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	fellowship_n	1,870	5	10.0945	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91228	A new discovery of some Romish emissaries, Quakers; as likewise of some popish errors, unadvisedly embraced, pursued by our anticommunion ministers. Discovering the dangerous effects of their discontinuing the frequent publick administration of the Lords Supper; the popish errors whereon it is bottomed; perswading the frequent celebration of it, to all visible church-members, with their free-admission thereunto; and prescribing some legal regal remedies to redress the new sacrilegious detaining of it from the people, where their ministers are obstinate. / By William Prynne of Swainswicke Esquire, a bencher of Lincolns Inne.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1656 (1656)	Wing P4017; Thomason E495_2; ESTC R203274	40,067	59

Souldiers without searching out the Malefactors to slay promiscously in a rage no lesse than 7000 of the Citizens putting no difference betwixt the guilty and innocent After this bloody execution at the Emperours next coming to the Church of Millain to pray and do his devotions of as custom he used St. Ambrose stepping to the Church-door as he was about to enter into the Church with much boldnesse prohibiting him to enter used this speech unto him Thou seemest O Prince not to understand what a monstrous slaughter of people is committed by thee neither doth rage suffer thee to weigh with thy self what thou hast done yet must thou know that from dust we came and to dust we shall Let not therefore the brightnesse of thy clothes hide from thee the weaknesse of flesh that is under them Thy Subjects are of the same metal that thou art and serve the same Lord that thou dost With what Eyes therefore wilt thou behold the house of this Common Lord and with what feet wilt thou tread on his holy pavements Wilt thou reach those hands dropping yet with the blood of Innocents to receive the most sacred body of the Lord Wilt thou put that precious blood of his to thy mouth which in a rage hast spilt so much Christian blood Depart rather and heap not one sin upon another Neither refuse this Bond of Excommunication which the Lord of all doth ratifie in heaven It is not much and it will restore thee the health of thy Soul All which the Emperour hearing with great patience returned presently to his Palace without entring the Church obeying the excommunication and there continued above 8 moneths space without coming any mo●e into the Church or putting on his Emperial Robes Af●er which upon his earne●t request and publike repentance for this crime● and his enacting this Law by St. Ambrose his advise by way of penance as some write That from thenceforth no man whom he or his Succes●ors should condemn to dye should be executed within thirty dayes after the Sentence of death denounced against him he being absolved from his excommunication came again into the Church and there making his prayers and performing his devotions received the Sacrament of the Lords Supper From which History it is apparent 1. That Excommunicate persons in that age were not suspended only from the Lords Supper but secluded from entring into the Church it self and from all publike x divine Ordinances used in it as well as from the Lords Table ●nd from all Christi●● Communion Hence y sundry Councils since with z Gratian and all a Popish Canonists resolve and decree Major Excommunicatio Seperat ab ingressa Ecclesiae à Sacramentis et à Communione fidelium Excommunicatus non potest interesse Divinis Officiis aut cum alii● orare in Ecclesia Her debet extra ita prope ●●are quod audiat And if any such excommunicate person come into the Church he is presently to be thrust out of it and the Priest must give over his begun Masse Prayers Preaching and not proceed therein till ne depart the Church Neither may any Christian wittingly eat drink conferre or trade with such a one under pain of Excommunication Yea our own Statute of 5 E. 6. ch. 4. against such as fight and strike in the Church Enact That such an Offender shall be excommunicate an●be e●cluded from the fellowship and company of Christs Congregation b This Excommunication our Laws c Lawbooks take notice of which likewise disables men to sue in any Civil Court of Justice if pleaded in barr against them under Seal In brief the 33 Article of the Church of England ratified by the statute of 13 Eliz. c. 13. and Sub●criptions of all our Ministers Defines Excommunication to be a cutting off from the Unity of the Church and whole multitude of the faithfull who ought to avoid an excommunicate person as an Heathen and a Publican untill he be openly reconciled by Penance and received into the Church by a Judge that hath Authority thereunto And the Confessions of Bohemia c. 8. 14. Of Helvetia c. 16. Of the French Churches c. 32 33. Describe Excommunication to be a removal of wicked scandalous obstinate Sinners from the Holy Fellowship of Believers a throwing them out from the Church and delivering them to Satan by Ecclesiastical punishment And absolution of such upon repentance to be A taking them again into the Church to the Communion of Saints and Sacraments Therefore the New-found Suspension and Excommunication of scandalous persons only from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper without seclusion from the Church and other Ordinances now so much contested for is but a meer Popish Innovation not warranted by Scripture Antiquity our own Statutes Articles or other Protestant Churches Confessions 2. That in that age all Church-members freely admitted to the publike prayers of the Church and not thus actually excommunicated from all Ordinances and the Church it self were freely admitted to the Lords Supper and all excommunicated persons too upon their absolution 3. That the Lords Supper in that age was usually received by all Church-members when ever they publiquely assembled to pray or hear Gods word and no other no greater worthinesse holinesse qualification preparation or self-examination required for Chri●tians free admission to the Com●●nion th●n to other publike duties which it did then daily accompany This president of St. Ambrose his excommunicating this godly Emperour Theodos●us and keeping him above 8 Moneths space from the Church and all publike Ordinances only for his over-rash execution of Justice upon his rebellious mutinous subjects upon so great a provocation notwithstanding his present humiliation and sorrow for it upon the first reprehension and that without any precedent private or publique admonition as it s no ways warranted by any precept or president in Gods word nor parallel example in the Primitive Church and censured by sober c Protestants as over-harsh indiscret rash and too Pontifical yea such as might have then pro●uced d a dangerous Schism in the Church to the great pre●udice of Religion had not this godly Emperour been more humble patient prudent than St. Ambrose So it hath in later ages been e much abused and insisted on by Antichristian Trayterous Popes Popish Prelates Jesuits Priests to justify their many illegal unchristian unrighteous Excommunications of Christian-Emperors Kings Princes their deposing them from their Empires Crowns Kingdoms their absolving their subjects from their allegiance to them and taking up arms against them to the great disturbance of most Christian Empires Realms States Churches Therefore it can be no justification or proof at all for any of our Protestant Ministers wilfully to abs●ain from the celebration of the Lords Supper and seclude● excommunicate all their Parishioners from it not only 8. whole Moneths but almost so many years together upon the forementioned Popish principles or any other ground especially not being all actually excommunicated or