Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
lord_n church_n day_n sabbath_n 20,024 5 9.8526 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A74652 The peace-maker or, a brief motive to unity and charitie in religion. By W.P. D.D. W. P. 1652 (1652) Wing P135; Thomason E1417_2; ESTC R209452 13,834 99

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

us never so much of her infallibility and unerring chair yet questionless there is none of our Churches no not the best of them that our Saviour may not say to her habeo adversus te pauca I have a few things against thee And as those severall Churches though some of them very faulty yet were all severall members of Christ and helped to make up one body why may it not be so in these Churches I speak of For first they all agree in that one and only foundation of Religion Jesus Christ as the Apostle calleth him No other foundation can any other man lay than that which is layd to wit Jesus Christ and this no doubt is a sure and good foundation and this maketh them to be Christan Churches they are all baptized into Christ and look to be saved by his sufferings And think not this to be a small matter for St. Paul desired to know nothing else I esteemed not saith he to know any thing among you but Jesus Christ and him crucified and it worked upon his affection as much as upon his understanding God forbid that I should rejoyce saith he save in the crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ Gal. 6.14 that is in Christ crucified Besides this one foundation they all embrace the two Testaments the three Creeds and the four first generall Councills and many other very materiall points The discord amongst us Christians hath been long agoe objected to us and certainly there hath nothing so much drawn some out of the Church and kept others from comming into the Church as these quarrels amongst our selves Unto whom I briefly answer If they like not our differences let them joyn with us in those things wherein we agree and that is to be Christians to believe in Christ and him crucified and those other principall points whereof I spake and to strive to imitate Christ to their power and then our discords will less trouble them It is true we have not all built alike upon this foundation but some no question have built wood and straw as well as silver and gold yet all of us no doubt do strive to imitate Christ as neer as we can both in our doctrine and in our practice and certainly in these superstructures of Religion good intentions must go far or else it will go hard with many of us not that they altogether excuse the fault but doubtless they take off much from the punishment There is a difference between the East and West Churches in what kind of bread the Eucharist is to be received the East receiving in unleavened bread the West in leavened bread And herein though they differ among themselves yet they both strive to imitate Christ because the one Church thought our Saviour used then the bread that was leavened the other that which was unleavened Either Church is the less blameable because they think both that they follow our Saviours example S. Austin in like manner doth prettily reconcile a difference between some concerning the time how often we should receive the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper for some it seems in his time thought we were bound to receive the Eucharist every day others but now and then Some saith he Epist 118. communicate daily others but upon certain daies some will omít no day others will only receive on the Sabbath and the Lords day There is a freedome to be used in both these Some will say we must not daily receive the Sacrament because we ought to select and set apart some daies wherein we must live more carefully and religiously and so come to the Sacrament more worthily and with greater devotion On the other side another tells us yea but if the plague sore of sin and violence of the disease beso great and dangerous such soveraign medicines as these are not to be deferred Of both these saith he Iet every man take his choice and do that which he thinks in his conscience he may best and most piously perform for neither of these dishonour the body and blood of our Saviour but rather both of them do strive to honour this saving Sacrament For Zacheus rejoyced greatly to entertain our Saviour in his house The Centurion said Lord I am not worthy thou shouldest come under my roof both of these did worship and honour our Saviour though after a diverse and as it were a contrary manner both of them being miserable by reason of sin both of them obtaining mercy for their sins Thus one man to honoun Christ dares not receive every day another also to honour Christ dares not omit any day And although these be but petty differences yet why may I not apply it to controversies of greater moment especially seeing that ancient Father S. Salvian lib. 5. de Providentia hath found a good intention in the Arians the most pernitious and most dangerous hereticks accounted that ever have been in the Church They whom we account hereticks saith he account not themselves hereticks for they so much esteem themselves good Catholicks that they defame us with the note and appellation of heresie That therefore which they be to us the very same are we to them We are certain that they injure the divine generation in that they say the Son is lesse and inferior to the Father They think us likewise injurious to the Father because we make the Son equall unto him The true honour of God is among st us but they think that to be the honour of the Deity to believe as they believe They are undutifull but they think it the greatest duty of their Religion They are impious but they think this to be true piety They erre therefore but they erre with a very good mind and intention not with a hatred but with a good affection towards God verily believing that they honour and love God Although they have not the right Faith yet they notwithstanding think this to be perfect love towards God In what manner they shall be punished in the day of Judgement for this very error of false opinion no man can tell but the Judge himself A good lesson for the hot-spurs of these times with whō it is a very easie matter to pronounce damnation upon the very least disagreement in Religion whereas this good Father would not determine any thing concerning these great hereticks the Arrians but leaves them to the mercy of the Judge not being able to discern what they did deserve You see that this holy Father finds out a good intention even in these hereticks And if there was a good intention amongst those that were so grossly erroneous why may there not be good intentions found out amongst us also who are not at such great odds and acknowledged on all sides to have no such dangerous opinions amongst us I speak not this any whit to countenance that opinion of the Arrians which is creeping into the Church again but leave them to stand or fall to their own master and
Romanists yet should we not be charitable to you as Christians we were much to blame But see how you mistake or rather indeed pervert and abuse this our charity For say you by your own acknowledgement there may be salvation in our Church but we all deny there can be Salvation in yours therefore all if they had care of themselves would have recourse to us for it is the safer way to be a member of that Church where both sides yeeld there may be salvation then in that where on side denies it This were something if Salvation or Damnation depended upon opinion but I suppose that charitable opinion of ours in hoping you may be saved makes you never a whit the neerer heaven but our selves that rough censure of yours in setting us all out for damnation makes us no whit the neerer hel but your selves And I had rather be a member of that Church which holds there may be Salvation in both then of that which holds there can be salvation but in one For holding with the first I am safe wheresoever I am but holding with the latter I must be in danger wheresoever I am I say wheresoever I am for I am not onely in danger of my salvation if I be in that Church wherein I think there is no Salvation but also if I be in that Church out of which I think there can be no Salvation because I confine Salvation to one of these which though I think it be in this alone yet it may be in the other alone this may suffice to satisfie that great Argument of our Adversaries wherein they so much glory and if it be possible to moderate their severity against us Many other motives unto Charity might be shewed but these briefly shall suffice The one is that we are Chrians and therefore brethren and so ought to love as brethren Another is in that I hope our intentions are good and that none maintains a false opinion perversly against his conscience Now let me say unto all Christians as S. Paul doth to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 6.11 12 13. O ye Christians our mouth is open unto you and not only so but our heart is enlarged not only to the Roman but even to the East Church and to as many as call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Ye are not straitned in us but ye are straitned in your own bowels now for a recompence in the same I speak unto you as unto Brethren be ye also enlarged Let me bespeak all learned Prelats and Pastors on all sides as S. Austine Epist 147. doth Proculianus a Bishop and a favourer of the Donatists I pray and beseech thee saith he if there be any good disposition in thee which many doe extoll and command if it be not a counterfeit courtesie by reason of worldly honour that the tender bowells of pitty and compassion begin to yerne in thee and that you would have these controversies discussd between us at the length not by wrangling and railing one at another but by fervent prayers and earnest supplications unto Almighty God and by comparing all things peaceably and examining them in the spirit of meekness lest the poor ignorant people which now yeeld to and willingly obey our jurisdiction and command over them press us with this their submission and dutifull obedience to us in the day of the Lord Jesus and say they did as their leaders directed them but rather by our unfeigned love and charity being together with us drawn from those by-paths of errour and dissention they should be directeed into the right way of truth and peace I will concude all with this prayer that it would please God to inspire continually the Universall Church with the spirit of truth unity and concord and grant that all they who do confess his holy name may agree in the truth of his holy word and live in unity and godly love And although we cannot at the first attain to that perfection to be of one mind yet let us begin to be charitable and bear with one another for who knows but that by entertaining this bond of peace we may in good time come to the unity of the spirit which he heartily wisheth and daily prayeth for who is Thine in Christ W.P.