Selected quad for the lemma: church_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A78145
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Reformed religion, or, Right Christianity described in its excellency, and usefulness in the whole life of man by a Protestant-Christian.
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Barker, Matthew, 1619-1698.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing B777aA; ESTC R42840
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61,592
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137
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Christ Jesus without making use of any Sub-mediators either of Redemption or Intercession not mentioned in the Gospel and herein he considers God not only as a Creator or in the absolute perfections of his Being but as reconciled in the Blood of his Son related as a Father and ingaged by a special Covenant He is one who waits and prays for the help of Gods holy Spirit to lead him into the presence of God and to help his Infirmities therein and approacheth not to him meerly by the impulse of natural Conscience much less by the help of Pictures or Images forbidden by the Law of God but by the Spirit of Adoption inclining his Will moving his Affections and crying Abba Father in his Heart Again He reckons upon Suffering with Christ as well as Reigning with him of bearing his Cross as well as wearing his Crown and of Denying himself as becomes a Disciple of Christ and therefore Arms himself for it that he may not be surprized by it or faint under it and as he will not rashly thrust himself upon sufferings so neither decline them when necessarily called thereunto wherein he will have respect to the goodness of his Call of his Cause and of his Conscience Further He is one who when he is Reviled reviles not again patiently bears affronts and injuries for Righteousness sake seeks not privately to revenge himself but commits his Cause to him that judgeth righteously Again He embraceth Religion for its own sake and not for any politick end and abhors to make use of it as an Art to serve any Covetous Ambitious or Treacherous designs He is one who believes a Judgment to come and therefore lives in continual awe of it and endeavours so to manage the whole course of his actions that he may be accepted of the Lord in that day and not fall under the wrath to come and thereupon is less concerned about being Judged of men or of mans day Again He believing the Immortality of his own Soul the Resurrection of his Body and hoping for the Eternal Life of the World to come Life and Immortality being brought to light by the Christian Religion he is seeking to make it sure to himself and thereupon is less concerned as to his temporal Life and his short stay in this present World looking upon himself as a stranger here on Earth He is careful to examin himself about his State towards God and to know the inward frame and temperament of his own Soul and the Actions of his Life in the Principle Rule and End of them that he may not be found among Hypocrites and that counterfeit Grace may not be mistaken for that which is true His Zeal in Religion is not rash and precipitate hypocritical and treacherous violent and cruel so as to transgress the Rules of Humanity Charity and Sobriety but is grounded upon Knowledge and regulated by sound Judgment Wisdom and Discretion and his greatet Zeal is about the great things of Religion and of the greatest certainty He is one who hath a regular Conscience extending to one Duty as well as to another and therefore will not strain at Gnats and swallow Camels nor be scrupulous about Ceremonies and of conforming to some outward Forms of Worship and yet can practise injustice oppression lying fraud intemperance backbiting malice and such moral impieties not becoming Christians And if he hath a Conscience of Conformity to the Church he makes Conscience of the moral Duties of Religion and will not be found guilty of swearing cursing drunkenness fornication scoffing at piety blasphemy false accusation or persecution for Conscience sake of the truly conscientious c. And though his practice in Religion is according to his best Light and judgment yet he confines not the Church of God or monopolizeth Salvation to the narrow limits of his own private Opinion but judgeth charitably of men who Conscientiously differ from him as knowing that as in several Nations so under several Opinions He that feareth God and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him and therefore he can love and honour true Piety Sincerity and Goodness and real Worth wherever he finds them as the Phylosophers called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 studied to extract the good out of every Sect of Phylosophers and rejected the rest Again He beholdeth the Creator in the works of his Creation and adores his wisdom power bounty and goodness shining forth therein and as a Christian he can look upon the Creator of the World as the Redeemer of it and as his God and Father in Jesus Christ and in special relation to him and hereupon to have his Heart engaged to love him honour him fear him and trust in him which is more than the most learned Heathen by the light of Nature could attain unto Further He considering the Dominion God hath given Man over the brute Creatures he useth them with Thanksgiving but will not abuse them as a Tyrannical Lord and is stirred up to the more chearful service of God by those brute Creatures which are daily serving him He knows that not only Faith is required of a Christian but outward Profession and therefore he conforms to all the Ordinances and Institutions of Christ in his Church and attends there diligently for his Edification and that God may be hononred by the Divine Worship of the Publick Assemblies of his People according to the dictates of the universal Law of Nature and therefore as he will not have Communion with any Church in that that is evil and sinful so he is ready to hold Communion with all Churches in that which is lawful and good that he may not fall under the just charge of Schism or unwarrantable Separation and seeks the maintaining of his whole profession unspotted and without rebuke and therefore He keeps his Foot when he goes to the House of God demeans himself with all seriousness and Reverence in Gods publick Worship will not be found talking gazing whispering laughing or sleeping when his mind and thoughts should be directed towards God that he may carry himself suitable to that great Presence wherein he is and the solemnity of that Service he i◠engaged in He carefully avoids all Tempting of God by presuming upon his Power and Mercy for the good either of his Soul or Body without using suitable and rational means or such as may be appointed of God for that end neither will he pray or hope to receive what God hath never promised to give and thereby be also a tempter of God. Again He being a Christian is careful to observe the Christian Sabbath not the Seventh day of the Week as the Jews but the First according to the example of the Apostles and the first Christian Churches whereby he owns Christs Lordship over the Sabbath to change the day as well as the Ordinances of Gods worship therein and therefore he remembers to keep it Holy by abstaining from bodily Labours and by the exercise of his mind and thoughts
and sinful to one that is not to another As to eat Flesh might be sinful to one and not to another and so keeping of days as the Apostle argues Rom. 14. whereby Christians should be tender of forcing their own Sentiments especially in doubtful things upon anothers Conscience 5. Abstain from all Appearance of Evil 1 Thes 5. 22. Many things may in themselves be lawful yet not to be practis'd when they carry an Appearance of Evil. Religion may be scandaliz'd and real Evil encouraged by that which is not a real Evil but only hath an Appearance of it As to sit at meat in an Idols Temple was not evil in it self for an Idol is nothing and the Sacrifice offered is properly nothing that is no Sacrifice but it had an Appearance of Evil to him that had not that Knowledge and therefore the Apostle doth forbid that practice 1 Cor. 8. 1 Cor. 10. 14. and requires them to flee from Idolatry in that Shew and Appearence of it and so those Ceremonies in Worship that are abused to Idolatry should be laid aside rather than others because they have an Appearance of Evil I know what is answered that they may be used where the Superstition or Idolatry of them are declared against But I am confident that the Primitive Christians would not have put Incense into the Fire of the Sacrifice offered to an Idol thô they might have had Liberty to declare against the Idolatry of it Nor the three Children bow to Nebuchadnezzor's Image tho they might have declared against the Idol And the Apostle forbids eating meat in the Idols Temple thô it was not thought that they were Idolaters who sat there or practised Idolatry God forbad the Israelites when they came into Canaan to symbolize with the Customs of the Heathen tho in themselves not evil because they had an Appearance of Evil and their minds thereby might be the sooner reconciled to the Evil it self Superstition is very catching and therefore the occasions of it are dangerous which made Hezekiah break in pieces the brazen Serpent when abused to Superstition 2 King. 18. 4. 6. The last General Rule is Let all things be done to the Glory of God which though it be a General Rule to all the Actions of Mens Life yet the Apostle applies it to things in themselves indifferent in Religion and the Worship of God as about eating things offered to an Idol 1 Cor. 10. 31. so that nothing should be practis'd herein but what may tend to this General End And hereupon forbids the using of that Liberty that may offend anothers Conscience and cause him to fall as that which would not be to the Glory of God v. 32. yea whatever it is that offends against any of the forementioned Rules is not for his Glory And this General Rule well observed would direct Christians much in the managing such Circumstances in Religion where there is no express Rule or Institution and limit all Governours from imposing such things in Worship which tend not at all to the Glory of God. And tho I know 't is not well possible to answer all Scruples particularly which may be made about Christian-Worship yet I believe these General Rules well observed would make Peace with all judicious and sober Christians And I easily grant that the Gospel Church is left more at Liberty in Circumstances of Worship than the Jewish Church as about Times and Places and Postures c. Christ intending a more spiritual Worship in these dayes hath not tyed us up to the Observation of every minute Circumstance belonging to it or appointed any outward Pomp and Splendor therein as in the Temple-Worship of the Jews seeking now a true spiritual Worship And as for that General Rule which some assert in this Case that what Christ hath not forbidden in his Worship humane Authority may Command and what he hath left Indifferent may by Men be made necessary I would wish all Protestants to take heed of urging it for we know the evil use the Papists have made of it Where say they are the use of Oyl Cream Spittle Exorcisms c. forbidden in Baptizing where is the use of Holy Water when they enter their Temples forbidden where is Sprinkling the Head with Ashes forbidden where is the use of Pictures and Images as helps to Devotion forbidden And where is the Crossing themselves as they do upon several occasions forbidden And much more of this kind is used by them But we know our Saviour excused his Disciples from observing the Traditions which the Pharisees urged upon the People though they were commanded by the Authority of the Jewish Church Such as washing of Hands Cups Platters which seem to be very innocent Ceremonies And were such things as these only recommended and not enjoyned if they did no good they might do no hurt but when they are made necessary to Church Communion and for not observing them People are shut out of the Church and the ordinary means of Salvation the mischief is unspeakable And let it be considered when God under the Law required in Sacrifice either two Turtle Doves or two young Pidgeons whether any Authority in the Jewish Church or State might determine that which God left indifferent but herein let the former Rules be observed And I shall conclude this Discourse with adding a few Passages out of the late Author of The Discourse of an Infallible Judge A Learned Divine of the Church of England There is saith he an easie and effectual way of Curing Church Divisions without having a Judge of Controversies nay without making all Men of a mind in every thing which must never be expected in this World. And that is not to make the necessary terms of Communion straighter and narrower than Christ hath made them nothing but what is plainly revealed in Scripture and is Essential to Christian Faith and Worship For such matters most Christians agree in and tho they may have some private Opinions of their own this ought not to divide Communions while they do not impose them upon the Faith of others nor introduce any new and strange Worship unto the Christian Church P. 55. Again If Catholick Communion be the Communion of the whole Catholick Church from the time of Christ and his Apostles to the end of the World which is but one Church and the Apostolick Churches are the true measure and Standard of true Catholick Communion then those Churches which are to this day in Communion with the Apostles are in true Catholick Communion And this Test we will stand by c. p. 78. Again In the same Page The Communion of particular Churches doth not consist in using the same Liturgies or External Rites of Worship if their Worship be a Right Christian-Worship and agreeable to the General Rules of the Gospel For every Church hath Authority within her self to direct and Model her own Worship And therefore those that keep to the Apostolick Terms of Communion cannot justly