Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	bind_v	earth_n	loose_v	5,255	5	10.5190	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02435	A description of the Church of Christ, with her peculiar priuiledges, and also of her commons, and entercommoners With some oppositions and answers of defence, for the maintenance of the truth which shee professeth: against certaine Anabaptisticall and erronious opinions, verie hurtfull and dangerous to weake Christians. Maintained and practised by one Master Iohn Smith, sometimes a preacher in Lincolneshire, and a companie of English people with him now at Amsterdam in Holland. Whome he hath there with himselfe rebaptised. By I.H.	Etherington, John, fl. 1641-1645.	1610 (1610)	STC 12567; ESTC S118987	75,210	130

right and inheritance challengeng them the field and setting vp a flagge of defiance against the Citie of truth and the God of Israell Behold here comes one the least of ten thousand that doth accept the challenge seeing others doe hold their peace and although hee know not how to beare armes in the field as the manner is yet he promiseth in the name of the God of Iacob with a sling and a stone to bring their champion on his knees for all his stout words that his army who trusted in him may be glad to take their flight and you enioy your Citie in peace And thus most noble Citizens farewell Your faithfull friend till death I. H. To M. IOHN SMITH and to the Companie with him at Amsterdam in Holland AH Master Smith I would for your owne sake you had not written with such affirmation Many things which you haue also made so publike the which you can neuer call home againe although you your selfe doe finde them false whereby also you haue made your selfe more vnable and vnwilling to reuoke them though they be proued so Much better therfore had it bene for you to haue left that Paper vnstained by your hand that should paint forth an vntruth and neuer haue set Pen to write but to the vnchangeable truth of God of which you neuer neede repent and whereof the Church of Christ is the piller Considering also how great a danger euery one doth fall into that is found to adde or diminish from or to the intent and purpose of the word of God I would therefore you had beene better aduised before you had published your bookes You thought your selfe as fully satisfied when you were of another minde You know or at the lest there be that know them that haue three foure nay fiue times changed their Religion that thought themselues as fully satisfied euery time as you thnike your selfe now what they are now some of them I wil not say And if euery man should publish bookes so often as they change their mind how many Religions then should spring from one man and he perhaps be author of so many sects what heapes of bookes are there at this day of seuerall opinions Make therfore no more matter for the fire there is straw and stubble enough already Speake truth for the day of burning is at hand And whatsoeuer you do looke to the maine leaue not the foundation as some haue done Hold fast the beginnings least you neuer come to the endes And I pray God deliuer you from the Curse of Sinai and her sonnes Hagars children And bring you all vnto the blessings of mount Sion and into the rest and freedome of her children euen Saraes sonnes and daughters Your friend I. H. ¶ The Contents of that which followeth 1 A Description of the heauenly Ierusalem with her priuiledges and of her stability and of her Commons and intercommoners 2 A veiw or search of Master Smiths Church with a discouery of the vnsoundnesse and Ruinousnes thereof 3 An examination of a principall answere of his wherevpon many of his other reasons doe depend against the Baptisme of Children and the confutation thereof with sufficient reasons and proofe for the lawfulnes of Baptizing them and that the Baptizing of Children cannot be the marke of the Beast 4 Of the Commonalty and Commons of Christians in generall and wherein specially they are to be distinguished and how the Commoners ought to carry themselues toward the little speciall ones and how the speciall do and ought to walke towards the Commoners 5 Of Christian libertie and of the lawfulnes of the Authority of Magistrates and how all subiects are bound to obey 6 Of Faith and Repentance 7 A Reprehension of Master Smith for his bold Challenge 8 An exhortation to him and his company 9 A short description of the contentions of these times 10 Of Sions Restauration the fall of her greatest enemy and of her euerlasting glory To Master IOHN SMITH and to the Companie with him at Amsterdam in Holland ANd least I runne into your fault and fall into the same daunger with you as of my selfe I haue no strength to stand more then you By the grace and assistance of my God I will take heede and though I haue not the skill of the learned Disputers of this world yet I hope the Spirit of Trueth will so direct me that I shall rather say I know not then set downe and affirme that for trueth which shall be found a lie This therefore I say and write not respecting what you haue said nor regarding your many Arguments to the contrarie That the Church which the Lord doth build consisteth of liuing stones 1. Peter 2. Mat. 16.18 And the gates of Hell shall not preuaile against that Church or any one of the stones thereof Reuel 20.6 but it shall stand and preuaile against Hell and the snares of the second death so that not one shall perish that is of this holy Temple For this Church of Christ and euery stone thereof 1. Pet. 2.4 7. is framed and fashioned from aboue he himselfe is the foundation and chiefe corner stone And all the stones of this building are his brethren reborne and made a new not in shew but in very trueth not for a time but for euer not one of them shall euer fall off They are all of them euerlasting as is their foundation whereon they rest and whose strength doeth stay them vp Matt. 16.19 Great priuiledges hath this Church aboue all other for to it hee hath giuen the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen to open and shut to binde and loose And where two or three of this vniuersall Church of Christ Matt. 18.18 20. consisting of stones of life are gathered together in his Name hee hath promised and will not faile to be in the midst of them And whatsoeuer they binde in earth is bound in heauen and whatsoeuer they loose on earth is loosed in heauen And where two of them shall agree in earth vpon any thing whatsoeuer yee shall desire it shall bee giuen you saith he of my Father which is in heauen This Church is one Ephe. 4.5 6. the Faith is one the Baptisme is also one and the same in euery stone thereof not on the skinne but in the heart Their Rocke is Christ that their one Lord he is the Prince of their Faith and Hope and his Father is their one God and Father alone who is aboue all and through all and in them all praised for euer Gal. 4.26 And this is Ierusalem from aboue which Saint Paul saith is the mother of vs all and is free And this and all of them are those little ones whom the Lord said whosoeuer shall offend It were better that a Milstone were hanged about his necke Matt. 18.6 and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea so precious in his sight are they all And whosoeuer shall giue but a cup

thy brethren and seeke his loue as before with all courtesie and meekenesse of exhortation and if he still resist thy loue and vtter wordes of scorne against thee or reuile thee as enuie cannot hide it selfe Then can that one or two witnesse against him and will if that he will not heare them neither but first let them also admonish him that so euery word that he speaketh euill against thee or the light in thee may be confirmed And if he refuse to heare them tell it vnto the Church if he refuse to heare the Church also let him be vnto thee as an Heathen man and a Publican that is If hee still like a scorner refuse to giue eare and to receiue instruction at the handes of that one witnesse with thee or two tell it to the Church These he hath made Pillars in his house and they shall goe no more out Reu. 3.12 that is to those little ones borne of God being gathered together in my name who onely haue this priuiledge to be my Church and Pillar of truth for if there were fiue hundred brethren more beside the little humble ones yet none can iudge this cause but they This Church doth neuer condemn the inocent and let the guilty goe free This Church neuer decreed lies and condemned the truth And if he refuse to heare this Church let him bee vnto thee no longer as a brother and a fellow partaker in the common things of the kingdome wherein before he did and might take part with thee as a disciple of Christ but let him be vnto thee and vnto all the Church euen as a Heathen that beleeueth not the truth of the Ghospell and as a Publican that professeth the practise of sinne Verily I say vnto you Ver. 18 whatsoeuer you binde on earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer you loose on earth shall be loosed in heauen for to you it is to whom I haue giuen the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen as well to binde them that sinne against you and the Conenant of loue written in you with the bond of death and to shut the gate of mercy and loue against them as also to lose the bonds of iniquity and the cords and chaines of their sinnes that do repent and to open the gates of my kingdome of mercy life vnto them so that whatsoeuer ye binde on earth is bound in heauen and whatsoeuer ye lose on earth is losed in heauen For if he escaped not that despised him that spake on earth how should he then escape that despiseth him that speaketh from heauen And as he died without mercy vnder two or three witnesses that despised Moyses law Much more lamentable and fearefull is the condition of him that despiseth that law and couenant of grace whereby his soule should liue resisting the voice of the bride and of her children which sought his good How much greater is his bondage and sorer shall his punishment be that is condemned by that Church where the Prince of the couenant doth sit of treason against his bloud by the testimony of two or three witnesses It had been good for that man if he neuer had beene borne And better for him after hee was borne that a milstone had beene hanged about his neck and throwne to the bottome of the Sea before he fell to despise the Lord in his Sanctuarie and to resist his spirit of grace in his little ones Againe verily I say vnto you That if two of you my brethren that beleene in me Ver. 19 agree in earth vpon any thing concerning my word and the meaning thereof either for the sentence of death to the disobedient or mercy and life to the returned sinner whatsoeuer ye shall aske the Father in my name if it be life for him that sinneth not vnto death or whatsoeuer else is necessary and good for the kingdome he will giue it you For Ver. 20 where two or three be gathered in my name there am I in the middest of you what will hee not therefore giue you for my sake Aske and ye shall receiue that your ioy may be full These are priuiledges belonging only to those little ones that are born of God who haue their parts in the first resurrection against whom the gates of hell shall not preuaile nor yet the second death But there was euermore an Israell after the flesh which persecuted that Israell which is after the spirit and shall be to the worlds end For this generation shal not passe away till the Lord himselfe come Mat. 24.34 And if there were not an Israell not of God Paul would neuer haue said To the Israell which is of God And if there were not an earthly Ierusalem he would neuer haue told vs of a heauenly Yea there were two Ierusalems in all times Two Israels in all ages two mothers two test aments two seeds euen from the beginning As Caine and Abell Ismaell and Isaack Esau and Iacob Two lands of Canaan heauenly and earthly Two rests carnall and spirituall As it is written saying To day if ye will heare his voice harden not your hearts least ye enter not into this rest Euen then while they were in possession of the earthly rest Heb. 3.15.16.17.18.19 which by vnhardning their hearts and hearing his voice they might haue entred into Euen the same way which euer was still remaines and shall doe to the worlds end Euen the same rest the same heauenly Ierusalem the same congregation of the first borne the same holy City the same Church which hath had in it at all times the same power from God to binde and loose to remit and to retain sinnes And this is the bride the Lambs wife This is she to whom is granted to be cloathed in white aray And these are they that watch and are sober attending with their Lampes burning to meete the bridgeroome their husband These all vnhardened their hearts and heard his voice and entred into his rest The rest and peace with God rest to their soules euen that rest which is said to remain to the people of God Heb. 4.9 And whosoeuer entred into that rest did first heare his voice that is receiued the word of faith And whosoeuer receiued that word of faith did first vnharden his heart that is did first repent was lost and dead crying and bewailing with an vn-vtterable desire of life his sinnes death and these are the dead which heare the voice of the sonne of man and liue Ioh. 5.25 And this is that one baptisme spoken of and is called the baptisme of repentance Acts. 19.4 Mark 1.1.2.3.4 and the beginning of the Gospell the preparation to the word of faith That one faith spoken of and they that are borne againe of these two Mat. 3.3 Ephe. 4.5 haue all receiued that one spirit spoken of euen the spirit of adoption and are all seruants vnto that one Lord and children to that one God their