Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
church_n hear_v heathen_a publican_n 4,379 5 11.4435 5 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A53671 A brief instruction in the worship of God, and discipline of the churches of the New Testament, by way of question and answer with an explication and confirmation of those answers. Owen, John, 1616-1683. 1667 (1667) Wing O721; ESTC R9489 80,905 231

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

and Believers of all nations under Heaven were to be admitted unto the priviledge of his worship Eph. 2.15 16 17 18. the national Church of the Jewes with all the Ordinances of it being removed and taken away the Lord Christ hath appointed particular Churches or united Assemblies of Believers amongst and by whom he will have all his holy Ordinances of worship celebrated And this institution of his at the First preaching of the Gospel was invariably and inviolably observed by all that took on them to be his Disciples without any one instance of questioning it to the contrary in the whole World or of the celebration of any Ordinances of his worship amongst any Persons but only in such societies or particular Churches And there is sufficient evidence and warranty of this institution given us in the Scripture For First they are appointed and approved by Christ. Matth. 18.15 16 17 18 19 20. If thy Brother shall trespass against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall hear thee thou hast gained thy Brother 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 word may be established and if he shall neglect to hear then 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 verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed also in Heaven again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven for where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Such a Church he supposeth and approveth as his Disciples had relation unto and as any one of them could have recourse unto as a Brother in obedience to his commands and directions This could not be the Church of the Jews neither in its whole body nor in any of its Judicatories For as at that time there was a solemn decree of excommunication against all and every one that should profess his Name John 9.22 The Jews had already agreed that if any man did confess that he was Christ he should be put out of the Synagogue which was executed accordingly upon the man that was born blind Verse the 34. which utterly disabled them from making any use of this direction command or Institution of his for the present So afterwards the chief business of the Rulers of those Assemblies from the highest court of their Sanhedrim to the meanest Judicatory in their Synagogues was to persecute them and bring them unto death Math. 10.17 They will deliver ye up to the Councills and they will scourge you in their Synagogues John 15.21 And it is not likely that the Lord Christ would send his Disciples for direction and satisfaction in the weighty matters of their obedience unto him and mutual love towards one another unto them with whom they neither had nor could nor ought to have any thing to do withal and if they were intended they were all already made as heathens and Publicans being cast out by them for refusing to hear them in their blasphemies and persecutions of Christ himself Such a society also is plainly intended as whereunto Christ promiseth his presence by his spirit and whose righteous sentences he takes upon himself to ratifie and confirm in Heaven Moreover such a Church doth he direct unto as wi●h which his Disciples were to have familiar Brotherly constant converse and communion with whom they were so to be joyned in society as to be owned or rejected by them according to their judgement as is apparent in the practice enjoyned unto them and without relation whereunto no duty here appointed could be performed As therefore the very name of the Church and nature of the thing bespeaks a society so it is evident that no society but that of a particular Church of the Gospel can be here intended Secondly these Churches he calls his Candlesticks Rev. 1.20 In allusion unto the Candlesticks of the Temple which being an institution of the old Testament doth directly declare these Churches to be so under the New And this he speakes in reference unto those seven principal Churches of Asia every one of which was a Candlestick or an institution of his own Thirdly In pursuit of this appointment of Christ and by his authority the Apostles so soon as any were converted unto the faith at Jerusalem although the old National Church state of the Jewes was yet continued gathered them into a Church or society for celebration of the ordinances of the Gospel Acts. 2.41 42. they that gladly received the word were baptised and they continued stedfastly together in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers verse 47 the Lord adding unto this Church dayly such as should be saved And this company is expresly called the Church at Jerusalem Acts. 8.1 This Church thus called and collected out of the Church of the Jewes was the rule and pattern of the disposing of all the Disciples of Christ into Church societyes in obedience unto his command throughout the World Acts 11.26 Acts 14.23 27. Fourthly they took care for the forming compleating and establishing them in order according to his will under the rule of them given and granted unto them by himself for that purpose all in a st●ddy pursuit of the commands of Christ. Acts 14.23 they ordained them Elders in every Church Titus 1.5 For this cause left I thee in Creet that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting and ordain Elders in every City as I had appointed thee 1 Cor. 12.28 Ephe. 4.11 12. Fifthly they do every where in the Name and authority of Christ give unto these Churches rules directions and precepts for the due ordering of all things relating to the worship of God according to his minde as we shall see afterwards in particular For First there is no charge given unto the Officers Ministers Guides or Overseers that he hath appointed but it is in reference unto the discharge of their duty in such Churches That Ministers or Officers are of Christs appointment is expresly declared Ephes. 4.11.12 He gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edif●ing of the body of Christ. 1 Cor. 12.28 God hath set in his Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers These are of Christs institution but to what end why as they were ordained in every Church Acts 14.23 Titus 1.5 So their whole charge is limited to the Churches Acts 20.17 He sent to Ephesus and called the Elders of the Church and said to them Verse the 28. take heed
case there be not the success aimed at obtained in these several degrees of private admonition it is then the will of our Lord Jesus Christ that the matter be reported unto the Church that the offender may be publickly admonished thereby and brought to repentance wherein is to be observed First That the persons who have endeavoured in vain to reclaim their offending Brother by private admonition are to acquaint the Elders of the Church with the case and crime as also what they have done according to rule for the rectifying of it who upon that information are obliged to communicate the knowledge of the whole matter to the Church This is to be done by the Elders as to whom the preservation of order in the Church and the rule of its proceeding do belong as we have shewed before Secondly The report made to the Church by the Elders is to be 1. Of the crime guilt or offence 2. Of the Testimony given unto the truth of it 3. Of the means used to bring the offender to acknowledgement and repentance 4. Of his deportment under the private previous admonitions either as to his rejecting of them or as to any satisfaction tendred all in order love meekness and tenderness Thirdly Things being proposed unto the Church and the offender heard upon the whole of the offence and former proceeding the whole Church or multitude of the Brethren are with the Elders to consider the nature of the offence with the condition and temptations of the offenders with such a spirit of meekness as our Lord Jesus Christ in his own person set them an example of in his dealing with sinners and which is required in them as his Disciples Gal. 6.1 2. 2 Cor. 2.8 Fourthly The Elders and Brethren are to judge of the offence and the carriage of the offender according to rule and if the offence be evident and persisted in then Fifthly The offender is to be publickly admonished by the Elders with the consent and concurrence of the Church 1 Thes. 5.14 1 Tim. 5.20 Matth. 18.16 17. And this admonition consists of Five parts 1. A declaration of the crime or offence as it is evidenced unto the Church 2. A conviction of the evil of it from the rule or rules transgressed against 3. A declaration of the authority and duty of the Church in such cases 4. A rebuke of the offender in the name of Christ answering the nature and circumstances of the offence 5. An Exhortation unto humiliation and repentance and acknowledgement Eleventhly In case the offender despise this admonition of the Church and come not upon it unto repentance it is the will and appointment of our Lord Jesus Christ that he be cut off from all the priviledges of the Church and cast out from the society thereof or be excommunicated wherein consists the last act of the discipline of the Church for the correction of offenders and herein may be considered First The nature of it that it is an authoritative act and so principally belongs unto the Elders of the Church who therein exert the power that they have received from the Lord Christ by and with the consent of the Church according to his appointment Matth. 16.19 John 20.23 Matth. 18.18 1 Cor. 5.4 Titus 3.10 1 Tim. 1.20 2 Cor. 2.6 And both these the Authority of the Eldership and the consent of the Brethren are necessary to the validity of the sentence and that according to the appointment of Christ and the practice of the first Churches Secondly The effect of it which is the cutting off or casting out of the person offending from the communion of the Church in the priviledges of the Gospel as consequently from that of all the visible Churches of Christ in the earth by virtue of their communion one with another whereby he is left unto the visible kingdom of Satan in the World Matth. 18.17 1 Cor. 5.2 5 13. 1 Tim. 1.20 Titus 3.10 Gal. 5.12 Thirdly The ends of it which are 1. The gaining of the party offending by bringing him to repentance humiliation and acknowledgement of his offence 2 Cor. 2.6 7. 2 Cor. 13.10 2. The warning of others not to do so presumptuously 3. The preserving of the Church in its purity and order 1 Cor. 5.6 7. all to the glory of Jesus Christ. Fourthly The causes of it or the grounds and reasons on which the Church may proceed unto sentence against any offending persons Now these are no other but such as they judge according to the Gospel that the Lord Christ will proceed upon in his finall judgement at the last day For the Church judgeth in the name and authority of Christ and are to exclude none from its communion but those whom they find by the rule that he himself excludes from his Kingdom and so that which they bind on earth is bound by him in Heaven Matth. 18.18 And their sentence herein is to be declared as the declaration of the sentence which the Head of the Church and Judge of all will pronounce at the last day only with this difference that it is also made known that this sentence of theirs is not final or decretory but in order to the prevention of that which will be so unless the evil be repented of Now although the particular evils sins or offences that may render a person obnoxious unto this censure and sentence are not to be enumerated by reason of the variety of circumstances which change the nature of actions yet they may in general be referred unto these heads First Moral evils contrary to the light of nature and express commands or prohibitions of the moral law direct rules of the Gospel or of evil report in the world amongst men walking according to the rule and light of reason And in cases of this nature the Church may proceed unto the sentence whereof we speak without previous admonition in case the matter of fact be notorious publickly and unquestionably known to be true and no general rule which is not to be impeached by particular instances lye against their proceedure 1 Cor. 5.3 4. 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5. Secondly Offences against that mutual love which is the bond of perfection in the Church if pertinaciously persisted in Matth. 18.16 17. Thirdly false doctrines against the fundamentals in faith or worship especially if maintained with contention to the trouble and disturbance of the peace of the Church Gal. 5.12 Titus 3.9 10 11. 1 Tim. 6.3 4 5. Revel 2.14 15. Fourthly Blasphemy or evil speaking of the wayes and worship of God in the Church especially if joyned with an intention to hinder the prosperity of the Church or to expose it to persecution 1 Tim. 1.20 Fifthly Desertion or total causeless relinquishment of the society and communion of the Church for such are self-condemned having broken and renounced the covenant of God that they made at their entrance into the Church Heb. 10.25 26 27 28 29. Sixthly The time or season of the putting forth