Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	church_n	scripture_n	tradition_n	3,070	5	9.4971	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29032	An antidote against Mr. Baxters palliated cure of church divisions, or, An account of several weighty and just exceptions against that book	Bagshaw, Edward, 1629-1671.	1670 (1670)	Wing B403; ESTC R22036	15,110	23

the best argument that all learned men have ever defended it by is the proportion it hath to Circumcision from whence they conclude by a parity of Reason that what was used to Infants before in order to their admission unto Church priviledges may be continued now to them under a New administration and the very same manner of reasoning will hold in the present case which is not an effect of Ignorance and Rashness but of Spiritual Soundness and Sobriety He doth at large recite the Corruptions that were in Former Churches and thence would inferr the unlawfulness of separation where such corruptions are still continued But this he doth very Impertinently For though many errors both in Doctrine and Life were formerly admitted yet none of them were imposed as Conditions of Communion which is at this day the complaint and grievance of all the Separate and of which they have frequently desired redress but in vain in order to communion He relates that he hath met with many conscientious professors who would not communicate with the Parish Churches because the people were ignorant who when he had examined them have proved ignorant of the very substance of Christianity It is hardly possible to believe that he hath met with many such or if he had yet ought not such things to be concealed are not we commanded not to reveal the secret of another which pious and prudent Rule Mr. Baxter hath not scrupled to sin against and therefore may justly fear what follows in the text That He who hears it will put him to shame and his infamy shall not turn away Prov 25. 9. 10. They are very unweighed and rash words when he says Shew me in Scripture or in Church History that either there ever was De facto or ought to be De Jure such a thing in the world as the Papists call the Church and I profess I will immediately turn Papist We think none can write thus but declares a great unsteddiness in his Religion for none that knows Church History but can prove that such a Church as the Roman hath been near 1300. years actually in being and we much wonder that any Protestant should be found though but by the by equalling of Church History to Scripture as if the uncertain tradition of the one were to be as much accounted of and followed as the divine and infallible Revelation of the other Having profecuted the grounds of our departure from the Church of Rome he concludes insolently if this answer seem not plain and full enough to you it is because you understand not Christian sence and Reason But certainly it can be nothing else but intollerable Pride that dares charge another with want of Christian sence and Reason who doth not understand the force of a consequence of Mr. Baxters making sence he too often faileth in the truth and evidence of his deductions When he sayes We may have local presential Communion with that particular Church where we are present unless they hinder us by Unlawful terms this bating that insignificant Jargon of Local Presential Communion is no more then we all affirm Only we add that at this day unlawful terms are imposed upon us and because of them we are necessitated not so much to separate for we never yet were of them as to forbear Communion Among the sects which charge one another he reckons the Papists and Protestants but this is a very New and odious Nick-Name to call the Protestant by the title of a Sect and to make it part of their guilt that they conclude A Papist cannot go beyond a Reprobate nor a worshipper of the Beast be saved Which being the express words of Scripture Rev. 14. 9 10 11. And mentioned in so slight and abusive a manner by Mr. Baxter makes us judge that he may in time be brought to a compliance with them of whom he is pleased to write more favourably then the Scripture allows us that are in his sence the plainner and duller sort of Christians to speak or conceive He speaks something but very triflingly about scandall and shows how little he understands the true Notion of it when he dares affirm Many times I have the rather gone to the Common-prayers of the Publick assemblies for fear of being a scandal to those same Men that called the going to them a scandal But the Apostle Paul would not eat flesh which certainly is far more Lawful then to go to those prayers which are of a suspected if not Idolatrous Original rather then he would offend his weak brother whose practice we wish Mr. Baxter would have condescended to conform unto And then all such expressions as these would have been forborn He reports that many a faithful Minister he hath known who have freely confessed to him that pievish self-conceited Christians inclined to separation were a far stronger temptation to them to forsake or over run their own understandings then all the offers of Honours or Riches could be on the other side We may well doubt of the truth of this story for we can hardly think that any much less many a faithful Minister would so reproach their people and their Honourable Name which is upon them as to call them pievish and self conceited Christians But if some have indeed formerly complained of the too great proneness to separation when there was no such evident and pressing necessi●ies for it we doubt not but they expected so much prudence and faithfulness from Mr. Baxter as to conceal their complaints and not vent them now when the state of affairs is so wholly altered I ho●e hereafter all that fear God will be very careful how they make any complaint unto a Person who will take the next worst occasion to revile a whole Innocent and Godly and likewise suffering and afflicted Party by a malitious and unworthy publishing of it He compares odiously the Separatists to the Quakers and affirms of them that as the Quakers by the very terrour of their words did frighten many women and boys into their s●ct before they understood at all what it was that they were against or for so do the Separatists declaim against our sinfulness of Parish assemblies and Communion till they have frightned the ignorant into their mistaken Zeal And as if this were not enough to make them all absurd and ridiculous He doth in another p●ace endeavour to render them Perverse and malitious by saying uncharitably as well as falsly every Separatist Anabaptist Antinomian doth too willingly put his errors into his Prayers Where by mentioning the Separatist as a distinct body of Men from the Antinomian Quaker and Anabaptist it is evident he can mean no other but his Presbiterian and congregational brethren of whom to affirm that they all too willingly put their errors into their Prayers and preach meerly to fright the ignorant into their mistaken Zeal this is to do what he can to make that Character