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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	apostle_n	scripture_n	word_n	2,523	5	4.0634	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87723	The unlimited authority of Christs disciples cleared or the present church and ministery vindicated. Or Christs disciples authority for the practice of his commands is unlimitted. Being a brief answer to a book intituled (A sober Word to a serious people.) There the writer saith, Christ gave his commissions not to disciples as disciples, but to apostles. But here is by Scripture proved, that the authority & commissions, given to disciples, (as disciples considered) are of a far larger extent, then the authority of commissions given to apostles. Written by Thomas Kilcop.	Killcop, Thomas.	1651 (1651)	Wing K441; Thomason E1377_5; ESTC R209289	19,252	48

The unlimitted Authority OF Christs Disciples cleared OR The present Church and Ministery vindicated Or Christs Disciples Authority for the practice of his Commands is unlimitted BEING A brief answer to a Book intituled A sober Word to a serious People There the Writer saith Christ gave his Commissions not to Disciples as Disciples but to Apostles But here is by Scripture proved that the Authority Commissions given to Disciples as Disciples considered are of a far larger extent then the Authority or Commissions given to Apostles Written by THOMAS KILCOP Bind up the Testimony seale the Law among my Disciples Esa 8.16 O my Dove that art in the Clefts of the Rocks in the secret places of the staires let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice f●r sweet is thy voice and thy countenance comely LONDON Printed by J. C. 1651. TO THE READER CHristian Reader there came to my hand a Book with no name to it intituled A sober word to a serious people It opposeth all Churches or Ministery that this day be and none as yet hath put forth any answer thereto wherefore I thought my self engaged to spend my mite of opportunity therein In the said Book are multiplicity of words and Scriptures quoted over and over therefore for brevity sake I mind only yet exactly the pith of it and give thereto a brief and punctual Answer even by the word of truth being very brief the Reader should be the mere observant Try all things hold fast that which is good 1 Thes 5.21 Do men contend against truth Oh then contend against such men Do they make void Gods Commands Oh then exalt them it is time for thee Lord to work saith David for they have made void thy Law therefore I love thy Commandements above Gold yea fine Gold therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way The unlimitted Authority of Christs Disciples cleared The first part CHAP. 1. IN that Book he mindeth what the better sort of Seekers so called can do and what they cannot do they ought saith he p. 2. to read pray and give Almes from Acts 8. 10.1.2 and this for several ends p. 3. but for the present Churches and Ministery they see no ground these being Christ's grand capital and comprehensive institutions to which he gave gifts for comparing these with the word they conform not p. 4. I answer Christ requireth not only reading praying and almes-giving but also Church-meeting and Ministery as forsake not the fellowship that you have among your selves exhort one another daily love brotherly fellowship Heb. 3.13 and 10.25 1 Pet. 2.17 such as gladly received his word were baptized and they continued in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship Act 2.41 42. Why can you not conform to one as well as to the other since Christ requireth the one as much as the other 1. These saith he are great and capital institutions I answer the more great and weighty the rather to be obeyed they were hypocrites that tythed Mint and Annis and left the weightiest matters of the Law Mat. 23.23 24. 2. To these saith he Christ gave gifts I answer if by gifts he mean the gift of faith love joy c. surely if these be wanting not Church Ministery only but praying reading and almes giving also are alike vain for who can call on him in whom they believe not Rom. 10. and if we give all our Goods to the poor and have not love it profits not 1 Cor. 13.3 and reading if without faith profits not for without faith it is unpossible to please God Heb. 11.5 but it by gifts he mean tongues and Miracles as I judge he doth then I reply that miracles were to confirm the word and not to beget obedience to it in such as before knew it tongues also were not for them that believe but for them that believe not these gifts were not given to make knowers obey but to make non knowers to know Mark 16.20 1 Cor. 14.22 Heb. 2.4 Do you own the Scripture to be Gods word and therefore read it though you saw no miracle to confirm it much more should you obey it though you see no miracle or do you in some things conform to it without seeing miracles you might do so also in other things on the same ground and you cannot disobey it for want of miracles without disowning it on the same account and as well might you for want here of disobey it in every thing as in som thing But the inference of these words to these he gave gifts is that the Church or Ministery that hath them not is not Christs Church or Ministery and then Christ may be obeyed though these be rejected I answer the Scripture saith these tokens shall follow them that believe Mark 16. but it doth not say such tokens shall accompany the Ministery and be in every visible Church therefore you might rather question as some do whether any in the world do believe since these are wanting then for want of these to question the truth of the Church and Ministery which those by you judged believers do enjoy 2. You herein question the truth of the Church and Ministery that have been as much as those that now are for John a Gospel-Minister Mark 1.1 2 3 4. did no Miracle John 10.41 and though the Corinth had all gifts 1 Cor. 1.7 and the Galatians had some yet we read not of any in the Churches of Macedonia or Asia or the Ephesians Bereans Philippians or almost any Church spoken of Obj. God hath set such in the Church 1 Cor. 12.28 29. I answer it is in that place evident that the Church there specified is no particular Church but the Church general called else-where the general Assembly of the first born written in Heaven Heb. 12. of which if we be not Members not only Church and Ministery but our readings prayings and distributions are little worth But if we be of this Church general as all believers be then may we acceptably pray read c. and as acceptably associate preach break bread and what not for if justified by faith we have peace God-ward through our Lord Jesus Christ by him also we have access to this grace wherein we stand Rom. 5.2 Rejoyce not in men for all is ours Paul Apollo things present or to come all is ours and we Christs 1 Cor. 3.21 22 23. 3. These saith he if compared with the word conform not I answer as much as your praying reading or Almes-giving do though we examine only his own quotations The Eunuch and Cornelius who acceptably read prayed and gave Alms had quickly the one a man the other an Angel sent them to estate them into Gospel Church and Ministery which he hath not to this day enjoyed therefore his own practice conformeth not to his own quotation Obj. They are not so unsuitable as to be disowned I answer I say the same of the

48 49. and so much to this His second affirmation is in p. 8 that the said Ministry is exprest Eph 4 12 13 for number names ●nd and duration all these are set in the Church ●●s institutions to abide 1 Cor 12 28. p. 9 to perfect 〈◊〉 edifie some in the world to precede the Church ●●me placed in it to edifie p. 10 Must Saints be ●●rfected and edified not by one but by all these p. 11. then is Christs ministerie breeding and feeding one prepares gathereth the other buildeth further both are one ministerie fruits of one purchase both needfull one to convert and enlighten the other to edifie and strengthen therefore to continue together the latter hath not been without the former he thinks as p. 12 I Answ Is conversion by the first part of this ministery and edification by the latter then the first must be now or no conversion now and the latter now or no edification now and then well may he opose a Feeding ministrie that hath not pertak't of the breeding ministery Secondly The denying this ministery now to be is the belying that place Eph. 4. for that as he said declareth not only the number names end but also the duration of Gospel-ministerie and that till all the saints meet to a perfect man It is to perfect till all are perfected converted as he saith by this it appeareth now to be except conversion be past Thirdly Persons ministring are Ministers that about which they minister is the ministrie the breeding and feeding ministrie is where conversion and edifying is The Jews had Moses and the Profits when they had their writings in the same sence now have we the Apostles and Prophets which is a ministrie both breeding and feeding t is breeding Joh. 20.30 31. Many other signes he did which are not written in this book but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that in believing ye might have life through his name And feeding 1 Jo. 5.13 These things have I written unto you that beleeve in the name of the Son of God that ye may know ye have eternall life and may beleeve on the name of the Son of GOD. Yet these writings neither beget nor feed if God assist not neither did Pauls personall planting nor Apollos watering except God gave the encrease Fourthly let us honour the Ministerie above Ministers God begets by his word Jam 1.18 somtime through the mouth of one unbegot himselfe as we see Esa 42 19 20 His opening of Perfecting Edifying I oppose not CHAP. IIII. HIs third affirmation is Scripture doth not clear Church gathering without Ministerie and Baptisme preceding p 12 I Answer true and we by the aforesaid ministery were converted and were also baptized before we congregated He addeth some say believers may consent to be a Church c. as a visible church appoint one to baptize c. I answer none but self-seekers will so say who being before leaders would be so still and so found out this by way others after baptisme by consent became a Church But this he opposeth also as if we now err from our first principles for saith he we now take not one in though he consent till the Church as in Christs name Judge him fit but saith he p 13 who at first declared in Christs name to us that Christ accepted of us as a Church but some were disigned thereto saith he a preceding ministerie converting and espousing them p 14 1 Cor 4 15 2 Cor 5 25. 11.2 8 5. I answer as now the whole Church Judgeth of the fitnesse of such as would be added so at first every particular was approved of by the whole and so we swerve not from our first practise And that some were designed to judge whether Christ would accept of a people c. is false and against the Gospell for as touching believing who ever cometh to Christ he will in no wi●e cast off Joh. 6. so also in obedience if the mind be willing he accepteth according to what we have 2. Cor. 8.12 he dispiseth not the day of small things He respecteth tender Grapes Cant. 2.14 15. and so he designeth some to strengthen weak hands to confirme feeble knees to say to the fearfull in heart be ye strong c. Esa 35.3.4 he designeth none to tell people though they set themselves to serve the Lord yet it is questionable whether he will accept of their so doing and his quotations prove no such thing Paul in one telleth the Cor. that he was their Father he had begot them through the Gospell in another he saith that he in Christs stead intreated them to be reconciled in the third place he saith he had espoused them to a Husband and in the last place speaking of the Macedonians saith they gave themselves up first to the Lord then to us by the will of God here note first their voluntary act they gave up themselves 2dly to whom first to the Lord then to us saith he 3dly by whose appointment by the will of God Had the Apostles been designed to judge whether peoples submission would be accepted off then should they have first given up themselves to them and then to the Lord if the Apostles had judged them fit Se how opposite his quotations are to him and he to them T is one thing to beget people by the word to intreat people to be reconciled and to be as judge to judge whether such as are begotten on are reconciled shall be accepted off is another thing to espouse that is to perswade them to accept of Christs espousalls by declaring his readinesse to accept of any that give themselves up to him is one thing to judge whether though people do so Christ will accept of it is another thing some were by Christ designed to the first but not the latter This Speech of his therefore tendeth to eclips Gods grace to sadden his people to bolster up people in disobedience to their own hurt and Gods dishonour who is glorified by peoples being Christs Disciples Joh. 15.8 Luk. 7.29.30 and so much to the third particuler CHAP V. HIs last affirmation is that the present Ministrie is not Christs his being p. 15. called immediatly Mat. 10.1 28.16 Ga● 1.12 with sutable gifts Mar. 1.15 Act. 1.4 8. these are Ministers of Christ 1. Cor. 4.1 Or called mediatly that is hereto impoured by Apostles for the Church and with their suffrag and election p. 16. Act. 6. Tit. 1.5 these are the Churches Messengers 2 Cor. 8 23. Phil. 2.25 these must be called by Apostles or Apostolicall Ministerie Act. 14.14.23 or by the Bride into whose Custodie administrations were left 1. Cor. 11.2 who convey gifts on them 2 Tim. 1 6 But the call of the present Ministery was not immediate nor by Apostles nor by a true constituted Church espoused by some hereto designed as 1. Cor. 11 2 according to the establish't order