Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	church_n	particular_a	universal_a	3,369	5	9.3348	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47294	A discourse explaining the nature of edification both of particular persons in private graces, and of the church in unity and peace, and shewing that we must not break unity and publick peace, for supposed means of better edifying in private virtues : in a visitation sermon at Coventry, May 7, 1684 / by John Kettlewell ...	Kettlewell, John, 1653-1695.	1684 (1684)	Wing K365; ESTC R13841	32,265	39

care one of another saith St. Paul that there be no Schism in the Body 1 Cor. 12. 25. And thus also it appears wherein lies the Edification of the whole Church namely in the settled Peace and Unity of all its Members For the Church being a Spiritual House is edified and built up by Unity and Peace but plucked down and broke to pieces by Divisions and Separations And this Peace and Unity is not to be had whilst we all seek to please our selves but only by Love which is a self-denying Virtue and the care of others And thus having explained both the Edification of particular Men in Faith and Manners and of the whole Church in the settled Peace and Unity of all its Members I proceed in the 3. And last Place to shew that this latter is to be preferr'd and must give Laws and Limitations to all means of promoting the former So that no man must ever seek to edifie in Schism or break the Peace of a confessedly sound and Lawful much less of an excellent and very edifying Church upon Pretence that he can edifie more in separate Meetings The latter of these I say is to be preferr'd and must give Laws to all means of promoting the former and particular Mens using any ways or seeking any helps to edifie in particular Graces must always be in subordination to the Unity and Edification of the Church As for all the Duties of Christianity they are bound to them absolutely and no care of maintaining Peace and Unity must ever draw them to forego them So that when any Sins are required in any Church as the Conditions of Communion as Adoration of the Host Worship of Images and Profession of false Articles are in the Church of Rome though thereby they break the Peace and Unity of that particular Church yet must every private Christian stand out and not comply with them For such Peace with that particular Church upon such corrupt terms were nothing less than entering into a Conspiracy both against the Universal Church which disclaims these Corruptions and against Jesus Christ the Head of it seeing it is upon Conditions expresly forbid by his Laws But when all these Doctrines and Duties of Christianity are left free nay openly taught and pressed on all men which in Truth is and our Brethren confess to be our Case then as for all the helps and outward opportunities of improving them as what Prayers they shall use and what Sermons they shall hear and such like these must give way to publick ends and be subordinate to the Churches edification To use the best Prayers and hear the best Sermons and be under the most edifying Helps are very desirable things indeed and he is very careless of his own Soul who when he wants them doth not seek them if they may be had and unthankful to Almighty God if he doth not prize and value them when he is placed under them But when we desire and in all Peaceable ways endeavour to have as good as we can we must at the same time be content to take up with such as we may have and not separate and divide the Church to find better We may be sensible of the want and of our great unhappiness under a less edifying means in any Church when that is truly the Case though God be thanked however our Brethren mistake it it is not so with us and both wish and fairly endeavour to remove the unhappiness But when we are sensible of them and wish they were removed we must not fall into Schism to remove them nor break the Peace and Unity of the Church for better means of private edification To evince this I observe 1. If a Man breaks Unity and publick Peace for better means of private Profiting he cannot be said so much as to improve in private Edification If we allow all Men to reject the established means which stand by publick Wisdom and to chuse any which they fancy better at their own Discretion they will not be likely to chuse such as are really more edifying I know 't is Natural for Men to think well of themselves and that unless they are wise they will be apt to fancy he undervalues them who would beget in them an humble Opinion of their own Judgments But in truth the generality of Men are unmeet and ill Judges in these things so that to set them free from the publick means and bid them chuse better for themselves is not the way to put them under such as are more profitable for them For some would still be changing for varieties sake not to have a more useful but a New Man it being the Property of itching Ears as well as of wanton Appetites to be cloy'd with the best Entertainments when they are held to them and never to like of any thing long And others would think to edifie more by those which really are less edifying They would too often chuse to themselves a Pastor either from his Gesture and Actions the cadence of his Voice his Zeal and Vehemence or from his abounding in affecting Phrases and taking Similitudes or from his Preaching pleasing things and insisting most on their beloved Opinions and for their sakes reject others who treat of more useful and weighty matters and lay out the great Points of Religion in all plainness and speak more to Mens Consciences whose Discourses though less pleasing perhaps to some Fancies are yet I am sure the more profitable Sermons The greatest number of Hearers are observed to be very injudicious in their choice and applause of Teachers and to prefer those who can do them less good before such as are really fitted to do more This is observed by men of the best esteem among our Brethren as well as by others amongst us And 't is no wonder it should be so observable of other Hearers when the Apostle tell us the very same of the Corinthians in his own case He was qualified sure in all respects as one of the most Powerful and Edifying Teachers and the Corinthians had known him well enough to see it and believe so of him But yet such Judges were several among them of edifying Preaching as to prefer others before him and desire rather to be under their Ministry than his which put him upon speaking so much in his own Praise as he doth 2 Cor. c. 11. and c. 12. So that if all Men were set loose from the means appointed by publick Wisdom and were left to chuse better for themselves since the generality are such unfit Judges in this case they would not ordinarily chuse such means as would more profit them But if they were all so wise as to fix on proper means and when they reject the established helps chuse such instead of them as really are more edifying yet if they break the publick Peace to come at them they cannot account themselves to improve in private Edification If a Man breaks Peace to improve