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
A94733	An apology or plea for the Two treatises, and appendix to them concerning infant-baptisme; published Decemb. 15. 1645. Against the unjust charges, complaints, and censures of Doctor Nathanael Homes, Mr Iohn Geree, Mr Stephen Marshall, Mr John Ley, and Mr William Hussey; together with a postscript by way of reply to Mr Blakes answer to Mr Tombes his letter, and Mr Edmund Calamy, and Mr Richard Vines preface to it. Wherein the principall heads of the dispute concerning infant-baptism are handled, and the insufficiency of the writings opposed to the two treatises manifested. / By Iohn Tombes, B.D.	Tombes, John, 1603?-1676.	1646 (1646)	Wing T1801; Thomason E352_1; ESTC R201072	143,666	170

any other direction then about particular injuries between brother and brother or let him be to thee a heathen and a publican be any other then shunning familiar converse whether 1 Cor. 5. 2. the mourning that the incestuous person might be taken away from among them was any other then upon solemn fasting and prayer by the whole Church of Corinth out of a holy zeale to Gods glory by Anathema curse or imprecation to imprecate the vengeance of God upon him for the injury hee had done to God and the Christian profession that he might be taken away from them by God and whether the delivery to Satan were any other then an act of Apostolicall power or such as like them had power over unclean spirits tending to the taking away his naturall life as Molinaeus in his Vate● And I conceive the Apostle verse 9 10 11 12. of that chapter proceeds from that particular occasion to generall directions concerning the d●●lining society with them that are vitious which directions are manifestly concerning arbitrary and voluntary society in civill things such as in a sort in some case they might afford to infidels and then concludes And ye shall put away from among your selves that wicked one which as Ainsworth observeth on Deut. 17. 7. are the same words that the Greeke useth Deut. 17. 7. and in like manner Deut. 22. 21. 22. 24. noting the event of executing judgement by killing whereby the guilty person and the guilt of his transgression was removed from them And in reference to the incestuous person if notes the consequent of their mourning that he might be taken away from them v. ● not by such a processe as is either used in Episcopall Courts or Presbyteriall Consistories or Congregationall meetings though I think this last way comes nearest to it of any of the three by conventing trying hearing w●nesses and then pronouncing a judiciall sentence according to the determination of one or more by plurality of votes but by a solemn detestation of the fact mourning for it and with joint commotion and concurrence of spirit complaining of it to God and imploring his vengeance to cut him off and so to vindicate his own name and people Which I conceive the Lord did then in an extraordinary way when they had no Christian Magistrate or other power to avenge that injury to God and his people in that Ch●rch which was endued abundantly with speciall gifts 1 Cor. 1. 7. 1 Cor. 12. 1 Cor. 14. Which fact I for my part doubt how it can be made the foundation of an ordinary meer Ecclesiasticall judgement with jurisdiction as superiours that claime authority without speciall gift in the time wherein a Christian Magistrate is ready to execute judgement on such offendors any more then the fact Judg. 20. of the whole congregation of Israel in avenging the fact of the men of Gibeah when there was no King in Israel might be drawn into example for an ordi●nary practise when they had Judges m●ch lesse how hence may be concluded any such thing as power of suspension from the Lords supper for every emergent scandall so judged by a congregation or congregationall Presbytery Nor doth the Church loose by having a Christian Magistrate if that jurisdiction be wanting sith I suppose it is better provided for by the constant care of a christian Magistrate if conscientious in executing judgement if not such censures have been seldome executed with conscience or good effect And though it be that many magnifie the vertue and benefite of their juridical excommunication yet the best intelligence I have makes me question whether it hath not been rather an engine of much harme as being used rather against dissenters in opinion and opposers of profit then men openly vitious mannagers of that cen●ure generally shewing themselves irreconcileable to them that dissent from them but favourable enough to vitious living Neverthelesse I deny not but that there is a discipline proper to the Church as namely in case of erroneous doctrine and superstitious pra●tise contrary to the christian faith or worship according to the practise Acts 15. and command Tit. 3. 10. Rev. ● 24. 20. and in case of vitious life according to the scriptures 1 Tim. 5. 20. 2 Thess 3. 6. 14 15. 1 Cor. 5. 9 10 11. And if any assembly of Ministers and Rulers bee set up for the better discovery of such that a person be not charged with those evills upon uncertain reports I think it agreeable to Gods will 1 Tim. 5. 19. And if it happen that any such facts be perpetrated as are like to that of the incestuous person I doubt not but the whole Church may and ought to disclaime the person so offending and to exclude him from all brotherly communion because I conceive so much was done to the incestuous person as I gather from 2 Cor. 2. 6 7. yet herein they did not act as Judges that had power of jurisdiction over him but as Physicians out of charity seeking to cure him And I suppose in the manner of doing these things we have not certain precise direction from Gods word but that we are left free by God to order such things though pertaining to christians as christians by alterable rules of prudence And thus farre I have thought good to expresse my selfe in this matter because of Mr Marshals words tending to render me suspected as if I did monstri aliquid alere nourse some monster As for my opinion about baptizing I have publiquely declared when I examined whether to visible Church membership were necessary reall sanctity in the judgement of Church-officers that by profession sufficient to it I mean a profession of repentance and faith in Christ which is serious sober free and understanding but denied that it is necessary there should be a further probation by trying mens spirits so as to satisfie the particular congregation or Church-officers that a person be admitted to Church-membership and the Lords Supper I confesse such triall is requisite in admitting into speciall function or intimate society but not to communion in worship And my opinion is that as much is required to make capable of baptisme as of the Lords Supper and that being admitted to the one if rightly performed they are not to be debarred of the other for want of a further triall of their spirits And though I never said that by rectifying Baptisme all the abuses I mention following padobaptisme would be removed for I did not make paedobaptisme the sole or principall cause of them that is mans corruption which will fall into those or the like in some measure if paedobaptisme were removed yet it is true which I said in my Examen part 2. § 7. the onely way to further reformation is to begin in a regular way at the purging of that Ordinance of Jesus Christ to wit Baptisme Even as though all ignorance and superstition were not removed by removing Latin Service yet that was the onely regular way to