Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	heathen_a	let_v	publican_n	2,742	5	10.9981	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34689	A practicall commentary, or an exposition with observations, reasons, and vses upon the first Epistle generall of John by ... John Cotton ...	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; R. D. (Roger Drake), 1608-1669.; Scott, Chr. (Christopher), fl. 1655.	1658 (1658)	Wing C6452; ESTC R5113	587,691	443

1.18 and that he walks with us we argue because he is still pleased to dispence to us the Word of Life and edifies many souls thereby and therefore surely Christ hath fellowship and shall man be more pure than his Maker where Christ vouch safes fellowship shall man renounce it If they be converted where had they their conversion 2 Have not many of Gods Servants heretofore kept company with Churches as corrupt as ours are Did not Peter and John keep company with them and shall they be more pure and curious 3 Christ commands If thy Brother offends admonish him Matth. 18.17 if he hear thee not take two or three more if he hear not them then tell it to the Church and if he heare not the Church let him be to thee as an Heathen or Publican but if the church hear not thy complaint he doth not say let the church be as an Heathen or Publican now there are many of our Seperatists never admonished their Brethren nor made their complaint to the church and if they did and the church heard them not must they therefore Excommunicate the church and renounce it therefore unlesse you find in it Blasphemy or Idolatry or Persecution there is no just ground of seperation Therefore this sin is very dangerous it draws men from the Members of the Church 1 They say our Worship is corrupt 2 Our Government is Antichristian For the first you cannot maintain it for in sundry Congregations you shall not find much corruption as for reading of Prayers if it be lawful to read Psalmes why is it not lawful to read Prayers therefore that is no just ground it is that which all Protestant Churches have used 2 Suppose there were and are sundry abuses in the Church yet that is no safe ground of seperation Ezek. 5.11 Ezek. 9.4 so when the Sons of Eli corrupted the Sacrifices of God their Sin was great yet it was a sin for the people to seperate and abhor 1 Sam. 2.17 2 They say our Government is Antichristian we say it is that Government that expeld Antichrist somtimes and sundry have witnessed it with their blood and I say further there is no such corruption in our State as was in Jerusalem when Christ and his Apostles kept Fellowship with them as two High Priests c. 3 They say our Ministry and Calling is Antichristian we say we doe not profess our selves enemies to Christ and for our Callings many of us are elected by the peoples approbation or by such as are set up by the King and State and if God blesse our Ministry to convert thousands to God by that means it is an evident sign God approves our Calling for if it were Antichristian they would not convert souls to God 4 They say our people are corrupt and some such as Paul bids not to have communion with 1 Cor. 5.11 as Drunkards Whoremongers and therefore you see what evill such doe they make Gods people abhor the Offerings and breake off from fellowship with you We cannot deny but there are very many corrupt and scandalous persons in our Church but private Christians have no authority to roote them out 1 For Ministers if they see that it would turn to the dissipation and destruction of the F●ock it were better to forbear 1 Cor. 5. Mat. 13.29 30. Ezra 4.20 they ceased from building the Temple when there came a command against it therefore they had better forbear when it cannot be redressed without greater prejudice to the Church 2 The corruption of such doe not corrupt the Church or the Ordinances of God He that eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself not to the whole Congregation and you shall finde many Churches as corrupt as the Church of Corinth yet the Apostle would not have them renounce it Lastly they say we were never truly constituted our Church had no true constitution A. That constitution which they themselves require hath not been wanting in ours 1 They say there must be entring into a Covenant that was done in King Edward and Queen Elizabeths dayes and whereas they say our Church is but a Parliament constitution that doth not weaken but establish our Church 2 But they say that our Church consists of a mixt multitude so was that 2 Chron. 20.13 when Jehosaephat assembled all Judah before the Lord Num. 11.4 there was a mixt multitude and they did it out of fear and yet it was a true Church and so is ours though there be a mixt multitude And yet this falling off because it is not from the main Doctrine but from the skirts and some circumstantials therefore they doe not fall utterly from Christ but yet it is not possible but they weaken their faith 3 This refutes the Anabaptists that fall off from our Church because we baptize Infants before they come to knowledge 1 We say though there were no Baptism it were no cause to make it no church as Israel in Egypt without Circumcision 2 We say our children have as much right to Baptisme as Isaack to circumcision but they were circumcised the eight day and if the Covenant belong to them then the Seals of the Covenant Act. 2.39 Mark 10. Vse 4. Lastly it may teach us all if it be a sign of Antichristianisme to withdraw from the church then it is a mark of true Christianity to stick close to the fellowship of the Saints in love in Christian duties in admonishiog one another in counselling in comforting in reproving one another therefore take heed you forsake not this fellowship for so you loose your grace and strength if you sit loose from them They that follow lying vanities forsake their own mercies all that oyntment that was powred on Christs head descends to the lowest skirt of his garment Psal 133. to the meanest Christian therefore if you sit loose from Christ and his members how can you look for any drops of his oyle the vallies receive the showrs from the Mountains there God hath commanded a blessing and it comes with power and authority a man that gets a blessing any where else gets it but precario and as it were by stealth but in publick communion God hath commanded a blessing Now we come to the last point the end of the departing of these men out of the church they went out that it might appear they were not all of us Whose end was this who propounded this end it was not their intention to manifest themselves not to be of the church but all heretiques pretended that they aimed at a better church they never intended it to manifest themselves to be enemies to the church neither was it the end of the church the church did not cast them out but it was voluntary defection they went out of themselves therefore the church did not look at that end whose end was it then Surely it was Gods end who over-ruled their Apostacy to the benefit of his church when he saw them warp from the

the bonds of these Commandements or breake but one willingly we have no truth in us Jehu had no respect to walke in all the Commandements of God and therefore was an hypocrite if a man take not heed to all the Commandements he takes heed to none at all When the two Harlots came before Sol●mon his judgment was that the childe should be divided betwixt them the Harlot was willing but the true Mother would by no means endure it so if thou give God undivided obedience thy heart is sound but if you divide with God and some part you will give to God and some part keep for your lusts why you have the heart of an Harlot and all your works are dead works Object Doe we not all sin in many things Jam. 3.2 Answ Yes we all faile in performing but we may have respect to all Gods Commandements and it grieves us that we have failed in those we doe respect and we are sorry for it if we be thus affected our hearts are right before God Vse 2. Of consolation to all such as find this frame of heart to yeeld universall obedience to God God himselfe testifies your profession is sincere and so you shall find you shall never be confounded when you have respect to all Gods Commandements Vse 3. Of exhortation to all that would have a testimony of the sincerity of their profession Why make we conscience of every Commandement of God and so we may have a sure ground of our sincerity 1 JOHN 4.21 And this Commandement have we from him that he who loveth God love his brother also WE come now to observe one poynt out of the words themselves Doct. 1. The same commandement that requires love to God requires love to our brethren also God requires no man to love him but he requires him also to love his brethren it 's one of the great Commandements of the Law neglect love to your brethren and you neglect love to God likewi●● and this direction Christ himselfe gives Matth. 5.23 24. Which imply●● a● God would not accept a service to himselfe without reconcilement to 〈◊〉 Brother so God will not accept any Office of love to himselfe if we come not in love to our brethren God loveth a cheerful giver that doth it in hearty love and affection God would stay for his service and he would have us stay till we be at peace with our brother not but that our love to God ought to be greater and in case of competition God will be loved even with the hatred of our brother but when there may be a suburdination of their loves he requires the one as well as the other 1 Tim. 2.8 Let us lift up pure hands without wrath and doubting and he means wrath to our Brethren as when a man comes with doubtings he is not accepted Jam. 1 7. so neither is he accepted when he comes in ●●ath nay if he comes in wrath he either wants faith or his faith is full of doubtings or else it 's a false faith The wrath of man accomplisheth not the righteousnesse of God Jam. 1.20 a man can doe no righteous service to God if he come in wrath Reas 1. From the near relation that lyes between God and our brethren God looks at his people as his children as his Spouse as his Members and therefore oft times he will longer bear with injuries done to himselfe then to his members Pharoah was an heathen Prince but yet God past by that he doth not charge him for his horrible idolatry and filthy abominations God winked at these things but when Gods people came amongst them and were evill intreated by them then Moses his message is Exod. 4.22 23. Israel is my Son even my first born and if thou refuse to let him goe I will slay thy son even thy first born this was that which made God fall so heavily upon him for opposing of his people so though Babylon abounded with many Idolatries yet God makes little mention of it but he punisheth them for the insolency against his people Psal 137.8.9 Zach. 1.15 I am very sore displeased with the Heathens that are at ease for I was but a little displeased and they helped forward the affliction They are his members like us and therefore the injury done to them redounds to God himselfe Saul Saul why persecutest thou me and they are such members as art as dear to him as the apple of his eye Zach. 2.8 Now he will endure touching any where else rather then on the apple of his eye God knows that mens goodnesse extends not to him so neither doth their hatred if we be wicked and injurious what harm can we doe to him Why God will bear much longer Idolatry swearing and other grosse sins then injuries put upon his people how long did God endure the heathen Monarchs till they fell sore upon the Church the Roman state flourished exceedingly above seven hundred years though their Capital was filled with all manner of Gods but the times of this ignorance God regarded not but followed them with great Victories and designes and there were many worthy men among them for valour and prudence but when the Emperours grew hot against the Christians and persecuted them God would endure them no longer but tumbled their Monarchy into the dust Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harm Some man will endure much more injury against himselfe then against his children so while the world trespasseth against God himself by Idolatry Superstition or prophanenesse he sits silent as if he regarded them not but when they wax fierce against the Church then he ariseth like a mighty Gyant and raiseth his forces even such plagues as the world rings of as those ten plagues of Egypt witnesse and all this ariseth from his tenderness over them because their afflictions may doe them more harm then they can doe him as long as the Church keeps any good termes with him no man is more tender of his Spouse no father of his child then God is of his Church Reas 2. From the delight God takes in the sincerity of his service 1 Cor. 16.14 Let all things be done in love what is done in love is an hearty sincere service and if love be wanting a man either performes no service or else it 's not done in truth God that is a God of truth is most impatient of such overly and ha●ting performances Psal 51.12 God requires truth in the inward parts whether in dutyes of service to himselfe or man 1 Pet. 1.21 Reas 3. From the care God takes of the preservation of love unfeigned to himselfe why that it may be preserved spotlesse God will still keep in us a diligent care of love to our brethren for next after hypocrisie nothing more odious to God then Apostacy and more dangerous to us as being the way to the sin against the holy ghost Now so long as a man walks in love and keeps a constant fellowship