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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	believe_v	prove_v	scripture_n	3,079	5	6.9180	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01735	A short reply vnto the last printed books of Henry Barrow and Iohn Greenwood, the chiefe ringleaders of our Donatists in England VVherein is layd open their grosse ignorance, and foule errors: vpon which their whole building is founded. By George Gyfford, minister of Gods holy worde, in Maldon.	Gifford, George, d. 1620.	1591 (1591)	STC 11868; ESTC S118836	80,934	106

doth reach it foorth vnto vs when they preach the glad tidings or deliuer the promise of free pardon vnto all that shall beleeue in Christ crucified and deliuer the seales of the doctrine euen Baptisme and the holy Supper God doth accompanie the ministration of these things by his spirit so dooth ratifie the same For which cause the ministrie of the Gospell is called the ministrie of the spirit 2. Cor. 3. The spirit of the Lord giueth vs our freedome by loosing the bonds of our sinnes when through faith wee lay hold of the promise And hee that beleeueth not is still bound Then when Christ sayth Whose sinnes ye shall forgiue they are forgiuen and whose sinnes ye shall retaine they are retained This is the sense that to those whom God doth send publishing the Gospell and setting to the seales in those which imbrace it and so bringing free pardon of sinnes he doth communicate this honour which belongeth to himselfe that they are sayd to forgiue sinnes As I sayd before he giueth away nothing herein from himselfe because it is not giuen vnto them as to the authors of the pardon but as to the instruments and ministers by whome hée doth reach it foorth as by his hand and by whose ministrie hee doth ratifie y● same vnto vs. Likewise whē they denounce iudgment agaynst the impenitent he doth confirme it What do you tell vs then of that rule of admonishing and pardoning Luk. 17. These be things differing It is also very true that the power of binding and loosing is wholly from the word not depending vppon the excellencie of any man and that the dignitie and power of the word if wee respect it in it selfe is all one out of whose mouth so euer But yet Master Barrow you should know● that it is Gods ordinance and good pleasure to giue a special operation and power vnto it by the ministrie Baptisme doth seale vp the forgiuenes of our sinnes and hath he not ordayned that this seale shal be set to by the ministry I would you saw how ●old your ignorāce hath made you euen agaynst Gods ordinance as to giue no more efficacie vnto the word in the mouth of the mo●t excellent minister then in the mouth of any true Christian Your other demaund is to no purpose seeing nothing do●th binde or loose but onely the word and the binding or loosing by men is no more but when men by authoritie from God in a ministrie which hee dooth ratifie pronounce remission of sinnes or iudgement rightly according to the word as the word pronounceth Shall we then beleeue that euery true Christian hath the same and equall power of binding and loosing that Paule or Peter had You say so and would prooue it and not onely haue here set downe your blinde reasons but in your other booke which you entitle a briefe discouerie of the false Church and in the page 124. You say that by the place Iohn 20. wee cannot prooue this power of binding and loosing to bee giuen onely to the Apostles there being many disciples both men and women in the place when Christ gaue it This appearing indeed of our Sauiour was the same day at night in which hee rose from the dead as the Euangelists do expressely declare It is plaine also by S. Luke 24. 33. that there were some other with the Apostles when he appeared vnto them But yet Master Barrow consider the place well and if there be any forehead remayning it will make you blush a little at your owne bolde speach when you say that to challenge the power of binding and loosing as giuen or annexed to the ministrie by these words whose sinnes ye remit c. is by an old worthles title For was the Commission of the Apostleship giuen vnto all that were there both men and women Because you say There were both men and women there besides the Apostles and that he gaue the power of binding and loosing vnto them all alike and sayd vnto them all whose sinnes ye shall remit they are remitted c. Marke all his words together Agayne Peace be with ye as the father hath sent me so I send you And when he had said this he breathed vpon them and sayd receaue the holy Ghost Whose sinnes ye shall remit they are remitted and whose sinnes ye shall retaine they are retained Did he say to all there present yea euen to the women as the father hath sent me so I send you I pray ye whether sent he the women vpon that message vpon which he was sent by the father These former words are onely to the Apostles vpon whome hee layeth the charge or the ambassage which his father had committed vnto him As Paule 2. Cor. 5. declareth that the Apostles were Ambassadors from GOD in Christs stead If you will shame then to say that Christ layd the charge which the father committed to him vpon the women as you say there were some women there and it is not vnlike or if you dare not affirme that the women are sent vpon this ambassage to be Apostles which is in these former words as the father sent me so I send you how dare you say the latter words are spoken vnto all For to those onely he sayth receaue the holy Ghost whose sinnes ye shall remit they are remitted To whom he had sayd As the father hath sent me so I send you And tell me Master Barrow is there not some part of this power of loosing or remitting sinnes by the Sacraments I meane do● not the Sacraments effectually seale vnto vs the remission of sinnes And is that power committed to any but Ministers Hath God giuen a power to the Ministers aboue other to set to the seales and no power aboue others in deliuering the word of the couenant which is sealed It is no meruaile that you dare goe about to ouerthrowe all the power of the Ministrie of the Gospell which Saint Paule setteth foorth to be so glorious 2. Cor. 3. in affirming that the greatest Minister hath no more power to binde the least member then the sayd member hath to binde him when you are thus grosly ignorant as to affirme that our Sauiour spake those words vnto women Whose sinnes ye shall forgiue c. Ioh. 20. and see not that God hath ratified a power of deliuering the word and Sacraments by a ministrie which hee vseth as his hand reached foorth vnto vs. They that will further and more fully see into this wicked error of yours must looke vpon that which the learned haue written agaynst the Swinckfeldians about the same And now Master Barrow to come to the very poynt indeed that is in controuersie betweene you and me I wished that you were as weary of lying and slandering as you should bee in seeking vntill you should finde one blasphemie or heresie in all the Collects of the booke and therefore you haue here gathered together a whole packe You tell me first that I haue in

remembrance the Collect wherein the Priest by the authoritie committed vnto him doth absolue the sick of all his sinnes Indeed you tolde vs that this is most high blasphemie and that nothing can be more popish But learne you Master Barrow by the Scripture and remember that God hath giuen a power to the ministrie of the Gospell to forgiue sinnes The power indeede is but ministeriall and so the booke it selfe declareth where it sayth He hath giuen power and commandement to his ministers to declare and pronounce to his people being penitent the absolution and remission of their sinnes Other power in the minister to forgiue sinnes then this the booke alloweth none How the Pope doth challenge this power to himselfe as head and how from him it must be deriued vnto all Ministers how farre also he hath extended it and how horribly and blasphemously he hath abused it I will not stand to shewe Then next you say I must not forget the two Collects sayd ouer our dead brother The one in which we say that God of his mercie hath taken away the soule of our brother c. This is not ment but where the partie dieth in the profession of the faith and repentance nor yet absolutely to pronounce him saued but in a charitable manner of speach to iudge of him as he professed I doo not take it the meaning of the booke that it should be vttered of such as make no profession of the holy faith for why then should he be called a brother or vpon whome God doth shewe his fearefull iudgement if it be otherwise it may be a fault but not blasphemie The other is that we pray for the soule of our brother departed where we say that wee with this our brother and all other departed in the true faith may haue our perfect consummation and blisse both in body and soule Prayer for the dead is a grosse error but yet not simply in it selfe an heresie or blasphemie and our Church dooth vtterly condemne it as a grosse error And therefore Master Barrow you do still but belye the booke which directeth herein to pray onely for our selues liuing and not for the dead For if the mention of receiuing blisse with that brother departed were to pray for him then should it be meant that wée would also pray for the soules of Abraham Isaack and Iaakob of the Prophets and Apostles because they are included in these words with all other departed in the true faith In the third place you are so kinde that as you say to helpe my memorie a little further you will mee to consider better of that glorious Anthem which wee say at our Communion that we with Angels and Archangels and all the companie of heauen lawd and magnifie c. Here you will not demaund how wee remaining in the flesh can haue such familiar conuersation with those heauenly Souldiers that together with them wee can praise God You will not demaund that is you doo in a fine retoricall sort demaund it but the finenes of this retoricke will not couer the sottishnes of your ignorance For albeit men in earth haue not familiar conuersation with Angels yet they prayse God together with them in as much as both men and Angels do lawd and magnifie him And therefore the Prophet Psal 103. calling vppon all things to prayse the Lord ioyneth the Angels saying Praise the Lord ye Angels which are strong in power Reade also for this the first chapter of the Reuel verl 12 13 14. Then you will not presse vs with papisticall speculations of making degrees of Angels and Archangels c. In very deede you cannot but with falsehood presse our Church with that But you demaund how many Archangels we reade of and finde in the Scriptures and whether wee knowe of any more heads of Angels then Christ himselfe We knowe and constantly professe that there is but one head of Angels which is Christ And we condemne the popish curiositie in searching into the degrees and orders of Angels which is not learned out of the holy Scriptures but from that counterfeit Dionisius Areopagita And if that Michael the Archangel which stroue with the diuell about the body of Moses and durst not giue rayling sentence were Christ yet S. Paule speaketh of an Archangell besides Christ when he sayth The Lord himself shal come downe from heauen with the voyce of the Archangell and with the trumpe of God 1. Thess 4. vers 16. What blasphemie then Master Barrow is there in the booke which speaketh but as the Scripture and you may see plainly that to be a chiefe Angell or an Archangell is not to be the head of Angels The sainctifying the floud Iordain and all other waters to the mysticall washing away of sinne is none other way to be taken then to say that bread and wine are sainctified to represent the body and bloud of Christ All the creatures of God are sainctified to our vse as the blessed Apostle speaketh Touching Michael and all Angels we do not worship Angels nor yet make Christ a creature You say that in the Letanie there is prayer for all that trauaile by sea or by land for all that be sicke for all sicke persons therefore we pray for Gods enemies for the breach of all order and destruction both of Church and common wealth This is but a vayne collection when prayer is intended for such as are prayed for that they may be turned from their euill Also when this word all is vsed it goeth with this restraint all that belong vnto God for so is Saint Paule to be also restrayued vnto all sorts of men which belong vnto God when he willeth to pray for al men 1. Tim. 2. You demaund where wee learne to pray agaynst lightning and thunder tempest plague famine battaile c. when there is no present feare or danger thereof Then it seemeth by your words that wée may intreate the Lord to turne away none of his grieuous and feareful plagues but when they be vpon vs We sée there are euer anon some which are stricken with thunder and when the clap is past it is too late to pray for them Againe the praiers of the Church are for all the true members thereof wheresoeuer and if wee our selues bee not in this present neede yet others are and wée may be if God turne not a way his displeasure these praiers are not to restraine the Lord the vse of his creatures or that he should not by them destroy his enemies these bee no sound collections Unles you will argue thus the Lord afflicteth his Church by persecutions by famine and pestilence c. for their good and for the glory of his owne name therefore the church ought not to pray to be deliuered from those things Wée are willed to be alwaies ready for death and suddaine death cannot preuent any one of the faithfull I doo confesse But yet wée estéeme it a great comfort a great blessing for