Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	catholic_n	church_n	communion_n	6,739	5	9.8919	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70263	Several sermons upon the fifth of St. Matthew .... [vol. 1] being part of Christ's Sermon on the mount / by Anthony Horneck ... ; to which is added, the life of the author, by Richard Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells.	Horneck, Anthony, 1641-1697.	1698 (1698)	Wing H2851; ESTC R40468	201,926	515

profession and outwardly but inwardly too converted to the Faith of Christ for upon this Conversion their former hatred and enmity to others is laid aside and they are all for Peace and Concord though I say these Prophecies are actually accomplisht in despight of all the Sects that profess Christ's Religion yet the Jews a dull hard inconsiderate sort of People and who are guided much by their Senses seeing the everlasting quarrels that are among Christians and how one party persecutes and abuses the other and upon what slight occasions they quarrel and fall out and break Peace and Communion one with another I wonder not to see them offended at these doings and harden'd in their Unbelief for not to mention the Divisions Heresies and Schisms in the ancient Church at this day the Eastern Churches stand divided against the Western the Western is broke into several Parties the Church of Rome against the Protestants and the Protestants against the Church of Rome and the Protestants are divided among themselves In these Divisions the Church of Rome erects her Head and pretends she is the only True and Catholick Church because they are united among themselves But to shew the weakness of this boasting 1. At this rate every particular Church must be the Catholick Church because the Members of every particular Church are united among themselves So in the Church of England her Members and Pastours all subscribing to the Articles of her Communion and professing the same Doctrine Ceremonies and Worship whether they be in Europe or Africa or Asia or America and there is no particular Church that 's constituted by any publick Authority but may boast of this Unity 2. It is not a bare Union of Men that makes a Church a true Church but that Union must have Truth for its Foundation else you know Thieves and Robbers and High-way-men and Pyrates and Buccaneers because they agree among themselves might lay claim to this Title and the most perverse Hereticks because they agree in certain Points might say they are the true Church and Heathens and Pagans because they agree in Superstition and in believing a Multitude of Gods might bid fair for this Character However 3. The Unity the Church of Rome boasts of is only a pretence for all the World knows the mighty differences that are within her own Bosom of the Scotists and Thomists of the Franciscans and Dominicans of the Jansenists and Jesuits who stick not to call one another Hereticks not to mention the late Divisions betwixt the Disciples of Molinos and their Opponents and were it not for fear of Fire and Prisons and the Inquisition some of these would break out into open War against their Adversaries and Competitours Nay 4. There is no Christian Church that hath been more guilty of breaking the Peace of Christendom than the Church of Rome and because several Churches would not satisfie or gratifie her Ambition would not put their Necks under her Yoke nor believe the falsest and idlest thing in the World her Supremacy and Infallibility she hath boldly separated her self from their Communion this was the reason why she separated from the Eastern Churches and by this insolence she hath forced the Protestant Churches from her Communion and not he that is forced away but he that forces is the Schismatick And indeed that which justifies the Protestant Churches separation from her or breaking Peace and Communion with her is 1. Because she would impose that upon the Consciences of Men which Christ and his Apostles never imposed 2. Because she hath turned the Spiritual Worship of the Gospel into carnal and mechanical Devotion and introduced innumerable Superstitions which have no foundation in the Word of God and would have them believ'd as firmly as the Gospel it self 3. Because she hath brought in a Worship which with all the favourable Interpretations imaginable cannot be excused from Idolatry even the Worship of dead Men and Women of the Bread in the Eucharist of Images and Pictures and Reliques c. contrary to the Design of the Gospel 4. Because though she hath been often entreated admonish'd and exhorted to reform these Abuses for some hundred Years together yet she is obstinate and instead of reforming hath harden'd her self in them and thinks to hectour Men by her Power and Authority into a Belief of that which cannot be defended with solid Arguments 5. Because rejecting the Supreme Authority of the Scriptures which are the sole Rule of Faith she hath made her pretended Head and such Councils as he shall call or approve of the sole Dictatours and Expositours of the Doctrine of Christ requiring blind Obedience to their Decisions contrary not only to the Word of God but to the Sense of all true Antiquity So that there can be no peace I mean no Peace of Communion with Rome for though we are commanded to live peaceably with all Men yet we are withall to have a due regard to Truth Eph. IV. 15. Nor must Peace be bought at so dear a Rate as to comply with Men in their Sins and Errours which is the Reason why Peace and Holiness are join'd together in that known Exhortation of the Apostle Follow peace with all men and Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord Heb. XII 14. Indeed an external Peace we are to maintain with all Mankind but this differs much from Peace of Communion in Divine Worship and Sacraments The Divisions among Protestant Churches are to be deplored so much the more because the Points they differ in are inconsiderable and might easily be composed if Men had but peaceable Tempers and were resolved to lay aside Interest and carnal Respects and Punctilio's of Honour and Credit c. for they all agree in fundamentals all are satisfied that the Church of Rome hath notoriously deviated from the simplicity of the Gospel and the matters in difference are things in which Salvation is not concerned And upon that account their labours deserve great Commendations who heretofore and very lately have endeavour'd to reconcile the Protestant Churches into a perfect Union A blessed Work Blessed are the Peace-makers that endeavour to make Peace among the jarring Members of Christ's Body and though they may fail of Success yet they shall not lose their Reward In the mean while those who widen or heighten these differences and incite the respective Parties to hatred and wrath and animosities one against another to be sure are no Children of the God of Peace and had need at least before they die make publick Satisfaction for the dreadfull Effects their Heats and Passions do produce But as this Peace among Protestant Churches is very much to be wish'd and pray'd for so I despair to see so glorious a Work take effect except the differing Parties would resolve to stand to the Rules following 1. That the respective Parties which agree in the chief Points of Religion do not make any of those Points they differ in fundamental as if

stamped and impressed upon his Soul He imitated God in those two things which one of the Ancients tells us will make us like God viz. speaking truth and bestowing benefits A man of greater simplicity and veracity I never knew and there are multitudes that will witness that he went about doing good He did vow in his Baptism to renounce the Devil the World and Flesh. Some men go no farther All their Religion comes from the Font. This good Man perform'd his Vow he cast out of himself the Evil One and renounced all his Works overcame the World in the noblest sense and subdued and mortified all the sinfull desires of the flesh He was a Conquerour and more than Conquerour He devoted himself intirely and without reservation to the service of his God It was not only his business but his choice and delight his meat and drink I need not say that he was much in Prayers and Fastings in Meditation and heavenly Discourse very frequent in devout Communions in reading and hearing the Word in watchings and great austerities He wisely considered that these were the means and not the end of Religion that these are not godliness but only helps and the way to it He arrived at the end of these things He had an ardent love of God a great Faith in him and was resigned to his Will He had an unspeakable Zeal for his Honour a profound regard to his Word and to his Worship and to all that had the nearest relation to him or did most partake of his image and likeness He was a Man after God's own heart He lived under a most gratefull sense of his Mercies he was governed by his fear and had a lively sense of God's special Care and Providence He had that sense of God's Mercy in giving us his Son to die for us that it was observed of him that when he discoursed of that Argument he used no measure no bounds or limits of his Discourse His heart was so affected with that Argument that he cou'd not put a stop to himself Jesus was his Lord and Master and he had his Life and Example always before him and conformed himself to it in the whole Tenour and Course of his Life His Religion was unaffected and substantial it was genuine and primitive and so great a pattern he was that he might have passed for a Saint even in the first and best times of Christianity He was of the Church of England and a most true Son of that Church and gave the greatest proofs of it Far was he from the Innovations of the Roman Church on the one hand and from Enthusiasm on the other His Writings are a sufficient proof of this I very well know that when the Church of England hath been traduced and disparaged he hath not forborn to make so vigorous a Defence that he lost a very great Man's friendship by it and felt the Effects of it afterwards by the loss of a considerable worldly advantage which he would otherwise have stood very fair for He shewed his Zeal for the Church of England when she was in greatest danger from many Enemies especially from the Church of Rome At that time when some were so wicked as to change their profession and others so tame as to sit still and not to concern themselves when the Enemies were at the Gates for there were too many that professed to be Sons of this Church and do so still who were over-awed and durst not appear with that Courage which God and all good Men might justly have expected from them then did this good Man bestir himself and lifted up his Voice like a Trumpet and undauntedly defended the Church when she most needed it God be praised there were others who did so likewise with great vigour and resolution and great hazard of their liberty and worldly Comforts And many of these had the hard hap to be traduced by their lukewarm Brethren who cry up the Church as if these were not the genuine Sons of this Church It hath not been for the advantage of the Church that those Men have been decried as not genuine Church-men who have done her the greatest service on the other hand some vaunt themselves to be such who have never been any support to their Mother in her greatest distress There are some of these who are like the Images we see in many Churches that are so placed in that bending Posture as if they bore upon their Shoulders the weight of the Building whereas in truth they are only the fancy of the Architect and bear no weight at all The Doctor believed the Doctrine of this Church obeyed her Injunctions and conformed to her Constitutions Headmonished and diligently instructed his Charge kept Multitudes in her Communion and lived up to her holy Rules and was ready to sacrifice all that was dear to him in the World to promote the true Interest of this Church He would not indeed take the Cure of Souls and then put them out to nurse to some cheap and negligent Curate receive the profits and leave another man to take the pains He would not take a Vicarage and swear residence before his Ordinary and afterwards refuse to reside on pretence of some privilege or exempt Jurisdiction c. as very many have done But a Church-man he was notwithstanding Indeed the best of men have been mis-represented And there are a Number of the most useless men that yet in all places are crying up the Church of England but have little regard to her holy Rules I knew two men of the same Faculty in the same neighbourhood They were in their profession very eminent One of these had the Name of a Church of England man the other of a Fanatick And yet it is well known that the first very rarely if at all came to the Church or Communion the other was a great frequenter of both The Doctor was a man of very good Learning He had very goods kill in Languages He had addicted himself to the Arabic from his younger time and retained it in good measure to the last He had great skill in the Hebrew likewise nor was his skill limited to the Biblical Hebrew only in which he was a great Master but he was seen in the Rabbinical also He was a most diligent Reader of the Holy Scriptures in that Language in which they were originally written Sacras literas tractavit indefesso studio This Dr. Spanheim says of him in his youth viz. that he was indefatigable in the Study of the Holy Scriptures He adds that he was then one of an elevated wit of a mind that was cheerfull and covetous of making substantial proficiency And also that he gave a Specimen of it about the year 1659 when he was very young by a publick defending a Dissertation concerning the Vow of Jephtah touching the sacrificing his Daughter This upon his own request and motion he publickly defended with great presence of mind He had very good