Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	act_n	apostle_n	church_n	2,046	5	4.4187	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50459	A sermon preach'd to the Society, for reformation of manners at Kingstone upon Thames, on July 17th 1700. Publish'd at the request of the Society. By Daniel Mayo, M.A. minister of the gospel in that town.	Mayo, Daniel, 1672?-1733.	1700 (1700)	Wing M1520A; ESTC R221865	18,825	64

And Be not Deceived It is Impossible to Love God with all our Heart and Soul Mat. 22 37-40.1 Joh. 4.20 and Mind and Strength if we do not Love our Brother also Now if we do not Reprove our Offending Brother we do not Love him nay we Hate him in our Hearts For so much is plainly Imply'd in that Text where the Duty I am speaking of is plainly Commanded Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thine Heart Thou shalt in any wise Rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer Sin upon him There is no difficulty to understand who are Obliged by this Command For it concerns every single person Nor is it hard to know who are to be Reprov'd 'T is our Offending Brother called also in the Latter Part of the Verse our Neighbour But if any should go about to Excuse Themselves as the Lawyer endeavour'd to Justify himself by Asking Who is my Neighbour I refer him for an Answer to our Blessed Saviour That Teacher come from God Mat. 10 30-37 Our Saviour himself saith Iuk 17.3 If thy Brother Trespass against Thee Rebuke him And 't is certainly no less your Duty if he Trespass against God or his own Soul And therefore in other places of Scripture this Duty is more Generally laid down in such Expressions as these Warn the unruly 1 Thes 5.14 Colos 3.16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you with all Wisdom Teaching and Admonishing one another This Duty may be perform'd by our Words tho' ordinarily 't is most Efficacious when 't is done by our Actions And perhaps that may be the Meaning of the Apostle when he Exhorts the Ephesians Ephes 5.11 To have no Fellowship with the unfruitful works of Darkness But rather to reprove them this way viz. By abstaining from them themselves St. Peter gives this Honourable Testimony of Righteous Lot That he Living among the Sinners of SODOM and GOMORRHA 2 Pet. 2.8 vexed his Righteous Soul from day to day with their Vnlawful Deeds And 't is not to be question'd But that his Righteous Words and Actions too Reprov'd their Wicked Deeds or else tho' he might have been a Preacher he would not have been a Practicer of Righteousness But altho' this Fraternal Reproof b● our Duty Commanded by God in order to the Good of our Neighbour and is a Part or Testimony of our Love to an Offending Brother yet 't is to be performed only where there is just occasion And withal 't is a Positive Command which although it is an Abiding Obligation upon us to perform the Duty Commanded yet doth it not require the Performance thereof at all times And there is one Time or Season to name no more when this Duty of Fraternal Reproof is not to be perform'd or at least not Alone Before I Name it Let me beseech you not to make an Ill Use of it either to Countenance your Cowardise or Vncharitableness The Time I mean is this When there is Evident Reason to Conclude 't will do the Party Reproved no Good and the Reprover much Hurt Then the Advice of the Wise Man takes Place Prov. 9.7 8. Not to Reprove a Scorner least he hate thee For he that Reproveth a Scorner getteth to himself shame and he that rebuketh a Wicked Man getteth himself a Blot There are such Swine before whom this Pearl is not to be cast For if you do they 'l shew they have the Rage and Cruelty of a Wild Bore as well as the Fierceness of an ordinary Swine and turn again and Rent you or at least do their Utmost to Destroy you And to such Snarling Dogs This Holy Thing is not to be Given I Speak no harder words then our Saviour did as you may find Mat. 7.9 'T is also the Precept of our Lord tho' too often Abused Matth. 10.16 That we should not only be as harmless as Doves But also as wise as Serpents And this Direction of our Saviour will Justify and Commend the Custom of Magistrates who in Complyance with the Reasonable Request of this and other-like Societies do ordinarily conceal their Names who Inform them of the Scandalous Crimes of such who do by their Enormities seem to say They do not Regard Man as 't is evident they do not Fear God In such Sad Cases there is need of another sort of Reproof viz. That which is 2. An Authoritative One. And if we may observe any Contexture in this Chapter of the Proverbs of Solomon where my Text lyeth This sort of Reproof seems to be intended Because the Beginning of this Chapter contains Observations concerning Publick Government as the Contents of the Chapter in our Bibles tells us This sort of Reproof differs from the former Inasmuch as it is the Duty of some Persons only and not of all And 't is to be manag'd in another way and manner than the other sort should be 1. I say This Authoritative Reproof is the Duty of some Persons only and not of all And 't is easy to know of whom viz. Such as are in Authority in any Society whether Sacred or Civil In Sacred Societies otherwise called Churches there must be a part in Authority and a part under that Authority A part that is to Govern and a part that is to be Governed otherwise it is no Society nor doth it deserve the Name of a Church any more than that Mixt Multitude which caused an Uproar at Ephesus of which you Read in the 19th Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles In those Societies there are Officers of Divine Appointment and their Work as well as Commission is from Heaven which is not only to Teach but to Admonish also And tho' this is evident by Reason and the Light of Nature yet because some are apt to think it is a hard saying and will not easily bear it Read the Particular Direction for this purpose to all the Ministers of Christ given immediately indeed to Titus Tit. 2.15 These things speak and exhort and REBVKE with all Authority Let no Man despise thee This is one of the things that St. Paul gives in Charge even to young Timothy in a most Solemn Manner Even as in the presence of God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall Judge the Quick and the Dead at his Appearing and in his Kingdom not only that he Preach the Word and be instant therein even in Season and out of Season But also that he REPROVE and REBVKE as well as Exhort with all Long-Suffering and Doctrine 2 Tim. 4.1 2. A Just Decorum indeed is to be observed as he Directs elsewhere * 1 Tim. 5.1 2. But not to the Prejudice either of his Faithfulness to God or the Souls of Men or the Authority he was Invested with And therefore he is Directed in some Cases Tim. 5 23. Publickly or Before All to Rebuke them that Sin that Others may Fear ●t 1.13 And Titus is Exhorted to Rebuke some Sharply And so

also in Civil Societies This Authoritative Reproof is a Duty Incumbent on the Governours thereof whether they be Magistrates in a Nation City or any Corporation or Parents and Governours of a Family The very End of Magisiracy is that there might be some Authorised and Empower'd to be a Terrour to Evil Doers and a Praise to them that Do Well For this GOOD they are design'd and appointed by God 1 Pet. 2.13 14 as his Ministers and Vicegerents For this very Reason we are bound to be Subject to them for Conscience sake Rom. 13.3 And therefore also Tribute is Due to them Because they do or should attend con●●●●ally on this VERY thing And tho' I will not say if this their Duty be by them neglected Inferiours may or should Deny the Honour and Subjection or withold that Tribute which is otherwise undoubtedly their Due Yet I will be bold to say such Magistrates as do manifestly and utterly pervert the very Design of their Institution do take from their Inferiours that which in God's Account is not due to ' em As to Parents and Governours of Families Their Authority as 't is not deny'd by any so 't is also design'd for the same End And at present I only Intreat all such that they would resolve upon such a Behaviour in their Houses as David resolves upon in the 101 Psal Throughout Thus have I shewn this is the Duty of some viz. Such as are in Authority Let me add 't is the Duty of others also yea of all in their several Places to endeavour that this sort of Reproof may be Administred by those whose proper Office it is An Argument this is That hath been several Times well Discoursed on to such Societies as this Vid. The Sermons of Mr. D. Williams and Mr. J. Shower And therefore I pass it now As this Authoritative Reproof differs from that which is Fraternal inasmuch as 't is the Duty only of some and not of all So also 2. This sort is to be Managed in a way and manner different from the other As might be shewn in several particulars To Instance in one only i. e. It ought to be accompanied with proper Impartial Punishments These Punishments are to be Inflicted according to the Nature of the Offence and of the Authority or Office that he is Intrusted or Invested with that doth or ought to Inflict it Every little Fault ought not to be Punish'd as if it were a Capital Crime Nor should the Great Enormities be passed by with a slight Rebuke as if they were but Peccadillo's The Parent or Master of a Family may not Punish as the Magistrate doth But in some Sad Cases Parents must call in the Aid of the Magistrates or Call for Justice against their own Children And because the Text will not only Justify your Proceedings but may serve to make you Impartial in your Resorming-Work Read it as you may find it Deut. 21 18-22 If a Man have a Stubborn and Rebellious Son which will not obey the voice of his Father or the voice of his Mother and that when they have chasten'd him will not hearken to them Then shall his Father and his Mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the Elders of the City c. And the Punishment in the Church of Christ are different from either The Magistrate hath a Sword put into his Hand by God Himself Which he must not bear in vain But must Vse in such Cases and for such Ends as the Law of God and the Land Directs And if the Magistracy be Dishonour'd or Despis'd the Magistrate may if he pleaseth easily Vindicate the Honour of his Office The Ministers of Christ in his Church have a Sword too I do not mean a Temporal one But that which is more Terrible if rightly used viz. The Authority committed to them by Christ himself whereby Obstinate Offenders are to be Cut Off and cast out of the Visible Church and Kingdom of Christ and Society of Christians And 't is this I doubt not the Apostle means in his Direction to Titus Chap. 1.13 Rebuke them sarply You have the † 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Word used once more evidently in this sense 2 Cor. 13.10 The Apostle Alludes to the Practice of Surgeons who at first indeed should Search the Sore and try to Heal it But if Gentler Methods fail must Cut away the Proud and Dead and Rotten Flesh yea and the Corrupt Member too that the Whole Body may be kept from perishing And to this end doth the Solemn Ordinance of Christ called Excommunication serve Which I mention the rather because how Blessed might the Effects be If whilst some are endeavouring to Reform the Nation Those who are more nearly concern'd would Concurr with their Attempts to Reform the Churches of Christ therein Thus have I Explain'd the Duty and Prov'd that 't is the Duty of All to Administer Fraternal Reproof and of Some to Administer Authoritative Reproof also as occasion requires Let me Briefly shew that 't is a Privilege to be Reprov'd and so I will conclude the First General Propounded Many are the Advantages that accrue by Fraternal Reproof by which it appears to be a Priviledge Certainly there is hardly any greater felicity than a Faithful Friend who will with Tenderness and Fidelity admonish us concerning those Errors and Miscarriages which Self-Love is apt to hide from our own Observance or to excuse either as to fact or fault or both The Wise Man tells us Prov. 27.5 6. That Open Rebuke is better than Secret Love Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend But the Kisses or Flattery of an Enemy are Deceitful and they are hurtful too Who of us can take up Holy David's Words who though he was a King said Let the Righteous Smite me For he dare not Slander and Backbite but in a Friendly manner give me a Faithful Wound tho' it be a deep one and it shall be not only Design'd by him but Esteem'd by me a Kindness A●●iet him Reprove me it shall be an Excellent Odoriferous and Healing O● which shall not hreak my Head But ●●al my Soul And Psal 141.5 such as these I will not return upon with Recrimination or Rage But my Prayer shall 〈◊〉 for them in their Calamities tho' ●erhaps by reason of the same Fault they Reprove in me Eccles 4.9 10. Two are better 〈◊〉 one For if they fall the one will lift up his Fellow but woe to him that is alone when he falleth For he hath 〈◊〉 another to help him up Upon this Account It is not good that Man should be alone which the ●●btil and Malicious Tempter knows very well and therefore 't is more than probable he took the Advantage of our Common Mother's being Absent from her Husband when he Tempted her to Eat the Forbidden Fruit. And the Victory of the Captain of our Salvation the Seed of the Woman was the more Giorious By how much the