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	particular_a	universal_a	3,369	5	9.3348	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90624	A vindication of The preacher sent, or A vvarrant for publick preaching without ordination. Wherein is further discovered. 1. That some gifted men unordained, are Gospel preachers. 2. That officers sustain not a relation (as officers) to the universal Church; and other weighty questions concerning election and ordination, are opened and cleared. In answer to two books. 1. Vindiciæ ministrij evangelici revindicatæ or the Preacher (pretendly) sent, sent back again. By Dr. Colling of Norwich. 2. Quo warranto, or a moderate enquiry into the warrantableness of the preaching of gifted and unordained persons. By Mr. Pool, at the desire and appointment of the Provincial Assembly of London. With a reply to the exceptions of Mr. Hudson and Dr. Collings against the epistle to the preacher sent. / Published by Frederick Woodal, minister of the Gospel at Woodbridge in Suffolk. Samuel Petto minister of the GospeI [sic] at Sandcraft in Suffolk.	Woodall, Frederick, b. 1614.; Petto, Samuel, 1624?-1711.	1659 (1659)	Wing P1902; Thomason E1728_2; ESTC R204138	152,808	253

answer they could not partly because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an act of many especially when in an Assembly partly because whatsoever is put to suffrages may be determined by the major voice in case of dissent but this was impossible where there was but two for Paul could not out-vote Barnabas nor Barnabas out-vote Paul If Paul had given his voice for one and Barnabas had discented and had given his voice for another against Paul we aske who should have carryed it When the word denoteth the act of the indivisible God Acts 10 v. 41. it is not taken properly as it is in Acts 14. 23. but figuratively as God is said to have eyes eares hands c. So by a metaphor he is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and this answereth his second particular Vind. Revind pag. 129. 130. 3. The greek is as strong for us as the English translation for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denoteth the peoples Election by suffrages and is not so clearly in apposition with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he supposeth but rather in di-junction it being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the article 〈◊〉 habet locum in divisienibus according to Grammar And if the praying and fasting related not to the constitution of the Elders as the Dr. saith pag. 130. but to the Apostles departure then the whole verse may refer to the people for it was the usual practice of the Churches to commend the Apostles unto the grace of God by solemn prayer in such parting 's Acts. 14. 26. Acts 15. 40. And Paul chose Silas and departed being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God 4. We had proved that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be taken for Election or choosing by sufferages and not for or●ination and thence infer that Paul and Barnabas could not be the only persons that did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our argument for that inferrence is this That which is never in Scripture given to the Officers and is undoubtedly given to the people cannot be the act of Paul and Barnabas onely But the power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to choose officers by suffrages is never in Scripture given to the Officers and is undoubtedly given to the people Acts 6. Ergo The powe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to choose officers by suffrages cannot be the act of Paul and Barnabas only And whether this be a begging the question or a proving what we assert let the Reader judge He bids us Vind. Revind pag. 131. see if there be one word in the Epistle to Timothy or Titus for the peoples choice We turne it upon himselfe let him see if there be one word in those Epistles for the officers choice or for the giving the power of election unto Officers What he addeth Vind. Revind pag. 132 133. is to deny that every particular Church is able to judge of the abilities of a Minister We have proved their ability from Iohn 10. v. 4. 5. See Preacher Sent. pag. 225. 237. Ob. 1. How can they judge if a Minister be able to convince againsaying Socinian or Arminian or Papist who know not what any of them hold Vind. Revind pag. 132. Answ 1. It is possible for those to judge whether a man be able to convince gainsayers who knowes not what many of them hold The Bishops or Presbiters who were administrators of Ordination in England 10. 20. 30. or 40 years ago could not know what Quakers and other blasphemers would hold yet surely he will not say that they could not judge whether those which they Ordained were able to convince gainsayers And why may not a Church as well be able to judge of a Ministers ability to convince gainsayers though it knoweth not what Socinians or Arminians hold 2. Although some Church members know not errors by the name of Socinians c. yet if they hear them broached they are able to judge that they are contrary to sound dostrine As for those which turne from the faithful word in matters fundamental as they are unfit to judge of a Ministers qualifications so they are not duely qualified to be Church members Ob. 2. What belongs to Christs Sheep as Christs sheep belongs to every sheep but this doth not belong to every sheep of Christ. Ergo I hope our bretheren will not say this belongs to the woman yet are they Christs sheep too Nor that every man hath ability if they do and will give us leave we will pick them out Twenty out of every hundred c. Vind. Revind pag. 133. Answ 1. If it doth not belong to every sheep of Christ to judge of ministerial ability yet the reason may be because some want a word or institution of Christ to empower-them thereunto as in the case of women not because they want ability about which the present question is 2. It must belong to every sheep of Christ if Iohn 10. v. 5. reacheth so far as he concludeth it doth pag. 133. For such sheep as are hearers are there asserted to have both ability and liberty to judge what teachers they are to follow and who they are to avoid That one sold v. 16. is one specifically Jews and Gentiles have one kind of Church order not one Numerically all do not make up one Church of Churches But how he can reconcile his owne expressions upon this Text and make them agree in one we know not for he telleth us The Text saith my sheep not my fold what is here made to belong to sheep belongs to every sheep Vind. Revind pag. 133. If our Brethren say the Text is to be understood of Christs sheep as folded together in the Church we grant what they say but say it is meant of the one fold ver 16. Doth not one of the expressions deny it to be Christs fold and the other grant it to be his fold that is there intended 3. Although this or that Church-member taken singly may want ability to judge of ministerial qualifications yet all the members of a Church formed according to Christs institution being gathered together in Christs Name to wait for counsel at his mouth in such a matter will be able and so it may well belong to them to judge whether a man holdeth fast the faithful word be apt to teach and be able by sound Doctrine to exhort and convince gain-sayers CHAP. VI. Shewing that Officers stand in relation as Officers to a particular Church onely not to a Vniversal Church in way of reply to Mr. Pooles exceptions in the three first chapters of his Book THere came lately to our hands a Book entituled A moderate enquiry into the warrantableness of the preaching of gifted and unordained persons written by Mr. Poole at the desire and appointment of the Provincial Assembly of London in way of reply to some part of our Book intituled The Preacher Sent. We shall give some brief animadversions upon the most considerable passages of his Book and

body of Christ is a strange paradox For all the elect and called ones which lived before the coming of Christ in the flesh and all the Saints in heaven and all the elect unborn as well as those living in this or that age of the world belong to this body of Christ And now we shall turn his Argument upon himself The body of Christ in its latitude is the correlatum or the object of the Pastoral Office but the body of Christ includes all the elect which lived before Christs coming in the flesh and so before the Pastoral Office was instituted and all the Saints in heaven yea heathens even all the elect unborn Ergo all the elect which lived before Christs coming in the flesh and so before the Pastoral office was instituted and all the Saints in heaven yea heathens and all the elect unborn are the object and correlate of the Pastoral Office Who wil not easily see the weaknesse of this argument for many members of this body were in heaven thousands of years before any were invested with the Pastoral Office on Earth and surely they were not officers to those who were in heaven they had no need of their officr If body be taken in this sense his major is apparently false The body of Christ in its latitude is not the correlatum or object of the pastoral office 2. If it be understood of the visible body of Chr. then his minor is false The body of Christ i. e. his visible Church or body doth not include heathens to be converted Even the Text he alleadgeth evidenceth so much Iohn 10. v. 16. other sheep I have its true those were Gentiles heathens sheep by election but it is added which are not of this fold which witnesseth that heathens though sheep by predestination yet are not folded into the visible Church of Christ It would be an unscriptural and an abominable assertion to say that heathens are members or a part of Christs visible body or Church which onely is the correlate of the pastoral office Arg. 2. The second argument is taken from 2 Corin. 5. 20. where the reconcilable Mr. Pool p. 13. world which consists of such as are yet without and no members of the Church are made the chief objects and correlatum of the office of the Ministry To whom Ministers act as Ambassadors to them they act as officers But Ministers preach as Ambassadors to heathens convertible and to be converted Ergo His assumption he saith is evident for the termes to be an Ambassador is nothing el●e but to be an officer c. His assumption he would prove thus 1. First the scripture makes no difference between a Ministers preaching to his own Church and to others Ergo there is no difference 2. Even heathens are bound to hear Ministers preaching to them and that not onely ex vi materiae because of the matter they treat of but virtute muneris by vertue of their Office Luke 10. 16. c. Ans 1. We deny his Major Ministers may act as Ambassadors to them they do not act as officers towards in a special sense and it is observeable that as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used 1 Corin. 5. 20. for we are Ambassadors so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used for the work of an Ambassador from a King Luke 14. 22. he sendeth an Embassage and yet the same word is used to expresse the wicked act of those citizens against their King Luke 19. 4. ●is citizens hated him and sent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Embassage after him It cannot be proved that those who were sent by these citizens were officers or acted as officers in a special sense in this message yet they acted as Ambassadors herein So if gifted men or other Ministers carry the message of the Gospel to heathens and the reconcilable world upon a command of Christ to goe with it they act as Ambassadors yet not as Officers therein 2. As to his minor in a general sense we grant that Ministers preach as Ambassadors to Heathens i. e. as those that are warranted or commanded by Christ to do a message of peace to them but in a strict sense they do not act as offfcers unto heathens As to his proofs of his minor we say 1. The Scripture concludeth that an officer doth preach as a Pastor Bishop or overseer to his owne Church Acts 20. 28. as over it in the Lord 1 Thes 5. v. 12. it no where saith that he preacheth under any such relation to others it lyeth upon Mr. Pool to prove it if he will assert it it were strange unscriptural language to say that God hath made officers overseers to Heathens or set them over them where are heathens called a mans flock If they were the object or correlate of the pastoral office they must be so for Pastor and flock are Relatives and Ambassadors if in office are the same Officers under an other name And this answereth his first particular pag. 14. and proveth that the Scripture makes a difference between a Ministers preaching to his own Church and to others for it concludeth his being in such a relation to his own Church as he stands not in to others and thence must needs arise a difference in actings 2. Heathens are bound to hear Ministers preach not onely for their doctrine nor for their Office sake but for Christs sake who sends them with that doctrine if they preach only as gifted persons not as officers yet it may aptly be said as Luke 10. 16. He that heareth you heareth me c. because they are warranted or commanded by Christ to do the message and so it is not their own but Christs he speaketh by them they are his words not theirs as in this instance A master of a family being from home may send a message by some friends or neighbours to his servants commanding some work from them if these servants do not hear those messengers they do not hear their master yet these friends or neighbours are no Officers nor can act as officers over them either in doing the message or in case of disobedience by inflicting any punishment c. So if a preachers message be not heard Christ is disobeyed therein concerning maintenance we have spoken in answer to Dr. Collings and also elswhere in way of reply to Mr. Pool The pronouncing of pardon and denouncing of wrath upon believing or disobeying in preaching are acts as we have sufficiently proved that gifted men may do without an office-relation Arg. 3. If conversion of heathens c. be the principal ground and end why the office of the ministry was instituted and the principal worke of the ministry then the Office of the ministry is related to heathens But the convertion of heathens c. is the principal end why the office of the ministry was instituted and the principal work of the ministry so instituted Therefore the office of the ministry is related to heathens

c. The Apostles were set in Corinth though not limited or confined to that Church All the strength of their Argument from 1 Cor. 12. 28. dependeth upon the Apostles speaking in the singular number the Church had it been said God hath set in the Churches c. there could have been no shadow of an Argument hence for their being officers to a Universal Church and seeing in the same chapter ver 12. 14. 17. c. he speaketh in the singular number the body the body and the whole body and yet all natural bodies do not make one body and ver 18. God set the members in the body c. yet there is no Catholick body how can his speaking in the singular number the Church ver 28. and that in the application of the same similitude prove a Catholick Church made up of all Churches To evidence that the sin of a people may nullifie the Office of a Minister which they deny Jus Div. Min. pag. 146 we ask whether if they murther him will not this nullifie his Office and if so why may not their sin other wayes make voyd the Office also Object Mr. Poole saith we confound the nullifying of the Office and the hindring the exercise of it 2. He demands whether this hold of the Apostles or no whether if the Catholike Church was confined to one congregation and that proved heretical and voted down the Apostles would this make their Office null or no he saith this followeth upon our principles for the church the correlate ceasing they must needs cease also ejusdem est instituere destituere and we allow the institution and constitution of the Apostles to the people in the same page he telleth the world that we say the Apostles were constituted Officers by the church alleadging Acts 1 He addeth that this doctrine renders it in the power of mens lusts and humours to nullifie the promises of Christ the authority end and use of Christs Ambassadours for now there are none but ordinary Ministers and he supposeth but twenty congregations in the world and each of these may resolve severally to eject their Ministers c. This is the sum of what he expresseth in many words Mr. Poole pag. 32. 33. Ans 1. We have not confounded but clearly distinguished between nullifying the Office and hindring the exercise of it as he that shall impartially read our Book may see 2. The Apostles were extraordinary Officers our question is onely about ordinary Officers The Apostles were neither of man nor by man but were made by an extraordinary call of Christ and so it did belong onely to Christ to null their Office because ejusdem est instituere destituere But we cannot but complain that Mr. Poole hath here offered abundance of wrong to us in reporting to the world that we say Apostles were constituted Officers by the church alleadging Act. 1. and not contenting himself with sayit once he cometh over with it again towards the end of pag. 32. of his Book Whereas we have expressed the contrary and that in expresse Terms in speaking to Acts 1. which he sayeth we alledge for it Let any one read our book Preacher Sent. pag. 268. where we use these words This was but halfe an Election and that is the reason why it did not constitute Mathias an Apostle as appeareth because the choosing of the one which was by God was the constituted act Acts 1. 24. c. by which any one may see that we deny the Apostle to be constituted by the Church and assert it to be by God and therefore he hath done us much injury in this report 3. Suppose a Church murthereth its Officers either he must say that they are officers after they are dead which is absurd or else he must grant that the sin of a people may nullifie the office of a minister which the Provincial Assembly denyeth 4. No supposition may be allowed which implyeth a contradiction to any divine promise For God is faithful and therefore will restrain from every act that would render any promise void Some suppositions may be admitted of but not such as are against Promises otherwise we may answer his with an other himselfe supposeth p. 32. that the Catholike Church may be confined to one congregation if the Elders possibly but two or three should excommunicate that whole Church they should by this juridicall act how un just soever nullifie the promise of the perpetuity of the Church Mat. 16. 18. as much as by his supposition the people should nullifie the Promises about officers In such a case two or three Elders cannot be proved to be the universal Church and Officers to it also and if there be not a Church Officers set in it either the promises about officers or the Church must fail if suppositions against promises be allowed And in what a sad condition then would the Church be in for there would be none to appeal to and thus we might turne his words pag. 34 35. upon himselfe Or we might suppose that persecutors being most of the world might murther that one congregation which he improperly calleth the Catholike Church being but few its true the act would differ one being an act of horrid violence the other a juridical act but both are equally possible and so a supposition may be taken from one as well as from the other and therefore he can get nothing from such supposals The monstrous opinion followeth upon his owne principle Suppose but Twenty Ministers in the World who only have power according to him to ordain and they through treachery and frowardness should refuse to put forth their power for a succession they dye and so the promise of Christ is nullified neither doth his answer to the objection pag. 33. 34. take off this for here the case is not wholly different here is not an act of horrid violence and therefore it is as great an inconvenience to assert that Jesus Christ hath given to Ministers a juridical power as they judge that of Ordination to be by the abuse of which they might if they pleased disanul an Ordinance of Christ CHAP. VII Wherein our arguments for mens being Officers to a particular Church onely and not to a universal are vindicated from the exceptions which Mr. Pool bringeth against them Some arguments we used to prove that Officers stand in relation as Officers to a particular Church onely and not to a universal Church Mr. Pool pag. 35. den yeth the major of our first Syllogisme but medleth not with the proofs of it and so it remaineth firme still To prove our minor we use this argument Arg. 1. All that flock or Church over which the Holy Ghost hath made a man a Bishop or Overseer he is commanded actually to feed and take heed to and sinneth if he doth not But no Bishop or Overseer is commanded actually to feed and take heed to all the universal Church c. Ergo Ob. Mr. Pool