Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	affection_n	good_a	love_n	1,136	5	5.0445	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26754	Unity stated the only means to it assign'd and argu'd, together with the motives pressing it : in a sermon before the worshipful Company of Salters, Lond. in St. Swithin's Church, Sept. 1683 / by William Basset ...	Basset, William, 1644-1695.	1683 (1683)	Wing B1054; ESTC R14462	24,167	42

one go ad proprium pastorem to his own Doctor or Teacher Now this Pastor must be taken either Independently or Dependently if the former then he attributes that to Individuals which we ascribe to many And would have Men give up themselves to the guidance of one when we would have him follow the Church of God therefore he is a thousand times more likely to be led into Error that way than this But take him dependently as speaking not from his own private Light but according to the Doctrine and Judgment of the Church of which he is a part and this is no more than what we are pleading for unless in name only he meaning an Assembly of Presbyters we a Synod of Divines Therefore since it is agreed on all hands that there must be something to guide us to a right understanding of Divine things and keep us within the due bounds of reason and Duty and secure us from those sly impostures which debauch the plainest Scriptures and most reasonable Duties let us not follow that which sad observation tells us hath ever proved the Mother of Confusion but that which the Scripture directs us to viz. the customs and usages of the Church And then there is some hope we may once come to be joyned together in the same mind and the same judgment and as Brethren to dwell in Vnity 2. There is an Vnity of Affections When Men live in mutual Love and good will This is an indispensable Duty which is never superseded by any difference of Judgment for if we cannot agree in every point yet however this should be no breach of our Love Unity of Affections should always hold though Unity of Judgment may not For we are commanded to love without consideration of Mens particular Opinions Those precepts make no exception of Persons but reach to all Men and therefore to those that differ from us S. John 1 Ep. 4. 7. bids us to love one another and that for this reason viz. that God is love and every one that loves is born of God Nothing speaks us so much his Children as a Participation of Divine Qualifications but then our love must be like his who makes the Sun to shine on the Evil and the Good Else we can never be his Children Mat. 5. 44 45. His Love and Mercy which is over all his Works are the rule our Affections must walk by It was the old Pharisaical Doctrine our Saviour condemns Thou shalt Love thy Neighbour and hate thine Enemy To confine our Affections and good Offices to our Friends and them of our own party is no more than the Scribes and Pharisees have ever done and Jews and Turks at this day do But Christian charity is more extensive and reaches even the poor Samaritan Now this was ever the Practice as well as Duty of the true Church her very Censures are for Edification not for Destruction all her Acts were lively instances of her Affections But all the contraries of Love have constantly been the black Brand of false pretenders For when difference of Opinion draws Men off from the Church they soon lose their Affections When Donatus divides he confines the Church to Africa And every Heretick restrained her to the narrow bounds of his own Fraternity We have seen there are no such unnatural heats Unchristian Oppositions and Uncharitable Censures as of one party against another and of the whole against the Church Nor is this an accidental but a necessary consequence from the other being so generally consequent thereupon that you find no exceptions from this rule if of persons yet not of parties For Envy and Opposition is of the very nature of Division Gathered Churches naturally teach Men to confine their Love to their own parties and live at a distance from all others as Persons that are without Every one is willing to believe himself in the right and to justify his own separation which he cannot do without speaking others in the wrong It is true he is not always the Schismatick that separates but he that gives the occasion Therefore Separatists to throw the odious Imputation of Schism from themselves always indeavour to prove the cause to be in the Church To which end they blacken and bespatter her all they can as guilty of Will-worship Superstition Idolatry Lukewarmness or any other vile and filthy Imputation Whence they distinguish themselves from her by certain Novel names The Turks in their way delight in nothing so much as to be called Musulmans right Believers in opposition to the Persians who agree with 'em in the same imposture but differ about the Interpreters of Mahomet There were an ancient Sect of Hereticks that called themselves the Gnosticks that is knowing Men as the Etymology of the word imports which implyed the Church were a company of poor Fools that were still in the Dark After them others stiled themselves the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the pure exclusive of all others To which the word Puritan afterwards succeded And indeed this is implyed in the very reason of Schism for every Sect thinks it self purer than the Church it divides from otherwise it had never divided at all And from the same Root spring those Pharisaical Appellations now in use viz. the good People the sober Party the People of the Lord and the true Protestants as if none were such but their own selves Whence S. Paul 1 Cor. 3. 3. As a Polititian as well as Divine puts Envying Strife and Division all together as Sins Dependent and Productive one of another And St. James ch 3. 14. tells the Jewish Converts who differed from the Gentile Christians about Mosaic Rites and Ceremonies that they had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bitter Zeal or as our Translation renders it bitter Envying and Strife in their Hearts When the ten Tribes once set up their Calves at Dan and Bethel they never after lived friendly with Judah Nor had the Samaritans any sooner built their Temple on mount Gerizim but they quickly refused all Commerce and Society with the Jews and denyed entertainment to our Saviour though for no other reason but because he set his Face as though he would go to Jerusalem Such are the black and ugly Off-spring of difference of Judgment when it runs Men into parties That we must indeavour to be of one Judgment as the best expedient to a being like-minded one towards another 3. There is an Vnity of Peace When Men live securely together without being alarum'd by Ryots and Tumults when they are not branded for Men worthy nor closely design'd to a common Slaughter This flows necessarily from the other and is imply'd and wrapt up in it as the conclusion in its premises For if we must love then we may not injure and destroy difference of Judgment should not prove breaches of our Peace nor controversies about Religion kindle the Flames of an Irreligious War This is a Truth founded in Nature as well as Revelation A Primitive State