Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n
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A41785
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The prisoner against the prelate, or, A dialogue between the common goal [ie. gaol] and Cathedral of Lincoln wherein the true faith and Church of Christ are briefly discovered & vindicated ... / written by a prisoner of the baptised churches in Lincolnshire.
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Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing G1543; ESTC R14165
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45,998
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94
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way that men must either mend As well in point of Life as their Profession Shunning with all their might sin transgression And in religious things be still devout Else from Heav'ns joys the Lord wil thrust them out He that wants Holiness sees not the Lord. Let him that readeth meditate that word The test of Antiquity Let not sinnets therefore and wicked men secure themselves by their continuance in the Church nor renounce Christ their Justice in committing any or all of the fleshly works spoken of Gal. 5. for he saith expresly they shall not inherit the Kingdom of God which do such deeds He that abideth in Christ c. hath taken the meat of Life but he that discordeth from Christ doth not eat the flesh of Christ although he do take every day the Sacrament of so great a thing XV. Article As once I said The Churches Pastors ought From ' mongst wel-graced Christians to be sought Chiefly such as have learned self-denial In which few worldly Priests will bide the tryal And such as by the Church are thus elected And eke ordained as God's Word directed Knowing 'to feed the Flock with meat in season And to bear rule with Godliness and Reason With love and care seeking such Sheep as stray Such I do own as Teachers of God's way But such as feed themselves with others fat And keep the Flock from such like food as that Which only can their soul relieve And who To seek for great Revenues rather go Than to enquire into the state of souls I say such Teachers do transgress the Rolls Of holy Writ And therefore I deny them And by this Testimony do decry them The test of Antiquity The Church was governed in times past by the common counsel and advice of the Presbyters And that Episcopum Presbyterium unum esse A Bishop and an Elder are all one Frederick sent this Message to Adrian the 4th We shut up our Cities against your Cardinals because we see that they prey upon the People They do not ratifie Peace but rake together Pence They do not repair the World but impair their Wealth Let none be ordained to the Ministry unless he first be examined of the Bishop and approved by the People The Pastors should seek the Salvation of mens souls not earthly commodity All Clergy men that are strong to labour let them learn some Handicraft as well as Letters XVI Article Such Ministers of Christ as have obtained Free gifts from God freely they are ordained To serve the Church and yet the Scripture wills Some fruit for him which that ground rightly tills Wherefore such as are taught as freely should Communicate to them who forth do hold The Word of Life upon their Work-account That to the Givers good it may amount But as for Tythes thâ—se forced consecrations I say they are no Gospel-Ordinations The test of Antiquity If thou despisest not a Beggar how much more oughtest thou to regard the Ox that treadeth out the corn in the floor And in Psal 146. He saith Thou scarce payest the thousand part yet I find no fault do so still for I so thirst after your well-doing that I refuse not your very crums O Lord Jesus thou hast multiplied the people and thou hast not encreased their joy-They have removed the Offices into shameful gain and the health of souls is not searched for they strive and contend most impudently daily by process for Bishopricks Archbishopricks c. there remaineth nothing but the Man of Sin to be revealed the Son of Perdition XVII Article The Scripture saith that Heresies must be And shews the way appointed us to free Our souls therefrom for such as do erect them The Church hath power wholly to reject them After the first or second Admonition Moreover by Apostolick Commission She hath a power also to withdraw From such Disciples as transgress the Law Of Christ in point of Worship or of life Peace to preserve and terminate her strife The test of Antiquity The Antient Canons make two kinds of Excommunications one greater the other less the greater not to be inflicted but upon the account of mortal or deadly sin Sins are not loosed nor retained at the pleasure of men but according to the will of God and prayers of the Church XVIII Article Touching the point of falling off from Grace I do believe men so may lose their place In Christ the Vine yea such as he doth say Is in him and lest they should fall away Exhorteth them to make their biding-place In him yea such may fall away from Grace As once had Charity in pure heart And conscience good yea that unfained part Of Faith yet wanting constant Watchfulness May turn aside so fouly to transgress As to be withered branches and in fire Burn and consume But yet such as defire With constancy and do the same indeed Add Grace to Grace so certainly shall speed As they shall never fall yea no deceit Of false Christs can them possibly defeat The test of Antiquity It is to be believed that some of the children of perdition receiving not the gift of Perseverence to the end do begin to live in Faith that worketh by Charity and for a time do live faithfully and justly and after do fall In time of temptation they fall away Some therefore revolt from Faith because Verity avoucheth it and by consequence from Salvation because our Saviour rebuketh it from whence we conclude from Charity also without which Salvation cannot be obtained XIX Article Such as are Poor in Christ his Congregation Ought to be cared for by the Donation Or bounty of the Church not by constraint Which care should hold proportion with the want And for the more sufficient management Of this affair the Church ought to appoint Some faithful men therefore to be deputed With laying on of hands Thus constituted They must now undertake this sacred Function The Church to keep in peace sweet conjunction Here be it noted since men did decline From this appointment holy and divine And did by force compel both rich and poor To pay a stinted portion to the Poor Which is but small allotted for their living It hath destroy'd the Ordinance of giving By free-Collection And now Charity With mens Estates holdeth no parity But their large sums are laid out to maintain Gay clothing Pearls all things which are vain VVhat will these men do when God riseth up To cause all men to tast his Judgment-Cup The test of Antiquity Sacred Orders we call Deacons and Presbyters for these two the Primitive Church is found only to have had That which men do by compulsion is not a sacrisice forasmuch as if it be not done voluntarily and with the heart it 's most execrable and accursed If thou hast riches labour by well-doing to store them up in
deem Than other places this though strange it seem I can prove true for in the Gospel day Distinctions of this kind are done away Cathederal It seems then I no holier am then thou In thy conceit but Scripture doth us show There 's holy ground as well as ground prophane Place where God will be worship'd and again Place where he will no Sacrifice accept But th'Off'rer and th' Oblation both reject Jayle The Scripture shews that such esteem there WAS Of Place but shews that such esteem should pass Away from Christians wherefore I say Thy Ground or Place no holier is this day Than other places wherefore every where Men may with holy hearts in prayer appear Cathederal My Place must needs be holy for this cause It builded was therein to teach Gods Laws It consecrated was also by those Whom God to minister his Word there chose So was not every place then thou dost ill Thus to compare thy Place with this my Hill Jayle Were all this proved which thou never can Yet mine 's as holy seeing such a man As Christ hath sanctifi'd each place so far As therein he 'll accept of holy Prayer And Paul i' th Jayle at Midnight sang an Hymn Such as few singers ever sang in thine Cathederal Well I perceive I must with thee engage In a Religious contest ere this Age Doth terminate Then let us now propose The Point to be Disputed and then close In Argument The Question then shall he About the Church Whether 't be Me or Thâ—e Jayle No Question like to this the Church once found Will for our finding all Truth prove a Ground So clear that we no Truth shall need to know But she will strait be ready it to show Then fit thy self thy Church for to maintain For that 's the thing I question to be plain Cathederal Dost question that then that will I defend Against thy Opposition Now descend To some particularities that we The reason of thy doubt may fully see And fairely Answer Then let 's see the ground Thou hast to prove thy Church and Doctrine sound Jayle Well then the first place where I shall detect thee For no true Church now let who can protect thee Is thy Minority or want of Age To be esteemed for that Matron sage Espous'd to Christ 'bove sixteen hundred years Ago whilst thou as yesterday appears Cathederal Blis me Did ever any creature know A Jayl that had a more unshamefac'd brow Than thou in this What do not I well know ye To be of Leidens breed of Munster trow ye For shame leave talking of Antiquity Thou art in no respect so old as I. Jayle Alas I see thou knowst me not i' th least Whilst thou deriv'st my line from that mad beast Of Munster ' gainst whose pranks I did protest Even in those dayes as Cassander hath prest Me forth in Print and sith he doth acquit me Thy Callumny in this case cannot hit me Cathederal What wilt deny thy Father do not each My Pulpits sound thee forth when there I preach For such an Upstart Yea my Doctors all There shew thy Radix this their Volumns shall Attest yea th'Papists whom thou sayst acquit thee Say Munster as thy Patriarch befits thee Jayle Thy Doctors and the Papists sometimes say I am no older than that Germans fray Yet otherwhile they both confess I came Down from th'Apostls times now then for shame Insist not on their witness which appears In its Concordance like two Dogs by th' ears Cathederal Sure thou dost wrong both Papists and my Men Beware how thou dost thus imploy thy Pen For if thou shew not from sufficient ground Where they themselvs in this case thus confound I will requite thee as a false accuser And of these reverend Clerks a great abuser Jayle First Willet in 's Synopsis Papismi Opposing Papists 'bout Antiquity Observes that Bernard names some Sectaries Who Pedobaptisme did much despise They 'r call'd Apostolicks because 't is thought From th'Postles times these Sectaries came out Cathederal I find that Willet speaks to this effect But those bore not the name of thy proud Sect Men may deny to baptize Infants so They may deny Believers Baptism too So then this Instance thee no way assists Vnless these men were prov'd Anabaptists Jayle The Papists in their Book of Motives say Th'Apostolicks were such as at this day Are called Anabaptists yea that name They do expresly give them and the same Thy old Friend Marbeck gives to some in Rome In Anno Dom. One hundred fifty one Cathedral I read these Books and must confess I find These things are so What then Thou art behind Some which do boast of their Antiqâ—ity From such like proves to wit the Papacy But yet all this cannot evince the truth Of their Church-state nor yet of thine forfooth Jayle If I no better Plea in this respect Can shew than th'Papists thou shalt me reject As one that 's noval but at present I Am not engag'd for my Antiquity 'T is thou O Minster which must now engage To prove thy self Christs Church in point of age Cathederal Come on I reason thus from Featly's mouth That Church is of full age whose Doctrine's Truth Perpetual unchanged and I say Such is my Doctrine wherefore now I may Conclude with him that thus my Church is true Thy Answer now bring forth to open view Jayle I do deny thy Minor and I say Thy Doctrine which gives enterance to thy way Of Church-ship is not true nor yet so old As in the Scriptures to be found enrol'd For thou without Christs Soul-converting Word Thy Church with carnal members hast bestor'd Cathederal 'T is true my Members now are wholly such When I receive them as no word can touch In order to Conversion yet I say The holy Scripture will evince my way Was not our Father Abra'm and his Seed Brought into one Church-state search now and read Jayle I search and find That unto every Nation To every Creature good news of Salvation For Faith and for Repentance must be taught Before into Christs Church they can be brought Contrary-wise 't is clear that Abr'ams Seed Had no such Obligation that we read Cathederal The Parents do believe and so the Child For Abra'ms Seed in Holy Writ are stil'd Gods Covenant which Abram is the same That 's made with us now therefore here again See how thou err'st making Parental-Faith So needful to let in to th'Churches Path. Jayle The Scripture shews most plain that Abrams Seed In Gospel-times are such as own his Creed Also the Scriptures quite dissolve that Plea Of Parent-interest in a Gospel-day The Jews are Abrams Seed and yet 't is plain That makes them not in 's Covenant remain Cathederal I tell thee Christian-Infants are as free To Gospel-Priviledges as we see The Children of the Jewes were in their time To Legal Rites thus doth my Doctrine shine And is most Antient being not deny'd Till such