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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	church_n	fruitful_a	great_a	56	3	2.1033	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77507	The sacred and soveraigne church-remedie: or, The primitive and apostolicall way of composing ecclesiasticall differences, and establishing the churches of Christ. Wherein the authority and utility of lawfull councels and synods is asserted and vindicated, and divers of the sad controversies of the times modestly debated; first preached in the parish church of great Yarmouth, and now published for a preservative against the poyson of anti-synodall suggestions, and a preparative to the receiving of what mercy God shall please to convey unto his Church in this kingdome, through the hands of the present reverend Assembly of Divines. / By John Brinsley.	Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.	1645 (1645)	Wing B4725; Thomason E269_27; ESTC R212361	64,670	94

exposition whether it be proper for that place or no I will not now contend But this I am sure to be a truth the Kingdome of God and of Christ is chiefly spirituall and inward a Government exercised in the hearts and souls of men where Christ setteth up his throne his scepter ruling there by his word and spirit subduing rebellious lusts bringing them under and keeping them under bringing every thought into obedience to the obedience of faith As for the externall Order and Discipline of the Church if it do belong properly to the Kingly Office of Christ yet it is one of the least parts of it So let Ministers And so let the people look upon is not spending all or the chief of their time about matters of Church-government Discipline studying this discoursing of nothing but this as if this were the Cardinall businesse the maine hinge upon which all Religion turned nor yet so overzealously affecting this that for want of what herein they would have they should renounce Church-Communion and distaste all other the Ordinances of God even those soul-saving Ordinances wherein the Doctrine of faith is held forth with power and efficacy Word and Sacraments No let your maine care my brethren be for the faith the Gospell of life and salvation that you may established in that growing up in that Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ saith St. Peter in the speculative and experimentall knowledge of Jesus Christ This is the knowledge which must and wilestablish you be yee therefore established in it that you may be as the same Apostle exhorts {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} steadfast in the faith not like children a● St. Paul pr●sseth i● upon his Ephesians tossed to and fro and carried about with every winde of Doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftinesse of them which lye in waite to deceive Thus is it with multitudes of well meaning souls at this day who being unstable ungrounded in the faith are carried away some with the Anabaptist others with the Antinomian a third with the F●●ilist c. That it may not be so with us labour we to be confirmed and established in the faith which we have received growing up in it Observ. This we are to do at all times but specially then when God affordeth us more speciall means of growth and establishment when God as it were soliciteth us hereunto by the labours and endeavours of his servants It is an observation hinted to me by Master Calvin upon the words upon Paul and Silas comming to the Churches and bestowing their labours upon them Now were they established in the faith where means of confirmation are wanting there weaknesse and unsetlednesse are the more pardonable rather to be pittyed then censured but where God doth send his servants able faithfull instruments who do put forth themselves in the use of all possible endeavours for the setling and establishing of a people in the faith here God expecteth from them growth and increase answerable Applic. Take this truth home to your selves and make Application of it as you shall see occasion I shall 〈…〉 to the second particular the second fruit of the Apostles ind●avo●●s and that is the Churches Augmentation And so were the Churches increased in number daily In 〈◊〉 it may be understood two waies with reference either to Persons 〈◊〉 Churches the number of persons was increased or the number of Churches was increased Each a good hearing so is the latter To hear that the number of Churches is increased But understand it rightly viz. If this increase be by way of addition not of division the latter is of sad consequence To heare of Churches multiplyed after the same manner as the leaves and fishes in the Gospell are said to have been 〈◊〉 frangendum multiplyed by breaking by dividing one Church broken into many ●nd that through Schismes and Divisions this is a sad multiplication The Lord keep his Churches from such increases True it is where a Church is grown over numerous or some of the members of it are upon occasion to be transplanted in this case Ed●●●r● Co●●ni●m to 〈◊〉 forth a Colonie a Congregation one or more to plant elsewhere as probably it was in the Church of Jerusalem it may be both war●antable and necessary But to multiply Churches by breakings by divisions this I say is a sad multiplication But having only touched this I leave it leave it to the Donatist and Separatist the first and last Authors of it The Text as I conceive confines me to the former They were increased in number i. e. the Churches already planted and constituted they were increased in number of members in number of persons joyning themselves to their Communion So the originall carries it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Exuberabant saith Beza Abundabant saith the vulgar they abounded in number like a tree which putteth forth young shootes and branches abundantly So was it with the Churches now even as it was with the Church of Jerusalem before the Church of the believing Jewes to which God made daily new additions and those some of them wonderfull ones The Lord added to the Church daily such a● should be saved Act. 2. The number of the Disciples multiplyed in Jerusalem greatly Acts 6. So was it now with the Churches of the Gentiles Upon Pauls comming to them they also were multiplyed and increased in number daily Observ. A good and a blessed hearing to heare of such a m●ltiplication such an increase It was the first blessing which God pronounced upon mankinde Cres●ite 〈◊〉 Increase and multiply a barren wombe in it self is a curse a fruitfull one a blessing and so is it with a barren and a fruitfull Church Where God giveth to a Church as the Prophet threatens that he would do to Israel a miscarrying or barren ●ombe and dry breasts so as there is no increase this is a sad and omino●● judgement whereas on the other hand to see the Churches fruitfull like the Sheep in the Ganticles whereof every one is said to beare twins and none to be barren amongst them all bringing forth children unto God encreasing in number daily it is one of the greatest blessings that Earth can receive from Heaven Applic. And is it so why then let all of us do what in us lyeth to further this increase taking heed of being any occasions of bl●dering it whether by our scandalls or divisions both which oft times cause the Churches wombe to miscarry by bringing an evill report upon the good waies of God discouraging others from adventuring upon them who it may be had some eye towards them Taking heed of this of being any waies accessary to the Churches barrennesse do what we may to further her increase every one in our places Minister● in their places endeavouring as spirituall fathers to beget sons and

can be nothing more prejudiciall to the gr●wth of them and of religion in them Their union settlement establishment maketh much for the encrease of both Applic. And doth it so Then let every of us be put in minde to seek this great blessing for the Church or Churches wherein we live Taking heed of being any wayes accessory to the unsetling hereof whether by hatching or brooding any new opinions or setting up any new wayes which have not cleare light and warrant from the word In these cases let that of the Apostle take place with us Hast thou faith have it to thy selfe Hast thou a strong apprehension and firm perswasion touching something which is not so fully and clearly revealed in Scripture as that others may see it have this faith to thy selfe enjoy thine own opinion and conscience but let it not break forth to the offence and scandall of others much lesse to the trouble and disquietment of the Church the settlement whereof ought to be exceeding precious in our eyes And so let it be Every of us seek it Seek it by Prayer Ye that are the Lords Remembrancers keep not silence give him no rest untill he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth Seek it by all holy endeavours every one in our places private persons in theirs and publike persons in theirs all of us willingly embracing and carefully improving what ever advantages or opportunities God shall put into any of our hands for the effecting the furthering of so great so good a work So doth the Apostle here in the Text He receiveth the Decrees from the Councell and receiving them delivereth them whereever he commeth And what was his aime therein why that the Churches might be setled might be established Quest But what establishment was it that Paul here principally eyed and looked at A. The next word resolves it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} So were the Churches established in Faith i. e. in the Doctrine of Faith the true Religion of God So the word is frequently used in Scripture Faith put for the whole Religion of God Calvin gives a reason for it viz. because Faith in Christ is the foundation and ground-work of all And this it was that Pauls eye was here mainly upon not so much the setling of an externall Order in the Churches This indeed he endeavoured but as Calvin saith of it this was but veluti parergon acc●ss●●ium a thing which he undertook by the by as being conducible and subservient to his maine design which was the Establishment of the Churches in the Faith As for Externall Order indeed it is a thing of great concernment to the Churches without which they will never be throughly established Thence is it the Prophet Esay puts these two together Isa. 9. 7. To Order and to establish speaking of the Church But the Kingdome of God is above it Regnum Dei externo ordine altius est ac praestantius The Kingdom of God saith Calvin which con●isteth in the doctrine and practice o Faith and Holinesse it is a thing of a more transcendent and excellent nature then externall Order is Superioregradu loca●ur religio pietas So he goeth on Religion and true piety are to be looked on as things in a higher sphear to be far preferred before Order Discipline Reason And great Reason they should be so in as much as the one maketh only for the bene esse the other for the esse the one for the well-being the other for the being of the Church There may be a Church an Ecclesiasticall Church I and an Integrall one too without Order but not without Faith the Doctrine and Profession of the Faith wherein lyeth the Essentiall State of a Church Not to dwell upon it Applic. Learne we hence how to look upon these two faith and order viz. upon the one as the Mistresse the other as the hand-maid so they are and so let us account of them giving to each that respect which is due unto them not preferring the hand-maid before the Mistrisse not standing so much upon Order as that in the mean time we should seem to neglect the faith True it is both are to be stood upon and contended for but not with a like heate As for the faith we have an expresse warrant for that That yee contend earnestly for the faith Jud. 3. I do not finde the like for Order However take heed lest our over-eager contestations about the one which is but the accessory prove prejudiciall and detrimentall to the other which is the Principall Let our first and maine care be for the faith so was Pauls here in the Text he delivereth these Decrees for the regulating of the Churches in these externall observances wherefore why that they might be established in the faith this was the pearle in his eye the main thing which he aimed at The other was only in order in a way of subserviency unto this A pattern in speciall to the Ministers of the Gospell shewing them what should be their maine designe in the course of their Ministery viz. to propagate the faith to set up the true Religion of God true piety and godlinesse faith and holinesse in the hearts and lives of their people As for matters of order having just occasion they may and ought to deale with them that so they may approve themselves faithfull Stewards not detayning any part of the truth not s●unning to declare unto their people the whole Councell of God as Paul saith of himself Act. 20. But their maine and principall worke should be the establishing of the Churches in the faith this is the maine end of our Ministery so saith Paul of his Apostleship Rom. 1. 5. We have received grace and Apostleship i. e. the grace or gift of Apostleship for obedience to the faith among all Nations i. e. that by his Ministery the Gentiles might be brought to imbrace the faith the Doctrine of the Gospell The best service that the Ministers of Christ can do for their Lord and Master hereby is his name exalted hereby is his Scepter and Kingdome advanced hereby is he set up●n the Throne It is a mistake but too common in the times to think that the Kingdome of Christ should consist either wholly or chiefly in the Externall Politie and Government of the Church No our Saviour himself Lack 17. teacheth the Pharisees to entertaine higher thoughts and more sublime conceptions touching his Kingdome telling them first that the Kingdome of God commeth not with observation vers. 20. i. e. saith Beza it a ut observari possit so as it may be observed and taken notice of by any outward garbe that it hath or as others it doth not consist in externall observation Then that it is aliquid intus The Kingdome of God is within you i. e. as it is commonly expounded in your hearts and souls which