Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	apostle_n	church_n	time_n	1,642	5	3.9468	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70371	The present separation self-condemned and proved to be schism as it is exemplified in a sermon preached upon that subject / by Mr. W. Jenkyn ; and is further attested by divers others of his own persuasion all produced in answer to a letter from a friend.	Jane, William, 1645-1707.; Jenkyn, William, 1613-1685.; S. R. To his worthy friend H. N.; Brinsley, John, fl. 1581-1624.; H. N.	1678 (1678)	Wing J454; ESTC R18614	63,527	154

from this Sermon in which Separation is unwarrantable and schismatical 1. It is not to be allowed when it is by reason of Mixt-Communion and admitting into Church-fellowship the vile with the precious This he handles at large from pag. 33. to pag. 37. and saith That it hath no Scripture-warrant And this hath been their constant Opinion So Mr. Firmin in his Separation examined pag. 40. Corrupt Members there were enough in the Jewish Church and so in the Christian Churches soon after and in the Apostles times but you have no example of separating from them So the Provincial Assembly of London in their Vindication of the Presbyterial Government pag. 134. Suppose there were some sinful mixtures at our Sacraments yet we conceive this is not a sufficient ground of a negative much less of a positive separation This they give the Reason of Because in what Church soever there is purity of Doctrine there God hath his Church though overwhelmed with scandals And therefore whosoever separates from such an Assembly separates from that place where God hath his Church which is rash and unwarrantable Mr. Vines in his Treatise of the Sacrament hath a whole Chapter viz. cap. 20. to shew the unlawfulness of it and saith pag 235. That to excommunicate our selves from Gods Ordinances if Men of wicked Life be not excommunicate for fear of pollution by them is Donatistical So Dr. Manton on Jude pag. 496. The Scandals of Professors are ground of mourning but not of separation And Mr. Baxter doth speak fully to it in his Cure of Church-Divisions pag 81. If you mark all the Texts of the Gospel you shall find that all the separation which is commanded in such cases besides the separation from Infidels and the Idolatrous World is but one of these two forts 1. That either the Church cast out impenitent Sinners by the Power of the Keys or 2. That private Men avoid all private familiarity with them But that the private Members should separate from the Church because such Persons are not cast out of it shew me one Text to Prove it if you can The consideration of this made the Author of the Book called Nonconformists no Schismaticks to quit this Argument concluding pag. 16. with good reason That if one Mans sin desileth another that Communicates with him who can assure himself of any Scriptural Communion on this Side Heaven All which I have produced and could indeed tire you with Quotations of this kind on purpose to let you see how much the Author of Separation yet no Schism doth run counter to his own Party and withal how little acquaintance with this Argument will serve to shew the weakness and inconsistency of that Tract He puts the case thus pag. 56. If Ministers or many of the Members are much corrupted or the Members onely commonly so but connived at it is a sufficient ground for the sound to withdraw And for this he gives two Reasons 1. Lest under the pretence of Peace they should be guilty of the greatest Uncharitableness and that is the hardning and encouraging them in their abominable Impieties 2. Because the sound ought by the Law of God and Nature to provide for their own safety for they cannot but be in apparent danger by Communicating with such Now granting the Case so to be yet separation will not be granted lawful by themselves upon the Reasons which he there gives I shall refer him for an Answer to the first of the Letters that passed betwixt the Ministers of Old and New England published by Mr. Ash and Mr. Rathband 1643. as thought by them at that time very seasonable When those of New England had said That by joyning with an insufficient and unworthy Ministry they did countenance them in their Place and Office pag. 8. it is answered pag. 11. The Scripture teacheth evidently not onely that the People by joyning do not countenance them in their Place and Office but that they must and ought to joyn with them in the Worship of God and in separating from the Ordinance they shall sin against God From whence you may observe That the countenancing of such whom the Word of Truth doth condemn as not approved Ministers of God as it 's there said is no reason to discharge us of our Duty and if Separation be not otherwise our Duty the fear of hardning others by our Communion with them will never make it to be so Surely this might have been very well thought to be the effect of the same Practice in the Church of Corinth where there was as the Provincial Assembly of London observeth in their Vindication pag. 134. such a profane mixture at their Sacrament as we believe few if any of our Congregations can be charged withal And yet the Apostle doth not persuade the godly Party to separate much less to gather a Church out of a Church Which yet had been very necessary if this Author's Reason had been of any force And his second Reason viz. Care of our own safety will also have no place here if Mr. Jenkin's Authority will signifie any thing with him who speaking in this Sermon p. 36. of that Text 1 Cor. 5. 11. of not eating with a Brother c. shews very well that it is to be understood of Civil and not Religious eating and gives this as one Reason for it viz. That there is danger of being infected by the wicked in civil familiar and arbitrary eatings not so in joyning with them in an holy and commanded Service and Ordinance If we follow the Apostles Precept of having no familiar and ordinary converse with Fornicators Covetous Idolaters Drunkards c. we may be assured that we shall be in no danger of Infection by their Company in Religious Offices and Duties where there is little or no converse opportunity and way for it The case I acknowledge is sad when such are to be found amongst Christians and that Discipline is not exercised upon them but I ought not to leave my Place and Duty because such do joyn with me in it or to separate from the Church of God because such continue in its Communion For this is to tear the Church in pieces and the Doctrine that drives to it is very pernicious Take the Character of it from the Provincial Assembly in their Vindication pag. 124. That Doctrine that crieth up Purity to the ruine of Vnity is contrary to the Doctrine of the Gospel But truly the case is not so bad with us as it is represented I know there are some that do object as J. Rogers did in 1653. The Parish-Churches are not rightly constituted for there is in them ranting revelling To whom I shall reply as Mr. Crofton did then to him in his Bethshemesh clouded pag. 103. O sharp sentence severe censure at one word pronounced on all Parishes indefinitely the Position whence it flows had need be well proved and the Inference well backed For I must needs say that what Mr. Firmin in

may continue there without being guilty of the Sin of them How far the first of these is and ought to be acknowledged I have shewed above at pag. 62. And how far the latter you may see in Mr. Brinsley's Arraignment of Schism pag. 50. Though toleration of some unwarrantable mixtures in a Church be an evil yet it is not so great an evil as Separation upon that ground This was the Opinion of the Five dissenting Brethren in their Apologetical Narration pag. 6. We have always professed and that in those times when the Churches of England were the most either actually over-spread with defilements or in the greatest danger thereof That we both did and would hold a Communion with them as the Churches of Christ And this they agreed to upon this consideration that otherwise there hath been no Church yet nor will be to the day of Judgment which Persons otherwise perswaded could or can hold Communion with as you may find it in the old Nonconformists Letters to those of New-England pag. 12. Mr. Firmin's Separation examined pag. 25. and the Vindication of the Provincial Assembly pag. 135. 2. I add That the imposition of things unlawful or so thought to be in a Church makes a Person in this case no farther concerned than as they are imposed on him For if Corruptions tolerated are no bar to Communion then they are not when imposed meer Imposition not altering the Nature as Mr. Crofton saith in his Jerubbaal pag. 27. 3. Imposition in some things unlawful or supposed so to be will not justifie a separation from what is lawful The Author of Separation yet no Schism in his Epistle to the Reader thus pleads for the People The People are not always free from such Impositions which they extremely suspect as sinful as that they cannot enjoy Baptism for their Children without the Cross nor receive the Lords Supper without Kneeling to name no more as well he could not But suppose that these things are imposed and what they extremely suspect can this be a Reason for their separation in those things where nothing of this nature is Certainly in obedience to Magistrates and for Communion with a Church we ought to go as far as we can and what I cannot do is no excuse for the omission of what I can Thus did the old Nonconformists think and practice as I observed to you before from the Vindication of the Provincial Assembly pag. 135. That though some of them thought it unlawful to receive the Sacrament kneeling yet they held Communion with the Church in the rest And accordingly Mr. Firmin argues in his Separation examined pag. 29. Suppose there should be some Humane mixtures are all the Ordinances polluted Why do you not communicate with them in those Ordinances which are pure Now if this be true what shall we say to them that have nothing to object against the greatest part of what they are required to communicate with us in and yet keep up a total and positive Separation from us as if all Parts were alike infected and that from the Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Foot there was nothing but Wounds and putrifying Sores 4. The meer suspicion that a Person may have of the unlawfulness of what is imposed will not justifie his omission of or separation in that particular For he ought to come to some resolution in it and in case of Obedience Communion and Charity to go against such his Suspicion To this purpose speaks Mr. Geree in his Resolution of Ten Cases 1644. Things wherein doubts arise are of a double nature 1. Meerly arbitrary and at my own dispose 2. That are under command as coming to the Sacrament Obedience to the Higher Powers in things lawful If Scruples arise about these and a Man doubts he sins if he acts and he also doubts he sins if he forbears c. In this case he must weigh the Scales and where he apprehends most weight of Reason must incline that way though the other Scale be not altogether empty And this done after humble and diligent search with bewailing our infirmity that we are no more discerning will be accepted by God God puts not his People on necessity of sinning nor can our Scruples dispense with his Commands So Mr. Faldo in his Quakerism no Christianity pag. 93. In doubtful and difficult Cases wherein we cannot reach the knowledge of our Duty it 's our Duty to follow the Examples of the greatest number of the Saints c. And then surely what will serve in such a case to let us dispense with our Doubts will much more in Obedience to Governours and for Communion with a Church This I thought to have more largely handled as it 's thought a new and late Argument used by Bishop Sanderson c. but what I can prove to be of old the common Resolution of the Case and as the contrary is pleaded for from Mr. Hales But lighting happily upon a Book called Mr. Hales's Treatise of Schism examined wrote by a Learned Person I shall refer you to it where he particularly undertakes this Point pag. 110 c. Having thus made good the Three Propositions abovesaid and shewed That the Church of England is a True Church That there is a Separation from it and That this Separation is voluntary and unnecessary that which remains is not to be denied viz. That therefore the present Separation is Schismatical So that now you may see in what condition those of our dissenting Brethren are that withdraw from the Communion of our Church and how little able they will be to reconcile their present Proceedings to their former Principles and Professions It was once said by them in the Vindication of the Presbyterial Government pag. 133. We dare not make separation from a true Church by departing from it as you do speaking to the Independents Then Independency was what they proved to be Schism because 1. Independents do depart from our Churches being true Churches and so acknowledged by themselves 2. They draw and seduce Members from our Congregations 3. They erect separate Congregations 4. They refuse Communion with our Churches in the Sacraments Now we judge that no Schism is to be tolerated in the Church as say the London-Ministers in their Letter to the Assembly pag. 3. Then the inevitable Consequences of it could be discovered and represented as that by it Peoples minds would be troubled and in danger to be subverted bitter heart-burning would be fomented and perpetuated godly painful and orthodox Ministers be discouraged and despised the life and power of Godliness be eaten out by frivolous Disputes and the whole Course of Religion in private Families be interrupted and undermined as they there say pag. 4. Then Church-Division was as great a Sin as Adultery and Theft as Dr. Bryan maintains in the Publick Disputation at Kilingworth 1655. pag. 28. Then it was pleaded That they Covenanted not onely against Sin but Schism as saith Mr. Watson in

is called by the name of Schism pag. 22. Mr. Brinsley There is to use his terms Camero a negative and a positive Separation The former is simplex secessio when one or more do quietly and peaceably withdraw themselves from Communion with a Church not making head against that Church from which they are departed The other when persons so withdrawing do consociate and draw themselves into a distinct and opposite Body setting up a Church against a Church This is that which Augustine and other Divines after him call the setting up of an Altar against an Altar And this is it saith that judicious Author which in a peculiar manner and by way of eminency is called by the name of Schism pag. 16. Mr. Jenkin Schism beeomes sinful either in respect 1. of the groundlesness or 2. the manner thereof 1. The groundlesness when there is no casting of persons out of the Church by an unjust Censure of Excommunication no departure by unsufferable Persecution no Heresie nor Idolatry in the Church maintained 2. The manner of Separation makes it unlawful when 't is made without due endeavour and waiting for Reformation of the Church from which the departure is and such a rash departure is against Charity which suffers both much and long all tolerable things It is not presently distasted when the justest occasion is given it first useth all possible means of remedy The Chyrurgeon reserves Dismembring as the last remedy It looks upon a sudden breaking off from Communion with a Church which is a dismembring not as Chyrurgery but Butchery pag. 23. Mr. Brinsley Vnwarrantable either for ground or manner The former an unjust the latter a rash Separation each a Schism Vnjust when there is no Persecution no spreading Error or Heresie no Idolatry 2. The manner which if sudden and heady without due endeavour and expectance of Reformation in that Church it may be a rash and consequently an unwarrantable Separation inasmuch as it is opposite to Charity it being the nature of Charity to suffer much and long all things which are sufferable It is not presently distasted so as to fly off upon every small and trivial occasion no nor yet upon a just and weighty one without first assaying all possible means of remedy So deals the wary and careful Chyrurgeon with his Patient not presently fall to dismembring reserving it for the last remedy So deals Charity by the Church not presently separate and break off Communion which is the dismembring of a Church No this saith Camero is not Chyrurgia but Carnificina which Mr. Cotton englisheth rightly not Chyrurgery but Butchery pag. 24 25. Mr. Jenkin I shall not spend time to compare it with Heresie though some have said that Schism is the greater sin of the two Aug. contr Don. l. 2. c. 6. tells the Donatists that Schism was a greater sin than that of the Traditores who in time of Persecution through fear delivered their Bibles to Persecutors to be burnt A sin at which the Donatists took so much offence that it was the ground of their Separation pag. 24. Mr. Brinsley Musculus informs me of some who in point of sinfulness have compared Schism with Heresie and others who have aggravated it beyond it as the greater evil of the two Augustine tells the Donatists contr Don. l. 2. c. 6. that their Schism was a greater sin than that which they took such high offence at and which was the ground of their separation viz. the sin of the Traditores such as in time of Persecution had through fear delivered up their Bibles to the Persecutors to be burnt pag. 17 18. Mr. Jenkin In respect of Christ 1. It 's an horrible indignity offered to his Body as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 1. 15. and makes him to appear the Head of two Bodies How monstrous and dishonourable is the very conceit hereof 2. It 's rebellion against his Command his great Command of Love The Grace of Love is by some called the Queen of Graces and it 's greater than Faith in respect of its Object not God onely but Man its Duration which is eternal its manner of working not in a way of receiving Christ as Faith but of giving the Soul to him pag. 24. Mr. Brinsley It is injurious to Christ who seemeth by this means to be as it were divided So Paul urgeth it Is Christ divided Himself hereby made the Head of two disagreeing Bodies which is dishonourable and monstrous to conceive of him pag. 19. Mr. Brinsley It 's opposite to so great a Grace as Charity Charity the Queen of Graces greater than Faith 1. In regard of the Object Faith respecteth God onely but Charity both God and Man 2. In regard of the manner of working Faith worketh intramittendo by receiving and letting in Christ and his Benefits but Charity extramittendo by giving out the Soul 3. In regard of duration Charity is for eternity p. 18. Mr. Jenkin By Divisions among our selves we endeavour to divide our selves from him in and from whom is all our fulness Upon the Stock of Schism commonly Heresie is grafted There is no Schism saith Jerome but ordinarily it inventeth and produceth some Heresie that so the Separation may seem the more justifiable The Novatians and Donatists from Schism fell to Heresies Our Times sadly comment upon this Truth they equally arising unto both pag. 25 26. Mr. Brinsley By dividing themselves from the Body they are in a dangerous way to divide themselves from the Head Schism maketh way to Heresie So Jerome There is no Schism but ordinarily it inventeth and broacheth some Heresie that so the Separation may seem the more justifiable A Truth sufficiently experimented in those ancient Schismaticks the Novatians and Donatists who from Schism fell to be Authors or Defenders of Heretical Opinions We have a late and dreadful Instance pag. 22. Mr. Jenkin It s injurious to the peace and quietness of the Church If the natural Body be divided and torn pain and smart must needs follow The tearing and rending of the mystical Body goes to the Heart of all sensible Members they often cause the Feverish Distempers of Hatred Wrath Seditions Envying Murders Schism in the Church puts the Members out of joynt and disjoynted Bones are painful All my bones saith David are out of joynt Church-Divisions cause sad thoughts of Heart pag. 27. Mr. Brinsley The Church is hereby disquieted Even as it is in the natural Body if there be a solutio continui so as it be divided it breedeth smart and pain The mystical Body cannot be rent and torn by Divisions but it goeth to the heart of all the sensible Members The divisions of Reuben were great thoughts of heart oft-times breeding those Feverish distempers of Hatred Variance Wrath Seditions I and Murders too p. 21. Mr. Brinsley Schism in the Church puts the Members out of joynt Bones out of joynt are painful Thence David borrows this expression All my bones are out of joynt Such are Schisms in