Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	canonical_a	holy_a	scripture_n	5,721	5	6.0092	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92173	A most grave, and modest confutation of the errors of the sect, commonly called Brownists, or: Seperatists. Agreed upon long since by the joynt consent of sundry, godly, and learned ministers of this kingdome, then standing out and suffering in the cause of inconformity; and now published in a time of need, for the good of Gods Church, and the better setling of mens unstable mindes in the truth against, the subtile insinuations, and plausible pretences of that pernicious evill. Published by W. Rathband, minister of the Gospell.	Rathband, William, d. 1695.	1644 (1644)	Wing R299; Wing M2893; Thomason E31_11; ESTC R209828	84,262	92

Civill estate and of every particular person in both all things being innovated in both according to the Iusts and pleasures of men the Law and Word of God being quite rejected and cast aside And in the 212. page of their refutation of Master Gifford They have these words We hold that you have poysoned all the fountaines of sincere doctrine and perverted the whole Testament and turned away the practise thereof by your damnable false expositions Yea that you teach not one point sincerely And in the 162. page of this discovery They are made socontrary one to another as it is an impossible thing to finde two of them in one minde yea or any one of them constant in that he affirmeth they know not the Doctrine even of the beginning of Christ Adde hereto Henry Barrowes words 12 and 23. pages of their collections of Letters and conference We will not give any answer to these speeches but onely desire the Christian Reader to consider whether ever Gods Spirit taught any to write so slanderously not onely against a whole Nation the conversion whereof they pretend to seeke but against the blessed Truth of God And how unlikely it is that they should bee in the right way whose chiefe leaders were guided by such a spirit That they should be the Lords building whose first founders and Master builders had either so small skill or so bad a Conscience Doe we not hold all the same books of Canonicall Scriptures which they themselves doe Doe wee not reject out of the Canon all which themselves account Apochryphall Have they any translation of holy Scripture besides ours Doe they themselves beleeve or teach otherwise in the Articles of the holy Trinity of justification of predestination then wee doe Hath every member of their Assemblies recovered that spirit of truth whereby they are led into all truth as Henry Barrow page 107. of his discovery affirmeth And is there not any one amongst us that hath not quite rejected the whole Word of God Not any one that knoweth the doctrine even of the beginning of Christ We know no better way to convince them in this then by appealing unto their Consciences which we are sure will take our parts against them Now this reason also is strong to prove us a true Church for although the bare letter of the Scripture may be found amongst the Jewes and Papists and other Heretickes Which none ran doe but the true Church Yet was there never any people that held and maintained the true sence of the Scripture in all points fundamentall but only the Church of God whereunto onely this title belongeth to bee the pillar and ground of truth 1 Tun. 3.15 A people may bee a true Church though they hnow not nor hold every truth contained in the Scriptures wherein wee desire the Reader to consider that a people may be the true Church though they know not nor hold not every truth contained in the holy Scriptures but contrarily hold many errours repugnant to the Scriptures Yet hath Henry Barrow affirmed in the 167. page of his discovery That to the people of God and every one of them God hath given his holy sanctifying spirit to open unto them and leade them unto all truth Whereby it is most evident that he would have none to be accounted the people and Church of God who either know not or practise not every truth contained in the holy Scriptures In which opinion see I pray you how grosse and dangerous errors are contained First That to every inseriour member in the Church there is as much reveiled as to the Pastors and chiefe members whereas the Apostle affirmeth Romans 12.3 Ephes 4 16. eol 2.19 that the Holy Ghost is given to every member of the body of Christ not equally but proportionably as the place which it occupieth in the bodie doth require Secondly That the promise mentioned Iohn 16.13 Should be made to every member of the Church which in the last words of the verse appeareth plainely to be particular to the Apostles Thirdly That the Church cannot erre and so neither were the Corinthians rightly called the Church of God when they judged corruptly of fornication and of the Resurrection Neither they of Pergamus when the Doctrine of Balaam was maintained among them Neither were Paul and the rest of the Apostles true Members of the Church who though in the exercises of their Apostolicall function they could not erre yet knew but in part and in many things were subject to error (a) 1 Cor. 13 9. Another strange opinion is amongst them maintained in the 156,157 of the discovery viz. That every truth contained in the Scripture is fundamentall For although we affirme not as he thereslandereth us That some part of Scripture is more holy more authenticall or more true then other Note Yet doubt we not to say that some parts are of more use and more necessary for men to know then othersome Else why doth the Holy Ghost oft give speciall commendation to some parts more than to other 1 Tim 4.11 Titus 3.8 Make 4 3● why doth he as it were make Proclamation and solemne oyesses before some and not before other Why doth hee use a speciall art in some parts rather than in other And although wee doe not hold as they falsly charge us in the forenamed page of their discovery That some parts of holy Scripture are of small moment superficiall needlesse and of no necessitie such as may be altered and violated without any prejudice or danger at all to the soule and much lesse that a man that hath obstinately continued in the transgression of some parts and openly taught the same unto others may be undoubtedly saved though he die without Repentance but on the contrary wee beleeve and teach that there is no part of holy Scripture which every Christian is not necessarily bound to seeke and desire the knowledge of so farre forth as in him lieth yet dare wee not call every truth fundamentall that is such as if it be not obeyed and known the whole Religion and faith of the Church must needs fall to the ground For we doe make no question but that the thiefe that was crucified and the Eunuch even then when he was baptized by Philip were in the state of salvation though they could not choose but bee ignorant of many truths in Religion The only fundamentall truth in Religion is this That Jesus Christ the Sonne of God who tooke our nature of the Virgin Mary is our only and all-sufficient Saviour For first they that receive this truth are the people of God and in the state of salvation they that receive it not cannot possibly bee saved (a) Mat. 16.17 104.2 Col. 3.17 Iohn 20.31 Ephos 2.20 Secondly There is no other point of Christian Religion necessary otherwise then as it tendeth necess rily to the bringing us unto or confirming us in the assurance of this one truth (b) Heb. 13.8

it for as it is necessary that this ordinance of God should be sanctified by the Word and prayer so it cannot bee inconvenient that the Word and prayer whereby it is sanctified should be administred by him who in a speciall sort is appointed of God to be the steward and disposer of all his mysteries and to whom in his ministeriall actions greater promises are made than to any other man though hee doe the very same thing And seeing that in these dayes it preventeth many dangerous inconveniences to have marriages blest in the publike congregations who can be thought so fit to speake in the congregation and to bee the month either of the Lord to the people or of the people unto God as is the Minister That which Henry Barrow objecteth in the 123. page of his discovery That he ever tooke Marriage for an Ordinance and an action of the second table and seeth not why we may not as well set up the tables of the money changers or bring in any other civill matters or chaffaire as this into our Church is easily answered for though marriages be a civill action yet is not the blessing of it by the word and prayer civill And as the Magistrates may have a hand in those actions that are Ecclesiasticall and belonging to the first Table even by Henry Barrowes owne confession in the 85. page of the same booke so may the Minister have a hand in those actions that are civill and belonging to the second Table And though Marriages receive life and being from the contract that is made by mutuall consent of parties and Parents privately which is the cause why we doe thereupon according to the Scriptures account them man and wife before they have lyen together yet doth this adde much to the seemlinesse and beautie of that holy ordinance when it is thus made knowne and rightly ratified in the congregation Concerning Courching of women we answer That many of our Ministers doe upon a just dislike of the forme prescribed in the booke and upon feare of nurishing the great superstition that the people for the most part have put in that custome forbeare to use any particular and personall forme of thankesgiving at that time and occasion And yet wee see not how it should simply be unlawfull though very unconvenient to use some form of thankesgiving at that time even with speciall mention of that occasion or how our ministerie should be made void and Antichristian by doing so besides that the booke it selfe tieth no Minister to the forme preseribed but leaveth it to his discretion to use it or any other as that case or occasion requireth Concerning burialls we answer First That many of our Ministers are knowne to refuse the forme of buriall prescribed in the booke Secondly That a Christian Minister may for the honour and seemlinesse of Christian buriall accompany as a Christian with the rest of the Neighbours the body of Christians departed unto the grave Thirdly if the minister use some few words of comfort and exhortation at that time Yea even in that forme that the booke prescribeth though it may prove inconvenient and offensive Yet is there no such impietie in that action that should make his ministerie void or Antichristian Their seventh reason against our office is That we are called to use Antichristian Geremonies whereunto we make this answer That the Ceremonies wherein opinion of Holinesse is or hath beene put many of our Ministers have cast off so that this reason maketh nothing to justifie separation from all our Church Assemblies Secondly Many that use sundry of these Ceremonies doe it because either they judge them things indifferent and such as whereunto the Law of Christian charitie b Rom. 7.15 2 Chron. 20 33. 1 King 2.5.3 Though we all used the most unlawfull Ceremonies that are in our Church Yet might we bee true Ministers Galath 4 9. 2 Kings 14.4 Fourthly Speciallie seeing we are not bound by office to use them Their second Objection against our ministerie is that the entrance in to our Office is Antichristian which insufficient to warrant their separation for First the people are not bound to enquire or see how their Ministers entred Secondly Our entrance may be lawfull though it be not in al points agreeable to the rules of Christs Testament ●esu●a p. 127. and the tender regard to the weakenesse of the people doth as they thinke binde them following therein the direction of the Word or else they tollerate them as burdens which it lieth not in them to remove being laid upon them by the determination of the Magistrate and custome of the Church And seeing that they doe in judgement and affection unfainedly dislike that which either through humane infirmitie or in Christian wisdome and to prevent more dangerous inconveniences they are inforced to beare with Wee see not why they may not bee accounted the true Ministers of Christ notwithstanding they use these inconyenient Ceremonies as well as Paul might be judged to be a good Christian though he sometimes did that evill which he hated and Iehos●phat a good King though hee indured the high places to continue in Iudah all the time of his government because hee was not able to abolish them And David though he suffered Ioab to live many dayes after he had committed most unnaturall murder because hee was notable without manifest danger to his state to cut him off Thirdly the use of the most unlawfull ceremonies that are amongst us is not of force to make our Ministerie void and Antichristian or our Church for the Galathians were still a true Church though they had received even those impotent and beggerly rudiments which they had once cast off much more wee which cannot bee said to have resumed them as being never yet freed from the bondage of them so was there still a true Church in Iudah when the hill alters and high places were continued there which yet was a greater corruption in the worship of God then the ceremonies whereof question is made can possibly be accounted Fourthly It is no part of our office whereunto we are in ordination called to use any ceremonies as hath beene shewed before The second thing they object against our Ministerie is That the manner of our entrance into the aforesaid office and calling is Antichristian and not according to Gods Ordinance Whereunto wee answer First that the people may lawfully accept us to bee true Ministers whom the Church so esteemeth though they cannot see how we first entred And that by no commandement or example in the Word they are bound to enquire there-into For further proofe whereof we referre out selves unto the answer which wee have made to their first Objection against the whole body of our Church Secondly Though none of those Rules which Christ his Testament hath set downe for the calling and ordaining of our Ministerie can be wanting without a blemish and maime to the calling And consequently they should

easily to be forsaken and the worship wherein they communicated with the wicked was the true worship of God whereas neither our Assemblies are true Churches nor our worship the true worship of God or they continued not in this their fault with that obstinancie that we and our people doe We answer That they begge that which is in question between us for neither doe our people doubt whether it be the true Church and worship of God wherein they communicate nor doe they see how they have beene convinced of sinne in this action And we have alreadie proved at large both that our Church is a true Church and our worship the true worship of God and that we cannot justlie bee charged with obstinate continuance in those wants and corruptions that are now amongst us To the places of Scripture which they bring against our people in this point in the 68. page of their Collection of Letters and conferences We answer that they are all most unskilfullie applied for although some a Levit. 20.24 Iohn 15.16 of them doe prove that Gods people should bee separated from the rest of the world Some b Esay 65 11. Ezech. 16.25 of them that they may not offer sacrifice unto a multitude of Gods nor joyne with Idolators neither in the false worship of God nor in voluntary leagues and familiaritie c 2 Cor. 6.14 17 other some that the Minister must deale sincerely in the delivery of Gods Message to his people not mixing any vile opinion or assertion of his owne with the precious Word of God nor applying the Word to their humours and likeing but cause them rather to frame and apply themselves unto it d I●r 15.19 yet doe no one of these prove either that the communicating in the true worship of God with some that are prophane is of force to cut off a people from the Church and covenant of God or that the godly should rather abstaine from the exercise of Gods true worship than use them in the company of some others that are ungodly Or that it is the sinne of the people that such are not separated from amongst them And surely wee cannot but wonder that our brethren doe thus deale with the sacred Word of God they use to fill the Margents of their bookes with such store of places of Scripture that the simple might thinke that they have even a cloud of witnesses against us when themselves could not but know that the Scripture is by them dragged as it were by violence to beare witnesse in a matter for which they have not one word to speake The Conclusion FRom these three Exceptions that have beene above answered they inferre this conclusion that therefore they may lawfully and ought to separate themselves from us in such sort as they doe In this conclusion there are two Articles whereunto we will answer severally The first Article in their conclusion is this The Assemblies which we goe from are such as the Word of God doth warrant us to goe from Whereunto we answer That wee may much more strongly conclude upon that which we have above written that because we have a true Church consisting of a lawfull ministerie and a faithfull people therefore they cannot separate themselves from us but they must needs incurre the most shamefull and odious reproach of manifest Schisme The places of holy Scripture which they alledge to warrant their separation by we affirme to be of no force to conclude that which they are brought for which shall more plainely appeare when they are considered of a part and sorted so as the varietie of their nature requireth The first sort of their testimonies concerne only that private 1 Cor. 5.9 13 Ephe. 5.7 10 11 2 Thes 3.6 14.15 and voluntary familiaritie which Christ hath forbidden to have with the wicked that live in the Church this shall appeare to bee the true meaning of the Apostle even of that place of 1 Cor. 5. which in the 218. page of their refutation and in sundrie other places of their writings they urge so as it may seeme they judge it to be of more force for this purpose then all the rest First the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used by the Apostle both in this place and the 2 Thes 3. doth with a double composition with two such prepositions note a most familiar acquaintance and conversation Secondly It cannot be shewed in all the Scripture where this phrase to eate being barely and generally set downe without any adition is taken for the eating of the Sacrament Thirdly If the Apostle had meant a separation in the Church Assemblies he would have commanded the Church rather to cut off and to put from them these wicked men then to separate themselves from the wicked Fourthly It appeareth by the tenth and eleventh verses being compared together that the Apostle wrote the second time to cleare his meaning in that which hee had wrote before And therefore in this place bee requireth no more separation from brethren that are fornicators and then the Corinthians did think he had in a former letter from such fornicators were out of the Church Now the Corinthians could never imagine that when the Apostle forbad them to eate with Heathens and Infidels that were fornicators and his meaning should bee to forbid them the communicating with such in the service of God for they never had accustomed to communicate so And therefore the separation he requireth must needs be meant only of private and voluntary familiarity If they object that the Apostle in requiring separation from the wicked in private conversation doth much more forbid all societie with them in the worship of God seeing that thereby we joyne our selves much nearer together then by any civill fellowship as they affirme in the 218. page of their refutation Wee answer that the reason followeth not for First It is in a private mans power to keepe from his first Table any wicked man in whose hand yet it lyeth not to shut any from the Lords Table Secondly Each Christian as he is bound by the commandement of God to the exercises of Religion especially in such as are publike so is he to forbeare the private farmiliaritie of the wicked Thirdly Even as a Christian may eate privately with a wicked man or with an excommunicate person in some cases when his company cannot be eschewed as being in an Armie or Prison or shippe upon the Sea amongst a companie of vile wicked men being by the Prince or any other that hath power enforced either to doe so or utterly to want all food so much more is it lawfull for a Christian to eate with the wicked man at the Lords Table wherein he is enforced either to doe so or utterly to want all the great benefits and comfort that God offereth him in the Sacrament The second sort of their Testimonies a Matth. 7.15 Rom. 16.17 2 Tim. 3.5 Titus 2.6 whereby they labour to warrant