Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	body_n	church_n	union_n	1,510	5	9.6741	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10620	An animadversion to Mr Richard Clyftons advertisement Who under pretense of answering Chr. Lawnes book, hath published an other mans private letter, with Mr Francis Iohnsons answer therto. Which letter is here justified; the answer therto refuted: and the true causes of the lamentable breach that hath lately fallen out in the English exiled Church at Amsterdam, manifested, by Henry Ainsworth.	Ainsworth, Henry, 1571-1622?	1613 (1613)	STC 209; ESTC S118900	140,504	148

Secondly in that place of their Treatise on Mat. 18. they quote Mat. 2● 20 as alleged for a ground yet they give not any answer to that scripture but stil call upon us to answer their questions write more Wheras Christ there encōmendeth to his disciples of all nations to the worlds end the observing of all things whatsoever he cōmanded th'Apostles And excommunication was one of those things commanded Mat. 18. 1. Cor. 5. Therfore to be observed by a Christian people though they want officers unless these men can shew some prohibition Christ requireth to observ al things these men say nay not excommunication it lyeth now on them to shew wher Christ or his Apostles have excepted excommunication But from that place and by the very same reasons doo the Anabaptists deny baptisme of Children caling for scripture example precept ground to warrant it as these doo now in this case 3. Thirdly besides al things heretofore written they have a ground in the article it self which they neyther doo nor can take away which is the power that the church alwayes hath to receiv in members and therfore consequently to cast them out agayn if they deserv it Which ground if they deny they in effect deny that ther can be any church without Elders contrary to the express scripture Act. 14.23 1. Cor. 12.28 Tit. 1.5 Yea or that ther can be any visible Christians without Elders for how can they be Christians without union with Christ And if men cannot be united with his members and body because ther wanteth Elders how should they be united with him the head 4. They have it proved a point of false doctrine by Mr Iohnson himsef to teach that the Church of Christ hath not alwayes power to receive in and to cast out by the keyes of the kingdom Answer to M. Iakob pag. 159.160 2. They secondly allege sundry examples grounds that it hath been doon by the Lord himself and by his officers c. This we never doubted of but a Church having officers may excōmunicate Though yet the proof for the Elders wil be excepted against by the Prelates and such like For th'examples of Abraham of Paul of Titus of Timothee and of the Preist judging a leper make rather in show for one Bishop then for a Church of Elders and so are alleged by Papists for the Prelacie The other scriptures doo none of them shew the Elders power to excōmunicate but to watch take heed reprove admonish c al which the Prelates grant to their inferiour Preists whom yet they wil not suffer to excommunicate with out the Bishop or his Official as these wil not the Church without an Eldership The examples of excommunicating by the Rulers of Israel I wil turn against them thus If the Magistrates and people of Israel might not onely punish civilly with death but also execute a spiritual censure of excommunication upon the consciences of evil doers though they had wanted ministers of the Temple and synagogues then a Christian magistrate and people may doo so now though they want ministers ecclesiastical And if the Church may excommunicate having a magistrate it may also do it wanting one seing the power of spiritual censure dependeth not upon the civil magistracie as the state of the Churches in the Apostles dayes sheweth 3 Thirdly they wil have us to consider how a people can chalenge the ministration of excommunication more then of the sacraments c. This we have considered and find that if the reason be good the ruling Elders may not excommunicate any more then minister the sacraments which whither they hold or no let them tel us in their next For they know wel the Prelates object these things against the ruling Elders as themselves doo now against the people 4. Fourthly they say they cannot find in scripture but when the church is caled the body of Christ or compared to a body howse city or kingdom it is spoken eyther of particular Churches having officers or of the catholik church in respect of Christ the head c. I answer it appeareth then plainly they have lost that which they had found and let them take heed least for not keeping it God deprive them of finding it any more But I wil help them if it may be by their own writing where this same author sayth A company of faithful people though considered a part by themselves they be privat men yet being gathered togither in the name of Christ and joyned togither in fellowship of his gospel they are a publick body a church a citie a kingdom and that of Jesus Christ who is present among them to guide bless and confirm what they doo on earth in his name and by his power So that like as in a city the citizens considered a part are commonly privat members yet jointly togither are the corporation and publick body of that town so is it also in the church of Christ whither it consist of moe or of fewer yea though they be but 2. or 3. so as they be joyned togither in the communion of the gospel and gathered togither in the name of Jesus Christ as before is sayd These things they have acknowledged though now it seemeth they have forgot them or which is worse doo dissemble them Vnto these I wil add th'Apostles testimonie concerning a howse Christ is the chief corner stone and Christians that come unto him as lively stones are made a spiritual howse an holy Preisthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices Men come unto Christ by beleef and are joyned unto him and one to another by mutual covenant The ministers of Christ are as builders of this howse by preaching the gospel laying first the foundation Christ then upon him Christian people Gods building But if as often cometh to pass the builders doo refuse yet the Lord without them putteth Christ for head of the corner and causeth the faithful to come unto him and maketh them his spiritual howse to dwel in them whose howse they continew to be not by having officers alway among them but by holding fast their confidence and rejoycing of hope unto the end Wherfore these men that can find no howse of God without Elders must prove that men can not come unto no● continew in Christ unless it be by ecclesiastical officers which they shal never be able to manifest or al may see how they are beguiled with errour that they can not find things so apparant and heretofore acknowledged by themselves Ther opinion is injurious not onely to Christians but to Christ himself whiles they wil not grant him being the corner stone the head the king and the faithful the living stones his mēbers and subjects to make a howse body or kingdom if the Elders want or refuse though he as is written walketh among his Churches and is with them al dayes to the worlds end 5. Fiftly they

a beast to bear rule 6. Here also they doo violence to the Apostles similitude of a body and say when a part of the body is hurt the hand is not used nor sought unto to see withal nor the foot to hear neyther dooth the head take them to consult and determine what to doo but when the head it self hath considered and determined then it useth the help of the hand or foot c. as ther is need and occasion I answer 1. first much abuse may be offred to al parables by wresting them beyond their general scope as is here to this For by this manner of reasoning the Elders as the head have al the wit and the people as the hands and feet have none at al. The Elders as the eyes see al things but the people see no more then the ears For if the people have some understanding and insight into matters as wel as the Elders why should they not be used also in consulting and determining publick things which cōcern al. Vnless the Elders now have such abundance of wisdom as they can afford ynough to al and need supply from none But the scripture tells the contrary saying who is sufficient for these things 2. Cor. 2.16 And what meant the Apostles and Elders of Ierusalem to have al the people with them at their consulation determination of a controversie Act. 15.2 22 23. And why did th'Apostles being the eyes speak to the multitude which it seemeth saw no more then doo the hands and feet to look out men of wisdom for office among them Act. 6.2.3 But what if there be of the people that see more then all their Elders being illuminated as was David by Gods precepts what if the Elders be blind guides as Christ caleth some without understanding as the prophet cōplayneth Then men must leav the blind Eldership and goe to the prudent brethren and they must consult and determine yea without the Elders if these men say true Doe not these things manifest how they have wrested the similitude 2. Secondly it is direct against the Apostles meaning who because of dissentions in the church of Corinth sheweth by that similitude of a body that the chiefest members have need of the inferiour and the head cannot say to the feet I have no need of yow but now the Elders can say to the people we need not your help to judge and determine questions and controversies this gift and duty is ours neyther are yow bound to be present to hear and decide publick causes but when we have judged you shal execute our judgments And if the people agayn should say to the Elders when they are about choise of officers we need not your help or counsel you are not bound to be present when we doo this busynes the feet have no more need of the eyes to goe then the eyes have of the feet to see Were not this to make a division in the body which th'Apostle there condemneth 3. Moreover it is vayn to think that any officer or brother in the Church should so be one special member of the body as that he cannot be an other The Prophets in Israel were Seers and so in sted of eyes in the head but when they looked out vayn things then as the Lord saith the Prophet that taught lies was the tayl Jsa 9.15 The Elders by directing the church in the right way are as eyes to the body by administring the sacraments and censures they are as hands when they are sent on the Churches message they are as feet when they reprove synns they are as the mouth when they are reproved for their synns they should be as ears and so other Christians in their places and imployments And as God hath bestowed his graces upon any so is he to be regarded of al without respect of person neyther should the Elders be minded like Achitophel and take it yll if at any time their counsel be not folowed A man may see that in the Church which Solomō saw in the beseiged citie a poor wise man that delivered the citie by his wisdom though both he and his wisdom were despised A woman in Abel when it was in danger to be spoyled perswaded al the people with her wisdom to cut off Shebaes head and so preserved the city Was she in this action a part of the foot or of the hart and head in that body may we think 4. Finally this their reasoning is one with the Iesuits that exclude the people frō church affayrs The Church sayth Bellarmine bindeth and looseth but by their Prelates not by whomsoever even as the body speaketh but by the tongue not by the hand Thus dooth the Cardinal answer M. Luthers argument and thus doo these men answer ours 6. Yet have they not sayd ynough but they will make it Antichristian servitude to have the people bound to come to the publick ecclesiastical judgements unless perhaps when the Elders call them togither to execute their sentence for then I trow they are bound to come And is not this agayn to divide the body when the head must be present and the showlders with the other parts and members may be absent The Apostle writing to the Church of Corinth how to doo when they came togither for the Lords supper writeth also to them how when they were gathered togither they should deliver the wicked unto Satan We find no difference but they were bound to come to the one as to the other And if they answer they are bound to assemble for to excommunicate him but not to hear him by the word convinced in the trial of his cause they may as wel teach the people they are bound to come to eat the bread and wine in the Lords supper but not bound to hear the word teaching and preparing them here unto We doo so understand Gods law that when it commandeth us any thing it dooth also command us to use al means for the right and holy performance of it and al wil be litle ynough The people therfore that were bound to stone an idolater in Israel were bound by that law thow shalt not slay the innocent to look that he were duly convicted of the crime and now by this law be not partaker of other mens synns keep thy self pure every sowl that is bound to cast out a man condemned for heresie or other syn is also bound to see him convicted least Diotrephes cause to cast out faithful brethren He that stands out to excommunication wil cōmonly plead his cause to be just and complayn that the Elders have perverted judgmēt with what comfort of hart can the people now excōmunicate him if they have not heard the proceedings against him and yet must execute the Elders sentence upon him Let wise men judge whither this be not spiritual tyrannie which the Elders would bring upon the