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
A30892	The anarchy of the Ranters and other libertines, the hierarchy of the Romanists, and other pretended churches, equally refused and refuted in a two-fold apology for the church and people of God called in derision Quakers : wherein they are vindicated from those that accuse them of disorder and confusion on the one hand, and from such as calumniate them with tyranny and imposition on the other ... / by Robert Barclay.	Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690.	1676 (1676)	Wing B718; ESTC R10444	60,765	91

cry out of Formality and Apostacy because they are not followed in all Things and if they be reproved for their Unruliness according to the good Order of the Church of Christ then they cry out Breach of ●iberty Oppression Persecution we will have none of your Order and Government we were taught to follow the Light in our Consciences and not the Orders of Men well of this hereafter but this gave the Rise of this Controversie which leads me to that which I proposed in the second place SECTION Third Whether there be now to be any Order or Government in the Church of CHRIST IN Answer to this Proposition I meddle not at this Time with those that deny any such Thing as a Church of Christ I have reserved their Plea to another Place neither need I to be at much Pains to prove the Affirmative to wit That there ought to be Government and Order in the Church of Christ unto the Generallity of our Opposers both Papists and Protestants who readily confess and acknowledge it and have heretofore blamed us for want of it though now some of them and that of the highest Pretenders are become so unreasonable as to accuse us for the Use of it improving it so far as they can to our Disadvantage for such is the Blindness of partial Envy that whereas the supposed Want of it was once reckoned Heretical now the present Performance of it is counted Criminal These then to whom I come to prove this Thing are such who having cast off the Yoke of the Cross of Christ in themselves refuse all Subjection or Government denying that any such Thing ought to be as disagreeing with the Testimony of Truth or those who not being so wilful and obstinate in their Minds yet are fearful or scrupulous in the Matter in respect of the dangerous Consequences they may apprehend such a Thing may draw after it For the clearing then as well the Mistakes of the one as answering the Cavils of the other I judge the Truth of these following Assertions will sufficiently prove the Matter which I shall make no great Difficulty to evidence First That Jesus Christ the King and Head of the Church did appoint and ordain that there should be Order and Government in it Secondly That the Apostles and Primitive Christians when they were filled with the Holy Ghost and immediately led by the Spirit of God did practise and commend it Thirdly That the same Occasion and Necessity now occurring which gave them Opportunity to exercise that Authority the Church of Christ hath the same Power now as ever and are led by the same Spirit into the same Practices As to the first I know there are some that the very Name of a Church and the very Words Order and Government they are affraid of Now this I suppose hath proceeded because of the great Hypocrisie Deceit and Oppression that hath been cloaked with the Pretence of these Things but why should the Truth be neglected because Hypocrites have pretended to it The right Institution of these Things which have been appointed and ordained by God must not nor ought not to be despised because corrupt Men have abused and perverted them I know not any thing that hath been more abused and pervented in the whole World then the Name of a Christian shall we then renounce that Honourable Title because so many Thousands of wicked Men yea Antichrists have falsly assumed it to themselves The Man of Sin hath taken upon him to sit in the Temple of God as God yet we must not therefore deny that God is in his Temple if the Synagogue of Satan hath assumed the Name of the Church of Christ and hath termed her Oppression and Violence the Power and Authority thereof therefore must not the Church of Christ its Authority be exercised where it truly is according to his Mind This I prefix to warn all to beware of stumbling at things which are innocent in themselves and that we may labour to hold the steady even Path of Truth without running in either of the extreams for that Jesus Christ did appoint Order Government to be in the Church is very clear from his plain Words Mat. 18. 15 16 17 18. Ver. 15. Moreover if thy Brother shall trespass against thee go tell him his Fault between thee and him alone of he shall hear thee thou hast gained thy Brother Ver 16. But if he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more that in the Mouth of two or three Witnesses every Work may be established Ver. 17. And if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publican Ver. 18. Verily I say unto you whatsoever yee shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever yee shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven From which Scripture it doth manifestly and evidently follow First that Jesus Christ intended there should be a certain Order and Method in his Church in the Procedure towards such as transgress Secondly That he that refuseth to hear two is become more guilty as hardned then in refusing to hear him that first reproved alone Thirdly That refusing to hear the Judgment of the Church or whole Assembly he doth thereby exclude himself and shut out himself from being a Member and is justly judged by his Brethren as a Heathen and a Publican And lastly That the Church Gatherng or Assembly of God's People has Power to examin and call to an Account such as appearing to be among them or owning the same Faith with them do transgress and in Case of their refusing to hear or repent to exclude them from their Fellowship and that God hath a special Regard to the Judgment and Sense of his People thus orderly proceeding so as to hold such bound in Heaven whom they bind on Earth and such loosed in Heaven whom they loose on Earth I am partly confident that no rational Man will deny but that these nat●rally follow from the above mentioned Scripture and if there should be any found so unreasonable as to deny it I could prove it by necessary and unevitable Consequences which at present as taking it for granted I forbear to do If it be reckoned so great a Crime to offend one of the little ones that it were better for him that so did that a Milstone were hanged about his Neck and he were drowned in the Depth of the Sea without Question to offend and gainsay the whole Flock must be more criminal and must draw after it a far deeper Judgment Now if there were no Order nor Government in the Church what should become of those that transgress How should they be again restored would not this make all Reproving all Instructing all Caring for and Watching over one another void and null Why should Christ have desired them to proceed after this Method Why doth

should suffer all manner of Irregularities and Abominations that they might have the more to say against us but the Solid and Real Reasons we have for our Way herein will sufficiently plead for us in the Hearts of all Sober Men and moreover the Testimony of God's Spirit in our Hearts doth abundantly confirm us both against the Folly of the one and the Envy of the other Fourthly There being nothing more needful then to preserve Men and Women in Righteousness after they are brought into it and also nothing more certain then that the great Enemy of Man's Soul seeks daily how he may draw back again and catch those who have in some measure escaped his Snares and known Deliverance from them therefore do we also meet together that we may receive an opportunity to understand if any have fallen under his Temptations that we may restore them again if possible or otherwise separate them from us Surely if we did not so we might be justly blamed as such among whom it were lawful to commit any Evil unreproved indeed this were to be guilty of that Libertinism which some have falsly accused us of and which hath been our Care all along as become the People of God to avoid therefore have we sought always to keep the House clean by faithfully reproving and removing according to the Nature of the Offence and the Scandal following thereupon private things privately publick things publickly We desire not to propagate Hurt and defile Peoples Minds with telling them such things as tend not to edifie yet do we not so cover over or smooth over any Wickedness as not to deal roundly with the Persons guilty and causing them to take away the Scandal in their acknowledgment before all to whose Knowledge it hath come yet judge we not our selves obliged to tell that in Gath or publish that in the Streets of Askelon which makes the Daughters of the Vncircumcised rejoyce or strengthen Atheists and Ranters in their Obduredness who feed more upon the Failings of the Saints then to imitate their true Repentance and therefore where we find an Unfeigned Returning to the Lord we desire not to remember that which the Lord hath forgotten nor yet to throw Offences in the Way of the weak that they may stumble upon them And therefore I conclude that our Care as to these Things also is most needful and a Part of that Order and Government which the Church of Christ never was nor can be without as doth abundantly appear by divers Scriptures heretofore mentioned SECTION Sixth How far this Government doth extend in Matters Spiritual and purely conscientious THUS far I have considered the Order and Government of the Church as it respects outward things and its Authority in condemning or removing such things which in themselves are Evil as being those which none will readily justifie the Necessity of which things is such that few but will acknowledge the Care and Order in these Cases to be commendable and expedient Now I come to consider things of another kind which either verily are or are supposed to be Matters of Conscience or at least wherein People may lay claim to Conscience in the acting or forbearing of them in which the great Question is How far in such Cases the Church may give positive Orders or Rules How far her Authority reacheth or may be supposed to be binding and ought to be submitted to For the better clearing and Examination of which it will be fit to consider First Whether the Church of Christ have Power in any Cases that are Matters of Conscience to give a positive Sentence and Decision which may be obligatory upon Believers Secondly If so in what Cases and Respects she may so do Thirdly Wherein consisteth the Freedom and Liberty of Conscience which may be exercised by the Members of the true Church diversly without judging one another And Lastly In whom the Power decisive is in Case of Controversie or Contention in such Matters which will also lead us to observe the vast Difference betwixt us and the Papists and others in this particular As to the First Whether the Church of Christ have Power in any Cases that are Matters of Conscience to give a positive Sentence and Decision which may be obligattry upon Believers I answer affirmatively she hath and shall prove it from divers Instances both from Scripture and Reason for first all Principles and Articles of Faith which are held doctrinally are in Respect to these that believe them matters of Conscience We know the Papists do out of Conscience such as are zealous among them adore worship and pray to Angels Saints and Images yea and to the Eucharist as judging it to be really Christ Jesus so do others place Conscience in things that are absolutely wrong Now I say we being gathered together into the Belief of certain Principles and Doctrines without any Constraint or worldly Respect but by the meer Force of Truth upon our Understanding and its Power and Influence upon our Hearts these Pri●●●●●es and Doctrines and the Practices necssarily depending upon them are as it were the Terms that have drawn us together and the Bond by which we became centered into one Body and Fellowship and distinguished from others Now if any one or more so engaged with us should arise to teach any other Doctrine or Doctrines contrary to these which were the Ground of our being One who can deny but the Body hath Power in such a Case to declare this is not according to the Truth we profess and therefore we pronounce such and such Doctrines to be wrong with which we cannot have Unity nor yet any more Spiritual Fellowship with those as hold them and so such cut themselves off from being Members by dissolving the very Bond by which they were linked to the Body Now this cannot be accounted Tyranny and Oppression no more then in a Civil Society if one of the Society shall contradict one or more of the fundamental Articles upon which the Society was contracted it can be reckon'd a breach or iniquity in the whole Society to declare that such Contradictors have done wrong and forfeited their Right in that Society in case by the original constitution the Nature of the Contradiction implys such a Forfeiture as usually it is and will no doubt hold in Religious Matters as if a Body be gathered into one Fellowship by the Belief of certain Principles he that comes to believe otherwayes naturally scattereth himself for that the Cause that gathered him is taken away and so those that abide constant in declaring the thing to be so as it is and in looking upon him and witnessing of him to others if need be to be such as he has made himself do him no Injury I shall make the Supposition in the general and let every People make the Application to themselves abstracting from us and then let Conscience and Reason in every impartial Reader declare whether or not it doth