Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	faith_n	true_a	15,470	5	5.2366	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94773	Truth vindicated from the unjust accusations of the Independent Society, in the city of Norvvich. Wherein is proved, 1. That the Church of England is a true church of Christ. 2. That it is a sin to seperate from the true church. 3. That the Independent Society in the city of Norwich is no true church of Christ. 4. Divers reasons and arguments used to perswade men not to seperate from the Church of England and joyne to their Society, shewing the sinfulnesse of so doing. / By S.T. Imprimatur, Ia. Cranford. Aug. 10. 1646.	Townsend, Sampson.	1646 (1646)	Wing T1987; Thomason E351_4; ESTC R201063	12,843	21

whom wee beleeve 1 Cor. 3.5 And yet these Ministers are slighted if not despised and counted no Ministers of God And the Church in which they were converted and brought home to God is rejected and counted no Church of God and can such a Society be the true Church of Christ surely no. A second and third argument to prove them to be no Church I gather from their owne tenents In describing of a true Church they did affirme at a meeting for dispute that it was absolutely necessary for the being of a Church that there should be forme as well as matter and they said forme was a Church Covenant without which a Church did cease to be a true Church But I my selfe have seene members received into their Society without a Covenant which one of the chiefe of them told me was to shew they did not absolutely require it Therefore according to their owne rule they did then cease to be a true Church Againe some of them have affirmed that the forme of a Church is government or Church discipline which I take to be the forme of a true Church rather then the other but if so then their Society cannot be a true Church For they have never a Church Officer therefore cannot execute Church discipline It is the Elders of the Church that are to rule the Church 1 Tim. 5.17 Heb. 13.17 But that Society have never an Elder nor other Church Officers therefore they want forme or government and therefore according to their owne argument they are no Church Fourthly how can that be a true Church that take in members when in their esteeme they are good when they have no power to cast them out though they should prove never so bad certainely in such a Church as this all things cannot be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 but for want of power to punish the disordered nothing but confusion will in time bee found in such a Church And certainly God is not the Author of such a Church in which there is nothing but confusion and no meanes to prevent it Gods Church is his building 1 Cor. 3.9 his house 2 Tim. 2.20 1 Tim. 3.15 1 Pet. 4.17 Fiftly framed Ephes 2.21 and formed by himselfe for himselfe Esay 43.21 hee having appointed in it Stewards 1 Cor. 4.1 Luke 12.42 and all other Officers for the well ordering of it But a Society gathered together without Rulers over them to see peace and order continued amongst them will in a short time be a Babell for confusion Gen. 11.9 but cannot be the true Church of Christ For God is not the Author of confusion but of peace as in all the Churches of the Saints 1. Cor. 14.33 And thus you see that the Independent Society in the City of Norwich is no Church I come now to the fourth and last thing propounded 4. To lay downe divers reasons and arguments to perswade men not useperate from the Church of England and joyne to the Independent society shewing the unlawfullnesse of so doing First because it is a direct violation of our oath made with our hands lift up to the most high God in our solemne League and Covenant In the first Article thereof we covenanted to endeavour to bring the Churches of God in the three Kingdomes to the neerest conjunction and vniformity in Religion confession of faith forme of Church government directory for worship and catechizing And in the second Article we covenanted to endeavour the extirpation of Schisme c. lest we be partakers in other mens sins but how doe those take this Covenant with a true intent to performe it as is expressed in the latter part of the Covenant who deny the Churches of the three Kingdoms to be true Churches and set up a new Church as they call it against and contrary to the government established or about to be established in the Churches of the three Kingdoms Is this to endeavour the uniformity of Church government and the extirpation of Schisme that the Lord may be one and his name one in the three Kingdoms Or is it not a retarding of the worke of Reformation and the setling of Church government And the spreading of herisies schismes factions and divisions amongst us We are commanded to keepe our vowes Deut. 23.21 Ecle 5.4 And Covenant breakers are reckoned amongst those that are given up to a reprobate minde Rom. 1.13 And God hath threatned the sword to avenge the quarrell of his Covenant Levit. 26.25 therefore it is a greivous sin to breake Covenant And whether or no the Independents keepe or breake their Covenant let the world judge 2. Secondly to joyne in fellowship with the Independent society doth hinder men from walking with God in such a way wherein they may most honour him in the use of all his Ordinances in performing of all those mutuall duties that God requires of his children one towards another For first they deprive themselves of the cheife ministeriall Ordinances of God as the preaching of the word of God and the administration of the Sacraments For as they looke upon the Church of England as no Church so also upon our Ministers as no Ministers And therefore they prefer their owne private meetings before our publique preaching And amongst themselves they have no Church Officer to performe any of these ministeriall acts And therefore they cannot honour God in the use of those Ordinances as they might have done if they had continued in that Church of God in which they did injoy them Secondly they cannot honour God in the performing of all those mutuall duties that God requires of his children one towards another for seperating from the Church of England as a false Church they looke upon all the members of it as without the pale of the Church and they cannot otherwise doe while they are of that judgement And because they are so they thus reason as for those with whom we have entred into Covenant and are members of our Church we are bound to but for others they are without and what have we to doe with those that are without say they Whereas we know it is Christs command that all the faithfull should love one another Iohn 13.34 and they ought also to have fellowship one with another 1 Iohn 13. and by love to serve one another Gal. 5.13 and to let brotherly love continue Heb. 13.1 constantly provoking one another to love and to good workes Heb 10.24 exhorting and instructing the ignorant Heb. 3.13 Dan. 11.33 incouraging and strengthning the weake 1 Thes 5.14 Iob 4.3.4 but all these duties are neglected by them that seperate and walke at a distance from other Christians whereby they rob them of that spirituall good that charity requires and formerly they have done to others and deprive themselves also of that edification they might receive and have formerly received by their communion with them therefore it is a sin to joyne with such a society as thus hinder men from performing