Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	article_n	church_n	scripture_n	2,258	5	5.8713	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25527	An Answer to A letter from a minister to a person of quality, showing some reasons for his non-conformity		1679 (1679)	Wing A3317; ESTC R15207	17,472	9

according to their best discretion they have chosen out such parts of Scripture to be read in the Congregation which are most intelligible if they omitted others such as many Chapters of the Chronicles and Revelation are which they thought would not be for the Edification of a vulgar Auditory And if they have mixed some of the Apocrypha they are withall such parts of it as may be of wholsom Instruction and for their equailing these with the holy Scripture properly so called 't is sufficient that 't is in our Articles declared what Books we look upon as Canonical what as Apocryphal and that we neither disguise nor recommend either but under their proper Names And whether this be a Reason to break Communion with a Church let any man Judge especially since 't is no new thing to recommend Books that are not Scripture to be kept and exposed in the Church to public use such as Erasmus his Paraphrase Foxe's Martyrology c. and yet these are not scrupled at His next Scruple is Secondly Against the Order appointed for the Ministration of Baptism and that upon these three accounts 1. Because of Godfathers and Godmathers 2. Because of the Cross 3. Because of what is annexed to the end of the Sacrament I. He doth not approve of the strict requiring of Godfathers and Godmathers to stand as Sureties and Vndertakers for the Child to be baptized viz. That he shall renounce the Devil and all his Works and constantly believe God's holy Word and obediently keep his Commandments But whether A. B. approve them or no I can shew him those that did approve them very early in the Church and that the common Consent of the whole Church both Eastern and Western hath ever since run along with that Practice But to weigh his Reasons and those of such moment that they are sufficient with him as I just now observ'd to justifie his deserting the Communion of the Church for 1. Because it is unscriptural 2. Because in the interim the Father of the Child is left out 3. Because Godfathers and Godmothers are generally brought to the Font to avouch a great untruth and make themselves obnoxious of lying and perjury in the Face of God and the Church To the first that t is Vnscriptural 1. 'T is not necessary it should be mentioned in Scripture 't is sufficient if the Practice of the Church confirm it and it be not against the Rule or Analogy of Scripture Besides 2. It cannot be suppos'd it should be prescribed in Scripture the receiving of Persons by Baptism there being upon their own actual Faith and before there was any constituted national Church wherein this Order could be observ'd and 't was sufficient that the Children were admitted then to Baptism as they were into the Covenant that is by the Faith of the Parents which is the Reason why they are now capable of the Ordinance and were the taking in of Godfathers only abundans cautela 't is the first time that any deserted a Church because it took the best Care it could of its Members Nor is it reasonable in the second place 2. To Object That in the interim the Father of the Child is left out when the receiving the Child suppose the Father concern'd in it because 't is through his Faith he is in the Covenant and as to his particular ingaging for the Child's Education he must be worse than an Infidel if he do not take care for those of his own House 3. Much less can it bear any weight with considering men that he insinuates The Godfathers and Godmothers being generally brought to the Font to avouch a great untruth and make themselves obnoxious of lying and perjury in the Face of God and the Church Because if they are guilty of this this is their abuse of what is well intended and that can no more make against the having Godfathers and Godmothers for the Child because t is possible they may neglect their Duty than it doth against Baptizing the Child at all because he may not answer the intents and purposes of that Solemn Vow or of admitting the Father himself to be a Sponsor in this case because he may be careless in the matter Besides not to admit Godfathers and Godmothers might in some cases be totally to debar the Child of Baptism because it may so fall out that the Father may be dead before the Child is born and then how shall he be offered to Baptism And as for A. B's Supposition that A Parent should tax his Gossips with their neglect and the great mischief accruing to the Child upon that very account doth he not much more tax himself who shall make such an Argument against this practice which can signifie nothing if he do but discharge his own Duty How fallacious a conclusion is it because men neglect their Duty therefore they are not to be engaged in it II. And then as to his Reasoning against the Cross Par. 13. 't is so trifling that I wonder with what Face any can urge it viz. Because whereas 't is said We receive this Child into the Congregation of Christ's Flock and do sign him with the sign of the Cross in Token hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the Faith of Christ crucified c. Now saith he this word In token is to him a meer Riddle 't is much it should be so there being no word of a more vulgar use and implies as much as a sign of Remembrance which is the very sence to which 't is here applied Only he hath a sence to wrest it to in which he knows the Church of England never took it and therein he gives a mighty Proof of his Charity that he cannot joyn in Communion with the Church of England lest some other of less understanding than himself should mistake the sence of one word in the Liturgy 't is I confess an extraordinary sort of Zeal to make anothers want of Judgment the measure of my Religion But there 's a farther design in that than every one observes put a false gloss upon the Text and then condemn it of Heresie misinterpret the words and impeach the Church of the ill consequences But what then is it we must spell out of this mighty Niceness I am saith he apt to believe the generality may much mistake it mistake it then it seems they must before they can misjudge it as if when it is said in Token it had been said In Virtue and Power of this Sign another man it may be would be apt to believe that they could not thus mistake it it being altogether Foreign from the use of the word so to understand it But 't is all one put the rub in the way that you may be sure not to lose your pains in proving 't is necessary it should be removed For my part I cannot tell how any thing but an industrious love of mistaking could have given him that sence of the word and