Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	catholic_n	church_n	society_n	1,852	5	9.5659	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78612	A pretended voice from heaven, proved to bee the voice of man, and not of God. Or, An answer to a treatise, called A voice from heaven, written by Mr. Gualter Postlethwait, an unordained preacher, taking upon him to exercise the pastoral charge, in a congregation at Lewis in Sussex. Wherein, his weakness, in undertaking to prove all protestant churches to bee antichristian, and to bee separated from, as no true churches of Christ, is discovered; and the sinfulness of such a separation evinced. Together with, a brief answer inserted, to the arguments for popular ordination, brought by the answerers of Jus Divinum Ministerii Evangelici, in their book called The preacher sent. By Ezekiel Charke, M.A. and rector of Waldron in Sussex. Imprimatur, Edmond Calamy.	Charke, Ezekiel.	1658 (1658)	Wing C2069; Thomason E959_5; ESTC R207673	108,343	141

were more afterwards men of rare abilities and extraordinary indowments all whose labours cannot well be imagined to have been spent in the service of one single Congregation 3 The time when there was a full imployment for so many labourers was the first year after Christs Ascention and 't is likely 't was early in that year for in the second year Paul was converted whereupon the persecution begun at Stephens death slacked and the Churches were multiplied Act. 9.31 Now many more might bee brought in by the Apostles during the persecution for they abode at Jerusalem Act. 8.1 And they continued in Jerusalem divers years after the persecution was ended Act. 15.2 this Council being held about seventeen years after Christs Ascention Now that all this while the number of beleevers in Jerusalem should not bee encreased beyond the bounds of one single Congregation that might meet ordinarily together in the same place to use the Ordinances of Gods service and worship is to mee beyond beleef 4 At this time there were divers languages spoken in Jerusalem by persons dwelling there Act. 2.5 sixteen several languages are reckoned up verse 9 10 11. Now many of these persons being converted to the profession of the Christian faith Reason teacheth us to apprehend that they were distributed into several Congregations according to their several languages to have in them the mysteries of the Gospel preach't unto them for their edification in the faith of Christ For which cause and that some of them might preach unto strange Nations Christ poured out the gift of tongues on the twelve Apostles and one hundred and eight Disciples Act. 1.8.15 with Act. 2.1 2 3 4. These considerations prevaile with mee to conclude that in Jerusalem there were divers Congregations under several Teachers and yet all making up but one compleat Church All these several Congregations being called in the singular number the Church of Jerusalem This instance is granted by the learned Mr. Thomas Hooker who saith It doth not appear that setting aside the Church of Jerusalem they the Christians of one Church should needs meet in several places Survey part 1. P. 129. Therein acknowledging that it appeareth the Church of Jerusalem must needs and did and I doubt not but others did also But because your self and others much deny this of the Church of Jerusalem and that if this instance bee made good the cause is ours in the point of Presbyterial Churches consisting of divers Congregations I shall answer the Objections made by you and others Object 1 The three thousand Act. 2.41 say the Reverend Authors of the defence of the nine positions p. 125. were added to the one hundred and twenty They have their communion together described c. Answ 1 If this one hundred and twenty were the whole number of Disciples in Jerusalem gathered into a Church-way at this time then no account can bee given of those multitudes converted by the Ministery of John Christ the Apostles and seventy Disciples how they were disposed of Neither is it any way probable that the three thousand should bee added to the Church before those 2 Either these were added before the three thousand or not at all for ought appears from Scripture 3 That there were at this time many more beleevers of the Church of Jerusalem before the hundred and twenty is to mee out of doubt Christ appears to above five hundred Brethren at once 1 Cor. 15.6 These may be conceived embodied brethren of the Church of Jerusalem met together in the exercise of the duties of Gods worship Luk. 24.33 36. and a part of those converted by John Christ the Apostles c. And I am of opinion that Christ during his forty daies converse with his Apostles Act. 1.3 speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdome of God gave them directions for his worship and the Government of his Church and that during that time and between it and the mission of the holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost the Apostles did by Christs direction cast Christians into a certain Gospel-order which possibly till now they were not fixt in for the use of all the Ordinances of Christ in several societies under their proper officers and that these made up the Church of Jerusalem to which the three thousand were added to share in those priviledges which the rest enjoyed before which is implied Act. 2.42 4 The hundred and twenty were onely the Guides of the Church their number is made up of the twelve Apostles seventy Disciples and thirty eight Persons more all of Christs retinue whilst hee was on earth Act. 1.15 21. The Apostles and seventy Disciples were wee read in the Gospel made Ministers by Christ and the other thirty eight cannot well bee looked upon as no Ministers For 1 They conversed in the same special manner with Christ both before and after his resurrection as the Apostles and seventy Disciples did Act. 1.21 22. 2 Any one of the thirty eight was in as neer a capacity to bee made an Apostle in the room of Judas as any of the Seventy which argueth them to bee men of the same rank with the Seventy 3 All the hundred and twenty were to stay at Jerusalem waiting for the promise of pouring the Holy Ghost on them by which they should be endued with the gift of strange tongues Act. 1.4 5 13 14 15. with Act. 2.1 2 3 4. 4 From these last texts it appeareth that the whole hundred and twenty received the gift of tongues on the day of Pentecost the end of which was to preach the Gospel to people of divers languages now in Jerusalem and hereafter in other Nations Therefore all the hundred and twenty were Ministers and the three thousand were added to the Church of Jerusalem where they Ministred and they were the standing Presbytery the Guides and Governours of that Church and not any of them of the governed The multitude of baptized beleevers at Jerusalem being in all likelihood many hundreds if not some thousands Else what account can bee given of the success of Christs Ministery in Jerusalem mentioned Joh. 2.23 and 4.1 and 7.31 and 8.30 and 11.28 45. and 12.19 And this standing Presbytery of the Church of Jerusalem is the basis of the discourse of the Evangelist concerning the Church in this book of the Acts unto which many passages in it do particularly relate which by many and Mr. P. are thought to relate to the whole Church of Jerusalem as shall bee made to appear Object 2 All that beleeved were together Act. 2.44 continuing daily with one accord in the Temple verse 46. Therefore they were but one single Congregation Answ Together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 relates not to the place of their assembling but to their oneness in heart spirit and practice The phrase is often used by the Septuagint in this sense to note mens concurrence in the same actions though distant in place Psal 2.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●ariter

the ground 2 Because they are Harlots and will intice and draw away to their lewd Courses p. 67 68. Babylon hath golden pretences for her abominable idolatries The prevention of Schisms and Heresies for a Catholick Church visible Reverence to the womb that bare us and the paps that gave us suck for Metropolitan National Diocesan Parish-Churches c. And shee is stubborn shee will not return to you Gods people would have cured her but shee is not cured None that would have thorough reformation dare take the whole Parish along with them to the work Why should they bee washed at the same laver at least their children that may not eat at the same Table Let us take the Prophets Counsel forsake wee Babylon and go every one to his own Country Let us wash our hands of her and expect what God hath determined of her as Du plessis once said of the Roman Church Babylon and the best reformed Churches in the Christian World that are not of his way are all one with this modest Theologue Rome renounceth abhorreth anathematizeth them and they have separated from renounce and abhor Rome's Doctrin and Worship and yet this peece of subtilty finds them to bee one and the same Babylon Surely should the Pope understand what service this Separatist's book tends to do him in proclaiming the Protestant Churches to be Harlots and the Babylon to bee separated from hee would account himself endebted to him for it They are Harlots saies hee they have leud courses abominable Idolatries and what are they A Catholick Church visible and National and Parish Churches these are abominable Idolatries in Mr. P's Atheological Divinity Of the two latter I have spoken enough before to vindicate them from this charge I shall now adde something to what hath been said for the former A Catholick visible Church hath been alwaies generally acknowledged among Christians in all ages So that Mr. P. laies abominable Idolatry to the charge of all the Christian Churches that have been unto this last age yea of some of those writers that have appeared on the side of the congregational way Dr. Ames saith that the Church never ceaseth to bee visible which cannot bee understood of any paticular Church for that may fail and that Particular Congregations are as similar parts of the Catholike Church and so participate of its name and nature and those that by profession onely are beleevers whilst they remain in a society are members of that Church as also of the Catholick Church in respect of its External estate And in Bell. Enerv. Wee acknowledge the Militant Church to bee visible as to its outward and accidental form in its parts both separated and conjoyned What can bee more plain But let us briefly consider what Scripture saies to it Act. 8.3 speaks of a visible Church else it could not have been persecuted and yet not of a particular Church for the persecution was in Jerusalem Damascus in every Synagogue in strange Cities yea against all of that way therefore it speaks of the Catholick visible Church 1 Cor. 10.2 must needs bee understood of it also 1 Cor. 12.28 is too clearly for it to bee denyed with any likely reason for 1 The Church here spoken of is an Organical Church 2 It cannot bee understood of a particular Church Apostles and Prophets being Catholick-Officers 3 It must therefore bee understood collectively of all that were within the bounds of the Apostles Commission the Church in the whole world Indeed this whole Chapter treats of the Catholick visible Church All the members of Christ mystical are one body vers 12. 20. Jews and Gentiles are baptized into one body vers 13. and they are one Church vers 28. Eph. 3.10 cannot mean otherwise nor Eph. 3.21 What Church can the Church of all ages mean but the Catholick Visible Church Which though some particular Churches may and have failed hath continued and shall continue in all ages Matth. 16.18 proves this and the point in hand for it may not bee understood of any particular Church and it cannot bee understood of the Invisible Church as distinct from the visible for the invisible Church is not built upon a visible profession as Peters was and the Church here spoken of is such whereof the Keyes are given to Peter and every Minister of Christ to let in members and eject scandalous sinners Now how a member of the invisible Church as such can by a censure bee cast out of the Church invisible who can see but out of the Church visible hee may bee cast therefore this Text speaks clearly of the Catholike Church Visible against which the gates of hell shall not prevail Adde to this that all the Metaphors that set out the Church in Scripture shews the unity of the Catholike Church as visible Shee is a Woman Rev. 12.1 One sheepfold John 10.16 One body Rom. 12.5 The House Temple City of God 1 Tim. 3.15 Eph. 2.19 Heb. 12.22 Rev. 3.12 c. Therefore Mt. P's eyes were bloud-shotten when hee wrote that a Catholike visible Church is an Abominable Idolatry But hee is angry it seems at the pretence too and makes it a peece of Babylons golden cup to wit the prevention of Schisms and Heresies what hee insinuates thereby that Protestant Churches have but this pretence for it and no ground in the Word is untrue and unworthy Surely wee may think that Mr. P. sees that the opposing of Schisms strikes at his Democracy and separation and that therefore hee is not well pleased with the prevention of Schisms if they bee let alone his Schism will escape among them But Protestant Churches have not so learn't Christ knowing that they are injoyned to take the Foxes and the little Foxes that spoil the vines Cant. 2.15 and to mark them that cause divisions and offences and avoid them Rom. 16.17 and to have no divisions among them 1 Cor. 1.10 and that when single Churches cannot effect this they must labour to do it united so fully as the case will require Act. 15. What hee addds to prove the stubbornnesse of Protestant Churches which his dialect terms Babylon that Gods People would have cured her but shee is not cured is an impudent unreasonable and false speech Wonderfull impudence it is especially in such a Theologaster as hee that needs to be taught what a Church is to charge all reformed Churches with stubbornnesse in evil Stubbornnesse is a sinning against light and conviction and what audaciousnesse is it in this aeccuser of the brethren to publish in print that all the reformed Churches sin against conviction in cleaving to their Church-state and way of government Unreasonable also it is for him to say that Gods people would have cured Protestant Churches for thereby hee seems to confine Gods people to those of his way and those of his way have not I am sure put forth requisite indeavours to cure our Churches supposing them to bee sick of Romish diseases unlesse reviling of

swerving from his institution as of those that seek him in a way conformable to his Institution I suppose you will answer negatively But now through Gods goodness wee are able to say that God is and hath been as much found of us in our Churches and way and our Ministers have received as glorious a seal of their Ministery as any Churches that wee know of since the Apostles daies and farre more than our Congregational Brethren themselves in their way who although they deal out this hard measure to us to cry down our Ministery and Churches as Antichristian owe most of them that are renewed their conversion unto God unto our Ministery as the instrument for it in Gods hand themselves being Judges Though they had ten thousand Independent Instructors yet could they not say they are their Fathers for in Christ Jesus the Ministery of our Churches hath begotten them to the Gospel If I am become a fool in glorying they have compelled mee Object 4 But there may be and hath been good done this way errours suppressed c. and those that reject it now P. 61. made use of it once Answ The good that God brings out of evil is not to be construed into a divine approbation of it Nor the use that hath been made by good men of a false way of Churches to bee drawn into an argument to continue in it Answ What good there hath been done by reformed Churches few can bee ignorant of What good hath been done by Independent Churches hath not yet much appeared That some of their flocks are pure they owe to our Churches as hath been said Errours have been indeed suppressed by ours but not by theirs it appears therefore they have made but a bad exchange but cherished by many of them who have been to them as Cities of refuge and out of which they have swarmed abundantly into all parts of the Land and for this the Land groans And thinks Mr. P. to put off this so sleightly with his begged supposition of the truth of the Churches of his way and the falseness of ours Surely the beating down of errour and the promoting of truth is no contemptible note of a true Church though some corruptions bee found in it Rev. 2.2 4. and on the contrary c. That those that owned our Churches once have now rejected them I judge from the word to be their sin They should have continued in them since Christ hath not divorced them though he hath somewhat against them and have indeavoured to reform them But they have not laboured to heal yea they have widened and encreased our wounds and then they insult over us Antichristianize us separate from us and draw away the best of our flocks boasting in other mens lines of things made ready to their hands The Lord judge between us and them Object 5. and 6. But shall wee do it without the authority of the Magistrate P. 62 63 64 without the consent of the Church Answ That which is pressed is but the doing of the duty that lies upon every Christian to separate from unwarrantable societies The Text hath no such proviso if the Magistrate bid or give you leave then come out of Babylon Therefore wee are to resolve with Peter Martyr and with Wollebius c. After God hath made known his truth saies the first wee must not delay Consent indeed is to be expected if the matter be dubious and obscure to wit to him to whom it is revealed as the course of his speech makes manifest Answ The Magistrate is as no body with you unless you have him on your side and then you can change your note But wee hold that very much respect is to bee had to the Magistrate in this matter and all means possible are to bee used to ingage the Magistrate to carry on the work of Reformation Give mee but one example in all the Old Testament of any considerable reformation in the Church without the interposition of the power of the Magistrate or one example of it in Ecclesiastical history in a time when there were Christian Magistrates Can our Magistrates endure that their authority and power should bee contemned as it is I hope they will not but that they will exert it for the good of the Church in discountenancing restraining and punishing men of corrupt minds principles and practices leading to separation blasphemies errours and rebellion sheltring themselves under this notion that the Magistrate hath nothing to do with Church-matters and that all men are therein to bee left to their liberty and the dictates of their own spirits The places that you pick out of Martyr and Wollebius favour not your fancy The place of Wollebius taken in his sense I readily yeeld to That when Religion is depraved it is to bee reformed by the Magistrate But if reformation cannot be obtained of the Magistrate hee being an enemy to the Church then reformation lies upon those whom God hath furnished with necessary gifts for it neither is the consent of Roman Bishops to bee expected for if our Fathers had done so saies hee there would have been no reformation And hee produceth the examples of Gideon Jehoiada the Maccabes the Apostles c. to make good his assertion Now when you shall have proved 1 That the supreme Magistrate is an enemy of Religion the Church and reformation 2 That the way of reformation you contend for is indeed the way of God 3 That all lawful means have been used and notwithstanding reformation cannot be obtained at the Magistrates hands 4 That Englands condition and the State of the Church in the time of Gideon Jehoiada the Maccabes the Apostles and Protestant reformers are alike 5 That you have Instruments that have the like call from God and are furnished with such abilities for reforming as they had and were Then I confess this place will speak something for you 6 The reformation Wollebius speaks of referres chiefly to essentials in Religion and that hee is an Antagonist to your way of separation from reformed Churches appears sufficiently in his book Martyr you much mistake also 1 The reformation hee presseth referres chiefly to fundamentals in Religion 2 Those whose consent hee saies was not to bee expected were the Roman Bishops whom hee calls sworn enemies to the truth 3 Hee doth not incite and stirre up the people to set upon the work without the consent of the Magistrate but the inferiour Magistrates to endeavour in their places a reformation of Religion in banishing the impure Masse out of their Cities c. and how doth this reach your case 4 The cause hee saies was clear and such as was confessed to be Gods and delaies might indanger the loss of a good cause Consent indeed saies hee is to be expected if the matter bee dubious and obscure And here you bring in your shameful Parenthesis to wit to whom it is revealed which Parenthesis spoils and abuseth Peter Martyrs Text For his