Selected quad for the lemma: act_n
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A83012
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The confident questionist questioned: or, the examination of the doctrine delivered by Mr. Thomas Willes in certain queries. Published by Mr. Jeremiah Ives. Examined by counter-queries. By N.E. with a letter of Mr. Tho. Willes.
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N. E.
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1658
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Wing E18; Thomason E934_3; ESTC R207678
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33,986
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58
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example to a Beleever in charity 1 Tim. 4.12 I query then whether back-biting tale-bearing and taking up a reproach against your Neighbour be not contrary to the Law of Charity and whether you were not guilty of this when you told a Gentleman that lives at High-gate who is ready to witnesse the truth hereof That you were enformed I was a Jesuite and therefore told him he would doe well to apprehend me Truly Sir if you doe not tell me who informed you I shall say it was a slander of your owne devising either thereby to take away my life for that is the punishment the Law hath provided for Jesuites by the Stat. of Eliz. 27.2 or else if that Gentlemn would have been ruled by you that I might have been laid in Goal right or wrong to the undoing of my self and Family till I could have cleared my self of the supposed Crime in open Sessions This must needs bee your design otherwise why did you encourage him to apprehend me as a Jesuite but more of this in a more convenient place where I doubt not of reparation only let me tell you That if you could as easily prove the Affirmative viz. That you are sent of God to preach and that all you preach is true as I can prove the Negative that I am no Jesuite the controversie between us would soon be ended Counter-Query Do you not see by Mr. Willes his Letter how much you are to blame thus in Print to take up a reproach against him and that upon the bare information of such a single person did hee ever assert you to be a Jesuite At the most hee only said you were suspected and this hee spake in private And indeed who would not suspect that man to be Jesuitical who was cryed out on to be such to his face in a great Congregation at Clements beyond Temple-Bar that hath the vox populi to accuse him of it That is reported to have converse with Jesuites that liv'd a conceal'd I had almost said a suspected life for some years together in and about London that hath Jesuitical opinions and designs especially to pluck down the Ministry of England or to make it odious That these grounds of suspition may be had concerning you I shall not assert but only wish that we had no more ground to suspect you to be Jesuitical then Mr. Willes to be uncharitable in accusing you or erroneous in what is here controverted and I make no question but you would in your next subscribe your self a friend to Mr. Willes and this Truth in some measure vindicated Confess the Truth and glorifie God Amen Reader there are faults in the printing which are not much material only correct p. 31. l. 4. read with for as POST-SCRIPT REader I thought it necessary to advertise thee of a few things 1 That to mee it is a great sign that that is a Truth and a Truth of great concernment which when it is asserted or taught men of corrupt minds are enraged at and oppose They would have the Servants sleep that being their time of sowing Tares therefore it is very observeable that when ever godliness was most likely to encrease when the Ministry have been most famous and active then the Devil hath stirred up deadly enemies and opposers this hath been in all ages this wee sadly experience in our daies Was there ever a more learned pious famous Ministry in England than now there is I challenge even its enemies and amongst them Mr. Ives to contradict it if they can And shall wee not sigh at it had ever the Ministry of England so great and so many Designers to undermine it But the Father of Truth usually so blesseth his own cause that it gets by opposition thus wee can say of this truth of Ordination of Ministers which in my knowledge hath gotten ground by these late Broyles Gather your selves together and you shall bee broken in peeces for the Lord is with us Isa 8.9 10. Mat. 28.20 2 That those that have Designs against the Truth have usually some plausible pretence to carry them on the Devil hath got the Art now adaies to wrap himself in a Prophets Mantle to appear as an Angel of light in his choycest Instruments who usually with a seeming religious garb footh up with soft words till they may opportunely change their Court-ships into calumnies Hath not Mr. Ives worthily shown himself for Ordination of Ministers as hee pretends that would make the world beleeve that the present godly Ministry is Antichristian if hee could and that hath thus thrust himself into a quarrel against it 3 That those that design the propagating of their errours will for the most part oppose their hands will bee against every man but seldome assert their own opinion and prove it is it not because it is easier to quarrel with truth than to prove an errour and because that is a time to break in when the ranks are first shattered to broach errours when men are staggered in the truth or is not this the end viz. to bee alway accusing of others that they themselves may never bee questioned or called to justifie their own practices Hath not Mr. Ives plaid his part in this by opposing every man not of his own way that wee might beleeve what hee asserts to bee truth Hath hee not done so in these Queries where doth hee bring the least positive truth or one Argument to justifie his own practice or to state what is right Hath hee brought one probable Argument to prove that gifted brethren may preach or that people may hear them that the Church ought to ordain and not Ministers hath hee unfolded any of those independent Riddles viz. that a company of those that are baptized and owne their Baptisme are not Members of a Visible Church Or that a Minister being such in relation to his Church acts no longer as in Office than to his Church and that at one and the same time and place hee preacheth as a meer gifted Brother to those that are not of his Church and as a Minister to those of his Church thus thou mayest see his spirit of Opposition and his design to cry out on others that none may suspect his cause as cut-purses that they may may not bee accused Ought hee not to do otherwise the next time 4 That this task I have here undertaken is the first and therefore may bee guilty of mistakes of which I begge thy pardon and do promise thee that nothing but what is more than ordinarily material shall provoke mee to spend my own time in writing or thine in reading Bee zealous for the truth pray for its progress and bee thankful to God for any satisfaction thou shalt receive by him who is thy concealed Friend N. E. FINIS
invested is not your Query in short this If one bee fit for part of the office but not for the whole if fit to preach but not to rule why may hee not exercise that hee is fit for out of office I answer from the same place 1 Tim. 3.2 3. what if one be the Husband of many Wives what if given to Wine a meer drunkard and so is unfit to bee admitted to office why may hee not exercise his gift of preaching if God hath blest him with it why doth His Highness turn such out why may not ignorant yea prophan persons that may be fit to rule in your Church at least for some acts of government do that they are able or fit for these Queries have the same foundation with yours Again ought you not to prove that preaching is not an act of the Ministerial Office 2 Or that acts of Office may bee performed by him that hath not that office 3 Or that acts of Office may bee communicated 4 Yea and that where the whole Office it self ought not to be-conferred when you were a souldier you left off box-making when a Cheesmonger souldiering and is not this Query one ground why since you were a pretended Minister as it is reported you may excuse your self from what acts of this Office you please and take the liberty of being a Chees-monger still Query 8. And whereas you say it is a sin for people to hear such as are not ordained except as before excepted I quere Whether there is any Law of God broken when I hear the truth of Christ preached by any that are not ordained if so shew mee where that Law is to bee found Counter-Query As to your Query concerning the peoples sin in hearing unordained men I Quere If hee that preacheth sinneth in usurping that act of the Ministerial Office then do not they sin that shall wittingly and willingly submit to this usurpation in hearing if hee hath no lawful call to preach Rom. 10.15 can they have a lawful call to hear is not the receiver as bad as the theef Query 9. Whether or no Apollos did not preach the Gospel as is recorded Act. 18.24 25 26 27 28. publickly and frequently and whether hee could hee an Officer of the Church at that time seeing hee knew ONELY the baptisme of John or was not acquainted with the baptisme of the Spirit therefore pray shew us that hee was at this time an Officer or else that hee preached for approbation to it or that hee preached by vertue of any necessity By vertue of necessity hee did not preach for there were able Christians before such as the Text saith did instruct him And if hee preached at this time as an Officer or for approbation thereunto pray shew how that appears Counter-Query Ought you not to have answered what Dr. Seaman Mr. Gilespy Chemnitius c. have answered to this is it not the part of an unwise man to aske that which hath been so often answered without the least shew of a new cause of dissatisfaction shall we not suppose you intended to seduce the Vulgar that read not books But not to shun your strength Is this a good Argument Apollos taught in a Jewish Synagogue where wee read of but two Christians Aquila and Priscilla and those Paul brought with him therefore a gifted brother may teach in our Christian Congregations Can a particular example in a Church not constituted bee a rule for ordinary practice in a Church constituted Again is it not evident that Apollos was in Office and therefore call'd a Minister 1 Cor. 3.5 therefore to sift it more narrowly how will you prove Apollos not to bee in Office 1 Must you not prove either that hee was no Priest for they were the ordinary Teachers in the Synagogues or that hee had not given any testimony to the Jews that hee was a Prophet for these likewise had that liberty had they not such apprehensions of Christ and his Apostles because of their miracles or else are you not bound to shew upon what account besides the Jews let him teach in the Synagogue was hee not thus in Office 2 Must you not prove that John did not authorize him to teach if hee was not acquainted as you say with the Baptisme of the Spirit if hee had not those Gospel gifts that not only enabled but stirred up men to preach if hee was not informed of such a duty or work if likewise you consider how suddainly hee undertook it as his duty without any sollicitations is it not very probable hee was sent by John and if so must you not prove that Johns mission to Apollos was not as vallid as his Baptisme to Christ was he not thus in Office 3 Ought you not to prove that there was no necessity which we both agree is sufficient to authorize As 1 Was there any constituted organical Church and Officers in it to preach 2 Or was the Apostolical institution as yet practis'd there 3 Or were any there to ordain him 4 Or did hee know of such a thing to bee had from the Apostles or others 5 Was there not need and a way open to teach was not here evident necessity then if all or but some of these stand if so did hee preach as a meer gifted Brother 4 How will you prove that even then hee was not called or in office when you consider these particulars 1 'T is very certain hee was in Office For 1 Can you deny but that hee did the work of an Evangelist in watering those Churches Paul had planted 1 Cor. 3.6 and that he was to have been sent by Paul as Timothy was 1 Cor. 16.12 2 Was not his worth and name the head of a faction as was Pauls I am of Paul I of Apollos c. 1 Cor. 1.12 was hee then an ordinary gifted brother 3 Is hee not called in express termes a Minister and that in the same sense that Paul was 1 Cor. 3.5 He was an Officer then sure 2 Do you ever finde hee had any call to this Office after his preaching here Act. 18.24 25. if so shew it I pray 3 Do not these things prove that he was in Office now 1 Why did not Aquila teach then and rather than Apollos for though Apollos was eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures yet Aquila taught him verse 26. give then any rational account why Apollos rather preach't than Aquila if it were not because Apollos was in Office and Aquila not surely Apollos being so ignorant his eloquence could not make him more fit to teach than Aquila's knowledge of the Gospel 2 Was it not upon this account of his Office that the brethren in Achaia are written to to receive him to help them v. 27. especially if you compare it with Mat. 10.40 41. Where you see that such receiving is put for owning as an Officer 3 Why may wee not say that his HELPING them which beleeved THROUGH GRACE hinteth to us his Office and Call