Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	call_v	church_n	dedicate_v	1,670	5	10.6327	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07190	The avthoritie of the Chvrch in making canons and constitutions concerning things indifferent and the obedience thereto required: with particular application to the present estate of the Church of England. Deliuered in a sermon preached in the Greene yard at Norwich the third Sunday after Trinitie. 1605. By Fran. Mason, Bacheler of Diuinitie, and sometime fellow of Merton College in Oxford. And now in sundrie points by him enlarged.	Mason, Francis, 1566?-1621.	1607 (1607)	STC 17595; ESTC S112385	61,269	101

taking of offence which points are already in ample maner performed by the church of England But it will be replied that many things are lawfull which are not expedient meats offered to idols were lawfull yet euill to him that eateth offensiuely So our garments may be lawful yet euill to him that weareth them offensiuely So the crosse may be lawfull yet euill to them that vse it offensiuely And thought the offence commeth by the weaknesse of our brother yet charitie bindeth vs to refraine from that which offendeth our brother And they stand much vpon Pauls protestation that he would eate no fl●sh so long as the world standeth rather then hee would offend his brother The answer whereunto may bee this that the case is vnlike for first those meats whereof S. Paul doth speake were matters of priuate action of common life But we speake of the publike ceremonies of our Church Secondly S. Paul was at his owne choice no law restraining his libertie but our ceremonies are commanded by lawfull authoritie Thirdly S. Paul by forbearing flesh did preiudice none but himselfe But wee in forbearing the ceremonies should preiudice the authority of the Prince Fourthly S. Pauls practise did further and not hinder the course of his Ministerie but as the case now standeth our refusall of ceremonies might be a meanes to silence our selues and to stoppe the course of our preaching which is a dutie so necessarie that it may not be omitted no not for feare of a scandall Fiftly though eating of those meats were offensiue to some yet the not eating we doe not finde to haue beene offensiue to any But in our ceremonies some are offended because they are vsed and some are offended because they are not vsed and that more iustly because the not vsing of a thing so commanded is disobedience to the Prince and may prooue a very scandalous and pernicious example If they say that charitie bindeth me to respect the one I answer that the same charitie bindeth mee to regard the other and dutie bindeth me to honour and obey my Prince Wherefore in a mixt congregation what shall I doe for both will be offended the one if I vse them the other if I vse them not Surely in such a case I thinke it my part after feruent praier diligent studie and Christian conference to consult with mine owne conscience and finding the thing commanded to bee no way contrarie to the word of God I will hold it my dutie to obey my Prince And as for those which shall be offended with my fact I will in the spirit of meekenesse both publikely and priuately render them a reason of my doing instructing them from time to time in the doctrine of things indifferent and the dutie of a subiect to his Prince But if they will not be thus satisfied if they refuse to hearken and still continue stiffe in their owne opinions let them take heed lest the saying of Aquinas may be applied vnto them Concerning the scandall of little ones saith he wee must obserue that for the auoiding thereof a man is bound to deferre the vse of lawfull things so long till the scandall may bee remoued by a reason rendered But if the reason being rendred the scandall doe still remaine now it seemeth not to proceed of ignorance or infirmitie but of malice and so shall belong to the scandall of Pharisees 36 Moreouer some are so tender that they are offended not onely at things formerly abused but euen at the names of vanished abuses The moneths of the yeere were sometimes dedicated to heathen Idols this very moneth wherein I speake to Iuno the daies to the planets this very day to the Sunne Our Chronicles testifie that Wednesday and Friday were so called of Woden and Frea the Idols of the Saxons All those names were imposed and abused to Idolatry but shall we therfore thinke that all which vse these names speake scandalously by countenancing Idolatrie It may bee that some of our Churches called by the names of Saints had their names not only as memorials but were also superstitiously dedicated to the honour of Saints and shall it therefore now bee imagined that the very vse of these names is a scandalous point God for bid The superstition and Idolatry are worne away the names remaine only as ciuill names and may bee so vsed for distinction sake as may be iustified by Scripture For the Prophet Daniell was called Belteshazzar according to the name of the God of Nabuchodonosor yet the Prophet inspired by the Spirit of God speaking of himselfe calleth himsel●e Belteshazzar The Citie of Athens was so named of Pallas and therein was a street called the streete of Mars both which names proceeded from Idolatrie yet who can accuse Saint Luke of speaking scandalously in calling the Cittie Athens and the streete the streete of Mars Saint Paul sailed in a ship of Alexandria whose badge was Castor and Pollux which as Saint Crisostome truly obserueth were Idols Yet S. Lukes pen did not write scandalously in describing the ship by the names of Castor and Pollux Neither was it a scandalous point in S. Paul to saile in the ship for S. Luke vsed the name only historically as a ciuill name of distinction and S. Paul knew that the earth is the Lords and all that therein is And therefore in the tempest he did not inuocate Castor and Pollux but the true God Wherefore the names of times places and persons scandalously imposed may be vsed for distinction sake without scandall Many take offence at their brethren for vsing the names of Christmas Candlemas and the like as though it were a scandalous peece of Popery but admit that these feastiuities had their names of the masse though some learned men are of an other opinion yet suppose it were so those that are offended with this word Christmas as fauouring Poperie might bee offended with Bolteshazzar as fauouring Paganisme But they will say it renueth the memorie of the abhominable masse be it so and withall it may renew the memorie of our deliuery from the masse So the names of the daies of the weeke may put vs in minde how this land was sometimes drowned in Paganisme and the same may put vs in minde how it hath pleased God to deliuer vs from Paganisme Wherfore though men in such points may vse their libertie yet in such peremptorie maner to condemne their brethren is against charitie And thus much of scandall 37 Lastly they propose vs the paterne of reformed Churches which haue reiected these ceremonies as though it were our dutie therein to follow them The wordes of the admonition are these Is a reformation good for France and can it be euil for England Is discipline meete for Scotland and is it vnprofitable for this Realme Surely God hath set these examples before your eies to incourage you c. Concerning the reformed Churches I beseech God to poure his blessings