Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	age_n	church_n	tradition_n	3,033	5	9.4226	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82555	The Quakers confuted, being an answer unto nineteen queries; propounded by them, and sent to the elders of the church of Duckenfield in Cheshire; wherein is held forth much of the doctrine and practise concerning revelations, and immediate voices, and against the holy Scriptures, Christs ministry, churches and ordinances &c. Together with an answer to a letter which was written and sent by one of them to a family of note and quality in the said county, which pleaded for perfection in this life, and for quaking. By Samuel Eaton, teacher of the Church of Christ heretofore meeting at Duckenfield, now in Stockport in Cheshire.	Eaton, Samuel, 1596?-1665.; Waller, Richard, d. 1657.	1654 (1654)	Wing E125; Thomason E719_8; ESTC R9865	69,620	98

our own upon such Scriptures which they have given out which is not their sense but that which is Jeft to us is to find out the sense and meaneing which they have put as in Re2 13. 18. after some mystical things had been held out in which there was a meaning but hard to be understood it is is said Here is Wisdom let him that understandeth count the Number of the Beast that is let him set all his Wisdom and understanding that he hath on work to search it out Nevertheless it is not to be understood that the meaning which the Apostles intended in the Scripture which they gave out doth perpetually follow the sound of the Letter for the Letter contains contradiction many times in it but the Apostles meaning as he interprets himself hath sweet congruity in it without contradiction Querie 3. Whether Plagues be not added to them who add Concerning adding to and diminishing from the Scripture In what sense it is to be understood to the Prophecies Written in the Book And whether his name be not diminished out of the Book of Life who diminisheth And whether you can witness this name yea or no Answ It is plain and clear from Rev. 22. 18. that the Evils are great and terrible that are threatned against adding and diminishing But what this adding and diminishing is that hath such woes belonging to it is the question If expounding the Scripture and interpreting it and shewing the sense and meaning thereof be the adding or diminishing that the question intends against which such a fearful Sentence is pronounced then it would reach Ezra and those others with him mentioned Nehem. 8. 7 8. For they read and they gave the sense and caused the people to understand the reading And Christ also gave the sense of those words in Isai 61. 1 2 3. and declared how they were fulfilled in himself and he expounded Moses and the Prophets their Writings to those two Disciples who were travelling towards Emmaus And Philip guided the Eunuch in his reading unto the right sense of the Prophet Isar in Chap. 53. 7 8 9. He shewed the Prophet spake not of himself but of another via Christ Acts 8. 31. 34 And what was preaching the Gospal ordained of God for And why were Gifts given unto men but that the People might be brought to Knowledge and might come to understand the Scriptures Therefore the Apostles were much exercised in opening those sealed Prophesies which were often read and never understood which respected Christ and in proving out of them that Jesus was the Christ Therefore the interpreting of Scripture is not adding to it so long as it is not any private interpretation that is given which a mans heart hath found out and his fancy hath imagined but such an interpretation as agreeth to the Spirit of the Scripture in other places 2 Pet. 1. 20 21. and such as accords with the Analogy of Faith Rom. 12. 6. that is holds Proportion with the Doctrine of Faith as it is laid down in other Scriptures This is not adding but adding is when the sufficiency of the Scriptures to build men up to salvation and to make them perfect throughly furnished unto every good work is not acknowledged and thereupon Traditions Canons and Doctrines and Commandments of men are brought in and annexed and imposed upon the people As of old by the Scribes and Pharisees which Christ so often conflicted with and by the Roman Synagogue and by some of that stamp amongst our selves And when Persons assume an Authority and Power to themselves to be the Judges of the Scripture and expunge what they please out of it and introduce into it what liketh them and what sense they give unto it whether it agrees or not agres with other Scriptures yet that must be the sense of of it and none must question it Whereas Scripture it self ought to be its own interpreter else there would be no plain standing rule to try truth by but the Truth of God must be subjected to the various and opposite fancies of men And when Persons pretend the Spirit and say they have dreamed and come with their apprehensions and say it is made out so to them or it is so given in to them and though there be never so much repugnancy in it to other Scriptures yet that must be the sense by which means the Spirit of Truth comes to suffer many affronts in this Age This is adding And indeed the rigid adhering to the letter of Scriptures and to the sound of words therein without admitting a wholesom sense such as accords with other Scriptures is adding which is the way of all Seducers and Deceivers to make their blasphemous doctrine the more vendible For the letter of Scripture in some places without searching out a sound sense will countenance Papists Arrians Ranters and whom not in their Tenents This is the introducing of another Scripture then that which is Scripture indeed and it is properly such adding to the Scripture against which such plagues are denounced Let these Persons who are called Quakers look to this for it is their grand imposture wherewith they beguilc the people they bring the Letter where it serves for their purpose as the Papists were wont to bring their hoc est corpus meum This is my Body to prove the bodily presence of Christ in the Sacrament And these press upon the people the Letter and cry out upon the Ministers of Christ and say they are lying Priests and they lead the people in darkness and so by the Letter destroy the sense of Scripture and bring in another sense which is not Scripture-sense and so themselves are found both adders to and diminishers from the Scripture Querie 4. Whether you have an infallible Judgement to judge of things eternal yea or no Concering Infalibility in judging how fat men may have it and how far not Answ The first state of every man is darkness the natural man understands not the things that are of God they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. When any man is brought from darkness to light even then he knoweth but in part Paul himself was in some darkness now we see through a glass darkly said he of himself and others 1 Cor. 13. 12. Those to whom John wrote who had the annointment to teach them all things and of whom John said that they knew all things which was but an hyperbolical expression and did import only much knowledge to be in them 1 Ioh. 2. 20 21 27. yet those were not all light without any darkness but they were such who might be deceived and were subject to errour therefore the Apostle warns them of Seducers not withstanding the unction that they have received They had not an infallible judgement but might be mistaken in some of the things of God though they had the Spirit for the Spirit gives himself out

shewed It is against all outward teaching against singing of Psalms against Ministery against Sacraments expresly against Infants baptism against publick prayer against all set times dayes and hours of performing religious duties the 10 11 12 15 17 18 19. Queries do declare all this Now whether these be Ordinances of Christ and how they will be maintained so to be will be the Question and for our own justification must be discussed I have already given some touches respecting outward teaching and have endeavoured to clear up our practise in singing of Psalms and shall now attempt to vindicate other of our ways and the ways of the Churches of Christ from unjust exceptions and discuss them as I meet with them in the paper And first concerning sprinkling of Infants there is so much Concerning the sprinkling of Infants written for and against this practise that I accompt it lost time to make any large debate about it onely something of that which satisfies us in reference to our own practise I shall present First for the Act of sprinkling we use it not though something may be held out to justifie it The blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling Heb. 12. 24. and cleansing was by sprinkling blood Heb. 9. 13. and sprinkling of blood was used in the Passeover and signified cleansing therefore seeing water in Baptism typifies Christs blood and the application of it signifies cleansing from sin why may not the water be sprinkled on the subject of Baptism to signifie the cleansing away of sin by the blood of Christ If any object further let such as use it maintain it Our practise is to use the water of Baptism in a washing way which sutes well with the mysterie in it which is washing away of sin Act. 22. 16. And the Greek word which is put for baptism is applied to Tables brazen vessels beds and such like things which was not by dipping but by the application of water in a washing way Mar. 7. 4. So that though the word signifie dipping yet it signifies washing also which warrants the application of water in Baptism in a washing way Secondly for the subject of baptism whether it be to be applyed to Infants amongst many things I shall onely present this viz. That Baptism is an outward Seal of an outward and visible Covenant of Grace which runs always upon the condition of believing and is to be applyed to visible believers or Saints and is also to be extended in reference to the subject as far as the Covenant is extended and if the Covenant be extended not onely to visible believers but to their whole Infant seed as from Gen. 17. 7. compared with Exod. 12. 48 49. and also from Deut. 29. 10 11. appears then the Seal of it must extend so far also I shall confirm all this first that it is a Seal for God having promised such a blessing as the taking away of sin in the Covenant of Grace Jer. 31. 34. would by the Ordinance of Baptism in the application of the element of water in a washing way to the body have the baptized person to know and believe that he washeth away the sin of the Soul by the blood of Christ Act. 22. 16. therefore it is said Act. 2. 38. be baptized for the remission of sins not to effect it but to assure it to you secondly that it is an outward Seal because all is external and visible the water is which is as it were the Seal the washing is which is as it were the Sealing or the putting on of the Seal the body is which is as it were the thing sealed all is outward and done before men but whether it be done in the conscience really and inwardly by the Spirit that is a secret and known to God And the Spirit onely is the inward Seal that assures the heart And many times the outward confirmation is separated from the inward assurance as in Simon Magus he had the outward sign of remission of sins but not remission of sins it self Thirdly that it is an outward Seal of an outward and visible covenant of Grace because the profession of faith with shews of reality is all that is required unto the bringing of persons into it and unto the participation of the Seal of it It was enough to the Eunuch he professed his Faith and Philip baptized him he could not see into the heart to know the truth of it yet he baptized him And Ananias and Saphira and Simon Magus their profession brought them within the Covenaut and gave them a right to the Seal of it and not any truth of Faith it self for there was none And indeed that Covenant wherein the ministery of man in made use of in the making of it must needs be external Fourthly that it is extended in reference to the subject of it as far as the Covenant is excended because it is the confirmation of it to the subjects of it and the confirmation must need be as large as the Covenant but this is not doubted of by any Fifthly that the Covenant is not onely extended to visible Believers but also to their whole Infant seed because in Gen. 17. 7. we finde it so for it runs in these words I will be thy God now this is comprehensive of all blessings even the very highest as Heb. 11. 16. shews and it is the same for substance with that in Jer. 33. 33. which is called a new Covenant And Circumcision that sealed it is called The Seal of the righteousness of Faith Rom. 4. 11. and the Circumcision of the flesh did signifie the circumcision of the heart Col. 2. 11. And the Gentiles that professed Abraham's Faith which had nothing to do with Canaan entred into it and spiritual priviledges were sealed to them Exod. 12. 48 49. by which it appeareth to be a Covenant of Grace And for the subject it was with Abraham a Believer and with his seed what seed his whole Infant seed for the application of the seal viz. Circumcision to the whole Infant seed shews that the Covenant extended it so far And Deut. 29. 10 11. clears it That the Covenant was with the little ones And though all Infants are not counted the seed as to spiritual and eternal blessings as indeed neither are all that profess Faith with shews of reality as Demas c. to be accounted the true spiritual seed yet they are the seed as to Church priviledges and external Ordinances of a spiritual nature and so were all Abrahams Infant natural seed and Believers seed in all Ages the true seed as to the enjoying of such Ordinances Concerning praying before and after Sermon first we Concerning praying before and after Sermon finde that in the meetings of the first Christian Church at erusalem there was Doctrine breaking of bread and prayers in which Ordinances that Church of Christ was conversant Act. 2. 42. Secondly we finde that the Apostles whose work was to attend upon