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	teacher_n	2,224	5	8.9443	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41783	The Pædo-baptists apology for the baptized churches shewing the invalidity of the strongest grounds for infant baptism out of the works of the learned assertors of that tenent, and that the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins is a duty incumbent upon all sinners who come orderly to the profession of Christianity : also the promise of the Spirit [b]eing the substance of a sermon on I Cor. 12, I, to which is added a post-script out of the works of Dr. Jer. Taylor in defence of imposition of hands as a never failing ministery / by Tho. Grantham.	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.; Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.	1671 (1671)	Wing G1541; ESTC R39521	38,200	120

designs prevented and though perhaps charity for some time hath born with such in hope of the best yet this is no other thing then ought to be as may be seen by the carriage of our Lord toward Judas and his Apostles towards fome others The gifts of Doctrine and praising our God with a Psalme is not yet removed our Teachers as taught of God remaining in every Church where also are some that are skillfull in praisiing the Lord to the edification of the Church As for Revelations there might perhaps sometimes be strange or hidden things made known by some speciall gift of God and why may not God do such things now However it is not unsafe to understand the Revellations here ment by Chap. 14. 30. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his peace c. which cannot so well be understood af a new Oracle as of some further subject or more full explication of the matter treated on by him that spake first according to which interpr●tation we may say the Church hath yet the gift of Revellations And thus far we seem to be got safe not any thing so materiall intervening as to conclude against the continuance of these spirituall gifts in the Church to this day so that the present repairers of the House or City of God may comfort themselves by the consideration of the words of the Prophet Hagg. 2. 5. According to the word which I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt so my SPIRIT REMAINETH amo●g you fear ye not But now the g●ft of Tongues and interpretation of Tongues these where shall we find them Doubtless these gifts are rarely if at all found in these days and in this Nation so as to sute with those who frequently in some Churches at first received those gifts the reasons are many but none such as conclude the Church from under the promise of these gifts as first these gifts differ much from the rest chiefly in this that they may be supply'd another way for the conversion of persons of all Languages or such as can speak other Languages and interpret the same to others doth supply the absence of those gifts 2. The Churche in this and I suppose other Nations have very little need of these gifts and therefore considering that they are not so necessary as the rest the Apostle leaves these with a forbid them not whilst the rest he wills us to c●v●t earnestly But 3 one great cause as I conceive why these g●fts are so much absent and the other no more received i● because we either ask them not at all or else we ask them amiss For many have been so ●ar from a king these gifts of the spirit that in truth they have been arguing that these gifts are not attainable and then t is no wonder they have not been received Again where there hath been some understanding of the interest we have in those gifts there faith in asking hath been and is very low and atended perhaps with great wavering and then little can be expected at the hand of the Almighty Jam. 1. And here let me premonish you of one thing which by my little reading I perceive to have been a great provocation to the Lord to wi●hdraw his gifts in times p●st and I fear it again And that was ●and and I doubt is an over curious performance of that which God gave spirituall gifts for to wit the ministering of the word when the Churches grew populous and great personages came to her communion the unwary pastours let go the simplicity of th● Gospell enclining so much to curiosities that some Counsells decreed tha● a B●shop should not read Heathen Authors and Gra●ian is said to have this passag● viz. Doth not he seem to wa●k in vanit● and da●kness of mind who vexing himself day a●d night in the studies of Logick in the persuite of physicall specula●ion one while elevates himself above the highest Heavens and afterward throws himself below the nethermost part of the Earth True the use that may be made o● reading is one thing and the abuse another however let the least gift o● God be preferred in the ministry o● the word above the greatest of human Arts otherwise we are in danger to incur the guilt of despising Prophysyings Lastly the truth in hand appeareth from the silence of Scriptures touching th● privation of any of the gifts of the spi●it till that which is perfect become 1. ●or 13. 8. 9. Charity never faileth but whether there be prophesies they shall fail whether there be tongues they shall cease whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away for we know in part and we prophe●●e in part But when that which is perfect is come THEN that which is in part sha'l be done away Hence observe a finall determination of the matter in question If any ask when the gifts of prophysie knowledge and tongues c. Shall cease The Apostles answer is even THEN when that which is perfect is come or when we come to see face to face or as we are seen So then seeing the gifts of the spirit do yet remain to the Church and every of them as her need requires are attainable it remains that we humbly consider our wants and desire spirituall gifts you ●ove● earnestly the best gifts From these considerations I conclude that howsoever it is too true that the gifts received by the present Churches are but low and truly so are her graces yet thence we may not we ought not to infer that the gifts promised are ceased or that the Church hath now no interest therein But contrarywise as the promise of gifts as well as graces pertains to us as we are the called of God we ought to ●tir one another up to seek with all dilligence and full assurance for the spirit of promise which being received will abundantly supply our wants help our infirmities convince the contrary minded by its powerfull evidence and demonstration in the ministry of the word and prayer There be two things objected against that which is said the first Ob If the promise of the spirit do thus belong to the Church then this will follow that the doctrines delivered by such gifted men must pass for Oracles of God being the effects ●f the spirit of truth whose propertie it 〈◊〉 to lead into all truth And hence ●ome have conceived the decrees ●f their Counsells to be infallible and ●thers have given out of their private ●tters or books that they were as in●allibly the word of God as the Scrip●ure c. Ans 1. Those gifts do not argue ●he infallibillity of him that hath them ●or then all the gifted brethren at Co●inth had been infallible which yet they ●ere not witness their great want of Wisdom how to use their gifts to edi●ication as also the Apostles refer●ing what they delivered to Tryal telling ●s of gifted person in general and as ●uch not

divine institution is from Heaven the promise which it leads to ●s perpetual and Universal it belong to the whole body There is one body and one Spirit even as ye are called i● 〈◊〉 hope of your calling A POST-SCRIPT Taken out of the Works of Dr. Jer. Taylor in defence of laying on of Hands as a never-failing Ministery WE have seen the Original of laying on of hands from Christ the practice and exercise of it in the Apostles and the first converts in Christianity that which I shall now remark is that this is established and passed into a Christian Doctrine The Waranty for what I say is the words of St. Paul where the holy Rite of confirmation so called from the effect of this Ministration and expressed by the Ritual part of it imposition of hands is reckoned a Foundamental point 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not laying again the foundation of Repentance from Deas works and of faith towards God of the Doctrine of baptism and of laying on of hands of Resurrection from the dead and of Eternal Judgement Here are six foundamental points of St. Pauls Catechism which he said as t●e foundation or beginning of the institution of the Christian Church and amongst these imposition of hands is reckoned as a p●rt of the foundation and therefore they who deny it dig up foundations Now that this imposition of hands is that which the Apostles used in confirming the baptized and invocating the Holy G●ost upon them rem●ins to be pro●●● Absolution of penitents cannot be meant here not only b●cause we never read that the Apostles did use that Ceremony in their absolutions but because the Apost●e speaking of the foundation in which baptism is There need●d no absolution but bap●ismal for they and we believi●g gone baptism for the rem●ssion of sins this is al the absolution that can be at the first and in the foundation The other was secunda post 〈◊〉 frag●●m tabula 〈◊〉 me in after when men had m●de Shipwrack of their good Conscienscience and were as St. Peter saith unmindful of the former cleansing 2. It cannot be meant of Ordination and this is also evident 1. Because the Apostle saves he would thence forth leave to speak of the foundation and go on to perfection that is to higher misteries Now in Ri●uals of which he speaks there is none higher then Ordination 2. The Apostle saying he would speak no more of laying on of hands goes presentl● to discourse of the misteriousness of the Evangelical Priest-hood and the honor of that vocation by which it is evident he spake nothing of Ordination in the Catechism or Narrative of Foundamentals 3. This also appears from t●e context not only because laying on of hands is Immediately set after baptism but also because in the very next words of this discourse he does enumerate and apportion to baptism and imp●sition of hands their proper and proportioned effects To b●ptism il●umira●ion And to Confirma●ion he reckons tasting the Heavenly gift and being made par●akers of the Holy Ghost By the thing sig●ified declaring the sign and by ●he miste●y the 〈◊〉 Upon these words ●t Chrisostom● discoursing sayes That all these are foundamental Articles that it that ●e ought to repent from dead works to be baptized ●●to the Faith of Christ and be made worthy of the gift of the spirit who is given by imposition of hands and we are to be taught the misteries of the Resurrection and Eternal Judgement This Catechism sayes he is perfect so that if any Man have Faith in God and being baptized is also confirmed and so tasts the Heavenly gift and partakes of the Holy Ghost by hope of the resurrection tasts of the good things of the World to come if he falls away from this state digging down and turning up these foundations he shall never be built again he can never be baptized again Confirmed again God will not begin again c. He cannot be made a Christian twice This is the full explication of this excellent place and any other ways it cannot be reasonably exp●icated I shall observe one thing more out of this Testimony of St. Paul He cal●s it the Doctrine of baptism and laying on of hands by which it does not only appear to be a lasting Ministry because no part of the Christian Doctrine could change or be abolished but hence also it appears to be divine Institution For it were not St. Paul had been guilty of that which our blessed Savior reproves in the Scribes and Pharises and should have taught for doctrines the Commandements of Men. Which because it cannot be supposed it must follow that this doctrine of confirmation or imposition of hands is Apostolicall and divine The argument is clear and not easily to be reproved Yea but what is this to us it belong'd to the days of wonder and extraordinary The Holy Ghost breathed upon the Apostle● and Apostolicall men but then he breath'd his last vecendente gratiae recessit disiplina when the grace departed we had no further need of the cerimony In Answer to this I shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by divers particulars evince plainly that this Ministry was not temporary and relative only to the Acts of the Apostles but was to descend to the Church for ever This indeed is done already in the proceeding Sect in which it is clearly manifested that Christ himself made the baptism of the spirit necessary to the Church He declar'd the fruits of this baptism and did particularly relate it to the descent of the holy spirit upon the Church at and after that glorious Pe●tie●st He sa●ctified it and commended it b● hi● example just as he sanctified the flood Jordan and all other waters to the misticall washing away of sin viz. by his great example and fulfi●ling this righteousness also This doctrine the Apostles first found in their own persons and experience and practised to all their Converts by a solemn and externall rite And all this p●ssed into an Evangelicall doct●ine the whole mistery being signified by the externall rite in the words of the Apostle as before it was by Christ expressing only the internall So that there needs n● more strength to this argument But that there may be wanting no moments to this t●uth which the holy scripture affords I shall add more weight to it And 1. The perpetuity of this rite appears because this great gift of the Holy Ghost was promised to abide with the Chu●ches for ever And when the Je●s hea●d the Apostles speak with tongues at the first and miraculous d●s●ent of the spirit in Pen●●c●st to take of the stra●ge●ess of the wond●r and the envy of the power St. Pe●er at that very time tells them plainly Re●●nt and be baptiz●d eve●y one of you and 〈◊〉 shall rece●●e the gift of the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not the meanest person among you all but shall receive this great thing which ye observe us to have received and not

be referred to the whole time of that glorious dispens●●ion if the first then how shall all the called of the Lord receive it Or who will tell us when these days expired But we know that These days the latter days last time and last days are used with some frequency in Scripture to point out the time of the Gospel as it succeeded the time of the Law During all which time we are sure that the duties in generall and perhaps some difficult duties which were not formerly known which were imposed upon the first Churches are laid upon the Churches to the end of the World Mat. 28. 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you c. Must the Churches now contend earnestly for the faith and that both against old and new errors must she be the Salt of the Earth the Light of the World must she strive to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to all Nations must she keep her self in the Love of God building up her self in her most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost Surely if these duties remain and the Lord requires that she should glorifie him in the faithful and constant discharge hereof as also in suffering for his sake It cannot reasonably be imagined that he should recall his holy spirit in the gifts thereof from her who when she had them all had nothing that was superfluous but stood in need of all to furnish her for the work she stood ingaged to do in these forementioned and other like considerations sith then our God doth require the same service of his Churches now which he required of his Churches in the first ages of the Gospel let us not imagine he will require the same Brick and not allow the same Straw That the gifts of the spirit here intendby our Apostle are the portion of the Church in every age as her right appeareth from the nature of these exhortations she is under to ask them Luk. 11. 13. How much more shall your Heavenly Father give his holy spirit to them that ask it ask and it shall be given unto you vers 10. How frequent is our Apostle in these 3. Chapters in his exhortations to this Church and in them to all others to desire spirituall gifts to covet earnestly the best gifts to covet to prophesie wishing that they may speak with tongues and warning them not to prohibet that gift Now to what purpose is all this if these gifts be ceased and that the Church may not now expect them I hope no man will say these exhortations are now out of date least in so doing he deprive us of the exhortation to Charity for they are so linked together as the one cannot cease as 't is an exhortation before the other Follow after Charity and desire spiritual gifts and rather that ye may prophesie Thus we see the Church being under perpetual exhortations to seek for spiritual gifts without any restirction necessarily infers her perpetual right to them and every of them which consideration alone is sufficient as I conceive to satisfie any Christian that the promise of the Spirit even the same that was given to the first Churches in respect of gifts as well as graces belongs to the Church of Christ throughout all ages Let us now consider whether the Church of God do not even now injoy the promised spirit in the gifts and graces of it at this day for the latter I think there is none do●h question it and yet should the graces or fruits of the spirit which now appear be strictly considered by what did formerly shine forth in the Churches it might peradventure put us to some pause yet not thence to conclude that we have not that spirit of grace or that the graces thereof are ceased but it would surely become a provocation to cry mightily to God for an enlargement of what we have received in that behalf And as I intend not to boast of the gifts of any so I may safely presume that the gifts received in these days are far more then I can set down or give you account of because the Church is diffused through many Nations and her gifts there unknown to me I will then restrain my observations to the Churches in this poor Island who may not vie with all Churches but rather in humility conclude themselves to be short of many concerning spirituall gifts And yet shall we say she hath none or may we not rather say she hath many that are endowed with a word of knowledge and that meerly by a gift from God having otherwise no capacity or fa●ulty more then others but therein far short of many of their brethren only the gift of God and no naturall faculty hath made the differance How have men of knowledge in this world been found to have no skill and the foolish to attain knowledge and some to excell so far as to confound the wisdome of the wise and to bring to nought the understanding of the prudent yet out of the mouth of Babes hath our God ordained strength and thereby hath sometimes stilled the enemy And as Wisdome is usefull to direct so hath God given it to such as fear him who if we respect their education c. could never have acquired it some by a word of wisdome here understand the well ordering of affaires in the Church others the right or usefull applycation of the word c. surely according to these expositions the Church hath some even by the gift of the spirit of God to go before here in these respects Neither is the gift of Healings so abnegated but that something of it hath appeared as many living witness by experience have testified and how far faith over and beside the common faith hath therein appeared as also in some other memorable undertakings against Sathan himself or against his designs with some good success becomes others to consider more then it doth me to write as for me I rest satisfied that miracles are not ceased as a gift to the Church of God though perhaps they are but rarely found as being in the wisdom of God not so necessary now in many places as in times past Now for the gift of p●ophesie which the Apostle here intends 't is certain the Church enjoys it very gratiously in these days sith she hath them that by the gift of Gods spirit and not by acquired Arts do minister to her the word of life by exhortation to her edification and comfort which yet she could not have if the gifts were ceased seeing prophesie is not only one of the spirituall gifts but the very best of them and the greatest of them all Nor is the spirit of our God removed in the gift of discerning of spirits for if it had false spirits had by their subtilty ere this day made havock of the Churches but through the grace of God notwithstanding all their cunning craftiness they have been discerned and their