Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	christian_a	church_n	communion_n	1,593	5	9.3126	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56184	A moderate, seasonable apology for indulging just Christian liberty to truly tender consciences, conforming to the publike liturgy in not bowing at, or to the name of Jesus, and not kneeling in the act of receiving the Lords Supper, according to His Majesties most gracious declaration to all his loving subjects concerning ecclesiastical affairs ... / by William Prynne, Esquire ...	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1662 (1662)	Wing P4011; ESTC R5505	132,513	174

humor singularity or discontent as is usually suggested but from such solid grounds of Scripture Reason and such Authorities Antiquities as have fully convinced their Judgements satisfied or scrupled their tender Consciences that they cannot in faith or conscience submit to practise them at least upon such unsatisfactory Pretences of Scripture Reason Antiquity or apparent Mistakes as have hitherto been alleadged for their use by those who have most enforced them And that as there were just Grounds in point of Royal Justice Piety Clemen●y Christian compassion State Policy and Prudence for Your Sacred Majesty at first to grant th●se Indulgences to tender Consciences to prevent all future Scismes preserve Your Kingdoms Churches publick Peace and Christian Amity Unity Communion among Your Protestant Subjects So there are the like reasons for Your Majesty to continue if not perpetuate them without enforcing them against their Consciences so far as either totally to debarre them the Lords Supper or drive them from the publick Ordinances or inevitably to subject them to Ecclesiastical censures to their great vexation For which end I shall most humbly crave leave to present these ensuing Particulars to Your Majesties Royal and others Christian consideration 1. That God only wise the sole Author Prescriber Owner of his own Divine worship and Sacraments hath left all Cor●oral gestures relating thereunto free arbitrary and indifferent to all Christians N●tions Churches Ages not particularly or precisely commanding in the Old or New Testament either the gestures of Kneeling Sitting Standing Bowing or Prostration in Publick or Private Prayer Thanksgiving Fasts hearing or reading his Word receiving Sacraments or any other par● of Divine worship though he hath absolutely commanded th●se Duties themselves The reason is apparent because these Gestures are in themselves things merely indifferent and one Gesture may be more decent expedient to ●tir up affection devotion reverence attention upon several em●rgent occasions in relation to the same or different persons duties times than another and many men by reason of age sickness infirmities temper of body custome of Countries Nations which vary from each other inconveniency of Place crowds of People or the like may be disabled to use one Gesture with so much devotion or conveniency as they can use another For which Reasons in numerou● Congregations no absolute Uniformity in these Gestures can possibly be expected nor rationally injoyned by any humane Powers since God himself the Supreme Legislator upon these grounds hath left them free and arbitrary to his People as all Divines acknowledge whence the Church Saints Apostles Children of God in all Ages both under the Law and Gospel as Scripture Presidents demonstrate have by Gods approbatio● sometimes prayed and worshipped God standing● otherwhiles sitting other times bowing and falling down prostrate on their faces sometimes lying on their beds couches and othertimes kneeling on their knees God alwayes accepting their Prayers worship in every of these Postures when their Hearts and Spirits which he principally regards requires in his worship were upright sincere and their Duties performed with that Faith Fervency Holyness and chearfull Obedience which he commands 2 ly That the Primitive Saints Christians Church and all other Churches since ●ave freely used tollerated varieties of Gestures Postures Ceremonies in all parts of Divine worship and have free liberty to alter change or abolish Ceremonies at their pleasure as all Ecclesiastical Histories especially Centuriae Magdeburgenses 2 to 14. cap. 6. De Ritibus Ceremoniis at large demonstrate and the C●urch of England resolves in her 20. A●ticle of Religion and the Preface to the Books of Common Prayer why some Ceremonies are abolished 3 ly That the principle end of Gods instituting Kings Magistrates and Chief Authority Trust by him reposed in them is To b● Gods subordinate Ministers to protect encourage commend all their Subjects who do well obeying the Lawes and will of God according to his Word and to punish none but evil Doers and Transgressors of his Lawes in relation to his Worship not to punish their Christian Subjects who obey Gods Laws resort constantly to his publick Ordinances Worship Sacraments only ●or not using such and such Gestures Ceremonies V●stures which himself hath left free and indifferent to all Christians or to fine imprison excommunicate or debar them totally from the Lords Supper only for using the self-same Gestures Ceremonies as Christ himself his Apostles and the Primitive Christians used for which there is no President in Scripture nor in the Laws of any antient Christian Emperors to the best of my remembrance 4 ly That though Christian Kings and Church-Governours have Authority to prescribe and enjoyn things absolutely necessary and expedient warranted by the Word in and about Gods publick worship and to advise and perswade the use of Things decent expedient though not simply necessary Yet it is the Opinion of many judicious Divines that they cannot impose or enforce the use of Ceremonies Gestures merely expedient o●●●●●ent not absolut●ly necessary on the Consciences of their Christian Subjects under Civil or Eccles●astical penalties at l●astwise that it is not expedient or convenient for them to exercise such a Power because Christ himself the King of Kings his Apostles the most Religious Kings of Gods appointment never exercised or claimed any such Iurisdiction but left all Christians free actually to use or not use them at their pleasure as in the cases of Marriage Virginity and single life of eating or abstaining from certain Meats observing certain times and dayes to God of mens praying and prophesying in the Church with their heads covered wearing long Effeminate hair and womens sitting in the Congregation with their heads unvailed and Brayding or Frizling their hair which most conceive to be absolutely prohibited not simply advised as well as their speaking in the Church yet not now prohibited by any Ecclesiastical penall Laws or Censures of our Church though more scandalous lesse arbitrary and indifferent than sitting at the Sacrament kneeling or standing in Prayer bowing or any other Rites or Ceremonies now scrupled or omitted by Tender Consciences 5 ly That the Unity which God himself requires in his Church and Publick worship amongst his People and Children is not an Vniversal Vniformity in external gestures Ceremonies wherein the Scripture is totally silent but a Unity in the Faith and substance of his worship a meeting together with one accord and with one consent in one place to pray praise and worship God with one heart mind soul spirit according ●o his word ●ot with one kind of vesture gesture or posture of their bodies and to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace like Christian Brethren not forsaking or separating from Gods Publick Ordinances by Law established on the one hand nor cas●ing brethren out of the Church Diotrephes like for not conforming in gestures