Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	church_n	communion_n	separate_v	1,835	5	9.4254	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35047	Reformation not separation, or, Mr. Crofton's plea for communion with the church ... in a letter, written July 20, 1661 ... / by the said R.S. to whom it was written ; unto which, is added the copy of another letter, written on the same occasion and subject.	Crofton, Zachary, 1625 or 6-1672.; P. E., Reverend.; R. S.	1662 (1662)	Wing C7000; ESTC R12168	52,912	78

be the Church and Spouse my heart would condemn me in the guilt of a notorious lye groundlesse and uncharitable Censure and so make my wilful solitary devotion exceeding sad because exceeding sinful Secondly I hitherto could not nor yet can 2. Englands corruptions no sufficient bar to Communion conceive the corruptions of the Church of England to be a sufficient ground or warrantable barre to my non-non-Communion with her solemn assemblies in her publick worship I do not say that Separation in all Cases is unlawful Separation from the world and Babylon allowed I well know Christians are called out of and separated from the world in their first accession to the Church of Christ but this is not our Case who do as is before noted own the Church of England as resolved into that capacity I know also separation from Babylon the seat of Antichrist is a duty directed and charged by the Lord on all his people and unto this also the Church of England doth professe Englands corruptions paralleld with Israels and others and cannot be denied to have attained and therefore stands distinct from the one under the Epithite Reformed as well as from the other by the Appellation Church so as t●at I dare not deeme England the world or Babylon those objects of a serious sacred separation and non-communion to both which she is found contradistinct That there are in the Church of England especially in her present relapsed estate many and grosse corruptions grievous to the Spirit of God and his people calling for the zealous admonitions and most faithful rebukes of his Ministers is alas too too legible and apparent to be denied by any yet when I consult the Scriptures I cannot but finde as great yea if possible greater corruptions in those whom God and his people owned as his Church and Spouse and yet separation or voluntary non-communion was never practised advised or indulged but the contrary thereunto Will any object unto us the prophanenesse of the Ministers Prophanenesse of Ministers ministration rudenesse and disorder of the ministration of Gods worship we yeild it is too visibly true but more vile administrators or irregular administrations cannot be than were the sons of Eli in their service who made the people to loath the offerings of the Lord and were rebuked and described by Samuel in 1 Sam. 2.12 13 14 15 16 17. Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial they knew not the Lord and the Priests custome with the people was this when any man offered Sacrifice the Priests servant came while the flesh was in seething with a flesh-hook in his hand and he struck it into the pan or kettle or Caldron or pot all that the flesh-hook brought up the Priest took for himself so they did in Shilo unto all the Israelites that came thither also before they burned the far the Priests servant came and said to the man that sacrificed give me flesh for to rost for the Priest for he will not have sodden flesh of thee but raw and if any man said unto them let them not faile to burn the fat presently and then take as much as thy soul desireth then he would answer him nay but thou shalt give it me now and if not I will take it by force wherefore by this horrid disorder defended by violence the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord for men abhorred the offering of the Lord and in verse 22. it is reported that Eli's sons lay with the women that assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation O horrid uncleannesse most heaven-daring villany yet I find not that any God-fearing-Israelite forsook the Sanctuary or durst forbear their Sacrifice nor did Samuel who reproved and denounced Gods judgment against this prophanenesse ever advise or direct the same the Scribes and Pharisees in the dayes of our Saviour said but did not laid heavie burdens on the people Matth. 23. which themselves would not touch with one of their fingers they under pretence of long prayers devoured widows houses they would neither enter into heaven themselves nor suffer such as would yet the Lord himself who reproved them heard them and charged his Disciples to hear them because they sate in Moses seat Let it be observed and remembred the Authority may but the quality of the Minister doth not adde to or abstract from the entity or efficacy of Gods Ordinances 1 Cor. 9.27 he may preach to my salvation who is himself a castaway Do any object the preaching false doctrine Corruption in Doctrine and Worship publick reading the Apocripha as part of Gods Word innovations in worship polluting Gods Ordinances or injustice in discipline I shall neither deny nor excuse the same only say as the Apostle Peter to the Church in his dayes there were false Prophets among the people even as there are false Teachers among you the true Prophets of God in Israel 2 Pet. 2.1 were ordinarily confronted by the false there wanted not an Hannaniah to break the Yokes of Jeremiah nor a proud Pashur to put him in the Stocks in the Gate of Benjamin when he only declared Gods mind warned of Gods approaching judgments and withstood the perjurious breach of the Oath of God which was upon the King and Kingdom nor is any thing more plain than Israels setting their posts by Gods posts their Altars by Gods Altars Ezek. 8.6.43.8 setting up in Gods house the very Image of Jealousie insomuch that Gods Prophets were ordinarily invective and vehemently reproving in their Ministery and indeed extraordinarily raised up to that very end yet we find not in all their Cals to Repentance one Caution against Communion with the Church or Call unto s●paration Mark 8.15.7.3 In the dayes of our Saviour the Jews were so corrupt in their doctrine that he Cautioned his Disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees they made the Word of God of none effect by their traditions of the Elders they enervated the Law by most strait and false interpretations thereof In worship they innovated and with great severity imposed their own Inventions Pharisaical Rites and Superstitions they prophaned the Temple and made Gods house a Den of Thieves and in their Discipline they made acts of Necessity Charity and piety censurable unto a casting out of the Synagogues against all which the whole Ministery of the Lord Jesus was highly invective and severely rebuking yet he neither disowned them as a Church denyed communion with them all his time on earth or directed any of his Disciples so to do so long as God continued his presence and Ordinances to and among them but on the contrary pleaded for them as the very fountain of Salvation in opposition to the Samaritans You worship you know not what but we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews he sent his cleansed Lepers to shew themselves to the Priests John 4.22 and

offer according to the Law of Moses confined his Ministry and Apostles to them till after the vaile of the Temple was rent in token of the expiration of their worship and departure of God accounting them children and all others dogs and charged the Disciples to hear them who sate in Moses seat under all their God-provoking Church annihilating corruptions he neither practised or prescribed a non-communion or separation 1 John 2.6 And in all extreams I desire to make him my pattern and walk as he walked who never went astray Do any stumble at the prophanenesse of the members and the neglect of corrective discipline rudenesse and irreverence in the use of Gods Ordinances Prophadess of members and disorder in Ministration confused method and the disorder of popular acclamations in publick prayer and other acts of worship I wish I could say these stones lay not in their way or that they were in my power to remove them but I think they run on a much greater Rock who run out of Gods Church or from solemn publick worship because thereof for the Church at Corinth was greatly corrupt and provoked the severity of Apostolical reprehension and that once and again 1 Cor. 5.1 2.10.21.11.20.21.14.26 2 Cos. 12.20 21 there being amongst them incest not to be named among the Gentiles and an heaven-daring ostentation in it instead of correction of it a participation with the table of Divels by their attendance on the Idol-feasts of the Infidels a rude and deboist drunken Communion at the Lords Supper intermingled and confounded with the Love-feasts intollerable disorder in their publick Assemblie all speaking at one and the same moment their very women not keeping silence and that in different matters and tongues every one had his Psalm his Prayer his Revelation his Prophesie his gift of Tongues in all which respects they were more confused than our popular acclamations and constrained the Apostles to check them by the nature of God as a God of order and not of confusion in all these the Apostle advised and endeavoured with all authority a Reformation but not separation or non-communion nor transplantation into a new gathered Church I cannot imagine he would make Schism from the Church 1 Cor. 3.4 a signe of a spiritual who judged Schism in the Church an evidence of a carnal mind Do men complain as they have cause that some Roman Rites and order was retained Rom. Rites when this Church was reformed let them consider many pious Kings of Judah have their reforming governments stained with a but the high places were not taken away but the people went thither to worship yet I finde not that any God-fearing Israelite who loathed those Reliques of Idolatry ever barred themselves because thereof from Gods Altar and worship My very soul is grieved to consider Englands back-sliding Backsliding Lukewarmness Indulgence of erronious Doctors and doctrines formality and lukewarmnesse in Religion yet when I observe that Ephesus who lost her first love Pergamus indulging the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans Thyatira suffering the woman Jezabel who called her self a prophetesse to teach and to deceive Gods people Sardis having a name to live but being dead and Laodicea Englands Counterpart so lukewarm that no good is spoken of her by all which these Asian Churches were rusted and therefore reproved by the Lord yet not rejected but represented to the world as the Starres he held in his right hand and golden Candlesticks among which he walked I dare not disown her relation to God disclaim mine own relation to her nor voluntarily decline communion with her Corruptions are not all alike My good friend all corruptions in Gods Church and worship are displeasing to God and distastful to his people imbracing the simplicity of the Gospel but all corruptions are not alike in operation quality and extent nor of a like influence on Gods Church and worship consider therefore some corruptions are substantial and intrinsecal vitiating the very subject and so universally spread through the worship of God that it cannot be used without sin others are circumstantial and extrinsecal to the same vain needlesse appendants superadded by mans will but which notwithstanding Gods Ordinances remain entire and exactly his and may be used without participation in the affixed corruption Some corruptions incident to Gods Church and worship I say are substantial and intrinsecal not arising out of Gods Ordinance as the genuine product and effect thereof but entring into the very body of the Church and substance of Gods worship Corruptions substantial and intrinsecal as a Spider into wine or venemous Worme into an Apple so as to vitiate the subject that it cannot be used with safety and nullisie the very Ordinances of God that it altereth their very nature to the losse of their efficacie and transmit certain destruction to such as sit under the same yea which is done either by changing the matter and retaining the essential constitutive form as by a solemne regular cutting off a Dogs head or offering swines blood instead of a Lamb or a Kid a baptizing as some have done by fire i●stead of water or retaining the matter but changing the essential forme as did Jeroboam and the Samaritans worshipping the true God by the very Sacrifices and in the very order himself appointed but before self-devised Symbols Calves to the one and the Dove to the other in a self-appointed place Dan and Bersheba to the one Mount Gerizim to the other and by self-consecrated Priests the lowest of the people and so departing from the Temple in Jerusalem Gods Ark in it and the Tribe of Levi all which were essentiall to the form of divine worship and thus did the Corinthians eating and drinking at the Idol Sacrifices which the Apostle severely corrected with a ye cannot par●ake of the Table of the Lord and the table of Devils ye cannot drink of the Cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils and by pointing them unto the essential form of the Sacrament the Cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ and the Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ Of this nature is Baptism 1 Cor. 10.16 by a Midwife or any other private hand though with water and in the name of the Father Son and holy Ghost or by water and a lawful Minister but in the name of God the Father of all things and Truth the Mother of all things as I have read some have done Corruptions extrinsecal Corruptions extrinsecal and circumstantial and c'rcumstantial are Ordinances superadded unto and so concomitant with or conversant about Gods Ordinances but enter not into nor do vitiate their subject the which these notwithstanding doth exist in matter and essential form perfect and entire capable of due operation in their own course and nature as stinking fish doth nourish or water pudled or in an unclean