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	heaven_n	loose_v	3,925	5	11.0027	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96941	A modell of the government of the church under the gospel, by presbyters, proved out of the holy scriptures, to be that one, onely uniform government of the universall visible church, and of all nationall, provinciall, classicall and congregationall churches: which is according to the will and appointment of Jesus Christ. Which may serve to stay such as are doubting, with hope of full satisfaction, and clear demonstration of this truth, shortly to be made by the reverend Assembly of Divines. / Composed by a Presbyterian minister of the city of London, and approved by divers of his learned brethren, and at their request published.	Walker, George, 1581?-1651.	1646 (1646)	Wing W362; Thomason E342_3; ESTC R200927	24,926	36

Christs institution unto the office of expounding the word and ministring in all holy things in the Church the house of God of which they are stewards officers and Ministers Proved Sect. 3. and 5. 12. Church Discipline without sound Doctrine is a body without a soule The key of Doctrine is the soul life guid and direction of Discipline and those two keys of the Kingdome of Heaven are inseparably tyed together and committed by Christ to the same hands Discipline hath no power nor authority over the conscience but from the word rightly applyed They who are bound and loosed on earth according to the infallible word are also bound and loosed in heaven And Censures erring from the word are void in heaven Sect. 9. 13. Civill Magistrates other grave godly wise and discreet men are not excluded but may be chosen assisting Church Elders and together with preaching Presbyters may rule and Govern in those Elderships whereof they are Elders and have power and authority by the word of God to judge and determine in the Presbytery together with the Pastours and not otherwise who are scandalous offenders unworthy for the present to be admitted to the Lords table For the word expounded by Ministers thereunto lawfully called is the law and perfect rule of all acts of Church Government and Censures 14. Provision of Commissioners who are no Church Elders and who are authorised onely by the Civill Magistracy to judge who are scandalous offenders not fit to receive the holy Sacrament is in the judgement of the best Divines of the reformed Churches and appeares by Scriptures before alledged to be a meere invention of humane policie which hath no example or warrant in Gods word and a manifest usurpation and giving of that power to others which Christ hath appropriated to the Apostles and Presbyters of his Church and so is contrary to the will and appointment of Jesus Christ Godly ministers generally are of this judgement that their approving and yeelding to the practice thereof is a breach of the Nationall league and Covenant King Vzziah was plagued by God with an incurable leprosie for medling in the administration of holy ordinances and in so doing his heart was lifted up to his destruction and he transgressed against the Lord his God 2 Chron. 26. 16. In many men who highly applaud extoll and vehemently urge this new device and practice it favours too much of scorne contempt envy and a most uncharitable opinion conceived against the godly learned faithfull Ministers of Christ and watchfull Pastours of his Church and brands both them and all those who are to be set up hereafter in all places of the land if the godly reformation desired be really intended and sincerely prosecuted with insufficiency and want of grace to do the worke unto which God hath called them It seemes to call in question the faithfullnesse of Christ who hath promised to be with them allwayes even unto the end of the world Math. 28. 20. Many wise and godly people hold it a perverse imagination and a thing unreasonable to thinke that wise discreet and godly men being chosen Elders of the Church and joyned in Elderships with learned and faithfull Ministers who can expound the word and give them the true sense of the law of Christ shall or will not be more able to judge of scandalls and what persons are fit or unfit to be admitted to the Lords Supper then the same persons being commissioners by themselves As if Christ were not able ready and willing to give grace and assistance to them which are his chosen servants and ministers of his Church in things spirituall all as the supreme magistracy is to give to his new formed Creatures who are never owned by Christ in all the new Testament Surely no rationall man will so much as dreame That Ministers of Christ who are able to teach the supreme Magistrate his duty how to be just and to rule over men in the feare of God are not able to rule their owne flock over which the holy Ghost made them overseers or that Church Government in their hands to whom Christ hath committed it will prove more arbitrary irregular unlimited and tyrannicall then the Government both of Commonwealth and Church in the hands of Civill Magistrates seeing Ministers and Church Elders have a certaine and infallible rule the word of God to which alone they are limited and by which the spirit of God is promised to direct them in all Censures and Church Government But civill Magistrates have no such speciall promise of assistance from Christ and they rule by the uncertain lawes of men and have an arbitrary power to make lawes which are sometimes found contrary to the word of God and therefore unjust and tyrannicall over the Consciences of Christians till they be repealed and declared to be void And there can be no just suspition or feare of tyranny in the Government of the Church left in the hands of Church Elders where Christ hath placed it seeing the supreme Magistracy as keeper of both tables in all Christian Kingdomes and states hath as much Civill power to curb and punish them for male-administration of Church Government abuse of their power and manifest corruption of Christs ordinances and to depose and cast them out of their office when they are scandallous and incorrigible as they have to reprove him by Gods word for any notorious scandallous sinnes to admonish him of his duty to threaten him from God and to lay his judgements close to him when he goeth on in his sins of injustice profanenes licentiousnes and the like And now I will conclude all with some breif answers to the grievous accusations and loud clamours raised against the Ministery in generall as if the staine and guilt of all those errours and scandallous vices of pride covetousnes ambition and ignorance envy and cruelty which were found heretofore in the corrupt Popish and Prelaticall Clergy did still cleave to all Presbyters and Pastours of Christs Church and were hereditary to them We meet with this accusation and calumnie now adayes allmost in every company and at every rich mans table and in every libellous Printed pamphlet set forth weekly by Newes Mongers That Presbyterians are as proud as Prelates and if Ministes get into their hands Church Discipline they will tyrannize and Lord is over their flocks and the same spirit of pride envy covetousnes errour and cruelty will worke in them which ruled in the Prelates and in popish Bishops formerly To these I answer first That if we search all histories of the Church in all ages we shall never finde in any Church or Kingdom so many godly learned faithfull and sincere Ministers holding so fast their integrity of life and purity of doctrine under so great corruption of Government both in Church and State and after so great tyranny raging in both together with so many temptations hatred and persecution of godly and zealous Preachers and so open countenancing of prophanenes errour and heresie as we have had of late years and have at this day whom neither persecution losse of goods and estates nor bonds nor imprisonment no nor hopes and offers of preferment honour or riches could move from their stedfastnes And yet all this cannot stop the mouths of the sons of Belial whose hearts are hardened and their tongues set on fire of hell to revile the Ministers of Jesus Christ whose blamelesse lives convince them of malicious slander lying and impudency Secondly It is manifest to all equall and judicious men that the supreme Magistracy hath been the cheif cause of such an ungodly and scandallous Ministery pestring this Kingdome of late yeares For who like Jeroboam did preferre the basest of the people to be Priests of the high places namely Court flatterrers ambitious bribers importunate beggers Simoniacks and slaves to great mens lusts but the suprem Magistracy licentious Nobility profane gentry and covetous patrons of benefices Who but the supreme Magistracy hindred the lawfull ordination of Ministers by Presbyteries after strict examination and tryall had of their learning and gifts and upon testimony and experience of their honest life and conversation and gave the sole power thereof into the hands of those who commonly hated true godlines and either carelessely or corruptly and of purpose admitted vile unworthy persons into the holy calling of the Ministry who were either unlearned and not gifted or if learned and men of parts were vicious men of corrupt minde prone and strong to do mischeif Thirdly the supreme Magistracy by robbing the greatest part of parish Churches and selling away all impropriat Benefices to the Nobility and Gentrie and they covetously retaining them in their possession have made the Churches and Ministery base contemptible and beggerly And Lastly it seemes to reflect upon the supreme Magistracy in these dayes That there is such a scarcity of profitable pr●●●chers and that many Congregations are wholly unprovided and others are out of necessity forced to content themselves with soule-starving shepherds and many young men of learning and of hopefull gifts finding no lawfull way of entering into the Ministery and terrified with the intolerable taxes and other great grievances and discouragments under which many Ministers of great worth do lye groaning are moved to withdraw their mindes from the study of Divinity and betake themselves to other callings This certainly is not the fault of the learned Presbyters of this time who earnestly desire and have petitioned for liberty by the civill sanction to joyne together in Classicall Presbyteries and to ordaine Ministers according to the advice of the Reverend Assembly and the rules by them gathered out of Gods holy word It remaines therefore that they and all the godly in the land do cry mightily unto God in dayly prayer that he would pour out his spirit upon the high Court of Parliament and incline the heart of the supreme Magistracy to yeeld to the petitions and importunity of the City of the Assembly and of the Ministers of the Countrey and to be intreated in so necessary pious profitable and religious a request so easily granted to satisfie the longing desires and hungring and thirsting soules of all godly people that they and we may rejoyce together in the Lord and may blesse his holy name for the abundance of peace extended to us like a river and the Lord Christ may be our King and his Name one in all the three Kingdomes FINIS

of Antioch Act. 13. 1. the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 1. 2. and of Thessalonica 1 Thess. 1. 1. and the Churches of Galatia Gal. 1. 2. yea and the particular Congregation in the house of Aquila and Priscilla Rom. 16 15. and 1 Cor. 16. 19. and in the house of Nymphas Coloss. 4. 15. and of Philemon vers. 2. are every one called the Church as well as the universall body is called the Church Math. 16. 18. Ephes. 1. 22. Coloss. 1. 24. and 1 Tim. 3. 15. 9. The principall parts of this Government of Christ which allwayes ought to go together and are inseparable in every well ordered and constituted Church are two First Doctrine which the Apostle calls {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Secondly Discipline which he calls {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 2 Tim. 3. 16. which our Saviour in allusion to other Scriptures calls the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven Math. 16. 19. For as keyes do open and shut the doore of an house so do both Doctrine and Discipline open and shut the Kingdome of heaven Christ his true Church They open it to believers and to humble and paenitent persons and shut it against unbelievers and scandalous obstinat sinners who continue in their impenitency after conviction And for this cause our Saviour calls Doctrine and Teaching by expounding that word and law aright the key of knowledge Math. 23. 13. and Discipline he calls the key of David Revel. 3. 7. alluding to the words of the prophet Isa. 22. 22. where the Lord saith that he will lay the key of the house of David upon the shoulder of Eliakim so he shall open and none shall shut and he shall shut and none shall open that is I will commit the Government into his hands as the words before shew to rule the house of Juda as a Father The preachers of the word by convincing Doctrine do wound the wicked and are said to root out to pull and throw down and to destroy Jer. 1. 10. Yea and to torment the world to smite the earth with plagues and to shut heaven Revel. 11. 6 10. And by the converting word of the Gospel and the ministery of reconciliation to heal the broken in heart to open the prisons and to set captives at liberty Isa. 61. 1. And to build and to plant Jer. 1. 10. And to open the right way into the sheepfold Joh. 10. 16. The key of discipline also doth by censures which are according to the infallible Word of God shut out ignorant and scandalous persons from Communion with the children of the Kingdom purgeth out the old leaven and so bindeth the obstinate that they are bound in heaven Matth. 18. 18 1 Cor. 5. 7 13. But by declaring in the name and word of Christ absolution and remission of sins to persons penitent it opens the door of the Kingdom and receives into Christs sheepfold such as are brought back from going astray and loseth such as are bound 2 Cor. 2. 10. The exercise of the power of these two keys consists in divers publike acts done with authority by commission from Christ First the main act of doctrine is preaching the Word as the mouth of God to the people and applying it fitly to all sorts of persons instructing the ignorant discovering to them the corruption of their nature by which they are Children of wrath Eph. 2. 1 2 3. and so humbling them in their own eyes driving them out of themselves drawing them to Christ by the promises of the Gospel wooing them and as Ambassadours for Christ praying them in Christs stead to be reconciled unto God 2 Cor. 5. 20. and espousing them to Christ 2 Cor. 11. 2. And on the other side reproving rebuking and admonishing with authority as messengers of God all sinners and transgressours 2 Tim. 4. 2. Tit. 1. 13. Threatning and denouncing judgements hell and damnation against all that are hard hearted and impenitent as the Apostles did Act. 8. 23. and 13. 10. Rom. 2. 1 2 5. 1 Cor. 6 9. Heb. 20. 26 29. Iam. 5. 1. 2 Pet. 2. 13. Iude vers. 4. 11 14 15. These acts of doctrine private Christians may perform mutually among themselves and according to the measure of grace which God hath destributed to every one they are in brotherly duty and in Christian zeal and charity bound to perform them privately But publike Ministers only called of God and sent to preach can do them with power and authority as Gods mouth and Christs Ambassadours and their word is to be received as the Word of God 1 Thes. 2. 13. and as a message from heaven with fear reverence and trembling Isa. 66. 5. The acts of discipline which are to be performed by Gods Ministers also not as preachers in the pulpit before all the Congregation but as Presbyters in the Consistory are divers First receiving accusations before witnesses 1 Tim. 5. 19. Secondly publike admonition and personall reproof and rebuke of such as are convicted of offence and scandall by two or three witnesses 1 Tim. 5. 20. Tit. 3. 10. Thirdly after admonition condemned and scorned and the authority of the Eldership despised and sleighted these scorners are to be refused and rejected Tit. 3. 10. which cannot be if they be admitted to the holy Communion The Apostle injoins every faithfull Minister to withdraw himself from perverse persons of corrupt mindes 1 Tim. 6. 5. And he commands the brethren in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that they withdraw themselves from every brother that walketh disorderly 2 Thes. 3. 6. Certainly he is blinde and hath the eye of his reason put out who doth not in these forenamed places see and understand that all scandalous perverse and stubborn persons are by the Commandement of Christ which is Jus divinum to be refused and not admitted into holy Communion which is Excommunicatio minor that is lesser excommunication The fourth act of discipline is the censure of the greater Excommunication which is the utmost censure of a Church member even casting him out of Church communion for his obstinacy in his scandalous sins and refusing to hear and obey the Church After this sentence given against any person he is in our Saviours phrase to be esteemed as an heathen man who is no member of the Church for the present but shut out of Gods Kingdom and in the Apostles phrase he is delivered to Satan and taken captive by the Devil and held in his snare 2 Tim. 2. 26. This censure is according to the will and by the appointment of Jesus Christ Matth. 18. 17. Where he saith of him who will not hear nor obey the Church Let him be to thee as an heathen and as a Publican The Apostle in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ commanded the Elders of the Church of Corinth by this censure and with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to proceed against the incestuous person to put him away from among them