Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n
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A75971
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The agreement of the associated ministers of the county of Essex: proposed to their particular congregations, and to all such of the county that love the churches peace; with a word of exhortation to brotherly union.
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1658
(1658)
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Wing A776; Thomason E955_2; ESTC R207612
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42,278
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62
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more fully it puts us in mind of our mutual relation and stirs us up the more to the performance of our respective duties to each other therefore we have hereunto annexed a profession of Assent to the Fundamentals of Faith by way of Explication of the Creed called the Apostles which we all own and will maintain Likewise a profession of Consent to the tearms of the Covenant of Grace which also we all freely agree unto and both these we conceive may not unfitly be used if not in the express words yet at least as to the substance of them either at the Sacrament of Baptisme and the Lords Supper or on other occasions as prudence shall direct And we also engage for our selves to endeavour the settlement and practise of that Church-Order and Government the Scriptures warrant for admonition reproof and other Church-censures hoping that our people also will agree with us in the things fore-expressed as being not only lawful in themselves but so conducing to the Churches Union and Reformation Ministers encouragement and mutual edification Baptisme 1. VVE agree that not only those who do actually profess Faith in Christ and obedience to him but also the Infants of one or both Believing Parents or Parents that are Church-members are to be Baptized But we shall not Baptize the Children of such as are strangers to us until we have had personal conference with them and the like conference we will endeavour with such Parents who offering to us their Children to be Baptized are either ignorant of the grounds of Religion or scandalous in Conversation 2. Because some Brethren of the Association judge it meet when a Parent ignorant of the grounds of Religion or scandalous in Conversation offers his Child to be Baptized that the Ordinance may be forborn till that ignorant Parent get competent Knowledge or the scandalous do testifie serious Repentance Therefore for preserving Unity amongst us we agree that none of us of different judgements from such Ministers will over-hastily Baptize the Child of such a Parent till first we understand the case from any such Ministers that so defer Baptizing and if then we think fit to Baptize yet first we will render our Reasons to them for so doing which also we shall not be unwilling to submit to the censure of the Association 3. We also agree to administer Baptisme publikely and in the most solemn manner and therefore to perform it ordinarily on the Lords Day or upon some other day of Preaching the Word or at least when the Word by some Exposition or Exhortation may accompany the Ordinance and likewise so far as may be to avoid private Baptisme The Lords Supper 1. VVE agree according to Scripture Warrant the general Judgement and Practice both of the antient succeeding and present Churches of Christ with which the Rubrick before the Communion in divers passages of it and the Confession of Faith the larger Catechisme and form of Church-Government made by the Assembly concur that the Church-Guides should still put a difference in their Admissions to the Lords Supper between the evidently worthy and unworthy encouraging and furthering the one to and in a frequent partaking thereof but warning and not suffering the other to profane the Ordinance endanger their own Souls and give scandal to other Christians And seeing Church-Rulers are apt to fail in their duty either from too great severity rigidly excluding the competently fit or by inadvertency over-facility or fear promiscuously admitting such who on prudent and moderate Tryal would appear unworthy Therefore we resolve as to encourage good Christians to an often coming to the Lords Supper so not to admit such to it who appear unfit Namely 1. Those that have not a competent Knowledge in the principles of Religion 2. That are not of an unblameable Conversation And if some of us require more positive signs of Grace in persons that come to the Ordinance it shall be no breach of Union among our selves Competent Knowledge BEcause a total or gross ignorance in the principles of Christianity cannot consist with saving Faith sound Repentance coming up to the terms of the Covenant of Grace of which this Sacrament is a Seal neither with that discerning the Lords Body and such self-examination as is necessary to worthy partaking But that persons thus ignorant must needs miss of benefit by this Ordinance and meet with a Curse instead of a Blessing Therefore we shall not admit any that on Tryal are found such till Competent Knowledge be attained That we may therefore proceed more clearly and with less inconveniency to any we will not give the Rule our selves for this Tryal but express our concurrent sense and approbation of that direction being very full and plain which the Assembly in their form of Church-Government offers yet not limiting any strictly or solely to it Their words are these The Rubrick at the end of the Confirmation formerly mentioning the Curats Duty of taking account what Children could say the fore-mentioned Catechisme Add these words And there shall none be admitted to the Holy Communion until such time as he can say the Catechisme and be confirmed where the Catechisme is made the Rule of Tryal of Knowledge in first admission to the Lords Supper and that saying the Catechisme when Children but six or seven years old may rehearse it yet cannot understand it nor examine themselves must therefore be a saying of it with understanding the meaning and sense of which the Curate must take notice before he admits to that Ordinance All such persons who shall be admitted to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper ought to know that there is a God that there is but one Everlasting and true God Maker of Heaven and Earth and Governour of all things that this only true God is the God whom we worship that this God is but one God yet three distinct Persons the Father Son and Holy Ghost all equally God That God created Man after his own Image in Knowledge Righteousness and true Holiness that by one man Sin entred into the world and Death by Sin and so Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned that thereby they are all dead in trespasses and sins and are by Nature the Children of Wrath and so lyable to Eternal Death the wages of every sin That there is but one Mediator betwixt God and Man the Man Christ Jesus who is also over all God blessed for ever neither is there Salvation in any other That he was Conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary that he died upon the Cross to save his people from their sins that he rose again the third day from the Dead ascended into Heaven sitteth at the right hand of God and maketh Intercession for us of whose Fulness we receive all Grace necessary to Salvation That Christ and his Benefits are applyed only by Faith that Faith is the gift of God and that we have it not of our selves but it
is wrought in us by the Word and the Spirit of God That Faith is that Grace whereby we believe and trust in Christ for remission of sins and Life Everlasting according to the Promises of the Gospel that whosoever believeth not in the Son of God shall not see Life but shall perish eternally That they who truly repent of their sins do see them sorrow for them and turn from them to the Lord and that except men repent they shall surely perish That a godly life is conscionably ordered according to the Word of God in Holiness and Righteousness without which no man shall see God That the Sacraments are Seals of the Covenant of Grace in the Blood of Christ that the Sacraments of the New Testament are Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord that the outward Elements in the Lords Supper are Bread and Wine and do signifie the Body and Blood of Christ crucified which the worthy Receiver by Faith doth partake of in the Sacrament which Christ hath likewise ordained for the remembrance of his Death that whosoever eateth and drinketh unworthily is guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord therefore that every one is to examine himself lest he eat and drink Judgement to himself not discerning the Lords Body That the Souls of the Faithful after death do immediately live with Christ in Blessedness and that the Souls of the Wicked do immediatly go into hell torment that there shall be a Resurrection of the Bodies both of the Just and Unjust at the last day at which time all shall appear before the Judgement-Seat of Christ to receive what they have done in the Body whether it be Good or Evil and that the Righteous shall go into Life Eternal and the Wicked into Everlasting Punishment 3. Because some persons through want of Education weakness of apprehension bashfulness and other impediments are unable to express their minds in fit and composed words and yet others by roat can easily speak more than they understand we will therefore use the most familiar means by easie questions and discourse to discern the meaning of such not taking any for ignorant for want of apt expressions nor accepting every one for competently knowing who verbally can recite the fore-mentioned particulars but so far as we can discover we will make their ignorance or knowledge it self the ground of our proceeding Unblameable Conversation and Scandal 1. SCandalous sinners we agree cannot be admitted to the Lords Supper without great sin and judgement to themselves danger by their example of leavening the whole lump defiling the Ordinance and very great dishonour to Christ therefore we resolve not to receive any of what degree or quality soever that is proved such before satisfaction be given the Church by evidence of serious Repentance 2. We will not reject any from our own private apprehensions and suspitious or others bare report but where the matter of fact shall have some evident proof 3. Because all sins are not alike evil nor of a scandalous nature therefore we shall distinguish of such sins and accordingly proceed 4. We agree that no person ought to be judged scandalous for sins of such meer infirmity and daily incursion that all the Saints daily are subject to mourn for and strive against 5. But such we agree are scandalous persons who continue in any course or way of open wickedness whatsoever and particularly are evidently guilty of any of those wayes of sin mentioned in Scripture as marks and characters of wicked persons being utterly inconsistent with Holiness saving Faith true Repentance new Obedience and coming up to the terms of the Covenant of Grace sealed by this Sacrament and thereby appearing in open rebellion against Christ the Ordainer of it such as Idolaters Sorcerers Fornicators Drunkards Lyars and any such kind of evil livers 6. We agree that a person is scandalous by not only a way or course of open wickedness but likewise by any one single act or work of manifest wickedness whereby the people of Christ have that evil example set before them and may be drawn into the like Rebellion and disobedience against Christ such as a single act of Fornication Drunkenness Blasphemy Idolatry or any the like immorral and flagitious act To this we add for further evidence that innumeration of scandals by the Assembly in their Church-Government The words are as followeth All scandalous Persons hereafter mentioned are to be suspended from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper that is to say all persons that shall blasphemously speak or write any thing of God his holy Word or Sacraments all Renouncers of the true Protestant Religion professed in the Church of England and all persons who shall by preaching or writing maintain any such Errours as do subvert any of those Articles the ignorance whereof doth render any person excluded from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper an Incestuous person an Adulterer a Fornicator a Drunkard a prophane Swearer or Curser one that hath taken away the life of any person maliciously all Worshippers of Images Crosses Crucifixes or Reliques all that shall make Images or Pictures of the Trinity or of any person thereof all Religious Worshippers of Saints Angels or any meer creatures any person that shall profess himself not to be in charity with his Neighbour all persons in whom malice appeareth and they refuse to be reconciled any person that shall challenge any other person by word message or writing to fight or that shall accept such challenge and agree thereto any person that shall knowingly carry any Challenge by word message or writing any person that shall upon the Lords day use any Dancing playing at Dice or Cards or any other Game Masking Wakes Shooting Bowling Playing playing at Foot-ball Stool-ball Wrestling or that shall make resort to any Playes Interludes Fencing Bull-baiting Bear-baiting or that shall use Hawking Hunting or Coursing Fishing or Fowling or that shall publikely expose any wares to sale otherwise then is provided by an Ordinance of Parliament of the sixth of April 1649. Any person that shall travell on the Lords Day without reasonable cause any person that keepeth a known Stew or Brothel-house or that shall solicite the chastity of any person for himself or any other any person Father or Mother that shall consent to the Marriage of their Children to a Papist or any person that shall marry a Papist any person that shall repair for any advice to any Witch Wizard or Fortune-teller any person that shall menace or assault his Parents or any Magistrate Minister or Elder in the execution of his office any person that shall be legally attained of Barrotry Forgery Extortion or Bribery Thus the Rubrick before the Communion in these words If any be an open and evil liver so that the Congregation by him is offended or have done wrong to his Neighbour by deed or word the Curate having knowledge thereof shall advertise him in any wise not to presume to the Lords Table