to take them off this vain conceit Jer. 29.5 Build you houses and dwell in them and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them And seek the peace of the City whither I have caused you to be carried captive The matter needs no proof from Scripture we find it true in all our experiences that we are very prone to nourish up false expectations in our selves and to promise our selves good The error is common the causes not difficult to be assigned which are partly Natural partly Moral 1. For the natural cause I assigned it before The most of peoples natural temper as disposing them to wish good to themselves so enclining them rather to hope the best than to fear the worst Hence you will observe that all Christians are not thus mistaken you shall find some of more ●ad melancholick tempers as much ●rring on the other hand crying out like the Infidel in the Book of Kings if they hear any talk of good If the Lord should make windows in Heaven this could not be like Thomas they will believe nothing which they most desire without a sensible demonstration But the moral causes of this may be assigned variously and they are different according as the soul is which is thus affected In wicked men 2. The general moral causes are presumption and looking at second causes 1. I say in the first place Presumption an unjust assurance they give themselves of Gods favour toward them and consequently of his blessings upon then There is an Atheist that believes 〈◊〉 God at all but thinks that all thing fall out by chance and so he is n● concerned to regard a Deity and it 〈◊〉 no wonder if he promises himself well But those that will with the mouths own a Supream Being an● Moderator of all things yet are to● ready to promise themselves his favour and consequently the blessing that attend it The Lord foresaw 〈◊〉 Generation who when thy heard all th● Curses of his Law would bless them selves in their heart and say they shou● have peace Deut 29.19 though they walked according to the imaginations of their own heart adding drunkenness to thirst Now th●● presumption in sinful men either ariseth from Atheism the persons n● believing there is a God or that he 〈◊〉 not what he is or Vnbelief not giving credit to the word of God which saith There is no peace to the wicked Or from Error eying some particular sins for which they will believe all the wrath of God is powred out upon them or Eying some particular performances which they think sufficient to reconcile God again to them though before he was displeased with them and when that sin which is all the guilt they can see is expiated or reformed 〈◊〉 those particular performances which they lay all Religion upon are done they ●ook for good and healing when it ●●ay be in truth those things which ●●ey so eye do rather provoke God ●●ther than at all abate of the wrath which he hath began to pour out 〈◊〉 probability this was the cause at ●●is time in Judah It is not exprest whether this Sermon of the Prophet ●as in Josiah's time or in the time of 〈◊〉 Sons Josiah was a good Prince he ●tored the true Worship of God dejoyed Idolatry c. His Sons restored 〈◊〉 There were unquestionably different complexions of this people Some Josiah's time expected good and healing from his reformation others 't is like in his Sons time expected the same from their restauration of former Superstitions and Idolatry Both presumed looking for peace and there was no good for healing and behold trouble 2. The cause of Gods own peoples error in this kind is partly Presumption partly mistakes concerning his mind and promises partly eying second causes too much I say partly Presumption Even the best of Gods people are ready to lay too much upon particular reformations and particular duties We are too ready to impute all punishments to some particular sins and to lay all Religion upon some particular duties and when those sins are reformed and expiated and those duties done we are ready to conclude all will be well and presently to look for peace and healing 2. Partly mistakes of Gods mind and promises Godliness hath the promise of this life and that which is to come There are great promises even of the good things of this life made to the Church of God in the general and to believing souls in particular and God expecteth that we should give credit to them and wait in hope for them but we are troubled with the Disciples curiosity who came to our Saviour and said Master wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel We are impatient and know not how to wait and thence are very prone to inform our selves if possible of the time and too credulous to take ungrounded informations and build up our hopes upon them Hence our prying into dark Prophecies and making various conjectures upon them our listning so readily to such as will pretend to a skill in them or to extraordinary Revelations Visions and Impressions and building up too great expectations upon our own conceipts or others dreams What a late example have we had as to the year 1666. That must be the year when the Jews should be converted Rome ruined c. What expectations were raised in many of that ●ear meerly as it appears from a mitake of the mind and Promises of God The year is past no such thing is brought ●o pass We looked for peace and healing behold no good but trouble still 3. Another cause is Gods own people too much eying secundary causes The unbeliever layes all upon them the Child of God layes too much upon them Hence if he seeth such a position of them as to the eye of his reason appears probable to produce some good effects to the Church and people of God he presently concludes all will be well not attending to the power of the first cause as he ought to do nor considering as he ought the guilt of the people or the person for whom he would hope well which may provoke God to lay a bar before second causes that they shall not work according to our expectations But I have spoken enough to the first Branch I come to the second which is the Proposition as I laid down God in the Wisdom of his Providence doth often give people great disappointments in their expectations as to outward peace and healing I shall not need insist upon the proof of this it is so plain in the Text We looked saith the Prophet for peace and behold no good for healing and behold trouble and in our daily experience To say nothing of vain persons how often are the expectations of the most considerate sober sort of Christians frustrated concerning the publick concerning their own private concerns Concerning the publick They look

or at least to rage against instruments than to be angry with your selves for the deserving cause of these judgments If you have God hath not yet attained his end upon you the rottenness the proud flesh is still in the wound which must be eaten out before you can reasonably look for cure It was well said of the Church in the Lamentations Let us search and try our ways Lam. 3.40 and turn again unto the Lord. If Ephraim saith once What have I done God will quickly say Is Ephraim my dear child The end of Gods afflicting his people is their turning humbling themselves and acknowledging of their offences 4. How have you walked with God in the time of your sufferings Have you been a Law unto your selves whiles the rod of Discipline hath not been drawn out against you have you walked orderly Little could be seen as to your walking in communion but how have you walked in your families how have you kept up your private communion with God what have you been in your houses in your closets By the answer which your consciences secretly examine shall give to these Interrogatories you may know much whether you may warrantably look for peace and good yea or no. But Vse 2 secondly If you may look for it yet take heed how you look that you may not meet with disappointment 1. Do not in your expectations prescribe to God either as to time or as to persons or as to means He that hath promised his people deliverance hath not the certain time of it The case was otherwise with the Jews God had told them they should be in captivity just seventy years Mercy comes always best in its season God knows times better than we and hath reserved the knowledge of times to himself Trusting in God upon the credit of his word and waiting for him are things highly acceptable unto him but limiting of him is as much dishonourable to God It is ten to one but he who thus limiteth the Lord will be disappointed God will convince us that particular times is a secret we cannot find out and it is a very ill influence which ordinarily disappointments of our expectation in this kind have upon us That 's a good Christian that stedfastly believeth the matter of the Promise and patiently waiteth upon God for the fulfilling of it till his good time come It is a sad effect that some mens giddy confidence upon the year 1666 hath produced Some have acted since as if because God failed their expectation in that circumstance he were henceforth to be believed and trusted to more Take heed of such an errour as this 2. Let not your expectations either kinder your prayers or make you more unfit for a continuance of sufferings None can build an infallible expectation of good in the outward concerns of this life I mean sonsible good for any particular Church nor for any particular person Gods own people may have so finned that as to temporal judgments he will not pardon them The Nation of which they are a small part may have sinned to such a heighth Indeed were we never so certain yet our expectation should not hinder prayer Holy Daniel taught us this he never prayed more heartily than when he understood by books that the time of the captivity was just expiring True faith never hinders prayer it is the Mid wife that helps the mercy unto light And take heed that your expectation doth not discompose you as to further sufferings An ungrounded expectation of deliverance from an evil under which we groan doth often make us very unfit to bear it longer than the expected time of delivery 3. If your expectation be frustrated blame your selves but take heed of accusing God Let God be true though every man be found a liar It is most certain God deceiveth none themselves deceive themselves It is blasphemy in the heart to say God can lie There is no harm o● thy owning thy self mistaken 4. Expect nothing from vile persons no● by vile means It is true God hath of● ten made use of Pagans and profan● men and the sins and corruptions o● his people and of others as means t● bring forth his glorious works in th● world but these are matters for ou● admiration not objects for our expectation The fulfilling of Gods promise● can be regularly expected in none bu● in Gods way 5. Suspect all thy expectations whiles thou findest in thy own heart or in the hearts of others whom thou lookest upon as dear to God a prevalency of corruptions I have before given you the reason of this God may deliver a people that have revolted but an instance cannot be given nor a promise named for Gods delivering a people justifying their revolting and continuing in it 6. Expect not much in a course of probabilities The reason of this lies in Gods usual deliverances of his people which have been upon the greatest improbabilities Out of Egypt and Babylon when one would have thought there had been least likelihood The cry of the Bridegrooms coming usually is at midnight There 's most ground of a spiritual believing hope when there is visibly no hope In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen 7. Let thy expectation of outward good be proportioned to the promise of it in which is always to be understood a reservation to God's wisdom All is not good that we think so Thy expectation cannot fail if it be commensurate to the promise if it be not it hath no foundation to stand upon and can have no certainty Remember that in all promises of this natures the judgment of the particular good whether under present circumstances it be so or no belongs unto God Expect deliverance from evils of this nature and the collation of good of this nature if God in his wisdom seeth it good for thee or that part of his Church wherein thou art But a further expectation it is more than I know if any promise will allow thee FINIS AN APPENDIX To the foregoing DISCOURSES OR An Addition of some necessary and seasonable Directions to Christians in order to firmer perseverance in their profession and better observance of Divine Institutions By the same Author Gal. 6.16 And as many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of God Revel 3.10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth Printed in the Year 1668. The joint advice of some Ministers of the Gospel to their People for the reviving the Power and Practice of Godliness especially in Families and the propagating the Knowledge and Fear of God in those Societies Dearly beloved Brethren WE being Ministers of the Gospel who have formerly received a charge of some of your souls knowing how great the concernment of Gods glory in the preservation of Religion and