Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	baptism_n	covenant_n	seal_n	5,819	5	9.5412	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75971	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.		1658 (1658)	Wing A776; Thomason E955_2; ESTC R207612	42,278	62

particular Congregations it is to be managed by those that rule over them in the Lord and that therefore the Examination and Determination of things in point of admissions to Ordinances and refusals together with other Church acts shall be performed and mannaged by them yet not without notice given to the people of what in matters of general concernment and consequence is determined by them that if any can upon grounds out of the Word object any thing their satisfaction may be endeavoured or the matter forborn 3. In these and all such cases wherewith the people are made acquainted we agree according to Scripture Rules practice of the Churches and all Societies rightly ordered there must be one to govern the matter of speech and silence of which the Pastour or Minister is to take care that order be maintained 4. We agree that to heal offences and remove scandals out of the Church Christ hath provided the remedy of admonition of offenders and other Church censures to which there ought to be no proceeding but in case of known offence and such as cannot be healed without censure and offences being some of them private others publike they require a proceeding according to their nature and quality 5. In private offences or scandals of one Brother against another known if to more than the brother yet but to few we agree that as Christian Inspection and watchfulness over each other must not degenerate into imprudent rash and uncharitable prying into others failings so Brotherly Admonition may not at any time become unadvised and unwarrantable medling therefore we are in proceedings of this sort to follow as other Scripture Rules so espcially that Rule Mat. 18.15 If thy Brother c. which offence or trespass we understand not to be meant by our Lord of such humane infirmities that all men even the best Saints on earth in this state of imperfection continually fall into nor of such smaller faults or injuries which Christian prudence love and peaceableness require an over-looking and passing by but the offence there grounding the admonition is a greater evil endangering the soul of the doer scandalizing the Brother seeing it and lying as a stumbling stone in his Christian course and such a sin that for the nature of it is fit in case of insuccessefulness of admonition to be brought before the Church 6. Besides this Ecclesiastical Admonition we yeeld there may be other Charitative Admonitions which must not proceed to Ecclesiastical censure 7. Therefore for our own particulars we shall be very tender and cautious what either we our selves do or encourage others unto in this case but on such grounds as the Word will sufficiently warrant 8. The offence or scandal against a Brother being more than a meer humane infirmity the offending Brother by the Rule of Christ ought to go to his Brother offended and declare his Repentance to him who thereupon is to forgive him but if the Offender neglect that duty the Brother offended is to go personally to him and tell him his fault between themselves alone and if by that admonition the offence be healed and the Brother gained it is to be concealed for the future If he hear not this first admonition the party offended is to take to him two or three witnesses and if he then hear at the second admonition before witnesses the matter ought to be kept secret by both the Admonisher and the Witnesses but if he again hear not before Witnesses then the matter is to be told to the Church which though some understand of Church Rulers others of the Church of a particular Congregation yet all do agree that for order and decency the accusation must not first be brought to the whole Congregation but to the Rulers or Over-seers and therefore we resolve not to countenance the bringing of any such matter before the Congregation till those that are set over them in the Lord have first been acquainted with it to whom belongs also the giving of all publike admonitions if afterward the aforesaid party upon proof of sin be admonished by the Church and he hear not the Church but is obstinate in the sin then he ought to be accounted as an Heathen man and a Publican and excluded the Church Publike Scandal 1. VVE agree that a private Scandal by obstinacy added to it against private admonition and thereupon told and proved to the Church especially by that further obstinacy against the Churches following admonition becomes a publike scandal but properly a publike scandal is that which in its own nature at the very first is publike and notorious known to many if not to the whole Church in which case the former proceeding by a private gradual admonition is not requisite nor proper but the Church when an offence is thus publike ought immediatly to deal with it according to the nature of the offence either by the less censure of admonition when the Scandal is less which admonition may be once or oftner as need shall require or by the greater Censure of Excommunication when the scandal is greater and heinous wherein we resolve faithfully to endeavour the discharge of that duty shall be incumbent on us 2. If the party offending after due proceeding shall manifest Repentance and satisfie the Church he is to be received into fellowship again 3. To the satisfaction of the Church is required more evidence of Repentance after some greater sin is committed or in case of relapsing readily into the same sin for which he hath declared Repentance before the Church or falling into some new scandalous evil after a former censure and re-admission into Communion then in other cases Therefore we agree to be very cautious and circumspect herein that there be not an over-hasty re-admitting of any such till due tryal of Reformation be made in some competent measure of time 4. When an offender is under Church-Censure though the former Christian-Fellowship be denied to him yet ought there to be all due wayes used to reduce him to Repentance towards God and former Fellowship with the Church as being a Member or person under cure Therefore we resolve so long as opportunity and hope remain to do our best endeavours when any Member of our Congregations shall come under Censure for the Recovery of such out of Satans Snare and reducing them to the obedience of Christ and his Churches Fellowship 5. Whereas such Members of the Church born and Baptized in it by vertue of the Covenant of their Parents and so received into it have many priviledges which others not Church-Members have not as their being in Covenant with God having the Seal of the Covenant of Baptisme upon them and so if they are not Regenerate yet are in a more hopeful way of attaining Regenerating Graces and all the spiritual blessings both of the Covenant and Seal and are also under Church-watch and oversight and consequently subject to such Gospel-order as may conduce to their spiritual good Therefore we agree

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