Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	affection_n	understanding_n	will_n	4,333	5	5.6834	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B20729	A letter of Mr. John Cottons, teacher of the Church in Boston in New-England, to Mr. Williams, a preacher there wherein is shewed that those ought to be received into the Church who are Godly, though they doe not see nor expressely bewaile all the pollutions in church-fellowship, ministery, worship, government.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; Williams, Roger, 1604?-1683.	1643 (1643)	Wing C6441	9,474	16

A LETTER OF Mr. JOHN COTTONS Teacher of the Church in Boston IN NEVV-ENGLAND TO Mr. WILLIAMS a Preacher there Wherein is shewed That those ought to be received into the Church who are Godly though they doe not see nor expressely bewaile all the pollutions in Church-fellowship Ministery Worship Government Imprimatur John Bachiler Printed at London for Benjamin Allen. 1643. A Letter of Mr. John Cottons Teacher of the Church in Boston in New England Beloved in Christ THough I have little hope when I consider the uncircumcision of mine owne lips Exod. 6.12 that you will hearken to my voyce who hath not hearkened to the body of the whole Church of Christ with you and the testimony and judgement of so many Elders and Brethren of other Churches yet I trust my labour will be accepted of the Lord and who can tell but that he may blesse it to you also if by his helpe I indevour to shew you the sandinesse of those grounds out of which you have banished yours from the fellowship of all the Churches in these Countries Let not any pr●judice against my person I beseech you forestall either your affection or judgement as if I had hastened forward the sentence of your civill banishment for what was done by the Magistrates in that kinde was neither done by my counsell nor consent although I dare not deny the sentence passed to be righteous in the eyes of God who hath said that he that with-holdeth the Corne which is the staffe of life from the people the multitude shall curse him Prov. 11.26 how much more shall they separate such from them as doe with-hold and separate them from the Ordinances or the Ordinances from them which are in Christ the bread of life And yet it may be they passed that sentence against you not upon that ground but for ought I know upon your other corrupt doctrines which tend to the disturbance both of civill and holy peace as may appeare by that answer which was sent to the Brethren of the Church of Salem and to your selfe And to sp●ake freely what I thinke were in soule in your soules stead I should thinke it a worke of mercy of God to banish me from the civill society of such a Common wealth when I could not injoy holy fellowship with any Church of God amongst them without sin What should the Daughter of Zion doe in Babell why should she not hasten to flee from thence Zach. 2.6 7. I speake not these things the God of Truth is my witnes to adde affliction to your affliction but if it were the holy will of God to move you to a more serious sight of your sin and of the justice of Gods hand against it Against your corrupt Doctrines it pleased the Lord Jesus to fight against you with the sword of his mouth as himselfe speaketh Rev. 2.16 in the mouthes and testimonies of the Churches and Brethren Against whom when you over-heated your selfe in reasoning and disputing against the light of his truth it pleased him to stop your mouth by a suddaine disease and to threaten to take your breath from you But you in stead of recoyling as even Balaam offered to doe in the like case you chose rather to persist in your way and to protest against all the Churches and Brethren that stood in your way and thus the good hand of Christ that should have bumbled you to see and turne from the errour of your way hath rather hardned you therein and quickned you onely to see failings yea intolerable errours in all the Churches and brethren rather then in your selfe In which course though you say you doe not remember an houre wherein the countenance of the Lord was darkned to you yet be not deceived it is no new thing with Satan to transforme himselfe into an Angell of light and to cheare the soule with false peace and with flashes of counterfeit consolation Sad and wofull is the memory of Master Smiths strong consolations on his death-bed which are set as a Seale to the grosse and damnable Arminianisme and Enthusiasmes delivered in the confession of his faith prefixed to the story of his life and death The countenance of God is upon his people when they feare him not when they presume of their owne strength and his consolations are found not in the way of presidence in errour but in the wayes of humility and truth Two stumbling blockes I perceive by your letter have turned you off from fellowship with us First the want of fit matter of our Church Secondly disrespect of the separate Churches in England under afflictions who doe ourselves practise separation in peace For the first you acknowledge as you say with joy that godly persons are the visible matter of these Churches but yet you see not that godly persons are matter fitted to constitute a Church no more then trees or Quarries are fit matter proportioned to the building Answ This exception seemeth to mee to imply a contradiction to it selfe for if the matter of our Churches be as you say godly persons they are not then as trees unfelled or stones unhewen Godlinesse cutteth men downe from the former roote and heweth them out of the pit of corrupt nature and fitteth them for fellowship with Christ and with his people You object first a necessity lying upon godly men before they can be fit matter for Church fellowship to see bewaile repent and come out of the false Churches ministry worship and government according to Scripturs Isa 52.11 2 Cor. 6.17 Revel 18.4 And those this to be done not by a locall remoovall or contrary practise c. but by a deliverance of the soule understanding minde conscience judgement will and affections Answ 1. We grant it is not locall remoovall from former pollutions or contrary practise that fitteth us for fellowship with Christ and his Church but that it is necessary also that we doe repent of such former pollutions wherein we have beene defiled and inthralled Wee grant further that it is likewise necessary to Church-fellowship we should see and discerne all such pollutions as doe so farre enthrall us to Antichrist to separate us from Christ But this we professe unto you that wherein we have reformed our practise therein have we endeavoured unfainedly to humble our soules for our former contrary walking If any through hypocrisie are wanting herein the hidden hypocrisie of some will not prejudice the sinceritie and faithfulnesse of others not the Church estate of all And that we doe by the grace of Christ see and discerne all such pollutions as doe so farre enthrall us to Antichrist as to separate us from Christ your selfe doth acknowledge in acknowledging the visible members of these Churches to be godly persons for godly persons are not so enthralled to Antichrist as to separate them from Christ else they could not be godly persons Answ 2. We deny that it is necessary to Church-fellowship to wit so necessary as that without it a