Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	deny_v	lust_n	ungodliness_n	2,308	5	11.2023	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88816	Gospel-separation separated from its abuses; or The saints guide in Gospel-fellowship. Whereby they may be directed not onely to preserve the purity, but withall the unity of Gospel-worship: by a well-wisher to Sions purity and unity, R.L. Imprimatur. Joseph Caryl.	Lawrence, Richard, d. 1684.	1657 (1657)	Wing L676; Thomason E1613_5; ESTC R202679	77,723	176

Doctrine and holy example to convince them of their errors and withall presseth them to unity and warns them against their divisions as the worst of their errors as it is evident from those Scriptures quoted From whence I argue That if the Apostles and infallible penmen of Scriptures who were able to judge of matters of controversie without mistake did for the Churches peace sake permit persons holding and maintaining many great and dangerous errors to abide in the Church and there own them as fellow-Brethren whilest they manifested visible sanctitie in the main and retained the substance of true Faith and that in the most pure time of the Church when the erroneous persons could not receive those errors by tradition and education from Christian Ancestors or Teachers Then much more ought the Ministers of the Gospel and with them all Gods people now being themselves fallible in judgement and exceedingly disagreeing among themselves about the points in controversie even the able and gracious of them and especially considering the time we live in is but the dawning of the day of Gospel light and knowledge out of a long dark night of Antichristian error and pollution through which many of themselves not long since were groping in the dark about several Gospel truths in which the light of Christ hath since more fully informed them to walk towards one another with all tenderness and charity putting in practice that rule of forbearing one another in love Ephes 4.2 And thereby endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace verse 3. But it is evident the Apostle and holy Pen-men of Scripture did so walk in like cases when there was not the like Reason Therefore Gods Ministers and people ought so to walk now Object 2. Then you are for the permitting of all Errors in the Church for if we must not separate from Errors of this nature what shall we separate from Answ To make a particular discrimination by name of all Errors or to determine the degree of any particular Errors that shall render the erroneous person incommunicable is too hard a task for me to undertake I shall onely propose some general Rules and Cases which the Scriptures seems to countenance and shall submit them to the judgement of judicious Christians First That Churches and Beleevers ought to withdraw from and deny Communion with all such who though they profess the true form of godliness yet deny the power of it Secondly From such who though they make a profession of the power as well as the form of Religion by holding regeneration and visible grace to be necessary qualifications for visible members of Gospel Churches yet when they are so corrupt in judgement that their Errors are first contrary to godliness or secondly inconsistent with true Grace or thirdly destroy the foundation Doctrine of Salvation they ought to be withdrawn from For the first By persons denying the power of godliness I mean such who though professing of and practising the true external Acts of Gods worship as they may be generally professed and practised by the generality of sound Christians yet in their declared principles and conversation disown the inward life and power of it exprest by the visible effects of true Grace as the work of regeneration and being born again Jo 3.3 with all other visible signes of Repentance from dead Works and Faith towards God as Hebr. 6.1 to be necessary qualifications for Gospel-fellowship which may be discerned either by their palpable ignorance as Nicodemus Joh. 3.4 or otherwise by their apparent enmity to or scorn of gracious qualifications in others by deriding the godly as holy brethren and sisters or by the scorning the spirit in its gifts and graces in the Saints Now such though they may profess the form do visibly deny the power of godliness from whom we have an express rule to withdraw 2 Tim. 3.5 From such turn away and from such doubtless the Apostle presseth the Corinthians to separate themselves 2 Cor. 6.14 15 16 17. Be ye not unequally ●●aked together with unbeleevers for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what commmunion hath light with darkness And what concerd hath Christ with Belial or what part hath he that beleeveth with an Infidel And what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols for ye are the Temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you 2. Second sort of persons that the Scripture is clear the Churches and Servants of God are to separate from is from persons holding opinions or living in Practises contrary to Godliness I mean such opinions as tends to a denying of God to be a patterne of Life in his revealed communicable qualities manifested by his word and by the Life of Christ who was the express Image of his Father Heb. 1.3 and the lives of his holy Prophets and Apostles concerning which Paul to Timothy gives an express command 1 Tim 6.3 If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesom words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to Godliness c. from such withdraw thy self and further in the first Chapter and 1 verse But thou oh man of God flie these things and follow after Righteousness Godliness c. Nay the same Apostle to Titus makes this the distinguishing Character of the true faith Titus 1.1 Paul a Servant of God according to the faith of Gods Elect and the truth which is according to Godliness So in Titus 2.11 12 verses for the grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present World and by well considering the scope of those three short Epistles you may plainly observe what the Apostles meaning was by doctrines according to Godliness in all persons of what State of condition soever as in People towards Magistrates 1 Tim 2.1 2 3. Titus 3.1 In Ministers in their places Chap. 3. Chap. 4.6.12 vers 2 Tim. 2.15.24 Chap. 4.2 Titus 1.6 7 8 9. in private Christians towards their Ministers Chap. 5.1 17 18 19. In Servants towards Masters Chap. 6.1 2. Titus 2.9.10 In rich toward the poor Chapter 6.17 18 19 verses In aged men Titus 2 2. In aged women Titus 2 3 4. In young women Titus 2.4 5. In young men vers 6. Teaching us by all those Scriptures with all other of like tendency in the Word of God that then are Opinions to be esteemed contrary to the truth which is according to Godliness when they tend to break the Bonds of natural and Civil relations and to slight the duties of them and fill the Heads and minds of Christians with loose

Ministers p. 140 ERRATA PAge 7 l. 1. r Iohn 17.3 p. 17. l. 8. r. which p. 26. l. 24. for the r. that p. 44. l. 12. for care r. Core p. 60. l. 19. r. unseasonable p. 66. l. 21. r. quoted p. 32. 33. 34. p. 72. last line for peace r. place p. 85. l. 16. r. p. 68. p. 98. l. 8. r. aflictions p. 101. l. 10. for time r. kinde p. 104. l. 11. r. as it is p. 116. l. 11. r. p. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35 p. 119. l. 1. for which r. such GOSPEL-SEPARATION SEPARATED From its Abuses Wherein is asserted the Duty of Gods Churches separating from the World AS it is a Principle in Moral Philosophy that vertue is usualy found in mediums and Vice in extreams so may it be admitted in a great measure that Divine truth is found in mediums Errous in extreams For the Lord was not in the Wind nor in the Earthquake nor in the Fire but in the still small voyce 1 Kings 19.11 12. And therefore the way of truth in Scripture is held forth to be the strait-way Psal 5.8 Isai 40.3 4. and 42 1● Matth. 3.3 in opposition to the crooked ways of Errour Psal 125.5 Prov. 2.15 Therefore they that would walk in the strait-path of truth and peace must take heed they avoid the Errours of the right hand as well as the left Deut. 5.32 Josh ● 7 2 Kings 22.2 Prov. 4 27. Jsai 30.21 all which Scriptures evidence to us that there is danger of running into Errour of both hands which many Christians not duely considering have runne into sad extreams like those people Amos mentions that fled from a Lyon and a Bear hath met them Amos 5.19 And as this sad evill of extreamity hath had its influence over most controversal points at this day amongst the rigid sticklers for them so in especiall manner hath it produced sad effects in the point of separation wherein as on the one hand several professing Christ not duely weighing the bounds the Lord hath set in distinguishing the Precious from the Vile have opened the door of the Church too wide so many others under pretence of separating the sheep from the Goats do shut the door too close and reject those that God hath chosen and keep such sheep out of Christs fold as have his own mark upon them And he that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just even they both are an abomination unto the Lord Pro. 17 15. And therefore that the truth may be found out in this weighty case I shall make an enquiry after the rule of Christ in Church-separation from the world shal therein occasionally discusse the several principles and practices which those that erre in the extreams of either hand are stumbling in that betwixt both the straite and narrow yet sweet and pleasant path of puritie and unitie may be found out and walked in And for the more distinct handling of this matter that the truth I plead for may be as well discerned as the Errour pleaded against I shall state these two general Positions First That it hath been in all ages wherein God hath had a visible Church on earth a duty required by the Lord from such his Church and People to separate themselves in matters of his worship from all the rest of the Nations and People of the world For proof read Exod. 19.6 compared with 1 Kings 8.53 so Ezra 10.11 and 6.21 Exod. 23.16 Lev. 20.23 24 25 26. so Neh. 9 2. and 13.3 Rom. 1.1 2 Cor. 6.1 Secondly That it hath been also required by the Lord as an equal duty from his Church and People so separated to walk together in the practice of all those dutyes of worship and service required at their hands without dividing or separating from one another Deut. 5.1.3 and 18.6 and 1 Kings 8.55.62 1 Chron. 13.5 6 7 8. and 28.21 and 2 Chron. 30.1 and 35.3 Ezra 10.5 Psal 31.23 24. In which Scriptures consider the word ALL Israel and ALL Saints and so Eph. 4. to the 14. Cant. 6.9 Psal 133. Hosea 10 1 2. Rom. 16.17 and 1 Cor. 1.10 and 3.3 and 11.18 But these two Positions thus generally stated I judge will be agreed unto by most if not all sober Christians and therefore I shall spend no time in the demonstration of them in this place but referr the Reader to the Scriptures quoted and to what shall be spoken in the ensuing discourse to the several particulars relating to them And first I desire you to note if the first Position be true then the difference amongst Christians about separation is rather about the manner or extent then the thing for that the church of God in the world should be a separated People from the the World in matters of Gods worship would be ridiculous to deny Therefore the difficulty lieth in a right distinguishing betwixt the World and the Church wherein some would have that part of the World called the Christian World to be the universall Catholique Church and only the Nations of the Jews Turks Pagans c. to be the World but I hope the most vehement against separation among the reformed Churches will not admit this extent if they should it would be a difficult thing for them to clear themselves from those brands of Separatists and Schismaticks cast upon them by the Papists which if they do not they then assent that a separation may be lawfull from a People makeing an outward profession of the Christian Religion But say others when there is not only an outward profession of the Christian Religion but also a competent knowledge of the Doctrine of the Gospel and a suteable life and conversation thereto there are the bounds of the true Church but the terms of this Qualification will admit of so much difficulty in their explanation that the generality of Christians will be as far to seek for their satisfaction in this point as before For first some will interpret that term of a competent knowledge of the doctrine of the Gospel to be a bare ability through education to answer to questions given them in a Catechism which a child of six or Seaven years of age is usually more capable of and expert in then persons of grown yeares which if that be admitted then repentance from dead works and faith towards God Heb. 6.1 with all other Gospel qualifications attending the work of conversion and regeneration may be spared as to Church fellowship on earth But as various as men opinions are in the several points of Religion at this day in controversy so various are their explanations of a competent knowledge of the principles of Religion each makeing those points wherein they differ from others in and separate upon part of those points of Doctrine which the knowledge of is necessary to a Church-member the discussing of all which would take a Treatise by it self Then for the other term of a suitable conversation that will admit of as