Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	church_n	invisible_a	visible_a	3,670	5	9.2967	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06135	A sermon preached at Torceter in the countie of Northampton the 8. of Iune, Anno Dom. 1588. at the visitation of the right reuerend Father in God, the Bishop of Peeterborow, by Iohn Beatniffe preacher of the woord of God in Brackley.	Beatniffe, John.	1590 (1590)	STC 1662; ESTC S116644	12,021	38

must feede the flocke of God The elders saith S. Peter The Greeke worde is Πρεςβυτερος which the Apostle vseth which word of two sortes of people is falslie interpreted Of the Papists which would haue it to signifie a sacrifising or a massing Priest Of an other sort which woulde haue it onely to signifie Lay-men but the Apostle heere confuteth them both for he speaketh not of sacrifising preists neither yet of lay men but of such as shoulde guide and teach his Church therefore the worde Elders signifyeth heere Bishops Ministers Of whome the office of the first is not only to teach but also to rule the Church of God to keepe it in with a Bishop-like authority this Paul prooueth Take heede vnto your selues and to the whole flocke Act. 20. ouer the which the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseeers to rule the Church of God which he hath purchased with his owne bloode Out of which wordes I gather thus much that of the one side as a Bishop is not exempted from the office of teaching because hee is a Bishop so on the other side hee is not called a Bishop because he is apt to teach neither for the office of teaching but for the preheminence of ruling and ouerséeing of the Church of God that false doctrine come not in that offenders which corrupt the manners and peace of the Church may bee punished and such like The office of the other is this to teach and to administer the Sacraments according to the saying of Christ generally to all ministers Goe into all the worlde Math. 28. teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holie Ghost And Paul sayth Preach thou the worde bee feruent in season and out of season reproue rebuke exhort with al loue patience doctrine The which places beeing with disretion considered of are sufficient to prooue that as on the one side calling is necessary so they which be called must bee such as the Apostle heere speaketh of Elders that is to say Bishops to rule and to teach Ministers to teach to administer to rebuke and to exhort where they be therevnto lawfully called Feede ye heere is thirdly to be noted with what they must feede verily with the word with it haue all the Prophets fed that same is the nourishment of the Church S. Peter sayth We are borne agayne not of corruptible seede 1. Pet. 1 2● but of incorruptible by the word of God who liuech and endureth for euer For all flesh is grasse and the glory of man is as the flower of gras the grasse withereth and the flower falleth away but the word of the Lord indureth for euer and this is the worde which is preached among you By which saying it is manifest that the onely woord of God ought to be taught in the church and that they are not to be heard which would bring in mens deuises into the Church God hath not permitted so much to any mortall man neither may the Church bee gouerned or fed by any other word then by the worde of God by the which it is begotten and borne This confuteth the Papists which would haue the Church to be of greater authoritie then the woord which can not possibly be for the Church is grounded vppon the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles Christ himselfe the head corner stone so that it is against the woord that the house that is to say the church should rule the maister that is to say the woord and it is against nature that the daughter namely the church should rule hir Mother which is the woord Hereuppon it followeth that the ministers must onely feede with the word of God Eze 3.17 and with no other God sayth thou shalt heare words from my mouth and thou shalt warne others from mee Ier. 1.7 Math. 28. I haue put my words in thy mouth and what so euer I haue commaunded thee that shalt thou speake and did binde his Disciples to a certain kinde of doctrine namely to teach those things which hee had commaunded them whereby wee learn that onely the woord of God must be taught in the Church and no other When I say that the only word of God must be taught I do not therby as some do condemne the reading or alledging of the Fathers for that were altogether curiositie I am not of that minde I thinke them very necessarie to bee read and alledged not as doctrine of saluation but as confirmation of iudgement for when our iudgements the iudgements of the fathers are one vpon some place of Scripture then we say it is idem spiritus one and the selfe same spirit so that alledging of the Fathers is not to be blamed but bringing in mans doctrine as necessarie to saluation in stead of the woord of God which onely serueth to that ende is woorthily to bee condemned where it is said feede and that with the woord There is rendred a reason because the written woord of God containeth in it all things necessarie to saluation and also to life and maners and therefore that we neede not seek any further for the assurance of the same this prooueth Iohn the Apostle Iohn 21 Many things did Iesus in the sight of his disciples which are not writtē in this booke but these things are written that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God that in beleeuing yee might haue eternall life The other prooueth Paul 2. Tim. 3. Euery Scripture giuen by inspiration is profitable to teach to reprooue and to exhort that the man of God may be made perfect vnto euerie good woorke Rom. 15. Therefore search the Scriptures for in them yee hoope to haue eternall life Lastly it is to bee declared what they must feed n. the Church There be many sorts of Churches there is a visible Church and an inuisible Church there is a militant Church and a triumphant Church there is a true Church there is a false Church Now where the Apostle saith feede the flocke of God hee putteth a difference betwixt the true false Church now a Church is nothing els but a company of people gathered together so that euery company is a Church but euery company is not a church of God Moreouer this is to bee obserued that whereas the Apostle saith feed the flock of God and that the flock of God is partly visible partly inuisible as is aforesaid that hee meaneth that the ministers of the word should diligently feed all the flocke of God vppon the earth which is flatly against those that would single out the church of God from the rest not knowing that there bee some which though they do not appeare outwardly yet are they most dear and precious in the sight of the Lord I must bee plaine with you it is a great fault in this our time wee will haue none to be of the Church but such as we like such