Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	church_n	city_n	congregation_n	1,450	5	9.5387	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88586	The main points of church-government and discipline; plainly and modestly handled by way of question and answer. Very useful to such as either want money to buy, or leasure to read larger tracts.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.	1649 (1649)	Wing L3167; Thomason E1182_11; ESTC R208163	25,577	63

they are And lastly As for setled maintenance 1. The Scripture doth allude to a certain and setled maintenance that should be given to the Ministry s Ezek. 45 1 5 in comparing it with servants hire and wages t 1 Tim 5 18 and a soldiers pay v 1 Cor. 9 7 both which are certain 2. God doubtless hath as much care of the maintenance of the Ministers of the New Testament as of the Old shall we then think that he did allow the one certain maintenance which none could deprive them of and make the other uncapable of such maintenance 3. When a Minister hath set-maintenance he knows better how to proportion his living his alms his expences for the publike his provision for his children and how to keep hospitality 4. Tythes are not in one sence setled or stinted maintenance for they are more or less according as the Husbandman soweth and God prospereth as Corn is little or much good or bad well or ill gotten dear or cheap they that do receive Tythes do rise or fall with them that pay them 5. Magistrates should be nursing Fathers and Mothers to the Church w Isai 49 23 they should bring their glory and honor into it x Rev. 21 24 26 And may they not assign certain maintenance to the Ministers of the Gospel which they may do to their meanest servants yea to to the meanest men in the Kingdom if so they please But of this enough Quest 14. Who may lawfully be admitted into the Church Answ All that profess Faith and Repentance y Mat. 3 6 7. Acts 2 41 47 Acts 8 37 I speak of Jews Heathens and other strangers to the Church not of children born within the Church which may be baptized before any such personal profession and are to be accounted within the Church by virtue of their parents being within the Church except there be some just ground of personal prejudice against them as in the case of Saul whom the Apostles might well suspect to be still a Jew a Persecutor and a Spy and that he but assay'd to joyn himself to them to atchieve his wicked ends till they heard Barnabas his testomony concerning him z Act 9 26 27 28 But secondly there is no precept or president of the calling of Christians before they could be admitted into the Church to give account of the work of grace in their heart or of a Congregation judging whether that work was wrought or no or of their meeting together for prayer and mutual conference to be satisfied of the good estate one of another or of their deferring admission till they had such satisfaction nor did Jesus Christ as man know Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region round a Jordan with whom he was baptized a Mat. 3 6 7 nor were John Baptist the Apostles and those thousands and myriades which they baptized satisfied in their consciences of the regeneration each of other esteeming each other to be a real Saint nor did the Jewish Church though called Saints b Psa 89. 5 7. Psa 149 1. Exo. 19 5 6 consist only of such which were at least in the judgment of Charity sincere Converts nor doth Pauls writing to the Church of Corinth called to be Saints evince that at the time of his writing to them much less before or after he did judg the Corinthian Church to consist wholy of true Saints the contrary is evident c 1 Cor. 3 1 2. 5 1 2 11 21. 2 Cor. 12 20 21 1 Cor. 15 34 The Churches charity is but a leaden rule no certain one some mens charity being more some less d Acts 15. 37 38 39 and the same mens charity being larger at sometimes then at others and to some men as those of their own opinions kinred benefactors c. then to others whence it followeth that some men may sometimes lawfully admit such which others yea themselves at other times may lawfully reject the case in it self being the very same Quest 15. How come particular Churches to be one in themselves and to be distinguished one from another Answ First Their habitation is in this case considerable it being agreeable to the Law of Nature and Scripture that there should be Parishes or Churches should be confined within convenient local limits For 1. else the members of a particular Church migh live 10. 20. 50 an 100. miles each from other without blame 2. The word constantly holds forth that the Christian inhabitants of a City Town or place were the Church in that City Town or place 3. Churches are usually denominated from places as the Church of Jerusalem Rome Antioch c. and Cities and Churches do expound one another a Acts 14 23. Titus 1 5. Acts 16 4 5 4. They that did remove their habitations did it's very probable fall into membership with those Churches whither they did remove b Act. 18 2 24 25 26 Rom. 16 2 5. If Church members be not resident amongst themselves how can Pastors be resident amongst them c 1 Pet 5 2 6. Cohabitation of Church-members hath divers paterns in Scripture uncontrolled by precepts and other paterns For no instance can be shewed that any dwelt neerer to one true Church though corrupt as Corinth Laodicea Sardis c. and was a member of a Church in another City or Town as Cenchrea or that any dwelt within the civil comunion of the members of a Church which is oft for worldly ends and was not a member of that Church or that Christians dwelling remote one from another were of one particular Congregation 7. That none but those that cohabite should be of one Congregation is required by Reason as well as Scripture 1. For their more commodious meeting together in publick with ease frequency less expence of time and money 2. Their more easie conversing with watching over comforting and relieving one another 3. For the preventing of confusion contention and offence 4. For the more convenient inspection over their Families that their Families as well as themselves do sanctifie the Sabbath and therefore if the Magistrate do command that Churches should have such and such convenient bounds his command is to be observed being according to Scripture and right Reason Secondly These Christians thus cohabiting are to chuse or to submit unto and maintain the same individual Church-Officers frequent the same numerical Sacraments and other Ordinances and so are easily enough distinguished from those Churches the members whereof dwell elsewhere and submit to other Officers and frequent other meeting places for Sacraments and other Ordinances Paul and Barnabas assembling themselves a whole year with the Church at Antioch are said to be within that Church d Acts 11 26 with 13 1 And this was the primitive way When many Christians were converted in a Town or City the Apostles ordeined them Elders e Acts 14 23 and the Elders and Christian inhabitants mutually performing

the duties of their places became a Church together sufficiently distinguished from others and this is far from the Church-covenant urged by some it being only an agreement implyed in actions as when a man dwells in a Town joyns in chusing Constables and other Offices pays Lays and Taxes assists Officers and bears Office if required doth tacitly agree that he is one of that Town and yet we cannot say that he hath entred into covenant or that entring into covenant doth make him so Quest 16. How large or how little may particular Churches be Answ A Church must consist of more then two or three though when there was no more in the world but Adam and Eve they two made a Church if there was any for two or three were to give the second Admonition which if a man did not here they were to tell the Church f Math. 18 15 16 17. and therefore the Church must of necessity consist of more then two or three yea there should be in a Church a competent number to be Officers and Members at least the Members should be as a Flock that is many though there were no Officer but one Pastor The Churches in the Gospel were numerous consisting of thousands and that they might do so the Apostles planted Churches only in Cities and in great Towns Cenchrea the least was a much frequented populous and famous Haven-Town g Gualter in Rom. 16 so also were the Churches of Galatia Macedonia Judea placed in the Cities of those Countries as Antioch Laodicea Philippi Thessalonica Jerusalem Lidda c. and how numerous soever any Church did grow we read not that it was divided into two or more Churches or that there were more Churches then one in any one City or Town As it is acknowledged on all hands that a particular Church may consist of as many as may meet every Lords day in oue place for edification so it may be proved that the Church of Jerusalem did consist of more then did or could meet with edification in one place 1. By the multitude of Beleevers Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region round about Jordan were baptized by John h Mat. 3. 6 7 and the Disciples of Christ baptized more Disciples then John i Joh. 4. 1 and many of the people beleeved in Jesus k Joh 2. 23 7 31. 8 30 The Pharisees said the world is gone after him l Joh. 12 19 and after Christs ascension there were added 3000 souls m Act. 2 41 and 5000 n Act. 4. 4 and afterward the Disciples were multiplyed greatly and a great company of the Priests were obedient to the faith o Act. 6. 1 7 Now all these which deserved to be called a City a World of people thousands and multitudes for the Holy Ghost at the last leaves numbering could not meet together in one place for hearing the Word For no one room in a private house could hold them all no one mans voyce could reach them much less could so many thousands orderly at once receive the Sacrament together nor could be accommodated with beds to sit lie or lean upon which was Christs gesture a Table to receive at and Cups to drink in and therefore they were constrained to sever themselves into divers companies for breaking of bread p Act 2 46 and to meet distributively in their private houses for that purpose Hence it is observable that though proof be offered by some that the Church of Jerusalem did meet together in the Temple to heat the Word which was common to Jews with Christians and to chuse Officers which is not every Lords day-work and to which the presence of women and children the greater half of the Church is not required yet not one word is brought to prove that they all met in one place to receive the Sacrament the chief Church-ordinance 2. Twelve Apostles q Math. 9. 35. 10 1 seventy Disciples r Luke 10 2 besides Elders mentioned Act. 11. s Act. 11. 30 as being extant before that time which doubtless were diligent Preachers in Jerusalem the chief place of their residence and could not all nor most of them be imployed once every Lords day if there was but one Congregation in Jerusalem 3. The Church that prayed for Peter met many of them in the house of Mary and others of them James and his brethren elsewhere t Act. 12. 5. with 12 17 so that Church did not meet in one place 4. It is said that Paul abode in Jerusalem with Peter fifteen days v Gal. 1. 18 and doubtless Peter and he frequented the Church-meetings yet he saw no other of the Apostles save James the Lords brother he saith not they were not in Jerusalem but he saw them not which had been very improbable if not impossible seeing the Apostles were diligent in preaching if there had been but one Church-meeting in Jerusalem more might be said to prove that the Church of Jerusalem consisted of more then one Congregation and instance of the like may be given in other Churches of Samaria Ephesus Corinth c. Q. 17. May not every Congregation enjoy all the Ordinances of God within it self Ans No 1. Synods are the Ordinances of God and cannot be had in a particular Congregation yea general Councels are the Ordinances of God and yet cannot be found in any less Church then the universal visible 2. A particular Congregation consisting only of private Members cannot enjoy ordination by Presbyters which is an ordinance of God nor can she in that state regularly partake in Sacraments and Censures therefore combination or consociation of Churches is useful and needful in the aforesaid cases as also in case of a particular Churches insufficiency to transact her own business in case of business of common concernment to more Churches then one in case of an incompetent particular Eldership of appellation of presumed mal-administration of divisions in a particular Church of differences between Churches of spreading Heresies indangering Truth Peace decision of hard questions direction in hard cases or the like w Act. 15 Quest 18. Doth the Scripture warrant the use and subordination of Congregational Classical Provincial National and Oecumenical Assemblies Ans Yes it doth For 1. of Congregational Assemblies no question is made 2. The proving of the Church of Jerusalem to consist of more Congregations then one and their Elders questionless convening for Acts of government of those Congregations doth also prove the warrantableness of a Classical Assembly 3. There being warrant sufficient for combination of Churches and the Scripture not limiting it to such or such limits beyond which it may not exceed doth sufficiently warrant the greater combinations as occasion may require them and they may with conveniency be had the Scripture doth not determine those cases in which a Church may call neighboring Churches together for advice nor with how many Churches or with what Churches