Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bishop_n	church_n	england_n	1,563	5	6.0318	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41581	Of laying on of hands Heb. 6. 2. Or, a discourse containing these 4. chapters. 1. Of the several ends of laying on of hands, in the New Testament. 2. What laying on of hands, is not, and cannot be meant. Heb. 6. 2. 3. What laying on of hands, is and must be meant there. 4. That the laying on of hands, practised by some in these days, on all baptized believers, was never instituted, commanded, nor practised at all, by Jesus Christ, or his apostles in all the New Testament.	Gosnold, John, 1625?-1678.	1656 (1656)	Wing G1311B; ESTC R223702	12,054	16

Baptisme and in their own sence there is none fit for Baptisme that is not thereupon fitly qualified for this their imposition nor do they ever stay till they are further qualified for this ceremony and therefore the Apostles would in vaine have exhorted them to Lay Hands suddenly on no man But that this was for Officers the most amongst themselves that I have wet withall do confesse We might yet further adde if need were that this Laying on of Hands for office was injoyned and commanded by the holy Spirit Act. 13. 2 3. but now they cannot shew where the other Layings on of Hands was in the least enjoyned commanded by the Holy Spirit Therefore we conclude againe it must be Laying on of Hands for Officers which the Apostle here calls a Doctrine 3. Againe this Laying on of Hands this Church of the Hebrews had practised amongst them Act. 6. 6. they Laid their Hands upon the Deacons to assigne them to their office But none of the other Layings on of Hands was practised amongst them as we find Now it cannot rationally be supposed that the Apostle writing to the Hebrews should call that a principle c. which they were not acquainted with but rather that Laying on of Hands which they were under the practice of and therefore it must be this Laying on of Hands for Officers Heb. 6. 2. 4. Besides this Laying on of Hands only remains in force the other two not capable to be practised nor have been for many hundred years It must therefore necessarily follow to be this Laying on of Hands which is still in force because called a part of the Foundation Heb. 6. 1. Now a Foundation must always be the same of constant standing use to the whole building 5. This Laying on of Hands only concerns the whole Church which is necessary a Principle should do We have already shewed you how the other do not concern the whole but this does in regard every member is bound to live under the Government of the Church and to be obedient to their Officers to whom the Rule and care of the whole Church is committed And therefore this must be the Principle c. Heb. 6. 2. Having thus sufficiently proved what Laying on of Hands is here meant Heb. 6. 2. We shall now further shew you what is here meant by this phrase of Laying on of Hands that is to say The Government of the Church which was put into the Hands of men appointed thereunto by this Ceremony of Laying on of Hands The very Order of the Principles as they are laid down Heb. 6. 1 2. further confirm this Therefore leaving the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ or the beginning words of Christ let us go on unto perfection not laying again the Foundation of Repentance from dead works and of Faith towards God of the Doctrine of Baptisms and of Laying on of Hands and of the resurrection of the dead and of eternal Judgement For as the next thing to be done after Faith and Repentance is to be Baptized so the next thing after baptism is to be added to the Church Act. 2. 38. 41 42. 47. the Officers whereof were always appointed by the Laying on of Hands And this was the constant practice of the Primitive times And as in these six Principles the two first viz. Repentance and Faith and the two last viz. the Resurrection and eternal Judgement are absolutely necessary unto salvation So the two middlemost viz. Baptism and Laying on of Hands are necessary to a right and orderly Church constitution and progression Baptism to admit into the Church and this Ceremony of Laying on of Hands noting the Ministery and Government of the Church when come in We take leave yet to add that this is the Judgment of most moderne and later writers on the Text that we have met with We shall instance only some few in English Wilsons Christian Dictionary Dr. Gouge in his late large comment on this Epistle Trap upon the place saith That by this phrase of Laying on of Hands is meant the Ministery and Government of the Church And Cartwright upon the Rhemist-Testament on this Text and else where in his Harmony saith That he which denies Church Government denies a Principle of the Christian Religion Now that there might be Government and order in the Church Officers were appointed thereunto by Laying on of Hands The very light of Nature and common Experience teacheth that Government is a principle in all Constitutions whether of Nation Family or the like without which all would suddenly be out of order for Anarchy hath alwaies been the fore-runner of confusion if not of utter dissolution So of a house without a Foundation there can be no building Hence the Metaphor in the Text Not laying again the Foundation Implying that as a Foundation is to the building to support and uphold it so necessary is Government in the Church Hence it is that the Apostles alwaies appointed Elders in every Church in every City Acts 14. 23. Tit. 1. 5. and these Elders were ordained by Laying on of Hands as before CHAP. IIII. That the Laying on of Hands practised by some in these days on all Baptized Believers was never Instituted Commanded or Practised by Christ or his Apostles in all the New Testament HEre indeed lies the stress of the Controversy which chiefly occasioned me to write these few Lines that we might undeceive and reduce such as are already under the vanity of this practise and to prevent others from owning of and submitting to such a Scripture-less thing as this is which some who know not what they say nor whereof they affirm call an Ordinance of Christ though without any the least word or warrant for it in all the New Testament of our Lord Certainly this hath been a received Principle we have of late years taken up and must continue to go by if Christs Disciples That we must introduce nothing into the worship of Christ but what we have an express Word for from that great Prophet in his New Testament See Acts 3. 22 23. For this very cause we have all along separated from the Bishops the Church of England and shall we now return again God forbid Now that which hath not one word of Institution or command for it in all the New Testament is no Ordinance of Christ but Will-worship and Superstition Superstition signifying something more then appointed But this Laying on of Hands on all Baptized Persons hath not one word of Institution or command for it in all the New Testament Therefore no Ordinance of Christ but Will-worship and Superstition That there is no Institution or Command for it in all the New Testament appears because the greatest Contenders and sticklers for this practice did never yet alledge any one place that does in the least prove any such thing if there had been any certainly they would have produced them They themselves instance but two places where the words