Selected quad for the lemma: diversity_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
diversity_n	ceremony_n	time_n	tradition_n	379	5	10.1419	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29925	Vlastēma ex hypsous, or, The best vvisdome propounded to the gentry of Suffolk in a sermon at Ipswich : prepared for the 9th of April, 1660, the day of election of Knights of the shire for the afore-said county, but preached the morning after / by Benjamin Bruning ...	Bruning, Benjamin, 1623?-1688.	1660 (1660)	Wing B5231; ESTC R2801	32,130	63

by renouncing all Magistracy let them be ashamed to urge this parable against his Authority in the vindication of the first table I speak not this as if I thought that Church-government were swallow'd up in the Civil Magistrate I am not for a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Church of God by Gods appointment and ordinance hath its Government proper to it distinct from Civil Government And both of them have their work though different work about Religion And if duly discharged no great fear but peace will flourish That any should commend a full Toleration in Religion upon the account of peace and peacemaking 't is much such a riddle to me as if one should undertake to keep a house from burning by putting fire to it I know unbounded Toleration sub nomine libertatis prophetandi under the goodly name of liberty of prophesie hath been highly commended to the World as a rare expedient for peace This was done by the Remonstrants a sort of men that created sufficient trouble to the Church But they that will read Learned Vedelius de arcanis Arminianismi will find how effectually he deals with Princes and Magistrates to convince them of the destructiveness of such Toleration to the Peace of Church and State whereever it obtains Odia religionum sunt acerbissima 't was ever a truth and will be to the worlds end No hatred to compare with such as is founded in diversities of Religion What woful experience have we had of it as the miserable effect of our late Tolerations We have learn't that not libertas prophetandi according to the Remonstrants but libertas perditionis according to St. Austin is Latine for Toleration 3. Another Dictate of Wisdome from above in order to Peace is this What may be left at liberty without apparent prejudice to purity peace and order that ought to be so left for peace sake Rigorous impositions in these cases are unreasonable severities and if the forbearing of one another in love required in the 4th to the Ephes 2. v. may not take place here I cannot apprehend to what purpose that precept is in our Bible I have already intimated some circumstances necessary to be attended to as natural or civil helps to worship and 't is the duty of the Church as to take care for the observation of Christs Ordinances so to see this done with a due respect to due circumstances 'T is not my intention now to unsay what I have said but to confirm and clear it There are circumstances I say about Gods Worship which are commanded in general by God himself either in Scripture or Nature but pro hìc Nunc are left by him undetermined and committed to humane determination I shall give an instance or two And first for the circumstance of time where by the way I do not at all intend the Lords day or Christian Sabbath that I take to be of another nature but there are circumstances of time that are left to humane determination Such as are in authority by Gods command are to see that his publick worship be observ'd in due season But whether the publick Assemblies shall be at eight or nine or ten of the Clock c. the determination of this is left to the Wisdome of Authority And necessary it is that some time be determined for if all be left at liberty some to take one hour others an other what inevitable confusion would follow upon this Again the Lord hath given a general rule for dayes of Humiliation and Thanksgiving but for the determination of these services to this or that particular day is left to the Wisdome of Authority So for the circumstance of place when God requires his publick worship to be sure it must be in some place now if particular places be not determined by man what order can be expected in Gods Worship But now for such circumstances as may be left at liberty without wrong to Gods Worship and breach of order I humbly conceive 't will more then a little conduce to the peace of the Church if they be so left As for religious Ceremonies that depend meerly upon the arbitrary pleasure and institution of man these are matters of another nature Let us for this present suppose them to be meer indifferencies and thus much was acknowledged long ago by the Church of England in the 34th Article which begins thus It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies be in all places one or utterly like for at all times they have been divers and changed according to the diversity of Countries Times and mens Manners c. The same Article ends thus Every particular or national Church hath authority to ordain change and abolish ceremonies or rites of the Church ordained only by mans authority so that all things be done to edifying By this 't is evident that Ceremonies long ago were lookt upon by the Church of England as meer indifferences that might be chang'd or abolished without sin For governors then that are thus perswaded of them to impose them with rigour upon such as think in conscience they are sinful it seems to me a harshness of carriage ill becoming the meekness of Wisdome But what do you talk of conscience will some say 'T is an easie matter to cover a peevish refractory humour with a pretence of conscience Let them lookt too 't say I that incur such a guilt But for those that are real put case that they be mistaken and that Ceremonies are indifferent things yet if they refuse them whilst in conscience they think them sinful I cannot imagine but their plea will be much better at Christs tribunal then their 's who rigorously impose them whilst they think them indifferent If it be pleaded upon supposition of the indifferency of Ceremonies in themselves that the injunctions of authority take away this indifferency and make the omission of them to become a sin according to this principle there still rests a power in authority to abolish them and withall I hope I may say without presumption it concerns authority to be very cautelous how they make injunctions that may occasion sins which would not be were it not for those injunctions can any be offended with me for this that considereth how manifold the precepts and institutions of Christ are and how much the world groans under the weight of that guilt that is contracted by not observing them And as for peace I cannot imagine that ever the Church got so much by Ceremonies as will pay for the peace it hath lost by them I must confess my self hard to be perswaded that England would have had so much cause to complain of division and seperation that have rent and torn the Church into many pieces had there not been so much ceremoniousness in former times Not that I justifie seperation upon this account as will appear by that that followeth 4. In the fourth place I take this to be another Dictate of Wisdome in

ancient Nor is it inconsiderable in this matter that we have so uncertain and imperfect notice of the customes and practises of the Church for the first 300 years after Christ and especially of the times that more immediately succeeded the Apostolical age As if the Lord foreseeing an abuse resolved by such a providence to admonish us that we cleave the closer to our Bibles And for the multitude of Ceremonies that were in St. Austin's time they that will please to read his 119 Epistle may find his thoughts of them and what complaint he makes of the burthen that lay upon the Church by that meanes That I may not be thought to wrong him I shall give you some of his words Omnia itaque talia quae neque sanctarum Scripturatum autoritatibus continentur nec in consiliis Episcoporum Statuta inveniuntur nec consuetudine Universae Ecclesiae roborata sunt sed diversorum locorum diversis moribus innumerabiliter variantur ita aut vix aut omnino nunquam inveniri possint causae quas in iis instituendis homines sequuti sunt ubi facultas tribuiter 〈◊〉 omni dubitatione resecanda existimo All such things as are neither authorised by holy Scripture nor found to be the injunctions of the Councils of the Bishops nor are confirmed by the custome and practice of the universal Church but are varied according to the divers manners of divers places so that the causes of their institution can scarcely be found out I am not at all doubtfull but that they are to be abolished by authority if there be opportunity for it By the Councils of the Bishops I humbly conceive the Father intends only such as were general and Oecumenical and not particular Councils convened upon the account of some particular Church or Churches This I collect from that which follows concerning the confirmation that he speaks of by the custome and practice of the Universal Church which comprises the whole body of the Christian Church in the several ages and places of its being Now whether there be any religious Rites thus enjoyned for Gods worship by the concurring votes of Oecumenical Councils and thus confirmed by the custome and practice of the Universal Church but what are likewise warranted by the authority of the holy Scripture I leave it to consideration The Church of England long since affirmed the negative in a passage before cited out of the 34 Article where it is plainly declared that Traditions and Ceremonies meerly Ecclesiastical have at all times been divers and changed according to the diversity of Countreys Times and Mens manners Now for ceremonies of this nature let but Austins judgment sine omni dubitatione resecanda existimo take place and the controversie is at an end But to follow the Father who concerning Ceremonies proceeds thus Quamvis enim neque hoc inveniri possit commodo contra fidem sint ipsam tamen religionem quam paucissimis manifestissimis celebrationum sacramentis miserecordia Dei esse liberam voluit servilibus oneribus premunt ut tolerabilior sit conditio Judaeor●m qui etiamfi tempus libertatis non agnoverint legalibus tamen sarcinis non humanis praesumptionibus subjiciuntur Though it cannot be found how they are contrary to the faith yet Beligion which the mercy of God would have at freedome with very few and very manifest religious Rites in the celebrations of it this they load with such servile burdens that the condition of the Jews may be lookt upon as more tolerable for though the Jews understood not the time of their liberty yet they are subjected to such heavy carriages as were of legal appointment and not to humane presumptions And here by the way Bellarmines evasion is to no purpose he would have us believe that Austin aimes at such Ceremonies as were practised by private persons and especially women without the warrant of Ecclesiastical Authority I marvail what coloured Spectacles Bellarmine used whilst he read Austins words to such a sense Is it not plain enough that the Father speakes of such Ceremonies as oppressed Religion and made it subject to humane presumptions and doth he not plainly compare these burdens with the heavy carriages that lay upon the back of the Jewish Church and were not these publick and not private Ceremonies As for what the Father saith concerning very few and very manifest Religious Rites or Ceremonies which God would have used in the Celebrations of Religion I freely assent to it What are the Sacramental elements and actions in Baptism and the Supper of the Lord but Sacred Ceremonies These are Christ's appointments and with all reverence to be attended and concerning these there hath ever been the harmonious concurrence of general Councils in the true Christian Church to provide for their due observation and the universal Church in all times and places hath commended them to us by its practise But Austin proceeds yet further in such words as these Sed Ecclesia Dei inter multam paleam multaque zizania constituta multa tolerat● tamen quae sunt contra fidem vel bonam vitam non approbat nec tacet nec facit The Church of God among a great deal of chaff and cockle tolerateth many constitutions whilst it approves not of nor connives at any thing that overthroweth the faith 〈◊〉 is contrary to a good life If Ceremonies that were ●sed in the Church in Austins Time were not the things that he intends by chaffe and cockle I freely confess myself unable to understand him But to say no more in this matter if there be any meer humane ceremony contended for upon the account of the authority of any of the Fathers o● the practise of the ancient Church I humbly conceive I may without presumption undertake to produce some other thing every whit as ancient which I take for granted that all of us would be unwilling with but if any desired to be further resolved in the truth concerning the authority of the Ancients let them read the truly learned tractate of Daille a French Divine concerning the right use of the Fathers you will find that Author a true reverencer of them and throughly acquainted with their writings The proper intent of his work is to prove that the Authority of the Fathers is not decisive in points of controverted Doctrine but if we weigh his Arguments with reflections upon the matter of worship we shall find them for the most part not beside the purpose for which I mentioned him But no longer to presume upon your patience that which hath been spoken in order to the purity of Divine Worship my aime in it I hope hath been at the Honour of God and the peace of the Church England hath tried extreams already and hath felt to some purpose the mischiefs that have attended them 't is not a politick but if I mistake not a scriptural moderation that hath been pleaded for I am encouraged to hope that it will find acceptance as a word in season The Lord give us a right understanding in all things and teach our Senators such Wisdome as is first pure then peaceable FINIS