Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A40635
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Peace and holiness in three sermons upon several occasions / by Ignatius Fuller.
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Fuller, Ignatius, 1624 or 5-1711.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing F2390; Wing F2391; Wing F2392; ESTC R2184
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61,487
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158
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not enter nor dwell in the body that is subject Wis 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto sin Wickedness is destructive of principles and this notion is agreeable to the sence of all mankind Amongst the Gentiles before a man could be imbued with the discipline of the Eleusinia Sacra or the holy things of the Magna Mater he must by certain degrees and definite intervals of time be purged from the pollutions of this life and the sordes of his sins They had their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and at length their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their publick purgations their more recondid their aggregations initiations and then their visions So we read no man could be consummate in the mysteries of Mythra unless having passed through many degrees of punishments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. he present himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 holy and unhurt He must go through fire and water hunger and thirst great travels and such like 80 in number First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The lighter then the more laboursome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Candidate is consummate So the Primitive Christians always caused the Via purgativa to precede the via illuminativa from whom the mystical Divines had it So the pretended Dionysius distinguishes the operation of the sacred Mysteries into three actions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 divided by their proper rites and seasons purgation initiation and perfection The like we may observe in the whole procedure of the antient Church either concerning such as were to be made Christians or were to be restored to the communion of the faithful and the first must go through the state of Catechumens then of competents before they could be fideles But touching 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their lapsed their discipline was very severe They were to go through 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 four places of punishments which they rarely underwent in less than twelve years So true it is that the wisdom which is from above is first James 3. 17. pure then peaceable The restauration of which Discipline Res Deo gratior absque dubio quam de fidei dog matis subtiliter disputare extra scripturas omnes dissentientes ferro flamma prosequi in quo hodie summus pietatis apex ponitur Isa Casaub 1 Cor. 5. 19. Gal. 5. 6. 6 15. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. in the Church would be doubtless more acceptable to God Almighty than our extrascriptural and subtle determinations of Articles of our Faith and the prosecution of all Dissenters with fire and sword which at this day is the height of some mens Religion saith the Great Casaubon Which yet St. Paul places neither in circumcision nor uncircumcision but in the new creature i. e. in faith that works by love or in the keeping of the commandments of God And which will most evidently appear if we consider that the great end and design of Religion is to entitle us unto and invest us with a Life after Death and a blessed Immortality Now let us consider first what it is that secludes us from that State Saint Paul will tell you it is unrighteousness Galat. 5. 19. Fornication Idolatry Adultery Effeminacy Sodomy Theft Covetousness drunkenness Reviling Extortion Vncleanness Lasciviousness Witchcraft Hatred Variance emulation Wrath strife Sedition Heresies Envyings Murthers Revellings and such like I have told you before and I tell you again saith the Apostle That they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God What is it then that admits into that Kingdom our Lord will answer that question How readest thou saith he to Luke 10. 26. the Lawyer who had asked him what he must do to inherit Eternal life Thus I read Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. which is no otherwise exemplified than by keeping his Commands and thy Neighbour as thy self this do and thou shalt live saith Christ Herein also did the antient Church place the Essence of Christian Religion whereof I will give you assurance from Witnesses Domestick and Forreign J. Martyr If you shall observe any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 J. M. 2. Apolog. to live not as our Lord hath taught 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let all the World know they are no Christians although they make never such Orthodox Confessions of their Faith So Athenagoras 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athen. leg No Christian is a wicked man unless he be such an one as doth dissemble his profession So Tertullian You would have us renounce the name of Christian we are excluded if our lives be as the lives Excludimur si faci mus quae faciunt non Christiani of such as are not Christians And upbraiding to the Gentiles that their Prisons Mines and Beasts were daily cloyed with Malefactors he tells them There is not a Christian amongst them Nemo illic Christianus nisi plauè tantùm Christianus aut si aliud jam non Christianus unless he be there for his Christianity only for if he be upon any other account he is no Christian And again You will say even some of ours do swerve from the Rule of our Discipline then they cease to be accounted Christians amongst Desinunt tum Christiani haberi apud nos Apol. Haec non admittet omniuo qui natus à Deo fuerit non futurus Dei filiussi admiserit De vestro numero carcer exaestuat Christianus ibi nullus nisi aut reus suae c. us And in another Treatise having enumerated very many of the works of the Flesh he says He that is born of God will by no means commit these things for if he should commit them he would be no longer the son of God So Minucius Felix Your Prisons are crowded with your own number but not a Christian amongst them nisi aut reus suae Religionis aut profugus unless guilty only of his Religion or a Runagado from it So Lucian in his Peregrinus tells us They worshipped their crucified Sophist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ep. 97. and lived according to his Laws So Pliny to Trajan tells us speaking of Christians They were wont to convene on a set day before it was light and there Carmen Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem Ne furta ne latrocinia ne adulteria committerent ne fidem fallerent ne depositum appellati abnegarent Ad capiendum cibum promiscuum tamen innoxium Mic. 6. 8. James 1. 27. to sing alternatly an Hymn to Christ as if he were God and to bind themselves by oath to no wickedness but that they would commit no Thefts nor Robberies nor Adulteries nor break their faith nor betray their trust which done they were wont to depart and to meet again to eat bread in common but very innocently Agreeably hereunto doth the