Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	apostle_n	church_n	primitive_a	4,139	5	9.1134	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45125	The axe laid to the root of separation, or, The churches cause against it by the author who wrote in the late Times for free admission to the Lord's Supper.	Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.	1685 (1685)	Wing H3670; ESTC R225063	79,856	182

that have an External Right to them be Denyed to any one the fuller Definition of General Grace before laid down duly also considered who upon an Assent to the Truth of the Gospel doth desire Admission upon this Account or to this End If there be any Reason for their Refusal otherwise well and good but it must be left to themselves to make further Application as to their Special Interest only by way of Consequence and Deduction according to their Evidence of having or not having performed the Condition required to the Benefits of Remission and Salvation It is Objected in the Cure of Church-Divisions 1. This Doctrine confounds the Catechumens with the Christians Answ It is true that the Primitive Church after the Apostles in the Times of the Ten Persecutions were very strict in their Admitting Members and so had their Catechumeni which continued upon the good Use of that Custom for a long Season And Albaspinaeus as I remember does tell us a good Reason they had for it in regard of the Danger they then were in in case of any False Brother upon which Account we find the Disciples at first so shy of Paul Act. 9.26 who might at that time betray the whole Church and her Sacred Mysteries to the Persecutor Besides the horrid Scandal to those both Within and Without in the Case of the Lapsi This Reason being now ceased God be blessed and the Command of Christ with the First Times of the Gospel and Acts of the Apostles being the Rule and Examples which we are to follow in our Practice this Objection I must say is for the Times before Constantine but is now out of date The Practice of the Apostles we find otherwise the Practice of the Church now we know otherwise There was Reason after the Apostle's Time for this Strictness but the Rule was not so at first What Would you like that the People of our Mixt Churches should be held but as Catechumens and when any are grown to be Sound Christians the Independent should Gather them into Their Congregations Our Times continue no such Custom Infant-Baptism alone confounds this Objection 2. This Doctrine makes the Church consist of such as are no Christians Of such as take Christ for their Teacher and not their King Answ Of Such or most Such as are no Regenerate Christians It was the Belief of their Creeds among the Antients made them Christians and there is none of us believe Christ to be a Teacher but he believes Him also a Priest and a King I understand not this dividing Christ's Offices He that comes in but to the Conventional Government of Christ and submits to the Institutions of it takes Him for his King Nay he that takes Christ for his Teacher takes Him Therein also to be his Ruler that is to be led by Him And I say the Vnregenerate takes Christ to be his Ruler so far as to joyn in his Ordinances and so far as he takes Him the Minister cannot Refuse him If he takes Him so far as to Obey Him farther it is his Duty and his Salvation depends upon it But if no farther so far as any will take Him or come in to Him it is the General Grace of God and Christ that must and that will warrant his Admission against all that gainsay it 3. They therefore that hold this the dividing Christ's Offices introduce a New Christianity Answ And they that savor it not retain but the Old 4. And a New sort of Baptism Answ No good Sir but another Profession than That which by an unavoidable Consequence must else bring us all to Separation It is true that the Tradition of Baptism is Sacred and it is a Benefit not to be lost that it hath delivered down what Christianity is by our Christening But Infant-Baptism is a part of that Tradition if the Fathers be not out And I hope that we may know what Christianity is by engaging our Children to it as well as by our making them de praesenti to Profess it If the Child be made to answer Polliceor and that in the Sense which respects both Parts of the Covenant as hath been intimated it will be all one with an Abrenuncio as for that The Church her self which for the Antient Forms sake retains the Words in her Baptism does recal them in effect by rendring this Interpretation in her Catechism 5. This large Doctrine destroys the Special Love of Christ's Members Answ By no means We are to Receive all that are Willing We know not how Far they are Willing If they be Willing to come in thus Far they may be Such for ought we know as are willing Altogether And as Charity Hopeth all things as well as Believeth all things we are to judge the best of them and behave our selves to them accordingly Besides it is too narrow a thing for Brotherly Love to sit down in the Comforts only of my Brethren's Mutual Faith and not be at the Pains for their Conversion 6. Hence it will follow that the Church must be constituted of Two sorts of Professors and so be Two Churches Answ There is one thing I must remember while I think of it which else may work a great deal of Prejudice to my CAUSE It must be acknowledged that our Divines generally do make Profession to be That which gives Right Coram Ecclesia to the Ordinances and Membership and Truth of Grace say the most Coram Deo Now whil'st I seem to lay another Ground which is Willingness or Consent upon Belief of the Gospel upon the Account of General Grace both Coram Deo and Ecclesia I must declare that This is or shall be accounted by me to be Profession I say That when a Man comes and offers himself to joyn or joyns with the Church in her Service this is Profession If any will not let me call This Profession then I must say It is Not Profession but This Consent or Willingness upon Receiving the Word that is the Rule of Admission If they will then I say It is My Profession is the Rule and not Theirs which is a Profession of no less than Regeneration Not but that a Man who believes the Gospel and comes in may make what Profession of Grace he Can and Will as he hath occasion without Making or Marring the Constitution of the Church The Church is Constituted of the Willing of those that Offer Themselves These are Regenerate and Vnregenerate according to Christ's Intendment in several of his Parables This Church moreover I must say is Catholick One and Entire after Cyprian de Vnitate Ecclesiae and after Augustine The Objection then of Two Churches upon the Diversity of Professions that being not our Rule is built upon the Sand tho' the Church Political and Mystical be not indeed the same There are more Objections with greater Variety in the Book called Right to Sacraments And the Sum of most of them I take it comes to This. The whole Church have