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
B04886	No power but of God, and yet a power in every creature, or, A word in season, to all men not void of grace, or deprived of reason wherein is held forth that the Almighty God is not wanting to us in impowering of us, but we are wanting to him, in not improving our talent for him ... / by Robert Purnel.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.	1651 (1651)	Wing P4238A; ESTC R187132	119,586	280

point the Arminians erre saying Election and Salvation in effect depend upon Qualification yea for want of the true knowledge of this point doth that error of Free-will and Generall Redemption so abound at this day In a word for want of the knowledge of this point do so many at this time in this Common-wealth make a hotch-potch in mingling and interweaving Law and Gospel in joyning their obedience with the obedience of Christ to patch up a salvation 2. Here is another cheat of Satan wherein he endeavours to cheat thee and me in the Doctrine of Christ The doctrine of Christ tels thee that Christ came to reconcile thee to God 2 Cor. 5. 23. When this point is held forth a little in creeps Antichrist and declares that Christ came also to reconcile God to thee and so endeavours to make the immutable God mutable or the unchangeable God changeable You might trace him in every branch of the Doctrine of Christ and find him either endeavouring to make thee to deny it or if he cannot prevail in that then he endeavours to make thee adde something to it or take something from it Wherefore put on the whole armour of God stand upon thy guard and watch Belieue not every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God 2. Again as first he endeavours to cheat us in the doctrine of Christ so secondly he endeavours to cheat us in the discipline of Christ Now Discipline though it be not of absolute necessity as to the being of a Church of Christ yet it is absolutely necessary to the well-being of a Church for as a City without walls a Sea without banks a Vineyard without hedges so is a Church without discipline For a Church without government is as a ship without a Pilot or a Commonwealth without a Magistrate or a World without a Sun Hence it is that you shall find the Apostles so frequently exhorting perswading and intreating the Church of Jesus Christ to walk by rule to observe order The Pastor is commanded to walk as a Pastor and Teacher that both by his doctrine and conversation he might win others to Christ the Teachers Elders Deacons have all their rules laid before them how they ought to build up one another in their most holy faith and to watch over the flock c. And so every member in the Church in his place is to observe order in endeavouring to be usefull to the whole body Nay hence it is that one quarter part of the New Testament is spent about treating of the several gifts of the Spirit to several men to several ends viz. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists some Pastors and some Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministry c. Now that Ordinances were the appointments of Christ I suppose that all rational men will easily grant And that they be now in being and ought to be in use will be easily proved The first is granted by all hands viz. That there were Ordinances appointments and institutions given forth by Christ unto the Churches in the Apostles dayes accompanied with Gods presence and confirmed ●…y miracles and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit But the question is whether these are still to continue are they now in being as to us Prove that For answer hereunto consider these things 1 ORdinances are not of humane but of divine institution 1 Cor. 1●… 28. 2. Consider the Saints both in Old and New Testament under the greatest discoveries living in the greatest enjoyments even these waited upon God in the use of Ordinances and Paul saith Phil. 3. 17. Ye ought to walk so as you have us for an example and in another place he saith Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ c. 3. We have not only commands of God and the examples of the Apostles but w●… have experience that God hath done u●… good by them it is our Fathers walks i●… which our soules do often meet with ou●… Beloved 4. Consider the Lord of glory doth blame those that neglect making use of Ordinances Mal. 3. 7. Ye have gone away fro●… mine ordinances and have not kept them Is no●… this the state of this Nation Luk. 19. 27 Those mine enemies that would not that I should reign over them bring them before me Compare this 27 verse with the 13. and 14. an●… you shal see that there were a people who●… Christ threatned to punish for not submit●…ing to his appointments nor improving their talents Not to wait upon God in the use of Ordinances is to be carelesse to ●…hearken to his voice and so the Lord may justly complain of thee and me as once he did Psal 81. 11. But my people would not heark●…en to my voice c. 5. Consider while we are in a body we be in a form and therefore cannot altogether live without forms unlesse we will be monst●…rs and neglect our own mercies God hath given us an external body as well as an internal soul and will be waited upon worshipped and glorified by both 1 Cor. 6. 20. Glorifie God in your bodies and in your souls which are the Lords 6. Consider that these appointments institutions and ordinances when they were appointed and instituted were to continue in the Church till the Saints were perfected Ephes 4. 11 12 13. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ In which there be four things considerable I will but name them 1. Here is the giver and that is the Lord Christ the Fountain in whom all the fulnesse of the Godhead dwels bodily from whom we receiv●… grace for grace 2. Here is the gift and that is his Spirit in its measures according to the measure of the gift of Christ 3. Here is the end why God gave such gifts v. 12. For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministery c. 4. Here is the time how long these institutions offices and ordinances are to continue and that is in v. 13. Till we all come i●… the unity of the faith into the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure●… of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Now if there be any Church of Christ o●… Congregation o●… Saints that be compleatly come up to this state spoken unto in that verse why then all that I would say to them is Cast not a stumbling block in thy brothers way speak not so disdainfully of those paths which thou●… thy self hast gone through must not thy brother that is weak eat milk because thou dost eat strong meat must not he speak as

make thee ●…d but his absence THe second Quaerie is What is it to abide in the Doctrine of Christ For the Scriture saith 2 ep Joh. 9. He that abideth in the ●…ctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the ●…onne Now there be several discoveries or ●…haracters of one that abideth in the do●…rine of Christ First there be some inward evidences Secondly there be some outward evi●…ences For the inward evidence Call a counsel 〈◊〉 thy own heart silence thy own thoughts ●●ll all the faculties of thy soul and mem●…ers of thy body to the bar examine thy ●●ill thy affections thy judgment and me●…ory Who are you for what are you doing ●…ow are you imployed all day long Search for ●…hat White-stone that hath a Name in it that ●…ne can read but he that hath it See whether ●…e Spirit of God doth witnesse with thy spirit ●…at thou belongest to God Doth the presence ●…f Christ rejoice thee doth his absence grieve thee See whether thou art like un●● Christ in thy desires and in thy endeavou●● whose work it was to doe the will of his F●●ther c. Secondly there be some outward e●●dences I shall name a few 1. He that abideth in the doctrine 〈◊〉 Christ is one that is not easily withdraw●… from the truth that he first received 1 J●● 2. 24. Let that therefore abide in you which y●● have heard from the beginning If that whic●… you have heard from the beginning shall remain 〈◊〉 you you shall continue in the Sonne and in th●● Father 1. Tim. 4. 16. Take heed to thy self 〈◊〉 unto the doctrine continue in them for in 〈…〉 ing this thou shalt both save thy self and such hear thee Be not carried about with every wi●● of doctrine saith Paul Ephes 4. 14. Beware 〈◊〉 you fall from your steadfastnesse saith Peter 2 P●● 3. 17. If you continue in my words then are y●● my Disciples saith Christ Joh. 8. 31. Oh the continue in the faith to be grounded an●… setled rooted and established Be ye stedfo●● and unmoveable alwayes abounding in the wo●● of the Lord. 2. He that abideth in the doctrine 〈◊〉 Christ may be known by this He is a ver●… fruitful Christian What is the reason ther●… is so much barrennesse coldnesse deadness●● ●●lity lukewarmnesse evil furnishings and ●●liperings Why behold the reason ●●y abide not in the doctrine of Christ that abide in that doctrine doe beare ●●ns there is none barren among th●…m ●●y be planted in his house they abide it doctrine therefore they flourish in his ●●urts Joh. 15. 4. The branch cannot beare ●●t except it abide in the vine no more can you ●●ept you abide in me 3. He that abideth in the doctrine of ●●st may be known by this also He stands 〈…〉 nd contends for the faith and obedience 〈…〉 he Gospel against all opposers he envours by sound doctrine to convince all ●…nsayers He doth not so much plead for ●●mane learning as he doth for the mind God in the Spirit he knows the spiri●●l learning can easily foyle the humane ●●rning that wants the spiritual See that ●●ce Jude 3 4. That you should earnestly contend 〈◊〉 the faith that was once delivered to the Saints ●●n he brings the reason of this con●…enti●● v. 4. For there are certain men crept in un●●ares turning the grace of God into lascivious●●se And surely this is one of Englands sins this day There be many men and wo●●n puffed up with a high conceit of their ●●n knowledge and when their principles and practices are a little examin●● they be but as clouds without rain and 〈◊〉 without water as here Jude speaks 4. He that abideth in the doctrine Christ continueth stedfast in the doctr●● of the Apostles Act. 2. 42. And they contin●● stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellows●… and in breaking of bread and prayer Not th●… the Apostles doctrine was one thing a●● the doctrine of Christ another thing 〈◊〉 whosoever abideth in the one could n●● but abide in the other And they abode fr●● fast in the Apostles doctrine that is they co●…tinued stedfastly in the doctrine of Chri●● for they delivered that unto us which th●… received from Christ They continued in 〈◊〉 Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in break●… of bread and prayer Let us examine a litt●● how many men and women that be god●● for I do not speak of others I say ho●… many have we that do walk together Fellowship 2. How many are there that enjoy that Ordinance of the Lords Supp●● here called Breaking of Bread 3. How ma●● have the Spirit of Prayer Are they not fe●● yea very few And yet all be ready to sa●… that they do abide in the doctrine of Chr●● Go from one man to another through●… a whole Shire and ask them one after 〈◊〉 ●●er Do you abide in the doctrine of Christ ●●ou do not you have not God Yea saith the 〈◊〉 I do abide in the doctrine of Christ Q. How prove you that A. I do saith he for I have reformed ●●y things that were amisse in me So did ●●od that enemy of truth Mark 6. 20. For ●●od heard Iohn knowing he was a just man 〈◊〉 when he heard him he did many things Q. Come to a second and ask him Do 〈◊〉 abide in the doctrine of Christ A. I do saith he and I know it by this 〈◊〉 free from many gross sinnes that others ●●my neighbours are guilty of So was ●●t Pharisee Luk. 18. 11 12. O God I thank ●●e that I am not as other men are I fast twice ●…eek and give tithe of all I do possesse Q. Come to a third and ask him Do you ●●de in the doctrine of Christ A. I do saith he and I prove it thus ●●ontinue waiting upon God in the use of Ordinances which others neglect So 〈◊〉 those hypocrites Isa 58. 2 3. Yet you seek daily saith the Lord and delight to know my ●●es as a Nation that did righteousnesse and ●●ook not the ordinances of God And yet for this the Lord rejected them and their ●●ices Q. Come to a fourth Do you abide in the doctrine of Christ If you do not have not God A. I do and I prove it thus I know will of God that many others be ignor●● of and I approve of his wayes Rep. So those cast-awayes Rom. 2. 18. And knowes●● will and approvest the things that be more ex●●●lent c. Yet we see the Lord rejects the upon this ground They did not prac●● themselves that which they knew taug●● to others Q. Come to a fifth Do you abide in 〈◊〉 doctrine of Christ A. I do and I can make it good saith 〈◊〉 by this I have humbled my self for all●● sinnes before the Lord. R. So did wi●● Ahab 1 King 21. 27 28 29. Q. Come to a sixth Do you abide in 〈◊〉 doctrine of Christ A. I do abide in it and I think there but few that do outstrip me for I am 〈◊〉 so