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
A90932	The preacher sent: or, A vindication of the liberty of publick preaching, by some men not ordained. In answer to two books: 1. Jus divinum ministerii euengelici. By the Provincial Assembly of London. 2. Vindiciæ ministerii euangelici. By Mr. John Collings of Norwich. / Published by Iohn Martin, minister of the Gospel at Edgfield in Norfolk. Sam. Petto, minister of the Gospel at Sand-croft in Suffolk. Frederick Woodal, minister of the Gospel at Woodbridge in Suffolk.	Martin, John, 1595 or 6-1659.; Petto, Samuel, 1624?-1711.	1658 (1658)	Wing P3197; Thomason E1592_2; ESTC R208851	240,824	381

a relation yet it doth not follow that it is so by whomsoever it be performed Obj. 2. Heb. 7. Without controversie the lesser is blessed of the greater Answ The Apostle asserteth Christ to be an High-priest after the Order of Melchisedec Heb. 6. ver 20. and giveth a reason of it Heb. 7. 1. and in the excellency and greatness of Melchisedec he setteth forth the excellency of Christ who is after has order ver 2 3 c. he proveth the greatness of Melchisedec and so of Christ because he blessed Abraham ver 6. and so must be greater then Abraham who received the blessing ver 7. without all contradiction the less is blessed of the greater But what is all this to prove that preaching is an act of authority Doe preachers succeed Melchisedec or Christ Can they bless with a High-priests blessing Are they greater then Abraham as he that gave this blessing was There is a blessing of reverence and worship so men bless God Psal 68. 19. Blessed be the Lord who dayly Dickson londeth us with his benefits There is a blessing of Charity so men bless one another by mutual prayer Rom. 12. 14. Bless them which persecute you bless and curse not It is required as a duty not of preachers only but of all Christians thus to bless yet neither of these kindes of blessing do imply superiority or authority or that he is greater who blesseth then he that is blessed He that blesseth by an Original inherent power as Christ doth he is greater then he that is blessed and of such blessing the Text speaketh but he that blesseth Ministerially and instrumentally is not alwayes greater then he that is blessed nor is the blessing alwayes an act of authority Object 3. The Apostle suffers not women to preach because they may not usurp authority over the man 1 Tim. 2. but is commanded to be in subjection upon which place Oecum The very act of teaching is to usurp authority over the man Answ There is a plain distinction and difference made in the very text alledged between teaching and usurping authority for the words are these But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man but to be in silence 1 Tim. 2. 12. That particle nor doth plainly intimate that two things are forbidden 1. Teaching 2. Usurping authority And a womans usurping authority over her husband seemeth to be the thing directly forbidden by the Apostle rather then the usurping of authority over the Church and hence the words are nor usurp authority over the man and the reasons inforcing it from the mans being first created ver 13. and from the womans being first deceived ver 14. speak it to be an usurping authority over her husband rather then over the Church that is forbidden However there is no such thing found in the Text as that the act of teaching is to usurp authority over the man Object 4. The publick work of the Ministry of the word is an authoritative administration like unto that of Cryers Heralds and Embassadors to be performed in the name of the Lord Jesus and therefore may not be performed by any but such as are authorized and immediately or mediately deputed by him 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. appears because in preaching the Key of the Kingdom of Heaven is used Answ 1. These titles we spake to in another place and thither we refer the Reader 2. A warrant from the written word to preach is authority enough and this we have shewn gifted men have If men who are not authorized by Christ to preach will do it and if this be an usurping of authority yet what is all this to prove either 1. That it is to usurp authority over the Church Or 2. That to preach without Ordination to the work is to usurp such authority over the Church These are the things which not being proved their Argument falleth 3. That there is a Key of Knowledge we grant Luk. 11. v. 52. which Christians who are not in Office may use 1 Cor. 12. ver 7 8. 1 Cor. 14. 1 Pet. 4. 10 11. And in Discipline the power of 1. Excommunication is the binding Key that which shutteth the Kingdom of Heaven the Church against offendors 2. Re-admission is the loosing Key or that which openeth the Kingdom of Heaven the Church to such as repent Matth. 18 vers 17 18. If he neglecteth 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 in heaven Here the binding Key and the loosing Key are used about Church-censures and if both these were given to the Officers onely which we deny yet gifted men might preach neither can they gain any thing from the Keyes to prove that preaching is an Act of Authority much less to prove their Proposition Argum. 6. That which the Scripture reproves may no man practise But the Scripture reproves uncalled men for preaching Therefore The Minor say they appears in that the false prophets are reproved Jerem. Jus Divin Minist p. 89. 23. 21 32. not onely for their false doctrine but also for running when they were not sent I am against them saith the Lord a fearful commination if God be against them who shall be with them The false prophets themselves accuse Jeremiah Jerem. 29. 27. for making himself a prophet which though it was a most unjust and false impuration yet it holds forth this truth That no man ought to make himself a prophet the false prophets themselves being witnesses The Apostles in the Synod of Jerusalem speak of certain men that went out from them They went out they were not sent out but they went out of their own accord and this is spoken of them by way of reproof And then it follows They troubled you with words subverting your soules He that preacheth unsent is not a builder but a subverter of souls Answ 1. We deny that the Scripture reproves the preaching of gifted men who are unordianed to Office This Argument if it were wholly granted yet it proves not at all what it is produced for Their proposition is That none may do the work of the Ministry without Ordination or being solemnly set apart thereunto Their Argument to prove this is The Scripture reproveth uncalled men for preaching therefore uncalled men may not preach We may grant that uncalled men may not preach and yet may assert that unordained men if gifted may preach For gifted men are called to preach though they be not ordained Let them prove that Ordination is the onely Call to preach if it were granted that Ordination is the Call to Office as elsewhere they endeavour to prove yet it would not follow that there is no Call to preach without that unless it can be proved that there is no preaching but by Office 2. The places alledged

c. and therefore a ministerial power of Government is granted to them by Jesus Christ and in respect of this their place they are set in not under but over the flock the Church is in relation to its officers a Governed body and they are stiled Governours because a special charge of oversight and Government is committed to them as a work and business which they are to give a special attendance to Yet all the members of the Church are to have an oversight each of other and of the Officers themselves Col. 4. 17. Say to Archippus take heed to the Ministry which thou hast received in the Lord that thou fulfill it the Colossians are exhorted to admonish their Officer Archippus and so were to Oversee his conversation else how could they know what to admonish him for and if any brother offend the offended though no Officer is to admonish and if he doth not hear him or one or two not the Officers onely but the Church is to admonish Mat. 18. vers 15. 16 17. tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to ●ear the Church c. therefore the Church is to admonish else how can he hear it and this admonition is a part of Government for if the Church be not heard Communion with him is to be avoided let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a Publican And therefore the sole power of Government is not in the officers the Church hath a power to put forth some acts of it The officers are in a special sense Governors as being and or a more especial designation to take cognizance of and go before the Church in the ordering its affairs then any other particular members No other members can rightly challenge it as their place to be over the Church as they may But yet a power of Government is granted to the Church over its particular members though its actings therein be not under the Relation of office Under the Relation of a whole it putteth forth acts towards its parts as a boly it acteth sometimes to the cutting off particular members for the preservation of the body If a Church hath Officers they by their place are to go before the Church in directing and executing determinations according to the will of Christ but the power under Christ of determination admonition and excommunication resideth in the Church Mat. 18. 17. the acts are not of the Officers only but of the Church If a Church censureth an offender when it hath officers the officer acts towards that offender as one set over him in the Lord who hath taken a soecial charge and oversight of his so●● and urgeth duty upon him because else he shall sinfully break the Law of that Relation which is between them in crossing still the will of Christ but the Church urgeth duty upon the same offender because he shall else not onely sin against Christ but break the Law of his Relation to the body which as a member he ought to keep If a Church hath no officers it censureth offenders as a free people or spiritual corporation invested by Christ with such a power under the general Relation as a body it is to seek the preservation of it self and if possible the healing of its diseased members For it is a Church st●●● though it wanteth officers and so the Rule of Christ runneth to it Mat. 18. 17. No Church of Christ can be exemped from that Rule Communion is to be avoided with such persons as will not hear any Church of Christ when it doth admonish for such a cause as deserveth admonition Office-power where it is afforded is but the superaddition of another Relation to adde more chains to the offender if he proveth obstinate and to prevail the more with him towards submission but the power of the censure is in the Church not in the officers onely The officers are useful for the better management of censures but have not the sole power of censuring They are to Govern in censuring but the Church hath a power to censure Yet the Church doth not act under such a Relation in cen●uring as an office doth as in acts of Government in a Corporation the Bayliffes by their place and office are over the whole Corporation yet the Free-men may have power for Admission or ejection of members into or out of the freedom of the place and many by vote carry it without or against the Bayliffes but when they concur they act under one Relation and the Freemen under another and this different Relation makes a vast difference between the Bayliffes and the Freemen in their actings though the matter of the acts be the same 2. No distinctive Acts are necessary by our brethrens principles for some officers They assert-Ruling elders to be of Divine institution and yet these have no distinctive acts which they onely may perform the main argument that Ruling is that which is accounted their most proper work and yet that is not accounted incommunicable for they grant a Ruling power to the Preaching elders as well as to them If a ruling power may be communicable without making the Ruling elders function frustraneous as to its main Act why should the Preaching of gifted men render the Preaching elders office frustraneous though Preaching be his chief Act. And indeed this is it which we deny in Master Collings Argument viz. That the ministrial function or office is uselesse as to this Act of Preaching of every gifted person may do it And now we expected some Scripture proof of this the Argument being of no force if this be not proved and all that we can find he saith to it is this Object What need any particuliar persons be by the Ordinance of God appointed to do that which all may do Answ 1. We do not say that all may do it but onely that those who are really gifted may do it all Christians are not gifted 2. If there be Scripture warrant for the Preaching of gifted men then it is needful whether our reason can see it so to be or not for none of Christs institutions are needless 3. The granting liberty unto gifted men to Preach doth not render it needlesse for particular persons to be by the Ordinance of God appointed to do it in the Primitive times the Preaching of Apostles Evangelists and Prophets did not render it needlesse for Pastors and Teachers to be by an Ordinance of God appointed to do it nor did the appointing of Pastors and Teachers render Apostles c. un-necessary It helpeth not to say they were all officers who by divine appointment were to do the work for we say gifted brethren are also by divine appointment to preach and besides the argument is built upon this principle That what others may do there is no need that any particular persons should be appointed by God to do and so it will strike at those as well as others If every Church-member of ability may distribute to the poor

sutable and so like to be very profitable and advantageous to their souls which chose him A knowledge of their having sutable qualifications is pre-required unto a Churches chusing of Deacons Act. 6. v. 3. much more is it necessary unto a Churches chusing one unto a higher Office to take care of and feed their souls And because many that are otherwise eminently gifted yet are not found able to speak publickly unto edification hence it is impossible to gain a knowledge of a mans being endued with sutable qualifications without a frequent and ordinary exercise of gifts in a way of preaching a little time will not discover it Therefore an ordinary preaching is pre-requisite unto Election and so if Election must go before Ordination then it necessarily followeth that some men not ordained may preach The Minor is proved Act. 6. ver 5 6. They chose Stephen ver 6. Whom they set before the Apostles and when they had prayed they layd their hands on them The Church first chuseth before they are ordained Now it is Mr. Collings Argument Vind. pag. 77. As the Apostles ordained Gospel-preachers so they ought to be ordained But they used ordination after Election and therefore so it must be used And it 's granted by Mr. Collings and others Vind. pag. 18 that Ordination is but Actus ultimus the last and perfective Act. And we desire one Scripture to prove Ordination to Office as antecedent to Election or without it If in any case Ordination might go before Election then either a man might be an Officer to some particular Church without their chusing him whereas themselves grant pag. 155. that it is their choice that maketh one their Minister their Pastor their Shepherd Or else he might be an Officer and yet have no particular Church that he beareth Office to and how absurd is it to say that a man is a Church-Officer to no Church Or that a man is an Officer to an Universal Church when yet he is no Officer to any particular Church Neither will their distinction of habitual and actual Officers salve this sore for if a man preacheth to the Heathen people as now in New-England which case themselves put Jus Divin pag. 149. either he preacheth not as an Officer but as a gifted Brother impowred by Christ to doe such a work or else he must be an actual Officer to no Church for he actually preacheth to them though they remain all of them unconverted and no Church Argum. 2. From Gospel-Commands All that are required by Gospel-commands to Preach they may and ought to preach because else they sin in breaking those Gospel-Commands that require it of them But some men who are not ordained Officers are required by Gospel-Commands to preach Ergo Some men who are not ordained Officers may and ought to preach The Major is undenyable for no man may sin or disobey any Gospel-Commands The Minor we prove thus All that have preaching gifts and Graces or are apt to teach are required by Gospel-commands to preach But some men who are not ordained Officers have preaching gifts and graces or are apt to Teach Ergo Some men who are not ordained Officers are required by Gospel-Commands to preach The Minor is undenyable viz. That some men who are not ordained Officers have preaching gifts or are apt to Teach For it is a qualification pre-required to a mans being an Officer that he be apt to Teach 1 Tim. 3. ver 2. A Bishop then must be blameless the husband of one wife vigilant sober of good behavior given to hospitality apt to Teach Tit. 1. ver 9. None have a ground to Elect and Ordain any unless they be apt to Teach before they chuse or ordain them and therefore many not ordained have preaching gifts And for Grace it 's as unquestionable The Major viz. That all who have preaching gifts and Graces or are apt to teach are required by Gospel-Commands to preach we shall prove from 1 Pet. 4. 10 11. Heb. 10. ver 25. The former we shall insist upon most viz. 1 Pet. 4. ver 10 11. As every man hath received a gift even so Minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold Grace of God If any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God If any man Minister let him do it as of the ability which God giveth c. Where observe 1. Gods communication of gifts to the Saints As every man hath received a gift i. e. any spiritual gift he speaketh indefinitely and so it may include every gift whether publick or private It is not limited to one gift though it be expressed in the singular number but may extend to all those gifts which the Lord conferreth on his people as 1 Corin. 11. ver 28. it 's spoken in the singular number Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread A man i. e. every man who approacheth to God in that Ordinance let him examine himself So a gift i. e. any spiritual gift which he hath received from above let him use it 2. There is particularizing of that special gift of speaking to others edification in the things of Christ 1 Pet. 4. ver 11. If any man speaketh i. e. hath a gift to speak a word of exhortation unto others to edification Let him speak as the Oracles of God i. e. with reverence zeal faithfulness humility as it becometh the word of the Lord to be spoken The nature of this direction how to speak viz. as the Oracles of God and the reference this hath to the foregoing verse doe argue that it is not common speaking but some special gift of Scripture-interpretation that is intended and so it is usually carryed by Interpreters And this aptness to teach being so suddenly mentioned or following immediately after and agreeing so sutably to what is expressed ver 10. hence this 11. verse cannot rationally be denyed to have a special relation to and dependance upon verse 10. but must be concluded to be an explication how one particular gift is to be layd out which is included in that general viz. how those that have a preaching gift ought to use it 3. There is a Divine Command to exercise such gifts as are received As every man hath received a gift so Minister the same one to another Every beleever hath some gift or other and that gift which the Lord hath bestowed in an eminent way that is he under a special obligation to lay out for the Lord. Rom. 12. 6 7. There are different Gifts one man excelleth in one gift another excelleth in another gift and that way which a mans gifts especially lyeth he is especially to endeavor the promoting of the interest of Christ in the good of others in that degree that any gift is afforded in that measure is he to lay it out As he hath received so he is to Minister he that hath received much of him will much be required Such as a mans gift

intend an Officer 4. When there is a necessity of sending men for the conversion of Heathens we deny that they are sent forth as Officers or that they ought to be ordained to make them Officers before they be sent If such as are Officers and have been ordained do take a journey and preach unto Heathen people it is not in the capacity of Officers for those Heathens are of no Church but they act as persons gifted and warranted by Christ to lay out their gifts in such publick works for such ends The conversion of souls is the work of the Ministery not the proper work so as the Lord useth none but Ministers therein Parents and Masters and Neighbours may be converting instruments as well as they Ministers are lights not by vertue of Ordination or Office but illumination and gifts if men in darkness be ordained yet they are in darkness still Officers are not made lights when made Officers they were lights before therefore to shine in the exercise and improvement of their gifts and might have been Embassadors to the world though they had not been Officers to a Church Gifted men are Embassadors in a general sence for Christ and in Christs name and stead are to beseech people to be reconciled unto God for as we have proved they are warranted and commanded by Christ to preach We desire some Scripture-proof That Ordination may in any case precede Election to Office Object 2. It will also follow That there must be Churches before there be Ministers which is against Scripture and sound reason we do not deny but that there must be a Church before their Minister but not before a Minister the Church Entitative is before a Church Ministerial but yet a Minister must needs be before a Church for every Church must consist of persons baptized unbaptized persons cannot make a Church and therefore there must be a Minister to baptize them before they can be made capable to enter into Church-fellowship Our Saviour Christ chose his Apostles for the gathering of Churches there were first Apostles before Churches and afterwards the Apostles ordained Elders in these gathered Churches and one great work of these Elders was to convert the neighbouring Heathen and when converted to baptize them and gather them into Churches and therefore Elders as well as Apostles were before Churches And whosoever with us holds That none but a Minister in office can baptize must needs hold that there must be ordinary Ministers before Churches and that therefore the whole essence of the Ministerial call doth not consist in the Election of the Church Answ 1. That a Church must needs be before a Minister or Officer is evident because if one be made a Minister an Officer it is to a Church that is necessarily presupposed before one can be made an Officer to it 2. If Apostles were before Churches yet seeing their call was extraordinary and Immediate from God that doth not prove that ordinary Officers who are called by men are before Churches and the contrary is evident Act. 14. 23. When they had chosen them Elders by suffrages in every Church c. the Churches must needs be before the chusing Elders in every Church Neither can it be proved that these were Elders before they were their Elders or that ever any ordinary officers were before Churches Suppose unbaptized persons could not make a Church yet the utmost it could amount to would be but this that there must be a Minister before this or that Church it would not follow thence that there must be Ministers before Churches in general or before any Churches for look upon any Church and if it be said there was a Minister before this or that Church to baptize the persons which it consisteth of we may say then there was a Church before that Minister for he could not be an officer unless it were to some Church because Officer and Church are Relatives if it be said there was some Minister before that Church else the persons therein could not have been baptized we may answer to there must be some Church before that Minister c. and still Churches are before Ministers until we come to the Apostles dayes if the line of succession holdeth so far and if that line breaketh before we ascend so high then where the stop was made either the person baptizing was no Minister and that cutteth the throat of the objection for then they being baptized by one that was no Minister after their baptism they might become a Church before any Minister or else the person baptizing was a Minister and then it must be said he was a baptized person and yet no Church-member or else a Minister and yet an unbaptized person a Church-officer and yet no Church-member for if he were a Church-member then Church was still before the Minister and how could he become a Minister if a Church were not before If the line of succession holdeth to the Apostles dayes their call was extraordinary and they being the onely Officers that were before Gospel Churches it speaketh nothing at all against Election of the Church as giving the whole essence of the call to ordinary Officers and it is the call of ordinary Officers onely that this question is about whether that consisteth in Election or not 3. That a great work of ordinary Elders was to convert the neighbouring Heathens we grant but that they acted as Elders in their conversion we deny that ordinary Elders did baptize then when converted before their being gathered into Churches is a thing which they have not given us any Scripture-proof for A Church is not to suffer persons in it to continue unbaptized but we conceive unbaptized persons may make a Church and then either by Communion with other Churches or by chusing and ordaining an Officer for it self persons in it may be baptized and thus we may hold that none but a Minister in office can baptize and yet need not hold that there must be ordinary Ministers before Churches which to be sure the Gospel speaketh as little of as of unbaptized persons making a Church And so we have answered their arguments against Election as essential to the call to office Two Arguments of Mr. Hookers they undertake to answer by asserting that Officers as such do sustain a relation to a universal Church and by distinguishing between the persons which give being to a Minister as to be their Minister and those which give being to him as to be a Minister but because neither the assertion nor the distinction are proved to have any sooting in Scripture therefore we passe them over CHAP. XIIII Wherein is shown that the Essence of the Ministerial Call doth not consist in Ordination OOur Brethren in their book called Jus Divin Mini. pag. 140. c. endeavour to prove that Ordination of Ministers is an Ordinance of Christ If Ordination be taken in a right sense by Ministers be nnderstood officer we can own the Assertion