Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	church_n	england_n	reform_a	3,931	5	9.9167	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96686	Hypocrisie unmasked: by a true relation of the proceedings of the Governour and company of the Massachusets against Samuel Gorton (and his accomplices) a notorious disturber of the peace and quiet of the severall governments wherein he lived : with the grounds and reasons thereof, examined and allowed by their Generall Court holden at Boston in New-England in November last, 1646. Together with a particular answer to the manifold slanders, and abominable falshoods which are contained in a book written by the said Gorton, and entituled, Simplicities defence against seven-headed policy, &c. Discovering to the view of all whose eyes are open, his manifold blasphemies; as also the dangerous agreement which he and his accomplices made with ambitious and treacherous Indians, who at the same time were deeply engaged in a desperate conspiracy to cut off all the rest of the English in the other plantations. VVhereunto is added a briefe narration (occasioned by certain aspersions) of the true grounds or cause of the first planting of New-England; the president of their churches in the way and worship of God; their communion with the Reformed Churches; and their practise towards those that dissent from them in matters of religion and Church-government. / By Edw. Winslow. Published by authority.	Winslow, Edward, 1595-1655.; Gorton, Samuel, 1592 or 3-1677.; Williams, Roger, 1604?-1683.	1647 (1647)	Wing W3037; Thomason E409_23; ESTC R204435	90,941	117

called by Orthodox Divines and therefore they say that his putting Christ to death when onely wise and honourable and learned and experienced and men of good report are chosen to rule because they would have the Power to rule common to all Christians but as for the office of rule to bee peculiar to none and therefore Pag. 24. they tell us that none shall see Christ come into his kingdome with comfort untill the authority and power of man appeares to be as the building of Babel and the name and authority of God onely to bee that wherein the blessing consists meaning that 't is Babylonish building which God misliked and confounded for any man in office to rule and governe because this is to limit the power and life of Christ which is in every brother as well as in any officer and so to kill the life of Christ so that if any of them say that although they distaste officers as Kings and others by election yet not such as are so by hereditary succession they are but words to sute their owne ends for a time and to delude others for if it bee limiting the holy One of Israel a circumscribing and so destroying the life of Christ which is infinite for to make him rule by his Deputies and Vicegerents on earth then not onely Kings and Princes whether by election or no but all other civill officers must bee abandoned because the life and power of Christ is limited in successive as well as in elective Princes in inferiour as well as in superiour governours who are Christs Deputies and Vicegerents and therefore called Rom. 13. 4. the Ministers of God either for good or terrour 5. They call our generall Court the Idoll generall which is nothing else but a device of man by the sleight of Sathan to subject and make slaves of that species or kinde which God hath honored with his owne Image and they do not onely speake thus of our Courts as Idols but they cry out woe unto the world because of the Idols thereof for Idols ●ust needes bee set up but woe be unto them by whom they are e●ected and their reason reacheth to all civill power for say they a man may be as well a slave to his belly and make that his god as be a vassall to his owne species or kinde or to any thing that man can bring forth even in his best perfection There are other evidences of their corrupt minde herein from other passages in their letters which they speake under more obscure cloude● and allegories but these may bee a sufficient witnesse against them before men and angels that they abandon all civill authority although for to serve their owne turnes of others or their owne lusts they say they do not the Apostle Jude long since tels us of such persons expresly who despise Dominion and speake evill of Dignities 1. They doe not only despise these or those particular persons or states that are invested with Dominion but they despise Dominion it selfe and Dignities themselves and would have all that power abandoned whom he calleth v 8. filthy dreamers defiling the flesh murmurers and complainers walking after their owne lusts their mouthes speaking great swelling words v. 16. And that it may yet more fully appeare that these men doe abandon all civill authority although this secret they will not impart unto all but rather professe the contrary there is extant to bee shewen if need were the writings betweene a prudent man in this Country and one of the chiefe and most understanding of this peculiar fellowship as they stile themselves wherein hee doth stoutly maintaine these three assertions 1. That there are no Ordinances 2. That there are no relations neither in the Common-wealth betweene rulers and subjects nor in the Church between officers and brethren nor in the families betweene husband and wife master and servant father and sonne 3. That there are no inherent graces in Christians By which principles the world may see what these men goe about viz. as much as in them lies to bring in a disorder and confusion in all states and families and to open the sluce to all violence injustice and wickednesse by not only abandoning but reproaching and revilingall civill rule and authority upon earth which they therefore scornefully call a meere device of man Idols to be of the Devill the destroyer of mankinde and to bee a crucifying of Christ in his life and death and all this when honourable wise learned experienced well reported persons are chosen and invested with Civill power whom therefore they would not have maintained and to whom it is an unlawfull to administer any oath for the ending of civill differences as to lust after a woman to commit adultery Pag. 20. III. Their blasphemous speeches against the holy things of God 1. AGainst the Churches they call them devised platformes Pag. 26. and that the wisedome of men is the whole accomplishment or that which gives the whole being of Churches and Common-wealth Pag. 10. 2. Against the calling of Ministers they say that to make their calling mediate and not immediate is to make a nullity of Christ and to crucifie Christ and to put him to an open shame and that such Ministers are Magicians Pag. 34. Now this reflects upon all the Ordinances and ordinary Officers and Ministers of Christ that either are or have beene in the Church at any time for although the offices bee immediately from Christ yet their call to exercise this office hath beene ever accounted mediate 3. Against the word of God they call the Sermons of Gods Ministers tales or lies and falshoods now had they thus spoken upon proofe against any particular Sermons or persons the accused might have spoken for themselves but indifferently to revile all Sermons as tales or forgeries the doctrine generally taught here amongst us being no other then that which Paul preached at Ephesus for three yeares space and upwards viz. repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Act. 20. being also no other then what agrees generally with the harmony of confessions of all reformed Churches to call these tales is a word which the Lord Jesus will certainely remember unlesse they repent the Sermons of the Apostles of Christ as well as the doctrine of all reformed Churches being reproached hereby 4. Against the Sacraments as for baptisme they doe not onely make the baptizing of Infants as abominable as the crosse but all our baptismes behold say they the vanity and abomination of all your baptismes and they doe not meane all those baptismes which are in use amongst us but in any Churches of the world at this day for they acknowledge no other baptisme then that which is spirituall and hence they say that when ever you see the baptisme of Christ truly in use according to the word of God you doe as truly see that party partaking and communicating with the crosse and sufferings of Christ for

thus briefly shewed that the foundation of our New-England Plantations was not laid upon Schisme division or Separation but upon love peace and holinesse yea such love and mutuall care of the Church of Leyden for the spreading of the Gospel the welfare of each other and their posterities to succeeding generations as is seldome found on earth And having shewed also that the Primitive Churches are the onely pattern which the Churches of Christ in New-England have in their eye not following Luther Calvin Knoxe Ai●sworth Robinson Amies or any other further then they follow Christ and his Apostles I am earnestly requested to cleare up another grosse mistake which caused many and still doth to judge the harder of New-England and the Churches there because say they The Church of Plymouth which went first from Leyden were Schismaticks Brownists rigid Separatists c. having Mr. Robinson for their Pastor who made and to the last professed separation from other the Churches of Christ c. And the rest of the Churches in new-New-England holding communion with that Church are to bee reputed such as they are For answer to this aspersion First he that knew Mr. Robinson either by his Doctrine daily taught or hath read his Apology published not long before his death or knew the practise of that Church of Christ under his government or was acquainted with the wholsome counsell he gave that part of the Church which went for new-New-England at their departure and afterward might easily resolve the doubt and take off the aspersion For his Doctrine I living three yeares under his Ministery before we began the worke of Plantation in new-New-England It was alwayes against separation from any the Churches of Christ professing and holding communion both with the French and Dutch Churches yea tendering it to the Scots also as I shall make appeare more particularly anon Ever holding forth how wary persons ought to bee in separating from a Church and that till Christ the Lord departed wholly from it man ought not to leave it onely to beare witnesse against the corruption that was in it But if any object he separated from the Church of England and wrote largely against it I acknowledge hee wrote largely against it but yet let me tell you hee allowed hearing the godly Ministers preach and pray in the publick Assemblies yea hee allowed private communion not onely with them but all that were faithfull in Christ Jesus in the Kingdome and elsewhere upon all occasions yea honored them for the power of godlinesse above all other the professors of Religion in the world nay I may truly say his spirit cleaved unto them being so well acquainted with the integrity of their hearts and care to walke blamelesse in their lives which was no small motive to him to perswade us to remove from Holland where wee might probably not onely continue English but have and maintain such sweet communion with the godly of that Nation as through Gods great mercy we enjoy this day 'T is true I confesse he was more rigid in his course and way at first then towards his latter end for his study was peace and union so far as might agree with faith and a good conscience and for schism and division there was nothing in the world more hatefull to him But for the government of the Church of England as it was in the Episcopall way the Liturgy and stinted prayers of the Church then yea the constitution of it as Nationall and so consequently the corrupt communion of the unworthy with the worthy receivers of the Lords Supper these things were never approved of him but witnessed against to his death and are by the Church over which he was to this day And if the Lord would be pleased to stir up the hearts of those in whom under him the power of Reformation lies to reform that abuse that a distinction might once be put between the precious and the vile particular Churches might be gathered by the powerfull preaching of the Word those onely admitted into communion whose hearts the Lord perswades to submit unto the Iron rod of the Gospel O how sweet then would the communion of the Churches be How thorow the Reformation How easie would the differences be reconciled between the Presbyterian and Independent way How would the God of peace which commandeth love and good agreement smile upon this Nation How would the subtle underminers of it be disappointed and the faithfull provoked to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving Nay how would the God of order be glorified in such orderly walking of the Saints And as they have fought together for the liberties of the Kingdome Ecclesiasticall and Civill so may they joyn together in the preservation of them which otherwise 't is to be feared will not long continue and in the praises of our God who hath been so good to his poore distressed ones whom he hath delivered and whom he will deliver out of all their troubles But I have made too great a digression and must return In the next place I should speak of Mr. Robinsons Apology wherein the maketh a briefe defence against many adversaries c. But because it is both in Latine and English of small price and easie to bee had I shall forbeare to write of it and onely refer the Reader to it for the differences between his congregation and other the Reformed Churches The next thing I would have the Reader take notice of is that however the church of Leyden differed in some particulars yet made no Schisme or separation from the Reformed Churches but held communion with them occasionally For we ever placed a large difference between those that grounded their practise upon the Word of God tho differing from us in the exposition or understanding of it and those that hated such Reformers and Reformation and went on in Antichristian opposition to it and persecution of it as the late Lord Bishops did who would not in deed and truth whatever their pretences were that Christ should rule over them But as they often stretched out their hands against the saints so God hath withered the Arm of their power thrown them down from their high lofty seats and slain the chiefe of their persons as well as the Hierarchy that he might become an example to all those that rise against God in his Sabbath in the preaching of his Word in his Saints in the purity of his Ordinances And I heartily desire that others may heare and feare withall As for the Dutch it was usuall for our Members that understood the language and lived in or occasionally came over to London to communicate with them as one John Jenny a Brewer long did his wife and family c. and without any offence to the Church So also for any that had occasion to travell into any other part of the Netherlands they daily did the like And our Pastor Mr. Robinson in the time when Arminianisme prevailed so much at the request