Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	blood_n	life_n	lord_n	4,921	5	3.7317	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64555	Animadversions upon a late treatise, entituled The Protestant reconciler, humbly pleading for condescention to dissenting brethren in things indifferent and unnecessary for the sake of peace and shewing how unreasonable it is to make such things the necessary conditions of communion by a well-wisher to the churches peace, and a lamenter of her sad divisions.	S. T. (Samuel Thomas), 1627-1693.	1683 (1683)	Wing T971; ESTC R17255	66,638	174

Scope and Importance of that Preface is sufficiently included in the fore-recited Declaration wherein the Church so far as she thought convenient hath charitably obviaied that Offence which might otherwise have been taken by those who either for Ignorance and Infirmity or else for Malice and Obstinacy misconstrued and depraved her Appointments And it is not consistent with Truth to assert that this whole Preface was left out nor ingenuous to insinuate that it was done upon any evil design Some mistake the Reconciler could not chuse upon reflection but be conscious of here And therefore when he repeats it again and calls it the Protestation concerning this Gesture he expresseth himself a little more warily Part of which Words are now omitted p. 〈◊〉 in our present Luturgy viz. that important Truth that so much as conveniently may be Offences should be taken away Where yet I see no reason for the challenge of this Omission of a Truth every-where acknowledged and which was the Foundation and Purport of the whole declaration But enough of this Lastly The Appointment of the Church touching Kneeling at the Sacrament is so much the more reasonable and unexceptionable because at the very Act of Receiving she hath also ordered a devout Prayer on the Communicant's behalf which by a fervent Amen he is concerned himself to ingeminate The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee preserve thy Body and Soul to everlasting Life And here saith the Scotch Liturgy shall the Receiver say Amen The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for thee preserve thy Body and Soul unto everlasting Life Here again saith that Liturgy the Party receiving shall say Amen Now therefore if the Dissenters scruple not to Kneel at their solemn Praiers they need not so to do in the Act of Receiving the Lord's Supper as it is by the Church of England appointed to be administred Upon the whole I may well say considering the Plainness of the thing and the frequent Apologies made by the Church and her Sons for it that if any shall yet oppose his own conceited Opinion against all this Evidence and Charity as Mr. Calvin saith upon a like occasion touching Church-Orders Viderit ipse In●● 1. 4. c. 10. quâ morositatem suam ratione Domino approbat Let him see what defence he can make before God for his Sturdiness or Frowardness And yet after all I do humbly conceive the Church of England would be The Chur●h of England would do●b●les● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 could 〈◊〉 so doing reasonably 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●ecommend●d from 〈◊〉 in th● 〈◊〉 of ●● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 content even to injure her imposing Power in this most reasonable matter could she hope by so doing to reclaim the Dissenting Laity to her Communion And I think it might deserve to be propounded with submission to her Wisdom whether as matters with us stand the Punishment however for the Omission might not be rather commuted by the sanction of the Civil Magistrate into some Temporal or Pecuniary Mulct for charitable Uses And one Reason here might be taken from the common Observation of the great success of the Test of late which brought so many to the Church-communion whom the dread of any spiritual Censures had but little influence upon I will close this Controversy about the Imposition of Ceremonies in the Words of Bp. Gauden when His Majesty's Consideratious touching the Liturgy P. 38. Condescending Declaration was yet fresh Certainly Humane Ecclesiastical Ceremonies like Shadows neither fill nor burthen any Conscience of themselves That which is considerable in them is as they are in their nature and use comely for the Duty and Instances either of Obedience or of Charity and Unity And it is no less certain whatever Indulgence as to the Penalty or Practice of Ceremonies His Majesty's Clemency may please to grant to some Men of weak Minds and scrupulous Consciences in these things which Royal Charity no good Christian will repine at provided it be used with Meekness and Humility not Insolence and Factiousness yet as to the Principle which NB. the Church of England went by in matter of Ceremonies it is most true and undeniably to be maintain'd even to the Death that this National Church as all others hath from the Word of God Liberty Power and Authority within its own Polity and Bounds to judg of what seems to it most agreeable and decent as to any Circumstance or Ceremony in the Worship of God which the Lord hath left unconfined free and indifferent in its nature and only to be regulated and confined by every such Ecclesiastical Polity within it self where the Consent of the major Part of Church and State both in Councils and Parliaments includes the whole and may enjoin its Rules and Orders in these things upon all under its Jurisdiction and within its Communion As well as a Master of a Family may appoint the Time Place Manner and Measure Gesture and Vesture wherein he will have all his Family to serve God with him And very few I think if any do ☞ scruple our Ceremonies which are as St. Augustin would have them few in Number easy in Practice apt in Signification who do not also strike at this Doctrinal Principle upon which the Church hath proceeded and which she cannot discharge without a wrong to her self and the whole Catholick Church of Christ And this is a sufficient Vindication to the Reverence and Respect by the Church of England born unto Antiquity in this case that she retains and goes upon that General Rule whereby the Customs and Canons of the Churches of God have been founded from the Beginning Nor is it any prejudice to her Sincerity in this Reverence that she hath also shewed her Liberty in forbearing some Ceremonies then in use as well as her Authority in enjoining others and above all her Moderation in that she hath been content with so small a Number so small a number I say that she is not liable to be charged in any thing so much as in this but that she hath also reserved to her self a Power of Ordaining Act of Uniform 1 Eliz. and Publishing such farther Ceremonies as may be most for the Advancement of God's Glory the Edifying of his Church and the due Reverence of Christ's holy Mysteries and Sacraments And this again is Compurgation enough to her Equity in departing from the Church of Rome that Abuses removed she continues some indifferent Ceremonies still in common with her as a standing Testimony that she would never have been divided from her Communion upon the account of things indifferent no Holiness or Superstition placed in them But how monstrously unreasonable is it for any now to fly in the face of this Church on the score of three Ceremonies only but one of which is imposed on the Laity when the Reconciler can tell them of twenty more that she might have vouched

any cause so the other that remain are retained for a Discipline and Order which upon just causes may be altered and changed and therefore are not to be esteemed equal with God's Law * So before certain Articles of Qu. Elizab. 1554. These Orders and Rules have been thought meet and convenient to be used and followed not yet prescribing These Rules as Laws equivalent with the eternal Word of God and as of necessity to ●ind the Consciences of her Subjects in the Nature of them considered in themselves c. And moreover they be neither dark nor dumb Ceremonies but are so set forth that every man may understand what they do mean and to what use they do serve So that it is not like that in time to come they should be abused as the other have been And in These our doings we condemn no other Nations nor prescribe The Churches Equity in prescribing to none but her own Members any thing but to our own People only For we think it convenient that every Country should use such Ceremonies as they shall think best to the setting forth of God's Honour and Glory and to the reducing of the People to a most perfect and godly living without Error or Superstition and that they should put away other things which from time to time they perceive to be most abused as in mens Ordinances it often chanceth diversly in divers Countrys Now here it is plain enough That the Church of England doth judge her self sufficiently Authorized to prescribe certain Ceremonies and That in her Determinations about them she hath steered an even course between all Extreams and carried her self with a due Temper and Moderation Equity and Reasonableness studying to please God and profit all men That she hath put away many for the burthen of their multitude for the darkness of their signification for their Judacial Servility and all that did burthen mens Consciences or which she look'd upon so far abused that the Abuses could not be well taken away the things yet remaining And That she hath retained some as requisite and convenient for a decent Order and godly Discipline and apt to stir up the dull mind of man to the remembrance of his Duty to God by some not able and special signification whereby he might be edified That she the rather approved them for being significant neither dark nor dumb Ceremonies but so set forth that every man may understand both their meaning and use and such as she thought not like in time to come to be abused as others had been That she doth not Certainly never any Church laid 〈◊〉 weight upon its owa Orders supposing that it believes them to be just and reasonable It places no Holiness no merit or efficacy in them as to the obtaining the Grace and Favour of God It expects obedience only for Order and peace●●●● It hath taken great care by Prefaces and Canons and Rubricks to prevent any misinterpretation of its intention design Dr. Still Serm. of Superstition equalize These her Prescriptions with God's Law but pronounce them alterable upon just Causes by the same Authority which doth appoint them That in This use of her power she hath not exceeded her proper compass prescribing to none but her own people That in her choice of Ceremonies she hath had a special reverence and respect to Antiquity That she hath offended none whom good Reason may satisfie And That however the keeping or omitting of a Ceremony be in it self consider'd but a small thing yet the wilful and contemptuous transgressing and breaking of a common Order and Discipline is no small offence before God How easie were it at the rate of ☞ some mens Arguings for a prophane Wit to blaspheme the severities of divine Justice upon all the World for Ab quam de minimo perivimus Tantum malam attulit melus Em. Tuesaur but eating an Apple of the forbidden Tree in Paradise Or on the poor man for but gathering a few Sticks on the Sabbath Or on Uzzah for but putting forth his hand to stay the tottering Ark c. Which yet I urge not here to contradict the Churches plain Declarations that her Prescriptions are not equal to the Laws of God but upon a due consideration that wheresoever they thwart not the immediate Laws of The lesser the thing the greater and more inexcusable the disobedience If the Prophet had bid thee do some great thing how much rather men 2 Kings v. xiij God they are Divine too at the second hand Divine by vertue of the Fifth Commandment and we by God obliged to obey them not only for wrath but conscience-sake 'T is the great aggravation of the obstinacy and contempt of wilful Disobedience that it is in Matters small and little in themselves consider'd And all the Censures of the Church Proceed against This Contumacy only Now then is it not strange that the Reconciler professing so much Reverence as he doth to the Apostolical Rulers of the Church and the Church of England his Dear Mother should yet load them and her with ☜ the imputation of such horrid Guilts as he doth on the score of the Imposition of few Ceremonies That he should use such like Expostulations and Expressions as These that follow in the Case May it not be wondred how they can call such Ceremonies imposed P. 33. as the condition of Communion to no profit or benefit of any and to the great peril yea hurt and destruction of many all Circumstances considered Things Indifferent To call the Ceremonies inoffensive P. 335. is to affirm what never can be proved Myriads of Souls are cast out of the Church and given up to Satan P. 5. for Ceremonies and things confessedly indifferent and can This Doctrine be of God the God of Love and Peace which hath these bitter Fruits Why do Superiours still continue the imposition of those indifferent things which do occasion the schism P. 30 31. and consequently the destruction of so many precious and immortal Souls How is the Charity of God or Love of our Neighbour in our hearts if when we may remove such dangerous stumbling-blocks to the P. 31 32. weak and simple people we will not remove them but lay them still before their feet and work the danger of their everlasting destruction for whom our Saviour shed his precious Blood Do they act conformably to These great Duties who will not to prevent the Ruine of many Myriads of immortal Souls forbear the imposing of unnecessary things Do P. 34. they put such a value on them as our God and Saviour did Or are they sit to press these Arguments on others who do themselves prefer such Trisles before the Souls for which Christ died This I am perswaded is one of the provoking sins of the Consormists that they have been so backward in doing what they were convinc'd they might have done with a good Conscience when they