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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	day_n	great_a	write_v	3,229	5	5.2507	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41825	A defence of Christian liberty to the Lords table except in case of excommunication and suspension wherein many arguments, queres, supposition, and objections are answered by plain texts and consent of Scriptures ... / by John Graunt ...	Graunt, John, 1620-1674.	1646 (1646)	Wing G1592; ESTC R36548	25,052	34

parents be a beleever then are your children holy that is then have they right to the externall ordinance of God and in this sense the Apostle saith God hath shewed me not to call any man unholy or unclean that is whosoever beleeveth Jesus Christ come in the flesh may be baptized although before a Gentile and they and their houshold have right to Gods holy ordinance as Cornelius and his houshold Acts 10. And when you can prove that the Minister taking infants into his arms praying for them and washing them in the name of Christ or Ahrahams circumcising of Ishmael at the command of God is more then Christs taking them into his arms and blessing them then you will say something till then you declare your own fancy and say nothing to the purpose And for mixt congregations as you find fault with I pray are you sure your selves are not weeds and cockle but good corn if your selves were spirituall then you would know and understand the meaning of Gods spirit that both must be let alone till the harvest the end of the world as our Lord saith for till then there is no separation Matth. 13. 30. but wicked Cain may bring and offer his sacrifice with Abel the righteous persecuting Ishmael may communicate in the ordinance of God with persecuted Isaac the bitter and unclean hypocrite Simon Magus may bee washed or baptized in flesh as well as Philip Peter and John and the holy ones of God Acts 8. And although our Lord knew the Devillish treacherous heart of Judas yet his participation in the ordinances neither in Baptisme the Passeover or the Lords Supper did not prejudice nor no way hindered the spirituall communion of the faithfull for he participated in prayer Mat. 6. in preaching Mat. 10. in baptisme Mat. 3. 15. in the Passeover and Supper of the Lord Luke 22. 14 15 21. and yet none of Christs little holy ones makes your complaint for his carnall presence did no way detrifie their spirituall fellowship And in the third and last place we are to understand what is meant by setting up Christ upon his Throne and the fulfilling and accomplishing of all the prophesies and promises witnessed by the Apostles and Prophets And here now as with one consent you doe all of you unanimously affirm that all the Prophesies in the whole Scriptures are fulfilled in your congregated companies and that in doing that which you doe in assuming to your selves power to select congregations and prescribing to them the rules of Christ as you call them although indeed they are rules of your own making yet you therein set up Christ upon his throne and that your churches wayes and devised order the matter nor manner thereof being that which is not to be found in Scriptures yet you give it out to the world that by you and in your church government is fulfilled the prophesie of the new heavens and new earth promised of God and witnessed by the Prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Peter the heavenly countrey and citie that Abraham Isaac and Jacob sought for Heb. 11. the new Jerusalem that John saw come down from God out of heaven and Sion that holy and heavenly citie that great and strong citie that God hath appointed salvation for walls and bulwarkes Jer. 23. 9. 6. chap. 34. 15 16. Ezek. 37. 26 27 28. chap. 48. 35. and that of your gatherings it may be said the Lord is there applying to your selves Sions own happines Zeph. 3. 13 14 15 16 c. Isa 49. 21. Is it possible there should be such grosse blindnes in these daies in which men say they see and are in the light wherfore their great darknesse and all their bold avouchments like empericks which fil market places with noises and churches and chambers publick meetings and meeting-houses with voyces those that have written such volumes and printed such books to make known and advance these false doctrines to the belying the Prophets the wounding scaring and killing the truth their witnes and testimony the truth of God in a word will reprove them strip them and discover their nakednes and shame to all posterity by a few questions resolved by the letter of the Scriptures which is as clear light as the Sun-shine at noon dayes and yet these flying Bats cannot see the truth and light thereof The first question is What is the throne of Christ Secondly when the time shall bee that Christ shall sit in his own throne Thirdly what is meant by Sion mentioned by the Prophets And fourthly what we are to understand of the Churches glorious condition her deliverance and perfection the Scriptures so often speak of Now Christs throne is that which he calls his own throne as a note of d●stinction between his throne and his Fathers throne and therefore he saith Rev. 2. 21. To him that overcometh will I give to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne And of this throne our Lord speaks Mat. 19. 28. When the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory verily yee also that have followed me in the regeneration shall also sit c. And of this throne of the Sonnes and not called the Fathers is that throne the Apostle speaks of Heb. 1. 8. But unto the Son he saith Thy throne O God is for ever and ever a scepter of righteousnesse is the scepter of thy kingdom And the Prophet calls him God also Psal 45 6. Thy throne O God is for ever ever c. To this kingly throne of God there belongs a kingdom a Church of Saints which he wil not perfect and accomplish till his return from heaven his coming again his appearing which is the second consideration propounded the time when Christ shal be set upon his throne and that is then saith the Prophet Psal 102. 16. W●en the Lord shall build up Sion he shall appear in his glory c. Even then saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 4. 1. When the Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the quick and the dead then sha●l be his appearing and kingdome Which prophesies are confirmed for truth by our Lords own testimony Mat. 25. 31 32. When the Son of man shall come in his glory c. v. 3. Then mark Then shal the King say unto them on his right hand Come yee blessed of my F●ther inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world Note againe ●ere is the reward the inheritance the kingdome all this world long preparing and promised which makes me wonder that so many seers have overseen mist the reading of these Scriptures which in their literall sense plainly preach that Christ shall not be advanced into his own throne in his own kingdom till the harvest at the end of this word Mat. 13. 30. 40. And therefore the holy Ghost uses the future tense in all his expressions As the Apostle saith It is the world to come

yee separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you This Scripture you say proves the state of the question on your part for you say the Apostles here speake of the Antichristian church of Rome whose filthy unclean doctrines were such that notwithstanding they were Christians in profession yet Gods people could not communicate with them but they must there was no avoyding it by reason of their abominable canons be defiled with them And therefore you say these texts of Scriptures are a sufficient ground to separate from Christian congregations I answer they are a ground to separate from such Antichristian congregations as the Apostles speak of but I require of you to prove the abomination the unclean thing in the authorized congregations in England and then you say something but till that be proved this Scripture is not for your purpose For the Church of England by the Parliaments of reformation in King Edward the sixt and Queen Elizabeths dayes separated from the fals doctrines and unclean practices of the church of Rome and then made acts lawes and ordinances against the abominable tenets and false devised imagined religion their Priests Sacrifices and back't their decrees with the penalty of death yet notwithstanding in processe of time the Prelaticall clergy brought in many corrupt innovations tending to act again the old uncleannesses under new pretences yet this honorable Parliament hath rooted up and extirpated the Prelaticall Hierarchy root and branch and still sit spending their wits spirits and pains for the reforming of Doctrine and Discipline that all congregations may bee regulated in and by the neerest way agreeable to the word of God Now considering all these things we enjoy under this happy authority that is over us your condition being under this authority and so placed of God take heed therefore nay how will you avoid it but that your resisting this authority you doe therein resist the Ordinance of God and herein walk contrary to Gods word Rom. 13. 1 2. Nay do you not fulfil the Prophesie of the Scriptures in presumption and selfe-willednesse to despise such Governors and speak evill of such digniti●s as the Apostle foretold 2 Pet. 2. 10. How can you possibly cleare your way from the gainsaying of Core Jude v. 11. Nay is there not a plain parallell between him and his companies gainsaying and you and your companies gainsayings Num. 16. Did not they which were under authority usurp authority and in striving against Moses Aaron those that God had set over them did they not strive against the Lord Numb 26. 9. I will forbeare the consequence the Lord give you grace to repent of your striving resistance and gainsaying and murmure no longer against them in saying they impose will-worship upon your consciences in requiring many things there is not a plain word sor if it be not against the word but agreeing with the sense and meaning of the word submit your selves to their rules And if you conceive you know better then the Parliament your way is to petition and not to make resistance The next consideration is the Spirituall or voluntary congregation the communion of Saints The Prophet David calls them the Assembly of Saints the Congregation of Saints Psal 89 5. 7. The house of Aaron his Saint the house of Israel his chosen one the house of Levi his Priest Ps● 136. and the Apostle the houshold of faith Gal. 6. 10. the houshold of God Eph. 6. 19. the house and Church of the living God 1 Tim. 3. 15. This church is called The Lords body Col. 1. 18. 24. because it is made living by the life that is in him spirituall by his spirit for they are all begotten and born of the Spirit and that which is born of the spirit is spirit John 3. 6. as that which is born of the flesh is flesh This communion and whole congregation by the Spirit of God are all baptized into one body and have been made all to drink into one spirit 1 Corinth 12. 13. These are all the children of wisdome all sonnes of God and heires of the promises these all by regeneration are as Peter was made living stones and are built of God a spirituall house a chosen generation a peculiar people 1 Pet. 2. These are the little flock of sheep lambs of Christ to whom the Father hath given the Kingdome who by faith have both the earnest and the abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ having fellowship with God their Father the Son their Saviour the holy Ghost their comforter and with each other in joying and sorrowing comforting and lamenting beleeving and hoping suffering and expecting with a mutuall affection the morning and day of salvation 1 John 1. 3. 7 chap. 3. 2. These are they that fear the Lord that receive him and his and often speak and confer one with another that are alwayes mindful of his covenant in whose heart is his Law These are the Lords Priests with whom he hath made a covenant of life and peace who have alwayes the Lord in their thoughts Mal. 2. and 3. chapters These onely have received an unction from the holy One that teacheth them all things 1 John 2. 20. These according to the command of their Lord give unto Cesar the things that are Cesars and to God the things that are Gods Mark 12. 17. they love the Lord with all their heart and their neighbour as themselves they are all spiritual and so is their communion and fellowship and none but such as are spirituall are of this congregation this communion of Saints But a Minister in the North countrey told me the Independent congregations were this communion of Saints which is the last particular in the first Position To whom I answered His expression was very strange to me for I did not find any such name expressing creatures written in the book of life And I am sure all the Saints names are written there Wherefore said I hee that gives that name to any people and those that take that name unto themselves are both alike to be blamed for there is no one nor very many creatures can be said to be Independent but God alone the great creator I am the first and the last saith the Lord and besides mee there is no God Isaiah 44. 6. And thou even thou art Lord alone Nehem 9. 6. There is not a Saint nor congregation of holy ones can say one to another I have no need of thee for they are all members one of another and every one the members of Christ Ephes 4. 25 chap. 5. 30. 1 Cor. 12. I wonder that so many learned that professe that way and own the name Independent I wonder I say that their learn●ng doth not afford them a more proper terme for as ●uch as under this notion they aim at liberty of conscience Were they not better to expresse themselves under the names of