Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	church_n	point_n	unity_n	4,232	5	9.7001	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03598	Tvvo sermons vpon part of S. Judes Epistle, by Richard Hooker sometimes Fellow of Corpus Christie College in Oxford	Hooker, Richard, 1553 or 4-1600.; Jackson, Henry, 1586-1662.	1614 (1614)	STC 13723; ESTC S104194	35,221	66

and conversation walkers after their owne vngodly lusts S. Peter in his second epistle and 3. chapter soundeth the very depth of their impiety shewing first how they shall not shame at the length to professe themselues prophane and irreligious by flat denying the gospell of Iesus Christ and deriding the sweet and comfortable promises of his appearing secondly that they shall not be only deriders of all religion but also disputers against God vsing truth to subvert the truth yea scriptures themselues to disproue scriptures Being in this sort mockers they must needs be also followers of their owne vngodly lusts Being Atheists in perswasion can they choose but be beasts in conversatiō For why remoue they quite from them the feare God Why take they such paines to abandon and put out from their harts all sense all tast all feeling of religion but only to this end and purpose that they may without inward remorse and grudging of conscience giue over themselues to all vncleanenes Surely the state of these mē is more lamentable then is the condition of Pagans and Turkes For at the bare beholding of heaven and earth the infidels heart by and by doth giue him that there is an eternal infinite immortal and everliving God whose hands haue fashioned and framed the world hee knoweth that every house is builded of some man though he see not the man which built the house and he considereth that it must be God which hath built and created all things although because the number of his daies be few he could not see whē God disposed his workes of old when he caused the light of his clowds first to shine when he laid the corner stone of the earth and swadled it with bands of water and darknes when he caused the morning star to know his place made barres and doores to shut vp the sea within his house saying hitherto shalt thou come but no farther he hath no eie switnesse of these things Yet the light of natural reason hath put this wisdome in his reines and hath given his heart thus much vnderstanding Bring a pagan to the schooles of the prophets of God prophecie to an infidell rebuke him lay the iudgements of God before him make the secret sinnes of his heart manifest and he shall fall downe and worship God They that crucified the Lord of glory were not so far past recovery but that the preaching of the Apostles was able to moue their hearts and to bring them to this Men brethren what shall we doe Agrippa that sate in iudgement against Paule for preaching yeelded notwithstanding thus farre vnto him almost thou perswadest me to become a Christian. Although the Iewes for want of knowledge haue not submitted themselues to the righteousnesse of God yet I beare them record saith the Apostle that they haue a zeale The Athenians a people hauing neither zeale nor knowledge yet of them also the same Apostle beareth witnesse yee men of Athens I perceaue yee are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some way religious But mockers walking after their owne vngodly lusts t●ey haue smothered every sparke of that heavenly light they haue stiflled even their very naturall vnderstanding O Lord thy mercy is over al thy workes thou savest man and beast yet a happy case it had beene for these men if they had never beene borne and so I leaue them 10 St Iude hauing his mind exercised in the doctrine of the Apostles of Iesus Christ concerning things to come in the last time became a man of a wise and staid iudgement Grieued hee was to see the departure of many and their falling away from the faith which before they did professe grieved but not dismayed With the simpler and weaker sort it was otherwise Their countenance began by and by to change they were halfe in doubt they had deceiued themselues in giuing credit to the Gospell of Iesus Christ. St Iude to comfort refresh these silly lambs taketh them vp in his armes and sheweth them the men at whom they were offended Look vpon them that forsake this blessed professiō wherein you stand They are now before your eyes view them marke them are they not carnall are they not like to noysome carrion cast out vpon the earth is there that spirit in them which cryeth Abba father in your bosomes Why should any man be discomforted haue you not heard that there should be mockers in the last time These verily are they that now doe seperate themselues 11 For your better vnderstanding what this severing and separating of themselues doth meane we must knowe that the multitude of them which truly beleeue howsoever they be dispersed farre and wide each from other is all one body whereof the head is Christ one building whereof he is the corner stone in whom they as the mēbers of the body being knit as the stones of the building being coupled grow vp to a man of perfect stature and rise to an holy tēple in the Lord. That which linketh Christ to vs is his meere mercy and loue towards vs. That which tieth vs to him is our faith in the promised salvation revealed in the word of truth That which vniteth and ioyneth vs amongst our selues in such sort that wee are now as if we had but one heart and one soule is our loue Who be inwardly in heart the liuely members of this body and the polished stones of this building coupled and ioined to Christ as flesh of his flesh and bones of his bones by the mutuall bond of his vnspeakable loue towards them their vnfained faith in him thus linked and fastned each to other by a spirituall sincere and hartie affection of loue without any manner of simulation who be Iewes within and what their names be none can tell saue he whose eies doe behold the secret disposition of all mens hearts We whose eies are too dimme to behold the inward man must leaue the secret iudgement of every servant to his owne Lord accounting and vsing all men as brethren both neere and deare vnto vs supposing Christ to loue them tenderly so as they keep the profession of the Gospell and ioyne in the outward communion of Saints Whereof the one doth warrantize vnto vs their faith the other their loue till they fall away and forsake either the one or the other or both and then it is no iniurie to tearme them as they are When they separate themselues they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not iudged by vs but by their owne doings Men do separate thēselues either by heresie schisme or apostasie If they loose the bond of faith which then they are iustly supposed to doe when they frowardly oppugne any principall point of Christian doctrine this is to separate themselues by Heresie If they breake the bond of vnitie whereby the body of the Church is coupled and knit in one as they doe which willfully forsake al externall communion with Saints in holy