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
A27361	A iustification of The city remonstrance and its vindication, or, An answer to a book written by Mr. J.P. entituled, The city remonstrance remonstrated wherein the frequent falsifyings of the said Mr. J.P. are discovered, the many charges by him laid upon the remonstrance and its vindicator, disproved, and the parity and agreement of the remonstrance ... with the propositions, declarations, remonstrances, and votes, of both or either House of Parliament manifested / by John Bellamie.	Bellamie, John, d. 1654.; Price, John, Citizen of London. City remonstrance remonstrated.	1646 (1646)	Wing B1814; ESTC R4476	42,384	58

which they viz. the Congregation did reserving the other of compleat stating them into their Offices unto themselves which they viz. the Apostles effected the texts for confirmation which with a single eye I desire to be considered of are Acts 6. v. 3. for the precept injoyning the duty and v. 5 and 6. for the duty in obedience to the precept performed the words are Chuse you out whom we may appoint not chuse you and appoint 2. That which the Apostles reserved in this place to themselve● in their precept to the Congregation and accordingly after practised as in the first appeareth so also in other Congregations or Churches they did the like as Acts 14. 23 When they had 〈◊〉 them Eld●rs in every Church they that is Paul and Barnabas as appeareth v. 12 14. If it bee objected that this was done by Officers extraordinary which had their Calling and Commission immediately from God and therefore is not fitly brought so as to require the like to bee done by ordinary Officers I desire for answer to it this third reason may be con●idered 3. That which in this kind was done by the Apostles which I grant were extraordina●ily called by God and gifted accordingly the same was after done by them which had their ordinatio● by ordinary Officers in Churches as Timothy Titus as appeareth 1 Tim. 4. 14. where Timothy was ordained by the hands of the Company of the Eldership and he in particular and not the Congregation in generall is charged before God and the Lord Iesus Christ and the elect Angels to lay hands suddenly on no man 1 Tim. 5. 21 22. which Scripture with submission to better judgments I conceive teacheth these two duties 1. That Timothy an ordained Officer ought to lay on hands in Ordination and not any other but Officers ordained 2. That they that doe Ordaine ought to doe it with advisement and great deliberation not preferring one before another partially And as Timothy so Titus as testifieth the Apostle 1 Titus v. 5. was left at Creta to ordaine Elders in every City And for my part I am ignorant of any one example in all the new Testament where Ordination was performed by any but Church Officers and for the clear and distinct understanding of the quality and difference of Church Officers extraordinary and ordinary that we may know which is which I desire that this Scripture may bee considered Gal. 1. 1. Paul an Apostle not of men neither by man but by Iesus Christ where the Apostle to prove his Apostolicall or extraordinary Calling affirmeth that hee was not an Apostle of men neither by man for then hee had been but an ordinary Minister but by Jesus Christ and so as his calling was extraordinary his O●●ice is the like from whence followeth this inference that such as is the calling such is the Office they that had their calling immediately was extraordinary Officers such was t●e Apostles such as have their calling mediately or by means are ordinary such was Timothy as in the fore-quoted Scripture may appear and so are all such as have their Ordination by preced●nt Church Offi●ers This interpretation I so give as upon a better manifested I shall desire to r●tract this 4. If it had been in the power of the Congregations as to elect so lawfully and without sinne to Ordaine the Apostle might have written from place to place Letters of direction according to which Congregations might have proceeded and so of themselves effected it and then the Apostles by that might have had the more time for the publishing of the Gospel of Christ in other places where yet they had not been and not have travailed so many miles back againe from place to place to Ordaine Elders which if lawfully it might have been omitted it would have spared them much paines and much advanced the publishing of the Gospel for wee see that when the Church omitted another Ordinance viz. Excommunication the Apostle went not to them but sent to them to doe it 1 Cor. 5. 5. That which the holy Ghost maketh two distinct Ordinances in Churches and commands them to bee performed by persons of a twofold or distinct consideration in Churches that none ought to confound or make them one Ordinance neither ought they to be performed by Churches otherwise th●n by the persons in the said twofold or distinct considerations But the holy Ghost maketh Election and Ordination two distinct Ordinances in Churches commands them to be performed by persons of a twofold or distinct considerations in Churches viz. Election by the members Ordination by the Officers Act. 6. 3. Therefore none ought to confound or make them one O●dinance neither ought they to bee performed by Churches otherwise then by the Persons in the said twofold or distinct considerations These things thus considered prove this Conclusion That that Church or Churches which hold and enjoy their Church Officers any otherwayes then by the Ordination of former Church officers hold and enjoy them not according to the mind of C●rist and all the administrations of such Church Officers their manner of entrance into their Office not being grounded on Scripture are unlawfull and not to bee c●mmunicated with and this is the ground of my withdrawing my selfe from that Congregation with whom I formerly walked If it bee objected I formerly made question of this same particular and yet after that walked with the Congregation again I answer that it is true and that I did upon this ground as to some it 's evidently known After some question with the Congregation about it one of the members who formerly also had doubt●d of the same thing at last said hee was stayed for the present upon this consideration That if the Ordination of the Church without Officers were not of force to give a compleat being by Ordination to a Pastor yet our Pastor having formerly been Ordained by a precedent Ministery in that respect his Ministery was t●ue and his Administrations lawfull unto which as willing to embrace any truth manifested I assented and upon that ground and no other I received his Ministery and partooke in and communicated with his Administrations and this not secretly but professedly But after that I being in trouble and in probability to be questioned about my practise in this particular I was as some know in mind much troubled for having withdrawne my selfe from the Publike Assemblies and yet enjoying in my own judgement and by my owne confession neither Ministery nor Administrations but what derivatively I had from them and also professing both the Publike Congregations and Ministery and Ordinances to be the true Churches Ministery and Ordinances of ●hrist and so farre pure as for mee to refuse communion with them even by the publike Confession of that Congregation with whom I walked was a sinne I could not then neither can I now tell which way without a great deale of scandall to take upon mee before authority in these respects to

that upon good grounds hath been one maine instrument by mis-reports to have thus misled you and therein abused mee but if it bee so God give him grace to see his sin and forgive it him or whoever it was I trust my heart shall never with consent entertaine so much as the shadow of a thought to make the like requitall but I will study and indeavour and lay hold upon every opportunity which the Lord shall hold forth unto mee to doe all the good I can to him to them to you for this your evill done to mee remembring what our Saviour Christ hath taught mee Matth. 5. 44. Love your enemies blesse them that curse you doe good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you But I beseech you all seriously to consider that if this bee not persecution with the tongue then tell mee what is And I pray you considerately to ponder and weigh well that of the Prophet Ieremy 20. 10. and make such use of it to your owne soules as God shall direct you to doe the words are these I heard the defaming of many feare on every sid report say they and wee will report it all my familiars watched for my halting saying Peradventure 〈◊〉 will bee enti●●d and we shall prevaile against him and we shall take our revenge on him But my comfort and stay in this I trust s●all be the same with the Prophet in that manifested in the next verse But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one therefore my persecutors shall stumble and they shall not prevaile they shall bee greatly ashamed for they sh●ll not prosper I fu●ther appeale for proofe of what I affirme unto Mr. Henry Roborough now one of the Scribes of the Assembly of Divines and Pastor of Leonards E●st cheape London whether hee hath not at that time observed that Mr. Jacob and other knowne members of that Congregation did usually communicate in the Ordin●nces of Christ in the publike Congregations And whether hee hath not with his owne hands administred the Lords Supper to Mr. Jacob and other then knowne members of his Church And that the members of this Congregation did then not onely communicate in the publique Assemblies in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper but also in the Sacrament of Baptisme yea that they did b●ptize their owne children in the publique Assemblies I appeale for the truth of this unto the testimony of so many of them as bee now living and remember the Churches practice in this particular at that time and if there bee none now living that can remember and will testifie this then in particular I appeale to the Register Book of Andrew Hubbard London whether upon the 7 of December 1623. there was not then and there baptized Susan the daughter of Robert Lynell and of Susan his Wife both which was then Parishioners of that Parish and members of this C●ngregation and R●bert Lynell ● Deacon of the Church I fu●ther appeal unto the Regi●●er-book of Saviours Southwarke whether upon the third of February 1624. there was not then and there baptized B●rshua● the daughter of Daniel Ray who then was a Pa●ishioner of that Parish and a member of this Congregation I could produce many others in the like kind but these may suffice to confirme the truth of what I affirme neither would I have printed this but for the witnesse of this truth viz. That that Congre●ation did then ho●d it not onely lawfull but of nec●ssity upon pain of sin ●e●rding to the Printed Confession of Faith to c●mmunicate in the publike Ministery and Ordin●nces and that both of Baptisme and the Lord● Supper Neither do I write this in the least measure to reflect upon the present now members of that Congregation if in their judgments and practice they now walk otherwise provided that by the warrant of the word of God they can clearly justifie their present walking but I must crave your favor for my self stil to continue in the same judgment and practice I then was and which is concordable to the then Confession of the Faith of the Church as unto communion in the Parish Congregations both in the Ministery and Ordinances of Baptisme and the Lords Supper though you falsely charge me of mutation and change in so doing And thus I hope I have shewed you your mistake in that you affirm I applyed my self to a separate Congregation I shall also endevour to give you as ample an account of the just reason as I humbly conceive of my leaving them Mr. Ia●ob leaving England and going to Virginia the Congregation was then for a time to the best of my remembrance left without a Pastor and then many of the members of the said Congregation varying in their judgements from what was in the Confession of the Faith of the Church formerly printed and being now both in judgement and practice against Communion in the Ordinances of Christ in the publike Congregations which by the Confession of the Faith of the Church we were bound upon pain of sin to maintain both in judgement and practice this occasioned many disputes and some differences a● last the point of Ordination of Ministers came under debate which was the first yea the onely occasion that Put a thought into my breast about my departing from that Congregation And at that time Mr. Iohn Lothrop a learned holy humble and painfull Preacher was the Pastor then the Congregation ordered three of their members to conferre with mee about that difference I then did now doe and ever will acknowledge their great love and tender respect to mee in it but after ●undry Conferences and wee not agreeing I thought it my duty to signifie my mind in writing under my hand to the whole Congregation which I then did in these words To his dearly beloved Christian Friends Mr. John Lothrop and all the rest of the Congregation with him assembled this publikely present Christian Friends and dearly beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ having by the Congregations appointment had Conference with three of the Brethren about a point in controversie which wee cannot agree I thought it my duty to signifie my minde in writing to the whole Congregation which is That after many thoughts spent and some paines taken in Conference and examination of Scriptures and searching the judgements of Divines both ancient and moderne about the matter in controversie viz. Ordination or the compleat investing of persons chosen by the free consent of the Congregation into those Offices for Ministeriall imployments unto which they are elected I conceive for the Reasons following this to be the truth viz. That it ought to bee performed actually by precedent Church-Officers 1. Because that the Apostles in Acts 6. finding the Church to be in want of Officers gave them direction for the performance of what was their duties tending to the obtaining of the aforesaid wants which was to elect persons qualified according to direction