Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	apostle_n	bishop_n	deacon_n	6,209	5	10.4090	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47755	A religious conference between a minister and parishioner: concerning the practice of our orthodox Church of England in baptizing infants, and pouring water on their faces, or sprinkling them; and in confirming them by the bishop when they come of age to give an account of their faith. Proving all three lawful by the authority of the Holy Scriptures.	Leslie, Charles, 1650-1722.	1696 (1696)	Wing L1145; ESTC R213965	23,437	34

Man wou'd Lend a considerable Sum of Money but he would have one or more Sureties to be bound with the Principal for the surer Payment of the Debt And truly what is the Consequence of despising the Faith of God-fathers and God-mothers Why Men come next to despise the Parents Faith and will not Baptize the Child till he has actual Faith of his own and does publickly Profess it and from that they come to despise the very Ordinance of Baptism and to say if we have Faith there is no need of being Baptiz'd and so from Contemning the Orders of our Church they proceed at last so far as to justle the Ordinance it self out of Door P. I see there is no stop when Men forsake our Church and therefore I shall stick close to it only I wish that what our God-fathers and God-mothers thus Charitably undertake they wou'd be careful according to their Power Conscientiously to perform But I hasten to my second Query Whether Baptism Administred by Sprinkling or Pouring Water on the Face be a good Baptism P. Yes certainly it is and that for these Four Reasons 1. Not only because the Word Baptize is used in Scripture for Sprinkling and Washing some part of the Body as well as for Dipping the whole in Water as I have already prov'd But 2. Because the Vertue of the Ordinance of Baptism does not depend upon the quantity of Water any more than that of the Lords Supper depends upon the quantity of Bread and Wine receiv'd in it a little of each Element makes either Ordinance as valid as a great deal 3. Because if Baptism by Sprinkling or which the Opposers of it count all one by Dipping in Infancy be no Baptism then are not any of them Baptiz'd since they receiv'd their Baptism at first from some one of us that was either Sprinkled or Dipp'd in Infancy and therefore they shou'd take heed how they make void our Baptism lest thereby they destroy their own and prove themselves to be no Christians as they uncharitably esteem us 4. Because they themselves do not put the whole Body of the Baptiz'd Person under Water but he himself puts the one half at least under Water by wading into it and the Dipper puts the other and if their Baptism be Administred by casting the upper part of the Body under the Water Why may not we Administer Baptism by Pouring Water on the Face or Sprinkling it And why may not our Baptism thus Administred be as good as theirs P. I see no Reason but it is and much better But I proceed to my Third and last Query Whether Believers Children that are Baptiz'd in Infancy ought to be Baptiz'd again because we have some among us that are fallen into Scruples about it M. Let the Doubters be never so many this must not be done by no means For as there is but one Lord and one Faith so there is but one Baptism Eph. 4.5 And having receiv'd that one Baptism 't is dangerous for you to mock God in the repeating of it this is in effect to Condemn the Generation of God's Children to declare your selves to have been hitherto meer Heathens and to deny that Faith into which ye have been Baptiz'd Nevertheless the Foundation of God standeth sure having this Seal which ought not to be set twice to the same Covenant but yet this Baptism when they come of Age to give an Account of their Faith they may and ought to Ratify by Episcopal Confirmation and so by taking their Baptismal Vow upon themselves your Children at last shou'd make it their own Act and Deed And this is no Superstitious Ceremony but grounded on the Apostles Practice and plain Testimony of Scripture as Acts 8.14 15 16 17. where we find that after the whole Country of Samaria was Conver●ed by the Preaching of Philip and had received Baptism at his Hands the Apostles sent St. Peter and John thither to Confirm them which they needed not to have done if Philip who was one of the Seven Deacons mention'd Acts 6.5 cou'd have Confirm'd as well as he had Baptiz'd them but that being a Work peculiar to the Apostles and their Successors the Bishops of the Church two of that Sacred Order were Delegated on purpose for the doing of it and a Work 't is that is needful to be done not only to ratifie our Baptism and make it our own voluntary Fact but also to receive a greater degree of the ordinary and Saving Graces of the Holy Ghost now that the extraordinary and Miraculous Gifts are long since ceased for which reason the Author to the Hebrews reckons Confirmation among the Principles of the Doctrin of Christ and places it next to Baptism as a thing which in the course of the Gospel Dispensation ought next to follow it Heb. 6.2 where in the Foundation of the Christian Religion the Apostle sets Baptism and after that laying on of Hands which is Confirmation and * Calvins Instit lib. 4. cap. 19. Sect. 4. 13. de Confir Mr. Calvin himself was so far from Condemning the right use of this Ceremony as Superstitious that he wishes it were Restored and Practised in all Churches as it was in the Primitive Times and then I am sure the Practise of it cannot be condemned in our Church And he proves at large the Reasonableness and Benefits thereof by way of Preparation for the Lord's Supper and to Mr. Calvin's wish I shall add mine That Confirmation were as duly and conscientiously perform'd by all Bishops in ours as it was by the Apostles in their Days and that we Ministers wou'd every one of us prepare the Youth of our respective Parishes by Catechistical Instruction and that all our People wou'd take care to present them to the Bishop for this Apostolical Benediction P. I am glad to find this prov'd by Scripture and shall not slight Episcopal Confirmation any more but if I had never so many Children wou'd bring them all assoon as they are capable to be Confirm'd by the Bishop to receive the benefit of his Blessing and Prayers M. I wish all other Parents were of your mind and from Confirmation would bring their Sons and Daughters to the Lord's Supper and by their good Example and Perswasions prevail with them to continue the constant and devout use of that Holy Sacrament as often as they have an opportunity of receiving it and then I dare say there wou'd not be so much Division and Wickedness as there is in the World P. I cannot tell what others will do but Joshua's Resolution shall be mine As for me and my house we will serve the Lord Jos 24.15 M. 'T is bravely resolv'd and I pray God to give you the Grace to keep your good Resolution that it may not vanish as the Morning Dew or as the Cloud that passeth away P. Amen But these People have more Objections to make and more Answers to return to ours which I cannot think of and Ignorant