Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	apostle_n	church_n	elder_n	5,779	5	10.2377	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07822	Salomon or A treatise declaring the state of the kingdome of Israel, as it was in the daies of Salomon Whereunto is annexed another treatise, of the Church: or more particularly, of the right constitution of a Church.	Morton, Thomas, of Berwick.	1596 (1596)	STC 18197.7; ESTC S112936	159,289	238

ought to haue vse and shew in all his dealings with the Church and especially in giuing lawes for the ordering of it For although in other matters his will may in some sort stand for a law yet in this case he ought not to be so peremptorie or wilfull but that he doe willingly suffer himselfe to be ruled by the worde of God to doe that which is most agreeable vnto it And forasmuch as in indifferent things wherof these lawes are to be made it is not alwaies easie to see what is most right and meete to be done and for that ciuill rulers haue not the extraordinarie assistance and the spirit of God to direct them in these actions therefore it is needfull that they consult with others take their aduise in making lawes for the Church and so much the rather as an ouersight in gouerning the Church is more hurtfull then it is in ciuill mattes If it be here asked who ought to be admitted to this waightie consultation and what is the whole order of this action we referr●●he answere hereof to the next chapter CHAP. X. Of the coniunction of particular Churches Sect. 1. Of the voluntarie coniunction of particular Churches vnder the gouernment of councels THVS much of a particuiar Church seuerally considered and being distinguished from all others by the proprietie of humane ecclesiasticall lawes or more plainely by a distinct gouernment euen as we see one citie countrie or kingdome to be separated from another by the owne limits whether hils riuers seas or any other thus the Church which was planted at Corinth by the Apostle was free from all other Churches being not bound to their lawes and orders Yet often it commeth to passe that they are ioyned together and that euen in this bonde of humane gouernment by the which they are vsually seuered one from another Of this coniunction we are briefly to entreate the which we find to be of two sortes the one voluntarie the other necessarie voluntarie coniunction is that whereby particular Churches which otherwise are free from all humane authoritie and iurisdiction doe submit themselues to a common-guernment for their common good as we see that free cities enter into a league and a common-gouernment that so they may be the better ordered The subiect of this authoritie are councels prouinciall naturall and generall which are assemblies of certaine men sente from particular Churches with authoritie to iudge and determine of the waightie causes of those Churches In these councels we are to consider first their originall and authority and secondly of whom they doe consist For the first although the gouernment which God hath appointed for the ordering of Churches in particular be in it selfe sufficient for that purpose yet there is many waies great vse of this common-gouernment of counsels For there is not so greate force and authoritie for the repressing of the stubborne and disobedient for the resoluing of doubtes the deciding of waightie controuersies the confirming of the trueth of doctrine the resuting of pernitious heresies the making of ecclesiasticall constitutions of rites and ceremonies and finally for the ordering of great waightie matters in the ministerie of any one Church as there is in a greate number whose godlinesse wisedome and learning are famously knowen to all men Yea there is among many excellent men greate varietie of knowledge wisedome and all spirituall graces the which being ioyned together are more auailable for the edifying of the Church then if they were onely seuerally vsed in particular Churches For these causes was this common gouernment of councels instituted in the Church at the first and hath continued in all the ages of it The first example of a councell in the time of the gospell is Act. 15.6 where all the Apostles and the whole Church which was at Ierusalem come tog●ther for the deciding of a great controuersie moued about the keeping of the cer●moniall lawe But this counsell although in force and authoritie it was occumenical or generall in that the constitutions made then by the Apostles did belong to all the Churches in the worlde yet in act and in deede it was a particular assemblie of that one Church which was at Ierusalem consisting of the Apostles Elders and of the whole people as appeareth Vers. 22. so that this example serueth not for our purpose neyther proueth the diuine institution of prouincial councels Yea as it seemeth we haue not any example or precept of this coniunction of particular Churches mentioned in the actes writinges of the Apostles or elsewhere in the holy scripture Whe●eof some haue gathered that these councels are vnlawfull and their authoritie vsurped being not of God but from man and that there is no other gou●rnment appointed for the Church but that which may be had within the compasse of euerie particular Church For answere whereof we knowe that of lawfull things some are necessarie being commaunded by God so that the omitting of them is sinne in his sight but other things are so lawfull as that they may la●fully be left vndone being not commanded but permitted to vs to doe when we shal thinke them conuenient Of this latter kinde are these common councels and this voluntary coniunction of diuerse Churches vnder one gouernment For we haue no flat commaundement in the word as touching it neither can any Church be compelled to ioyne in this manner yet one Church may lawfully vse the helpe of an other for their mutuall good If it be here obiected that it is not in the power of man to appointe any other forme of Church-gouernment then God himselfe hath prescribed in his worde we answere that these common councels do not take away the gouernment of particular churches but rather do establishe it yea make it more effectuall and forcible and supplieth the wantes the which by reason of the infirmitie and wants of men are often found in it The reason why these councels are not mentioned in the scripture is for that in the daies of the Apostles the Churches could not ioyne themselues together in this manner not only because they were not fully setled within themselues but cheifely because they were fewe in number and so farre distante one from another that they could not with any conuenience communicate ordinarely together Yea the Apostles were to them in steed of the most generall councels for they referred all their doubts controuersies and matters of importaunce to their determination wherein the rested as in the word of God Whereby it appeareth that although these councels haue not their originall and authority immediatly and directly from God as the ministerie of a particular Church hath yet that they haue bene instituted and vsed by the Church for iust and necessarie caus●s according to the worde and will of God Likewise the authority of these councelles is the full authoritie of those Churches from the which the seuerall commissioners or delegates were sent And therefore it ought to be

and of the iudgementes of God that by this meanes they may be driuen to Christ and euen compelled to imbrace the doctrine of the gospell For as the iron must first be made hote in the fire before it will receaue any newe fo●me so must the hard heart be mollified in the furnace of the wrath of God before it will receaue the doctrine of faith and therefore it is needfull that there should by this meanes a way be made for the doctrine of the gospell for men must first be made to see their sinnes and the punishment of eternall death due vnto them before they can learne the vse and necessitie of Christ and of his righteousnesse For the phisition commeth not to whole men neyther doth the surgeon lay his plaisters but vpon wounded and brused members Thus did Iohn goe before Christ in the spirit of Elias to prepare the people for the Lord Luk. 1.17 and thus Christ prepared the young man Math. 19.21 and Peter the Iewes Actes 2.37 who when they were pricked in their heartes by hearing their sinnes they came to the Apostles saying men and brethren what shall we doe And Paul the men of Athens Act. 17.31 and lastly thus did God himselfe by a feareful earthquake prepare the iaylor Actes 16.30 and according to these exmples all other vnbeleeuers are to be conuerted by bringing them to a sight of their sinnes and a sense of the anger of GOD and that especially by mentioning and vrging those sinnes which are most hainous in their owne eyes and by the confession of all men which they can least excuse and whereof they are most ashamed Yea the doctrine of the lawe ought to goe before because it will more easelie be receaued and beleeued forsomuch as it is naturall to men being ingrafted in euerie mans minde since the first creation of man For although it were by the fall of Adam greatlie diminished obscured and peruerted yet there remaineth a confused and darke knowledge of good and euill of right and wrong and also of the rewarde belonging to obedience and the punishment of death due to sinne Rom. 1.32 the Gentiles knowe the lawe of God that they who committe sinne are worthy of death Yea of this knowledge commeth a conscience in infidels sometimes excusing them altho●gh falsely but for the most parte accusing them for their sinne before God So that this their knowledge of the lawe and conscience of sinne may easely be inlightned and stirred vppe by the preaching of the lawe whereas the doctrine of faith is contrarie to naturall reason and therefore harde to be perswaded Thus we see the first parte of the ministerie of the worde to wit that whereby infidels are to be prepared for the gospell This being done then the doctrine of christian religion is briefely and summarelie to be propunded euen as the Apostles did vse to preach Christ. The summe of whose sermons was this that saluation is to be had by faith in Iesus Christ the sonne of God and the redeemer of the world The trueth of this doctrine is to be proued by such testimonies as are of most force as the lawe and prophetes are with the Iewes out of the which we see that Christ and his Apostles doe continually proue that which they speake Likewise as touching the gentiles although the maine points of the gospell be contrarie to humane reason and therefore not to be grounded thereon yet we are not destitute of many helpes and euident argumentes drawen out of their owne poets philosophers prophetisses and oracles whereby the probabilitie trueth and necessitie of the gospell may be declared euen to the heathen The which who so desireth to know may see them in those bookes which are written for the demonstration of the trueth of christian religion both in the first ages of the Church as also in these latter times Especially the vanitie of that false and idolatrous worship is to be laid open vnto them that so they being as it were driuen from that may be constrained to seeke the true religion as hath beene declared Sect. 4. How men conuerted to the faith ought to be ordered SO many of them as can be wonne by this means to beleeue the trueth of the doctrine deliuered are vpon confession of their faith to haue baptisme administred vnto them to be a seale of their faith to themselues and a badge of their profession to others and so to be separated from the rest as those of whom the Church is to consist Yea although they doe not at the first expresse the power of religion in true repentance and a christian life yet if they doe beleeue that to be the true religion of GOD and be content to professe the same then are they to be accounted members of the Church So we reade Actes 8.16 that many of the Samaritanes were baptised and so receaued into the Church whenas none of them had receaued the holy ghost but onely beleeued in the name of Iesus as they were taught So the Eunuch was baptised Actes 8. vpon this confession I beleeue that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God For euen as they who labour in digging mettals out of the earth doe at the first ●ake for golde whatsoeuer doth glister and afterward purge the pure golde from the corrupt drosse and from all base mettall and as fishers take for fishe whatsoeuer commeth to the net but afterwarde separate the good from the bad Math. 13.47.48 so at the first the ministerie receaueth all that seeme to beleeue but in processe of time it separateth the hypocrite from the beleeuer and the wicked from the godly although not perfitly But before the administration of baptisme the summarie doctrine of it must be taught that so it may be receaued with greater fruite to wit that this sacrament was appointed by God himselfe as Iohn the first minister of it doth testifie Iohn 2.33 to be in his church a badge and common liueray of all his seruants whereby they are to professe his name and to be knowen from vnbeleeuers and also for their owne edification that by baptisme they may be confirmed in beleeuing the doctrine both of the law and of the gospell and further that it belongeth cheifly to the doctrine of the law in that by drowning vs in water it putteth vs in remembraunce of that eternall death whereunto we were subiect before as the Apostle teacheth Rom. 6.4 and that it is of the same nature and vse with circumcision the which did vnder the law both distinguishe the Iewes as gods people from all other nations as prophane and also set before the eies of the receauers eternall death as the other ordinarie sacrament of the passouer did eternall life for the one sacrament was of a bloudy signification wounding the body and so threatning death but the other graue the comfortable nourishment of life and so doe baptisme the Lords supper differ Lastly that both baptisme and circumcision although they