Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A49585
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Large and sure foundations
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1693
(1693)
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Wing L437; ESTC R16686
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19,344
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15
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LARGE AND SURE FOUNDATIONS Matth. 16.18 Upon this Rock will I Build my Church LONDON Printed in the Year 1693. THE PREFACE THESE Papers were drawn up some time ago and are the result of Setled Thoughts for many years They are made short and plain and cast in amongst others if possibly they may help to unite us in Interest and Affection and to make the Publick Settlement of Religion at any time more Large and Strong to our great Advantage every way Some hopes of this are raised by the Inclinations of many and the several Pieces lately Publissh'd to this end as besides many that I may not have seen or heard of The Heads of Agreement assented to by the Vnited Ministers Free Thoughts occasioned by those Heads Mr. Barker's Sermon on John 21.17 at the Consecration of the Arch-Bishop of Cant. The Grand Question Writ as 't is said by Dr. Woodroff Dr. Sherlock's Sermon before the Lord Mayor Nov. 4. 1688. To which I may add the Spirit of the Church Faction for it is that only and not the Church that violently opposes all Reformation The Design of laying down this great Principle and the Inferences from it is That Persons who have Power may not impose Vnnecessary Things but give all the Liberty that may be this being most pleasing to Jesus Christ and most for strengthning the Publick Settlement That People may joyn with others in the Worship of God as much as may be and not give way to Scruples and Opinions that make them separate needlesly Imposing and Opposing needlesly ruin us much That if People cannot joyn with others constantly yet that they will do it sometimes both those that cannot approve what is publickly injoin'd and they that injoyn those things or in their places practise them That if any cannot do that yet that they will own those they cannot joyn with if they build on the true Foundation for true tho' distemper'd Churches of Christ and unfeignedly seek their good That if they cannot do that through some strict Notions of a Church they are possessed with yet they will own that many amongst them may be sincere Christians and love them as such And that all kindness may be shewed to all Men even to all sorts that Err and are deceived according to the Will and Command of our Lord Jesus Christ whose Kingdom shall stand for evermore But if God for Holy ends shall yet suffer Narrow Foundations and their Wicked Consequences as he doth Plagues and Wars to continue amongst us and in the World why should we complain We are Wanton Humorous Foolish and should be undone without often and sharp Corrections and our God hath used to carry on his Kingdom by the Testimony and Sufferings of his People tho' he sometimes gives them rest that they may multiply Rev. 12.11 Acts 9.31 thereby to set forth his Power and Glory To him we chearfully submit yet endeavouring according to our duty in our places that Princes and People may be found in his ways Isa 61.11 and that Righteousness and Praise may spring up among us and before all Nations Some Passages out of BOOKS that came out since these Papers were drawn up THE Pious and Famous Mr. Robert Boyle who lov'd no Practice that seem'd to lessen the Christian Religion The Bishop of Sarum's Serm. at his Funeral Decem. 1691. p. 25. p. 27. thought pure and disinteressed Christianity a Bright and Glorious thing Hated those Opinions that seem'd to him to destroy Morality and Charity had a most peculiar Zeal against all Severities and Persecutions upon the account of Religion and was observed seldom to speak with more heat and indignation than when That came in his way Union Pursued Printed 1691. in a Letter to Mr. Baxter concerning his late Book about National Churches that Presbyterians and Independants may both be Vnited with the Church of England to which is added a small Tract lately put out called A Draught for Accommodation Dr. Patrick Bishop of Ely Complains Serm. before the Lords Nov. 26. 1691. on Deut. 4.9 p. 12. that many were kinder to the Papists than to the Protestant Dissenters that the Papists their sworn Enemies made them their Tools to destroy each other We to repent truly of this and take heed lest our Affections that seem'd to be disposed to Reconciliation be again alienated one from another We ought to have a greater kindness for Infidels p. 15. than many of us had lately one for another Did we not begin to reflect with grief upon our Zealous folly p. 17. Did we not resolve to be Friends upon some terms or other and to joyn together for our mutual Preservation And do we now break out again into the said Outrages Do our Spirits boil up with anger at the very mention of Reconciliation c. His Prayers for Charity Peace and Vnity The Prayers Appointed for the Publick Fast in the Year 1692. The Church of God is Built on Large and Sure Foundations THE Blessed God whose tender Mercies are over all his Works hath a Company of People in the World call'd his Church which he purchased by the Blood of his only Begotten Son Acts 20.28 and calls by his Word and Spirit to know and serve him so as to set forth his Glory here and obtatin Everlasting Salvation This Church or Congregation of God for so the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Signifies is call'd by several Names as the Kingdom of Christ the Flock of Christ the Body of Christ and is oft call'd a House and said to be built upon a Foundation Isa 28.6 1 Pet. 2.4 5 6. And this House of God being very great must needs have a great and large Foundation Solomon said the House he was to build for God was great and the Foundation of it was Great and Costly how much Greater must the Spiritual House of God be which reaches over all the World Not only through Pontus Galatia Asia Cappadocia and Bythinia which sounds great but through all Nations and Ages It s Foundation must by no means be narrow vile or weak Now the Foundation of this House is JESUS CHRIST and the great Truths Concerning him reveal'd to us by God in his Word not Humane Reason 1 Cor. 3.11 Eph. 1.20 21 22. nor the Traditions of any Men whatsoever but the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Corner-stone in whom it grows up into a Holy Temple for a Habitation of God through the Spirit Yet all things reveal'd in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are not the Foundation upon which Christ's House or Congregation is built for many of those things are for the Superstructure and Perfecting of it but only the Great and Main Things concerning Jesus Christ our Saviour which are necessary to be believed and practised by all and therefore the Churches Foundation is Large and sure This is manifest every way First From the Holy
Mercy though we press after all Truth make us large and wise in both and to Practise this which hath been owned by many but observed by few Thirdly Hence it follows that the true Unity of the Church lies not in Uniformity as many through Custom or Interest strongly imagine For the true Unity of Christians lies in their Hearts and Souls the multitude of the Believers were of one Heart and Soul and all that believe and obey the Great things of Christ Acts 4.32 are truly United to him and to each other tho' they differ in useful things taught by Christ and much more if in unnecessary things impos'd only by Men And the Apostles pressed not Uniformity in outward Rites but this inward Unity one Spirit one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all who is above all Eph. 4.4 5 6. John 17.21 and through all and in you all And Christ our Lord whose Prayers were always heard prayed that his Followers might be one which was never granted if their Oneness lie in outward Uniformity 'T were well if only some Fops said there can be no Unity without Uniformity in lesser Things Many Great and Worthy Persons stick too much in that Conceit notwithstanding the Clear Demonstration to the contrary But Unity in them is none of the Fundamentals nor hath Christ laid our Unity on them which are so many that Men would never agree in them Besides many Churches that had true Unity had divers Forms of outward Administrations and so may have yet Socr. l. 5. c. 2â— Soz. l. 7. c. 29. Spond anno 633. n. 10. and Uniformity in Worship was but late brought in In Spain not 'till the year 633 in the Fourth Council of Toledo and in many Kingdoms to this day and among the Romanists themselves there are varieties of Rites and Customs tho' they agree in the main and divers Orders of their Religious to whom People of all sorts resort are exempted from the Bishops Further People may have great Uniformity and no Unity They may sit together in the same Church say the same words and use the same gestures and yet have their hearts full of Malice and Enmity and usually the bitterest Enemies of true Religion and Godliness are most earnest for a Unity in needless Ceremonies and formalities It sticks much with many that there can be no Decency or Order without Uniformity in Ceremonies 1 Cor. 14.33.40 and that those who obey them not are Contentious and go against the Custom of the Churches of God But this cannot prevail against a clear Demonstration It 's certain all things must be done Decently and in Order Nature teaches this tho' St. Paul had not mention'd it But cannot things be so done without a great many needless Commands of Men Cannot Baptism be decently and in order Administred without the sign of the Cross or the Lord's Supper without Kneeling or a Surplice What if some will stand with their faces towards the East some otherwise and most with their Eyes towards the Minister that Officiates Luke 4.20 as Nature seems to teach All sorts are for Order and Decency and Believe God is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace But it 's said they that obey not such Orders are Contentious and go against the Custom of the Churches of God 1 Cor. 11.5.13.16 Not so but they that needlesly impose them are Contentious and go against the Custom of the Apostle and the best Churches that impos'd no such things And the Custom there mention'd for Women to have their Faces not their Heads only covered was a laudable thing in the Judgment of all and the contrary to it seem'd then to be even against Nature as well as against the Mind of the Apostle * Tertul. de veland virginibus c. 17. quae si fuerit in pectore cognoscetur in capite faeminarum And if any of the things pressed now by some were of that Nature they would be very Contentious that would not obey them And therefore all true Protestants at home and abroad for to be sure they hold the Fundamentals are one and have a true Unity tho' otherwise they differ in many things and to their shame quarrel too Which is a wonderous Comfort to all good Men that bewail these Contentions and labour to have them more United Fourthly It follows hence plainly that none may endeavour by Craft or Force to Root out and Destroy those that Build on the large and true Foundation if they err in useful Truths or will not joyn with them in the solemn Worship of God or at least not constantly but only some times And they sin yet more that set themselves chiefly to destroy those that seem most seriously to Build on the true Foundation of Faith and Holiness For if such be true Christians and Members of Christs Universal Church and ought to be Cherished and Received into Particular Churches without having other useful Truths much less unnecessary things imposed on them then for certain they may not be destroyed by Vexations Fines Imprisonments Dragoonings or Death Those that are true Christians by Profession much more if in reality though they Err are to be cherished by Particular Churches and not to be so used Especially when our Holy Religion is not to be Propagated by Force or Violence nor even Hereticks and Schismaticks as many hold are to be proceeded against in that manner but only by Spiritual Censures and Weapons Fifthly It follows hence That this and other Nations cannot be happy unless we Build on larger Foundations than we have done and more than most of the Lutherans or Calvinists and others of the Reformation have hitherto done The Misery of these parts of the World formerly and to this day comes in a great measure by going against this plain Truth All generally run upon this that there can be no Union or Quiet unless we agree almost in all useful Truths taught by Christ nay and in all things too appointed only by Men And the hands of many who have Eminently owned this great Truth have been chief in this Trespass as King James Arch Bishop Laud and others The Romanists have mightily darkned and opposed this great Truth and few of us are yet throughly freed from those Principles wherewith they have long corrupted the World And Dr. Henry Moore spake not much amiss though he was sharply Censured for it by Dr. Beaumont when he said His Apollogy added to his Mystery of Iniquity 1664. our Church is not quite emerged out of the general Apostacy and that the Reformers having separated from the great Babylon have Built less and more tolerable ones but not to be tolerated for ever And it will be the glorious Work of great Princes to cause the Publick Constitutions about Religion in their Dominions to be large and good and such as a great Part of the Holiest and best Christians may not be Excluded and Trampled upon but