Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	bind_v	church_n	communion_n	1,436	5	9.0889	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96941	A modell of the government of the church under the gospel, by presbyters, proved out of the holy scriptures, to be that one, onely uniform government of the universall visible church, and of all nationall, provinciall, classicall and congregationall churches: which is according to the will and appointment of Jesus Christ. Which may serve to stay such as are doubting, with hope of full satisfaction, and clear demonstration of this truth, shortly to be made by the reverend Assembly of Divines. / Composed by a Presbyterian minister of the city of London, and approved by divers of his learned brethren, and at their request published.	Walker, George, 1581?-1651.	1646 (1646)	Wing W362; Thomason E342_3; ESTC R200927	24,926	36

and Kingdoms But as they are Christians and members of the Church Christs mysticall body so they are to be governed by the law of Christ which bindes them to the obedience of him in all things which concern their spirituall estate heavenly life and blessednes and to holy communion among themselves in spirituall things These two States and Governments are so distinct and different that either of them may stand alone without the other There are and have been divers earthly Kingdoms well ordered and wisely governed in all outward temporall things in which Christ hath had no Church neither was Christianity known or professed And again Christ hath had a Church well governed and flourishing in Religion grace and godlines when there was no civill Government King or Civill Magistrate to help or uphold it but all set against it to persecute vex and make havock of it as it was in the daies of Christ and of his Apostles and in divers ages after And yet Christ was the King and the Church was his Kingdom in which he ruled and is called the Kingdom of God Matth. 12. 28. and that Kingdom of heaven Matth. 3. 2. 4. 14. Now a Kingdom is not an Anarchy that is a confused multitude without Government but a Monarchy in which there is one King who is supream Governour And in the Church which is Gods holy hill and spirituall Zion Christ alone is the King Psal. 2. 6. Zech. 9. 9. Joh. 12. 15. and the head and sole ruler Mat. 2. 6. Ephes. 1. 22. and the Government is on his shoulder Isa. 9. 6. He also alone is the Lord and Law-giver Isa. 33. 22. Iam. 4. 12. and his Word is the law and rule of Government Isa. 2. 3. yea the law and rule by which the spirit ruleth Rom. 8. 2. and to which he is limited in moving and working Ioh. 16. 13. 3. But that Church-Government may be more clearly and distinctly understood we are further to distinguish between the supreme power of Government which is onely in the hand of Christ and the delegated power which he hath given to his Ministers to exercise under him a subordinate and minesteriall Government The supreme Government which is in the hand of Christ is Monarchicall For to him alone all power is given in heaven and in earth Math. 28. 18. and he is set at Gods right hand far above all principalitie and power and might and dominion and every name that is named both in this world and in that which is to come And God hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the Church which is his body Ephes. 1. 21. 22. And this power of Government is proper to him and he reserves it to himself But the subordinate and Ministeriall power of Government he gave to his Apostles and to their Successours Mark 16. 15. Joh. 20. 21. where he said As my father hath sent me so send I you Go into all the world and preach the Gospell to every Creature And promised to be with them alwayes to the end of the world Math. 28. 20. And lest any should thinke that this rule and Government of the Church was limited to the Apostles and was to dye and and to expire with them The Scriptures do fully prove and plainly demonstrate that it was also by Gods appointment imparted to others in the Apostles dayes as 1 Cor. 12. 28. where the Apostle writes that God hath set in his Church not onely Apostles Prophets and others of extraordinary gifts but also teachers helps and Governments And Rom. 12. 8. The Church is compared to a naturall body and the severall members thereof having gifts differing according to the grace that is given them are commanded to exercise their gifts and to wait on their severall offices as Prophets on prophesying Ministers on ministering Teachers on teaching and he that ruleth on ruling with diligence And 1 Thess. 5. 12. the brethren are intreated to know them that labour among them and are over them in the Lord and admonish them and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and 1 Tim. 5. 17. Let the Elders that rule well saith the Apostle be counted worthy of double honour especially they that labour in the word and doctrine and Heb. 13. 7. He inioynes the brethren to remember them that have the rule over them and vers. 17. to obey them and submit themselves because they watch for their soules as they that must give account and vers. 24. he saith Salute them that have the rule over you All which Scriptures and many others wherein severall acts of Government are commanded to be done by Pastours and overseers of the Church other acts of discipline commended when they were done and the neglect of them blamed do prove a Ministeriall Government in the hand of Church rulers Jure divino and by the appointment of Christ 4. The subordinate and Ministeriall Government which Christ hath set up in his Church is not Monarchical as that supreme Government is which he reserves to himself Neither is it Civil left to Civil Magistrates who judge and rule over men in Civil states and societies and about temporal and worldly affaires of this life such judging and dividing our Saviour disclaymed Luke 12. 14. saying Who made me a judge or a divider over you when a man requested him to speak to his brother to divide the inheritance with him And he told Pilat that his kingdom was not of this world John 18. 36. They who rule under him in his Church must meddle onely with spiritual things which concerne mens spiritual estates and eternal life and the salvation of their soules And they are all equal in title honour and office even Elders stewards and dispensers of holy things There is no one cheif Lord above the rest in the whole Church on earth or in any part thereof whether National Provinciall or Classical Church But of the Apostles who were the chief Pastours and rulers in his Church he said Whosoever will be great among you let him be your minister Math. 20. 26. and Luk. 22. 26 And as Peter received this lesson from his Lord so he gave charge to all Presbyters of the Church fellows in the Presbytery with himself that they must take the oversight of the flock and not be as Lords over Gods inheritance but as ensamples to the flock 1 Pet. 5. 3. The authority and title of Lords our Saviour will have left to the Kings and Rulers of states and Kingdoms on earth Luk. 22. 25. 5. The Government of the Church which is Ecclesiasticall our Saviour gave in common to all his Apostles who were the Pastours of the Church universall and the first teachers of all Nations who had a charge and Commission from Christ to gather and build up Churches in all the world and to teach and instruct all people to observe all things whatsoever he had commanded them as we see

Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour Also S. Paul left Titus in Creet and appointed him to ordain Presbyters in every City and such overseers as were fit to rule the Church Tit. 1. 5. Peter and Iohn were Presbyters and called themselves so as they with others governed severall Churches 1. Pet. 5. 1. John 2. 1. and John 3. 1. Wherefore ô London thou that hast chosen the best part rejoice in the Lord thy God who hath made his glory to rise upon thee and his light to shine upon thy grave Senatours thy religious Common-Councell and all thy true hearted Citizens and hath led them into those waies which be in Christ which Saint Paul taught every where and in every Church 1 Cor. 4. 17. For the encouraging of you worthy Citizens in your constancy and for the confirming of them that are weak and wavering I have framed out of the Scriptures this brief discourse concerning that one uniform Church-Government which Christ by his Apostles ordained and appointed to be set up in the whole universall Church and to be observed in all other Churches members of the universall Here you have the Heavenly patern shadowed out in a small compasse of that Government for the establishment whereof in this City and Kingdom you have stood up and appeared openly at severall times If the Lord be pleased to blesse you with courage for his truth and with constancy and perseverance till you obtain your desire which is the desire also of all Orthodox faithfull Ministers in the Land then shall London be called The City of the Lord the Zion of the holy one of Israel And they who despise her and stand up against her to hinder the work of God in her hands shall bow down at the soles of her feet and her enemies shall lick the dust even lick up the dust of her feet for they shall not be ashamed who wait for the Lord Isa. 49. 23. This is the praier of your servant in the work of the Lord and humble suppliant for your prosperity at the throne of grace G. W. A Modell of the Government of the Church under the Gospel by Presbyters proved out of the holy Scriptures to be that one onely uniform Government of the universall visible Church and of all Nationall Provinciall Classicall and Congregationall Churches which is according to the will and appointment of Jesus Christ THe holy Scriptures of the New Testament do speak most plainly of a Church Government and of ruling and rulers which the Lord Jesus Christ hath appointed to be in his Church visible on earth in the times under the Gospel the patern and platform of this Government together with a commission to govern the universall Church in all Nations according to it he gave to his Apostles by word of mouth in the time of his life as the Gospel in divers passages doth testifie and after his passion when he shewed himself alive unto them and was seen of them fourty daies speaking the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God Act. 1. 3. And that the Apostles by word and writing and by their example and practice might infallibly instruct all Churches by them gathered unto him in all Nations and might deliver unto them so as they had received from the mouth of him the supream Lord that one uniform Government He filled them with extraordinary gifts and sent unto them the holy Ghost the Comforter to lead them into all truth Joh. 16. 13. to teach them all things and to bring all things to their remembrance whatsoever he had said unto them Joh. 14. 26. And that Government which they partly by word and writing and partly by their example and practice did prescribe uniformly in all Churches is of divine instution and to it all Orthodox reformed Churches in all the Christian world at this day have submitted themselves acknowledging it to be the onely Government Ecclesiasticall which is Jure divino and by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ And yet in this unstable and wavering age and generation and in this unsetled state and land full of confusion as the giddy-headed multitude which are like clouds without water carried about with every winde of Doctrine and dream of new lights beginning to appear do call into question the saving doctrines of aeternall truth and the chief Articles of the Christian faith firmly beleeved constantly professed and never doubted of by any true Christians So also many of the wisest Statesmen who are esteemed the pillars of the Kingdom and the stay of the State do doubt and make question whether there be any Church Government Jure Divino and by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ What that Government is Who are the Governours And by what rules and laws they ought to govern And how farre and in what things matters and causes power is given to them by Christ to rule and govern in the Church For the answering of all such questions and removing of all such doubts and scruples I will endeavour out of love to the truth and zeal to the honour of Christ and the advancement of his Kingly power in his Church to lay down some sure grounds of Doctrine gathered out of holy Scripture and proved by clear testimonies of Gods spirit speaking in the infallible written word And first I take this as an undeniable principle That whatsoever Christ hath with his own mouth commanded or by his spirit moved his Apostles to teach by writing and word or by example and practice concerning the well ordering and Government of his Church in any place which is as usefull in all places and the reason of it stands firm in all ages and it may be practised profitably by ordinary Pastours Also whatsoever is necessarily presupposed or included in any thing which Christ in the Gospel commandeth or of necessity must follow thereupon is Jure divino and by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ Secondly because the main question which comes to be answered upon which all the rest do depend is Whether there be any proper and particular Church-Government distinct from Civill Government The answer is easy and such as may fully satisfie any reasonable Christian For first in every Nation Kingdom and state wherein Christian Religion is publikely and generally professed all the people are to be considered two waies First as men and members of a civill society or Common Wealth Secondly as Christian men and members of the Church the mysticall body of Christ As they are members of the Common-wealth they are to be ruled by the laws of men which are there in force and do binde them to obedience in temporall things to their Kings and Civill Magistrates and to good order and behaviour among themselves for the peace and safety of humane society and of the civill State And this Government may be among them who are Turks Heathens and nor Christians for it is common to all men of all Nations States

and to diliver him unto Satan 1 Cor. 5 5 13. And he himself delivered unto Satan Hymenaeus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1. 20. And these acts of discipline are not punishments of revenge not execution of justice in a rigid sense but Medicinall corrections of mercy and fatherly chastisements laid on the person censured not in hatred to hurt him nor in rigour to satisfie the law But in love hope desire and godly zeal for a three-fold end and use First For the mortification humiliation and repentance of the obstinate sinner that he may be made sensible of his danger and ashamed of his sin and heartily sorrowfull for it and full of contrition this is intimated by the Apostle where he saith that delivering unto Satan is for the destruction of the flesh that is fleshly corruption by mortification that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 5. 5. 1 Tim. 1. 20. he saith that he delivered unto Satan Hymeneus and Alexander that they might learn not to blaspheme and 2 Thes. 3. 14. Secondly For the preserving of the body and the rest of the members from infection for obstinate scandalous sinners will infect others this the Apostle sheweth 1 Cor. 5. 6 7. Saying Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump purge out therefore the old leaven Thirdly For vindicating the Church and Christian Religion from reproach and scandall and all shew and appearance of countenancing and cherishing vile sin and wickednes which will raise an ill report commonly that Christian Religion is worse then Gentilisme and tolerats sins the names of which are loathed among civill heathen This the Apostle implies 1 Cor. 5. 1. saying It is commonly reported that there is fornication among you such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles And certainly the Jews who were according to their law so strict in keeping from the Passeover all such as had any uncleannes on them might justly reproach Christians if they should admit scandalous sinners spiritually leprous and unclean to the Lords Supper and into holy communion with them and not cast them out There is besides those censures before named another most dreadfull censure mentioned in Scripture and called by the name of Anathema Maranatha that is the cursed untill the Lord cometh 1 Cor. 16. 22. This is a curse which the Church denounceth against desperate back-sliders and Apostates who after illumination profession of love to Christ and a taste of the good Word of God and of the power of the world do come do sin against the holy Ghost and fall away into hatred and despight against the truth of which the spirit hath convinced their consciences into malignant persecution of all true godlines and into an impossibility of being renewed by repentance Heb 6. 4. This censure to speak no more of it is a sentence and judgement of the Church declaring and pronouncing that such persons are reprobates and desperate enemies of God finally accursed past hope of recovery given up to the judgement of the last day when the Lord shall come to render vengeance in flaming fire to all them that hate him and that they are to be shunned and abhorred as fire brands of hell Of this curse we have divers examples in Scripture as that which God laid upon Cain Gen. 4. That which Enoch denounced against the old world of which Jude in his Epistle makes mention vers. 14. That of David against Doeg and other enemies and against the traitour Judas Psal. 109. and that wherewith the Lord cursed the reprobate Jews when he forbad the Prophet Jeremy to pray for them Jer. 7. 16. 11. 14. 14. 11. For there is a sin unto death namely the sin of Apostasy and rebellion against the light not to be prayed for as S. Iohn saith 1 Ioh. 5. 16. Besides these acts of Government before named we read of three others The first is Ordination of Ministers which properly belongs to the preaching Presbyters who are to examine them try their gifts and inquire into their lives first and after proof made of their abilities and godly conversation to ordain them with praier and imposition of hands of this we read Act. 13. 2 3. 1 Tim. 3. 2 3 4 c. 1 Tim. 4. 14. 5. 22. Tit. 1. 5. The second is Choosing and appointing of Church Officers this is the common act of the whole Eldership together with the people as appears Act. 6. 3 5. Act. 14. 23. The third is Setting of things in good order and appointing that all things be done decently and in order in the Church this Paul injoined the Elders of Corinth to do 1 Cor. 14 40. and he promised to assist them therein 1 Cor. 11. 34. and laid this charge on Titus Tit. 1. 5. From this discourse framed out of the infallible Word of God and expresse testimonies of holy Scriptures divers Corollaries and necessary conclusions do issue which remove the doubts and answer the questions which doubting scrupulous persons shall propound concerning Church-Government whether it be in whole or part Jure divino and by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ 1. Conclus That there is one uniform Government in the whole universall Church and in every part thereof Jure divino and by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ which ought to be observed in all National Provinciall Classicall and Congregationall Churches as they are parts and members of the Church universall which is the mysticall body of Christ Proved Section 3. and 5. and 6. and 8. 2. As there is but one law to all Christians even the Word of God which is the perfect rule of Government in all Orthodox and well constituted Churches So ought the Government to be one and the same in them all among themselves and in every particular Congregation Proved Sect. 8. 3. The supream Magistracy in every Nation Countrey and State being Christians is in duty bound to be as a nursing father to the Church of Christ to set up and maintain Preachers who may by preaching the Gospel gather their people and subjects into Congregations and set up Elders in every one according to the Word of God And parochiall or particular Congregations so gathered and Elderships set up in them by the dictate and direction of Christ are Iure divino The appointment of the Civill Magistrate is onely a civill sanction it doth not make them to be Iure divino Proved Sect. 3. and 4. 4. Though all Nationall Churches rightly constituted and formed according to the Scriptures are of equall authority not any one superiour to another and likewise all Provinciall Classicall and Parochiall Churches alike well formed are equall No Provinciall superiour to another Provinciall Nor any Classicall Eldership to another Classicall Yet the deciding of a controversy in point of Doctrine or any sentence or censure issuing out and published from a greater Assembly or Eldership as from a Nationall