Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	apostle_n	church_n	place_n	2,286	5	4.5870	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55382	Evangelical worship is spiritual vvorship as it was discussed in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Maior, at Pauls Church, Aug. 26. 1660. By Matthew Poole minister of the Gospel at Michael Quern in London.	Poole, Matthew, 1624-1679.	1660 (1660)	Wing P2837; ESTC R218310	16,718	32

altogether uselesse and the typical use being gone therefore were they laid aside c. And shall we go and set up other things equally unprofitable Shall we lay aside Gods Ordinances because they were unprofitable and set up mens devices that are as unprofitable What I beseech you Is not an Altar in our Churches as unprofitable as that of the Jews and more too for theirs was useful for sacrifice ours for nothing unlesse to be an Apple of contention and a wall of partition amongst Ministers and Christians 2. There is a great obstruction to edification and the salvation of souls Beloved that man understands little of the worth of a Soul that doth not value the salvation of one Soul before ten thousand of those unnecessary Ceremonies Better all the Organs in the world broken all material Temples level'd with the ground all sacred Garments as they are accounted of Ministers cast into a fire than one soul lost Now this I am perswaded most ingenuous men will agree with me in that the loss of many a soul may be charged upon or at least was occasioned by these things For if an able and powerful Ministry be the great means of the salvation of souls and the removal of such be a taking away of the means of salvation and many such Ministers such I say in the judgment even of their enemies have been removed because their Consciences could not comply with such Impositions Then I think the Conclusion is plain enough that they have been the occasion if not the cause of the ruine of many a precious soul And I should not speak of this now but that I see the same spirit at work again and we have too many among us that give us cause to think they had rather people should have no Ministers than no Ceremonies and rather a sottish unlearned debauched Ministry than not a ceremonious and superstitious Ministry Now I beseech you mark how much this differs from the Apostolical Precept and Practise Rom. 15. 2. Let no man please himself but let every one please his Neighbour for his good to edification 2 Cor. 13. 10. According to the power which the Lord hath given me for edification not to destruction What! had not the Apostles such power much lesse have those that are or pretend to be their Successors They speak of the power the Church hath to make Canons c. Be it so yet have they no power to destruction And although it be a truth that all things in the Church must be done decently and in order yet I am sure the order of the Church must give place to edification and we must not deperdere substantiam propter accidentia 3. There is a disturbance of the peace of the Church I know such men use to condemn those that cannot comply with their Ceremonies as disturbers of the Peace But as we say to the Romanists they charge us with schisme but are themselves guilty by imposing such heavy and unnecessary burdens as forced us to depart and by not allowing of us to continue with them unlesse we yield and concur with them in all things even so do our Adversaries with us first impose these unnecessary burdens which they know many thousands cannot bear and then blame them for withdrawing their shoulders from them It was prudently advised to K. James that he should do with Ceremonies as Possio did with his Cupboard of curious Glasses which he broke lest his Servants breaking them it should occasion much contention and trouble So surely men that prize the Churches peace as they ought should rather break those in pieces than lay a foundation for such bitter and innumerable contests as will certainly follow to the grief of good men and the rejoycing of our enemies The peace of the Church should be highly prized How earnestly and frequently doth the Apostle conjure us to this Follow peace with all men Seek peace and ensue it God hath called us to peace And forasmuch as it is confessed that these Ceremonies are indifferent in themselves and no further necessary than as the Church imposeth them I submit this Query to all ingenuous and judicious men Whether it were not more prudent and pious for the Church to lay such Ceremonies aside which will be a wall of partition between us and other Churches and a stone of stumbling and occasion of quarrel among our selves than continue them upon such dangerous and uncomfortable terms In things indifferent the Apostle exceedingly presseth a yielding to weak brethren not offending grieving one of those for whom Christ died So Christ not to offend one of these little ones c. Now it is certain many thousands of sincere Christians are grieved and stumbled at these things And say it is their weaknesse You then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please your selves Rom 15. 1. And it is strange to see that this is made an Argument for Ceremonies because else we shall offend the Papists a sort of obstinate and hardned enemies who will be offended whatever you do who are the more hardned by our compliance with them in worship but no way pleased unlesse you receive their Doctrines too and that they make this no Argument against them because they will offend so many Protestant Churches and Brethren 4. Distraction in spiritual worship which ought to be done without distraction The more Inveaglements there are to sense the more disadvantage to the Spirit To instance in one thing I appeal to the experience of any ingenuous person whether curiosity of voice or musical sounds in Churches doth not tickle the fancy with a carnal delight and engage a mans ear and most diligent attention unto those sensible motions and audible sounds and therefore must necessarily in great measure recal him from spiritual communion with God seeing the mind of man cannot attend to two things at once with all its might and when we serve God we must do it with all our might And hence it is that the Ancients have some of them given this rule that even vocal singing should not be too curious but legenti similior quam canenti And Paul himself gives it a wipe Eph. 5. 19. Speaking to your selves in Psalmes and Hymns and spiritual Songs making melody in your hearts to the Lord 5. Affectation of carnal and ceremonial worship begets oft-times an enmity against spiritual worshippers Look abroad in the Old Testament and so in the New c. you will find none were more bitter Adversaries to the Prophets to Christ to the Apostles than those that were the greatest Zealots for ceremonial Institutions and their own Inventions in Gods worship They were devout women that raised persecution against Paul Acts 13. 48. Mistake not I do not say that all that use ceremonies are such No I know some such that are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that are better born and better bred Christians that shew more ingenuity and piety