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
A90720	Sectaries vnmasked and confuted. By the treating upon divers points of doctrine in debate betwixt the Presbyterialists and sectarists, Anabaptists, Independents, and Papists. / By George Palmer wel-wisher to a warrantable uniformity in godly religious exercises.	Palmer, George, b. 1596 or 7.	1647 (1647)	Wing P229; Thomason E396_27; ESTC R201662	58,190	61

the wildernesse viz. it is written Psal. 33. 12. Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord c. this was spoken of the Jewes then the people of God Gen. 22. 18. In thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth bee blessed Gen. 18. 18. All the Nations of the earth shall be blessed in Abraham I know some will not be satisfied fully with these Texts of Scripture and I know their objections therefore I will produce some other although I know these are for the same purpose Another Scripture saith That Nations shall flow to thee viz. to Christ But let us see what the Lord saith by the mouth of his Prophet Esay chap. 55. ver. 5. these are the words Thou shalt call a Nation whom thou knowest not and Nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee viz. to Christ he did not mean that whole Nations should or would run to Christ singularly generall viz. not every particular man or woman should bee converted to Christ but that the Nation should in the more generall profession embrace the doctrine of Christ and many of them in truth of heart as the Jews did at that time when David the kingly Prophet spake those words now quoted out of the 33 Psalm aforesaid though there be many rebellious Corahs and other sinfull murmuring people and wicked transgressors amongst these as there was amongst those Jews as they were in the way to Canaan land the type of heaven And now me thinks this Monster is stopped in his aime and hopes I therefore now will proceed to another Point as I have proved it by Reason and Scripture that divisions in the divine exercises of our Religion is naught and dangerous to the state of Christians And also that it is a great happinesse to bee united together in a warrantable uniformity in the Divine ordinances of our Religion Now I come to prove more particularly what speciall decrees and ordinances the Apostles did ordain and appoint for the Churches of God in the Primitive time the better to accommodate them in a warrantable uniformity and thus I prove it Acts 15. 23. to 31 4● compared with chap. 16. v. 4. In ver. 23. wee may see the Apostles and Elders and Brethren sent greeting to the Brethren in Antioch in Syria and Cilicia these were divers Churches And in ver. 29. you may see what the decrees were that they had decreed for them or at least what some of the decrees were the which were for all those Churches And in chap. 16. Paul and Silas going through the Cities delivered them the decrees for to keep that were ordained of the Apostles and Elders which were at Jerusalem Here wee may see that all those Cities had but one sort of decrees as is more then likely for the Apostles did ordain for Antioch Syria and Cilicia but one sort of necessary things as in ver. 28 29. of chap. 15. doth appeare plainly the which Paul and the rest delivered to those in Antioch as in ver. 30. appeareth and afterward they came to Syria and Cilicia as in ver. 41. you may see and those ordinances did much confirme the Churches as you may see in the last words of this 41. ver. aforesaid and in ver. 5. of chap. 6. also surely uniformity in the truth is a meanes of confirmation and unity of affection and in 1 Cor. 7. 17. Thus ordain I in all Churches in this place the Apostle resolves some questions to the Corinthians and putteth them and other Churches into one uniformity as is cleare by the words of the text viz. Thus ordain I in all Churches and so in 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. As I have given order to the Churches of Galatia even so doe yee there was a uniformity in providing for the poor Thus we may see the blessed Apostle did endeavour uniformity in all the Churches of God I wish the like practice were amongst us in these dayes viz. uniformity in godly wayes But some may demand a question if the Apostle did not sometime in some cases give leave to Christians in case of Conscience for want of true knowledge in some particulars to doe or not doe It 's true he did so but not in those things that were of any danger to the state of the Church or Churches for those that were weak in knowledge for the present that they might not sin against their conscience in eating of herbs by him that did think he might not eat flesh likewise to celebrate service to God upon some speciall day or dayes rather then in some other days provided that they did not doe it as having respect to the old types or shadows that did foreshew the comming of Christ the substance lest they either be intangled with justification by works or else in stead of relying on the true Christ already come should as the Jews do now look for a Jesus to come as hee is already come But this liberty the Apostle did not confirm to be as a law alwayes for them to rest on as not to seek for better assurance of knowledge therein for hee at that time did shew the very legs of that statue in these words viz. He that eateth herbes is weake and so said he of him that should bee opinionated about the observation of a day Not that which before was to be observed as a type Gal. 4. 10. but that we may set apart some days more especially then others for divine exercises for the Apostle had done so himself very likely setting apart the first day of the week as in 1 Cor. 16. 2. and as you may perceive by their usuall meeting upon the Lords day and other dayes so often spoken of in the Scriptures But what is all this to those things that are now in these our dayes so much pleaded for Alas those things were but flea-bitings to them that some would have now adayes shall we give way to such things as are so materiall as will ruinate the state of Christians God forbid the government of the Church is of a higher nature the Apostles did not give toleration in such great matters this is the staffe of Bands the which if it be broke I am sure the other staffe called Beauty wil soon be all to shivers If all that plead tendernesse of conscience may have liberty as they desire every one that is without grace will take up that plea Do you not think that a very varlet or peevish or perverse man out of a malignant disposition will plead liberty of conscience to act meer knavery surely yes I condemne not all but if men may bee allowed to plead and in pleading obtain liberty as they list you will hold them in no good duty To speak plain and short hee that hath been a professor of Christianity any competent time and yet is pleading for liberty of conscience against those things that common capacity can fathome is either a vain professor or else his

and cursed Fiends and damned Angels and with Men in a woful condition being tortured and tormented easless and endless gnashing their teeth in anguish and pain Consider this and beware and take heed in time before time be no more Now let us consider what allurements the Lord our God hath set forth in his Scriptures of truth for our encouragement the Prophet Daniel in his 12 chapter saith Those that be wise shall shine as the Sun and those that turn many unto righteousnesse shall shine as the stars for ever and ever And in the Book called the Ap●calyps or Revelation are many allurements for us to be whetted on in godlinesse To him that overcommeth will I give said God to eate of the Manna that is hid and to walk in white and to drink of the water of the pure river of God that is in that celestiall Paradise yea to weare a Crown and to eat of the tree of Life in the midst of the paradise of God and to have power over the Nations which betokeneth the glory of an Emperor and to have a morning Star yea he shall be a pillar glittering in the Temple of God yea Christ will write upon him the name of God and the name of the City of his God new Jerusalem c. yea Christ will write upon him his own name also Rev. 3. 12. And be will s●p with him yea ●e shall sit in the throne of Christ with him ver. 21. Thus we see the goodness of God in giving us such allurements to become his sons and heires of the celestial kingdom And these are held forth to us to the end we might not be weary in wel-doing though we meet with many discouragements for God hath ordained That wee must through many afflictions enter into the kingdom of heaven These things made Moses Joseph and the rest of the Patriarchs or the most of them to undergo many tryals and the Prophets to bee content to be sawne asunder beheaded as Iohn Baptist was and to be slain as Iames the Apostle and divers of the rest of them and to bee cast into dungeons as Ieremiah c. to be bound and imprisoned and slaine or beheaded as Paul was yea to be so tortured as those you may see in Heb. 11. And cruly I wish some in these our dayes would beware lest they use some little better then those that stripped honest Joseph of his goodly coat because it seemed in their eyes to be too good for him I am sure at length they confessed that their trouble and afflictions were repayed into their own bosomes because they were guilty concerning their brother And therefore behold said Reuben his blood is required I will conclude with that holy and heroicall-spirited Habakkuk in 3 chap. 17 18 19 verses these are his words Although the fig should not blossome neither fruit be in the Vines though the labour of the Olive should faile the field should y●eld no meat though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there bee no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation the Lord God is my strength and ●e will make my feet like hindes feet and he will make me to walk upon mine high-places To the chief singer on my stringed Instrument c. HEre followeth a few other Points that some fearfully doe miscarry in and the first I stand amazed at viz. That any should either beleeve or say That our Saviour took not flesh of the Virgin Mary I will onely quote Scriptures to satisfie some lest weak honest soules do chance to stumble and fall by such Hereticks the first is Rom. 9. 5. Whose are the Fathers and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came here you see that Christ came of the Fathers yea that of them he received his flesh Rom. 1. 3. Jesus Christ was made of the seed of David according to the flesh here the Apostle saith that he was made of the seed of David c. Act. 22. 30. Of the fruit of Davids loines according to the flesh God would raise up Christ to sit on his Throne Acts 13 23. Christ was of the seed of David according to the flesh And so much for this Point Another sort there is I know not what to call them That hold that the soule of man is begot or derived from its Parents or one of them but this is such a fancy that I detest to think of it First a word or two by Reason against it Why should not every childe have two souls and so be a Monster if that your conclusion were a truth by receiving it from its parents for although the matter of the body is to be derived by reason of its nourishment which it receiveth from the 4 Elements yet the soul is not to bee derived so from the Parents for that is a spirituall inspiration and is not nourished by any of the four Elements but hath its existence and subsistence from God onely And now I come to Scriptures the first is Mal. 2. 15. When God made one yet ●e had the residue of the Spirit c. Therefore man had no more Spirit neither hath any man any more Spirit or soul but what he hath received from God immediatly for saith the Text God had the residue of the Spirit Eccles. 12. 7. The Spirit shall return to God who gave it and hence it is very likely and chiefly that God is said to be the God of the Spirits of all flesh rather then of the flesh it self for although God be the God of the flesh too yet that being made of the four Elements is not so specially regarded of God as the spirit or soul is and hence it is very likely that Moses calleth God the God of the Spirits of all flesh as in Numb. 16. 22. Let the Lord the God of the Spirits of all flesh set a man over the congregation so much shall serve for that point Gods dearest children sometimes falling into some capitall sinne or sins may thereby occasion the Lord to scourge them temporally for it especially if it be openly committed or publickly known though they repent of it and more especially if it be not more speedily repented of as we may see in David for his numbring his people in his pride and 2 Sam. 12. 10. there you may see that a man may have a scourge for som sin as long as he liveth for because of Davids sin with Bathshebah and his slaying of Vriah in a kind of politick way to save his credit and cover his sin the sword did never depart from his house Let us beware of sin in that regard also Now a word for the comfort of all that are in Christ by faith to prevent some mens discouraging of good Christians telling them that they cannot be sure of everlasting life so long as they are here on earth Here followeth some Scriptures to prove that