Selected quad for the lemma: order_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
order_n	church_n	power_n	set_v	2,412	5	5.6684	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80742	Gospel-libertie in the extensions limitations of it. Wherein is laid down an exact way to end the present dissentions, and to preserve future peace among the Saints. VVhereunto is added good newes from heaven; to the worst of sinners on earth. The former in nine sermons on 1 Cor. 10. 23. All things are lawfull for me, but all things are not expeaient. The latter in three sermons on Luke 2. 10. Feare not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. By Walter Cradock late preacher at All-Hallows Great in London;	Cradock, Walter, 1606?-1659.; Homes, Nathanael, 1599-1678.	1648 (1648)	Wing C6762A; ESTC R204983	178,682	290

to one that it is a thing that never will be wee strive about a thing that is a great way off it is a hundred to one if any of us ever come to the practise of that we strive for Wee all agree there shall be a company of Saints a company of visible Believers and that there shall be power in the Church to order and governe things that the Church shall determine as it did in Jerusalem Let us goe so far let us have Churches reformed and set the power in them and let them rule then if there be occasion for people to appeale God will either open mens eyes or else in expediency as I shall shew by and by they shall be directed But wee strive as I told you as if you and I should strive who should enter into the gates of Venice first and wee know not whether either of us shall come there We strive about to morrow we have present miseries enough we need not strive about things that are to come ten yeares hence and it may be will never come Wee are fooles are we sure that the Kingdome will stand or that wee shall have our lives and yet wee goe and strive about a nick that is the farthest of all things Whereas as for outward things sufficient for the day is the griefe thereof Goe on in love and when it comes to that wee shall see more light This is the greatest indiscretion in England to strive about a thing that is never like to come to passe 4. Because neither side can prove what they would have Fourthly and lastly there should be no strife because as the Presbyteriall godly men they cannot nor will prove such a thing to be an absolute rule for all the Churches and for all Saints Say there were such a rule in Acts 15. Doth it follow that it is a rule for all Churches and for all Saints VVhy doe we not also sell our lands and give to our brethren Let them but shew me a ground why that example should be made an absolute rule Therefore as a man cannot shew nor never will an absolute rule to binde all the Saints through the world to doe so So on the other side the Independents cannot prove but it may be expedient in divers cases therefore the one seemes to act necessarily the other probably to be expedient by right reason and the law of nature If a Church cannot agree among themselves and what cause of strife is there in this Suppose one should say to me come out of that house or else you will be destroyed the house will fall upon you I beleive not that there is a necessity but I think it is expedient because the house is old he thinks it is of necessity and I think it expedient is there any cause of strife in this So put these together and see how we are deluded by the Devill and our own hearts to make strife about a thing that may never be Therefore there is no reason for it But that I may satisfie you a little more you will say what is there no more difference between Presbyterians and Independents I have heard that there is more difference between them than between the Cavaleirs and the other party that they are ready to cut one anothers throats If there be no more betweene them how comes this contention among them I think of all the contentions that ever were among the Saints from Christs time till now there was never such a mystery in any contention as there is in this And but that I would not take up so much time I could goe neere to open this mystery how the devill and our own hearts have got the strangest mystery to set the Saints together by the eares that ever was but I cannot stay upon that But if you ask me how it comes to passe You know a little sparke will bring a great flame a little contention is as the letting out of waters It is no wonder it is the nature of contention to multiply as it is the nature of fire to grow bigger it comes from the devill and our own hearts The present contentions from If you ask me how it comes from men I say it comes from five sorts of people and it may be you and I and the most of us have a hand in blowing this fire the Lord shew it to us all that we may labour to be peace makers and so be blessed Weak Christians The first sort of people are weak carnall Christians there may be those that are called Independents that are carnall I mean not carnall as though they had no grace but in the Apostles sense 1 Cor 3. Are yee not carnall that is those that have but a little grace and have a great deale of rashnes and peevishnes and giddiness and pettishnesse and censoriousnesse They are people that have a great deale of zeale many of them but it is without knowledge without wisdome to manage it They see part of the will of God and of the truth of God but not all as the Sun shines on one part of the earth and the other is dark and in that part they see the substance but eye not the circumstance they care not if all the world be against them or whom they edifie or whom they destroy if they have the command of Christ they will doe it And these people though they be godly as a godly man saith of them there is a new light comming into their souls but they have not grace to mannage it and so they goe headlong It is a good light but they have not grace to mannage it and that light by reason of their corruptions and temptations kindles contention in the Churches They must be sharply reproved Therefore if wee would have peace which is our great desire wee must admonish and rebuke them sharply they are full of censoriousnesse and pettishnes and have many harsh and unseemly words These must be reproved and there must be a course taken to binde up their spirits or else it will be hard to have peace Then secondly there is another generation of people that exceedingly blow up the fire Carnal Presbyterians that are contrary to those that is a generation of carnall men that have nothing of God in them that usurp to themselves commonly the name of Presbytery they would be called though falsly Presbyterians Though Presbytery be an honourable word and it is an honourable thing and they be honourable men that hold it and godly men But many that would be called Presbyterians taking a good name misapplying it to themselves they are wolves in sheeps clothing they talk of reforming the Church and yet they would set the Saints as so many Tigers together by the eares I mean not by these any godly men But you may know them if you take notice of their persons usually they are the Prelaticall men such as were surrogates to Bishops

coming to speak of ordering their conversation saith he Finally brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report If there be any vertue Things true what if there be any praise think of these things Doe these things meditate on these things Whatsoever things are true I conceive that the meaning is this I look on these things not as if the Apostle did give rules of good and evil but sets down an excellent way for indifferent things whatsoever things are true If there be any thing that carries no resemblance of deceit and falshood take that but if it be a busines that you must say and unsay and doe undoe that you must be both an honest man and a knave meddle not with that though it be lawfull let it be for another Things honest what And whatsoever things are honest or whatsoever things are grave as the Originall is or venerable as it is in your margine for there is honesty before honestus is as much as honorabilis whatsoever is grave and venerable that doe A Saint should have such gravity in him that he should avoid any thing that is beneath him A Saint is a glorious creature he is an heire of heaven they are the sons and daughters of God every little childish thing becomes not him Therefore gravity is opposed to lightnesse and frothinesse He goes farther If any thing be pure Things pare what There are many things that you cannot say are unlawful yet there are many druggs among them that are like sin I could give instances there are many nooks and nicks and carriages that are like sin that are mingled O if a thing be pure take that if it be honest and just and plain and true Things lovely take that Whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report If there be any vertue or any praise doe that To speak briefly and plainly there are many hundreds of lawfull things that are not lovely for a Saint I could name divers Is it not lawfull to doe this and that it is lawfull but it is not lovely a Saint should doe nothing but that which is lovely And whatsoever is of good report Of good report A young-man and a maid may be in an ale-house or a Taverne I doe not say it it unlawful if they be honest there but it is not lovely it is not of good report people talk not well of such things So you have twenty words in buying and selling and you will aske twenty shillings and take halfe so much and say is it not lawful I say it is not lovely it is not lovely in the eye of a Turk for a Professor to ask twenty for that for which he will take ten The Apostle goes on if their be any vertue or praise that is if there be any thing that carries praise to religion or that seems to have vertue or excellency or worth in it keep to those things meditate upon them goe about them though not for the praise sake Praise worthy VVe do not a thing that hath praise in it to have the praise but doe the thing that is commendable of it self Praise only to God and let the praise be to God As in that place Mat. 6. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your father which is in heaven I must walk that my light may glorifie my Father but that must not be the end of my walking that men may see my good works Christ forbids that So the end of my actions must not be to get praise yet I must choose as becometh a Saint to doe those actions that have praise and vertue in them the praise must be to God and to religion and it will be to the doer also Therefore what is this now that all things are lawfull but all things are not expedient That is all lawful things are not true they are not pure they are not lovely they are not of good report all lawfull things have not vertue in them many lawfull things bring no praise this is the meaning of the Doctrine Lastly there is one word more Christians must walk orderly all lawfull things are not expedient that is as they doe not conduce to the profit and good of others they are not convenient they are not laudable and commendable So lastly it comprehends this they are not orderly that is the last rule Every lawfull thing is not orderly we break order many times in doing of lawfull things The Apostle summes up all in this Let every thing be done decently and in ORDER I speak not only that wee are to doe things orderly that Christ hath instituted though that be true yet that is not my drift but in things that are not determined they must be done orderly and not confusedly As the thiefe on the crosse said concerning Christ that he did nothing out of its place that is hee did not only not doe evil but hee did not doe good in a disorderly way So in Ephes 5. we are said to be washed by Christ and to be without spot or wrinckle every thing in the meet place of it So a Christian should walk orderly not only in that which is good but in indifferent things But you will say What is it to walk orderly Beloved you crosse order and doe lawfull things disorderly when you doe them either preposterously or confusedly But you will say I understand not that A thing done disorderly I will tell you more plainly you doe a thing disorderly two wayes First when in the doing of an action you cast it so as that you misse of the end of that action 1. When the end is missed or do not attaine to the end in the best way As for instance the word in the originall in the Thessallonians to walk orderly it is taken from an Army you say an Army is orderly set in battalia in the feild When is an Army in order Then when it is set in such a posture as it may best attaine to its end what is that to defend themselves and overcome their enemyes a disorderly Army is like to be undone and routed and to doe noe good so to doe a thing orderly to pray and to read and to heare and all that belong to those when we so passe them as we may best attaine the end of praying and hearing and all these things then we doe them orderly for we cannot tie the saints to pray this way and to preach on that fashion but we must doe every thing in the best order as may conduce to the end of prayer and preaching c. Secondly people doe thing 2. When one dutie justles out another disorderly when they make one thing to justle put out another that is disorder 1. Cor 14. The