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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91190	A full reply to certaine briefe observations and anti-queries on Master Prynnes twelve questions about church-government: vvherein the frivolousnesse, falsenesse, and grosse mistakes of this anonymous answerer (ashamed of his name) and his weak grounds for independency, and separation, are modestly discovered, refelled. / By William Prynne of Lincolnes Inne, Esquire.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1644 (1644)	Wing P3966; Thomason E257_7; ESTC R210038	32,460	24

can do nothing against the truth but for the truth in which resolution God assisting I resolve to live and die Certaine briefe Animadversions on Mr John Goodwins Theomachia in Iustification of some passages in My Independency Examined Unmasked c. and of the Parliaments Ecclesiasticall power IT is not my intention to repeate or refute all the unseasonable offensive passages in the Epistle or Body of this Treatise which ●●citly reflect upon the present Religious Parliament and Assembly raising needlesse feates and jealousies of them both in matters of RELIGION and Church-Government as if they really intended * to increase our misery and bondage by rejecting and oppressing truth to conjure all mens gifts parts industrie into a Synodicall Circle and that there is almost as little hope of gathering grapes from thornes or figges of Thistles as of having the joy of our faith holpen or encreased or any decrease but rather increase of evills by them the resolutions of Councells and Synods themselves upon the matter and just account being but the fruits or puttings forth of the learning and judgment of a very few men not alwayes of the most consciencious c. I shall only select some few particulars worthy consideration to fill up my vacant Pages First it may be justly questioned whether the maine doctrine prosecuted in it b That it is the greatest imprudence under Heaven for any man or ranke of men whatsoever to appeare or so much as to list up an hand or thought against any way doctrine or practise whatsoever clayming origination or descent from God till we have securitie upon securitie evidence upon evidence yea all the securitie that men in an ordinary way are capable of and foundations as cleare as the noone day that such wayes Doctrines and practises only pretend unto God as the Author of them and that in truth they are not at all from him but either from men or from baser Parentage that they are but counterseits and pretenders only and stand in no relation at all but that of emnitie and opposition unto God and that we are not to act the value of one haire of our head against them untill we see their condemnation written with a beame of the Sunne by the finger of God Himselfe untill he hath disclaimed or renounced it from Heaven either by giving such wisedome unto men whereby to detest the vanitie of it or else hath quite rased it out of the flesh and Tables of the hearts of his servants c. Be Orthodox or tolerable For these ensuing reasons 1. First because it opens a wide gate to the reviving of all old the spreading and propagating of all new Heresies Errors Schismes Sects and opinions whatsoever without the least timely opposition or prevention to the endangering of infinite soules and disturbance of the Churches Kingdoms peace For there is * no Hereticke Schismaticke or Sectary whatsoever though never so pernicious grosse or detestable but pretends his way doctrine practise opinions to be the way and truth of Christ clayming their origination and descent from God yea * producing perverting the Scripture it selfe to justifie them as the * Devill cited and wrested Scripture to tempr Christ yea our Saviour and the Scripture informe us that many false Teachers shall arise and doe great Miracles Signes and Wonders insomuch that they shall deceive many yea the greatest part of the World and if it were possible the very Elect That Satan and his Ministers also transforme themselves into Angels of Light That false Teachers usually come to seduce men in sheeps clothing with all deceiveablenes and crafiines whereby they lye in waite to deceive and advise us frequently to beware of such and not admit them into our houses c. And must we therefore not speedly oppose resist avoyd suppresse them or any of them now because they thus pretend they are of and from God Himselfe but stay till we see their condemnation written with a beam of the sun by the finger of God himselfe and till he hath disclaimed renounced them from Heaven by some visible judgment or destruction If Arrianisme Pelagianisme Socinianism Anahaptisme or any anciently exploded Heresies or Schismes should revive and sprout up among us as some have lately done should wee use such indulgence as this towards them because they pretend their origination and descent from heaven and their opinions not disputable only but warranted by the Scripture Alas what confusion what inundation of heresies schismes and monstrous opinions would this presently introduce into our Church to its destruction ruine if such a Paradox were once admitted Secondly Because it is contrary to these expresse precepts and presidents both of the Old and New Testament which you may peruse at leasure Deut. 13. 1. to 18. Levit. 19. 17. Joshua 22. 9. to 24. Psalme 119. 104. 128. 2 Kings 22. 8. to 27. Ier. 4. 30. 31. a pregnant place c. 14. 14. to 18. cap. 23. 13. to 23. cap 27. 15. to 19. c. 29. 8 9. Ezra 13. throughout Matthew 7. 15. cap. 24. 11. 23. 24. 25. 26. Mark 13. 5 6. 22 23 24. Acts 13. 6. to 14. cap 15. 1. to 33. cap. 17. 11. Rom. 16. 17. 18. 2 Cor. 11. 13. 14 15. Galath. 1. 6. 7. 8 9. 10. c. 2. 4. to 18. a noted place c. 3. 1 2. 3. Ephes. 4. 14 15. Phil. 3. 1. 2. 3. Coloss. 2. 8. 18. to the end 1 Thes. 5. 21. 2 Thes. 2. 1. to 16. c. 3. 6. 7. 1 Tim. 4. 1. to 7. chap. 1. 20. chap. 5. 20. 21 22. 2 Tim. 2. 16. 17 18. 23 24 25 26. c. 4. 1. to 6. Titus 1. 9. to 15. chapter 3. 9. 10 11. 2 Pet. 2. 1. 2 3. c. 3. 17. 18. 1 Ioh. 4. 2. 3. 2 John 10. 11. Jude 3. 4. c. Revel. 2. 14. 15. 20. 21. compated together f Paul would not give way to false Apostles NO NOT FOR AN HOURE that the truth of the Gospell might continue among the Galatians and resisted Peter to his face at soone as ever hee walked disorderly and gave the least countenance to false Teachers though a chiefe Apostle and did not demur upon the matter yea the Churches * of Porgamus and Thyatyra are sharply blamed for suffering some among them to hold the doctrine of Balaans and the Nicolaitans and to suffer Jesabell the Prophetesse to teach and seduce And shall we permit them now without restraint Thirdly Because it is contrary to these received unquestionable Maximes of Divinitie Policie and Morality Principijs obstare Venienti occurrere morbo to withstand the very beginnings of Errors Heresies Mischiefes Schismes to crush these Cockatrices in the shell rather to keep then cast them out Turpius ejicitur quàm non admittitur hostis All wise men hold preventing Physicke best for their bodies states and why not for their souls and Churches since Sero medicina paratur cum mala per longas invaluére moras Fourthly Because contrary to

them so I dare not stile them Conventicles in an ill sense since not † such by Law being only lawfull Assemblies of private Christians to seek unto God by prayer fasting upon extraordinary occasions which all good Christians cannot but approve But all these meetings were farre from being then stiled reputed Independent Churches or having any affinity with them so as they make nothing for his cause To the eighth Quere he gives a negative Answer First in generall next in particular to some instances First he grants that there was a Nationall Church yea Nationall assemblies Parliaments determining church-affaires of the Jewes but these saith he cannot be a pattern for its now because the covenant of the Gospell is not made with any one particular Nation as with the Jewes but to all Nations that embrace the Gospel and beleeve in Christ you have no promise nor prophesie of any Nation to be holy to God but the Jewes Nation when they shall bee called againe To which I reply first That Independents have not the least precept or example for any solemne Covenant made betwixt God and men to walke in the wayes of God c. but onely * in the old Testament and Church of the Israelites and that no private congregationall but publike Nationall covenant prescribed by the supreme temporall Magistrate and Assembly not by the Priests or private Synagogues yea the principall precepts presidents for publike or private fasts sanctifying the Sabbath c. you likewise derive from the old Testament and that Church why then should not their Nationall Church be a pattern for us and you to imitate as well as their Nationall covenant fasting sabbath-keeping the Church of God being all one as it is a Church both under the old Teastament and new and the pattern of it under the Law a better pesident for the Church under the Gospel of which it was a type and fore-tunner then the pattern of the Tabernacle shewed in the Mount so frequent in your Lips and Books a president for your Independent Modell to which it hath no analogy 2. This reason is most absurd and false the Covenant of the Gospel extending not onely to particular persons but to † all Nations and people whatsoever who are both prophesied and promised to become Christs own inheritance possession people spouse church and to be an HOLY NATION A PECVLIAR PEOPLE c. to the Lord in infinite Texts both of the old and new Testament which I wonder the Respondent should either not see or forget being ten thousand fold more cleare and visible then his Independent platforme which few or none can yet espy in Scripture History or Politiques 2. He addes that I cannot shew any Nation every member whereof is qualified sufficiently to make up a church which is Christs body unlesse I will take in Drunkards Whore-masters c. to be members of a church whereas the Word saith they must be visible Saints and this cannot be avoided in a Nationall church I answer that I dare not be wiser then my Master Christ who Informes me that there will and must be alwayes in the visible church on earth be it Nationall parochiall presbyteriall or congregationall * goats among the sheep chaffe among the wheat which must grow together till the harvest at the end of the world to wit the day of judgment good fish mixed with the bad in the churches Not. 2. I finde a a Judas a Devill among the Apostles many b grosse sinners idolaters and corruptions in the Jewish church many abuses Epicures Drunkards Whore-masters Libertines uncleane persons and false Teachers in the churches of Galatia Ephesus Colosse Pergamus Smynna Thyatira and Laodicea yet the Scripture expresly stiles them c the body and churches of Christ and rep●tes such members though corrupt ones of those Churches who doe not actually cease to be members when excommunicated or suspended for a season after they are baptized and professe the Christian faith nor did any separate from these churches though they had some corruptions and evill members For you therefore to separate from and unchurch such Nationall or Parochiall churches which have such members in them is to unchurch all churches both in the old and new Testament and the world it self yea your own churches too 3. The Scripture is expresse d that many are called but few chosen and saved that all must be compelled to come into the church though they want the wedding-garment There never was nor shall be here on earth any one visible church compacted wholly of reall elected Saints without any mixture of Reprobates such a church we shall meet with onely in heaven I am sure you can gather none such on earth 4. Are there no corrupt or drunken members in your independent churches but onely reall visible Saints are there no usurers oppressors corrupt dealers covetous proud malicious uncharitable censorious persons no apparent hypocrites or dissemblers yea are there not many sinnes and corruptions in the best the choicest of all your members who cannot depart away or quite separate themselves from their owne bosome corruptions as there is and will be in the best of men during their mortality If your Independent congregations consist of such members as these of men subject to like passions sinnes infirmities as others in Presbyteriall churches what then is become of this your reason and principall ground of Independency or rather Separation or Brownism its ancient proper title you may lay it up in Lavander for another world but can make no use of it in this where you cannot so much as dream of a church of reall Saints without any mixture of corruption 3. For his answers to that of Acts 15. all ages churches till this present have held it both an expresse warrant and president for the lawfulnesse , usefulness of Nationall and Provinciall Synods to determine differences in Religion which particular churches persons cannot decide and making necessary Canons for church-affaires neither can all his shifts elude it To his first and second reasons or rather evasions I answer it is clear by Act. 15. 2. that the church of Antiech it selfe could not decide the question nor Paul nor Barnabas satisfactorily determine it so farre as to quiet all parties and therefore they sent Delegates to the Apostles and Elders at Hierusalom there to decide it None is so ignorant but knowes that there are many controversies now on foot concerning doctrine discipline and church-government which no particular congregations nay hardly an whole Synod and Parliament together are sufficient to settle and determine therefore there is a kinde of necessity of Nationall Synods as well as of Parliaments whence all ages churches have used them To his third reason I reply that it is evident by expresse words vers. 2. 5. 6. 7. 10. 19. 20. 24. that the principall end why the Apostles went up to Hierusalem and why this Synod assembled was not to prove