Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	faith_n	life_n	1,585	5	4.9703	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23664	A doubt resolved, or, Satisfaction for the seekers wherein the case touching an administrator of gospel ordinances, in these times, is handled : wherein also some other questions are more briefly touched, viz. I. Whether water-baptism was to continue in force after the ministry of John the Baptist ceased, II. VVhether Gospel ordinances are things spirituall, or carnall, III. VVhether a power to preach by immediate revelation of the spirit, be necessary in every Gospel minister?, IIII. What is is to be baptized with the Spirit : well worthy the consideration of many who in these times are unsetled in their judgements touching these points / by William Allen.	Allen, William, d. 1686.	1655 (1655)	Wing A1063; ESTC R15502	29,149	40

you even Moses in whom ye trust saith Christ to the Jews in that the Doctrine of Moses which they had in writing did accuse them Moses himself is said to accuse them Again ver. 46 47. For had ye beleeved Moses ye would have beleeved me for he wrote of me but if ye beleeve not his writings how shall ye beleeve my words Where we see 1. That to beleeve Moses and to beleeve the Doctrine of Moses in his writings is the same thing And 2. That Christ held it altogether unlikely that those that would not beleeve and obey those matters of Doctrine whilst commended to them in the writings of Moses should ever beleeve and obey Christ himself teaching the same things And by rule of proportion it holds well that if those that would not beleeve Moses writings could not beleeve Christs words he speaking and Moses writing the same thing neither would they beleeve and obey the Apostles themselves or men of like qualifications if they should come again amongst us who now will not obey those Doctrines rules and precepts which they have left us in writing And hereto agrees that also Luke 16.31 If they heare not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead Again John 7.19.22 did not Moses give you the Laws and yet none of you keepeth the Law ver. 22. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision c. How did Moses give them the Law and circumcision when as he was dead many hundreds of years before they were born Why in that they had the writings of Moses and were as well concerned in what they imported as those were to whom Moses first delivered the Law in that respect Moses was said to give them the law as well as to their fore-fathers Acts 21.21 They are informed of thee that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses saying that they ought not to circumcise their children and to walk after the customes Where likewise we see that to forsake the Doctrine of Moses is to forsake Moses and Luke 16.13 They are said to have Moses and the Prophets when yet they had but their writings so that to forsake Moses and to forsake his Doctrine and to have Moses and the Prophets and to have their Doctrine in writing is in Scripture language and account the same thing in effect and substance And there is altogether the same reason why to have the Ministry of the Apostles and to have their Doctrine in writing to forsake the one and to forsake the other should be substantially the same thing And let every man be sure of this that if Christ Jesus at his first comming did interpret mens neglect of Moses in his writings to be an neglect of Moses in his Ministry that he likewise at his second comming will account mens neglect to observe his Ordinances and wayes delivered us in the writings of his Apostles to be an neglect of the Apostles ministry yea of Christ himself whose Embassadours they are to the world and to the Saints as well by writing as speaking as I shall shew further by and by SECT. 21. 2. The same thing is true also of the Doctrines and writings of the Prophets for they by their writings are as wel Ministers to those under the New Testament as they were to those to whom they in their life time preached under the old so far as their Doctrine concerns men now 1 Pet. 1.10 11 12. Of which salvation the Prophets have inquired searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you ver. 12. unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselve - but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported to you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you Where note 1. That the Prophets are said to minister to us who now live under the New Testament the things of the Gospel the same things which those have reported who preached the Gospel and to minister to us and to be ministers to us of the Grace of the Gospel is in effect the same thing But then 2. How or by what means are the Prophets ministers to us of this Grace but by their writings and if they by their writings are ministers unto us then much more are the Apostles Ministers to us upon the like account Again Eph. 2.20 and are built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles c. If then the Doctrine of the Prophets transmitted in writing was as wel the Basis and foundation upon which the Churches in the Apostles times were built as the Doctrine of the Apostles themselves as by this text it clearly appears that it was then by the same rule the Doctrinal writings both of the Prophets and Apostles are a sufficient foundation whereon to build Churches now in these times And therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 16.25.26 that by the Scriptures of the Prophets as well as by the preaching of the Apostles Christ Jesus is made known to all nations for the obedience of Faith If then the Scriptures of the Prophets be a sufficient ground for men in all Nations in faith to act upon for so much of the Gospel as is revealed in them as you see by our Apostle they are then without doubt the Scriptures of the Apostles also are a sufficient ground for men in all Nations in faith to act upon as touching all those Doctrines Ordinances Rules and Precepts of the Gospel contained in them John 20.31 But these are WRITTEN that ye might BELEEVE that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that beleeving ye might have life through his name SECT. 22. 3. I shall yet further strengthen my principal assertion touching the presence of an Apostolical power now amongst us directing and authorizing men in the gathering of Churches and administration of Ordinances I say I shall further confirm this by several considerations taken from the nature manner and extant of the apostolical ministration SECT. 23. 1. The Apostles were and are Apostles to men as well by their writings being absent from them as by their preachings when present with them For this consider first Rom. 15.15.16 Neverthelesse Brethren I have written the more boldly to you in some sort as putting you in mind because of the Grace that is given me of God that I should be the Minister of Jesus Christ unto the Gentiles ministering the Gospel of God Two things would be noted here touching our businesse in hand 1. The act of Paul he wrote and wrote boldly unto these Romans 2. The reason or ground why he did so write and that was because by the Grace of God he was made the minister of Christ to the Gentiles such as they were to minister to them the Gospel of God By which we gather that in that he wrote this Epistle to them it was in direct pursuance of his Office as being the minister or Apostle of the Gentiles and that

lightly imaginable They indeed first set it on broach in the Nations but there were many others who were instrumental to hand it up and down the world Many of whom the Apostle upon that account calls Fellow-labourers Fellow-helpers and Fellow-workers together with them both of men and women 1 Thes. 3.2 Phil. 4.3 Rom. 16.3.2 Cor. 8.23 Col. 4.11 Philem. 1.24 It was indeed the Apostles sound that went into all the earth and they were their words that went to the ends of the world Rom. 10.18 they made the whole world to ring with their Doctrine but yet the Beleevers which were also made such by their preaching helped to carry this sound from one place to another till it had filled the world In which work the Beleevers at Rome had not the least share they having a greater advantage and opportunity this way then many others inasmuch as the place of their abode was in the Metropolitan City of the world where the Emperour thereof had his seat and residence whither and from whence upon that account men had recourse from and to all parts of the known world whither the influence of the Imperial Government did extend and by that means the same of the faith of the Gospel professed at Rome went out into all the world as the Apostle informs us Rom. 1.8 I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world But whoever were the immediate instruments the Apostles themselves were the original ministers even to all that beleeved In which respect all those that have beleeved the Gospel in what place or age of the world soever since the Apostles are all said to beleeve through their word John 17.20 For when Christ saith speaking of his Apostles Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall beleeve on me through their word he plainly implies that all that ever should thereafter beleeve should beleeve through their word unlesse we will suppose that Christ did not pray for all Beleevers In which respect likewise I conceive Christ promiseth his Apostles to be present with them to wit in their ministry unto the end of the world Mat. 28.20 which also shews that their Ministry in their Doctrine should continue even unto the end of the world If then the Ministry of the Apostles be of the same extent with their Doctrine and that the one is as broad and as long as the other and that whomsoever the one reaches the other reaches 〈◊〉 the affirmative whereof I conceive hath been abundantly proved then the case is clear and out of doubt that the Ministry of the Apostles is now amongst us to direct and authorise in what is to be done in the Christian life in matters of worship Ordinances and otherwise as well as it was among those Churches which were planted in their days because we have the same Doctrine with us in the Scriptures by authority whereof Churches were planted and Ordinances administred in the first times of the Gospels publication And that the different terms upon which we now have and the Beleevers then had the same Doctrinal instructions and directions from the Apostles the one by word of mouth the other by writing doth not alter the case so as to leave us out of that capacity of injoying Gospel Ordinances which they were in I shall now come further to clear in the next head of this discourse Therefore SECT. 27. 3. The weight efficacy authorizing and obliging vertue of the Apostles Doctrinal instructions about matters of salvation worship administration of Ordinances and the like did not depend upon the Apostles themselves as they were such and such men but upon the will pleasure and Grace of God which was indeed made known by them For which cause the Apostles frequently labour to carry mens thoughts and expectations off from themselves as touching the import energie operation and vertue of the things ministred by them and to charge the same wholly upon God that is upon his will and appointment and the influence of his power and grace as concurrent with his own appointments 1 Cor. 3.7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing neither is he that watereth but God that giveth the increase Though Paul plant and Apollo water yet the effects which the Gospel doth produce in men depend no more upon Paul or Apollo then the increase of the seed depends upon the hand of him that plants or waters it which by the blessing of God is wont to grow and increase by what hand soever planted and watered Again 2 Cor. 4.7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us Where we see likewise that the excellency of the power of this treasure did not depend upon the vessels as such to wit the persons of the Apostles in which it was brought but upon the Will Grace and Power of God how weak or earthen soever the Vessels are in which it is carried unto men See further for this 1 Cor. 15.10 and 2 Cor. 3.5 Act. 3.12 This being so it follows that we having the same will of God now made known to us by the writings of the Apostles by which men were directed authorized and warranted to beleeve be baptized gather into Churches and to hold communion in all Ordinances in the Apostles days that therefore we also are every whit as well authorized and required to repent beleeve be baptized unite in Church bodies hold communion in all Ordinances of the Gospel as they were for the will of God which is the ground and foundation of all is the same whether it be expressed by speaking or writing And I fear it will be found a slender excuse for men in the great day of reckokoning to say that therefore they had not kept his Orninances because he did not deliver his mind about them upon the same terms to all as he had done to some when as notwithstanding he hath sufficiently enough discovered his mind will herein And why should any think either that God will more excuse men in these days from obeying him in his Ordinances then he did in the Apostles times or that men have lesse need now of the help and benefit of all the Ordinances of the Gospel then they then had SECT. 28. What hath been said already touching the presence of the apostolical ministry among us and the validity of their writings as being equivolent with their personal speaking to authorise men in the use and administration of Ordinances may I suppose abundantly satisfie any that are desirous of satisfaction touching an Administrator and mens power of administring baptism now in these daies yet because men might in this kind have good measure heaped up pressed down and running over into their bosoms I shall speak yet something further to that particular case The question is what power any man hath in these days to administer Baptism The