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	member_n	visible_a	6,329	5	9.5436	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86931	A plea for Christian magistracie: or, An answer to some passages in Mr. Gillespies sermon, against Mr. Coleman. As also to the brotherly examination of some passages of Mr. Colemans late printed sermon, upon Job 11.20. In which the reverend and learned commissioner affirmeth, he hath endeavoured to strike at the root of all church government. VVherein the argumentative part of the controversie is calmely and mildly, without any personall reflections, prosecuted. / By William Hussey, minister of the Gospell, at Chesilhurst in Kent.	Hussey, William, minister of Chiselhurst.	1645 (1645)	Wing H3819; Thomason E313_7; ESTC R200474	46,951	61

Christ doth not governe his Church he hath so troubled the sense of these words that truly I cannot understand what he meaneth he citeth 1 Cor. 15.25 he must reigne till he hath put all his enemies under his feet and in Act. 2.34.35 Sit thou on my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool Now saith Mr. Gillespie When Christ bath put downe all rule and all authority and power and put all his enemies under his feet then he shall cease to reigne as Mediator but till that bee done hee shall reigne as Mediator so that it can never bee proved that the meaning of these words hee hath put all things under his feet is that all government is given to Christ as Mediator Here is great strugling to finde out a Kingdome for Christ as Mediator over the Church only and this putting all things under his feet must signifie Christs Kingdome after the Mediators Kingdome is given up to the Father because as soone as Christ hath put all things under his feet he reigneth as Mediator no longer For answer to this argument I say that untill he hath put all his enemies under his feet in 1 Cor. 15.25 and he that hath put all things under 27. have not the same antecedent the former hee is God man the Mediator the latter is God the Father in the former the subject of this subjection is his enemies this latter all things the former is an actuall putting them under this latter as Mr. Gillespie doth allow out of Jerome is but in decree put under his feet in the former is finall destruction of death a putting downe of all rule authority and power a confusion and destruction of all his enemies in the latter God put Christs enemies under his feet but under the common condition of all things friends and foes are put under the government of Christ by God his Father here he is set above principalities but letteth them alone in their inferior condition there he putteth them downe here they are under him but there hee ●●keth them quite away here he receiveth the government of the Mediator there he finisheth it here God putteth all things under Christ Church and all whatsoever Zanchius saith to the contrary there Christ according to the power that is heere given him putteth his enemies only under his feet heere God giveth the right in recompence of his suffering as Phil. 2. wherefore God hath exalted him c. There hee executeth his wrath upon his enemies in the meane time he governeth as mediator and keepeth off the destruction from the wicked and confirmeth his people that they may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ The next words furnish Mr. Gillespie with another argument against Mr. Coleman gave him to bee head over all things to his Church I know not how Mr. Gillespie doth finde out his arguments the words stand for Mr. Coleman still the gift is given to his Church or for the helpe and benefit of his Church but hee was given to be head over all he is head over none sayth Mr. Gillespie but his Church Is this to argue out of Scripture or rather to deny and outface the Scripture the Scripture sayth he is over all for the good and benefit of his Church what good can he doe his Church by an empty dignity without any governement or authority but if he that hath power over all things bee given to his Church this is a gift indeed full of comfort to his Church that he that is head in respect of influence and life is head of all things or at least over them in government The last verse doth further confirme what I say sayth Mr. Gillespie for the Apostle continuing his speech sayth which is his body the fulnes of him that filleth all in all he calleth the Church Christs fulnes in reference to his headship That seemeth tolerably to come from the Text but see the fallacy comming after that which maketh him compleat so far as he is head or King how commeth this word King in heere Having his Church fully gathered he hath his compleat Kingdome his perfect body Then as soone as he hath gotten his Kingdome he presently layeth downe such a Kingdome scarce worth the name of a Kingdome that exceedeth not the bounds of his owne body and continueth no longer then he hath got the crowne for Christs body not compleat till the last day This is very great liberty that Mr. Gillespie taketh in arguing more then poetica licentia to put in King when it is not in the Text whence he will ground his argument Doth not Christ as mediator fill heaven and earth sure as mediator he is God what is he God as mediator without the properties of God I never heard of such argumentation but in the question of transubstantiation there is accidens sine subjecto and subjectum fine accidentibus propriis heere is Deus sine Deo as for his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 glory power and kingdome glory not derived from a Kingdome I know none a kingdome without power and glory a nominall empty thing kingdome power and glory is nothing but a compleat Kingdome Hee telleth us that Christ as Mediator executeth acts of divine power over all creatures in behalfe of his Church if he hath right to doe it then he is King I thinke I desire Mr. Gillespie to give us some descriptions of the termes of his division of kingdome power and glory and see how by Scripture he can prove how they do agree or not to Christ as Mediator under his description and see further how these termes may serve for interpreting of Scripture and setting up of his opinion But Mr. Gillespie is very angry with this opinion that Christ as Mediator is King of Kings and all doe governe under him and ought to governe for him I wonder he is so much offended sure it is not because he would not have Christ have so much power nay he is afraid that Ministers shall be deprived of some part of the office that Christ hath committed to them by my consent if Mr. Gillespie can prove that any part of government was given to the Ministers by Christ no man shall question Christs title and I hope our Magistrates will not take any thing from us Christ hath given us I wish that men would looke impartially upon the word of God and see how it can be proved that Christ hath given any government to Ministers immediately or whether any to the Church to give all disputants and godly men opportunity to deale clearly in these points I wish these points might be decided among our selves in a candid dispute rather then to fill the world with our differences Let these be the questions 1. Whether Christ gave any more government to Ministers then is contained in preaching and baptizing Neg. 2. Whether hee gave any government to the Church at all Neg. 3. Whether Ministers have any right to those priviledges that are given to the Church more then another Christian Neg. 4. Whether a Commonwealth professing the Gospell bee a visible Church Aff. 5. Whether any member of such a Commonwealth rightly ordered where he hath his consent to making of Civill Lawes may hold himselfe free from such Lawes in matters of conscience Neg. 6. Whether Ministers have commission from Christ to preach Aff. 7. Whether the people have any power to choose their Ministers Neg. These things being candidly discussed and we being all of one minde in them I hope peace may be expected amongst all the members of the Kingdome Which God grant FINIS

midst It sayth not they are Church officers neither doth it say none shall gather together in my name but Church officers or I am in the midst of none but Church officers Well I excuse Mr. Coleman if he see no institution of the Church officers out of that place and I hope so will all men even Mr. Gillespie himselfe upon due consideration 2. In his name we doe preach that is out of the question of other governments I find no institution sayth Mr. Coleman he speaketh not of the commission to preach and therefore let that go 3. In his name we baptize Act. 2.38 be baptized in the name of Iesus Act. 19.5 These places he citeth to proove we baptize in the name of Iesus as mediator as exclusively to Father and Holy Ghost leaving out the words of the commission Matt. 28. baptize in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost for so the state of his question doth require for he distinguisheth acutely and accurately betweene Christ as Mediator and second person in Trinity in all this argument and so abuseth these places to proove that we must baptize in the name of Christ exclusive to the other persons of the Trinity which is contrary to the words of the commission and the practise of all Churches but this is quite out of Mr. Gillespies businesse which is to proove other government instituted besides civill 4. In his name we excommunicate this is to the purpose proove that Mr. Gillespie 1. Cor. 5.5 to deliver such a one to Satan he maketh great haste no more adoe but we excommunicate heere is no argument deliver to Sathan is not to excommunicate at least they be different termes which rules of disputation will not allow But grant that it were excommunication and that Paul did excommunicate as in plaine termes he did deliver to Sathan Hymineus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1.20 so in this place being well viewed it will appeare that St. Paul saith I have decreed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such a one to Sathan The decree was Pauls and not the Corinthians though it might possible have been an act of the Corinthians yet no way appertaining unto you I mean under the notion of a Church and yet officers of the Church is a terme somewhat more remote and yet still farthest of all from institution for grant Paul had in termes said let the Elders of the Church excommunicate yet he had not instituted but supposed an institution this might have proved an esse not the institution nisi remote Thus have I examined his argument by rule Give us Schooles of divinity that wee may no more be troubled with such arguments But let us further examine what these mediums or some of them will yeeld being closer put Mr. Gillespie doth appropriate the meeting in the name of Christ to the officers of the Church and that is his medium to prove their institution from Christ as Mediator we must come for the clearing of this point to consider what it is to doe a thing in the name of Christ it is true much use is made of this comming together in the name of Christ in the argument of generall Counsells but this priviledge of comming together in the name of Christ appropriate to Bishops in a generall Councell our Learned will not allow Mr. Whittaker Quis ferat cos sic loquentes dum quae communiae sunt omnibus Christianis ad paucos restringunt who can endure them to speake so while they restraine those things to a few that belong to all Christians where you see he will not endure these two or three to be understood of Church officers but of any Christians But let us see what he saith it is to be gathered in the name of Christ he saith To bee gathered in Christs name In Christi nomine congregari due significat Primum eos qui conveniunt esse veros sinceres Dei cultores sanae Religionis professores quam non aliunde nisi Scripturae didiscerunt nam qui alio modo Deum colunt quam quo ille coli vult quantumvis maxinsi praesules fuerint in ecclesia non tamen in Christi nomine congregantur secundum ut eo animo conveniant ut Christi mandato per omnia obediant ut que eas secum affectiones afferant ea studia eas voluntates quae pios Christi ministres deceant ut nihil propter Dei gloriam quaerant aut sibi proponant ut veritatem ex Scripturis inquirant inventam aliis commendent non ut suum regnum stabiliant c. signifieth two things 1. That those that come together are true and sincere worshippers of God and professors of the true Religion which they have not learned elsewhere but from Scripture For who so worship God any other way then as he will bee worshipped though they bee great Prelates in the Church yet are not gathered together in Christs name 2. That they come together with that mind that they may obey the command of Christ that they bring with them those affections those desires those intentions which become godly Ministers of Christ That they seeke or propound nothing to themselves besides Gods glory that they search for truth in Scripture and having fonnd it commend it to others not for the establishing of their owne Kingdome Thus far I hope ye will agree that others besides Church officers may be qualified to meet in the name of Christ first that they may be the true worshippers of God that they may learne to worship God according to his will out of the Scriptures they may have good affections to obey Christ they may seeke Gods glory and not the setting up their owne Kingdome I hope the Parliament is so gathered and Christ is amongst them Bishop Mourton saith to bee duly gathered in the name of Christ is with sincere hearts to invocate him and to subscribe to his revealed truth this may bee done by others beside Church officers and I hope our Parliament doth so But see cleerely out of the Scripture that a thing may be sayd to be done in the name of Christ or of God when men doe any thing in confidence that God will assist us so Psal 20.5 In the name of our God will we set up our banners in confidence God will assist us thus I hope the Parliament and other Christians may undertake the businesse in the name of Christ in confidence of Christs assistance as mediator for whose sake the worke they are employed about shall be acceptable to God Secondly in the name of Christ a thing is sayd to bee done that is done in the authority roome and place of Christ as if Christ should doe it himselfe and thus officers of the Church Mr. Gillespie would have act under Christ and none but they And this if granted will not proove a Church government seeing a man may preach in the name of Christ