Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	action_n	body_n	life_n	5,700	5	4.7855	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16620	A treatise of divine worship tending to prove that the ceremonies imposed vpon the ministers of the Gospell in England, in present controversie, are in their vse vnlawfull.	Bradshaw, William, 1571-1618.	1604 (1604)	STC 3528; ESTC S120938	12,631	48

Idolater in the earth 12. Those that abhorre Idolatrie as much as they doe beggerie and folly can not but hate and abhorre the badges of Idolatrie as much as the badges of folly and beggerie and therefore can not but accompt that priestly attyre that is enioyned vnto vs by our Prelates an apparell more vnbeseeming the Minister of the Gospell then a Cloake with a thousand patches or a coate with foure ellebowes for beggery and folly being iudgementes and not sinnes the notes of beggerie and folly can not be so odious in a spirituall eye as the notes of Idolatry 13. If it be denyed that the apparell enioyned is popish because it was before popery was this answere may be made 1. It can never bee proved that it was before popery For though not all popery yet some popery was in the Apostles tymes most of the heresies were before the full revealing of Antechrist which notwithstanding wee fasten vpon them and count popish they having intertained them If therefore an errour mainteyned before Popery retayned by Papistes deserue the name of a popish errour why should not vnnecessary apparell though vsed before yet entertayned now only by them and those that receaue it from them bear the name of Popish attyre 2. As a Coat of divers colours is a fooles coate notwithstanding that Ioseph one of the 12. Patriarkes wore one so a white linen garment is a popish garment though some Ministers in the East Churches did weare them and yet it can never bee proved that either they wore such a one as is prescribed vnto vs or that it was a ministeriall garment and not their ordinary civill attyre or proper to the Minister only or if al this that it was wel done for there being no one father that wrote since the Apostles times but haue erred in some matters of Doctrine why may they not as well erre in matters of ceremonie if all the true Churches of God beside our own in England and the greatest parte of the sufficientest Pastors of our owne Church are held to erre in the generall renouncing of these ceremonies why might not some few Ministers in the olde Church as well erre in instituting and vsing them 14. A corrupt and scandalous Ceremonie in the worship of God is so much the more dangerous and scandalous to others by how much the more it comes graced and countenanced with lawfull authoritie A corrupt ceremonie enioyned by a Heathenish Pagan Tyrāt vnto the Ministers of the Gospell living vnder his iurisdiction cannot doe so much spirituall hurt as when it shal be required by a Christian Magistrate for the good conceyt of the institutour and ordeinor of a religious Rite is it that breedes superstition Those therefore whose special calling from God is to edifie the soules of men not to destroy them ought so much the more to avoid these Ceremonies they iudge know to be scandalous and hurtfull to the soules of men by howe much the greater grace and countenance they receaue from the authoritie of man neither can the commandement of the Magistrate bee a sufficient plea at the barre of Gods iudgment seate for a man that by vertue or force thereof alone hath done any action how indifferent so ever in it selfe that his conscience tels him will scandalize his brother and so hurt his soule grosse therfore is the doctrine of them that teach That Paule if the Magistrate had commaund him should haue eaten fleshe though his brothers soule should haue bene damned for it 15. The more indifferent an action is in it selfe the more odious it ought to be vnto vs when we shall perceaue it to hurte our brothers soule which ought to be a thousand times dearer vnto vs then his body or our owne liues for he shewes neither loue nor mercy to his brother that had rather be the instrument of his everlasting damnation then omit the doing of a meere indifferent thing though hee should incurre therefore any bodily punishment whatsoever That forme therefore of Gods service that consists in the vse of such things indifferent as experience manifesteth are a scandall and by consequent a destruction to the soules of infinit numbers ought not to bee vsed of any much lesse of those who are called by Christ to feed the soules of men and not to destroy them How scandalous these Ceremonies are to all how the omission of them cannot be scandalous to any but vnto such as are worse scandalized already by embracing them requires a larger Treatise 16. No Magistrate that is a Christian will chalenge authoritie to destroy the soule of any man and therfore he cannot vpon his owne meere will pleasure without sinne against God enioyne any thing not required by God that evidently tendeth to the destruction of any mans soule and those subiects that being ready to performe any dutie that God requireth vnto the Magistrate shall refuse to doe any such thing so required and shall patiently and meekely yeeld themselues to any punishment the Magistrate shall thinke good to lay vpon them without resistance shall * A paciant suffring when wee cannot in conscience obey is the best obedience performe more true and loyall obedience vnto his authoritie therein then any of those that shall yeeld obedience to any lawes of that kind enacted by never so good a Magistrate and in shew to never so good an end 17. No subiect therefore can take any such authoritie from the handes of the Magistrate which may warrant him to doe any thing that shall evidently destroy his brother soule at any time much lesse in the service worship of God wherin all things that are to be done ought to tende to the edification of his soule in a speciall maner 18. It is plaine in the word of God that the kingdome of God that is the service and worship of God standeth not in meates and drinkes nor any such externall rytes having no authoritie from God When therefore without any commandement from God such external things shal be brought into the service of God made the very formes of the same such Rytes must needs be false worship and that forme of Gods service must needes bee adulterate that is made to consist in such thinges For no authoritie can make that a part of Gods kingdome that the worde of God doeth expresly deny to be a part thereof 19. Those Ceremonies therefore in present controversie being meerly by man brought into the worship of God are by no means to be yeelded vnto for it is in effect to make the Kingdom of God to cōsist in meats and drinkes or in such like thinges For if man hath authoritie to make the kingdom of God consist in apparel c. he hath also authoritie if it please him to make it consist in eating and drinking may make them a part of the Liturgie aswel as any of those things that are in controversie 20. Those peculiar Rites and Ceremonies which are in that maner forme vsed in the service of God that if God himself did but ratifie confirme that present sse of them should then be parts of his true outward worship must needs as they are vsed without Gods ordinance be partes of a false outwarde worship But our surplices crosses kneeling at the Lordes Supper c. are such that if God should but command to vse them as we vse them that is if hee should require every Minister in divine service to weare a surplice to note ioy dignitie or sanctitie or in Baptisme to crosse a child in signe c. Nay though he should expresse no vse at all but barely enioyne the things thēselves to be vsed in his service yet they should bee partes of Gods true outward worship for whatsoever God tieth in a peculiar maner to his worship is a parte thereof These Ceremonies therfore in controversie having such a vse in the service of God vnto which they are peculiarly tied must needes be vsed as partes of Divine worship for else the bare ratifying of their present vse could not make them true worship Being therefore as they are vsed partes of divine worship and not parts of true divine worship because not commanded of God they are partes of false divine worship for that divine worship that is not true worship is false worship FINIS