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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	apostle_n	church_n	day_n	1,993	5	4.2614	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92760	A sermon preached before the Religious Societies in the city of Dublin, on the 29th of Septemb. 1695 Together with the method to be observed by them at their meetings, and the laws of their Society, with the 39 Articles of the Church of Ireland, By B. Scroggs, D.D.	Scroggs, Benedict, 1657 or 8-1696.	1695 (1695)	Wing S2120; ESTC R229819	14,205	73

leave 'em next morning yet the Primitive Writers do all speak as if the day were wholly and entirely dedicated to Religious uses And this I mention because there are some that pretend to observe the Lord's Day and yet spend the greatest part of it in any indifferent employment or recreation no way serviceable to the ends of Religion Now this being one of the principal ends of your meeting together this must needs be a great encouragment to you that in this you resemble the blessed Saints of the pure and primitive Church 3dly We find in my Text that they continned stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine They were all of one Faith and one Church and had no controversies nor difference of opinion for their business was not to dispute about notions and empty speculations but those few fundamental truths which the Apostles taught 'em they all unanimously agree'd in and proceeded upon this foundation to build the superstructure of a holy and devout Life And this being one of your Laws and the chief foundation of your Societies that your members shall all be of one Church and one Religion and shall continue stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine in the Doctrine of the Apostolical Church Establish't in this Kingdom and that they shall not meddle with disputes and controversies but wholly apply themselves to works of Piety I need not insist longer upon your agreement with them in this particular but only exhort and entreat you to keep up to this principle and as you tender the preservation of your Societies never to admit of controversies in Religion nor of such men as are addicted to 'em but to exclude all that are not peaceably inclined And tho you are to love your enemies yet you must deny 'em this kindness of making 'em members of your Societies before they are members of your Church For if they tear the Church asunder when they have so many commands in the Scripture for the contrary how can you expect they shou'd preserve an inviolable union with you but if you do in a kind and amicable way refuse to joyn with 'em you will both secure your selves and in time gain Proselytes to the Church 4thly They continued also in breaking of bread that in receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper But whether this was daily or weekly it does not certainly appear in the Scriptures For by the 46th verse of this Chapter it seems to have been daily And they continued daily in the Temple and breaking of bread from house to house as if he had said that they went every day to the Temple to pray as the custom was among the devout Jews and from thence they went to their houses and broke bread or received the Communion together from the Apostles hands which at that time they were forced to do privately in their houses But in the 20th Chapter we find that the first day of the week was particularly set apart for Celebrating this Solemnity and by that time t is likely they found it inconvenient to receive every day and therefore appointed one day in the week to be for ever kept holy on this account chiefly and to serve instead of the Jewish Sabbath This practice of theirs you do in some measure imitate by your monthly Communion to which you oblige all your members unless in cases of necessity and exraordinary casualties and I don't question but in time you may come up to the perfection of Communitating weekly and by your examples incite so many others that all the Clergy may be encouraged to administer the Sacrament every week in their Churches for this was done by the whole Primitive Church for many hundred years and this our Liturgy supposes to be done by us where a Communion is implied as often as the Communion-Service is ●read and this wou'd be truly and properly observing the Lord's-Day which was first appointed for this purpose and consecrated chiefly by this Selemnity 5thly You find in my Text that they continued also in prayers and so in the 12th Chapter that they used to meet together for prayer tho the Apostles were not with 'em Not only each family had its own family devotion as we read of Cornelius in the 10th Chapt. but several people met at one house to 〈◊〉 up and increase each othe● Devotion For tho among●● 〈◊〉 Deuotion is most cool in publick 〈…〉 Society does 〈…〉 it as fuel added 〈…〉 and indeed all 〈…〉 thrive and 〈…〉 example and in 〈…〉 Now the word 〈…〉 be taken in a large sense as 〈…〉 very often in the Scriptures not only for petitions and addresses immediately directed to God but for reading the Scriptures and for pious Discourses and any holy Exercise proper for such Societies And in this particular you also agree with these Primitive converts Tho as to Prayer strictly so taken you are forced to be brief in that respect at your Meetings and those few Collects you use to take 'em chiefly out of the Churches Liturgy lest you shou'd be thought to despise the Churches Service as too many do in these licentious times 6thly Another Vertue which abounded in the first Christians was that of Charity or Alms-giving For we are told in the verses following my Text that they had all things in common and sold their possessions goods and parted them to all men as every man had need And so in the 4th Chapter and 32th Verse That none of them said that ought of the things he possess'd was his own but they had all things common But this extraordinary degree or rather this way of Charity by selling and dividing their possessions was proper to that time and that particular number of Christians and not afterwards imitated even by the Primitive Church For then there was no danger nor possibility of wanting tho they sold their possessions because the Divine Providence had an extraordinary and particular care over those men as appears by that passage in the 11th Chap. of the Acts where Agabus prophesied of a Famine that was approaching and gave warning to make provision for the Saints that dwelt at Jerusalem which were the people mention'd in my Text. And besides this Society of men being a sort of Nursery to the Catholick Church of the whole World and the members of it continually chosen out to be sent abroad they had reason to fell their Lands and do many other things which are not so necessary in a settled condition of the Church The right imitation therefore of these Christians consists in this in being extraordinary charitable to the utmost of our abilities and if we have but little in giving gladly of that little and yet if we have nothing out charity may be like theirs as we find in the next Chapter where St. Peter and St. John the chief of all the Church had neither Gold nor Silver and cou'd give no Alms to the poor Beggar And thus you imitate the first Christians at your meetings by giving Alms

according as the time will permit 5. Then shall every man that is able give his Alms for the Poor and whilst this is doing the Prelector shall read as many of these following Sentences as he thinks convenient Let y●ur light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in ●eaven Mat. 5. 18. Lay not up for your selves treasures upon Earth where the rust and moth doth corrupt and where thieves break through steal but lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven where neither rust nor moth doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal Mat. 6. 19 20. While we have time let us do good unto all men and especially unto the●● who are of the houshold of 〈…〉 l. 6. 10. God is not unri●●●eous that he will forget your ●orks and labour ●●at proceedeth of love which love ye have shewed for his names 〈◊〉 who have ministred to 〈◊〉 Saints and yet do minister Heb. 6. 10. To do good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased He. 13. 16 Be merciful after thy power if thou hast much give plenteously if thou hast little do thy diligence gladly to give of that little for so gatherest thou thy self a good reward in the day of necessity Tob 4. 8 9. He that hath pitty on the poor lendeth unto the Lord and look what 〈◊〉 ●ayeth out it shall be paid 〈◊〉 again Prov. 19. 17. Blessed 〈…〉 that provideth 〈…〉 needy the Lor●●hall deliver him in the time of trouble 〈◊〉 1. 1. When they have given their alms they shall 〈◊〉 while if they have time and discourse upon any pious subject that offers viz. what objects of Charity they know particularly such as have lived well hcretofore and what young men of their acquaintance may be gain'd over to a vertuous conversation and if there be any difficulty or case of Conscience necessary to be resolved or any religious affair to be settled let it be then propounded and calmly discoursed of After which let a Psalm be sung and after that let them all repeat the Apostles Creed standing and then let the Prelector conclude with these Collects every man kneeling C Assist us mercifully O Lord in these our supplications and Prayers and dispose the way of thy servants towards the attainment of everlasting salvation that among all the changes and chances of this mortal life they may ever be defended by thy most gracious and ready help thro Jesus Christ our Lord Amen O Almighty Lord and everlasting God vouchsafe we beseech thee to direct sanctify govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of thy laws and in the works of thy Commandments that through thy most mighty protection both here ever we may be preserved both in body and soul through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen Blessed Lord who hast taught us that all our doings without Charity are nothing worth send thy Holy Ghost and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of Charity that we may love thee above all things and sincerely love our neighbour for thy sake and endeavor the benefit of his precious soul Make us ever more fearful of his danger than of his displeasure and more desirous of his good than of his favour Give us therefore Christian courage to reprove wisdom to advise councel to direct and prudence to know how and when and what to speak as we ought to do and O let a spirit of reformation be in us to put a stop to that profaness irreligion that reigns among us and do thou magnify thy power in the weakness of the instruments thou makest use of Give us clean and pure hearts and so strengthen our good resolutions with thy holy Spirit that we may never faint nor grow weary of the work we have undertaken And that it may be successful give us the spirit of Love and Peace and Unity that no differences may ever disturb us or hinder our design of teaching Sinners thy ways and drawing others to thy love that so when thou shalt come to gather thy Saints together we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight to whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise and glory now and for ever Awen O most holy and gracious Lord who in the holy Scriptures hast told us that tho we shou'd perform all that thou hast commanded we are still unprofitable Servants we prostrate our selves before thee with the lowest humility of soul and body acknowledging that we are but sinful dust and ashes and not only unprofitable but disobedient and ungrateful to thee and we beseech thee to inspire into our hearts such a sense of our own unworthiness that no success may make us high-minded no perfections of our own make us proud and conceited nor the sins of other men make us uncharitable and consorious that whilst we endeavour to bring others into the way of Piety and Religion we our selves may not be cast away O let us not boast with the Pharisee of our labours and services what-ever they shall be but rather with the Publican smite our breasts and say Lord be merciful to us sinners thro the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen O GOD our Refuge and Strength who art the Author of all Godliness hear we beseech thee the devout Prayers of thy Servants and grant that those things which we have ask'd faithfully we may obtain effectually through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen The Lord bless us and keep us the Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us Peace now and for evermore Amen A Prayer to be used before the last Collect by the Societies of Married men Taken out of the 91 Psalm O Almighty Lord under whose defence and shadow we and our Families do dwell in security We bless thy Name for all thy former mercies and we beseech thee to continue thy care and protection of us and all our concerns Thou art our hope and our strong hold and our God in whom we will trust O defend us under thy wings and let us be safe under thy feathers and let thy faithfulness and truth be our shield and buckler Let us not be afraid of any terror by night nor of the arrow that slieth by day nor the pestilence that walketh in darkness nor the sickness that destroyeth at noon-day Let no evil happen unto us nor any plague come nigh our dwellings and give thy Angels charge over us and our Families to keep us in all thy ways that after thou hast blest us with a good life in this world thou mayest shew us thy salvation in the world to come For the sake and merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen Rules to be consented to and subscribed by such as desire to be Members of the Religious Societics in the Kingdom of Ireland 1. THE sole design of these Societies being to promote holiness of life 't is necessary