Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	brethren_n	honour_a	reverend_n	3,265	5	16.5287	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77514	Two treatises: I. The saints communion with Jesus Christ, sacramental, spiritual, and celestial; wherein ministers and Christian are excited to a conscientious administration, and participation of that, of late-time, in many places, too much neglected ordinance, the sacrament of the Lords Supper; wherein that great controversie of a free admission is debated. II. Acquaintance with God; the nature of it opened, the practice perswaded, encouraged, directed, cautioned. / As it was lately delivered to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth, by John Brinsley, minister of the Gospel there.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1653 (1653)	Wing B4735; Thomason E1547_1; ESTC R209457	66,672	237

TWO TREATISES I. The Saints Communion with Jesus Christ Sacramental Spiritual and Celestial wherein Ministers and Christians are excited to a Conscientious Administration and Participation of that of late time in many places too much neglected Ordinance the Sacrament of the Lords Supper wherein that great Controversie of a free Admission is debated II. Acquaintance with God the nature of it opened the practice perswaded encouraged directed cautioned As it was lately delivered to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth By John Brinsley Minister of the Gospel there London Printed for Tho. Newberry at the Three Lyons in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1654. REader pardoning those too many mispointings which specially in the former of these Treatises hath sometimes rendered the sense perplexed be pleased to correct these literal and verbal mistakes of the Press ERRATA PAg. 11. line 21. read those p. 19. l. 23. r. his own p. 23. l. 23. r. prophecy p. 28. l. last r. intimation p. 29. l. 12. r. Sun of Righteousness p. 33. l. 5. r. those p. 34. l. 5. r. as comfortable a way p. 39. l. 11. r. drink p. 47. l. 18. r. third p. 50. l. 10. r. promised p. 52. l. 17. r. presidency p. 57. l. 1. r. not for p. 79. l. 23. r. ye p. 88. l. 14. r. to strengthen him against p. 90. l. 13. r. ingenuously p. 95. l. 21. r. be they p. 128. l. 17. r. paucos p. 160. marg r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE Saints Communion WITH JESUS CHRIST Sacramental Spiritual and Celestial Wherein Ministers and Christians are excited to a Conscientious Administration and Participation of that of late time in many places too much neglected Ordinance the Sacrament of the Lords Supper As it was lately delivered to the Church of God at Great Yarmouth By John Brinsley Minister of the Gospel there London Printed for Tho. Newberry at the Three Lyons in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1654. To the Reverend and my much honored Fathers and Brethren the Ministers of the Gospel in the Church of England who desire to be found faithful Grace Mercy and Peace Reverend and much honored in the Lord PArdon the presumption of this Dedication which hath faln to you not more by choice then necessity In this ensuing Tract as the Text offered and the exigency of the times required it I have taken occasion once and again to excite Christians to a consciencious attendance upon that sacred Ordinance the Sacrament of the Supper as being both a sign and a seal a representation and a pledge of that blessed Communion which they hope to have another day with Jesus Christ and one with another in the Kingdom of their Father Now so it is that in the way of this motion at the request of some now walking abroad I foresee a double rub which without your help I am not able to remove The one is the late disuse of this Ordinance in some places the other the promiscuous prostitution of it in others The former of which deprives many of this Sacramental Communion who are desirous of it and in measure fitted for it The latter discourageth some others who out of tenderness of Conscience dare not communicate where they conceive though without any just ground their bare presence may make them accessory to such a profanation Upon this double account it is that I now make this Prefatory address to you wherein the sum of my request is That so many of you as are interested in the supposed guilt of either of these would be pleased seriously and speedily to apply your selves so much as in you is to the redress thereof A sad thing it is which the Church complains of in a litteral sense Lam. 4.4 That children should cry for bread and that there should be none to break it to them And it is no less that the children of the Kingdom should cry for Sacramental Bread and that there shall be none to break it unto them none to administer this Ordinance to them to which they have as good right as to any other Pardon me here if I take the boldness to minde you of what I know you cannot but remember and will be ready to acknowledge that you are not Lords but Stewards of the mysteries of God Now as the great Apostle maketh the Application of this doctrine 1 Cor. 4.1 2. It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful Many other qualifications there are requisite in such an officer but none more none so much as this of fidelity And wherein doth that consist but in a free distribution of what is committed to him according to his masters will for the good of the family Giving to every one his portion in due season Luke 12.46 And this it is which I do here humbly beg from all of you that you would in such a way approve your selves faithful to God and his people by a free dispensation of all Ordinances which he hath betrusted you with This some and many of you have done and do in the dispensing of the Word and why not also the Sacraments Surely these are to be looked upon amongst those sacred Mysteries by which name they were known to some of the Ancients who were wont to call the Eucharistical Elements 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dreadful Mysteries And as sure I am that the due administration of them is within the compass of your Commission As of Baptism so of the Supper which our Saviour in the first Institution held forth to his Apostles with an Hoc facite Do this 1 Cor. 11.24 25. directing them as it is conceived what they and all the Ministers of the Gospel in succeeding ages there represented by them were at that time to do in participating and afterwards in dispensing of that Ordinance viz. To imitate his example in taking blessing eating drinking the Sacramental Bread and Wine giving both to the people in commemoration of his Death and Passion This in obedience to his command they afterwards accordingly did Let not any of their Successors then lay aside this Ordinance nor yet without unavoidable necessity suspend it Our blessed Saviour knowing his departure to be at hand how desirous was he to celebrate the Paschal and Eucharistical Supper with his Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 With desire saith he to them I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer Luk. 22.15 And let the like motive prevail with you not knowing how nigh the time of your departure may be not to put off from moneth to moneth from year to year as in too many places of late times hath been done the celebration of this Ordinance In which neglect as the Ordinance suffers not a little so the Church much and that more ways then one And as for you my Brethren who do hold forth this Ordinance let me in the name of your Master and mine beg it at your hands that you would endeavor to dispense it in such

Apostles in this Sacrament of his Supper touching which he now giveth them to take notice that this was his last Supper the last Sacrament the last meale that ever he should eate with them upon earth Hence-forth saith he I will not drink of this fruit of the vine Christ knowing his departure to be at hand institutes and celebrates the Sacrament of his Supper Henceforth This our blessed Saviour here certainly fore-saw that his Passion and departure were then at hand that the time was now come when that Prophesied which himselfe speaketh of verse thirty one of this Chapter should be accomplished upon him and his viz. That the shepherd should be smitten and the sheep of the flock should be scattered abroad which was made good in his Passion where his Disciples lest him every one shifting for himselfe and that he was now to leave the world and them in it Now fore-seeing this he taketh this opportunity for the instituting of this Sacrament for the use of his Church as also for the holding of communion with his Apostles which he did first in the Passeover and then in the Supper which succeeded it This he did and that so much the rather upon this account So he tels them concerning the Passeover Luk. 22.15 With desire have I desired to eat this Passeover with you before I suffer For I say unto you I will ot any more eate thereof c. and the like we may conceive concerning the Supper Obs The like are Christians to doe upon a like account not knowing how short their time may be how long they shall have opportunity they are 1 To doe good while they may Christians to doe good while they may expressing their affections to their Brethren while God giveth opportunity so doth our Sasiour here knowing that he had not long now to be with his Church upon earth but that hee was now to drink his last draught he beginneth a health to it let not any catch at the expression as giving any countenance to their intemperance in drinking of those Healths which are alwayes sicknesse to the soule and often to the body or yet stumble at it it being no other then what the Psalmist maketh use of Psal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 116 13. I will take the cup of salvation Calicem salutum as the Originall hath it the cup of Healths so he calleth that cup which the Israelites were wont to take and drinke at the offering of their Eucharisticall Sacrifices and giving thankes to God for their deliverances And the like cup our Saviour here taketh first in the Passeover then in the Eucharist drinking of it and as it were beginning to his Church thereby laying the foundation of an Ordinance which should be of perpetuall use unto it in all succeeding ages Thus are Christians not knowing how short their time is they are to doe good while they may So the Apostle presseth it upon his Galatians cap. 6.10 As we have therefore opportunity let us doe good unto all men especially to them who are of the houshold of faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whilst God continueth to us our lives and putteth advantages into our hands make use of them for the good of others working whilst our day lasteth So did our blessed Saviour as he tels his Disciples Joh. 9.4 I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work The like do we knowing that the night is coming it may be the night of affliction and trouble which being a time of suffering is not so fit for working such a night was that which came upon our Saviour in his Passion which speaking to the chiefe Priests and Elders he calleth their houre and the power of darknesse Luke 22.53 a time wherein he had not that opportunity of working such workes as formerly he did or else the night of death wherein there is no more working There is no worke nor desire in the grave whither thou goest saith the Preacher Eccl. 9.10 no more doing of good to others Those Gifts or Offices which God giveth unto men for the use and benefit of others they are only for this life Whether there be Prophesies they shall faile or whether there be Tongues they shall cease saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13.8 such gifts shall be of no use in heaven And therefore those who are betrusted with any of them let them improve them now laying them out in Gods way for the good of their brethren Thus let Christians be doing of good Which they are to doe at all times Specially when they apprehend their change to draw nigh especially when the time of their departure seemeth to draw nigh Thus is it with naturall motions the nearer their end the swifter they are Let it be so with Christians to whom God is pleased to give any inclination or warning of their approaching dissolution let them now take all advantages that his providence putteth into their hands and be as they may active and vigorous in the improvement of them for good that so when they shall come to take their leave of and give their last farewell to the world they may then set as the Sunne in a cleare evening and as the Sonne of righteousnesse here did full of lustre and splendor leaving the comfortable warmth and influence of their beames behinde them 2. Christians to improve all advantages for their Spiritual good Attending upon Ordinances And upon the like account Christians are to receive good readily imbracing and carefully improving all opportunities which God putteth into their hands for the furthering of their Spirituall welfare in speciall attending upon his ordinances Word and Sacraments 1. 1 The Word Attending upon the Word not knowing but that every Sermon may be their last that the Word may be taken from them or they from the Word it ought to be their care to attend upon this Ordinance and to make use of it while they have it This is that our Saviour presseth upon the Jewes Joh. 12.35 Yet a little while saith hee is the light with you walke whilst you have the light So long as Christ and his Apostles were with them the light of the Gospel shined amongst them this light he willeth them to make use of walking that is beleeving in it as the verse following explaines it and stearing their course by it otherwise he tels them what they might expect Lest darknesse come upon you so it did not long after his departure from them as it was pre-signified in that prodigious and preter-naturall Eclipse happening at his Passion where the Sun was darkned at noon-day Amos 8.9 so as there was darknesse over all the Land the Land of Judea Matth. 27.45 A sad presage of an insuing darknesse which not long after came upon that people a dreadfull darknesse a darknesse of ignorance and a darknesse of misery Of ignorance the light being taken from them they