Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	church_n	communion_n	society_n	1,043	5	9.9780	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59578	Separation convicted of profanation, oppression, persecution, [brace] rebellion, self-destruction, and antichristianism being a further evidence of the mischief of separation, as asserted by the most learned and pious Dr. Edw. Stillingfleet, Dean of St. Pauls / by Lewes Sharpe, rector of Moreton-Hampstead in Devon.	Sharpe, Lewes.	1681 (1681)	Wing S3006A; ESTC R37382	32,652	45

a preference of their own thoughts and devices before Gods Institutions and Injunctions which is called in the holy Text Rebellion Isai 65.2 and the making of the commandments of God of none effect Mat. 15.6 Mark 7.13 There is nothing more plain and more easie to be understood in all the Bible than That the body of Christ is one and that all Christians are baptized into this one body 1 Cor. 12.12 13. and therefore though many are yet one body in Christ and members one of another Rom. 12.4 5. so that if one member suffer all the members suffer with it 1 Cor. 12.26 From which neer relation and sympathy they are obliged to the dearest love Rom. 12.10 and are to live in the exercise of it as the evidence of their neer relation to Christ John 34.35 and the bond of perfectness among themselves Col. 3.14 And that this be not weaken'd or interrupted they are commanded not to forsake the assembling of themselves together Heb. 10.25 and to give no of fence to the Church of God 1 Cor. 10.32 nor to any member of it Rom. 14.13 And if offences come as through Satans subtilty and the malignity of fleshly lusts they must needs do Luke 17.1 though wo to them by whom they come Mat. 18.7 their Christian Faith which worketh by love Gal. 5.6 must so moderate their passions that they must not easily be provoked but bear all things that are tolerable yea must cover a multitude of sins and suffer long 1 Cor. 13.5 7. and ought to be so far from rejoycing in iniquity and having advantages of dislike and separation that they must account it their Glorie to pass by offences Prov. 29.11 follow after peace and the things that make for it Heb. 12.14 Rom. 14.10 and do as much as in them lies do all that is possible to be done to live in peace Rom. 12.18 that is no condition of a peaceable Communion is to be refused but such as is morally impossible cannot be submitted unto without sin This is plainly the minde of God That we must never forsake the Communion of that Church unto which we are united so long as we can keep our innocency in it Nothing but the sinfulness of a Communion can justifie or warrant a Separation When we cannot continue in Communion without either the acknowledgement of some errour for a Truth or the practice of some sin for a Duty we may separate but for no other provocation The requiring of doubtful or suspected practices as some speak as the condition of Communion can be no warrantable ground of Separation because Engagements to a Separation must be equally certain as Engagements to a Communion They are certainly very badly advised and disposed who prefer their doubts and scruples before their known dutie and the Churches honour and safetie Sect. 44. And I must tell you too there may be real corruptions in a Church and yet no ground for a Separation from it because we may communicate with it in Gods Ordinances without partaking with it in its Corruptions for that may be tolerated which is not imposed practised by some which is disowned by others and required from none And in all lawful things condescention and yieldance is infinitely more commendable than selfwilledness and stubborn frowardness If therefore a Brother much more a Mother will have you go a mile with her in a way of condescention and yieldance to such things as you conceive inconvenient and burthensome you must to maintain peace and love go with her twain Mat. 5.41 The Philosopher calls a good man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Cube or Square implying that a good man is not like a Spherical Figure which is able to meet the plainest thing onely in a point but like a Cubical Figure which meets with plain things in whole broad-sides and hath a notable aptitude for Unity and compliance I am sure St. Paul was such an one and he is worthy to be a president to us all Who became as a Gentile to the Gentiles that he might gain the Gentiles and as a Jew to the Jews that he might gain the Jews yea though he were a free man yet he made himself a servant to all and was made all things to all men that he might gain some 1 Cor. 9.19 20 21 22. And certainly he was never baptized with the Spirit of Christ who will not do more for the unitie and Peace of that Societie to which he belongs than to please an ill-natured humour and that will not smother his private judgment and relinquish his private liberties and his more publick conveniences too rather than by a peremptory publication of the one and a stiff maintainance of the other disturb the quiet of Gods Church Sect. 45. Now it being generally acknowledged by most of the Separatists That the Church of England at least that our Parochial Churches are true Churches and that they may without the dangerous hazard of their Salvation communicate with them in their religious Administrations they cannot separate from them without exalting their own Imaginations above Gods Prescriptions and preferring the gratification of an Humour before the pleasing of God which is a grand rebellion against him Sect. 46. Fourthly Separation is an act of great stubbornness and contumacy 't is a sin excused justified and pleaded for which is the adding of rebellion to sin as Job speaks c. 34.37 The very same circumstances which rendered the sin of Saul in sparing Agag and the best of the spoil a Rebellion are fully applicable to the sin of wilful and causeless Separation and with some superiour aggravations Did Saul break the Commandment of God so do they And far more hainously for he transgressed onely a single positive temporary dispensable Precept but they an eternal and indispensable Law of Love and Righteousness Saul transgressed to preserve and save but they to ruine and destroy Did Saul notwithstanding his disobedience pretend that he had performed the Commandment of the Lord so do they They do it in obedience to the Call of God who will have them as they say come out from among us and separate Did Saul excuse and justifie his sin from the pretence of a good end and intention so do they The Church needs Reformation and they have covenanted to reform it and they will bring religious Ministrations to greater purity so that they are in a faithful pursuit of The good Old Cause are the men called forth to bear witness to the Gospel-designe and their Separation is for the Honour of God and the Edification of his Church that is they pull down the Church to build it up rend the Members of the Body asunder to joyn them the more orderly together wreck and quite mar the Ship to repair and mend it destroy to save Did Saul at last confess his sin so do not they but obstinately defend it yea glory in it as an attainment of an extraordinary size and which is the foundation of it

Loveliness 3. In respect of its Fame and Reputation 4. In respect of its Stability and Strength 5. In respect of its Propagation and Inlargement Sect. 20. First Separation is an Oppression to a Church in respect of its Being and Existence The Church is as the Body and we are as Members of the Body and is it not a great wrong to the Body for the Members caufelesly to rend themselves from it If the Life be more than Meat and the Body more than Rayment Luke 12.23 then 't is a greater Oppression to destroy Life or to dismember the Body than 't is to take away outward Accommodations which are onely for Food and Rayment By Moses his Law he was guilty of death that stole a man Exod. 21.16 and is his guilt less that robs the Church of a Saint Man being by the very constitution of his nature a sociable creature we cannot conceive him related to any Society but we must conceive him bound to preserve it and to be a Guardian to it to protect and preserve it in all those Laws and Orders Rights and Priviledges which are necessary to its Being Security and Welfare and is not he an Oppressor which overthrows or weakens that Society which he is bound to maintain and support Sect. 21. Secondly Separation is an Oppression to a Church in respect of its Beauty and Loveliness External Beauty and Loveliness is properly nothing else but a resultancy from parts harmoniously and orderly united and disposed so on the contrary Deformity is a resultancy from maimed or disordered parts And who is there which doth not as much dread Deformity as Poverty What would you not give or lose rather than become ugly and abominable And what are Divisions but a disordering of the parts of the same Body And what is Separation but a pulling of one part from another Dismember a Body and you must certainly deform it pluck out an Eye or cut off the Nose or any other visible part and you will finde that you have deformed it The Church of God for the correspondency of her parts in Gods designe and constitution of her is so beautiful that she is altogether lovely and is it not a great Oppression to her by Divisions and Separations to bring Deformity upon her and make her an Object of lamentation to her compassionate Friends and of scorn to her insulting Enemies Sect. 22. Thirdly Separation is a great Oppression to a Church in respect of her Fame and Reputation Detraction from Fame and Reputation is as much and more an Oppression than a detraction from any Civil Right or Possession can be A good Name and Report is such a valuable Blessing Phil. 4.8 Prov. 10.7 that good men of all sorts in all Ages have preferred it before either Pleasures Eccles 7.1 or Riches Prov. 22.1 or Life it self 1 Cor. 9.15 And the violation of it hath ever been ranked amongst the worst injuries incident to humane Society and Commerce A man or a Society of men without Reputation under contempt and scorn is one of the meanest and most impotent things in the world Now Separation from a Church is an high defamation to it and most directly exposeth it to contempt for this represents it to the world as a Society of Christians apostatized from Christ declined from the ways of God gross prophaners of Gods Name and Ordinances and consequently so devested of all goodness that they are not fit for Christian Communion but ought to be avoided and abandoned as Publicans and Heathens This is the irresistible insinuation and true interpretation of every Separation from a Church for no Separation from a Church is justifiable but for that reason which God giveth why his people should come out of Babylon That they be not partakers of her sins and receive not of her plagues Rev. 18.4 So that they which separate from a Church disgrace and brand it for a Society of corrupt and infamous Christians with whom God is not graciously present and with whom good men should have no fellowship which is the most injurious dealing can be met withal in the world and cannot be resented without a great deal of smart and indignation Sect. 23. Fourthly Separation is a great Oppression to a Church in respect of her Stability and Strength One end why Christ imbodied and formed his Disciples into a Church-Society was that from their conjunction and relation they might like parts of the same body contribute mutual help strength and succour to each other Two saith Solomon are better than one Eccles 4.9 to 13. that is Society with Love and Peace is better than Solitariness because 't is useful to encourage Endeavours to support under Burthens to preserve from Dangers to rescue from Distresses to further and cherish in the discharge of Duties and Offices and to sympathize and refresh under all Griefs and Sorrows As Christ for his protecting and quickening influences on the Church is compared to the Head Col. 1.18 so every Christian for his subordinate assistance and beneficialness to the whole Society is compared to a Member fitly and orderly joyned to the Body Eph. 4.15 16. So that As the Eye cannot say to the Hand I have no need of thee nor the Head to the feet I have no need of you 1. Cor. 12.21 so neither can any the most perfect Christian say to the meanest I have no need of thee for they all embarque in the same Bottom and are engaged by the consignation of God to a common care and concern for the whole and one another The Church is said to be as terrible as an Army with banners Cant. 6.1 that is whilst like an Army she continueth in good Order Peace and Unity within it self because in such a case one Member is a succour and defence to another And as every Souldier in an Army keeping his Rank and Order doth partake of the benefit and advantage of the conduct courage and prowess of the whole Army so every Christian abiding in that Calling wherein he is called with God walking orderly in the Church doth partake of the usefulness of all those Gifts and Graces which God hath bestowed upon the whole Church 1 Cor. 3.22 Now we all find by experience that weak things united become strong and strong things divided become weak whence Scyllurus taught his eighty Sons by giving them a sheaf of Arrows which together they could not break but one taken from another they could easily break That Unity and compacted Strength was the Bond that preserves all Societies entire and inviolate but Division that which dissolves and extirpates them So that he which separateth himself from a Church and refuseth to supply his proper place and order in it he breaks down her strong holds and weakens her and consequently oppresseth her Sect. 24. Fifthly Separation from a Church is a great oppression to it in respect of its Propagation and Enlargement We are all obliged to pray and consequently to use our utmost

Covenant to maintain her in her Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government and to endeavour a Reformation according to her Pattern but good men they cannot understand for their hearts what this Church of England should be One would think that a National Church in England might as easily be defined as a National Church in Scotland All the odds is the National Church of England is not now so likely to serve their turns as the National Church of Scotland then so termed was Let us but pull down the Bishops and set up a General Assembly of Presbyters and 't will be as easie to understand what the National Church of England is as what the National Church of Scotland was Sect. 37. Let us reason the case a little with these men Why may not the English Nation become a National Church as well as the Jewish What is there wanting which the Jews had that is essential to the constitution of a National Church May not that be as much from God and have as great approbation and as many Blessings from him which is effected in an ordinary way as that which is effected in an extraordinary way What they were by immediate we are by mediate divine Constitution Were they converted from dead Idols to the living God so are we Were they united in the profession of the same true faith so are we Were they bound to the same rules and modes of Worship so are we What is it which makes a Church but Gods Call to a People and their Answer to his Call Now you shall finde that this is to extend to whole Nations of the Gentiles under the Gospel as well as it did to the whole Nation of the Jews under the Law Isai 55.5 Thou shalt call a Nation which thou knewest not and Nations which knew not thee shall run unto thee Zech. 2.11 Many Nations shall be joyned unto the Lord in that day and shall be my people So Mich. 4.2 Many Nations shall come and say Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and he will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths And Psal 72.11 12. All King shall fall down before him all Nations shall serve him all Nations shall call him blessed And Christ tells the Jews Mat. 21.43 That the kingdom of God that is the Church-state shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof And 't is no more than what Moses foretold them Deut. 32.21 I will move them to jealousie with those that are not a people I will provoke them to anger by a foolish Nation Which the Apostle expresly applieth to the rejection of the Jews and calling of the Gentiles Rom. 10.19 which plainly evinceth that God would convert whole Nations as well as particular Congregations out of them and bring them to a Church-state such for substance as the Jews enjoyed And why may not an whole Nation incorporate into one Body Ecclesiastick as well as into one Body Politick There may be as universal agreement in divine matters as in civil the Members of a National Church may be as useful to one another in that relation as the Members of a Civil State and as governable in the one capacity as in the other So that they which forsake and gather themselves into distinct religious Societies from that Society of Christians here in England which are united by National Laws Political and Ecclesiastical in the profession of the same Faith and observation of the same rules of Worship and Discipline are faulty Separatists and set their Altar beside the Altar of the Lord their God Sect. 38. To make this yet a little plainer to you I shall apply it to a Separation made from our Parochial Churches which are of the same constitution with the National and differ onely as parts from the whole Though Parochial or Congregational Churches are no more of immediate divine Institution than the Jewish Congregation in their Synagogues were but a meer prudential distribution of the whole into parts for the more convenient and orderly Community in a publick confession of Faith and participation of publick Ordinances and no Christian considered simply as a Member of the Church Catholick is any more bound to the Communion of one part of the Church than of another but ought indifferently as he hath opportunity to joyn himself to any one sound part of it as well as to another yet our Parochial Churches being homageneal or similar parts of the National as well as Catholick Church essentially considered they who from Vicinity of Neighbourhood and Cohabitation have or ought to have joyned themselves to them as Christian Assemblies fitly accommodated for publick Worship common Order and Edification and best subserving the duties of a Church-relation if they separate from our Assemblies as acting in a way of Communion with the National Church and set up Assemblies of a different and disagreeing constitution They do not walk as God hath called them 1 Cor. 1.17 pitching every man by his own standard Numb 2.2 according to order 1 Cor. 14.40 Do not go forth by the footsteps of Gods flock nor feed where God maketh his flock to rest at noon Cant. 1.7 8. but set up an Altar beside the Altar of the Lord. Sect. 39. Moreover whatever the Original Constitution of our Parish-churches was or whatever their relation to the National Church is or suppose there were no National Church at all yet 't is evident that our Parish-churches consist of visible Saints such as profess Christianity and have been baptized into the Body of Christ they are the pillars and ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 that is they do preach and proclaim Gods Will as revealed in the Gospel which is the Word of Truth as those Pillars which have the Edicts of Princes affixed to them proclaim their Will and Pleasure the true Sacraments which are the Symbols and Seals of Gods Covenant which is the Bond of all Amity and Commerce with God are administred in them they by mutual consent joyn themselves together as Pastor and People and assemble themselves together to partake of the Ordinances of Christ and therefore they are most certainly true Churches and they which live in an orderly Communion with them keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace abide where they were called with God keep their ranks and places where right Reason and Religion hath fixed them and maintain publick Charity and Order and consequently they which have been once joyn'd to them as all the Separatists in England have been or ought to be for such an Existence as Parish-churches now have they for the main had long before the oldest Separatist in England was born to separate from them they carry it like Mutineers in an Armie violate all the bonds of Love Peace and Order and by setting up distinct and separate Societies for Worship and Discpline from them rebel against God and against us Sect. 40. I. Such