Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	according_a	church_n	word_n	2,678	5	4.0797	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90062	The duty of such as would walke worthy of the Gospel: to endeavour union, not division nor toleration. Opened, in a sermon at Pauls, upon the Lords Day, Feb. 8. 1646. / By Matthevv Nevvcomen, preacher of the Gospel at Dedham in Essex.	Newcomen, Matthew, 1610?-1669.	1646 (1646)	Wing N909; Thomason E329_6; ESTC R200691	35,616	55

that all the Churches in the three Kingdoms but that all the Churches in the world may be one in Doctrine Discipline Worship and Government according to the word of God and to endeavour it as much as in us lies Vse 2 In the second place This truth That it is the duty of all those that would walke worthy of the Gospel to endeavour a sweet close holy lasting union among themselves calls us to bewail the great want of that unity that should be amongst Gods people and such as professe to desire to walke worthy of the Gospel and not only want of unity but want of care and endeavour after that unity which is too too discernable in these times wherein we live We live beloved in very sad times sometime I am even ready to call them in respect of the breaches and divisions that are amongst us the saddest times that ever the Church was under But I correct my selfe when I remember how the Church of God in all ages hath been exercised more or lesse in this kinde with breaches and divisions In the first which were the purest and therefore we may conceive were the peaceablest times of the Church in that famous Church of Antioch where the Disciples were first called Christians Acts 11.26 where they had the presence and labours of many Prophets and Teachers as Barnabas and Simeon and Lucius and Manaen and Paul Acts 13.1 2. yet even there there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no small dissension and disputation that within 4 or 5 yeers after the Gospel first came among them Act. 15.1 2. So in the Church of Corinth within almost as few years after its plantation there were both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Schismes and Heresies 1 Cor. 11.18 19. In the Church of Rome there were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sects or divisions and offences Rom. 16.18 yea and these dissensions divisions offences were not only inter plebem among the ordinary sort of Christians but among those that were the pillars of the Church the very Apostles themselves So Paul and Barnabas Acts 13. in the second verse they had no small dissension with the false teachers in the 39. verse of that chapter Medicu● medico verbo acerbitatem virulentiam dissidij experimere voluit Brent ad loc ye read there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a very sharpe and bitter contention between themselves So Paul and Peter there was a publike contest between them Paul withstood him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to his face and before them all Gal. 2.11 14. So in after-times the difference between Polycrates the disciple of John and Victor Bishop of Rome though it were in re nihili being but about Easter day yet how they did divide and distract the Christian world and engage yea even enrage the Easterne and Westerne Churches one against another adeò ut sese mutuò excommunicarint anathematizarint that they did excommunicate and curse one another I might mention the difference that fell out in after ages between Cyprian and Cornelius Basill and Domacus Chrysostom and Epiphanius Cyril and Theodoret Hierom and Augustine Prosper and Cassianus Luther and Zwinglius Luther and Calvin But I mention these things only that you may see that the differences that are among our selves among the godly among Ministers are no new thing under the Sunne sic fuit ab initio it was so in the ages that were before us and therefore there is no reason that any of us should be scandalized or offended at them yet reason there is that we should all bewail and lament them What sober gracious heart would not bleed to see how small a matter some men make of dissenting from all the Churches of Christ and embracing opinions not so much new and strange as Heteradox witnessed against and condemned by all the Churches To see how many under pretence of pursuing truth and liberty have clean forgot that there is any such thing to be regarded as unity Every thing that to them is new is in their apprehension truth and every thing which they thinke truth they presume they have a liberty to hold and to hold it forth without any regard to unity Men are not able when once they have drunke in an opinion to keep it to themselves according to the rule of the Apostie it must forth Scire tuum nihil est nisi te scire hoc sciat alter To see how men multiply opinions and rowl and run from one errour to another waxing worse and worse deceiving and being deceived till at length they come to down-right blasphemy renouncing all Ordinances Scriptures yea we should tremble to thinke of it some are fallen so far as to renounce Christ and God himself and which is worst of all if some mens doctrines be true all this must and ought to be tolerated and it is now in some mens judgements more lawfull and safe for men to erre and blaspheme then either for Ministers to reprove or for Magistrates to represse these errours But these things I had rather mourn over then speak of them It is not words but tears and prayers it any thing under heaven that must heal these sad evils To provoke you and my self to contribute something of this kinde to this purpose let me propound but two particulars to consideration First Consider the detriment and prejudice that Religion suffers by the divisions that are amongst us Secondly Consider the prejudice and detriment that we our selves may suffer by it First The Divisions and Dissensions that are amongst those that professe the Gospel brings a great deal of scandall upon Religion it self and upon the Gospel which we professe I dare confidently speak it there is scarce any one thing that hath been more prejudiciall to the Gospel from its first going forth into the world then the divisions and differences which have fallen among the professors of it Clemens Alexandrinus who lived about the year of Christ 200. and in whose time there were more then 20 Haeresiarchae arch hereticks or Masters of opinions in the Church who had every one of them their peculiar disciples catus Ecclesiasticos and peculiar Church-meetings among whom ●latius de Sectis dissensionibus c Relig. Papisticae c. Clem. Alex. lib. 7º Strom. doctissimi excellentissimi viri reperiebantur were some most excellent and learned men he tells us that the Jews and Heathens in his time were wont to upbraid the Christians with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. You O Christians cannot agree among your selves but have so many and so differing sects among you who though they all challenge to themselves the title of Christian yet they do all extremely detest and curse and condemne one another wherefore your Religion fay they can neither be true nor come from God Chanes is fuit Chiauses Mamaluchus cui ●nteà Eust achio nomen fucrat qui non

articles of faith necessary to salvation I doubt if it were well examined many of those opinions that infest our times would fall under some part or other of this sentence But to speak a little to the Positive if there be a latitude and a liberty of judgement left it is first in such things as are not clearly and positively laid down in Scripture and therefore are not of the fundamentalls and essentialls of faith and worship for there is for these clear and undoubted light in Scripture Secondly It is in things that are of private and single practice and not of open converse or Church-fellowship and communion Those cases of eating or not eating discussed by the Apostle in his Epistles to the Romans and to the Corinthians in which the Apottle shews there might be a liberty or indulgence and Christians ought to bear one with another in holding or practising thus or otherwise They were points of Personall and Domestick practice Duas species proponit Apostolus in quibus vesci liceat Idolathytis saith Beza Beza in 1 Cor. 10 27. There were two cases in which it was lawfull to eat things offered to Idols one if a man bought them in the shambles and eat them privately in his own house ver 25. The other is in case he bid to a private feast by a heathen ver 27. But to doe this openly and professedly in the Idols Temple was a detestable thing And yet even in these things this liberty is not to be assumed at least not to be practised without much tendernesse and circumspection First Care must be had of keeping those opinions wherein we differ from others private to our selves not troubling and perplexing the consciences of others with them This is the injunction Rom. 14.22 Hast thou faith have it to thy self before God The faith there spoken of is a particular perswasion touching the free use of all Creatures and the liberty of all dayes And this faith this perswasion was according to the truth as is clear by the Apostles argumentation in that chapter yet faith the Apostle hast thou faith have it to thy self before God do not say Ego fidem habeo libertatis ergo debeo eam profiteri factis oftendere Parcus ad loc quicquid fit de alijs Do not say I am fully perswaded of my liberty and therefore I ought to professe it and hold it out in my practice whatever become of others It is the truth of God and I must hold it forth No saith the Apostle have it to thy self And if a man who hath a private opinion in re mediâ must keep it to himself though it be a truth much more must they whose opinions are false erroneous Certainly there is scarce any difference of judgement so small and in it self inconsiderable but the divulging and propagating of it may prove very dangerous and pernicious and in the event intolerable Suppose a man should be of this opinion that it is unlawfull to eat things strangled or blood If such a man keep his opinion to himself and make it a rule only to his own practice let him enjoy it till he can be otherwise informed and perswaded in his conscience But if he will now goe publish this opinion and intangle the consciences of others and seek to draw disciples after him and make a party and cause division and dissension amongst the people of God this is not to be tolerated Personae privatae saith a learned Divine diversum sentientes si quietè vivant c. Private persons of a differing judgement Personae privatae diversum sentientes si quiete vivant Sacris publicis utantur nec occultis machi nationtbus politiae aut Ecclesiae pacem turbare anima● veriantur spe conversionis pacis publicae causâ ●o●erand●e sunt Quod si vero idem er●ores suos publicè sparge●e●atios ad se allicere simpliciores ●allere pacem publican turbare incipiant coercendi sunt Geth●rd loc com loc de Magistratu if they live quietly frequent the publique Assemblies of worship and are not discerned to disturb the peace either of State or Church by any secret underminings are to be tolerated in hope of their conversion and for publike peace sake But if these men shall begin to spread their errours in publike to inveigle and draw others to them to beguile the simple and so to trouble the publike peace they are to be restrained saith he speaking of the duty of the Magistrate in this case So then that is the first caution If men have private opinions opinions of their own that they cannot be of the same judgement with the rest of their brethren Let them keep them private Let them be domestica judicia as Tertullian calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as another calls them let them keep home and not be seen abroad Hast thou faith have it to thy self before God A second condition to be observed in case of difference in judgement and opinion is that though we cannot be of the same minde and judgement with others yet we do not judge or despise those that differ in judgement from us Rom. 14.3 There was difference of judgement among the Saints in Rome some thought it was as lawfull to eat all kindes of flesh as it was to eat herbs and were ready to thinke them a company of weak simple people that would make scruple of it others thought it absolutely unlawfull to eat flesh and thought none would do it but profane men men of no conscience and therefore were resolved they would eat only herbs Now this is that the Apostle reproves forbibs Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth whatever our differences in judgement be we must take heed of despising and condemning one another A third condition is that even then we cannot be of one minde we yet labour to be of one heart though we do dissentire yet we must not discordare though we cannot attain unity of judgement yet we must maintain unity of affection which is the second part of that unitas cordis that union of heart which the Gospel requires This is it which is required of us Rom. 12.10 Be kindly affectioned one towards another in love So 1 Pet. 3.8 having said Be ye all of one minde he adds love as brethren q. d. if it should so happen that you cannot in all things be of one minde yet notwithstanding love as brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle Ephes 4.15 which Beza in his first edition translates as the vulgar doth veritatem sectantes in charitate following the truth in love which I conceive both the notation of the word and the scope of the place if you consider the verse going before will bear And so the text imports that love must set bounds to all our inquiries after truth and we may not under pretence of seeking