Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	apostle_n	holy_a	prophet_n	5,466	5	6.3917	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52414	The charge of schism continued being a justification of the author of Christian blessedness for his charging the separatists with schism, not withstanding the toleration : in a letter to a city-friend.	Norris, John, 1657-1711.	1691 (1691)	Wing N1245; ESTC R40651	37,244	145

grounded that I need not insist upon this Plea From the whole course of this Argument which I believe has receiv'd no damage by the management it fully and clearly appears that the Sanction of the Law is not only a thing really distinct from it but also no way necessary to its Obligation and therefore that the removing of the Sanction does not imply or involve the removal of the Law and consequently that the Toleration by removing the Sanction does not remove no nor so much as interrupt the Obligation of the Law to which the Sanction has been shewn to be not at all necessary Which I think breaks the Neck of the Objection and he had need be a very skilful Artist that shall set it agen Well but suppose which you see is not the Case that the Law which enjoyns Conformity to the Religion and Church establisht were by the Toleration perfectly remov'd and the Preceptive part of it taken away as well as the Penal yet neither upon this Supposition which is indeed a very great Concession and Abatement would a Toleration excuse those from Schism who would be guilty of it without it For Sir these Men are to consider if they have not already consider'd it that we do not derive the Grounds of Obligation to Ecclesiastick Communion only from the Authority of the Civil Law though that must be allow'd to add a considerable weight to the Obligation but also and chiefly from that of the Divine Law which I conceive to be as Positive and as Express in requiring Unity and Conformity of Worship as in requiring any Religious Worship at all The necessity of this is by S. Paul press'd upon the Ephesians from the Unity of that Body whereof they were Members from the Unity of that Spirit which was to them the Common Principle of Life and Action from the Unity of that Hope to which they were call'd from the Unity of that Lord to whose Service they were all devoted from the Unity of that Faith which they all profess'd from the Unity of that Baptism whereby they were grafted into the Church of Christ and lastly from the Unity of that God who was the Father of them all who was above all and in them all Every one of which Heads of Argument might justly deserve the Consideration of a particular Discourse but that I am willing to suppose my Reader so apprehensive as not to want to have things laid out to him more at large Accordingly the Christian Church is always represented by Figures that express the greatest Unity not only between that and Christ but also between Fellow-Christians This is said to be that One Body into which we are all Baptized by One Spirit and which is said to be fitly joyn'd together and compacted This is that Spiritual House built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Corner-stone in whom all the Building fitly framed together grows into an Holy Temple in the Lord. 'T is represented also as one Flock under one Shepherd Jesus Christ whose last and most Solemn Prayer was for the Unity of the Church which must therefore be supposed to be highly agreeable to the Mind and Will of God otherwise our Saviour would not have pray'd for it so earnestly and with such Solemnity Though I question very much whether this Solemn Prayer of Christ will be fully heard and answer'd till the Glorious State of his Millennial Reign upon Earth However in the mean time 't is most certain that 't is the Great Duty of us all to endeavour after that State of Unity which our Saviour pray'd might be among his Disciples Hence it is that Schism is Condemn'd as a Work of the Flesh and those that Separate are said to be Sensual not having the Spirit and Christians are admonish'd to mark and shun them that cause Divisions and are withall Commanded to mind or think one and the same thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to stand fast in one Spirit with one Mind to walk by the same Rule to be joyn'd together in the same Mind and in the same Judgment and with one Mind and Mouth to glorifie God the Father with a World of Precepts and Exhortations to the same purpose which every one may find that does but open the Bible Now what can all this signifie Nothing certainly less than this That the Unity of the Church is so Sacred a thing that it ought to be preserv'd by all Lawful means and that no Separation ought to be made in it without absolute and evident Necessity In one word that where 't is Lawful to Communicate there 't is Sinful to Separate Which is more expresly deliver'd in that Apostolical Canon taken notice of by the Author of Christian Blessedness If it be possible as much as lies in you live peaceably with all Men. This takes in the whole Latitude and Capacity of Society the State as well as the Church in both which by vertue of this Precept Peace and Unity is to be maintain'd as far as is Possible and therefore without question on as far as is Lawful And if the Peace of the State is to be preserv'd as far as is possible then certainly much more the Peace of the Church Since then the Scripture is both so frequent and so express I might say also so earnest and passionate in inculcating the Necessity of preserving the Unity of the Church and in Condemning all unnecessary disturbances of it it is most certain that the Divine Law without the Confirmation of the Civil is a sufficient Obligation to Church-Unity where-ever it may Lawfully be held Every Christian Church that proposes Lawful terms of Communication has by the Law of God though the Civil Law be silent in the case an undoubted Right to the Conformity of all that are within the Pale of her Establishment who cannot with-hold it from her without incurring the Guilt of Schism which according to the general sense of the Christian World is nothing else but an unnecessary Separation and then is Separation unnecessary when Communion is lawful The Argument in Form is Whoever separates unnecessarily is guilty of Schism But whoever separates where he may lawfully Communicate separates unnecessarily Therefore whoever separates where he may lawfully Communicate is guilty of Schism The Minor Proposition is plain by its omn Light since there can no Moral necessity be pretended for not doing what may Lawfully be done And the Major Proposition is clear by the Light of Scripture which presses and injoyns the Peace and Unity of the Church to the very utmost degree of strictness even as far as is possible Whence the Conclusion necessarily follows That whoever separates where he may lawfully Communicate is guilty of Schism This is so clear and evident that the most moderately affected in Point of Church-Unity and Conformity could never shut their Eyes against the Light of it though they endeavour'd to wink never so hard Particularly