Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	church_n	communion_n	creed_n	2,413	5	10.5759	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38702	The defence of Iohn Etherington against Steven Denison and his witnesses their accusatons and depositions vvherein their whole proceedings and ground whereupon he was censured and committed to prison by the high commission court is in brief declared : which he having now opportunitie and speciall occasion also urging, thought needfull to publish.	Etherington, John, fl. 1641-1645.	1641 (1641)	Wing E3384; ESTC R7935	45,195	66

persons that were present beside themselves for by that meanes their testimonies would have carried a more faire and honest countenance then now they doe but since the 20 of December that must not be omitted they will not have me pardoned by any meanes I doe well remember that about the time that Mr. Denison first began his suite in Court against me after he had a long time before reviled me in his Pulpits these two men Thomson and Rogers sought to get me into their company Rogers being the sollicitor or earnest suit or for the same to one Salomon Seabright being of his acquaintance and one that knew me to bring it to passe pretending and promising that if they might speake with me and should finde things to be otherwise then they had conceived they would enforme Mr. Denison thereof and cause him to cease his course and proceedings against me Whereupon I did consent to speake with them so that they would appoint the time and place for I suspected it to be a plot layd between Mr. Denison and them to get matter against mee either to prove a conventicle or otherwise to entrap me in my words being forewarned by one that knew some of their secrets that such a thing was plotted and intended by them which accordingly so proved So the place being at the said Salomon Seabrights neere Algate I met them there at the time they appointed where in the hearing of sundry persons they moved many questions unto me concerning repentance and faith the Church and other things to which I did answer them according as I did understand and beleeve As touching the Church they asked mee what I held the true Church of Christ to be To this I answered and told them plainly that I held the true Church of Christ to be and consist of the true regenerate servants and people of God sanctified in heart by faith in Christ Jesus lively stones built upon the rock Jesus Christ the chiefe corner stone according to the words of Christ and as S. Peter describeth it which St. Paul calleth the body and spouse of Christ the pillar and ground of truth according also as it is conteined in the Creed I beleeve in the holy Ghost the holy Catholique Church the communion of Saints c. Then they asked me of the outward state of the Church of England if all in generall were the same true Church of Christ or of it to which I answered nay I could not say so Then if any whole Parish that I knew were to which I also answered nay I knew no such Parish that I could so conclude of all God knoweth who are his Then lastly if I did not hold some private company with my selfe to be the same true Church of Christ to which I answered also and told them nay but that all of all degrees and callings in the whole Kingdome whose hearts were sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus were the true Church of Christ here of England and that if I or they that asked those questions or the rest there present were so sanctified in heart then were wee of the same true Church of Christ else not and that there was never any Church generally considered as it was outward and visible to the eye of man but some yea many times the most part and of the greatest of them in most eminent place in the Church as well as of the lowest and meanest have been unfaithfull ungodly unholy and so not of the Church though they were in it And I told them plainly that I held the Church of England as it was by the authoritie of Princes and by Law established to be the best reformed so generally considered this day in the world and that I did beleeve God had a speciall respect unto it above any one Nation or Kingdome whatsoever and that he had many faithfull servants sonnes and daughters therein and much people to save for whose sakes the rest doe fare well and are the more happy These were my answers to their questions touching the Church or to this very effect as some that were there present and heard me as well as they can testifie It seemeth that upon my answer to their question of the outward state of the Church of England if all in generall were the true Church of Christ or of it because I said nay I could not say so therefore they presume to sweare that I held and published that the Church of England as it is now by Law established is no true Church of Christ as if I would have some other outward forme established to make a true Church or that none could be in the outward state of the Church and partake with it in the outward calling of the ministry preaching administring hearing receiving but regenerate persons onely all which was far from my thought So that in this also as well as the former they are very false witnesses And concerning Robrowghs testimony who deposeth that because I say the true Church doth consist of the regenerate therefore I teach and maintaine that the church of England as it is now by Law established is not a true Church of Christ My answer is that if Mr. Robrowgh can and when he shall prove that the Church of England as it is now by Law established is not part of the holy Catholike Church of Christ whereof all are Saints then will I grant his testimony to be true in the meane time he is a false accuser and one that doth deny the Church of England now by Law established to be part of the true holy Catholique Church of Christ of the Communion of Saints proving himselfe guiltie of that whereof he chargeth me It would small avayle the Church of England to have the name of a true Church and not to be of the holy Catholike Church which the Creed and the Scriptures doe describe unto us and require us to beleeve and acknowledge for Christs true Church his body his spouse c. for although all be not Saints that are in the Church as touching the outward estate and societie thereof yet as touching the true spirituall communion all are Saints that are of it and are one body and one bread being all made partakers of that one bread Christ Jesus and baptized by one Spirit into one body and made to drinke into one Spirit as St. Paul declareth according as St. Iohn testifying against some Antichrists of his time They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might manifest that they were not all of us and St. Paul againe But Christ the sonne over his owne house whose house are wee if wee hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firme unto the end So that they onely which are truly faithfull and hold fast the confidence c. are the true Church of Christ If

the reason why they that fell in the Wildernesse entred not in was their hardnesse of heart and unbeleefe as in the 15. ver. of the 3. chap. and the 2. ver. of the 4. chap. He declareth and saith further That they that are so entred ●●ve ceased from their owne workes as God did from his that is from seeking their owne pleasures and speaking their owne words from all their corrupt carnall and sinfull pleasures and delights of the world wherein their soule as well as their bodie and members thereof had walked the whole man being corrupted through the fall and which are therefore called their owne workes and their owne pleasures and their delight is now in the Lord and in his holy and heavenly wayes seeking his face continually honouring him c. as the Prophet Esay saith And they that are so entred here by faith and keepe the Lords holy Sabbath will the Lord cause to ride upon the high places of the earth and will feed them with the heritage of Iacob their father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it which heritage of of Iacob is the everlasting Kingdom the heavenly Country and Citty promised which all the holy Fathers looked for and is to be manifested and fully accomplished when Christ shall come in his glory and all things shall be restored according to the Prophets And so I hold the Sabbath spirituall and eternall to be in force and that the outward rest of man and beast commanded the Jewes on the seaventh day was but a shaddow thereof and is now ceased to Christians So that as wee are 〈◊〉 bound to Circumcision nor other ceremonies of the Law which is manifest by Acts 15. Gal. 4. and other places of Scripture neither are we to the strict observation of any litterall Sabbaths of yeeres times moneths or dayes as the Jewes were by the Law but are free as Saint Paul sayth Let no man judge you in meates or in drinkes or in respect of an holy day or of the new Moone or of the Sabbath day which are a shaddow of the things to come but the body is Christ And he said to them of Galatia who were by false Teachers brought to an extreame in that kind more then the Law it selfe ever intended Ye observe dayes and moneths and times and yeares I am afraid of you c. in both which places the Apostle speaketh of the seventh day Sabbath and concludeth of it as of the rest In Gal. he beginneth with it before the monthly Sabbathes as besides which before the monthly there is not another to be rekoned and in Col● He ends with it in reckoning next after the new Moones or monthly Sabbathes except which after the monethly there is not another to be named and counteth it with the rest a shadow of things to come And this no doubt was the reason why the Apostles and Christian Churches to this day have left it with the rest of the signes and shadowes of the law as holding that Christians are free as touching their consciences in all such respects If this be true that the litterall rest of the seventh day commanded in the Law be a shadow as by the Apostles words is most cleere and past all contradiction then the first day of the weeke used in the Apostles times and ever since in the Christian Churches for the assembling together of the people of God to breaking of bread and prayer and preaching and hearing the word of God for exhortation spirituall communion edification and comfort one another praysing the Lord c. Was taken up freely and is a free observation and not by force of any commandement of the Law or of the Gospell And this doth the Apostle further declare in Rom. 14. where he plainely sheweth as he doth also in Colo. 2. the in●iferency now under the Gospell of eating and not eating of meates and of esteeming and not esteeming one day above another So that although Christians be now free in these things as touching the conscience in respect of the Law and are not bound yet they not only may observe a day to the Lord for the ends before mentioned and forbeare therein their common worldly affaires but ought it so being ordained and appointed by the state and Church wherein they live and so farre wee are bound by the command of the word of God in all good and lawfull things to obey And some day or time is needfull and the more time the bett●r and hee that makes the most use of the same time to the same ends doth the best and the first day of the weeke may very well be the day rather then any other because it was for some reasons no doubt taken up and used for those ends in the Apostles times whither because they might be more free therein in respect of the Jewes then on the Sabbath day or for what reason else it is not written being not so needfull to be knowne And so in respect of this spirituall use and end it hath beene and is appointed and imployed unto it may be called a Sabbath day though not by force of the commandement But whosoever shall lay such a burthen upon the consciences of Christian touching the day as Master Denison and some others have done charging the people upon heavy curses and condemnation to doe and not to doe such and such kind of things as they prescribe These things Which although you may lawfully leave them undone upon any other day and not sinne you are bound to doe them in this day in paine of condemnation And these and those kind of things or actions which although you may lawfully doe them on any other day and not sinne you are bound not to doe any of them in this day on paine of condemnation and whosoever doth not constionably so observe the day cannot be a true Christian wherewith they have so inthralled the minds of many people some of tender consciences zealously affected towards God and have brought them to such distraction and unquietnesse of spirit by reason they are not nor can be satisfied in every particular action what they are so bound to doe and what not to doe upon that day when to begin and when to end that there is more talke and questioning among them and and more resorting to Ministers for satisfaction about the same then about any matter of religion whatsoever This doctrine I say is very unsound and just like unto that which the false Apostles and Teachers taught and charged them of Antioch and them of Galatia touching Circumcision and the Sabbath of the Law which was very erroneous even in the time of the Law and a burthen as Saint Peter saith which they nor their fathers were able to beare for such doctrine had beene taught the Jewes by such Pharisees and false Teachers a long time before Peters dayes and is by the Church in Acts 15. and by Saint Paul in Gal. 4. condemned for