Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	commandment_n	love_v	word_n	5,108	5	4.8578	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31126	The conformists sayings, or, The opinion and arguments of kings, bishops, and several divines lately assembled in convocation in favour of those who dissent from the present ceremonies of publick worship by a Minister of the Church of England.	R. C., Minister of the Church of England.	1690 (1690)	Wing C102; ESTC R13828	58,158	82

former sort escaped notwithstanding their profaneness and debauchery but the latter though sound in the same Faith with us and much unblameable in their lives have fallen under the heaviest censures of the Church Further this Toleration hath taken away the scurvyness of the Church-Wardens Oath which in a strict sense of the words if no latitude could be allowed or mitigations of it called for a Presentment of Dissenters without any favour or difference between the weak and the wilful Which because of the ill consequence which too often followed Excommunication and Imprisonment many Church-Wardens were more backward and averse unto Their Consciences would not suffer them to work such evil and trouble to their Christian Brethren Fellow Protestants Loving Neighbours for some small difference not destructive of their Salvation And if we do not like every thing that is in the Act of Toleration best as if any unordained men be allowed Preachers or Teachers of any Congregation if I am not misinformed scarce any setled constant Preachers even among the Independents and Anabaptists but what are Ordained by laying on of Hands Fasting and Prayer the guilt will be to themselves and their hearers c. and not to us Mr. Mason hath proved in his excellent Defence of the Ordination of Ministers beyond the Seas that Ordination by Presbyters is valid See more in Iren. 2d part ch 8. Bishop Jewel Downam Alley Pilkington Bridges Bilson Andrews Davenant Prideaux Usher Dr. Field Nowel Saravia c. And in the Conformist Plea for Non-Conformists part 2d p. 36. and 37. and 50. Those that have the internal call of knowledge and piety are not to be reckoned as Laymen but next to Presbyters As Abbot Bucer and Bishop Jewel Bilson Dr. Benefield c. If we can but bear and forbear with one another in love notwithstanding the diversity of our Judgments we may live happily and hope to see good days Men will now be free from the many fears and jealousies which made them sit uneasie under former Princes and not to enjoy themselves so comfortably when they were so often in danger upon their difference in Religion It is not so long since that almost all Sects were jealous one of another the Church of England of the Church of Rome and her designs and of the Dissenters least they for present ease and Toleration in their Religion should have given away the Test the common security of the Protestant Religion And the Dissenters seemed to be afraid of both of the severities which they had felt from the Church of England and its penal Laws and of greater from the Church of Rome if she got uppermost and to have the power in her own hands And all this because our love was grown cold and our spirits hot with such a zeal got among us which like wild-sire threatned to consume us and our Religion both But sure St. Paul was not mistaken when he called love a more excellent way that love which worketh no ill to its Neighbour Job 6.8 9. And O that I might have my request That God would grant me the thing that I long for even that it would please God to take away the occasions of our unChristian divisions and animosities As he hath begun the work that so it may be continued and ended in him creating peace out of that Chaos of confusion into which we have fallen that Christians as brethren may dwell together in Vnity and Christianity again become lovely to those that are without who used to say of the Primitive Christians vide ut Christiani amant see how these Christians love one another And though to be of one mind and of one judgment is rather to be wished then hoped for in our days yet to be of one heart why should it be thought a thing incredible or impossible I am sure Christs Commandments are not grievous and his command is plain and peremptory for it A new commandment give I unto you John 13.34 to love one another It was put to me at my Ordination in these words or to this effect Will you promote Love and Concord among all Christian people but especially those of your Charge My Answer was I will do so by the help of God And I trust I have done so herein And since the most effectual means for love and peace is as full an Vnion as we can attain unto lessening our differences and enlarging our Communion as much as may be And since as Mr. Wake on Rom. 15 5 6 7. p. 31. Never certainly was there a time since our Divisions first began in which we had greater reason to consider of an Union or I hope a fairer opportunity to promise our selves an accomplishment of it saith he Let us all be as careful to improve it as I am perswaded we have all of us not only seem'd to desire but indeed earnestly long'd for it And I hope my Fathers will shew themselves Patres Patriae by their Fatherly care and concern for the Churches good and peace and will not think it too much for so great and good a work as an happy re-Union which as Mr. De L' Angle in his Letter to his Lordship the Bishop of London Will rejoyce Men and Angels and bring down a thousand blessings of Heaven and Earth upon those that shall contribute the most unto it Vnreason of Sep. p. 424. to part with a Ceremony to alter an expression or two in the Common-Prayers and to do somewhat more for peace now that there is a time for such a thing And surely there is no such wide breach and great a difference but that there might be a closing if we did but heartily desire it and each side would yield somewhat for peace sake And as our Church hath yielded to accept of a subscription to the thirty six Articles leaving out those in controversie she shows thereby that she knows how to yield in other things in case it will attain the end and our dissenting Brethren in any considerable number can be perswaded to return into the Communion of our Church God who is the Authour of Peace and Lover of Concord make us all in love with Peace that we may be followers of these burning and shining lights guiding our feet into the way of peace 2 Cor. 13.11 That the God of Love and Peace may be with us For which I shall never cease to intercede at the Throne of Grace as A Friend of Peace R. C. A Copy of Verses made by the Author of the Collections CHerubims and Seraphims the Host of Love And Numbers numberless of Saints above Free from strife which wretched Mortals below Ever contending to their sorrow know Exalt ye Loves praise make it heard on high All our life we strive and last struggling dye Ah Jesu's Spouse Christian call'd of old By Sectarian names now manifold Wedded to Peter and the Vatican Become Calvinist else a Lutheran One Church of the East t' other of the West Divisions have

deal with the weaker as Aliens but as Brethren not to proceed presently unto Separation Rejection Anathematization but to restore those that are overtaken with an Error in the spirit of Meekness Dr. Alestry Serm. 9. pag. 170. Censuring the abuse of Excommunication If they be not so happy as to be Orthodox sending them down to Hell directly Dr. Barrow In his Vnity of the Church Speaking of the Roman Churches If Churches do maintain impious Errors if they do prescribe naughty practices if they do reject communion and peace upon reasonable Tearms if they vent unjust and uncharitable censures c. If they damn and persecute all that refuse to be their Subjects in such cases we may Reject such Churches as Heretical or Schismatical or wickedly uncharitable and unjust in their proceedings Dr. More in his Pref. to the Mistery of Godliness pag. 19 The Object of Church discipline ought to contain nothing but the indisputable Truths of our Religion namely the generally acknowledged Articles of the Christian Faith and plain indispensable Duties of Life for these are such as deserve to be held up with all possible care and strictness Other things so gently recommended that no conscientious man may be pinched by them Dr. Stillingfleet 's Preface to Irenicum What possible Reason can be assigned why such things should not be sufficient for communion with a Church which are sufficient for Eternal Salvatition And certainly those things are sufficient for that which are laid down as necessary Duty 's of Christianity by our Lord and Saviour in his Word Dr. Cave 's Gospel preached to the Romans Serm. 4. pag. 89. God be thanked such is the present Moderation of our Churches Ecclesiastical constitutions our penalties are not for Destruction but for correction and amendment we punish none for their bare opinions and readily embrace every Returning Penitent Item pag. 87. We must above all things put on Charity and when we come to reprove rebuke and to inflict Spiritual Censures and Punishments we must distinguish as tenderly as we can between the wilful and the weak the obstinate and the Ignorant the obstinate we must endeavour to save with Fear plucking them out of the Fire with them we must be more sharp and severe in our Admonitions and Threatnings But on the weak we must have Compassion who may be supposed to Err through simplicity or the fervors of Devotion and ought to be treated with a fatherly Tenderness for to be restored if possible conformable unto the Doctrine of St. Paul to Timothy with the Spirit of meekness Stop to the Course of Separation The just Reasons of Excommunication are the same all over the World which is obstinate persisting in great Transgressions of the general Precepts of the Gospel At the end of the Book Vnion of the Catholick Church pag. 10. Every difference in Judgment when no violence is offered to the Catholick Faith and Unity must not break this Communion according to that profession of St. Cyprian judging no man nor excluding him from the Right of Communion if he think otherwise where the dispute was thought of no mean concernment Which St. Augustine often alledgeth against the Donatists and condemns Victor pag. 11th who was hastening to Excommunicate the Asian Churches for their difference in Celebration of Easter True State of the Primitive Church Be charitable to the weak proceed not so severely against them in your Courts of Judicature but Remember what St. Paul says Col. 2. in respect of Ceremonies Let no man judge you c. Will you in respect of such shadows judge Excommunicate Sentence to Everlasting Flames the Soul that holds of the Body of Christ believes all his Holy Gospel accords with you in one Faith one Baptisme c. Will you condemn such an one to Eternal Death God Forbid Conformists Plea for the Nonconformists Part 4. pag. 101. We can represent and inveigh against Schism as the sin against the Holy Ghost A Sin unto Death indeed in some sence because it is so contrary to Charity and Peace and destructive of the Life of Saints which doth much consist in their Communion But were we impartial we should as warmly admonish our own hearts to take heed of Schismatical Passions and excommunicate them from within us as admonish and cast out others that differ from us Idem pag. 20. We are forward to blame the more rigid sort of Separatists for not coming to our Worship and why are we so rigid as to forbear all Christian Communion with them as if Christianity were all lost among them I do declare that I hold Mental Communion with all the Holy Brethren and am prepared for Local and External Communion with them in all Christian Duties and Ordinances Dr. Hammond 's Annotations on the New Testament Rom. 14.17 18. Christianity consists not in such External Matters as Meats but in the practice of Christian Vertues such are Mercifulness and Peaceableness c. not dividing and hating and Excommunicating one another and 14. chap. ver 13. And therefore let this Fault be mended do not any longer Censure and seperate from one anothers Communion for such things as these Doctor Hammond of Schism p. 16. Because the Governours being men may possibly Err and consequently censure and Excommunicate the innocent its possible the person excluded may be innocent he that is Excommunicate unjustly cannot be rendred criminous by that misfortune p. 17. he cites Photius Patriarch of Constantinople the Excommunication of the Jewish Sanhedrim sent out against Christs Disciples brought them so much nearer to their Lord and Master and Alien'd the Jews themselves removed them so much the farther from the Kingdom of Heaven and so doth all unjust Excommunication unite us to the Apostles by this Conformity with and participation of their sufferings Bishop Jewels defence of the Apol. p. 583. Brings in St. Augustine saying Quid obest homini What is a man the worse if the ignorance of a man strike him out of the Book of the Church if ill conscience strike him not out of the Book of Life In this case St. Augustine saith it cometh sometime to pass Vt plurimae sint foris oves intus Lupi That there be many Sheep without the Church and many Wolves within And in your own Law Mr. Harding it is written thus Qui illicite alium Excom c. He that unlawfully Excommunicates another condemneth himself and not another That our Love must be Catholick HOmily of Christian Love and Charity p. 36. Charity is to love every man good and evil friend and foe and whatsoever Cause be given to the Contrary yet nevertheless to bear good will and heart to every man to use our-selves well unto them as well in Words and countenances as in all other Acts and deeds for so Christ himself taught and so also he performed indeed and for as much as the Pharisees with their false glosses had Corrupted this love of our neighbour teaching that this love and Charity