Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	heathen_a	let_v	publican_n	2,742	5	10.9981	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86500	The mischeife of mixt communions, fully discussed. All maine arguments on both sides, are largely canvased. Many difficulties demonstratively cleared, as that Judas was not at the Lords Supper, &c. When, and how was the originall of parishes in England. Severall cases of conscience resolved. As in case unworthy ones thrust into the Lords Supper; what single Christians should doe, and what the congregation should doe. A discovery what is the originall, and rise of all these disputes, and how a faire end may be put to all. / By Doctor Nathanael Homes.	Homes, Nathanael, 1599-1678.	1650 (1650)	Wing H2569A; Thomason E607_8; ESTC R205868	24,915	24

THEE leave there thy gift before the Altar and goe thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift Mark the reason following Vers 24. Least he deale with thee and thou be cast out Surely the New Testament worshipp is as purely to be kept as the Mosaicall And if we must be carefull when we goe to offer to God that the minde of our Brother be cleer and quiet towards us we must also be carefull that our consciences troubled at the sins of our brother which we have against him may be discharged and thereby quieted afore we communicate with him 3. Obs That this Let a man examine c. is spoken to Church-members in Corinth that were Saints and fit matter for a Church that they might receive in a due manner and were not men of evill lives habitually Ad to all that of our Saviour so often repeated Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy SELFE A mans neighbour is a kinde of selfe Obj. 4 4. They object My neighbours sin is not mine and therefore his sin is upon himselfe not on me if I come prepared to the Communion Answ 1. We have shewed but now thou dost not come prepared if thou lettest thy Brother alone in his sinn 2. Though his personal sin of drunkennesse swearing c. is not communicated to thee by a transmigration of that evil quality in him into thy soule to make thee a drunkard or swearer too like to him yet it becomes the Congregational and Partnership or accessory sin of thee and the Church if thou and they let him alone to goe on in his sin and the meane while admit him without controll to the Communion When Adam had disobediently eaten of the tree of knowledg of good and evill God would not let him eate of the Sacrament of the tree of life but thrust Adam out of Paradise Adam and Eve both must be soundly schooled unto repentance afore they shall have any Sacrament allowed them or types of sacrifices importing the same thing And so in the New Testament the Church of Corinth must cast out the incestuous person and must not eate with an inordinate brother so long as unreformed because mark the reason to the point in hand if they do they all the whole lump is levened and soured His sin became the sin some how of the rest of the Communicants If a member of a Corporation or Company be unjust contrary to the Lawes of that Corporation or Company though they doe not the same injustice yet t is their injustice not to punish that member 3. Thou that lettest thy brother alone in his sin dost contract a particular sin to thy selfe namely the sin of hating thy Brother Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt not HATE thy Brother IN THINE HEART Thou shalt IN ANY WISE rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him 1. Thou dost hate him in not loving him so as to reprove him So this Text makes that love and hate immediate contraries 2. He growing bad if thou be good thou canst not but hate him in his evill way and this hate is because thou dost suffer his sin upon him as t is plain also in the Text. 3. Hereupon secretly thou dost hate him and so as to vilifie him behinde his back as the phrase In thine heart signifies as Gen. 37.41 Esau sayd in his heart that is in secret and all because thou hast not done thy duty in reproving him 4. Giving consent to receive into a Church office or into the Church as a member such as are unworthy if but through rashnesse and suddennesse of admission before thorough means and tryals be used to know such is a partaking of their sins that are so admitted 1 Tim. 5.20 21 22. Them that sin rebuke c. I charge thee observe these c. Without preferring one afore another Lay hands SUDDENLY on no man neither be partakers of other mens sins The Prophet Ezekiel chargeth on them that doe not reprove their Brother more then sin namely judgement also Ezek. 3.20 When a RIGHTEOUS man doth turne from his RIGHTEOUSNES and commit iniquity c. he shall dye because thou hast not given him warning he shall dye in his sin c. but his blood will I require at thy hands You heard afore rebuking is injoyned People as well as Ministers Obj. 5. Ob. The theefe repented at last and an evill liver in his now comming to the Communion signifies for ought I know that he doth repent Ans 1. The theefe doth not repent by comming to an Ordinance of God therefore this Objection is impertinently urged 2. He is now under an heavy judgement of God which usually more workes on the wicked then single Ordinances therefore this Objection doth not suite with the point in hand 3. Here is God making known to us that the theefe repented at last yea the gracious words and confessions of the theefe of his sin and his justifying of Christ shew as much But the dumb comming of a wicked man to the Communion doth no more shew that he repents then Judas his comming to the last to Christs Sermons and Passover did shew that he repented of his covetous and trayterous heart 3. By this Objection we should stil conceive a wicked man to repent at every Communion though between Communions he lives wickedly all his life long and so never any Church discipline should be executed upon him but Christs discipline be layd aside and never used 4. This of the theefe is but an example which is an inartificial and insufficient argument and t is but one example of that kinde from the beginning of the world never the like to be again as there was to be but one Christ and to suffer but once on the Crosse and that once to shew his power in that his lowest humiliation to forgive the theefe on the Crosse 5. But we have an evident rule to goe by set down for us by Christ how to deale with one that goes on in his sins and not for us to goe by guess that when he comes to an Ordinance a Communion c. he then repents The rule is Matth. 18.15 If thy brother shall trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault between thee and him ALONE if he shall hear thee thou hast GAINED THY BROTHER see by this an hearing to obey and reforme is here meant If he will not heare thee Greek to neglect what he heares 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 heare them the same Greek word still tell it unto the Church But if he neglect to heare the Church the same Greek word let him be unto thee an Heathen or Publican See a man that walkes disorderly is not to be trusted for ought this Text allows not one time after any one sees his sin but that one Brother or Sister must goe tel him of

Election of evill company is the great detection of the evill heart of him that chooseth that company * And to know that others are spiritually infected and that we have the distemper of originall corruption very apt to take infection and yet voluntarily to thrust into society with them is to bring upon our selves the guilt of our owne danger and infection 5. Obs That the Apostle distinguisheth between godly mens going out of the world and godly mens keeping an evil walker out of their company and out of the Church You cannot avoid it saith the Apostle unlesse you wil goe out of the World but necessitatedly upon some unavoydable occasions you must have civil businesse with men that are covetous extortioners fornicators c. But there is no necessity you should have a fellowship with such in eating or at your feast or among you in your Church For you must cast them out from among you or you must withdraw from such 2 Thes 3.6 and not eate with them 6. Obs That the Apostle allows expresly that there may be a necessity for temporal things of having civill fellowship with evil men out of the Church such as never were Brethren but he doth not expresse so much of men in the Church or of such as were once called Brethren now walking disorderly As if the Apostle would have us conclude that if we are necessitated to have businesse and for that time fellowship with men of evil conversation it would be safer for us to supply that our necessity in or among the company of them that alwayes were of the World and never of the Church then by any necessity that can be supplyed any where else to have to doe with men once called Brethren but now walking disorderly Obs 7. That the Apostle down right doth declare that as we should avoyd what may be all fellowship with worldly men that are covetous fornicators c. so much more we ought to avoyd all fellowship with covetous fornicators c. once called Brethren 8. Obs That the Apostle in reckoning up the sins that must divide fellowship he doth not onely name greater and grosser sins as fornication drunkennesse extortion but such as in common account are lesser and in their nature more mental or aiery As 1. Idolatry but to sit in the Idoll Temple and eate or drink with the company chap. 8. and chap. 10. And there is the same reason proportionably in all unwar-ranted worship in matter or manner 2. Covetousnesse which is an heart sin a spiritual mental sin in the maine extortion is the manifestation of it and by the same proportion great pride may be included c. 3. Railing which is a verbal sin and by the same proportion all swearing and lying as 't was mentioned afore is of the same nature 9. Obs That the Apostle saith that godly men must not with such as walke in such sins as these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so much as EATE TOGETHER with them Now if those that are for mixt Communions wil say that this is meant of spirituall eating the Lords supper with such afore named then they yeeld the question of avoyding mixt Communions that godly men must not receive the Lords supper with covetous railers c. If they say it signifies civill eating of our common meales in our houses then they grant by necessary consequence that we may not eate at the Communion with such inordinate persons for if it be a sin to eate our common meat with evil livers once called Brethren then much more unlawful to eate at the Lords Table with them Surely surely the Apostle could not mean to be more careful to keep Saints more pure at their owne Tables then at the Lords Table Of which I leave the consciences of them that are for mixt Communions to judge These few of many things more that might be spoken against mixt Communions wil be sufficient to them that are willing to understand But the unwilling wil dispute though they bring but their owne phantasies to oppose the plaine Word of God And therefore I am not very willing to take the paines to follow them with answers But least they should persist and be hardned the rather because we give no answer at al I shal reply briefly and the rather because our cause against mixt Communions wil gaine by it upon the minds of considerate men There are I finde abroad two sorts of opposers some more ignorant others more cunning To the first in the first place more briefly Obj. 1. Objection The Wheat and the Tares must grow together till the harvest Answer Such tares and so long as are so like the wheat that there may be danger in plucking up them to pluck up the wheat also Matth. 13.29 But tares when they grow ranck and appeare they must be weeded from among the wheat as we have heard afore Obj. 2. Obj. Thou must forgive thy Brother to seventy times seven Answ True of private personall offences against our selves Them we must forgive often if our Brother repents but we cannot forgive his sins against God These two Objections as they are levelled strike at all Magisterial and Ministerial discipline evident in the Word of God even in judgement of all judgements Papisticall Episcopall Presbyteriall and Congregationall And therefore these Objections are not rightly mounted Obj. 3. Obj. 'T is said 1 Cor. 11. Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate Answ This indeed is that thousands of times repeated argument by the vulgar to no purpose For Observe 1. That one Verse doth not containe all Gods minde we must compare Scripture with Scripture and so Mat. 18.15 1 Cor. 5. c. of ●asting off out from the fellowship of one that persists in evil ways especially after admonition 2. Self is a comprehensive word there is a mans selfe as he is a man a mans selfe as he is an Husband a mans selfe as he is a Father a Master a Magistrate a Minister a fellow-member and fellow-Communicant of such a Congregation all these are a mans selfe and a man must examine himselfe touching all his sins in all these relations and so whether he hath done his duty to admonish his neighbor that comes to the Communion with him of his evil life according to Christs rule Mat. 18.15 c. And according to that rule if in case he doth not so hear thee or others with thee as to reforme so the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is though he heard thy words yet he neglects thy counsel whether or no hast thou told the Church til they cast him off as an Heathen or Publican Our Saviour saith a mans selfe is concerned so in his Brothers spirituall welfare that a man must when he is to goe to worship minde and consider how t is with his Brother afore he worship Study the fifth of Matthew 23. If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought AGAINST

it alone that so his sinne may goe no further nor the knowledge thereof if he reforme If not the next time he is discovered againe two or three must joyne together to admonish him and so to stop the sin and the disgrace if it may be among them If he goes on then these two or three must complaine to the Church or Congregation where he partakes of Ordinances If he wil not be reformed at the admonition of the Church then the Church as t is a Church of Christ can doe no lesse then cast him off as an Heathen But if the Church should be negligent to doe it the pretence of saying what can one member doe in this thing and so of sitting still is easily removed for if thou hast managed thy businesse according to this rule there are two or three of you to call upon the Church and to quicken at least the better party in it to prevaile with all the rest to cast him off If all this will not doe it thou hast this to doe namely to call in for the advise of other Churches as they did Acts 15. and until this be reformed you have another remedy namely to withdraw Communion with such a Church as shal so grosly neglect their duty For if as in 2 Thes 3.6 14. We must withdraw from every brother that walkes disorderly then sure we have no warrant to communicate with a whole Church walking disorderly where there is more sin and sinners with sin upon sin that offenders sins and their owne in not punishing him and disobeying the command of Christ pressed upon them by those two or three and the judgements of Christ hang over the heads of such a Church as over the Church of Pergamos and Thyatira for not proceeding against the Balaamites Nicolaitans and Jezabelians Yea as over Ephesus and Laodicea for being cold in their zeale Yet in the meane while there is no necessity for you two or three that have thus justly withdrawn for a time to be without that precious Ordinance of the Communion seeing other Churches more pure to whom you complaine wil allow you that priviledge til things be setled But it may be some will say this rule is If my brother trespasse against me but his trespasse is not against me Answ David tooke it to himselfe that the dishonour that was done to God by men of evil life was in some sort against him Psal 119. Psal 139. And therefore he there lamented the sin and abhorred the practise 2. If a Servant of your Family should commit fornication or drunkennesse with strangers not of the Family you would soon charge it upon him or her that they had offended against you and all the Family 3. If the offence doth not or will not fall under the orderly admonition first of one then of two or three so that thy brother goes openly on in his sin in the generall observation of the Church the Church without any more adoe seeing his obstinacy may cast him out as 't was the very case of the incestuous person 1 Cor. 5. Lastly we answer to this objection about the theefe on the Crosse That men that have been noted to walke disorderly should first give proofe and experience of their repentance that they have confessed their sins and forsaken them as the Scripture speakes afore they should be thought to repent and be fit to come to the Communion which we cannot righteously think they doe who goe on in their old sins longer then they are at the Ordinances If the Deacons whose cheife trust was onely the Churches stock of contributions must first be proved afore they be admitted into office 1 Tim. 3.10 how much more should the evil liver be first proved afore he be trusted after his evill walkings to partake of the holy things of God I appeale to you whether after a Servant hath been found false twise you would receive him the third time onely because he comes and offers you his service againe Shall we deale worse with God and mens consciences then with our selves about our estates and civil affaires Obj. 6 6. They object as their grand plea that Judas was at the LORDS SUPPER and out of doubt at the PASSOVER Answ 1. If he were onely at the Passover it yeelds no argument for mixt Communions for from a ceremoniall forme of worship of a Nationall Church under the Old Testament to an Evangelicall forme of worship of Congregational Churches under the New Testament is no true plumb and level to pitch the due height of the purity of the worship under the Gospel We see evidently all along the old Testament that if men were but ceremoniously cleansed and not guilty of capital crimes they were admitted to all Ordinances for the generall But we see the New Testament rules are more exact about the partaking of the Lords Supper as we have largely heard afore 2. If Judas were at the Passover and at the Communion also afore he was openly discovered it makes nothing for mixt Communions of such as are openly known to walke wickedly Christ now about to leave sensible rules of a visible processe as might suit to his office as he was a Mediator would not now anticipate as a God and searcher of the heart to keep out Judas from the Passover because he knew his heart was naught This had been to have left us a pattern that would have been more against mixt Communions then to keep out and cast out grosse offenders namely to have so done by them as soon as the Church had suspected their hearts had not been right 3. For certaine if I doe not grossy mistake Judas was not at the Lords Supper 1. That which makes many mistake that he was there is the order of the story of the Gospel as set downe by Luke Chap. 22. Namely because first there is mention of the Lords Supper v. 20. Then after that followes the mention of Judas his hand at the Table v. 21. And therefore as they thinke Judas was at the Lords Supper But we answer that we have but the sum of the history of the Gospel and the holy Ghost is not curious in observing the order of all things and therefore the order is quite contrary in Matth. 26. Namely first there is mention of Judas his hand at the Table that should betray Christ v. 21 22 23. And then after is the mention of the institution of the Lords Supper but no more mention of Judas till he came with the Officers to apprehend Christ So that same order is observed by Marke Chap. 14. First in v. 18 19 20. Is the Discovering of Judas that he should betray Christ And then after in v. 22. c. is mention of Christs institution of the Lords Supper and no more mention of Judas till he comes with the Officers v. 43. to apprehend Christ So that we have two to one for this order that Judas was discovered afore the Communion and therefore Judas