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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	bind_v	church_n	heaven_n	11,478	5	7.0638	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57683	A sermon preached at a visitation in Honiton in Devon, on Wensday in Easter week, 1676 by J.R. Rector of Lezant in Cornwall.	J. R. (James Rossington), b. 1642 or 3.	1676 (1676)	Wing R1995; ESTC R23078	23,190	40

subscriptions thereto thus it was used amongst the Protestants in Poland where Falkner p. 86. after the consent chiefly touching the Lords Supper was establisht in the synod of Sandemir Ano. Dni 1570. between the Churches of those three confessions the Bohemian Augustine and Helvetian it was concluded in another following general synod that none should be admitted into the Ministry unless consensui subscribat the French Church required likewise a subscription to their Liturgy and besides this it hath been the custome even of the reformed Churches to impose solemn Oaths for the yet closer binding to canonical obedience thus in the Behemian Church after Ordination the Minister was solemnly admitted to his Ministration by the Visitours who among other things committed to him their liber Ritualis containing their form and Rites of worship to the performance thereof they did oblige themselves at their Ordination by a Religious oath So at Strasburgh after its first Reformation they who entred into the Ministry did by Oath undertake to keep in the communion and obedience of the Church and its Governours according to the Law of God and their canons statutes and Ordinances and it is related from the laws of Geneva where an establisht Liturgy is one of their constitutions that all there who were received to the Ministry must oblige themselves by Oath to observe the Ecclesiastical Ordinances ordained by the Councils of that City and in the Hungarian Church they binde themselves by oath to the observation of the Ecclesiastical canons and performing due obedience to the Bishop But if the contentious amongst us will condemn all Ecclesiastical laws and sanctions and account nothing pure but what is used in their conventicles I dare joyn issue with them even upon that and appeal to their own practice and prescriptions whether many things are not ordered according to the humours of the Minister besides men are very much mistaken to think ceremonies and constitutions meerly indifferent I mean in the general for however every particular ceremony be indifferent and every particular constitution is arbitrary and alterable yet that there should be some ceremonies it is necessary necessitate absolutâ insomuch as no outward work can be performed without ceremonious circumstances some or other and that there should be some constitutions concerning them it is also necessary though not simply and absolutely as the former yet ex hypothesi necessitate convenientiae otherwise quot capita tot schismata whereof what other would be the issue but infinite distractions and disorderly confusions in the Church when every one acts as his humour leads him and that upon this account Constitutions some or other are necessary is agreeable to the Apostles when they met in a Council at Jerusalem for setling the Churches peace We reade Acts. 15.28 that they would lay no other burthen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 besides these necessary things 't was not enough with them that the things would be necessary when they had required them but they looked on an antecedent necessity which was the only ground of their imposing these Commands upon the Gentile-Christians but observe this antecedent necessity did not arise from the nature of the things enjoyned but from the expediency and conveniency there was for the Injunction by reason of the present juncture of affairs and to say otherwise would be to contradict the Apostle or make him to contradict himself from which Apostolical fynod as may be well noted the London-Ministers in their Jusdivinum allow a Synod power of imposing things on the Church which they assert to be included in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and consequently that things indifferent in their own nature become necessary to be practiced after such a decree or Injunction Cap. 13. the like do the Assembly grant in their Confession moreover the Apostles did not only exercise this power when they sat in Council together but when they were asunder also St. Paul often mentions Constitutions that he made for diverse Churches for the Church of Galatia he made an Order 1 Cor. 16.1.2 that Collections for the poor should be made on every first day of the week 1 Cor. 11. and meant to bring in the same custome into the Corinthian Church he framed Ordinances also for that Church 2 Thess 3.14 so for the Church of Thessalonica where he commanded opposers against his determinations to be excommunicated neither could such things as these be commanded by an unchangeable law since they are to be taken up and laid aside as occasion serveth therefore the Apostle having instructed the Corinthians in matters of faith and godliness puts off these other matters till his own coming that he might see what is most expedient the rest will I set in order when I come where he promiseth you see to appoint things belonging to outward Order now we know that he never came to Corinth after that who then did order those other things but the Governours of the Church he might have prescribed unto them a compleat form for outward Order and Polity but he foresaw that the same orders would not suit every state of a particular Church and therefore his coming being prevented his successours had power to determine of things and if the same orders and constitutions will not serve a particular Church at all times how was it possible for the Apostles to express all matters of Rites and Orders belonging to the Catholick Church sometimes the Church hath to do with Pagans sometimes with Hereticks and those diverse by reason whereof the Church hath been occasioned to change her Rites as namely dipping in baptisme which she hath changed from thrice to once and from once to thrice accordingly as the 20th Article ascribes a power to the Church to decree Rites and Ceremonies so the 34th says every particular Church hath authority to ordain change or abolish Ceremonies or Rites in the Church the same in the Articles of Religion of the Church of Ireland printed in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth and accords with the Confession of the Reformed Church of France published in the year 1562. which adds Discipl des Egl. Reform de Franc. Ch. des Consistoires Art 31. as may be seen also in Confess Eccl. Gal. inter opuscula Calvini qui hoc detrectant cerebrosi pervicaces apud nos habentur such as refuse to obey are accounted with us obstinate and brainsick and accordingly ought they to be proceeded against and in case other Methods do not take ils seront retrenches de l' Eglise they are to be out off from the Church so our Saviour he that heareth not the Church let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican and what is the condition of such they are delivered over unto Satan a sad condition if true and most true it is verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven this is no brutum fulmen such a blinding as

this may be a prologue to the casting into utter darkness hoc vero erat futuri judicii praejudicium saith Tertullian this doom is the forerunner of the day of doom and a true president of that sentence which shall then pass upon disobedient persons which hath been so deeply resented by some that we reade of many in History who would not admit of comfort after Excommunication till they were reconciled to the Church and if I mistake not the incestuous person mentioned 1 Cor. 6. and 2 Cor. 2. may be a pregnant example after whose excommunication so deep a sorrow seised upon him as that the Apostle himself fearing that he should be swallowed up with it for the saving of his soul gave order for his absolution such then as will not obey the constitutions of the Church must look to feel the weight of her censures but if after this any persevere in their perversness then the Magistrate may doubtless by his power used with Christian moderation endeavour to stop the spreading of the contagion and do what in wisdome he thinks meet to preserve the purity and peace of Church and State urging against them either that of Rom. 14.22 or 1 Cor. 10.32 or that of Gal. 5.12 I would that they were even cut off that trouble you whereby doubtless is meant not a cutting off from the Church by way of Excommunication for that was in St. Pauls power to do nay they had cut themselves off from the Church before but a cutting off by the civil power which then was heathen and therefore he would not have it made use of by Christians for he would not allow them to appeal to unbelieving Magistrates 1 Cor. 6.1 no not in Civil much less in Spiritual matters and so wisheth only there were a fitting power that is a Christian Magistrate to punish or banish those that trouble the Church of Christ or since there was no such power he inprecates that God would be pleased to cut them off by his own hand and in the Apostles time 't is very observable that there were corporal punishments miraculously added to the Churches censures upon the obstinate and contumacious not only in the particular Instances of Saul Ananias Saphira Elimas but the delivering a person unto Satan hath been ordinarily observed to include with the sentence of the Church a giving him over to some outward bodily calamities to be inflicted on him by the evil spirit of which a particular instance is given by Paulinus in the life of St. Ambrose Prope finem concerning the servant of one Stilico and this is presumed to have continued in the Church whilst it subsisted without any influence from the secular power but when once the Church came to be incorporated into the Common-wealth the miraculous way of adding punishment to the Churches censures ceased and the Magistrate took care to enforce the spiritual weapons of the Church with the more sensibly keen and sharp ones of the Civil State Thus is it done at Geneva it self where the Magistrates shew great rigour against them that are disobedient to the Orders of the Church insomuch that if any be so unwise as to dispise them he is openly punished with Banishment or otherwise Epist l. p. 311. Si quis praefract auctoritatem Ecclesiaespernat If any one saith Calvin do obstinately slight the authority of the Church unless he leaves his contumacy he is banished by the Senate for a year and if any one shew himself unruly and stubborn the Senate doth take the cause to it self and punisheth the Party such offenders therefore as disobey the Orders and Canons of the Church and contumaciously persist therein ought to be soundly scourged by the Pastoral rod and cut off from the body of the Church by the spiritual sword of excommunication and if that will not work a reformation as indeed it is not likely to do upon the more obstinate and schismatical who are like to think themselves shrewdly hurt by being cut off from that body which they chuse not to be of and so being punished into a quiet enjoyment of their sweet separation they have but their deserts if as examples and warning to others they be delivered up into the hands of the civil powers and so they be haled to the Judge and the Judge deliver them to the Officer and the Officer cast them into Prison indeed were the Consciences of men as they should be the censures of the Church might be a sufficient coertion upon them but being as too many are hell and damnation-proof if the Bishop had no other defensives but Excommunication no other power but that of the keys he may as one noteth for any notable effect he is like to do upon the factious and contumacious surrender his Pastoral staff shut up the Church and put those keys under the door Thus then we have seen that the Churches of God have may and ought to have as formerly their Canons and Constitutions to which all Christians are bound to give obedience otherwise they incur the Churches censures and are worthy to be debarred the priviledge of such a society and what other punishment the Civil Magistrate thinks good to annex 2ly We infer that the Church hath her customes now in case there be no certain constitution a general received custome hath the force of a law thus all Societies besides their laws in books have their customes in practice Pand. 1 Tit. 3. de legibus 35. and those not to be taken up and laid down at every mans pleasure the Civil-Law says this of custome Imo magnae Authoritatis hoc jus habetur ut non fuerit scripto comprehendere necesse so the Apostle here was zealous for Church-customes as were likewise all the Fathers of the Nicene Council 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let customes say they prevail let them carry it and in those things saith St. Austin wherein the holy Scripture hath defined nothing Epist 85. mos populi Dei instituta majorum pro lege tenenda sunt Vbique Christus hoc egisse videtur ut ad recept paremias axiomata vel formulas respiceret Heinsius the customes of Gods people and the appointments of our forefathers must be held for laws but we need no other and can have no greater instance in this case then our Saviour himself who when he came into the world complyed with the Rites and customes he found and this is the Topick whence our Apostle deduceth the last Argument he here useth in a matter of decency 't is in a word 't is not the custome which alone ought to suffice in things of that nature though no other could be alledged and which indeed ought to be alledged alone without any more ado when we have to deal with contentious persons St. Paul we finde was content to reason with those as were capable of satisfaction but for such whom no reason could satisfy but would be always contradicting and clamouring