Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	bind_v	earth_n	key_n	2,822	5	10.5625	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90879	A voice from heaven: or, A testimony against the remainders of Antichrist yet in England: and in particular, the court of tryers for approbation of ministers. / Born by Gualter Postlethwait, pastor to a Church of Christ in Lewes in Sussex.	Postlethwaite, Walter, d. 1671.	1655 (1655)	Wing P3022; Thomason E1498_3; ESTC R208640	39,391	112

miracles God had wrought among the Gentiles by them And whereas the Apostle speaks of myriads of Jews that believe Chap. 21. 20. it is not to be restrained to Jews dwelling at Hierusalem since it was the time of Pentecost Chap. 20. 16. when Jews and Proselytes came to Hierusalem out of all nations and we have express mention of the Jews that were of Asia vers 27. Neither is it impossible for Myriades in the language of Luke at least to come together and to hear at once the same Preacher To shew which Mr. Norton urges Luke 12. 1. However it be it seems that the Church of Hierusalem did at this time ordinarily come together in one place as occasion required for vers 22. t is said The multitude must needs come together This cannot be meant of the Officers for besides that they are the Speakers it would be incongruous to call them the multitude neither can it be meant of others besides believers for this speech of the Elders is to be speake some condescension in Paul to some Legal rites thereby to take off the offence of these that believing were yet Zealots of the Law as is plain and so such an understanding would not agree to the scope of the Elders Neither doth it seeme congruous that it should be said of any other but the Church of Hierusalem What other multitude should the Apostles and Elders expect that they should come together unto them as is implied much less determine their coming together as some understand the speech about the Apostles being come to town To this agree Calvin Beza and Diodate on the place We may adde to this instance that of the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 14. 23. and Antioch Acts 15. 30. But I finde no contrary instances And this I say not onely against the Episcopal but also Classical Churches which are put in the room of those Episcopal Churches by the effectual working of the mystery of iniquity These are combinations of many Congregations united by subjection to one and the same Court of Elders chosen out of the whole to govern them These are pressed so far at least by some as to take away power of Government and exercise of Ecclesiastick Discipline from the Congregations and not onely infringing of it so leaving them but as the Curacies under the Bishops and their Ministers to have no more power then the Parish-Ministers had under the Bishops at least considered as the Ministers of such Congregations See Mr. Wood in his answer to Mr. Lockyer's Little Stone Part 2. Sect. 1. S. 4. I will not says he question the an sit or being of the subject of this assertion whether there be de jure and of divine institution an Eldership or Presbytery within a particular Congregation that is a Colledge of Elders belonging to one single Congregation by it self having power of Government and exercising Ecclesiastick Discipline although I know men learned and much exercised in the study of the Questions about Ecclesiastick Government are of the judgement that there is not such an Eldership or Presbytery And I confess it is right hard to finde in Scripture either precept or example for it Let us consider the judgement of these Learned men to which Mr. Wood seemeth to incline and more too as appears in his foresaid Treatise p. 369. where expresly he gives his judgement The fixing says he of single Congregations under appropriated Officers is not necessary by any divine institution c. Observe first that they appropriate the power of Government and exercise of Ecclesiastick Discipline unto the Eldership That is implied in what has been quoted and we need not search their Writings that are of that Way much to finde it expresly denied that Popular concurrence in acts of Government is to be proved by the Scriptures Vide Mr. Wood Part 2 of his aforesaid Treatise This how well it agrees with the institution Matth. 18. 18. let it be considered When Christ says Whatsoever ye binde on earth c. does not he include the offended brother to whom he directs his speech from vers 15 and of whom and whose act to the offender he had last spoken Especially considering that this verse contains the confirmation of the last clause of the fore-going verse mentioning the said act of the offended brother to the incorrigible offender that amounts to the casting him out of the Congregation of Christs Church and making an Heathen of him which that we may conceive that it was done though by him yet not by him alone but with the Church Christ adding the confirmation of this act speaks in the plural number and says not Whatsoever thou but ye shall binde c. yet withal keeping the second person that the offended brother be not excluded not saying Whatsoever he or they but ye shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven And when Christ promises the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven unto Peter his whole discourse lookes on Peter as a lively confessour of Jesus Christ his confession being the occasion of all that Christ speakes unto him and nothing coming in between the beginning and end of his Speech that may make us thinke that Christ considering Peter as a confessour of him at the first did afterward change his Notion and look on him otherwise Read Matth. 16. 16. c. Secondly they exclude the single Congregations considered severally each one by it self from having an Eldership having power to exercise Ecclesiastick discipline and so consequently the several single Congregations are excluded from having power of Government which they say resides wholly in the Elderships How likely this is let it be judged Is it likely that Go tell the Church Matth. 18. 17. should mean Go tell the Elders of the combination Is it likely that our Saviour so tender of the offenders credit and wary of offending him by making his fault publique that he must be told of it first alone then onely before so manay as may be sufficient to give a Satisfactory Testimony according to the Law Is it likely I say that he should appoint no mean between the two or three witnesses and a court of Elders of many combined congregations But not to stay here it has been proved already that the Church of Hierusalem and Corinth were single congregations that met together ordinarily in one place And that the Church of Hierusalem had her appointed officers and that the Church of Corinth exercised Ecclesiastick discipline who can deny But how unwarrantably soever hard they press their Classical way against the congregational even as hath been said to the utter taking away of power of Government from the several single congregations neither do they stay here but translate the power of Government to their Elderships subordinate one to another till they come to an Occumenical assembly to the officres of the whole Catholick visible Church of Christ as united in lesser greater combinations even to an occumenical assembly As Mr. Wood