Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	bishop_n	ordain_v	titus_n	2,698	5	10.8309	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41790	A sigh for peace, or, The cause of division discovered wherein the great Gospel promise of the Holy Ghost, and the doctrine of prayer with imposition of hands, as the way ordained of God to seek for it, is asserted and vindicated, as the interest and duty of Christs disciples in general : in answer to a book intituled A search for schism / by Tho. Grantham ...	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.	1671 (1671)	Wing G1548; ESTC R39437	69,616	172

need to beseech him to abide there it being not unknown to him that it was by all means requisite for such Pastors to reside neatheir respective flocks and not to go to forrein Countreys to mannage the Affairs of other Churches But evident it is that Timothy was not fixed in any particular Church but was Pauls fellow-traveller among the Churches in divers Countreys and frequently sent by him to sundry places from the time that he was called by the Apostle to go forth with him till Paul sent for the Elders of the Church of Ephesus which was not long before he was taken prisoner for all which see Act. 16 1 2 3 4. and 17. 25 18 5 the 19. 22. the 2. 4. to 18. And though in a certain Post-script added to 2 Tim. it is said that Timothy was ordained the first Bishop of the Church at Ephesus yet this cannot be true seeing the Church at Ephesus had Bishops Acts 20. 18. even whiles Paul and Timothy were companions in preaching the Gospel in divers Countrys Nor are the ancients positive in this matter for I find Eusebius only saying that it is reported that Timothy was the first Bishop of Ephesus and Titus of Creet but he affirms nothing in this matter But that Timotheus his care was for other Churches as much as for that at Ephesus is evident Philip. 2 19 20. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus unto you for I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state But ye know the proof of him that as a Son with the Father he hath served with me in the Gospel Of Titus the same consideration may be had seeing he was left in Creet to set in order the things which were wanting and to ordain Elders in EVERY Church plainly shewing that his power in the Affairs of the Gospel and his care for the Churches was the same for every Church that it was for any one which is a far different charge from that which was given to the Elders of the Church of Ephesus Acts 20. for they are not bid to look to all the Churches in Asia but only to the flock in the singular number over which the Holy Ghost had made them Episcopos Overseers or Bishops nor was Titus his care for the Churches in Creet only for Paul calls him his partner fellow helper concerning the Church at Corinth 2 Cor. 8. 23. whether any do enquire of Titus he is my partner and fellow helper concerning you Of the same import is that place Gal. 1. 18 19. I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter but other of the Apostles saw I none save James the Lords brother here James the Lords brother is called an Apostle he was not one of the 12. for that James is called the Son of Alpheus Math. 10. 3. of this mind is Eusebius But Ierom would sometimes make these two one self-same man and yet otherwhiles doth call him Decimum tertium Apostolum that is the thirteenth Apostle but that James the Lords brother was not one of the 12. is evident 1 Cor. 15. 5. to 8. where it is said that our Lord apppeared first to Cephas then to the 12. after that he was seen of James then of ALL the Apostles Two things are hence to be noted 1. That James is distinguished from the 12. and so are those persons signified by ALL the Apostles for it cannot be that by all the Apostles should be meant the chief Apostles for they were mentioned before and Paul himself who was an Apostle of the same dignity is mentioned afterwards but by ALL the Apostles is most like to be meant the 70. Disciples whom our Lord sent out as messengers to preach the Gospel in every City whither himself would go and who no doubt became famous Ministers of the Gospel after the Ascention of our Lord and with this Eusebius doth seem to agree we see then partly from evident Texts of Scripture and partly from rational probabilities that the Primitive Churches were endewed with a Ministry of many messengers or Apostles beside those who were the Foundation layers and Master-builders in the Church of Christ And hence we infer that God hath ordained such a ministery to continue in his Church till the body of our Lord be perfected 4. From the practice of those brethren who most question the being of messengers as a ministery in the Church at this day It will appear that such an Office doth remai● For do they not frequently send out men to act Authoritatively both in preaching the Gospel to them that are without in setting things in order in remote Congregations to exercise Discipline by Excommunication of offenders and remitting the penitent by ordaining them Elders and dispencing to them the holy Ordinances c. As these things cannot be denied so we may justly enquire how it comes to pass that they do thus if indeed the Church hath none to act in the capacity of Apostles or messengers of the Gospel at least as we have defined them seeing it cannot be proved neither I think do our Brethren affirm that Elders of the Churches have equal power in other Congregations as in that which they are chosen to serve neither is it in the power of any Congregation to take the Pastour of any Church from them neither may any Church impose their Pastour upon another Church wherefore unless there be a ministery remaining in the Church which is related to all Congregations indifferently we may perceive what confusion is like to ensue Moreover if those who go to preach to the World cannot justisie their calling how shall they comfort themselves in their undertaking or answer opposers when questioned concerning their Commission especially in such places where the Scriptures are received sith all that have read them may easily perceive that as the Gospel is to be preached so those which go forth as Ministers thereof must be sent either by immediate mission from Heaven which our brethren pretend not to or some mediate mission from the Church of God which none can pretend to that deny the Office of messengers sith other Officers are not by vertue of their Office to go out into the World to teach the Nations or to preach the Gospel to every creature If to that which we have said it should be replyed ●hat Churches which are distant one from another may by consent let the Elders of one Church act as Elders in another c. this is sooner said than proved for seeng Officers have their Commission at what time they a●e ordained it cannot be that they should have their power de jure made either less or greater by the consent or non-consent of any person or persons whatsoever Again It would be understood how long the power our brethren gives to men to act as Elders in those Congregations doth remain Whether they thenceforth stand equally engaged to Oversee those Churches as the Church that first called them to serve

doctrine of Baptism and of laying on of Hands Of the Resurrection of the dead and of Eternal judgement And what though it be said that other foundations can no man lay than that which is already laid which is Jesus Christ doth this prejudice that use of the word foundation He● 6. 1. not at all Or at least not any more than the Church being called Christ 1 Cor. 12. 12. and the pillar and ground or foundation of the truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. doth prejudice the Son of God his being called Christ or the foundation And are not the Prophets and Apostles called the foundation Ephes 2. 20. of which Christ in the same place is said to be the corner stone And yet surely Christians of ordinary capacity do understand that these sayings do not contradict but agree very well with that saying of Paul other foundation can no m●n lay c. So long as Christ is held to be the Head the all and in all to the Church of God But sith the Searchers do grant and say to my knowledge that they did ever grant that laying on of Hands Heb. 6. 2. to be a principle of the doctrine of Christ and a part of the foundation which I take to be a good b●sis for a happy composure of our unhappy d●fference It remaineth that the only or chief point of difference lyeth in this what laying on of Hands it is that is called a part of the foundation Heb. 6. 2 Whether laying on of Hands with prayer for the Spirit of promise or some other kinde of laying on of Hands We affirm the first they imagine the latter But now ask them what laying on of Hands they will assign to be meant Heb. 6. 2. and then they either answer nothing at all or else so flatly contradictorily one to another or with such hesitation in themselves as it is to be admired but more to be lamented that such Leaders in Israel as they pass for and to give them their due might well pass for such IF c. should not be able to digest the milk which Babes must feed upon nor can they assign to Babes their Portion therein But instead of Milk they sometimes set before them strong meat even that imposition of Hands which pertains to Bishops in the Church and this as one of the Babes principles which is far from being fit nutriment for them And now that the Searchers may sufficiently shew themselves to be in the dark about that laying on of Hands which they confess to be a principle c. They number up six or seven sorts of laying on of Hands and then puts it to the question Which of all these laying on of hands is intended Heb. 6. 2. and is that which we call a Doctrin● of Christ By which unwary demand no doubt they have led many a simple meaning Christian into a Maze and there left him nor can they possibly give him relief sith they cannot extricate themselves from the same meander and as an addition to their folly they demand that seeing divers men are differently perswaded concerning that laying on of hands Heb. 6. 2. Whether this be not a sufficient ground for them to doubt whether that laying on of hands practised by us be instituted by God Which if it be then they have sufficient ground to doubt of all things which they as well as we do hold for Gods institutions For certainly divers men are notwithstanding their interest diversly perswaded of most places of Scripture on which they ground their faith and practise But to leave them in this mist till they being weary shall desire to return to the Lord in this part of his will I shall endeavour to shew plainly what laying on of hands it is which is called a principle of Christs doctrine and a part of the foundation And though the Searchers are pleased to trouble their Readers with a large enumeration of layings on of hands yet they seem at last to be content That that laying on of Hands Heb. 6. 2. should be one out of two namely either that which was for healing the sick or else that which was for the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit But they rather incline to the first and as for the latter we have shewed there is no such thing nor ever was being a thing out of the reach of mans understanding to whom such gifts do belong and consequently they know not on whom to impose their hands That the laying on of Hands Heb. 6. 2. should be that on the sick is no way congruous to truth or reason For how should this be one of the first principles of the Oracles of God and Milk for Babes seeing it is more blessed to believe without a miracle than with one but it is not more blessed to be without a principle of Christs Doctrine than to have it and those who would not believe unless they saw them are upbraided for the hardness of their hearts Certain it is That that laying on of hands to heal the sick if necessary yet is prerequisite to faith signs being for them which do not believe and not for them that do But the laying on of hands Heb. 6. 2. is subsequent to Faith yea it follows Baptism and that as it is a principle of the Oracles of God therefore it cannot be that which was for the working of miracles Again laying on of hands on the sick is most proper if not only proper for those that are without and therefore not milk for Babes in the Church and consequently not that laying on of Hands Heb. 6. 2. As for sick persons in the Church of God they are not bid to have hands laid on them but are bid to send for the Elders of the Church that they may pray over them anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord c. And they have a promise that the prayer of faith shall save the sick And what though the healing of the woman Luke 3. 17. and the diseased people of the Island Acts 28. 9 10. may be teaching to all yet this doth not prove that it is a principle appertaining to the beginning of a Christian and to follow his Baptism Nor do I see that it is properly teaching to a Believer as such for what doth it add to the Faith of a Christian who believeth already that Christ hath one far greater things than the healing of a disease For he believeth that he hath overcome death and brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel Indeed to those that doubt whether Christ be the Son of God such a sight may be some way convincing to them But still this is for the begetting of Faith and so not the fourth principle of a Christian We see then that laying on of Hands on persons which are without to work miracles can with no shew of truth be said to be that laying on of hands He● 6. 2. Especially if we consider how it is joyned with

sufficient that they were deceivers yet he never makes that an Argument at all but goes about to vindicate his Apostleship as being nothing inferiour to those Transformed-Apostles sith he was not a whit behind the very chiefest Apostles The same consideration may be had of that place Rev. 2. 2. Thou hast tryed them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them Lyars For had there been no more Apostles but the chief Apostles there had been no need to try whether these were Apostles of Christ or not for still their very saying they were such had without more ado proved them Lyars and like as if any should arise and say I am Christ the Saviour of the World his very saying so were the greatest evidence that the same is a deceiver But why so verily because there is only one Lord Jesus our Saviour whom the Heavens must retain till the times of the resti●ution of all things even so if there were not a succession of Apostles it were one of the easiest things in the World to discover a false Ap●stle Finally The Gospel must be preached in all the World for a witness to all people and then shall the end come Math. 24. 14. which supposes the being of a ministery whose work it is to preach To all Nations even to the end of the world Rev. 14. 6. The Angel a definite for an indefinite number messenger or Messengers must preach the everlasting Gospel immediately before great Babylon fall It followeth then that though darkness hath much prevailed since the first publication of the Gospel yet a ministery shall go forth even the messengers of the Gospel by whom the earth shall be enlightned And here let it be noted that the preacher or preachers of the everlasting Gospel hath not a Gospel to confirm with Signs and Wonders but a Gospel to preach to every Nation Kindred Tongue and People even the same that was preached by our Lord and confirmed to us by them that heard him The sum of that which we have said is this That as God hath given to his Church a fixed Ministery of Bishops Elders Pastors c. to take the care of particular Congregations so he hath given her a travelling ministery or unfixed in respect of particular Societies or Congregations to whom it appertains by virtue of their Office to take all occasions to cause the Light of the glorious Gospel to shine unto such as sit in darkness to plant Churches to confirm and settle them in the Faith and Order of the Gospel To visit and comfort those which have believed through grace Go ye preach the Gospel to every creature Jesus Christ who was preached among you by US even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus Thanks be to God which maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by VS in every place And when they had preached the Gospel to that City and taught many they returned again to Listra and to Iconium and Antioch confirming the souls of the Disciples For this cause have I sent un-unto you Timotheus who is my beloved Son and faithful in the Lord who shall bring you in remembrance of my wayes which be in Christ as I teach every where in every Church let us go again and visit our brethren in every City where we have preached the Word and see how they do And Lo I am with you alwayes even to the End of the World When we say the messengers of the Gospel are unfixed ministers Our meaning is not thereby to deny but that for the more convenient mannagement of the great Affairs of the Gospel they may divide themselves into divers parts and so may be called the messengers of such Countreys as with whom they most frequently converse of the Gospel of Christ Gal. 2. 9. when James Cephas and John perceived the grace which was given to me and Barnabas they gave unto me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that we should go to the Heathen and they to the Circumcision In Asia we read of seven messengers and these related to seven Churches in seven principal Cities in that Country yet it may not be doubted but there were many Congregations and scattered Disciples in Country Villages and so many Elders also yea and that in those very Churches which are particularly nam'd for in the Church of Ephesus which is the first of the seven we find divers Bishops or Elders before John wrote from Pa●mos Acts 20. 17 28. It is true the Ancients call these seven Angels or messengers Bishops or chief Ministers But then we know by Bishops they commonly mean such as had the charge of many particular Congregations Thus they make Timothy a Bishop yet confess him to be a preacher of the Gospel from Ephesus unto Illiricum and throughout Hellas in Achaia Titus they make Bishop of Creet yet such an one as preached the Gospel in all that Country They also make Silvanus Bishop of Thessalonica but the Scripture as we have seen calls him an Apostle as well as the rest Now whether it be more safe to call those travelling Ministers of Christ Bishops after the manner of men or Apstoles after the manner of the Scripture is the business for the sober and unprejudiced Reader to consider FINIS * The breach of the Church * And then why not the like for all Disciples where ever they came no man can render a good reason * And yet it is true which Paul saith Gal. 1. 11 12 15 16. for the substance of the Gospel was revealed to him before Ananias came at him * Which they said to me they did alwayes grant or else I had nor mentioned it in this book Tertul. de resur c. 8. Cip. ep ad Jubi Jerom. ad Lucif Euseb l. 6. ● 42. Erasm paraph. in Heb. 6. 2. Diodate Annot. on Heb. 6. 2. Tindale in 2 Tim. 1 6. The opinion of the University of Basil The opinion of the Rhem. Gen. 4. 19. Gen. 9. 4. Lev. 17. 13 14 15. Acts 15. 29. * Which seldom can be done without division by reason of Pride on the one hand and Ignorance on the other * 1 King 18 21. * For it cannot be thought but that Jeremiah had some that stood with him ver 11. * It is not so much an errour as the pertinacious continuance in an errour that destroyeth the Church-state of those that are under the appellation of Christians by true Baptism according to Mat. 28. * The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used is rendred by Montanus Seditione And so it is by our Transl●tors in Gal. 5. 20. which being considered must needs supose at least a demur in point of Communion Hence let the Christians of this age learn Moderation Moderation Moderation 2 Thes 1. 1. Division against unsufferable errours and corruptions are not against the Church but for the Church * Which how untrue that is their own Search doth testifie for there they confess that we own them for Churches at some turns they say but surely to let go this taunt what we confess them to be at any time we confess them to be at all times and that is a Church of Christ though irregular in point of Constitution * Let no man here object prayer and hearing the word which as they are of necessity antecedent to our Membership so they are of perpetual use in the Church * Ex ore judicium * At least some of of you * Math. 28. 19 20. Gal. 1. 1. * 2 Tim. 1. 13. * And yet it is true that Paul was taught the knowledge of some of the principles of Religion by Ananias Acts 9. 6 17 18. Acts 22. 16. * I. e. as a Concomitant not as a part of their Office If the Church have not a Ministery of Messengers then none are bound by virtue of Office to preach to the Nations Acts 6. 2. Gal. 2. 9 10. Mark 16. 16. 2 Cor. 1. 19. 2 Cor. 2. 14. Acts 14. 21 22. 1 Cor. 4. 17. Act 14. 36. Math. 28. 20. * See the Old Trans