Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	elder_n	pastor_n	reverend_n	3,003	5	16.5249	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84653	Severall queries concerning the church of Jesus Christ upon earth, briefly explained and resolved wherein is shewed and proved, 1. That there is a church of Jesus Christ upon earth. 2. What this church is? 3. How a people become a visible church? 4. That the churches in England were at first rightly constituted? 5. What manner of government Jesus Christ hath ordained in and for his church? 6. What manner of persons those ought to be, that may be continued in, or admitted into the church? 7. What is the duty of church members towards Jesus Christ their head, and one another. / By John Flowre M.A. preacher at Staunton in the county of Nottingham.	Flower, John, b. 1623 or 4.	1658 (1658)	Wing F1386; Thomason E2141_2; ESTC R208378	33,318	112

him from living profanely ungodly rudely to live soberly and righteously and godly in the world it is a sure signe that Ministery is from God owned and sent by him Therefore seeing by denying the Church and Ministry in England to be a true Church and Ministery such abhorred conclusions as before must also be asserted it seems to me not onely to be an error but a furor a phrensy in some men to run themselves upon such dreadfull Rocks as these Sect. V. Containing an Answer to the first Question What Government hath our Lord Jesus Christ ordained in and for his Church TO this I Answer That a Government and discipline in the Church is to be observed by divine right for God is the God of order and not of confusion without this the Church would rather seem a Babel than a Bethel and therefore we must of necessity conclude a Church-Government * 1 Cor. 12.28 by Divine right But although the thing it self be granted yet the manner how or way is much disputed by godly and learned men Now as the Scriptures do clearly hold out that there ought to be a Church-Government so they do also instruct us in the way and not altogether leave us in the dark in a thing of so great concernment as this Therefore let us search the Scriptures they are sufficient to informe us as to this case or else how can the Scriptures be truly said to be * P●●● Tim. 3. ●15 perfect if they fall short and cannot informe in a case of so high concernment as this How can they be said to be sufficient to make a man * 2 Tim. 3.17 wise if they leave him ignorant in this so weighty a matter How can they be said to be sufficient to make the man of God * 1 Tim. 5.17 perfect thorowly to furnish him unto all good works if they informe him not as to the managing of church government which is a great and a good work and whosoever manage it well in St. Pauls esteeme are worthy of double honour Therefore let us hear the Scriptures speake as to the way of church-Government To a Government be it either Civil or Sacred are necessary these three things 1. Ordinances Ordinances to be submitted unto 2. Officers Officers to rule and see to submissions unto and observance of Gods Ordinances 3. Penalties Penalties to be inflicted on offenders These are all necessary to church-Government Prayer Singing of Psalms the Sacraments are Church-Ordinances 1. There must be church Ordinances to be submitted unto and observed and the Scripture tells us that these are First Prayer so 1 Tim. 2.1 Secondly Singing of Psalms Psal 9.11 Mat. 26.30 Acts 16.25 Thirdly Ministery of the word Rom. 10.15 Mark 16.15 Eph. 4.12 Fourthly The Sacraments of Baptisme Mat. 28.18 The Lords Supper Mat. 26.26 Luke 22.19 Thus for Church-Ordinances the Scripture declares clearly what they are that we ought to submit to and observe 2. There must be Church Officers too or else no Government Now as to Church Officers the Scriptures do usually call some by the name of Elders and do seem to make two Sorts of them First Elders that did both teach and rule Secondly Elders that rul'd but taught not Teaching Elders or Pastors and Teachers of the Church the Scriptures declare that these are to be in the Church as Officers Rulers Overseers for in the 4. of the Ephe. 8 9 10 11. We there read that besides other extraordinary Officers which were but pro tempore in the Church So Acts 20.17 28. 1 Cor 12.28 Pastors and Teachers are to be in the Church to the end And as the Scripture tells us there ought to be Pastours and Teachers in the Church as Church-Officers so it tells also first how these should be ordained to their Office Secondly How they should be qualified for their Office First How ordained to the Office that is by * Acts 13.3 1 Tim. 4.14 Prayer and Imposition of the hands of the Presbytery Secondly How they should be qualified for the Office First They should be men of gifts and parts * 2 Tim 3 2 1 Tim. 3.1 2 apt to Teach Secondly Men of Holy lives and conversations * 2 Tim 3 2 1 Tim. 3.1 2 not Scandalous A Second sort of Church Officers which the Scripture calls Elders also seem to be such as were not as we use to say in Ecclesiasticall Orders but some of the Church gravest and wisest of the Church who were chosen to help and assist the Teaching Elders in the Rule and Government of the Church That there were such Church-Officers as these in the Apostles times these Texts of Scripture seems to hold forth 1 Tim. 5.17 Let the Elders that rule well especially who labour in the Word and Doctrine This place seems to speak of two distinct sorts of Elders the one Ruling onely the other both Ruling and Teaching also and here the Apostle bids honour both sorts but especially those Elders that Taught the Church as well as Rul'd it The word especially seems there to make this distinction of Elders for this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 especially is commonly used by St. Paul to distinguish persons or things in the same place spoken of so Gal. 6.10 Do good unto all especially to those that be of the houshold of Faith here the word especially signifies that there were some of the houshold of Faith some not we must do good unto all but especially to those of that houshold So 1 Tim. 5.17 The Elders that Rule well account worthy of double honour especially those that labour in the Word and Doctrine here the word especially seems to signify that some of those Elders did labour in the Word Doctrine some did not both were to be honoured if they ruled well but especially those Elders that both Ruled well and laboured in the Word and Doctrine also So in Rom. 2.6 7 8. Or Ministery let us wait on our Ministering or he that Teacheth on teaching or he that Exhorteth on exhortation he that Ruleth with diligence here seemeth to be an Officer that was not to wait upon teaching but onely upon ruling And we seem to retain these Elders or Officers still in the Church in England under the name of Church-Wardens the name signifies as much as Church-Guardians or Church-Rulers Another sort of Church-Officers that we finde mentioned in Scripture are called by the name of Deacons 1 Tim. 3.8 their office to gather the Churches contribution and to administer to the poor members of this Officer the Church will have alwayes need Mat. 26.11 The poor ye have alwayes with you These Officers we have in the Churches in England under the Name of Overseeres of the poor Thus the Scripture doth informe us what Officers are to be in the Church for the rule and better ordering of it 3. There must be Church penalties without a penalty to be inflicted upon obstinate Offenders neither Ordinances

also at the welfare one of another If an Heathen could say very truly that Non solum nobis nati sumus We are not only born for our selves but for one another also I may surely then very confidently say that Non solum nobis renati sumus that we are not borne again for our selves but for one another also for the comfort and help and mutuall edification of all our fellow Members in Christ Jesus Lastly The Members of the body natural do all sympathise with one another if a finger do but ake all the Members condole it So in the Church of Jesus Christ all the Members should condole and sympathise with one aking or afflicted Member Christians Members of the same body should all sympathise and have a share together both in one anothers crosses and comforts Rom. 15.16 Rejoyce with those that rejoyce weap with those that weep be of the same mind one towards another The Lord Jesus Christ our head sympathises with all every of his poor members Isa 63.9 In all their afflictions he is afflicted Sect. VIII FRom what hath been said in relation to the Solution of the Fourth Question it appears that the first constitution or planting or gathering of the Churches in England was right and orderly according to the Scripture-rule and way of the Apostles in that case from whence I conclude with that Reverend Divine Mr. Cotton as before that the great work of the Ministers of Jesus Christ in England now is not to constitute and gather Churches anew as if there had never been any before But rather to labour to reform and purge and purifie those Churches which were at first founded and built upon the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets Jesus Christ himselfe being the chief Corner stone I say to reform purifie those from that dross and tin those many corruptions which time neglect of discipline hath contracted Therefore I shall declare what I conceive as to the way that every particular Church ought to take in this case That is what is now to be done by every particular Church in this land that desires to be a true reformed and refined Church of Jesus Christ It must needs by all be granted that we have even all the particular Churches and Congregations in this Land Rom. 3.13 I say that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God that our unfruitfulnesse under Ordinances our neglect of discipline our not sanctifying the Sabbath our carelesse and unchristianlike conversations might justly have provoked God to have sent us a bill of divorce to have sent his Messengers to us with a Loammi and a Loruhamah plead with your mother plead for she is not my wife Hos 2.12 neither am I her Husbend Therefore seeing we stand charged before God with so many high and heinous provocations it is surely high time for every particular congregation in England that is called by the name of a Church and desires truly to be such to meet God in the way with a peace-offering in their hands that the just indignation of the Lord may be turned away from them that they fall not by their iniquities and become as dung upon the earth We read of the * prodigall son after a long time of disobedience to his Father Luk. ●1 17 that when he came to himselfe he bethought him of this way to be reconciled to his Father again I will go saith he unto my Father and will say unto him Father I have sinned against heaven before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy son Thus he humbling himself and confessing his fault his father welcomes him gladly This my son was dead and is alive was lost and is found Here is a patterne not onely for one prodigall sonne or daughter but for a prodigall assembly or Congregation also to be reconciled to God their Father Let a particular Church or congregation of people that by their turning of grace into wontonness and abuse of spirituall mercies have given God just occasion to disown them I say when these come to themselves to have a sight and sence of their own state and of the danger thereof that is of their not being reconciled to God and cleaving more close to him let them gathering themselves together First Humble themselves before God freely confessing their many provocations the want of love of zeal of holy walking according to the Statutes and Ordinances of the Lord Jesus their breach of Covenant with God which they made in Baptisme let them say Father we have sinned against heaven and before thee are not worthy the name of thy Church or to be called thy people let them confesse the sins of their forefathers the generations before them let them humble themselves for these and their own imitation of them Thus did the Church of the Jewes in the dayes of Nehemiah and Ezra being sensible of their Backslidings and Spiritual Fornications and the danger they were in by reason of these They assembled themselves they confest their sins and the sins of their fathers confessing God to be just in all that he brought upon them Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us Neh. c. 93 3 Ezek. 10.9 for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly Secondly Let every particular Church or Congregation renew their Covenant with God even that Covenant they made with him in Baptisme to forsake the world the flesh the Devil professing their sorrow and repentance for the breach of it and solemnly engaging to observe it better for the time to come in keeping a more strict watch over themselves and one another in forsaking all ungodliness and worldly lusts and living more soberly more godly more righteously in this present world as becometh Christians the professed Members of the Church of Jesus Christ Thus did also the Church of the Jewes you heard before that in relation to their better reformation and turning to God they assembled themselves together and humbled themselves before the Lord confessing their sins and the sins of their fathers and to this they added a solemn renewing of their * Covenant Nehe. 9 38. 9 2. or a new engaging to God to walk more orderly before him for the time to come Thirdly Let them separate themselves from Achans I mean let every particular Congregation of Gods people put out from amongst them all the openly scandalous ungodly and prophane for these are botches and boiles of a Church the dead and withered branches which ought to be cut off by the sentence of excommunication 1 Cor. 5.1 2. Rev. 18.4 Nehem. 9.38 Sect IX HAving spoken as to the way of refining and reforming a Church I shall now use a word of Exhortation in generall to all the Congregations of this Land called by the name of Churches especially to my own Congregation to stir up and encourage you to so great so good so necessary so