Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	know_v	think_v	3,328	5	3.8263	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85542	Christians liberty to the Lords table, discovered by eight arguments, therby proving, that the Sacrament of the body and blood of our Lord, doth as well teach to grace, as strengthen and confirm grace, and so is common, as well to the outward Christian as to the inward Christian: occasioned by the contrary doctrine, taught by a strange minister in Woolchurch, on the 29th of June last. / By I.G a parishioner there. Imprimatur, James Cranford.	Graunt, John, of Bucklersbury.	1645 (1645)	Wing G1589; Thomason E296_30; ESTC R200217	18,658	23

bread and wine doth shew forth as in my Reply to his seventh Answer shall be more cleerely manifested so then notwithstanding all you have said in your seeming Answer the Argument stands in force against you in all its parts that whosoever affirmeth that they that give the Sacrament to wicked unregenerate men casts holy things to Dogs and pearles before Swine doth in so saying either willingly or ignorantly or both testifie that Christs practice in the case of Judas was against his commandment in Matth. 7. 5. which is blasphemy so to affirm for our Lord did give the bread and cup to Judas amongst the rest as before is more then probable and in so doing hee did not cast holy things to Dogs nor pearles before Swine Now it is very true the ignorant and scandalous are not fit to receive yet there is no rule from God or man that forbids them but the authority given to the Church to excommunicate them yet however they ought daily to be exhorted and admonished to repentance and faith His Answer to my sixth Argument I answer saith hee the first part of his Argument is not proved and therefore my denying it is my answering it To the second part of his Argument I answer saith hee that I have proved in the beginning of my Sermon that a man in Scripture is alwayes under that name to be understood a spirituall man so that the Scripture hee alledges is not to be understood of a naturall man but of a regenerated spirituall man And so as a naturall man cannot discern the things of God neither can hee discern the Lords body and therefore ought not to be admited to the Lords Table and so I have fully answered his sixth Argument saith hee if my memory faile mee not in the repetition say I. My Reply to his sixth Answer To the first part of the Answer I reply that I had thought he had so well known the Scriptures that when a man had spoke Scripture it had been as good a proof as to have quoted the Text and because the want of quoting the Text is the cause say you the Argument is not proved therefore reade and examine the Scriptures and then tell mee if it be not proved Simon Magus also believed and was baptized Acts 8. 13. who continned with Philip in the communion of all common ordinances as the Word Sacraments Prayer and the laying on of hands wondering to behold the miracles and signes which were done vers. 18. whose impenitent naturall estate the Apostle Peter doth declare notwithstanding vers. 21. And so it was with Demas Col. 4. 14. and Philemon vers. 24. which Text shews his like fellowship and communion with Gods people in the common ordinances notwithstanding in the 2 Tim. 4. 10. S. Paul shews his carnality and wickednesse and also S. John unmasks a great man in high place in the Church Diotrephes by name 3 John vers. 9. and as he loved so hee had preeminence who was so wicked that hee would not receive the Apostles of Christ nor the brethren and hindered and forbad them that would and excommunicated them through malice here 's a false Christian in great place and authority in the Church even a carnall naturall man and a prater against the Saints the best of Gods people and yet for all this not denyed to partake at the Lords Table for hee was the man that denyed others in such a case and condition were the false Apostles 2 Cor. 11. 13. Rev. 2. 2. false Prophets 1 John 4. 1. false Teachers 2 Pet. 2. 1. and false brethren 2 Cor. 11. 26. Gal. 2. 4. and the Apostles the Prophets the Teachers the Brethren although false yet all in common communion and fellowship in the Word Sacraments and Prayer c. So that now you see the first part of the Argument proved which you would not see before To the second part of his Answer I reply and as it consisteth of two parts so the Gentleman is mistaken in both And first for the name man he saith that in the Scriptures it is only to be understood of a spirituall man which to affirm is fond and ridiculous as before in the Introduction I have shewed and now more largely shall be cleered as Job 14. 1. A man that is born of a woman is of few dayes and full of trouble where Job means by the name man every naturall man as hee is born into the world and so saith Eliphas the Temanite Job 15. 14. What is man that he should be clean and he that is born of a woman that he should be righteous And again Job 5. 7. Man is born to trouble or labour as the sparks fly upwards as also Eccles. 7. 29. God hath made man upright but hee that is man hath found many inventions th●se and many other Scriptures make it cleer that naturall men as they are born of their mothers into the world are called men and therefore the ground and foundation of his doctrine is false as the doctrine is false And so likewise I shall prove in the second place that such a generall or unregenerate believing man may discern ordinary bread and wine that is ordained to feed and sustain our natures from the Sacrament of bread and wine that are signes of Christs body and blood the only spirituall food of our soules and so communicate of them also in this different respect whereunto they are appointed and to this doctrine the Apostle points in these words 1 Cor. 11. 22. What have yee not houses to eat and drink in that is for your ordinary food for you shame the Church of God to come to the Table of the Lord to eat to gluttony and to drink to drunkennesse What shall I say to you saith the Apostle for this I must reprove yee for saith he the Lord in the same night he was betrayed instituted the Sacrament of bread and wine the bread to signifie his body the wine his blood which body was broken and blood shed for you that is for mans salvation vers. 22 24 25. And our communicating in these shewes forth the Lords death and keeps it continually in our remembrance and therefore the bread and wine ought to be so known as to discern thereby the body of the Lord to do it in remembrance of Christ and thereby to shew forth his death and whosoever doth not so communicate is condemned in his own conscience for every man naturall and spirituall are capable of this knowledge of this discerning and in this respect and distinction the Lords Table differing from ordinary food may all naturall believing men receive it even the elect before regeneration as others having been baptized And thus to know and distinguish is to discern the Lords body in one sense as to eat Christs flesh and drink his blood by justifying faith is in a more excellent and spirituall sense so that by this distinction his answer is manifested to be no answer and my Argument

the like another said he is a foole to meddle with that he understands not for saith he he hath not the tongues and without them it is impossible he should understand the Scriptures this man although an Elder did not remember that the Apostle saith To one is given the gift of Prophesie to another the gift of Tongues by the same Spirit 1 Cor. 12. 10 11. Another said I was an enemy to all goodnesse and threatened me I should answer it before Authority so I heard and have born the defamings of many amongst which some were my familiars And between the Church and my house one told me Now you are met withall you are repayd now to whom I answered according to the old Proverb one tale is good till another is heard and the Scripture saith said I he that is first in his cause seems just which opprobrious behaviours and reproachfull expressious I have born wth patience both in the time of the assembly and ever since and so will continue without opening my mouth against them and conclude with an exhortation to Ministers and people concerning the receiving the Communion For although there be no rule in Scripture that gives any one particular Minister order to restrain any from the Lords Table that believe and are baptized except the authority given to the Church in case of excommunication as at first is signified yet the Scriptures do plentifully testifie that faithfull Minsters ought to watch over the flock of Christ to teach instruct and admonish the people to learn know and understand the meaning of all Gods ordinances and instructed in our own estates and conditions as John the Baptist exhorted the Parisees and Sadduces Mat. 3. 7. and that except we be betterred by them that which is ordained for our eternall life will be found to be to our eternall death and therefore Ministers ought to be apt to teach upon all occasions in season and out of season to shew and open to the Congregation what Prayer is in it self and that the people ought to joyn their affections to the plain truth hee should pronounce to God in his own and the peoples behalf so likewise that the Scriptures and truths opened and discovered by them is no lesse then the Word of God that shall judge us at the last day and therefore that all attention should be given to it with feare and trembling and that the end of our hearing should be to know obey it so also as touching the Sacraments that of Baptismes to declare the doctrine of Baptismes which the Scriptures cleerly teach and distinguish of so also the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord that for as much as it is Gods great mercy and goodness to give unto us those visible signs of his body and blood which are living representations of his death and passion and that as he is the propitiation of the sins of the elect of God called and justified whose hearts are purified by faith in his blood who thereby eat his flesh and drink his blood spiritually and so have eternall life in them So also Gods Word teacheth us that his blood is the propitiation of the sins of the whole world 1 Joh. 2. 2. And therefore as every naturall man renders their salvation so they are to examine themselves and prepare their hearts by repentance so to come to the Sacrament as to finde Jesus Christ to become their spirituall life as he is life and food both to such as are regenerated so that all and every mans coming to Gods Ordinances may be endeavoured to be for the better and not for the worse and also Ministers ought to have compassionate affections towards the people even as a Nurse towards the Babe on her breast and as a tender mother towards the childe of her womb and in all their wayes seek them and not theirs so that all bitternesse and pride be avoided and that the Congregation may see that they sincerely seek the salvation of the people and also the people must know that holy and faithfull teachers ought to be had in double honour both by countenance and maintenance that the glory of God and mans salvation be promoted and thus and so admonisheth he that is the Lords and thine in him J. G. The Prophets prophesie falsly and the Priests beare rule by their means and my people love to have it so saith the Lord Jer. 5. 31. FINIS 1 Cor. 15. 23.