Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	church_n	member_n	visible_a	3,063	5	9.7114	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85949	Vindiciæ vindiciarum: or, A vindication of his Vindication of infant-baptisme, from the exceptions of M. Harrison, in his Pœdo-baptisme oppugned, and from the exceptions of Mr. Tombes, in his chief digressions of his late Apology, from the manner to the matter of his treatises. By Io. Geree M. of Arts, and Preacher of the Word in S. Albanes. Imprimatur, Edm. Calamy.	Geree, John, 1601?-1649.	1646 (1646)	Wing G604; Thomason E363_13; ESTC R201234	35,208	49

priviledge none for their seed But by his leave this will follow unlesse he grant that the promise or Covenant is to Christian Gentiles and their seed too and if he grant that whether the seal of initiation will not follow the Covenant I leave to be weighed by proofs set down in their places And unlesse he grant this priviledge to Christian Gentiles there will follow a partition wall thus far to make distinct conditions of persons under the Gospel contrary to Ephes 2.14 where Christ hath made Jews and Gentiles equall From me M. Tombes proceeds to M. Marshall pag 7. Where he saith the chief difference is whether the ingraffing be into the invisible Church by election and faith as M. Tombes affirmed To which M. Marshall replies that if it be meant of the invisible Church only and all that are ingraffed in the Apostles sense whether Jews and Gentiles are only elect ones Then will he promise never to plead this Scripture more for Infants This motion M. Tombes accepts but in the repetition that the ingraffing is into the invisible Church by election and giving faith he leaves out the word onely wherein the whole emphasis of M. Marshalls offer lyes He tells us again that the same people were ingraffed into the visible Church but the ingraffing is more then that which is into the visible Church by outward profession and Qrdinances But what is this but what M. Marshall and my self have again and again asserted that it s meant of making all to be of the visible Church that professe and those to be of the invisible Church that are elect and truly believe and this is enough to carry the cause that at least the elect Gentiles by ingraffing obtained the visible Church-state of the broken off and so they and their children are in Covenant as the broken off were And therefore I should not be so liberall in my grant as M. Marshall to M. Tombes in this wherein he is an adversary M. Tombes brings many arguments to prove that the ingraffing is meant into the invisible Church by election and faith which I shall examine and discover if he put in the word onely they are too light if not they reach not the question the thing in question only first I will premise an observation That it is an usuall thing in Scripture when it speaks of visible Churches though it is apparant they did consist of good and bad to give attributes that are to be understood only of the elect and invisible part either because of the same profession of goodnes that all make or synechdochically naming the better part for the whole thus in the inscriptions of S. Pauls Epistles All the members of visible Churches are tearmed Saints and peculiarly 1 Thes 1.5 Knowing beloved your election of God So the seven Churches of Asia are tearmed golden candlesticks May we hence truly gather that there were none in any of the Gentile Churches but Saints and that all the Angels and members of the seven Churches of Asia were golden He of Sardis and all that had a name to live and were dead Revel 3.7 Surely no but those things are attributed to visible Churches because of the elect among them yet were not the elect only spoken to or of even so many of the expressions from which M. Tombes argues are peculiar to the elect not that no non-elect persons had among them a standing in the visible Church and not in the invisible but the expressions are used synechdochically the more noble part put for the whole but now to the particulars That the ingraffing is into the invisible Church only 1. Because it is by Gods sole power Rom. 11.23 I answer the ground is weak for no man can give a man power so far to believe as to professe especially one blinded and hardened of God but God alone and was not the visible Church-state of the Jews when all other Nations were without an act of Gods power only nor could it be by man So then also their re-ingraffing though many come to be members of a visible Church only 2. He argues because the ingraffing is called reconciliation opposite to casting away ver 15. which is called breaking off ver 17. But this also is too weak for the casting away and breaking being but a losse of what they had that is visible priviledges the reconciliation might be and in many Gentiles was but a vouchsafing them a visible Church estate no longer to be reputed dogs as they had been 3. He argues from ver 20. By unbelief they were broken but thou standest by faith I answer The elect by faith and profession was both in the invisible and visible Church the formall by appearance of faith stood in mens esteem and as members of the visible Church And to this purpose Calvine part of whose speech you afterward applaud Pracipuè notandum Pauli sermonem non tam ad singulos homines quam ad totum Gentium corpus dirigi in quo multi esse poterant frustra inflat fidem potius profitentes quàm habentes 4. He argues from ver 17. That ingraffing is meant whereby the wilde O live is copartner of the root and fatnes of the Olive tree and then much stir is kept what the root is But I answer If the Olive give fatnes I know no other Olive but he that is the vine into whom all Christian Gentiles were ingraffed by profession and the elect of them by faith really also and hence this expression ver 17. in regard of what in profession and shew belonged to all and in reality was verified of the better part the elect 5. He argues because the breaking off is by blinding but that is weak for then ingraffing may be by illumination to profession which may be without election Heb. 6.4 5 6. 6. He argues because reingraffing brings salvation but that is to some of the ingraffed not all unlesse he thinks at the Jews restauration there shall be none of them formalists and hypocrites 7. He argnes because the ingraffing is by vertue of Gods election his love his gifts of calling ver 30 31 32. But I answer the election love and gifts being such here as belong to bodies or nations it is not such as M. Tombes means which is election unto salvation by faith Sith that belongs not to whole bodies or Nations or not to all of them and so is attributed in regard of the better part 8. Lastly because the ingraffing is the fruit of Gods mercy and breaking off by shutting up in unbelief But neither is this last cogent sith there is generall mercy to make members of a visible Church as well as speciall to make members of the invisible and their unbelief was not only want of saving faith but historicall faith to professe which later if they had had they had not been broken off and therefore they that have it are ingraffed into their rooms to injoy that visible standing which for want of it they