Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	answer_v	church_n	true_a	2,713	5	5.4919	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85952	The golden mean: being some serious considerations, together with some cases of conscience resolved; for a more full, and frequent administration of, yet not free admission unto, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. / By Stephen Geree, minister of God's word, and pastor of the Church of Abinger in the county of Surrey.	Geree, Stephen, 1594-1656?	1656 (1656)	Wing G607; Thomason E1667_1; ESTC R208393	36,650	111

THE Golden Mean BEING Some serious Considerations together with some Cases of Conscience resolved for a more full and frequent Administration of yet not free Admission unto the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper By Stephen Geree Minister of God's Word and Pastor of the Church of Abinger in the County of Surrey Toleramus quae nolumus ut perveniamus quò volumus August contra Donatistas Cap. 20. Minister Ecclesiae ubi non viget excommunicatio excusatus est modo non volens det coenam abutentibus sed instet monendo c●piat cavere abusus Ursinus ut est apud Magist Bowles in Patore Evang lib. 3. Cap. 5. pag. 193. If thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it if he do not turn from his way he shall die in his iniquity but thou hast delivered thy soul Ezek. 33.9 LONDON Printed for Joseph Cranford and are to be sold at the Kings head in St Pauls Church yard 1656. TO THE READER WHen I consider that most pathetical Praier of our dear Saviour for all his Disciples not long before his death Joh. 17.20 21. That they all might be one as the Father was in him he in the Father that they also might be one in them and for this canse that the world might believe that the Father had sent him Intimating that the unity of Christians is an especiall means to convince the world that Jesus was the Messias and consequently to convert them unto Christ It troubles me not a little to see such strange differences and divisions among true Christians whereby the world that should be won by our singular love and unity is utterly distasted and so disaffected to the true Religion of Christ Little do som of the separation consider how dishonourable and disadvantagious it is to Christ and his Spouse the Church to be guilty of such a great sin as schisme is otherways I am perswaded they would with both hands indeavour to make up the breaches that they have made in our Churches and that especially in regard of the Lord's Supper a Sacrament of our Spiritual Union and Communion with Christ our blessed Saviour O! that they would at length sadly consider how little good that reformation is like to work which only reforms such as they suppose already reformed accepting none into visible Church-fellowship in this Ordinance but those whom they judge really gracious contrary to the practise of all other reformed Churches mean while neglecting if not despising all the rest whom they should rather pity and not thus provoke whereby they do either exasperate or discourage them although they judg them to stand in most need of their help Neither is the injury small which in this case some Ministers suffer in that they are robbed of some of their choicest children begotten by their faithfull 1 Cor. 4.15 1 Thes 2.19 20. and painful Ministery who were the crown and comfort of their Spiritual fathers while they remained with them and were as stakes in the hedges of their severall Churches and might still have been lively patterns to their other people had they not been as the Apostle saith bewitched with specious pretences of a more pure and primitive Communion And verily had it been for their own advantage and spirituall gain as is imagined it would not so much aflict us and we would have held our peace although it would not have countervailed our dammage but when we sadly see how by this means many of them get such an itch after novelties and an humour of changing that they are ready to receive any up start opinions or old rotten heresie newly revived so that they gad from Church to Church till no Church is thought good enough for them and till at last some of them utterly lose all that Religion that they seemed to have being elevated not only above Ordinances and Scripture but above God himself horresco referens holding that there is neither Heaven nor Hell neither God nor Devill and so are become two-fold more the children of Hell than those they formerly separated from This must needs be a most sad and soul-breaking spectacle And whence is the root and rise of all this chiefly from that licentious principle that men have liberty to be of what Congregation they will and so after that they have made a rent in their own Church they think when they please or are displeased they may make another and so another as long as they list Mat. 23.15 if their wandring spirit shal but move them which I wonder some of the wiser sort of them do not see and if they see it do not seek to prevent it and cease to gather Churches out of churches Surely there 's far more need to gain men really unto Christ than to gather Churches out of Churches to the great grief of godly Church-membets who are not a little troubled at such inordinate courses Object And whereas some of them questions the truth of our Churches and thereupon may presume they do us no wrong Answ I answer that some of the most sober and learned Independents do ingenuously confess See jus divini Ministerii Aug p. 47.48 that we have true Churches and therefore some that deny it do shamefully defile their own nests by this means making their Mother an whore and themselvs base-begotten being first bred and born Christians in our Congregations And if we have true Churches how can they make such rents among us and not be guilty of that great sin of Schisme which now cries lowder in God's ears than formerly because multiplied beyond measure And as for my brethren that suffer with me in this case and that for fear of offending them and others have abstained from administring the Lord's Supper which is acknowledged to be an Ordinance of excellent use and therefore not only the abuse but also the disuse is no small sin I have with all tenderness avoiding all bitterness indeavoured to incourage them to a more full and frequent celebration of this holy Supper having as I hope clearly demonstrated that there is no such danger in delivering this Sacrament to most of our Church-members that are of age and understanding as many do imagine Always provided that the Ministers instruct and catechize them in the grounds of Religion and particularly about the nature of the Sacraments as seals of the Covenant of grace teaching them how to receive worthily and telling them the danger of unworthy receiving perswading them carefully to renew their Covenant with God which they made in Baptisme by repenting truly of their sins and stirring up their faith to lay faster-hold on Jesus Christ for the remission of sins thankfully acknowledging the love of the Lord Jesus in shedding his blood for the pardon of sin he likewise consecrating the elements with holy reverence and godly simplicity abandoning all suspitious ceremonies and humane inventions And if after all this they will come in their sins and so eat and drink judgment to