Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	church_n	true_a	visible_a	19,269	5	9.3685	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19149	A second manuduction, for Mr. Robinson. Or a confirmation of the former, in an ansvver to his manumission	Ames, William, 1576-1633.	1615 (1615)	STC 556; ESTC S115272	26,714	36

it is an act or for the state arising from that act of obligation which is nothing else but the relation those persons obliged haue one to another so it is a relation or else for the thing to which they are obliged or the signe therof so it may be eyther an act or a disposition or some other good All these significations of the word covenant I find in scripture use of speach any other beside these I doe not understand If Mr. R. had another meaning he should haue doen well to haue expressed it better the poynt especially being of such momēt The things covenanted or the signe he cannot meane for these are not constantly resydeing in the vvhole all the parts therof which is a condition of this forme by him required some act or relation therfore he must needs understand gainsaying one part of the sentence by the other 3. The truth is this forme in strict accurate meaning must needs be some relation by Mr. R. his owne reason For nothing beside a relation can possiblie resyde actually one the same and at all times in a whole companie of men and in all the parts of that companie 4. Wheras he calleth this forme an orderly covenant his words are doubtfull at the least For there be many degrees of orderly proceeding in businesses publick as wel as private and every circumstance of order doeth not apperteyne as absolutely necessary to the constituting forme of a true church Now for the declaring of the trueth concerning this matter I propound to be considered this breif demonstration A visible church must not be considered as a simple effect arising of meer matter forme as Mr. R doeth speak of it But as a whole or compound consisting of partes or members so that the members must conteyne in themselves all the essentiall both matter forme also which make the wholle by compacting or uniting themselves in one Christian men being the called of God haue in them both matter forme essentiall for making of a visible church else could they not giue essence or being to the church for nothing can give that which it hath not Now these members combining themselves into one body as they are such doe make or rather are actually a true visible church one integrall body not continued but by aggregation which integral church as it is such hath for the constituting forme that relation which ariseth out of the combination of all the members and so differeth not essentially from all the members compacted but onely in reasō Further this integral body for the wel being of it in exercising those operations which belong unto it wherunto it serveth must become as we say organicall having members of diverse rankes some as head mouth eyes the pastor teachers elders some as hāds the deacons helpers wherupon ariseth another relation forme of accidental perfection in state of government which is cōplete or incomplete freely exercising the power granted by Christ to his church or else restreyned or defective therin Out of all this my answer is that the essentiall forme of a visible church is the covenant of God or true fayth made visible by profession the notes markes wherof are the word sacraments rightly administred receyved with fruights of obedience The integral constituting forme is that state relation or reference which a congregation of such professors haue one to another by vertue of their setled combination the note or mark wherof is their usuall assembling into one place watching one over another The organicall active forme is that state of order wherin officers people stand one to the other the note of which is direction submission Now to the poynt so many parrish assemblies of England as haue any competent number of good christians in them united together for to worship God ordinarily in one societie so many have essentiall integrall forme of a visible church and all they have entyre right to Christ to all the meanes of enioying him howsoever they are defective in the puritie of their combinatiō in the complete free exercising of their power The 4 and last quaestion propounded by Mr. R. concerning the church is hovv parrish assemblies being partes of diocesan false churches can any more be reputed true churches then could a particular Ievvish synagogue be so reputed vvhich should haue made it self an entyre independēt body in respect of the nationall church temple To which I answer that ther is not the like reason For parrish assemblies are not spirituall parts of a diocesan spirituall church but entyre spirituall bodies though civilly combined into a diocesan government Neyther is the principall worship performed at the cathedrall church as it was in the temple but in the parrish assemblies themselves In the second head ther is but one quaestiō moved that is vvhether a mā fitted invvardly called to the ministery being persvvaded in his heart that a lavvfvll outvvard calling vvithout sin in the enterance continuāce can not be had in the church of England vvhether such a man be not bound in conscience to seek out procure another church c. I ans 1. That inward calling is not ordinarily to be built upon without some outward approbation doeth confirme it 2. A lawfull outward calling is had enioyed in many churches of England 3. He that cannot enter in one place without sin yet hath his heart so fully set unto the ministery that he cannot haue peace without that function ought as I think to take any good occasion of removing into some other place of more freedome To the demands in the 3 4 head I haue answered before that preaching is necessarily required by the natur of a ministers office in England some ruling is exercised by those that make conscience of their duty and unto this function men are not called meerely by the prelat These 4 conditions therfore so farr as they are of absolute necessitie for a true ordinary minister of Christ are manifestly to be found in many assemblies of England Which also Mr. R. in a manner granteth in confessing that there are to be found in the parochiall ministery men apt to teach unreproveable in conversation having an invvard calling from God that is a holy disposition desire to administer the gospell of Christ to the glory of God furtherance of mās salvation For this is the 2. condition which he acknowledgeth to be found in the parochial ministery And can any charitable aequall minde receyve into it self this thought that so many mē of so good knowledg syncere conscience should be so far forsaken of God all the time of their life and that one generatiō after another as not onely to cōtinue in Babilon as members of Antichrist but to bow downe ordinarily give spiritual honour to so many hatefull idols exalted above all that is called God as these men doe telus of in the English assemblies or if Mr. R. did inwardly beleeve that they lived in such continuall practise of idolatrie as he doeth in words accuse them of would he account them unreproveable men in their conversation without any exception annexed I say no more but God grant me that comfort which many of them haue had in their unreproveablenes and more to Mr. R. then he can possiblie finde in such kind of reproving or rather slandering of them Amen Sec. 1. Manumis p. 3. Publicus quasi populicus S. 2. Sec. 3. Sec. 4. Pag. 7. Sec. 5. Sec. 6. Sec. 7. Sec. 8. Sec. 9. Dan. 2. Pag. 5. Sect. 10. Sect. 13. Sec. 12.