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
A65843	A brief treatise on the truths behalf in discovery of falshoods which are dispersed abroad in two papers of Richard Baxters ... the one intituled One sheet for the ministry, the other A second sheet for the ministry, and he hath pretended the one against malignants among whom he hath numbred them called Quakers and uttered forth his envy in several lies and revilings against that people called Quakers, whose known integrity shall stand a witness against all such deceivers and revilers as he is proved to be perpetually ... / by George Whitehead.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1658 (1658)	Wing W1897; ESTC R26353	18,488	26

Titus had power to ordain Elders Acts 14. 23. Titus 1. but this was in the Church whom Christ presented blameless and fitted for himself Ephs. 5. 26 27. and Chr●st had fitted them that were Elders Bishops or Deacons for himself before they were allowed of for their Office by the Apostles who were first to be tryed and then they were to Minister now that which presented them blameless was the gift of God and they had the gift revealed in them and a Bishop and a Decon must be blameless not given to wine no striker not greedy of filthy Lucre but patient not a brawler not covetous and apt to teach and so must Elders for they were Bishops Titus 1. 5 6. 7. Priest Now seeing this said priest professeth the Ministry in England to be of this sort for he saith in page the tenth for qualifications they have first competent knowledge secondly and utterance thirdly and godliness Answ. That 's all false For first how can they have competent knowledge seeing that they deny revelation and immediate teaching when as Christ saith no man knowes the father but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him Mat. 11. here they that denies revelation knowes neither the father nor the Son Let Christs own words stand a witness against this lying Priest and the rest of them Secondly true utterance they are far from seeing that they deny immediate teaching by the spirit for true utterance was a gift of the Spirit the Saints spoke as the spirit gave them utterance and the spirit word of God was revealed in Timothy Titus who were owned for Ministers by the Apostles Timothy had the gift of God in him and unfeigned faith in him and that gift was given by Prophesie with the laying on of the hands of the company of Elders as it is in some translations recorded now his call was not like the call of these Priests of England for the Prophefies that went on Timothy they came not by the will of man neither was the laying on of Elders hands according to mans will So that though the Priests would put themselves in number with Timothy and the Elders yet we find them shut out from their call and Ministry for we never understood that they that set up these priests were called as Peter or Paul or the Elders who had power to lay on the hands that the holy Ghost fell on the party on whom they laid on their hands and thus much will some of the Priests confess which may be to the shame of him that here professeth himself to be called as Timothy was And further this man aforesaid hath confessed that the Ministers for whom he pleads are brought up at the Universities as he calls them where they have bestowed labour and cost to bring them up to the Ministery which might have fitted them for a more gainful trade so that here their education is not to the true Ministry but to a trade but Timothy and Titus and the elders in the true Churches on whom the Apostle laid hands did not make a trade on their Ministry nor on the Scripture though they knew the Scriptures and did preach the word of God according to the Scriptures by the gift of God in them and who was to do the work of Evangelists whom Christ had endued with gifts from above neither was the holy Ghost to be bought with mony though it fell on several who believed when the Apostles laid their hands on them for he and his mony was to perish who would have bought the holy Ghost with mony Acts 8. 19. 20. So all the cost that the priests bestowes at Oxford or Cambridge it doth but purchase them a trade and that a deceitful one too it cannot purchase the holy Ghost nor the gifts of the spirit which Bishops Elders and Deacons in the true Churches were indued and fitted with but not made Ministers at Schools nor by the will of man as the priests are now Thirdly Neither are they in godlinesse nor qualified as a true Bishop or a Deacon or Elder seeing that the Priests in England are covetous greedy of filthy lucre and many of them given to wine and envious men and brawlers and novices as many in this nation can witness but the true Elders were not such and the man of God was to flee from the desire of mony and they that went in the error of Balaam for reward and in the way of Cain to envy and through covetousnesse made merchandise of people were ungodly men ordained of old for condemnation Jude 11. 2 Pet. 2. Therefore the Priests being ignorant of Revelation immediate teaching from God and being out of the true knowledge utterance and godliness so strangers to the heavenly gift they are not fit to teach but are deceivers shut out from among the number of the true Elders of Christ for the ungodly shall not be numbered with the seed of the righteous but we look at the life and gifts of God which qualifies and brings into the state and condition that the true Elders Bishops and Deacons were in more then their names seeing that they could not have these names nor be ordained for their office by the Apostles till they were first fitted and tryed in the truth and by the gift of God which was in the Apostles and elders of the true Church who denyed not revelation and immediate teaching for they had that revealed in them which they taught and by that knew the holy scriptures which are able to make a man wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ but without faith which is revealed and the gift of God the Scriptures cannot be known as they ought to be for it is the man of God that the Scriptures are profitable for the furnishing of and for our learning they are written who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Priest But we are not built on the foundation of every Pastor Teacher Elder Bishop or Deacon though both in their places Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers are given for the perfecting of the Saints c. Answ. Here he would make two foundations the foundatition of the Prophets and Apostles not to be the foundation of the Pastors Teachers and Elders which were all given of God here he hath quite shut himself forth of the number of the true Church and hath shut himself out from being one of that sort of Ministers which before he pretended himself to be of so that this doth the more confirm to what I have written for how can he be either true Pastor Teacher or Elder when he is not built upon their foundation according to his own confession so he cannot be any Minister of Christ who is not built upon the true foundation which is but one so you may take notice of R. Baxters confusion for another foundation can no man lay then that which is laid which is Christ and they that were members

of such helping them as before he counted as walking devils and as the highest in wickednesse upon earth surely he can but help his hearers badly and miserably for their souls seeing his strength is so much decayed that he would thank them he cals malignants if he could have their help it may be justly said that they that seek to him for help do but go down into AEgypt for help Priest If the Magistrates stop the mouths of such raylors and abusers of God and men he doth no more persecute then he persecuteth a thief when he haugeth him and this he speaks against them called Quakers in page 12. Answer Here his envy and maliciousnesse is made appear whereby he would stir up the Magistrates to persecute us for our profession which we know Christ Jesus is the Authour of and this is because that we are made to witnesse against him and against such deceitful tradesmen as he is but if he were in the truth and saw us in errors then he would not seek to incense the Magistrates to persecute us but rather seek to convince us by sound doctrine and a good example but such as he are manifest to be out of both and he would bring Paul and Peter and the Churches of Christ for a cloak to his malice which here he hath uttered to the Magistrate against us but they will not cover him nor his deceit for though they rejected judged and delivered some up to Satan yet they did not persecute them nor complain to the Magistrates to have thē east into prison nor to have their goods taken from them for their profession as many of the priests in England have done by whom many of the servants of the Lord in England have suffered and do suffer both the spoiling of their goods and imprisonments and some the losse of their lives in prisons whose sufferings will rise up as a heavy judgement when their prayers shall be fulfilled against their persecutors And this said Priest it appears allows of hanging them that steal seeing that he would have us persecuted and counts it as lawful as hanging a thief Answer Here this is a murtherous spirit that would take away the life for the creatures and so doing is contrary to the Law of God Let the Priest and the Magistrate read Exod. 22. 1 2 3. If a man shall steal an Ox or a Sheep and kill it or sell it he shall restore five oxen for an Ox and 4. Sheep for a sheep If a thief be found breaking up and be smitten that he die there shall no blood be shed for him if the sun be risen upon him there shall he blood shed for him for he should make restitution If he have nothing then he shall be sold for his theft Mark by this then if the thief was slain after the sun was risen there was blood to be shed for him and in verse the fourth if the theft certainly be found alive in his hands whether it be Ox Ass or Sheep he shall restore double and in Eph. 4. 28. Let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth but he doth not say that he is to be hanged for this theft and how shall he labour or work with his hands if he be hanged Therefore Magistrates had need to take heed of hanging thieves and priests of allowing it Now concerning the Priests call to their Ministry as followeth and how it differs from the true call Now whereas R. Baxter in his second sheet goeth about to prove the priests call to their Ministry to be of God and brings scriptures to prove his and their call to be lawful for their sakes that desires to be informed in this thing I shall mention something concerning it that the simple may be informed and the minds of the ignorant unvailed that they may see the difference between a true call which is revealed and a false call where revelation is denyed by the false Mininisters and that the scriptures and the form of sound words do not make void revelations Whereas R Baxter in his first proposition in pages 3 4 goeth about to prove 2 distinct sorts of Ministers first such as received revelation or a particular law or message immediately from God these were prophets and Apostles and he goes about to distinguish a second sort of Ministers from them and the second sort he calls over seers Bishops presbyters or elders pastors and Teachers and Decons and that the latter sort as he calls them was not to declarewhat they had immediately from God but what is declared in Scripture and what they have heard of others and saith that the holy Ghost is to help us in keeping that which is committed to us and not to reveal more Answ. This is a false distinction and a perverting the scriptures to distinguish Elders Pastors and Teachers or Bishops from them that had Revelation and immediate teaching and from being Apostles for John was an Elder and declared what he had revealed that which he had heard that which he had seen and which he had looked upon which was from the beginning the same he shewed to others 1 John 1. 1. And he saith the Elder unto the Elect Lady and the Elder unto the wel-beloved 2 John 1. 3. John 1. and John was an Apostle Mat. 10. And the Apostle Peter was an Elder who had the word of God revealed so an Elder not distinct from an Apostle here as this man would have them And Paul was a father in the truth and an Elder was as a father to be intreated 1. Tim. 5. 1. so he that is a father is an Elder and the same that was an Elder was an Apostle and declared what he had received immediately from God and the Elders Pastors and Teachers had gifts given them from God when Christ was ascended he gave gifts unto men he gave some Apostles some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Ephes. 4. 11 12. the Apostle doth not say that the Evangelists Pastors and Teachers had not received that immediately from God which they taught as this man doth for they had gifts given them when Christ ascended which gifts were perfect and was given for the perfecting which gifts was revealed in the Church of Christ for these gifts were for the benefit of the Church neither had they received these gifts from man but from God and these that had gifts given them for the work of the Ministry whether Prophets Apostles Evangelists Pastors or Teachers they had power to ordain Elders in the Churches as well as the Apostles had power to lay on hands on several that beleeved which when they laid their hands immediately the holy Ghost came upon them so that Paul and Barnabas and Timothy and