Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	blood_n	flesh_n	meat_n	9,640	5	9.2298	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25215	The mischief of impositions, or, An antidote against a late discourse, partly preached at Guild-hall Chappel, May 2, 1680, called The mischief of separation	Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.	1680 (1680)	Wing A2917; ESTC R16170	115,195	136

but as Governors Things well joined but ill divided As they were Apostles so were they Governors of Churches to whom the Care of all the Churches was committed 2 Cor. 11.28 There was indeed another matter that should have here been shuffled in and is handsomly insinuated That the Apostles in establishing Rules for Rites and Ceremonies and those other things that are supposed acted not as extraordinary Officers whose power was to expire with their persons but as ordinary Guides who were to have Successors in their whole Ruling work to the end of the World but this is far more easily hinted than proved we deny therefore and wait for evidence 1. That the Apostles ever made Rules for the determining of unnecessary Circumstances and imposed them on the Churches as terms of Communion 2. That Diocesan Bishops or Metropolitans are the Apostles Successors in the governing of Churches 3. That if they did succeed them in any part of their office and worke yet that they have the same fulness of power as wanting their infallible direction wisdom prudence and other qualifications that might either move Christ to entrust them with that power or persuade Christians to submit to their power VII To sweeten and set off the Discourse the Doctor has formed a most ingenious comparison between the power and skill of a General of an Army to command and the Duty which private Soldiers owe to their General on the one part and the Authority Wisdom and Conduct of Church-Governors to order the Ecclesiastical Militia and the Duty that private Christians owe to their Orders on the other hand which would have taken before the Trained Bands or the Artillery Company at present let it pass for as much as 't is worth that is a specimen of wit and a rare piece of ingenuity VIII But his great Refuge his safe Retreat is in and to the Council at Jerusalem concerning which the Reverend Author expresses himself thus Although there were many doubts and scruples in their times about several Rites and Customs yet the Apostles did give Rules in such Cases and bind Christians to observe them as we find in that famous Decree made upon great deliberation in the Council of the Apostles at Jerusalem To which it were enough to say That the Apostles did give Rules but not such as are now given They gave Rules in the Case that lay before them but that Case was nothing akin to those Cases which are now before us That in what Case soever the Apostles did give Rules it 's nothing to them who pretend a power to give Rules to us except they can shew a Commission as fairly drawn and sealed as the Apostles could produce for their Determinations But yet more particularly 1. That Decree of the Apostles was about things necessary antecedent to the Decree not necessary because decreed onely but therefore decreed because necessary Acts 15.28 It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burthen than these necessary things How far is the spirit and temper of modern Imposers from that of the Apostles who think good to impose upon us the insupportable burthen of unnecessary things 2. That Council had the infallible guidance and superintendency of the Holy Spirit which is not inconsistent with the most serious deliberation It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us But no National Church ever had any promise and therefore cannot in Faith pray for or expect such immediate assistance such extraordinary direction Let no Church assume equal power to impose without an equal Commission for such power 3. The private Christians might reasonably acquiesce in the Decree because it had their own consent antecedent to its making A wonderful instance and not to be parallel'd in latter Ages There the Holy Spirits authority and the Churches consent go together but here we have neither That burden will sit the easier on our backs which first has the approbation of our hearts and such was that Decree not only sent to the Brethren ver 23. but by and from the Brethren The Apostles and Elders and Brethren send greeting unto the Brethren which are of the Gentiles But this is not our Case who have neither head nor heart nor hand nor finger in imposing those burdens which it seems good to my Lords the Archbishops and Bishops to lay upon us nor do we know what load we must bear till we feel it no more than the poor Pack-horse knows before hand what it shall please his good Lord and Master to lay upon him 4. That Decree was not to burden the Churches but to ease them of those burdens which they already groaned under The Case was this and it was sad and partly ours Certain men came down from Judea and taught the Brethren that except they were circumcised after the manner of Moses they could not be saved ver 1. Against this Tyranny Paul and Barnabas the great Assertors of Christian liberty made vigorous opposition ver 2. but the Zealots having reinforced their Faction from some of the Sect of the Pharisees who believed ver 5. the Case comes before the Council who determine against those Bigots that their blind zeal should not be the measure of necessary and unnecessary and yet not to exasperate them too much lest perhaps they should revolt from Christ and apostatize to Moses which they were now in a fair way to do and some of them afterwards did they agree to lay upon the Gentile Converts no greater burthen than those necessary things in opposition to those other unnecessary things which the Judaizing Christians contended for as necessary 5. If we consider the things imposed we shall find them none of those Trifles which the more pragmatical After-Ages divided the Churches with Abstaining from meats offered to Idols from blood from things strangled and from fornication ver 25. Of which Fornication was in its self unlawful meats offered to Idols under that notion were then and are still unlawful to be eaten things strangled had prescription and countenance from most Reverend Antiquity against their use and by Blood some understand Murther in which sense that also was simply unlawful but if by Blood be understood Flesh with the life thereof which is the Blood Gen. 9.4 that is a limb taken from a living creature and so eaten to forbid that was no more than to forbid them to be Canibals and if thereby we will understand Blood in the most general acceptation yet that also was so averse to the Jews that it 's no wonder if the Church agreed to gratifie them in it Nay I have known amongst some others a Reverend Dignitary of our Church who from this Decree and the Precepts given to the sons of Noah Religiously abstained from all things strangled and from blood to his dying day 6. The end of that Decree was to avoid Scandal the morality of which had it been well understood by these raw Gentile Converts had taught them to