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
A30189	An answer to two treatises of Mr. Iohn Can, the leader of the English Brownists in Amsterdam the former called, A necessitie of separation from the Church of England, proved by the Nonconformists principles : the other, A stay against straying : wherein in opposition to M. Iohn Robinson, he undertakes to prove the unlawfulnesse of hearing the ministers of the Church of England ... / by the late learned, laborious and faithfull servant of Jesus Christ, John Ball.	Ball, John, 1585-1640.; Ashe, Simeon, d. 1662.	1642 (1642)	Wing B558; ESTC R3127	281,779	264

ordering Souldiers Secondly In a more strict signification it is the politicall guiding of the Church and is exercised principally if not onely in the d Henry Ainsw first answer c. pag. 30. Whereupon Christ pronounced a blessing and annexed promises not for himselfe but as you grant for his successours also as I defend for the other Apostles also Ibid. Set you down by the scriptures what is meāt by keyes and I will shew you by Scriptures also that the 12 Apostles had equall power in using them administration of Church censures and this is that discipline which generally all Ecclesiasticall Writers speake of And this power likewise must be considered either in respect of right or the first act as they call it or in respect of execution and the second act These distinctions thus plainly propounded the answer to the Proposition is distinctly this First If the word Discipline be taken in the largest acceptation it is necessary to the Church because no Societie can be held or gathered without some order Secondly If it be taken in the strictest signification it belongeth not to the Communitie of the faithfull few or many For the power of governing the Church belongeth to them primarily and in respect of use and execution to e Bils Christ Subject part 2. p. 361. The Priest hath his Commission as a servant to call for subjection and obedience not unto himselfe but unto his Lord and Master that sent him c. who must preach himself the servant of meaner men than Princes and make himselfe the servant of all men if he note wel the words of his Commission c. whom Christ hath communicated it But Christ hath not given this power to the faithfull few or more but to his officers whom he hath appointed to feed and governe his folke Thirdly If a societie enjoy but one Pastour or Teacher for the time the power of government doth not belong unto him For Christ hath not committed this power unto one but unto many The power of f A dispute part 3. c. 8. p. 188. We must distinguish a twofold power of the keyes the one Concionalis the other Judicialis The former is proper for Pastours alone whose vocation it is by the preaching and publishing of Gods Word to shut and open the Kingdome of heaven The keyes of externall discipline belongeth to the whole Consistory Trelcat instit Theol. lib. 2. pag. 287. preaching and administration of the Sacraments is given to one and may be executed by him alone But the power of guiding or governing is given to the Colledge Ecclesiasticall or company of Governours and must not be executed by any others And if one alone may not challenge that which is committed unto a societie it is not for one Pastour to excommunicate his people And hence it followes necessarily that discipline or power of governing or dispencing the keyes is not absolutely necessary to the being of the Church For if there may be a true Christian Church without Pastours or Teachers but not g Pareus in 1 Cor. 5. de Excom Eorum quae conveniunt Presbyteris vi ordinis sui Presbyterialis duo sunt genera Alia enim immediatè conveniunt singulis personaliter alia vero immediatè conveniunt non quidem singulis personaliter sed conjunctis collegialiter sive Presbyterio Forb Irenis lib. 2. cap. 10. prop. 13. pag. 191. de prohibitis ordinantibus power of the keyes or Ecclesiasticall government then the power of government is not absolutely necessary to the being of a Church And if the Presbytery be the onely executioners of the censuring discipline then if the Church may be without a Presbytery it may want the discipline in respect of execution For where the Officer is wanting there the office also is wanting as touching the execution thereof If all the Officers of discipline should dye at once or the Church should want her officers the faithfull have not power of discipline either originally or actually either to conveigh it virtually or formally to her Ministers whom shee might chuse or to execute it her selfe But the faithfull doe remaine a Church when her officers are h Bilson perp gover cap. 10. It is not to be doubted that in the Apostles times every citie where the Gospell was received had many Prophets Pastours and Teachers not only travelling to and fro to exhort and confirme the brethren but abiding persisting in the same all laboring to encrease the number of the Church c. dispersed by persecution taken away by death be wanting through her negligence or some other way In your own way and constitution the Church may be without both Pastour and Teacher and that for a long time till fit men may be chosen unto that office in all which time it must want the administration of the Sacraments and execution of discipline We have not learned that every Christian is a King and a Prince to rule with i Bilson perpet gover cap. 3. Externall Regiment is no part of Christs Kingdome which is proper to his person and by many degrees excelleth all other governments for the divine force and grace that are eminent in the spirituall fruits and effects of his Kingdome Christ by open rebuke if no other doe rebuke in season or by debarring them from communion and fellowship of the Church whom he judgeth or censureth worthy to be cast out as men out of covenant For if all that are made of Christ by communion with him Kings Priests unto God should be made Kings and Priests unto God in order politicall to rule and governe his Church then power to governe should be given to every singular person not to the communitie alone to women and children no lesse than unto men The life and being of a Church standeth in the very knitting of the faithfull unto Christ for it is Christ that giveth salvation to the body And if union give it the forme of a Church it must necessarily be a Church before it practice this discipline because it hath no place but in an united body or Congregation Those three thousand soules that were gained at one prosperous k Act. 2.38.41 42 44 45 46 47. Sermon of Peter were the Church of God when they received the Word with gladnesse and were baptized before any power of Government was given unto or established among them The like is of the l Act. 8.5 6.11 9.31 Church or Congregation of Samaria Fourthly Of right the communicated power of government belongeth to every compleat Societie or rather to every Ecclesiasticall colledge or assembly set apart by Christ for the guidance of his people but the execution of that power may be hindred through m Zanc. de oper redempt in 4. praecep de discipl Eccles If it be a small Church and not consisting of many learned and skilful men excommunication ought not to be done except the neighbour churches be asked counsell of ignorance

blessing upon the labour of his servants if any other Church under Heaven In the second signification the power of the keyes for substance is in our Church but the manner of ordering and administration of them is corrupt and faultie But this power of the keyes is not of absolute necessitie to the being of the Church but to the well-being onely Here is a fit place to answer your Question Whether to hide from the people the knowledge of all the maine truths which concerne the outward regiment of Christs visible church make a false Prophet It would be knowne what you call maine truths which concerne the outward regiment of Christs visible Church The power of government is proper and communicated Proper that which Christ hath reserved peculiar to himselfe and is executed according to his infinite wisdome by the secret hand of his divine power and the effectuall worke of his holy Spirit making the word of exhortation and reproofe comfort and instruction to some the savour of life unto life whence followeth effectuall answering to their calling rejoycing comfort and growing up to perfection Not to mention further how he succoureth the godly bestoweth some gifts though not such as accompany Salvation upon the wicked bridleth curbeth and confoundeth his enemies His communicated Government is that which being limited within the compasse of certaine Lawes and Canons of his holy Word he hath committed to be exercised and executed in and by Societies according to his appointment The chiefe and principall meanes Christ useth here is the preaching of his Word whereby he saveth his people and conquereth his enemies The discipline is as a Chariot for the Word to ride upon and to keepe other ordinances from contempt but it is not the most ordinary or mighty meanes of Christs government or administration of his Kingdome These things being thus The Ministers of the Gospell are to teach the people the maine grounds and chiefe heads of Christian Religion even all things necessary to salvation in respect of faith and manners otherwise they stand guilty of the bloud of soules They are to teach them also what the Lord hath instituted for the well-ordering of his house but in season order and as they are able to beare it It is not for men to set up the roofe before they have laid the foundation Experience for many yeares hath taught us that divers who have much busied themselves in the doctrine of Church-government have been unable to make f Some deny the use of excōmunication among the Jewes Bils perpet Ch. gov c. 4. The Scribes and Pharises you will say did in Christs time excommunicate and thrust out such as they thought offenders out of their Synagogues But the Pharises never learned that out of Moses A separation of the Leaper from the company of men and of uncleane for comming neere holy places or things Moses prescribeth but not excommunication that I remember c. Aliens were not admitted to be of the number of the Lords people and any uncleannesse of the flesh did separate for a season the Jewes themselves from approaching neere to the Congregation or Tabernacle of God but neither of these is excommunication c. So in the use of excommunication in the Christian Church c. and many such like use of that which they have learned from others If I should bring your selfe for instance who have received many good truths from the writings of the Nonconformists but miserably pervert them to your owne hurt the disturbance of Gods Church scandall of the Gospel and the strengthning of such as are turned aside into dangerous errours I should not much misse the marke and you have more cause to take heed than to be offended Also godly men who follow the truth in love may be of different minds in these things and for men to hide that from the people whereof they are not perswaded that it is the truth of God is not the note of a false Prophet Moreover Those things which you call maine truths concerning the externall government of Christs visible Church may justly be questioned whether they be truths at all If I may conjecture by your writings the maine truths you intend are such as these That power of Church-government is absolutely necessary to the being of a Church That all stinted or set-formes of prayer or Liturgie are forged or devised worship That there is no lawfull Minister who is not chosen called or ordained by that particular Congregation where he is to administer That the Minister of one congregation may performe no ministeriall act in another That the power of Government is in the communitie of the faithfull and from them derived unto the Pastours Teachers or Elders c. These and the like are the maine truths in your esteeme which I conceive have no bottoming in the holy Scripture And if the Nonconformists or some other should aske of you this Question whether to teach such points as maine truths necessary to salvation and to condemne all Churches who conforme not to your platforme as false and Antichristian and their worship as false and idolatrous and whether to wrest and abuse Scriptures and pervert Authors to that purpose make you not a false Prophet consider advisedly what ound and satisfying answer you could returne SECT III. BEfore ●e proceed to another point Can. Neces of Separat p. 159 160. we may here frame this argument If the professors of the Gospell in England have not among them a true Church-government but are under that which came from the great Antichrist then are they bound to set up the ordinance of God and practice it no withstanding the Magistrate doe forbid the said practice But the professors of the Gospell in England have not among their a true Church-government but are under c. Therefore they are bound to set up the ordinance of God and to practice it notwithstanding the Magistrate doth forbid the said practice These are both their owne positions and so soundly proved that no man living is able to confute theus ANSVVER IF your meaning be as the ordinary signification of the words import it is not to the purpose for it is one thing in our owne persons to practice according to the ordinance of Christ another to separate from that societie which doth not practice in all things according to the institution of our Saviour But you give cause to thinke that by these words erecting this power and exercising the same among them you meane that they are to separate and draw themselves into such a societie where they may exercise that power For thus you write I doe not meane Can. Neces of Separat pag. 155. that any private person should meddle with the affaires of the Realme but that every one in his owne person doe place himselfe about the throne of God leaving the abuses of the publique State● to be reformed by such as have a calling thereto And if this be your minde in