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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	keep_v	lord_n	sabbath_n	4,573	5	9.3555	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49123	Mr. Hales's treatise of schism examined and censured by Thomas Long ... ; to which are added, Mr. Baxter's arguments for conformity, wherein the most material passages of the treatise of schism are answered.	Long, Thomas, 1621-1707.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. Mr. Baxter's arguments for conformity against separation.	1678 (1678)	Wing L2974; ESTC R10056	119,450	354

the Scruples and suspicions of private Christians concerning the lawfulness of Actions required by their Superiors cannot warrant their separation Because their obedience to Superiors in things not unlawful is their duty and to omit a certain duty upon a bare suspicion is dangerous and sinful And for a full answer to this error I desire it may be considered what a scrupulous Conscience is which I take to be such an act of the practical understanding as resolves what is or what is not to be done but with some fear and anxiety lest its determination be amiss And it differs from a doubting Conscience which assents to neither part of the question but remains unresolved as doubting of the true sense of the rule in which case it is resolved that in all things doubtful we are to take the safest course And doubtless that wherein the generality of wise and good Men as well Ancient as Modern are agreed is much more safe than that in which a few less knowing prejudicated and guilty persons pretend to be doubtful But where there are only groundless fears and scruples concerning some circumstance annexed to a known duty it is the sense even of our Non-conformists That if we cannot upon serious endeavours get rid of our Scruples we ought to act against them And this is so lawful and necessary that we cannot otherwise have either grace or peace See more to this purpose in a Sermon at Cripplegate on Acts 24. 26. p. 18 19. And if scruple and suspicion were a just plea for Separation then every discontented Person that is resolved to contemn his Superiours every one that is affectedly ignorant and lazy or refractory to better information every one that hath melancholy humours and temptations or wants true Christian Humility or Charity may make separation and yet be guiltless So that this Opinion of our Author's would be an Apology for all Separatists which being allowed there neither was nor can be any such sin as Schism For I suppose it is sufficiently known that neither the Doctrine or Worship of any Church is so well constituted but some unquiet spirits have raised scruples and suspicions concerning them And unless the Church have power to command things lawful and no way repugnant to the Word of God though some giddy Persons may scruple at them it is impossible that it should preserve it self from confusion The Apostles I am sure did practise this in the Synod at Hierusalem Acts 15. And St. Paul silenceth the objections of contentious and scrupulous Persons with the Custome of the Churches of God 1 Corinth 11. 16. Every Congregation that pretends to have the face of a Church requires the obedience of its Members to all Orders for publick Worship as well as their consent to their Articles of Faith and without this it could not subsist I shall conclude this with Mr. Baxter's advice in his Dispute of Ceremonies Ch. 15. S. 3. That the Duty of obeying being certain and the sinfulness of the thing commanded being uncertain and only Suspected we must go on the surer side And the Author of the Sermon on Acts 24. 16. gives a good reason for it saying If a Christian should forbear praying or receiving the Sacrament every time his scrupulous conscience tells him he had better wholly omit the duty than perform it in such a manner he would soon find to his sorrow the mischief of his scruples And he adviseth In all known necessary duties always do what you can when you cannot do what you would Our Author p. 202. falls on an Ancient controversie concerning the observation of Easter of which he gives us this imperfect account That it being upon error taken for necessary that an Easter must be kept and upon worse than Error if I may so speak for it was no less than a point of Judaism forced upon the Church thought further necessary that the ground for the keeping the time of that Feast must be the rule left by Moses to the Jews there arose a stout question whether we ought to Celebrate with the Jews on the 14th of the Moon or the Sunday following This matter though most unnecessary most vain yet caused as great a combustion as ever was in the Church the West separating from and refusing Communion with the East for many years together An impartial relation of the ground of this controversie as it lies in Church History will sufficiently discover how odiously it is represented First then whereas he says it was upon error taken for necessary that an Easter must be kept I answer if it were an error the Church had it from the Apostles themselves for although the contending parties differed among themselves in the day yet both agreed on the necessity of observing Easter in Commemoration of our Saviour's Resurrection And the Controversie concerning the day puts it out of controversie that there ought to be a day observed Some learned men have thought the setting a-part of an Easter day to be grounded on 1 Cor. 5. 8. where S. Paul speaking of the Christian Passover says Let us keep the Feast and Grotius observes that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answereth to the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to abstain from all work for the offering up of holy things to God If the observation of any day be necessary unto Christians this of Easter is because it is the Mother and ground of our weekly Sabbath and is supposed to be the same which S. John calls the Lords day Rev. 1. 10. But we need not seek express authority from Scripture to make it necessary the practice of the Apostles testified by such early and authentick witnesses and the continued celebration of it in all the Churches of God do evince that it was not taken up on an Error no more than the observation of the Weekly Sabbath Mr. Hales says enough to resolve this objection in his Golden Remains set forth by Mr. Garthwait 1673. p. 260. on the question how we may know the Scriptures to be the word of God When saith he we appeal to the Churches testimony we content not our selves with any part of the Church actually existent but add unto it the perpetually successive testimony of the Church in all Ages since the Apostles times viz. since its first beginning and out of both these draw an argument in this question of that force as that from it not the subtilest Disputer can find an escape For who is it that can think to find acceptance and credit with reasonable men by opposing not only the present Church conversing in earth but the uniform consent of the Church in all ages So that the Church in all Ages agreeing that an Easter must be kept it was not taken up upon Error Nor secondly was it upon worse than error i. e. as our Author affirms a point of Judaism grounded on the Law of Moses to the Jews that the observation thereof was by some Churches solemnized

the other Study Gal. 2. 22. Rom. 14. 1. Acts 21. 24 26. 1 Tim. 1. 4. 6. 4. Titus 3. 8 9. I hope sad experience speaks this lesson to your very hearts if I should say nothing Do not your hearts bleed to look upon the State of England and to think how few Towns or Cities there be where is any forwardness in Religion that are not cut into shreds and crumbled as to dust by separations and divisions to think what a wound we have hereby given to the very Christian name how we have hardned the ignorant confirmed the Papists and are our selves become the scorn of our enemies and the grief of our friends and how many of our dearest best esteemed friends have fallen to notorious pride or impiety yea some to be worse than open Infidels These are pillars of Salt see that you remember them Though of your own selves men should arise speaking perverse things to draw disciples after them Acts 20. 30. yea though an Angel from Heaven should draw you to divisions see that you follow him not If there be erroneous practices in the Church keep your selves innocent with moderation and peace It must be no small error that must force a Separation Justin Martyr professed that if a Jew should keep the ceremonial law so he did not perswade the Gentiles to it as necessary yet if he acknowledged Christ he judgeth that he might be saved and he would imbrace him and have communion with him Paul would have him received that is weak in the faith and not un-church whole parishes of those that we know not nor were ever brought to a just trial I ever loved a godly peaceable Conformist better than a turbulent Nonconformist I differ from many in several things of considerable moment yet if I should zealously press my judgment on others so as to disturb the peace of the Church and separate from my brethren that are contrary minded I should fear lest I should prove a fire-brand in hell for being a fire-brand in the Church And for all the interest I have in your judgments and affections I here charge you that if God should give me up to any factious Church-rending course against which I daily pray that you forsake me and follow me not a step And for peace with one another follow it with all your might if it be possible as much as in you lyeth live peaceably with all men Rom. 12. 18. mark this When you feel any sparks of discontent in your breasts take them as kindled by the Devil from hell and take heed you cherish them not If the flames begin to break forth in censoriousness reproaches and hard speeches of others be as speedy and busie in quenching it as if it were fire in the thatch of your houses For why should your houses be dearer to you than the Church which is the house of God or your Souls which are the Temples of the Holy Ghost Hath God spoke more against any sin than unpeaceableness If ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your heavenly Father forgive you which Lodovicus Crocius says is the measure and essential property of the least degree of true faith if you love not one another you are not disciples of Christ Publick wars and private quarrels usually pretend the Reformation of the Church the vindicating of the Truth and the welfare of Souls but they as usually prove in the issue the greatest means to the overthrow of all It is as natural for both wars and private contentions to produce errors schisms contempt of Magistracy Ministry and Ordinances as it is for a dead Carrion to breed worms and vermine Believe it from one that hath too many years experience of it it is as hard a thing to maintain even in your people a sound understanding a tender Conscience a lively gracious heavenly frame of spirit and an upright life in a way of war and contention as to keep your Candle lighted in the greatest storms or under the waters The like I may say of perverse and fierce disputings about the circumstantials of discipline or other questions that are far from the foundation they oftner lose the truth than find it Wo to those Ministers that make unnecessary divisions and parties among the people that so they may get themselves a name and be cryed up by many followers The way to prosper your labours is to quench all flames of contention to your power Study the peace and unity of your Congregations keep out all occasions of divisions especially the doctrine of Separation and popular Church-Government the apparent Seminary of faction and perpetual contentions If once the people be taught that it belongs to them to govern themselves and those the Scripture calleth their Guides and Rulers we shall have mad work They that would pluck up the hedge of Government as if the vineyard could not be fruitful except it lay waste to the pleasure of all the beasts of the forest are like the pond that grudged at the banks and damm and thought it injurious to be restrained of its liberty and therefore combined with the winds to raise a tempest and so assault and beat down the banks in their rage and now where is that peaceable association of waters We feel now how those are mistaken that thought the way for the Churches unity was to dig up the banks and let all loose that every man in Religion might do what he list They are usually men least acquainted with a heavenly life who are the violent disputers about the circumstantials of Religion As the body doth languish in consuming Fevers when the native heat abates within and unnatural heat inflaming the external parts succeeds so when the zeal of a Christian doth leave the internals of Religion and fly to ceremonials externals or inferior things the Soul must needs consume and languish Of Conformity For Conformity though to Ministers it be another thing by reason of the new impositions than it was to our Predecessors yet to the People Conformity is the same if not easier especially to them that I now speak to for it is the Liturgy Ceremonies and Ministry that most alienate them And the Liturgy is a little amended as to them by the change of the translation and some little words and by some longer Prayers and the Ceremonies are the same and thirty years ago there were many bare reading not preaching Ministers for one that is now Therefore our case of Separation being the same as of old I take it to be fully confuted by the Ancient Non-conformists and I have so great a veneration for the worthy Names much more an estimation of the reasonings of Mr. Cartwright Egerton Hildersham Dod Amesius Parker Baines Brightman Ball Bradshaw Paget Langley Nicols Herring c. that I shall not think they knew not why they chose this subject and wrote more against Separation than the Conformists did I am very glad that the pious Lectures of