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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	church_n	true_a	visible_a	12,702	5	9.3716	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61590	The reformation justify'd in a sermon preached at Guild-Hall Chappel Septemb. 21, 1673, before the Lord Major and Aldermen, &c. / by Edw. Stillingfleet ...	Stillingfleet, Edward, 1635-1699.	1674 (1674)	Wing S5626; ESTC R14334	23,407	58

vindicate themselves they must shew how it was possible for such corruptions to come in and no more notice be taken of them Such things could not be introduced without some notable alteration and in such a one the author the time the place the manner may be assigned We can tell say they all these circumstances in the Idolatries of Jeroboam Ahab and Manasseh if so great alterations have hapned in the state of our Church that there is a necessity of reforming it name us the persons the time the place the manner how all these corruptions came in When came men first to forsake the letter of the Scripture and adhere to Tradition Who first brought in the Pharisaical Superstitions What was his name where was his abode who first opposed and condemned him Were all men asleep then to suffer such alterations and to say nothing at all against them What could one Generation conspire to deceive the next and if not how could such changes happen in matters of Religion and no one take care to discover it and prevent the infecting of posterity by it Had no persons any regard to God and the purity of Religion then If they had would they suffer strange fire to come upon Gods Altar and take no notice at all of it Why did not Jesus of Nazareth when he so frequently and vehemently declaimed against the Pharisaical hypocrisie and superstitions and false Doctrines shew to the people when and where and how these things came into the Church of God He only condemns them and speaks sharply against them but he saith not one word to satisfie the Scientifical men among them how it was possible for corruptions to come in and prevail to such a degree and yet no circumstances of time or place be assignable of it Thus the Jews still believed themselves to be the only true antient visible Catholick and infallible Church of God and despised the poor Christians as a novel and upstart Sect of Nazarens which is the first imputation the Christians suffered under 2. They suffered under the imputation of Faction and Sedition which is the second thing implyed in the name of Sect or Heresie here mentioned and that they charged upon them two wayes 1. For not submitting to the Churches Authority 2. For disturbing the peace and quiet of the People 1. For not submitting to the Churches Authority not that the Disciples of our Lord did out of humour or fancy or only to make a party break with the Jews in matters meerly of order and indifferency no on the contrary we find them extreamly cautious of giving any offence in such matters which temper they learnt of their Lord and Master who complyed with many things that others might not take advantage by his omission of them to slight and contemn them thus when others were baptized of John he would be so too not that he had any need of washing away of sin but he would not make use of a particular priviledge to bring any discountenance upon a general duty Thus we see he went up at the solemn Feasts to Hierusalem as others did and not only was present in the Temple but vindicated by a Miracle the order and decency of it by driving out the buyers and sellers from the outward parts of it although they had a fair pretence of being ready at hand to serve the necessities of such as were to sacrifice to God in the Temple nay St. Mark tells us that he would not suffer any vessell to be carried through the Temple and this he did not upon any reason peculiar to the Levitical Law but because it was a House of Prayer And this example his Apostles followed who after they had the Holy Ghost poured upon them yet they attended the Temple at the hours of prayer But most remarkable to this purpose is the instance of St. Paul at that very time when he was seized upon and like to be destroyed by the fury of the Jews For understanding at Hierusalem from St. James that there were many thousands of believing Jews that were still zealous of the Law and were informed that St. Paul among the Gentiles slighted circumcision and the Levitical Customs he to give them all reasonable satisfaction that he intended to make no unnecessary breach among them about indifferent matters submits himself to a legal purification in the Temple for seven dayes together before the end of which the Jews made a tumult and seized upon him and so he was brought to answer the accusations against him in this Chapter Thus careful St. Paul was to give no ground for suspicion that he delighted in disorders and separations this example he did leave to all prudent Christians rather to submit to things which they have no great value for as no doubt at this time St. Paul had very little for the Levitical Customs than to hazard the breaking the peace of the Church for such matters But notwithstanding all this care of the first Christians they could not avoid the imputation of Faction because they would not entirely submit their judgements to the Authority of the Jewish Church For this was the great pretence they stood upon that they were the Governours of the Church by Gods own institution that they were to explain and interpret the Law and the Prophets and this was expressed in the beginning of their Law That in all cases of difficulty they were to go up to the place which the Lord their God should chuse and to go to the Priests and the Levites and to the Judge and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgement And thou shalt do according to the sentence which they of that place which the Lord shall chuse shall shew thee and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee and the man that will do presumptuously and will not bearken to the Priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God or unto the Judge even that man shall dye and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel Upon this place they might certainly much better establish the infallibility of their own Church than others draw an argument for Infallibility in the Christian Church from it However absolute obedience would serve their turn to charge the Christians with Faction in not submitting to their Authority For was not this a matter of difficulty whether the Messias were to be a temporal Prince or not concerning what time and place and person the Prophecies were to be understood Who were the competent Judges in this case but those whom God had established by his Law If the Scribes and Pharisees were charged with false glosses and corrupting the Law by their Traditions the Christians were not to take upon themselves to judge of them but to appeal to the High Priest and the Sanhedrin who were the only lawful Judges in these matters Their duty was submission and patience but by no means ought they