Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	earth_n	heaven_n	militant_a	4,766	5	11.7120	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03146	The history of the Sabbath In two bookes. By Pet. Heylyn.	Heylyn, Peter, 1600-1662.	1636 (1636)	STC 13274; ESTC S104023	323,918	504

certainely devout and therefore the lesse question to be made but that the holy dayes were employed as they ought to be in hearing of the Word of God receiving of the Sacraments and powring forth their prayers unto him The sixt generall counsell holden at Constantinople appointed that those to whom the cure of the Church was tr●sted should on all dayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 especially on the Lords day instruct the Clergie and the people out of the holy Scripture in the wayes of godlinesse I say the Clergie and the people for in these times the Revenue of the Church being great and the offerings liberall there were besides the Parish Priest who had Cure of soules many assisting ministers of inferiour Orders which lived upon Gods holy Altar Somewhat to this purpose of preaching every Sunday yea and Saints dayes too in the Congregation we have seene before established in the Councell at Mentz Anno 813. So for receiving of the Sacrament whereas some would that it should be administred every day singulis in anno diebus as Bertram hath it lib de corp sangu Christi Rabanus Maurus who lived 824 leaves it as a thing indifferent advising all men notwithstanding De Sermon proprieta● l 4 10. in case there be no lawfull let to communicate every Lords day Quotidie Eucharistiae communionem percipere nec vitupero nec laudo omnibus tamen dominicis diebus communicandum hortor sitamen mens in affectu peccandi non sit as his words there are And whereas this good custome had beene long neglected it was appointed that the Sacrament should be administred every Lords day Can. 2● by the Councell at Aken Anno 836. Ne forte qui longe est a sacramentis quibusest redemptus c least saith the councell they which keepe so much distance from the Sacraments of their redemption be kept as much at distance from the fruition of their Salvation As for the holy dayes or Saints dayes there needed no such Canon to enjoyne on them the celebration of the Sacrament which was annexed to them of course So likewise for the publicke prayers besides what scatteringly hath beene sayd in former places the Councell held at Friburg Anno 895 hath determined thus Conc. Friburiens Can. 26. Diebus dominicis sanctorum festis vigilis orationibus nisistendumest ad missas cuilibet Christiano cum oblationibus currendum that on the Lords day and the festivalls of the Saints every Christian was to be intent upon his devotions to watch and pray and goe to Masse and there make his offering It s true the Service of the Church being in the Latine and in these times that language being in some Provinces quite worne out and in some others growne into a different dialect from what it was that part of Gods worship which was publicke prayer served not so much to comfort and to ●dification as it should have done As for the outward adjuncts of Gods publicke service on the Churches part the principall was that of Musicke which in these Ages grew to a perfect height We shewed before that vocall musicke in the Church is no lesse antient than the liturgie of the Church it selfe which as it was begunne in Ignatius time after the manner of plaine-song or a melodious kinde of pronunciation as before was sayd so in S. Austins time it became so excellent that it drew many to the Church and consequently many to the faith Now to that vocall musicke which was then in use and of which formerly we spake it pleased the Church in the beginning of these Ages to adde instrumentall the organ being added to the voyce by Pope Vitalian Anno 653 almost 1000 yeares agoe and long before the aberration of the Church from its pristine piety And certainely it was not done without good advise there being nothing of that kinde more powerfull than melody both vocall and instrumentall for raising of mens hearts and sweetning their affections towards God Not any thing wherein the militant Church here on Earth hath more resemblance to the Church in heaven triumphant then in that sacred and harmonious way of singing prayse and Allelujahs to the Lord our God which is and hath of long beene used in the Church of Christ. 13 To bring this Chapter to an end in all that hath beene sayd touching the keeping of the Lords day wee finde not any thing like a Sabbath either in the practise of the Church or writings of particular men however these last Ages grew to such an height in restraint of labours on this day that they might seeme to have a minde to revive that part of the fourth Commandement Thou shalt doe no manner of worke upon it For where they tell us of this day as before was sayd that it was taken up by custome on the authority of the Church at most on Apostolicall tradition this makes it plaine that they intended no such matter as a Sabbath day though that the Congregation might assemble in the greater numbers and men might joyne together in all christian dueties with the greater force it pleased the Church and principall powers thereof to restraine men from corporall labours and binde them to repaire to the house of God Or if they did intend the Lords day for a Sabbath day its plaine they must have made more Sabbaths than one day in seven those holy dayes which universally were observed in the Christian Church being no otherwise to be kept than the Lords day was and those increasing in these Ages to so great a number that they became a burden to the common people Nor is it likely that being once free from the bondage of the Iewish Sabbath they would submit themselves unto another of their owne devising and doe therewith as the Idolaters of old with their woodden gods first make them and then presently fall downe and worship them Rather they tooke a course to restraine the Iewes from sanctifying their Sab●ath and other legall festivals as before they used Statutum est de Iudoeis in the 12 Councell of Tolledo Anno 681 Can. 10. Ne Sabbata coeterasque festivitates ritus sui celebrare praesumant and not so onely Sed ut diebus dominicis ab opere cessent but that they should refraine from labour on the Lords day also Of any Sabbath to be kept in the Christian Church some few might dreame perhaps such filthy dreamers as Saint Iude speakes of but they did onely dreame thereof they saw no such matter They which had better visions could perceive no Sabbath but in this life a Sabbath or a rest from sinne and in the life to come a Sabbath or a rest from misery Plainely Rupertus so conceived it as great a Clerke as any in the times wherein hee lived which was in the beginning of the twelfth Century Nam sicut signum circumcisionis inc●rnationem c. For as saith he the signe of Circumcision foreshewed the incarnation of our Lord and