Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	worthy_a	write_v	year_n	129	4	4.1482	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A24306	Sober and useful reflections upon a treatise of Mr. Richard Baxter's stiled, (Sacrilegious desertion of the holy ministry rebuked, and tolerated preaching of the Gospel vindicated) with a most serious preface to the same, out of the said Mr. Baxter. ...	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. Sacrilegious desertion of the holy ministry rebuked.	1680 (1680)	Wing A18; ESTC R14153	72,472	84

Sober and Useful REFLECTIONS UPON A TREATISE OF Mr. RICHARD BAXTER'S STILED Sacrilegious Desertion of the Holy Ministry rebuked and Tolerated Preaching of the Gospel vindicated WITH A most serious PREFACE to the same Out of the said Mr. BAXTER Written about eight years since and not Printed but now made Seasonable to be Published by the Repetition of some Material Points which are here reflected on in Mr. Baxter's late Hasty Answer to Dr. Stillingfleet's Sermon Nonúmque premantur in Annum LONDON Printed for Richard Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1680. To his Respected Friend Mr. R. C. BOOK-SELLER SIR THe ensuing Reflections were written about eight years since and then upon the coming out of a more particular Defence from the Worthy Person immediately concern'd call'd The Doctrine of Schism fully opened and applied to Gathered Churches 1672. were consigned by the Author to a perpetual obscurity But since this Daring Champion hath entered the Field again in his batter'd Armour and threatned to appear still further in the self-same Cause and Argument the Publication of these Notes is made seasonable to the intent that he himself and others may take notice what Advances have been already made by him and how notwithstanding the Flourishes of his Anger and Ostentation he hath really little afresh to offer unto the World but odious Repetitions only And to this purpose if you please you may print them And together with them this Honourable Character which one of his professed Friends bestows upon him That he never yet wanted Argument against the Cause or Rebuke against the Person of any Man that ever opposed him That he hath Troops of Propositions always at command and so many Yokes of Distinctions as to make good whatsoever he hath said be it never so bad That he hath one very strange and wonderful piece of Artifice that be the Controversy what it will he can make his Adversary differ with him about the Existence of a God and Christ an Heaven and Hell Nay that he can make him say any thing that he himself thinks he can most easily oppose or if he cannot make him say it affirm and prove that he saith it and then thunder out a Volume against him for saying so In a word That He is the Man of Art that can do and undo prove and disprove the same thing Which yet I had not added here but that it is so very agreeable to his new Attempts It would have look'd more modishly perhaps to have entitled the Book Speculum Baxterianum or Baxter against Baxter The truth is as it was said of Arcesilas He hath introduced Genus Philosophiae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a self-contradicting Philosophy which if it prevail will fill the World with Scepticism and endless Disputations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And if there be any thing that seems severe in these Reflections he must thank himself for it who hath furnished the Collector with so many Materials So easy a thing it is for self-esteeming Men to talk to their own Reproach as he somewhere hath it But nevertheless I am for retaining still the more modest and less affected Title SIR I am Your Friend and Servant M. A. July 20. 1680. A most Serious PREFACE Out of Mr. RICHARD BAXTER To the Christian Reader IF I speak plainly of the Quality of the Author's Arguings I desire the Reader not to interpret it as if I had not the heartiest desire of Peace But Words are not answered according to their Nature when the Nature of them is not opened Plain-dealing is not the Sign of Enmity but Love The Law is open our Writings and Doctrines are easily tried If we say Evil bear Witness of the Evil. Mark that Preacher Conformable or Nonconformable who stirreth hardest for his own Honour and would raise it by dishonouring others and is most impatient of all that cloudeth him and is only for those that set him up and look out no further for a Mark of Badness but take that Man for one of the worst how wellsoever he preach or pray Art thou ready to censure the Doctrine of thy Teachers the Actions of thy Rulers and the Persons of thy Brethren Beyond doubt thou art a proud Person Pride hath seized on thy Heart There is too much Hell in thee to have any acquaintance with Heaven There is no more Heaven than there is Humility Certainly Pride is a greater Sin than Whoredom or Drunkenness and Humility is as necessary as Chastity and Sobriety Truly Brethren a Man may as certainly and more slily and dangerously make haste to Hell in a way of Profession and earnest Preaching of the Gospel and seeming Zeal for an holy Life as in a way of Drunkenness and Filthiness Above all see that you be Followers of Peace and Vnity both in the Church and among your selves He that is not a Son of Peace is nor a Son of God All other Sins destroy the Church consequentially but Division and Separation destroy it directly Building of the Church is but an orderly joining of the Materials and what then is Disjoining but pulling down Many Doctrinal Differences must be tolerated in a Church and why but for Vnity of Peace Therefore Disunion and Separation is utterly intolerable Believe not those to be the Churches Friends that would cure and reform her by cutting of her Throat Those that say No Truth must be concealed for Peace have usually as little of the one as the other Do not your Hearts bleed to look upon the State of England and to think how few Towns or Cities there be where there is any Forwardness in Religion that are not cut into Shreds and crumbled as to Dust by Separations and Divisions To think what a Wound we have hereby given to the Christian Name I differ from many in several Doctrines of Moment And yet if I shall zealously press my Judgment on others and seek to make a Party for it and disturb the Peace of the Church and separate from my Brethren I should fear lest I should prove a Firebrand in Hell for being a Firebrand in the Church And for all the Interest I have in your Judgment and Affections I here charge you that if God should give me up to any Factious Church-rending Course against which I daily pray that you forsake me and follow me not a step I thought once that all that talk'd against Schisms and Sects did but vent their Malice against the best Christians under those Names But since that I have seen what Love-killing Principles have done I have long stood by while Churches have been divided and subdivided one Congregation of the Division labouring to make the other contemptible and odious and this called the Preaching of Truth and the purer Worshipping of God I have seen this grow up to the height of Ranters in horrid Blasphemies and then of Quakers