Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	church_n	word_n	write_a	3,648	5	10.7659	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45250	The great mystery of godliness laid forth by way of affectuous and feeling meditation : also the invisible world discovered to spirituall eyes and reduced to usefull meditation in three books / by Jos. Hall.	Hall, Joseph, 1574-1656.	1659 (1659)	Wing H384; ESTC R28688	24,922	96

at the foundation of faith let us labour by all gentle means and brotherly conviction in the spirit of meeknesse to reclaim him If after all powerfull indeavours he will needs remain obstinate in his evill way let us disclaim his fellowship and not think him worthy of a God-speed But if he shall not only wilfully undermine the ground-work of Christian faith by his own damnable opinions but diffuse his hereticall blasphemies to the infection of others let him be cut off by spirituall censures and so dealt with by publick authority that the mischief of his contagion may be seasonably prevented and himself be made sensible of his hainous crime In all which proceedings just distinction must be made betwixt the seduced soul and the pestilent seducer the one calls for compassion the other for severity So then my brethren let us pity and pray for all that have erred and are deceived let us instruct the ignorant convince the gainsaying avoid the obstinate restrain the infectious and punissh the self-convicted heresiarch In the fourth place let us I beseech you take heed of beeing swayed with self-interests in all our designs These have ever been the bane of the best undertakings as being not more plausibly insinnuative then pernicious For that partiall self-love that naturally lodges in every mans brest is ready to put us upon those projects which under fair pretences may be extreamly prejudiciall to the publique weal suggesting not how lawfull or expedient they may be for the common but how beneficiall to our selves drawing us by insensible degrees to sacrifice the publique welfare to our own advantage and to underwork and cross the better counsails of more faithfull patriots Whereupon many flourishing Churches Kingdomes States have been brought to miserable ruine Oh that we could remember that as all things are ours so we are not our own that we have the least interest in our selves being infinitely more considerable as parts of a community then as single persons that the main end of our beeing next to the glory of our maker is an universall serviceablenesse to others in the attaining whereof we shall far more eminently advance our own happiness then by the best of our private self-seeking indeavors But withall it will be meet for us to consider that as we are made to serve all so only in our own station There can be no hope of a continued wel being without order There can be no order without a due subordination of degrees and diversity of vocations and in vain shall divers vocation● be ordained if all professions shall enterfere with each other It is the prudent and holy charge of the Apostle Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he is called We are all members of the same body every one whereof hath his proper employment The head is to direct and govern the feet to walk the eyes to see the ears to hear How mad would we think that man that should affect to walk on his head to hear with his eye to see with his ear Neither surely is it lesse incongurous for men in divine and civill administrations to offer to undertake and manage each others function in their nature and quality no lesse disperate So then let us indeavour to advance the common good as that a pious Zeal may not draw in confusion and that we may not mistakeingly rear up the walls of Babel whiles we intend Jerusalem Not religion only but policie cals us to encouragement of all usefull professions and of the sacred so much more as the soul is more precious then all the world beside Heed therefore must be taken to avoid all means whereby the study of learning and knowledge may be any way disheartned as without which the world would soon be over-run with ignorance barbarism All arts therefore as being in their kind excellent may justly challenge their own rights and if they shall want those respects which are due to them will suddenly languish But above all as Divinity is the Queen of Sciences so should it be our just shame that whiles her handmaids are mounted on horsback she should wait on them on foot Fifthly As it is our greatest honour that the name of Christ is called upon us so let it I beseech you be our care that our profession be not formal empty and barren like the Jewish fig-tree abounding with leaves void of fruit but reall active fruitfull of all good workes and exemplary in an universal obedience to the wholwill of God For it is a scandall never to be enough lamented that any of those who are Saints by calling such we all are or should be should hug some dearling sin in their bosome which at last breaks forth to the shame of the Gospell and to the insultation of Gath and Ascalon Wo be to us if we shall thus cause the name of our God to be evill spoken of There are two many of those whom I am loath and sorry to style heathen-Christians Christians in name Heathens in conversation these as they come not within the compasse of my Dedication for alas how should they love the Lord Jesus when they know him not so I can heartily bewail their condition who like Gideons fleece continue altogether dry under so many sweet shewres of Grace wishing unto their souls even thus late a sense of the efficacy of that water which was once poured on their faces These if they run into all excesse of riot what can be other expected from them but for us that have learned to know the great Mysterie of Godlinesse and have given up our name to a strict covenant of obedience if we shall suffer our selves to be miscarried into any enormious wickedness we shall cause heaven to blush and hell to triumph Oh therefore let us be so much the more watchfull over our ways as our engagements to the name of our God are greater and the danger of our miscariages more deadly Lastly let me beseech and adjure you in the name of the Lord Jesu to be carefull in matter of Religion to keep within the due bounds of Gods revealed will A charge which I would to God were not too needfull in these last dayes wherein who sees not what Spirits of Errour are gone forth into the world for the seducing of simple and ungrounded souls Wo is me what throngs are carried to hell by these devillish impostures One pretends Visions and Revelations of new verities which the world was not hitherto worthy to know another boasts of new lights of uncouth interpretations hidden from all former eyes one despises the dead letter of the scriptures another distorts it to his own erroneous sense O the prodiges of damnable hereticall Atheous fancies which have hereupon infested the Christian Church for which what good soul doth not mourn in secret the danger whereof ye shall happily avoid if ye shall keep close to the written word of our God which is only able to make you wise