Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	catholic_n	church_n	visible_a	2,907	5	9.9387	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26871	Cain and Abel malignity that is, enmity to serious godliness, that is, to an holy and heavenly state of heart and life : lamented, described, detected, and unananswerably [sic] proved to be the devilish nature, and the militia of the devil against God and Christ and the church and kingdoms, and the surest sign of a state of damnation / by Richard Baxter, or, Gildas Salvianus ...	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1689 (1689)	Wing B1195; ESTC R2643	73,886	164

in a schism and in sin That the Ministerial power is not the gift of Man but only of Christ who by the Charter of his recorded Word giveth the power and the obligation to that person who is duely chosen and called thereto As the Kings Charter giveth the power to the Mayor of a Corporation duly qualified and chosen that the ordainers are but partly Judges of due qualification and partly Ministerial Investers and not at all the Donors of the Power that ordination is for order sake needful when it may be had to keep men from being Judgers of their own sufficiency But order being only for the thing ordered as the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath is not necessary against the end That there is no necessity that a Superior must ordain but as the Colledge of Physicians Philosophers c. make Physicians Philosophers as approved so may equals in the Ministry Do not Bishops make or consecrate Bishops If this were not so who makes the Pope If he did not pretend that his power is given him immediately from Christ he must grant that there are some men above him to give it him and so he is not the Soveraign If they say that the power of Popes and Kings is given by the whole body the Church he is then no Pope for it 's known that three parts of the Christian World are against him If he will say None are the Church but those that are his party any sect or rebels may say the like and appropriate authority to themselves Nothing more cheateth the ignorant than ambiguous words and confusion And explaining those words and needful plain distinction would save the writing of many volumes and would make truth easily meet the seeker and unravel all the spider Webs of deceivers Do but well use these few distinctions and all Popery vanisheth into smoak 1. Distinguish between a Catholick Church as headed by Christ This we are all members of and a pretended Catholick Church headed by the Pope or any men This is another Church as to the denominating form having another informing unifying head And this is it which we deny 2. Distinguish visibility Christs Church is so far visible as to have a Head who was visible on Earth is visible in Heaven and will visibly come to Judgment and visibly reign for ever It hath visible Laws Protection and Officers The subjects bodies and their profession are visible And it is no farther visible no not as to the Souls or real faith of the subjects The Papists Church hath an Usurping Visible Humane Head on earth 3. Distinguish of Baptism and Ordination as into Christs Catholick Church and done by Papists as Christians And as into the Popes Catholick Church and done by Papists as Papists 4. Distinguish of Subjection and Communion We owe Communion when we owe no Subjection and where men have no right to be our Governours 5. Distinguish between Communion in Christianity and that in Essentials Integrals or Accidents and Communion in errours and corruptions or defects We have Communion with Papists and all Christians in Christianity if they be Christians indeed But we renounce Communion in the errours and sins of them and all others as far as we are able to avoid them All Christians have Union and Communion in the Essentials of Christianity No Christians have Union and Communion in all the Integrals on Earth all being imperfect But the more such Union and Communion the better No Christians have or ought to have Communion in all the Accidents All should avoid Communion in sin 6. Distinguish between Communion of Hearts Communion of Profession and Communion in Local presence We have Heart Communion in one Essential Faith Hope and Love with all true Christians on Earth We profess all one Faith in the Essentials We have nearer Communion or fuller with the Reformed Churches which are soundest in the Integrals than we have with the more faulty and corrupt But we have Local presence but in one place at once and we ought to avoid Local presence where we cannot have it without sin though we have Communion in Faith Love and Profession with the same men If a Reformed Church will not admit our Local presence without subscribing some one untruth we must be absent when we may be present with a worse Church which excludeth us not by any such Imposition 7. Accordingly distinguish of Separation We separate not at all from Union or Communion with Papists as they are Christians or as they hold any Truth But 1. We separate from Subjection and Obedience to them which we never owed them or any other Church 2. We separate from Communion with their Church as it is a Policy informed by an Usurping Humane King or Head. 3. We separate from all their sins so far as we know them 4. We deny Local presence in their Mass-worship because of the sin imposed on us both before it and in it 5. We are uncapable of Communion in all accidents or mutable indifferent things Understand and use well these few plain distinctions and you need little more to answer all the Papists And I fear not to add that were the Papists in my power as I never did I never would use any inhumanity or cruelty towards them yea I would use no Offensive but only Defensive force against them nor hurt one of them further than they made it necessary for the Defence of the Land or those whom they would hurt I knew not till a Book called The Liberties of England lately told me how many very severe Laws are against them I am no Judge of the times that they were made in nor of their occasions But I think that of late they have done more hurt than good For 1. Some of them seem too severe 2. Some I cannot prove to be justifiable viz. Those which would compel them to come to our Sacramental Communion when many a good Minister would not receive them if they came And that which excommunicateth them that never were of our Communion And that which layeth the Excommunicate as such in prison c. 3. It greatly tendeth to misinform Forreigners who seeing these Laws think they are all put in Execution and so believe those that tell them that the Catholicks here are under constant Cruelties and frequent Martyrdoms whenas I never in all my life knew of one Papist that suffered so much for his Religion as I have done my self within these few years past though my sufferings are so small as to be no meet matter of very great complaint 4. These Laws being a continual danger to them should there be Governours that would execute them doth put them on continual plotting and striving against them Sufferings or great dangers put men by fear upon self-defence and the utmost endeavours for deliverance who would be more quiet if they found themselves in safety and though their Clergy would be still plotting the recovery of the Papal power to

of the Earth are Idolaters and Heathens And do I need to say how ignorant wicked and miserable they are Many of them publickly worship the Devil as Witches do with us and he deludeth them and appeareth in divers shapes to them and ruleth them as he doth Witches And those that are more civil are strangers or enemies to Christ Six parts of the thirty are Ignorant Mahometans destroyers indeed of Heathenish Idolatry and such as take Christ for a great and true Prophet but know him not as a Saviour but equal or prefer a gross Deceiver and live under barbarous Tyrants who by violence keep them in the dark The other five parts that are called Christians alas consist most of people bred up in lamentable Ignorance mostly barbarous or debased by the oppression of Tyrants such as the Moscovites most of the Greeks the Abassines Armenians and many Eastern Sects and Nations What Ignorance the vulgar Papists are bred in in Italy Spain Germany Poland France and other Countreys and what enmity to true Reformation prevaileth in Princes Priests and People and by what Lying and Cruelty they fight against Truth and what Inquisitions Murders and inhumane Massacres have been their powerful means I need not use many words to tell And are the Protestant Reformed Churches free from fleshly worldly wicked men from ignorant malignant cruel Enemies to Truth and Piety and Peace § 3. Our Kings Dominions are the best and happiest Nations on Earth Here is most Knowledge of the Truth and most proportionably that truly Love it and live in a holy obedience thereto and fain would live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness honesty and sobriety But alas they must be contented with their own personal uprightness and reward and the peace of their Consciences in Gods acceptance But with men there seemeth to be no hopes of common Wisdom Piety Love and Peace We are all baptised with one Baptism we all profess to be the servants of one God and the faithful followers of one Christ and to believe in one Holy sanctifying Spirit and to believe the same Canonical Scriptures as the Word of God indited by that Spirit and to be of one Holy Catholick Church which is all the Members of Christ on Earth and to hold the Communion of Saints We mostly in England and Scotland agree in the Protestant Reformed Doctrine and Sacraments Our concord in profession is so great that if some men had not devised some Oaths Professions Covenants Practices and Knacks and Engines of their own which they dare not say God made to become the matter of our unavoidable dissent they could hardly have known how to pretend any difference in religion among us and hell would scarce have found any Cloak for malicious accusations enmity and discord You shall scarce meet with a man that will not speak well of Love and Peace and say that we must Love God above all and our Neighbours as our selves and do as we would have others do to us And yet is there any Enmity or Disagreement Alas how great and how uncureable § 4. Who would think that knew us not by our Profession but only by our Actions but that the three Kingdoms consisted of the deadliest Enemies to each other Of Turks and Christians of Wolves and Sheep that I say not of Devils and Men Yea Turks and Christians can live together in Hungary and all the Eastern Countreys Orthodox and Hereticks can live together in Poland Helvetia Holland c. But Protestants and Protestants cannot live together in Britain Cities and Corporations Countreys and Churches i● not Families also are distracted in enmity and more than mental feuds and war. Guelphes and Gibelines party against party studying Accusations against each other as if they were Scholars daily exercised in the School of him that is the Accuser of the Brethren All their Learning and Wit is called up and poured out to render others as odious as they are able All their power interest friends and diligence are used to ruine and destroy each other No lies or perjury with some seem unlawful to accomplish so desired an effect In all companies the discourse and converse that should be to edifie each other in Love and comfort each other by the hopes of dwelling together in Heaven is taken up with slanders backbitings scorning railing and plotting the overthrow of the best of their neighbours Innocency never wants odious or scornful names As if they were acting their part that called Christ and his Apostles and the ancient Christians Deceivers Blasphemers Enemies to Caesar Ring-leaders of Sedition that taught men to worship God contrary to the Law. Every drunkard and wicked liver can as easily make his conscionable neighbour a Rogue or a Traitor or a Schismatick or an Hypocrite as he can open his mouth and speak And to justifie all this malice is become a virtue hating the most religious is Zeal for Government and Order destroying Christs Members is standing up for the Church hunting them as Dogs do Hares or as Hawks do the lesser birds is a meritorious work of supererogation no doubt and will not finally lose its reward God is served by hating and scorning them that are serious in his service It is Religion to make Religion odious and call it Hypocrisie and to be for that which is uppermost and befriends their worldly Interest and to make him suspected of Disloyalty who is for obedience to God. Conscience and fear of sinning and of damnation is the mortal enemy to be conquered or driven out of the Land as if there were no quietness to be expected in mens minds no concord in the Church no obedience to the Clergy or the Laws no safety from Sedition till Conscience be silenced or banished and men give over fearing God or as if Christ and Caesar could not both reign but God or Princes must be dethroned And O that the sacred Tribe were innocent and none of them were the leaders in such hypocritical malignity Their Canons ipso facto excommunicate all not excepting Princes Parliaments or Judges that do but say that any of their Ceremonies Liturgy or Officers in Church Government not excepting the lowest or Lay-mens power of the Church Keys by decreeing Excommunications and Absolutions are repugnant to the Word of God And when they have ipso facto Excommunicated them all they call them Separatists for not coming to their Communion Think not the contradiction and hypocrisy incredible read but the 5 6 7 and 8. Canons and judge They have a Law and by their Law he is cut off from the Church or Christ that doth but call any of these the Inventions of Prelates sinful or say that God forbids them And the Jail must be his dwelling till he die there who in ten cases remaineth Excommunicate and doth not openly profess that he repenteth and judgeth that to be sinless which he is utterly unable so to judge When we have preached seven and seven years to

never Revile or Prosecute the Atheists Infidels Sadduces Hobbists and those many thousands that seldom if ever go to any Church or worship God publickly at all Is the worship that Peter and Paul used worse than irreligiousness and infidelity 11. Who can believe that you are sincerely zealous against misworshiping God when you can ordinarily your selves be in a drinking house or playing house at the time of publick worship And when so few of you ever so much as worship God in your Families by Prayer or read the Scripture or Catechise your families 12. Is it not a strange thing to hear men accuse others for not using the Liturgy in Gods worship and at the same time would have them that refuse it to be forbidden all publick worshiping of God at all Doth this signify any dislike of their omitting Gods worship Which is the more ungodly omission to omit all worship of God and live like Atheists or to omit only so much of the Liturgy as the Apostles used not I have known many that could not eat cheese as is said before nor scarce smell it without danger of Death If you would have a Law made that such shall eat no other meat few wisemen will believe that it is their health and life that you desire If a man fail in paying his Landlord some odd act of Service will you make a Law that he shall pay nothing at all If a Subject neglect paying some excise or using Bow and Arrows will you forbid him paying any thing or serving the King at all Sure they that forbid men all publick worship be offended at somewhat else than that men do not rightly worship God unless they think that not to worship him at all is better than doing it without their Book Obj. But he shall be Compelled to better worship Ans. How when he lieth in jail he cannot publickly worship God at all Is that better worship I know it is banishment which some would have executed And will men worship God any better among Heathens or Infidels or others Or why should other Countries endure them if they be not to be endured in their own Are not English-men that worship God only by their own Book as much Nonconformists when they are in other Lands France Spain Italy Germany Holland c. as those are here that do not use it And are they there intolerable and worthy of ruine Did the Apostles or first Churches banish any on such accounts Will Christ banish them from his Kingdom Hath he made any such Laws And is not he the absolute Soveraign Hath he left his Servants to the will of man to use them how they will or cast out of his Church whom they will Are you sure these are none of the number of whom Christ saith I was hungry and ye fed me not c. In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these my Brethren you did it not to me Mat. 25. Accus But they are Schismaticks and Separate from the Church and is not that a damnable sin Ans. 1. Being speaking only to malignant enemies of serious Godliness I say It is not only Separatists that you hate but Godly Conformists yea perhaps most of all because you are more restrained from hurting them How oft hear we Curses and Revilings against Conforming Puritanes or as some call them Church Whigs If they are not haters of their brethren but Friends to Love and Peace you nickname them Trimmers And cursing those whom Christ blesseth when he saith Blessed be the Peace-makers for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven You say Cursed be the Trimmers and would the Kingdom were rid of them It is any that are for a holy life and obedience to God that you abhor 2. As I said before you spare those that come to the Parish Churches no more than others The old Nonconformists wrote more against Separation than any else in England did And yet were hated as intolerable The reconcilers who are since made Nonconformists did publickly offer to be Subject to Arch-Bishops and Bishops to use the Liturgy themselves if reformed and if it were not yet never pleaded for separation And yet are never the more endured 2. But who is it that they separate from Do they not profess Union and Communion with the whole Catholick Church on Earth What separation do you mean Is it their Local absence And are not you such Separatists from all the world saving the Assembly where you meet One cannot be in two places at once Or is it that they dislike somewhat in your Forms of Worship so they may in others Forms with whom yet they profess Communion And in what is it that they shew dislike or separation They hold Communion with you as Christians and as reformed from Popery They separate not from Papists as Christians And from you it is only for that which you say is no part of your Worship or Religion but things indifferent which they think to be sin And are those Separatists from your Church who only separate from that which is no part of your Church or Worship 3. Are the French and Dutch Churches in London Schismaticks or Separatists who profess Communion with our Churches though they use not our Oaths Subscriptions or Liturgy Liking their own mode better and preferring it is no Separation If I like your Liturgy better than any in the Bibliotheca Patrum is that separating from all Churches that use the rest 4. Who are the Schismaticks in France Italy Poland c. Those that are called so and persecuted as such or those that impose on them the things which they judge sinful What if you were in a Presbyterian Land where the Liturgy and Prelacy are forbidden and another Form set up by Law and you should contrary to that Law use the Liturgy and Ceremonies or at least refuse subscribing against Prelacy and for Lay Elders If they excommunicated or ruined you for this who do you think were guilty of the Schism 5. Do they forsake the Assemblies before they are excommunicated Or is it not an odd thing for to excommunicate men first and then accuse them for not coming to Church I have known Ministers stop in the midst of Publick Worship and refuse to go on till an excommunicate person went out The whole representative Church of England do in their 5 6 7 and 8 Canons ipso facto without tryal or sentence excommunicate all in England who affirm any thing to be sinful or repugnant to Gods Word in the Church Governing Offices whatsoever in the Liturgy Ceremonies or Articles And shall they after this be called Separatists for not coming in Doth not the Canon shew that the Church would not have them come in when they cast them out Obj. But the Church and Canon bid them repent of that their wicked errour and publickly confess it and so come in Ans. 1. Is a mans Judgment absolutely in his power Can a man believe a thing to