Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A40426
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The case of mixt communion whether it be lawful to separate from a church upon the account of promiscuous congregations and mixt communions?
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Freeman, Samuel, 1643-1700.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing F2138; ESTC R16753
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26,796
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45
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eat of those Sacrifices that had been offer'd up to the golden Calf and that this Action was idolatrous he proves by an Analogy it bears to a Rite of the same nature both amongst Jews and Christians for as the Jews when they feasted on the Sacrifices did it in honour to God to whom the Sacrifices were offer'd and as the Christians when they partake of the Lord's Supper do it in honour to Christ whose Death and Passion is therein commemorated so when they did eat of the Idols Sacrifices they must have been thought to do it in honour to the Idol because to the Idol was the Sacrifice offer'd But blessed be God we have not the like occasion for such an Exhortation we live not in a civil society with Idolaters but under a Christian Prince and with a People professing the Christian Religion Here are no publick Idols set up nor any Feasts kept in honour of them Had the Case been thus with us we had been as much concern'd in the Text as the Corinthians were but being far otherwise not the least aid can be fetcht from hence to defend Separation from our Publick Assemblies 2. Who were the persons the Christian Corinthians were requir'd to separate from They were no better than Vnbelievers than Infidels than Idolaters What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness And what communion hath light with darkness And what concord hath Christ with Belial Or what part hath he that believeth with an Infidel And what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols And then it follows wherefore come out from amongst them c. But now because Christians by the Apostles command were to separate from the Assemblies of Heathen Idolaters does it therefore follow that they must separate from the Assemblies of Christians because some who while they profess Christ do not live like Christians afford their presence at them Is there no difference betwixt a Pagan and an Infidel that denies Christ and worships Devils and an immoral Christian who yet outwardly owns Christ and worships the true God Betwixt a Church wholly made up of Heathens and Idolaters and a Church made up of a mixture of good and bad Christians together 3. What is the unclean thing they are not to touch viz. the unclean and abominable Practices that were us'd by the Heathens in the Worship of their Gods It 's call'd by the Apostle in another place the unfruitful works of darkness and again thus describ'd by him it 's a shame to speak of those things that are done of them in secret These they were not to touch to have no followship with them in but rather to reprove them that is in judgment to condemn them by words to reprove them in conversation to avoid them But now because Christians are not to communicate with Heathens in their filthy mysteries nor to partake with any sort of wicked men in any action that 's immoral does it therefore follow that they must not do their duty because sometimes it cannot be done but in their company Must they abstain from the Publick Worship of God and their Lord's Table to which they are commanded because evil men who till they repent have nothing to do there rudely intrude themselves May they not joyn with bad men in some cases where it cannot be well avoided in doing a good action because they must in no case and on no account joyn with them in doing a sinful one Because they have omitted their duty must I neglect mine Because they sin in coming unpreparedly must I sin in not coming at all Will their sin be any plea or excuse for mine If I communicate with them will their unworthiness be laid at my door If I separate because of that shall they answer for my contempt as well as for their own prophanation of it No surely every man shall bear his own burden The soul that sinneth it shall die The second is that Text Obj. 2. In the Revelation Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues Answ This place is most certainly to be understood of Idolaters and according to most Interpreters of the Roman Idolatrous Polity and is a command to all Christians to forsake the Communion of that Church lest they endanger their own salvation by communicating with her in Masses and other idolatrous Worship And if this be the true sense of the words it abundantly justifies our Separation from the Roman Church but affords not the least plea for Dissenters to separate from ours unless any of them are so hardy as to say that there is none or but little difference betwixt the Church of Rome and the Church of England But blessed be God we have a Church reform'd from all her Superstitions that retains nothing of hers but what she retains of the Gospel and the Primitive Church Here 's no drowning Religion in shadow and formality nor burying her under a load of ritual and ceremonial Rubbish no dressing up Religion in a flanting pomp to set her off or a gaudy garb to recommend her much less in such fantastical Rites such antick Vestments and Gesticulations that may justly render her ridiculous and contemptible but her Ceremonies are few and decent countenanc'd by Primitive Antiquity and very much becoming the gravity and sobriety of Religion Here are no Half-Communions no more Sacraments thrust upon us than our Lord himself instituted and yet those left whole and entire for our use and comfort that he did no Prayers in an unknown Tongue which the votary neither minds nor understands no praying to Saints or Angels no adoring Images Pictures and Reliques no worshipping the Creature besides or more than the Creator which they do who in all their publick Offices of Devotion for one Prayer to God have order'd ten to be made to the blessed Virgin Here 's no Doctrine obtruded on our Faith that 's contrary to reason nay to sense to all our senses no Practices allowed that are forbidden by God no Pardons to be bought no Indulgences to be purchas'd no expunging any one Commandment out of the Decalogue or contriving arts and devices to make void the rest but as her Devotions are pure and spiritual having God and him only for their object so her Doctrine is sound and orthodox having Christ for its Corner-stone and the Prophets and Apostles for its Foundation A Church that needs no counterfeit Legends no incredible Miracles no ridiculous Fables to promote her veneration whose security lies not in the Peoples ignorance but in their inlightned understandings that can defend it self without the help of spurious Authors or corrupting the words and sense of Authentick ones a Church that dares to be understood and is sure the more she 's lookt into the more to be embrac'd and admir'd And I would to God 't was as easie a matter to clear every one of her Members
from Vice as it is her Constitution from Corruption But let those that stand take heed lest they fall and be sure to sweep their own door clean who are so apt to throw dirt in the faces of their Fellow-Christians St. Paul's advice is that every man should examine himself and I am much mistaken if spiritual pride a rash and censorious judging of our Brethren be not as great a crime as some of those that are lookt upon to be of so polluting and infectious a nature in other men I need not say how directly opposite this Pharisaical humour is to that humility meekness and self-denial that the Gospel of our Saviour injoyns how unsuitable to the temper of all good men who are more apt to suspect and accuse themselves than others who the more holy they are the more sensible of their own imperfections How contrary to the example of our blessed Lord who balkt not at any time the society of Publicans and sinners who when he knew what was in man and who it was that should betray him yet admitted Judas into the number of his Disciples and familiarly converst with him And yet how fully it answers to the Spirit and Genius of those ancient Schismaticks the Novatians and the Donatists Might I stay to run the parallel both those Schisms and this amongst us would be found to begin on the same Principles slackness of Discipline in the Church and corruption in Manners To be carried on by the same pretences zeal for purity and fear of pollution to spring from the same bitter fountain pride and arrogance But I speak not this to excuse our selves or to recriminate them My hearty Prayer to God is that all Israel may be saved that they who dissent from us would now at last lay aside all passion and prejudice all groundless scruples and pretences and come in and joyn their forces with our Church against the common Adversary And that we who profess our selves Members of the Church of England would be extremely careful for the honour of our Religion for the preservation of our Church for the recovery of our straying Brethren for whose sakes in some cases we are bound to lay down our lives to lay down our sins and instead of blocking up the way against any by scandalous living invite and allure them all in by exemplary Holiness and Purity and this I am sure how short soever my Discourse comes of it would be a full Answer to and a perfect Confutation of this Objection FINIS Books Printed by FINCHAM GARDINER A Continuation and Vindication of the Defence of Dr. Stillingfleets Unreasonableness of Separation in Answer to Mr. Baxter and Mr. Lob c. Considerations of present use considering the Danger Resulting from the Change of our Church-Government 1. A Perswasion to Communion with the Church of England 2. A Resolution of some Cases of Conscience which Respect Church-Communion 3. The Case of indifferent things used in the Worship of God Proposed and Stated by considering these Questions c. 4. A Discourse about Edification 5. The Resolution of this Case of Conscience Whether the Church of England's Symbolizing so far as it doth with the Church of Rome makes it Unlawful to hold Communion with the Church of England 6. A Letter to Anonymus in Answer to his Three Letters to Dr. Sherlock about Church-Communion 7. Certain Cases of Conscience resolved concerning the Lawfulness of Joyning with Forms of Prayer in Publick Worship The first Part. Psalm 89. 18. Amos 8. 7. Psalm 89. 35. 1 Sam. 2. 2. Levit. 20. 24. Deut. 9. 12. Deut. 9. 7. Deut. 32. 5. Deut. 7. 6. Psal 135. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 5. 25. Acts 8. 27. Matth. 28. 19. John 4. 2. Acts 1. 15. Acts 2. 41. Acts 4. 34. Acts 5. 1 2 3. Acts 8. 12 Acts 8. 20. ver 13. 2 Tim. 4. 10. 1 Tim. 1. 19. Mat. 13 24 25. ver 47. Matth. 3. 12. John 15. 1. 2 Tim. 2. 20. Matth. 25. St. Hier. dial con Lucifer Arca Noae Ecclesiae typus Rom. 9 6. 1 Cor. 15. 34. ver 12. 2 Cor. 12. 20 21. 1 Cor. 7. Gal. 3. 7 10 11. Rev. 3. 1 4. 2 Cor. 4. 7. 2 Cor. 13. 14. 1 Cor. 5. 11. ver 10. ver 13. ver 4 5. 2 Cor. 6. 61. Exod. 23. 14 17. Exod. 12. 44. 1 Cor. 12. 13. 1 Cor. 10 17. Eph. 4. 13. Eph. 4. 12. Rom. 10. 17. 1 Pet. 1. 23. John 17. 17. Coimus in caetum ad Deum quasi manufact a precationibus ambiamus orantes Tertul. Acts 2. 47. Eph. 5. 25. Acts 26. 28. Eph. 5. 23. Eph. 4. 4. Nam judicatur magno cum pondere ut apud certos c. Tert. Apol. 1 Cor. 5. 2. Nazian 12. Or. Theod. H. Eccl. 5. c. 15. 1 Cor. 11. 27 29. Psal 39. 5. Isa 39. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Chrysost 1 Cor. 11. 27. Dr. Lightf in loc 18 21 22 ver Heb. 6. 6. Heb. 10. 16. 1 Cor. 11. 30. Heb. 3. 13. Heb. 10. 24. Lev. 19. 17. Gal. 6. 1. Ezek. 9. 4. Phil. 3. 18. 2 Thess 3. 14. Matth. 18. 17. Rubr. before the Commun Preface to the Comminat Tit. 3. last 1 Cor. 5. 6. 1 Cor. 1. 11. ver 7. 2 Cor. 30. 18. Numb 19. 13 20. Jer. 15. 10. Ezek. 22. 26. Tit. 1. 15. 1 Sam. 2. 17 24. 1 King 18. 39. Rev. 2. 1. Mat. 15. 6 7 8. Luke 2. 22. Matth. 26. John 17. 37. John 10. 24. Mat. 10. 6 7. Mat. 6. 7. 1 Cor. 1. 12 13. 1 Cor. 3. 3. 1 Cor. 5. 1. 1 Cor. 5. 4. 1 Cor. 11. 18. 2 Cor. 6. 17. 1 Cor. 10. 27. 1 Cor. 8. 10. 1 Cor. 8. 4. 1 Cor. 8. 7. 1 Cor. 10. 14. Exod. 32. 6. 1 Cor. 10. 18. ver 16. ver 20. 2 Cor. 6. 14. ver 15. ver 16. ver 17. Eph. 4. 11. Ezek. 18. 20. 18. c. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉