Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	build_v	peter_n	rock_n	30,238	5	9.7701	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85549	A true reformation and perfect restitution, argued by Silvanus and Hymeneus; where in the true Church of Christ is briefly discovered here in this life in her estate of regeneration, as also her persecution in the life to come, as it hath been foretold by all the holy prophets and Apostles, which have been since the world began. / By J.G. a friend to the truth and Church of God.	Graunt, John, of Bucklersbury.	1643 (1643)	Wing G1595; Thomason E55_10; ESTC R212817	46,091	47

favour by falling on his neck and kissing him such kisses of love as there is none to be compared to them as appears by the multiplyed following favors by clothing him with his own best robe by putting a ring on his hand and shoes on h●s feet ye● what is this all but to be clothed with the compleat and perfect righteousnesse of Iesus Christ and what more certain assurance then to eate Christs flesh and to drink his bloud this was the fatted calfe the lambe without spot who is the only food to eternall life and on whom whosoever eateth and believeth cannot but rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Hym. But is all justifying Faith an assurance Silv. Yes it is a full assurance for as much as it is witnessed to our spirits by Gods spirit and an assurance cannot be so true from any witnesse as from the spirit of God that beares witnesse with our spirits saith the Apostle that we are the Sonnes of God and so to the Hebrews he exhorteth in these words Let us draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinckled from an evill conscience and our bodies washed with pure water That which makes the heart true or good is the breaking it by repentance and the purifying it by Faith which Faith ariseth from the bloud of Christ shed abroad in the heart expressed by sprinkling and the same Apostle beareth witnesse that Abraham believing the promise was fully perswaded Ro. 4. Hym. But what say you of the Church of Christ which was our first discourse Silv. The regenerated man before declared is the matter of the true Church Of these precious living stones is built Gods spirituall house and of this heavenly nature is the whole building being all begotten from above of water and the holy Ghost As Saint Peter speaketh of these new born babes and calls them Stones and so he calls their Lord also to whom comming as to a living stone disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious use also saith he as lively Stones are built up a spirituall house a holy Priest-hood to offer spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ And this is the same Apostle which our Lord spoke to when he said thou art Peter or a Stone and upon this Rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevaile against it In which Scripture our Lord acknowledgeth himself confessed by Peter to be but the chief foundation and corner-stone and the whole building to consist of such spirituall living stones as Saint Peter was Hym. I pray expresse in manner how they do become a Church Silv. The power of God as I have shewed before doth by repentance cut these stones out of the Quarry of this world that is out of the estate of nature and thereby cuts squares and fits them for this building and the power of God by justification and acceptation layes on these stones on the lively building the spirit of God which proceeds from the Father and the Sonne Cements and soders all together by ingrafting or joynting them with the bloud of Christ the love of God poured out on them all and this is the holy Catholique Church the Communion of Saints as the Creed confesseth Agreeing with that of Saint Paul to the Corinthians The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Communion of the holy Ghost be with you as also to the Colossians The head from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred knit together increaseth with the increase of God this is Christs body his spouse the lambs wife who though they be many Graines yet make but one loafe Hym. What authoritie and priviledge hath this Church Silv. Great authority and many priviledges in this present suffering estate of hers for of these our Lord saith if two of you shall agree in earth as touching any thing they shall aske it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven And also where two or three are gathered together saith our Lord in my name there am I in the middest of them where by name he meanes his spirit so that none can be so congregated but such as are led by the spirit of God these have the priviledge to be called the Sonnes of God even such as believe in his name which were borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God these onely are the house of the living God the ground and pillar of truth these are as it were Gods privy Counsell on earth the Scripture stiles them the keepers of his truth and his dwelling place as say the Prophets Though the heaven of heavens cannot containe me yet will I dwell with him that is of a contrite spirit God dwelling with them teacheth them and declareth his will his mind and purposes to them as he did to Noah Abraham and Moses to these doth the Lord that hath the key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth give the power and authority of the keys of the Kingdom of heaven yea I say againe that great power and authoritie to bind and to loose to remit and to reteine sins by a decree intailed on them till time shall be no more in these words whose sins you 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 whose sins you do reteine they are reteined this is the commission of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings who by his own words hath bound himself thus to be with them to the end of the world Hym. I pray tell me how may a man know this Church Silv. None can truly know this Church but they that are of her for as they are spirituall themselves so they are spiritually discerned as the Apostle saith the spirituall men discerne all things even the deep things of God Yet I will briefly declare some of her excellencies and some of her miseries by which she is manifested for may a candle burne and not bewray her light may the Sunne shine and not shew his beauty can a City built upon a hill hide her face from the passer by or may a sacrifice salted convey his seasoning from the mouth of the taster and if these creatures could forget their natures yet cannot the true Saints in whose heart the eternall covenant of love is once ingraven forget to burne with like affection first towards God that first hath loved them with love of God as the sap puts forth this fruit as the Apostle saith We love him because he hath loved us first And none can love the Lord with all his heart with all his strength and with all his soule as Moses speaketh but such only whose booken heart the love of God hath comforted refreshed and healed So also loveth hee his neighbour as himselfe hee sorroweth rejoyceth lamenteth and is comforted wanteth and aboundeth with him as the Apostle saith

A TRVE REFORMATION AND PERFECT RESTITVTION Argued by Silvanus and Hymeneus Where in the true Church of Christ is briefly discovered here in this life in her estate of regeneration as also her perfection in the life to come As it hath been foretold by all the holy Prophets and Apostles which have been since the world began By J. G. a Friend to the truth and Church of God Feare not little Flock it is your Fathers pleasure to give you the Kingdom For now is our Salvation neerer than when we believed LONDON Printed by T. B. and are to be sold by S. B. in Corn-hill 1643. TO THE CHVRCH OF CHRIST IN ENGLAND Faithfull and beloved I The unworthyest of ten thousand of you have presumed to speak while you all were silent of this Subject and have made bold with your honourable and spirituall conditions to make a brief description of you the Lords people who are all of you the Children of wisdom and so taught of God that your own God termes you the wise that shall understand the keepers of his truth his remembrancers the people in whose heart is his Law to whom it is given to know the mysteryes of the Kingdom of God I intreate you all fellow sufferers truly noble and honourable Christians that how much the neerer our salvation approacheth so much the more let our joynt prayers and praises be to our God the lambe that sitteth upon the Throne let us not cease nor give him no rest till he establish and till he make Ierusalem a praise in the earth and if I have failed in negotiating your great affaires let our garment of love cover it and your wise and grave reproof or admonitions shall be as balme to cure my weaknesse so the God of truth multiply the comforts of it in us all in the clear demonstration of the spirit with power that as we are the Children of Abraham by Faith so we may do the works of our Father Abraham for which your Brother J. G. shall ever pray with you and for you to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen A True Reformation and perfect Restitution argued by Silvanus and Hymeneus Silvanus OLD Friend Hymeneus how hath it been with you a long time I heare seven years a go you were in new England Hymeneus I thank you Sir that you would acknowledge your long unseen although longer known Friend for I think it is neere twice seven years since I last spake with you Silv. What news in new England I heare you are there at a hard-ship both for soul and body provision for back and belly foode and clothes very scarce and Religion which should be as both to the soul is so lost that that which seemed unitie in the truth is turned to dissention the ground of error and falshood which custome the Church of Christ hath not which is the Church of God Hym. Friend you may heare more than is true yet I say the superfluitie of this world is not alwayes expedient and for Religion it is requisite that there should be difference amongst us that the approved may be manifest Silv. I see you have not forgotten your former Custome frequently to alleadge Scripture-phrase but I perceive also you have not learned the Apostles rule perfectly which saith if any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God that is the true meaning of it for all that were in the Church of Corinth were not of the Church Hym. I hope I have done the same in what I have said Silv. I spake before of the truth and of the children thereof which admit of no dissention and you speak of the Church of Corinth in which were some which were Sectaries and not the children of the truth and though they were amongst them yet they were not of them but were false Apostles and wicked inordinate persons Hym. I pray expresse your meaning to me more fully Silv. My meaning is that Christians should still intend by their speaking the same meaning which the holy Ghost doth in the termes he useth for one and the same terme sometimes is to be understood in a speciall sence sometimes in a generall as by Iew sometimes the same word intends the inward Iew sometimes the outward so of Religion and of the Church vaine Religion aswell as pure Religion the Synagogue of Sathan aswell as the true Church of God Hym. These distinctions under one and the same name are very profitable without doubt in the reading the Scriptures Silv. I pray you Friend tell me what matter and what manner you have for the constitution of your Churches in new England Hym. The matter are a company of believers the manner or forme is this we from amongst our selves choose a pastor the pastor and we being entred into a mutuall Covenant the one to be faithfull in teaching and feeding the other in hearing and obeying according to Christs ordinance by this reciprocall bond we become one Congregation or body as the head and members are one and so the pastor and people together choose other Church Officers as Elders and Deacons Silv. I understand you thus that this is your first way you take to give your Church the being or name of a Church but what way do you take to encrease this Church or ad unto it for the Scripture saith there were dayly added to the Church such as should be saved Hym. Our custome is that we admit none to be Members of our Church but such as cannot give an Accompt of their conversion and that they do renounce all other congregations as Members to them and doth make themselves by covenant that is by a solemne vow calling God to witnesse that they joyne themselves to us to be our Members only and so to no other Church but to walk with us according to Christs Ordinance and though some of other congregations may come in Communion in the Ordinance of the word yet we account them no Members Silv. And this is all you believe that the Scripture expresses tending to the making and being of a true Church Hym. I professe unto you I know no other Silv. You now grow old and therefore it should not be with you as it is with such as are Novicees in Religion wherefore take heed of faire speeches and holy pretences for there is nothing so common in the world as that which is like the truth yet not the truth the name of the Church and pure spouse and yet upon examination doth prove Strumpets and harlots for Christs Church his Sanctuarie his true Tabernacle is that which he her Lord pitcheth or buildeth not man therfore that we may trie the truth of your Church pray shew me how you prove it by Scripture and first where it is proved that the people of every particular Church are to call and choose their Pastor Hym. In the sixth chapter of the Acts it is thus written wherefore

Brethren look ye out from among your selves seven men of honest report full of the holy Ghost and wisdom whom we may appoint over this businesse where it appeares to us the Apostles gave the believers for ever power to choose their own Ministers Silv. There is not one word in the Text that proves your conclusion that the people of every particular Church are to call their Pastor but this it proves that the Apostles times were wholly taken up in prayer and preaching in regard the Disciples were so exceedingly multiplied that they could not have time touching the matter of receiving and distribution towards the necessity of the Saints by reason of which there arose murmurings of the Graecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the dayly Administration So that there was a necessity that Deacons should be appointed for that businesse who were comended by the people and confirmed by the Apostles and this is the whole scope of that Scripture Hym. But what say you to that Act. 1. 23. they appointed two that is the people presented them to the Apostles Silv. This place shews that the Apostles and Disciples being together in one place to the number of 120 persons Saint Peter took occasion to speak to the Congregation of the prophecys of Judas treason and of the Iudgment that did befall him and also how the Prophet foretold that another should be chosen in his place to his office of an Apostle wherefore saith he of these men that have accompanied with us all the time that the Lord Iesus went in and out amongst us must one be ordained to be witnesse with us of his Resurrection and they appointed two that is the Apostles with the rest thought none so fit as Barsabas and Matthias but which of these two they could not determine of so they cast lots and it fell on Matthias and he by the whole Church was reckoned amongst the twelve this is all that place intends and not the least part of your intention proved by it Hym. Now I will set you a place of Scripture that shall not only prove the custome and manner of our Church but the matter also as before I have related to you and that is the description of the Church of Antioch which will prove all that I have said to you Act. 14. 22. 23. Silv. Wheresoever Paul and Barnabas came they confirmed the souls of the Disciples and exhorting them to continue in the Faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God he doth not here by this confirmation and exhortation enter into a reciprocall covenant with the believers as you spake of to stand in a pastorall covenant with them as the head and Members for what one Apostle did they did both and the words are in the plurall number they and indeed they taught them so effectually that they strengthned them and built them up to a further increase and degree in the truth And as it follows they ordained them Elders in every Church that is these Apostles did ordaine not the Disciples so that this Text is cleare against your distinction both for the matter and forme you spake of for as these Christians had received the truth before Barnabas came to them at the first so they did abide in the comfortable profession of it till Barnabas brought Paul with him and then they two ordained them Elders in every Church that is preachers and not the people as you affirme Hym. Good Friend Silvanus I have another Scripture which I pray consider you of and then I hope you will be of my mind that is Act. 11. 19 20. 21. 22. 23. you shall see there that in the 19. 20. and 21. verses there is mention made of believers and that the Gentiles had received the Faith then in the 22. and 23. vers. Barnabas from amongst these believers gathers a Church after he had descended from Hierusalem to Antioch by the Apostles Commission and to me the words prove both the matter and forme of our Church who when he came had seen the grace of God was glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord to me it is plaine that with purpose of heart to cleave unto the Lord is the covenant the people enter into with their Pastor and Barnabas his rejoycing to see their grace from God and his rejoycing in it his continuing to exhort them and to this Church much people was added as in the 24. verse Silv. I have often observed old friend that there is none so easily deceived as those that would willingly be deceived for if you would not willingly be ignorant the reading of the text would better informe you for there is not one word in all those verses you have read proves what you say the truth is this that the persecution that arose about Stephen was the occasion that many disciples were scattered and disperst amongst the Gentiles and by the witnesse they bare to Christ many believed as many Greeks at Antioch tydings whereof came to the Church at Hierusalem who sent Barnabas thither and when he came to them found the report so true that it rejoyced his heart and his doctrine was of that power and authoritie that he furthered the grace begun and begun it where it it was not for he was a good man and full of the holy Ghost and of Faith that his exhortations wrought so through their hearts that it prevailed with the thought and purposes thereof to cleave to the Lord so full is the phrase as if he had gained the whole heart to the Lord and besides he added much people unto the Lord saith the text and then departed to Tarsus to seek Saul so there is not the least shew for your opinion for when he had found him he brought him to Antioch and doubtlesse for the love of them that walked in the truth it came to passe that a whole yeare they assembled themselves with the Church and taught much people but not all this while made any such covenant nor membership as you suppose that is to say to become Members to that Church only and no other Therefore now Hymeneus I must tell you plaine by that you as yet know not the true Church and being ignorant of that I feare you know not what belongs to a true Christian And for that which you fancy to be the Church upon Scripture ground there is not one Scripture rightly understood by you And if your foundation faile you your whole building cannot stand Hym. My good friend Silvanus I pray let me heare your description of the true Church Silv. By the name of the Church of Christ in Scripture we are to understand Gods faithfull peculiar chosen and regenerate people such and such only as are born of the holy Ghost and that I may the better describe and manifest the true Church the whole body building or house I will first declare