Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	communion_n	schism_n	separation_n	6,688	5	9.9679	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34668	A censure of that reverend and learned man of God, Mr. John Cotton, lately of New-England, upon the way of Mr. Henden of Bennenden in Kent, expressed in some animadversions of his upon a letter of Mr. Henden's sometimes sent to Mr. Elmeston (2) a brief and solid exercitation concerning the coercive power of the magistrate in matters of religion, by a reverend and learned minister, Mr. Geo[r]ge Petter ... (3) Mr. Henden's animadversions on Mr. Elmestons's epistle revised and chastized.	Elmeston, John.; Cotton, John, 1584-1652. Censure ... upon the way of Mr. Henden.; Petter, George. Brief and solid exercitation concerning the coercive power of the magistrate in matters of religion.	1656 (1656)	Wing C6415; ESTC R20949	43,719	60

as much as may be according to the Word of God 2. As if we did take authority to adjudge all beside our selves to be Hereticks Schismaticks c. and did seek by humane force to captivate others to our wills and canons and were beneath a legall Spirit in dealing worse with others than we would be deale withall All which are but the lashings of a netled Jade that kicks and ●●ings his heeles at randome at those that are about him For first Who is there of those that I name expr●sly that you will have the face to excuse from the blame of an eroneous Sect Which are Arminians Antinomians Soule-mortalists Antisabbatarians Seekers and Anabaptists with rigid irreconcileable Seperatists Or where doe I speak of captivating all others to our wills Our Independent Bretheren here you gloze withall and stroke them for which yet they have little cause to con you any thank For in your book you soundly box them N●xt followes a blazing of the conscientious Piety and State-Fidelity of your party and some others with a plen for an Universal Liberty To which this is all that I will say that where those things are found of which you boast for your selves and others which is no great modesty as they deserve their due respect and encouragement so they may not nor can serve for a just plea to countenance any errour or erroneous course nor can challenge any other liberty than will stand with the leave of Gods Word for the Magistrate to grant And if any laid out their dear lives to purchase this vast Universall Liberty for themselves and others they spent their lives to no good purpose and with small comfort to themselves When we and many other peaceable Christians were under the Prelaticall yoak what Liberty would have been gratefull to us appeared by the writings and Petitions of Non-conformists in those dayes which was an ease from the burden of Subscription and sundry Ceremonies superstitious and plainly superflaous without any endeavour to break off communion in the publique worship of Prayer Hearing and Sacraments wherein they were willing to joyne much more without pleading for a Toleration for all wayes in Religion an abomination by them abhorred or derogating from the Magistrates power to command in matters of Religion which they did then as now unanimously maintain and your Sect did eagerly oppose When we are guilty of that calumny which you falsely charge on us we shall neede your jeering advice But in the meane while I say with the Poet Loripedem rectus derideat Ethiopem albus Let the straight foot jeere the polt-footed man And the faire face the Ethiopian To go along with you after you have smeared your paper with some foule over flowings of your gaule in charging upon me Fopperies opprobrious dealings c. without instancing any particulars which is but deceitfull dealing you schoole me for taxing your way for a Sect and Sch●sme and assay to informe me better in the nature of these A Sect say you is a Rent a Schisme is a cutting off or dividing from the truth Answ. It is not worth the labour to make much adoe about words but it will not be amisse to let men see your ignorance in some things wherein you would seem to be acute A Sect therefore cannot rightly be Englished a Renting It comes not from any word that signifies to rent but is derived as some either à secando which is to cut whence is sectum secta and so sectu is as it were a part cut off from others or from the truth to which they should stick and adhere by which course there is a dividing into sundry sides according to that of the Poet Soinditur incertum studia in contraria vulgus The inconstant people doe themselves divide Into contrary parts from side to side Or as others à sectando which signifies earnestly to follow noting a company which doth stiffly follow some opinion or party with a resolution to cleave thereto A Schisme is a Greek word orginally and comes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifies to cut or cleave in two and as it were divide one from another and is translated Mat 9. 16. Mark 2. 21. Luke 5. 36. rather a rent than a cutting off because in an old cloath patched up with a new piece it is not meant that thereby one piece is cut off from another but that therein when it is worne out the breach is made the wider 2. Not is it rightly said that a Schisme is a cutting off or dividing from the truth but rather a dividing of mindes and affections between men and a breaking off from Church communion between those that agree in the truth of the Gospel This by Divines is usually laid downe to be the difference between Heresie and Schisme Heresie stands in the intertaining and stiffe maintaining false and perverse Doctrine Schisme is the practise of an unlawfull and undue separation from a true Church One may be an Heretick and not a Schismatick as if a man denying some prime Article of Faith doe yet adhere to a Church confessing the true Faith And one may be a Schismatick which it not an Heretick as if a man soundly holding all the articles of the Faith will not yet communicate with a true Church is Gods publique worship Schismaticum facit saith another communion●● dir upta societas The breaking off from Church-society and communion doth make one a Schismatick Of which who is more guilty you in your way or we can be no question when as you display this course of Separation as the chief banner of your company in defiance of all Church-society It is true as you say that truth newly springing is often branded with the black cole of a Sect and Heresie And it is also as true that Error when it cometh abroad is wont to disguise it self under a counterfeit habit of Truth the better to in grati●te her selfe with unwary persons And from whomsoever you should heare such language touching your way that it is a Sect or Schisme it may be playne but no soul language to call a Fig a Fig or a Spade a Spade Next for some touches given your company you are shrewdly passionate and kick and lash very wildly In Ovids Verses taken up by me onely in way of allusion there is nothing can be found by you but scurrility ribaldry and the language of Hell Alack good man that a verse or two of witty Poetry should be taken in so ill part by you But this is nothing but the cynicall arrogance and churlishnesse of your spirit The truth is it was such a pretty picture of your gadding and r●mbling company that you could not see it so lively set forth with patience And if a verse or two out of Ovid be the language of H●ll what language use you who alledge a verse of his but I wo● to little purpose in the margent of your Book pag. 78. Morte

appeares Acts 17. 28. 1 Cor. 15. 33. Tit. 1. 11. where he doth alledge them And say that this is but a Fiction yet is is a rule among Logicians that feigned ex●mples and similitudes serve to illustrat● as well as tru● Ficta similitudo parem vim habet veris A feigned sim●litude is of like force with the true Exemplorum saith another non est exquirenda veritas sed solum rei propositae declaratio aut convenientia The truth of examples is not to be looked to but only the declaration of the matter propunded their fitnesse for it It is also but a poor soarling to carp at a wor● that upon mention of this Poeticall Fiction I call by way of allusion our Church our Troy Sure I am that it is an expression which a thrice noble Authour for B●rth Honour Learning and Piety thought it not unfit to use namely Philip Mornee Lord of Plessis At whom to carp would sooner bewray much audacious folly in you than any whit asperse his wisdome and gravity And touching your farther descant upon this name it is a wild and rovi●g conceit that Rome was built by any roving Trojans when there were more than four hundered years between Aeneas coming into Italy with his Trojans and the building of Rome by Romulus and Remus when the wandering of the Trojans was ceased yea their name lost and extinguished though some of the race might remain though swallowed up by other nations and under other n●mes 2. Wher● and by whom Rome is called a second Troy if you had shewed I should have been beholding to you for that piece of Philology For I confesse ingenuously it is not within the compasse of my memory 3. It is a wrong to ou● Church in England now as it is to call it Hierarch●call when it was of that frame the good Party groaned under such Lords as an heavy burthen and it hath now clean cast them off and changed its face and form into a Church Ministeriall your petty Separation comes neerer to an Anarchy than our Church-state to an Hierarchy Last It is a wonder you tell us of viz. of a Christian Church ar●sing out of the ashes of a Pagan City The Proverb is E. squilla non nascitur Rosa The sweet Rose growes not out of the strong sented Sea-onion much more unlikely it is that a City of God should arise out of a Palace of Sathan You love if not all devou●ing words as the Prophet speaks Psal. 52. 3. yet all biting words But if you mean as some speak of a noble Trojan Brutus arriving in England that English-men are descended of old of the Troj●n B●ood that hath been counted the honour of the Nation or if any blemish be in it it reflecteth on you yours and your company as much as upon us or any other Concerning Troy's dis●olution I speak not of the Metitorious Cause that did procure it which was as you say their retaining of that Strumpet Helena but of the Active Cause which by fire and sword did lay it wast which were the Graecian Captains hidden in that Horse and the other G●aecian Army joyning with them And for a●y such accu●s●d thing to be found amongst us we are as free by Gods grace and so shall be and far from any such spirituall H●rlotry as you are in this your censure of u● from Christian Charity But whatsoever be amongst us I see not but that you allow and would bring in amongst us as provoking and evill and a more filthy Harlot than was Helena viz an universall toleration for all Religions For Helena though she lewdly forsook her Husband Menelaus and ran away with Paris yet as long as she lived she was faire and honest toward him But this Harlot-Toleration doth allow men liberty to commit spirituall Fornication with any false Religion and at pleasure to give a bill of Divorce to the old and take up a new That liberty which I yoak you say most unfitly to the Trojan wooden Horse what is it but an universall Toleration for all Wayes and Consciences in Religion Which Liberty say you is a precious Jewell bought for men by the invaluable ransome of Jesus Chris● In which words I doubt you are little aware what you say What hath Christ shed his blood that men might have liberty to deny his D●ity to reproach the Scriptures to be Arrian● Socinians Papist● and to be what they please in point and profession of Religion I trust you abhorre to affirme such thing● And yet such horrid consequences must needs ensue thereupon if the liberty which I so comp●re be the Jewell so purchased since I manifestly speak it and that onely of such an universall and generall toleration And such as will so say may as well say that Christ hath shed his precious blood to procure men a liberty to whore swear and be drunk as to be of what way in Religion they please Grosse wayes in false Religion and foule Errors and Heresies do tend as much to the dishonour of Christ and damnation of mens soules as such foule and grosse sins It is true what you adde that by Christ we are redeemed from vaine traditions and humane thraldome to be a free and willing people in Christs service But such a liberty comes farre short of that vast liberty to be of what Religion we please and to be tolerated therein without any controll from the Magistrate You spightfully and falsely charge me as defaming our noble Patriots about their honourable endeavours and prosperous success● in preventing the over-flowing of Popery promoting the Gospel repressing Tyranny or procuring us any just Liberty in the State or Religion For the which I blesse the Lord and honour them according to their most worthy deserts But such a vast and wide liberty as I speak of and you also must mean if you answer to the point viz. a toleration for all wayes and consciences in Religion as Christ never purchased for us so cannot I acknowledge that the State doth allow it however sundry plead for it and usurp it And therefore you do more reproachfully defame them to make them Patrons of such a wicked Liberty than I who deny them to be so But whether it be usurped onely or whether it should be established which God forbid I should I would never write upon such a Liberty or the procuring of it as you say I ought This is the finger of God That can never be the work of God● finger which is contrary to the word of his mouth I do● not complain of such a toleration as in particular destructive unto us but as to the welfare of the Gospel and Church in the whole Land which sad effect it would as manifestly tend unto as a generall Pestilence in which infected persons were permitted to walk abroad among the sound to the destroying the health of a Nation and making the disease the more generall and mortall among them In which estate