Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	call_v	church_n	holy_a	2,804	5	4.7314	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04211	Anno Domini 1616. A confession and protestation of the faith of certaine Christians in England holding it necessary to observe, & keepe all Christes true substantiall ordinances for his church visible and politicall (that is, indued with power of outward spirituall government) under the gospel; though the same doe differ from the common order of the land. Published for the clearing of the said Christian from the slaunder of schisme, and noveltie, and also of separation, & undutifullness to the magistrate, which their rash adversaries doe falsely cast upon them. Also, an humble petition to the K. Majestie for toleration therein.	Jacob, Henry, 1563-1624.	1616 (1616)	STC 14330; ESTC S120216	22,778	71

And to be short by experience wee see too oft most evidently they breed both an idle Pastor an ignorant secure people Therefore to follow herein the Christian liberty and discretion of the Churches in the Apostles times we hold it to be farr the best Of Holy dayes so called 22. Wee believe that under the Gospell there is not any holy day besides the Lords day nor any fasting day or dayes constant ordinary and on certaine seasons or times of the yeare continually to be observed All such observing of dayes we believe is against Gods word not onely as being religious ordinances † Math. 15.9.13 instituted by men neverthought on by Christ nor his Apostles in all their time who yet had the Holy Ghost leading them into ‡ Joh 4.25 14 26. 6.13 all truth meete for Christian people and had more reason to institute them then wee but also as being directly forbidden in the 4. Commandement where God saying to man | Exod. 20.9 Six dayes thou shalt labour and doe all that thou hast to doe he sayth there also but rest the Seaventh for so did God himselfe after the 6. dayes creation whose example herein do thou follow Now this Divine appointmēt of a Seventh day onely to be kept holy wee plainely see to be for the equity proportion which is the substance therof avery Commandment of God unto us still and therefore of all men to be perpetually observed Howbeit if God or the Apostles had ordeyned beside a 7. day any other holy dayes particularly in the Gospell as God and his Prophets else where in the Law did ordeyne some besides the Sabbath then notwithstanding this Commandement we would never refuse such holy dayes now over and besides the Lords day But that in the Gospell was not done the Gospell no where sheweth any such matter Therefore we believe it not we cannot now but refuse it And yet againe Dayes of thanksgiving or fasting which by men are appointed upon some speciall occasion and are to be used accordingly that is for the sayd speciall and particular occasions sake and onely for a season convenient and fitting thereunto but in no wise constantly and continuingly as is afore noted such dayes I say we approve and allow as having warrant from the Spirit of God both in the Law and in the Gospell But other then these we neyther believe nor allow any Of Mariage Burying Churching as it is called 23. Concerning making of mariage and burying the dead we believe that they are no actions of a Church Minister because they are no actions spirituall but civill Neither are Ministers called to any such busines Neither is there so much as one example of any such practise in the whole book of God either under the Law or under the Gospell without which warrant we believe it to be unlawfull whatsoever any Minister doth attempt at any time or in any place especially as a part of his ministeriall office and function Wherefore we professe and protest that we earnestly desire that the Solemnization of holy Mariage might be performed by some Civill Magistrate assigned by highest authoritie thereunto And when Ministers doe in the Congregations solemnize Mariage we testify that we believe that they doe nothing therein neither can but blesse this ordinance of God as likewise they doe some time the initiation of a Magistrate they doe not essentially constitute either of them And for Churching of women likewise we know no ground for it in Scripture nor good reason at all specially to make it a necessary part of the Ministers office in the publike divine service Of Ministers made also Magistrates by the State 24. Wee believe that the joyning of Pastorall ministery and Magistracy together in one person under the Gospell is simply unlawfull and contrary to the Text of the new Testament which sayeth It shall not be so among you Ma. 20.25 Luke 22.26 And. Let him that teacheth waite on teaching abide therein Rō 12.17 Of the gifts and offerings of the faithfull 25. Wee believe that there is a holy Cōmunion of the whole Church in communicating of their substance together by gifts and offerings These gifts and offerings are given Numb 28.2.18.8 Malach. 3.8.9 to God they are Gods properly and specially belonging to God he taketh them for his also they are given to that particular Church of God for which the givers doe intend them They are not meere almes but first evident signes of true love to God then they are necessary meanes and duties required by God for the supportation maintenance and upholding of the sayd Church and of the sincere worship of God therein These gifts and offering are meerely free and voluntary yea every time the giver commeth to God with them These gifts and offerings are ‡ Prov. 3.9 2 Sam. 24.24 1 Chrō 16.29 reall sacrifices to God and partes of his holy ‡ worship and service Also after they are given and received they are holy and consecrated things not goods for | Levit. 27.26.29 Exod 13.13 Deut. 15.19 common secular use These gifts are some ordinary some extraordinary The time of offering these ordinary giftes is every Lords day The most fitt and comely season and place for it is in the holy Assembly then when the Churches use is to performe it Neverthelesse they who are on just occasion any such day absent ought allwayes to lay aside for God and for his service their portion or rather Gods parte and portion and in due time to bring or send it Which is no lesse sanctifyed to the foresayd holy use and acceptable to God then if the givers then had been present These gifts though they be free and voluntary in the givers touching the particular quantitie yet that they doe thus give offer every Lords day somewhat either more or lesse is † 1 Cor. 16.2 1 Cor. 9.14 a very commandment of God and a fruit of necessary obedience in man The quantitie is thus farre pointed at in the Scripture viz. According as the Lord hath prospered every one And some are in high grace with God who give to God out of their penurie The persons who are to give these holy giftes are all and every member of the Church except onely those that receive maintenance therefrom at the hand of the Church So that all the Churches members are givers or receivers They that receive are the Poore and the Ministers of the Church Extraordinary offerings and giftes which some out of speciall Zeale to Gods glory doe offer besides the ordinary are for the place time kinde and quantitie such as each giver seeth God may be the more honoured thereby The ordinary offerings in the assembly are to be received by the Deacons committed into the hands of the | Act. 11.30 Numb 18.8.14 Elders and with their direction to be disposed of by the Deacons The Cōmandment of the Apostle to the Church of Corinth 1

by such extreame perill of further infection especially if they doe long tolerate the same among them Insomuch that what soule soever in such a Church state desireth to be in safety ought with all diligence to leave that spirituall societie wherein he standeth thus and joyne to a better Seing under the Gospell there are more free societies of Christians mo visible Churches politike then one in a Country and some more sincere then some And all true Christians are cōmanded of God to keepe their owne soules sound and cleare from contagion which is unpossible to be done ordinarily for any long time where the visible Churches constitution is so commingled of bad and good of open prophane and godly togither for who can carry fire in his bosome and his clothes not be burnt And who can touch pitch and not be defiled therewith And who can escape but in a while a litle Leaven will leaven the whole lump much more will it so come to passe where there is a great quantitie of Leavē for a litle Dowe as now with us it is wherefore in such an inevitable present danger of our soules doubtlesse we ought to leave the worse societie and to enjoy one that is may be sincere For by no meanes may we dare to be of | Eph. 2.12 no visible Ministeriall Church if but 2. or 3. where we live can be gotten to consent and joyne togeither in the name of Christ and in the freedome of Gods word Of Traditions humane 16. Wee believe all Ecclesiasticall unwritten Traditions and Ordinances of men being no circumstances nor accidents are now under the Gospell even like as they were under the Law untruthes and false positions and errors in the worship of God And that simply we ought not to be present in the practising of them unlesse we might conveniently reprove the same Wee much mislike therefore those who hould at least some such to be now in these times both tolerable and profitable in Gods worship Nay we believe all Ordinances freely and voluntarily instituted in the exercise of religion to be indeed and so to be rightly named Gods worship either true or false being as they are the proper matter contents and parts of the second cōmandement in the decalogue which also before is signified in the secōd Article This doctrine they who admit not doe erre not a little even in the very nature and definition it selfe of the sayd worship of God and in the kindes and parts thereof we meane of Gods instituted worship Some particulars of these unwritten Traditions are a Catholike Church politike a Provinciall politike church independent the proper Offices of their government and the Forme and parts thereof Beside these also are The Cope and Surplice the Crosse in Baptisme Kneeling in the Communion and the like All which being in Gods worship and pertinent to it in speciall wise and meerely of mens voluntary institution we therefore renounce and doe utterly condemne as mens inventions spirituall and will worship Of Traditions Apostolike 17. We believe that every ordinance or institution Apostolike and that must unto us out of holy Seripture be proved to be so is divine that is to say of divine Authority instituted of God simply unchangeable by men and such that of right it ought to be used perpetually universally among Christians unlesse God himselfe by his owne worke doe let it and make it voide They therefore doe erre much who hould that it is rightfully in the Churches power to alter and take away some thing which hath been of spirituall and ecclesiasticall use appointed by the very Apostles and that mentioned in the holy Scripture And they also erre no lesse who say that something truely Apostolike may be proved so to be by Traditions onely without Scripture Of Prophesie as the Apostle calleth it 18. Wee believe that the sober discreet orderly and well governed exercise of expounding and applying the Scriptures in the Congregation by the Apostle called Prophesying allowed expressly by him to any understanding member of the Church but ‡ 1 Cor. 14.34 v. 1.39 and vers 31. women is lawfull now convenient profitable yea sometime very necessary also in diverse respectes The Churches order and allowance therein for each particular person so imployed being first had For it being lawfull privately by | 1 Thes 5.11 1 Pet. 4.10 private motion it must needs be more lawfull in pub-like when it is seene needfull by the Church and is performed under the Churches order direction and judgement Of the reading of Homilies in the Church 19. Wee believe that with us the reading of Homilies in divine service is not lawfull but very unmeete for the congregation of the faithfull namely where it is held for competent without the imployment of a preaching Pastor where as a Pastors diligent discreet and judicious preaching and applying of Gods word is the power of God unto salvatiō ordinarily Neither doth every of the allowed Homilies in every pointe conteyne godly doctrine Of Christs descending into Hell 20. After the usuall and cōmon sense of this English word Hell we believe that in the Creed this point is not rightly translated where it is sayd Christ being dead descended into Hell For the Scripture sayth onely and so likewise doe the originall words in the Creed signify that he was then under the power of death And was in the place where all other the godly deceased were And that is all Of Prayer 21. Wee believe concerning prayer that though every † 2 Chrō 29. 30. Psalm 102. 92. Mat. 26.30 forme of prayer prescribed by men be not absolutely nor simply a sinne neither as we judge an Idol nor an invention of man nor a transgression of the 2. commandement yet wee constantly avouch and professe a prescribed Leiturgy or a booke of common prayer by cōmandement inforced upon a whole Church rightly constituted to be used still in the very same words whensoever they assemble in comparison of other praying is not so profitable but rather hurtfull in many users of it as making holy zeale true piety sincere godlynes and other giftes of Gods Spirit in many of them to languish namely where it is made necessary and in perpetuall use and when it is so long as that the reading of it over taketh up the whole time fit for one usuall meeting to divine service And therefore we cannot think it any way cōvenient for our selves nor meete to be imposed or to be so received in any well constituted Churches much lesse to be imposed on a whole nation least of all upon all Churches of the world The new Testament teacheth no such matter neither troubleth it selfe with indeavouring an uniformity in this point but leaveth all Churches herein to their godly liberty wisedome understanding and diligent consideration of themselves Besides such prescribed Leiturges were never used in any māner among Christians till late after Christ The soonest was after 300. yeares