Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	authority_n	church_n	tradition_n	4,840	5	9.2566	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B04528	The lavvfulnes of hearing the publick ministers of the Church of England proved, by Mr. Philip Nye and Mr. John Robinson, two eminent Congregational divines. Together with the judgment of Dr. Goodwin, Dr. Owen, and other independents, as well ancient as modern, concerning forms of prayer, parish-churches, and communion with them: and the judgment of other nonconformists about kneeling at the sacrament.	Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.; Robinson, John, 1575?-1625.	1683 (1683)	Wing N1496; ESTC R203023	37,350	46

them but a benefit and matter of rejoycing when I can in any thing with good a Conscience unite with them in matter if not in manner or where it may be in both And this Affection the Lord and my Conscience are my Witnesses I have always nourished in my Breast even when I seemed furthest drawn from them And so all that have taken knowledg of my Course can testifie with me and how I have still opposed in others and repressed in mine own to my power all sower zeal against and peremptory rejection of such as whose Grace challenged better use and respect from all Christians And in testimony of mine affection this way and for the freeing of mine own Conscience and information of other Mens I have penned this Discourse tending to prove the hea●●ng of the Word of God preached by the Mi●isters ●f the Church of Engl●●d 〈…〉 … n and apply the Doctrins of 〈…〉 … d in cases necessary for all of all Sec●s or sorts of Ch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 … ity and occasion of so doing though sequestring themselv●● 〈◊〉 ●ll C●●●●nion with the Hierarchical Order there established Three sorts of opposites I make account to meet withal The first of them who truly desire and carefully endeavour to have their whole course both in Religion and otherwise framed by the holy and right Zeal of God's Word either for their confirmation in the Truth or Reformation wherein through humane frailty they step aside And unto them especially I direct this my Discourse begging at his hands who is the Father of Lights and from whom cometh down every good and perfect Gift for them as for my self that as he hath given us to set our Faces towards Heaven and to seek him with the whole Heart so he would not suffer us to wander from his Commandments to the right hand or to the left A second sort is of them whose tender and scrupulous Conscience makes them fearful and jealous of every thing which hath in it the least appearance of evil lest coming too near it they be defiled by it one way or other This their godly Zeal and tenderness of Heart is to be loved of all Men and cherished by all good means Only such are to be intreated for their own good to take knowledge of a distinction most useful for their direction in things lawful in their kind and good in their right use Of which some are only naturally good in their kind but not simply commanded of God as to get and keep the riches and credit of the World to enjoy outward Peace or other bodily Comfort Others are morally good in their kind and commanded of God as to hear the Word of God obey the Magistrate and the like Now in things of the former sort it is very requisit considering both their Nature and ours that we keep a jealous Eye and strait Hand over our selves and our ways For them they are not in their kind enjoyed as the other neither do the Scriptures any where require of Men to be rich or the like as they do to hear Gods Word obey Authority c. And for our selves we are prone and in danger to over-strain for the getting and enjoying of them as being naturally pleasing good things So as if out of a godly jealousie over our Hearts towards them we keep not our selves from going too near the side for the getting or keeping of them we shall by one storm of Temptation or other be blown into the ditch of Sin and Destruction But now for the practice and performance of Duties simply moral and commanded in their kind as is the hearing of God's Word specially by God's People we ought to strain to the uttermost and to go as near the wind as may be seeing nothing but apparent Sin in the way can excuse the withdrawing from it when occasion of enjoying it is offered O that there were not to be found some who being very scrupulous of coming near to any thing amiss in outward Ordinances or to any person failing in them yet make no scruple of complying and conforming with the World so far in the eager pursuit of Worldly Profits immoderate use of worldly Delights and fulfilling the Lusts of the World and Flesh dwelling in them as that there appears scarce an hair's-breadth of difference between them and meer Worldlings which know not God Which latter Evils are both worse in themselves as being expresly condemned by the Law of God and Light of Nature and more odious in the persons as being more personal free and voluntary than those in the other to which they are carried by the violent Current of the Times A third sort of Opposits I make account to meet with more untractable than the former and more vehemently bent against the things propounded by me out of prejudice and passion than the other by scruple of Conscience or shew of Reason To them I can hardly say any thing it not being their manner to reade or willingly to hear that which crosseth their prejudices yet something I must say touching them out of the woful experience of many years taken of them though not much I thank the Lord amongst them unto whom I have ministred Some of these I have found carried with so excessive admiration of some former Guides in their course as they think it half Heresy to call into question any of their Determinations or Practices We must not think that only the Pharisees of old or Papists of later times are superstitiously addicted to the Tradition of the Elders and Authority of the Church In all Sects there are divers especially of the weaker sort who being the less real in their conceptions are the more personal that rather chuse to follow the path of blind Tradition if beaten by some such fore-goers as they admire than the right way of God's Word by others to be shewed them afterwards Some again are as much addicted to themselves as the former to oothers conceiving in effect though they will not profess it the same of their own heads which the Papists do of their Head the Pope viz. that they cannot erre or be deceived and this specially in such matters as for which they have suffered troubles and afflictions formerly and so having bought them dear they value them highly But it is too Merchant-like to strive to over-sell a thing which we have formerly over-bought We must buy the Truth and sell it not at any rate but must account nothing either true or good according to the valuation which we have set upon it but God There is also a third sort highly advancing a kind of privative Goodness and Religion and who bend their force rather to the weakning of other Men in their courses than to the building up of themselves in their own and in truth rather to separation from Men not only in evil but even in that which is good for some other evil conceived in them than to Union with God and his