Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	church_n	infant_n	visible_a	2,976	5	9.7844	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96442	An ansvver to Mr. Francis Cornvvells positions & inferences, concerning dipping, anabaptisme, antipædobaptisme, tythes, and consecrated churches. Wherein the English Ministry is vindicated from the Anti-Christianisme, so deeply by him charged upon them. Published in speciall reference to the good of Mr Cornwells misled congregation. / By Robert Whittle, minister of the word of God at East-Malling in Kent. Whereunto are annexed, the fore-mentioned positions of Mr Francis Cornvvell, entituled, the Nevv Testament ratified with the blood of the Lord Jesus, is the Magna Charta of Beleevers in Jesus the Christ dipped; by which they are justified to be no hereticks.	Whittle, Robert, 1597 or 8-1679.; Cornwell, Francis. New testament ratified with the blood of the Lord Jesus.	1647 (1647)	Wing W2046; Thomason E516_1; ESTC R206141	27,828	25

neither doe I affirme this to be any fleshly priviledge that gives this right but the promise of God of his free grace to be a God to them and their seed to shew mercy to thousands For if the root be holy so are the branches Rom. 11. 16. therefore wee account the Children of beleeving Parents holy 1 Cor. 7. 14. with a federall holinesse and that from hence that Gods Covenant is to them and their seed The Covenant therefore belonging unto them I see no reason why they should be denyed the initiall Seale thereof to seale unto them the Priviledges of the same Neither doth that which our Saviour speaketh to Nicodemus any way make against it but much for it That which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit marvail not that I say unto you that you must be born again Joh. 3. 6 7. v. 3. except a man be borne again he cannot see the Kingdom of God Our Saviour would give Nicodemus us to understād that we must take heed that we content not our selves in an out-side profession which the Apostle calls having confidence in the flesh Phil. 3. 3. where the Apostle reckons up Circumcision as the first part of the flesh v. 5. and yet we know that was the Seale of the Covenant of Grace which God made with Abraham and his Seed As Paul durst not so Nicodemus and we must not rest in the outward Ordinance but in and through these we must looke at and for the worke of Gods Spirit in our hearts To be borne of the flesh even to have Abraham for their Father which the Jewes so much rested upon did but priviledge the Jewes with the priviledges of a visible Church which though great Rom. 9. 4. A● Adoption and the glorie and Covenants whereupon they are called the children of the Kingdome Matth. 8. 1. though to be cast out the Children of the Covenant Acts 3. 25. though many of them beleeved not And the children of God Gen 6. 1. Deut. 14. 1. though with many of them God was not well pleased as Paul calls all them of the Churches of Galatia Gal. 3. 26. Ye are all the Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus though we cannot conceive but that there might be some Hypocrites in those Churches yet as there was and is the outward part of the Seale of the Covenant and the Inward the outward Circumcision of the flesh and washing with Water the inward Circumcision of the heart and Regeneration so there are the outward Priviledges of the Covenant and the inward The outward belonging to all that are within the face of the outward visible Church as to have Gods name put upon them to be called his people and to partake of his Ordinances which are the meanes of Salvation The inward belonging onely to the mysticall body of Christ quickned by his Spirit and lest we should content our selves in and rest upon the outward our Saviour shewes us the necessity of being partakers of the inward part in the work of Regeneration Now whereas all were corrupt and lost in Adam as well children as others and flesh and bloud cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven there is required for the salvation of children the renewing of their nature by the secret worke of the Spirit of God in them these beginnings of the Kingdome of heaven being in them like a graine of Mustard-seed sowne in the earth which when it is sowne cannot be seene or found by them that 〈◊〉 say where is it or how shall it grow yet he that hath sowne it knowe it i● there and though for some time it lye hid yet in due time it shall grow up ●nd bring forth fruit so are the beginnings of grace in Infants therefore they ough● not to be denyed that Seale which Christ appoynted to be set to that grace which his spirit worketh in regenerating and renewing them Baptisme being the lav●● of Regeneration If the Papists should heare you urge this place against the Baptisme of Infants they would laugh at you as being the maine place by which Bellarmine and others use to prove the necessity of their Baptisme and many reverend Divines have seen and declared a great force in these words 〈◊〉 Baptisme but never any could see any thing in them against it as f●rre as ever I could either read or any way learne The Spirit of God moving upon these waters of Baptisme in this new Creation or worke of Regeneration as hee move● upon the waters at the first Creation untill God create light in us freeing us from the powers of darknesse wherein we are by nature therefore in this particu●●● hold your peace unlesse you would be ridiculous Wee affirme not that generation can bring our Children to heaven being all by nature the children of wrath but that the Infants of Beleevers are the Children of the Kingdom of the Covenant though many of them may be cast out yet they are within the Covenant as the Children of the Jewes were to be partakers of all the outward visible pr●viledges of the Church and many of them even of the Infants of Beleevers are ingraffed into Christ and shall grow up in him to everlasting life this is not to deny Christ our anointed Priest but for any to deny unto Infants the benefit of the Covenant which is ratified to all that are in Christ by his bloud this is as farre as I conceive to deny Christ to bee the anointed Priests for infants therefore take heed lest judging others you condemne your selfe Your next accusation is that we deny Jesus the Christ to be our anointed Prophet whom we ought to heare in all things who say you teacheth that none are the subject of Baptisme but such as manifest the beliefe of their hearts by the confession of their lips and repent of their dead works yet wee baptize or as you say rather rantize Infants that cannot confesse their faith nor manifest their repentance But where doth Christ teach this which you affirme of him take heed you be not found a false Witnesse against Christ you produce for your evidence Acts 8. 38. the Eunuchs example if Christ teach this your Doctrine in this place it is either in direct Words or by Consequenc In direct Words it is not the Words being onely a declaration of matter of Fact and not doctrinall let us see therefore if it may bee collected by consequence and because you have not laid your consequence I will lay it for you as strongly as I can The Eunuch was baptized upon confession of his faith required of him therefore none must be baptized but such as make confession of their faith I shall shew you the strength of this consequence by another of the like nature A Father had two sonnes the one growne up the other an infant the elder askes his Father for food his father answers if he will worke hee shall have

that offends you is our Temples as you call them Consecrated places for Worship and ministring in our consecrated places but why do you not call them by their usuall names our Churches or those names by which you teach your Disciples to call them our steeple-houses these are your eye sore● you cannot looke upon them without offence taken though none given you cannot passe by them in your mad humour without snapping at them if you like your chimny corners better or if you thinke your Barnes and Hogsties as good as some of you are not ashamed to affirme please your selves in your choice and let us alone with ours let us not envy one another But why not consecrated places for the Worship of God let but your followers know that by consecr●ted places we meane no more but places sanctified to us for our comming together for the Worship of God and they shall quickly discover you Are not all things sanctified unto us by the Word of God and Prayer 1 Timothy 4 5. and wee acknowledge no other Holinesse in these no inherent Holinesse but onely a relative Holinesse in respect of that use for which they are set apart even the publique Worship of God do we not usually call those places profane which are as the publike Schooles and Stages of prophanesse why then may we not as well call those places holy which are set apart for the publike teaching and practice of the duties of holinesse why was that place holy where Moses stood where Jacob slept but because God manifested himselfe there And where doth God now so manifest himself as in the publick dispensation of his Ordinances are not then these places sanctified unto us for this use you thinke it decent in your private house to have one roome set apart of the dressing of your meate another for the eating of it and another for lodging and is it not as decent to have one roome set apart for the publique Worship of God one house in a whole Parish I confesse I should account that man but profane who having built him a dwelling house would not pray to God to blesse and san 〈…〉 to him and his for that use for which it was built and shall any man co 〈…〉 ●uch an height of prophanesse as not to thinke that house to be sanctified unto us by the Word and Prayer which is set apart for the Worship of God for we account not of their Consecrations by Holy Water and Popish Exorcismes If you be offended with these places because they were before prophaned by Idolatrous and superstitious Worship consider that if they be not now capable of holinesse neither were they before capable of prophanation nor are they any longer holy or prophane but in and for their use and abuse But how come you to be angry with our word Church surely if you knew but the signification of the word you could not wonder that the people of God and the house set apart for those people to meet in for the Worship of God should be fitly called by that one name Church or Kyrke which commeth of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or by contraction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies no more but the Lords or the Lords house now wheras the eart 〈…〉 Lords and all that is th 〈…〉 will you not allow him a house to be called his not where he may dwell 〈◊〉 where his servants in whom he dwels may meet to serve him where his na●● may be publiquely called upon If you make our Churches a part of the Ceremoniall Law take heed you do not make all decency and order and all circumstances of Worship Ceremoniall and so bring in disorder and confusion Thus I hope it will appeare to any indifferent Reader that we deny not Christ to be come in the flesh by having places set apart to us for the Worship of God or by living upon the Gospell when we Preach the Gospell do not you rather proove your selves worse then the Heathen they never denyed a place of Worship even to their Idolls And doe not you plead for them that are given to filthy lucre in denying a c●●taine livelihood to them that preach the Gospell and if your selfe be a Minister of England do you not throw durt in your owne face when without exceptio● you thu● condemne the whole English Ministry but I forbeare because may be you do it ignorantly I hope this will ere long be your excuse He proceeds to accuse us for denying Christ in all his Offices That we 〈◊〉 him to be our annointed Priest and Prophet in holding up Infant-Baptisme and that we deny him to be our King because we are not dipped with many other abs●●●ities and false accusations only charged upon us and not any waie proved The Apostle commandeth not to receeve an accusation against an Elder under two or three witnesses 1 Tim. 5. ●19 Surely then he walkes contrary to the Apostles 〈◊〉 which layes so many and grievous accusations against all the Elders of a whole Nationall Church without any proofe He accuseth us for holding and teaching that beleever-Beleever-Infants have ● right to heaven by a fleshly Covenant But when did we ever affirm this where did we ever teach this Doctrine It is only the Covenant of Grace that entitleth us to that Kingdome not a fleshly Covenant this we hold this we teach And as for your explication of your accusation namely the promise of life in Christ belongeth to the Beleever and his Seed and the Seed and Posterity of all the faithfull borne within the Church have by their birth an interest into the Covenant of Grace and a right to the Seale of it we teach no more hereof 〈◊〉 what the Scripture teacheth The Apostle Acts 2. 39. when he exhorts them all to be baptized brings in this as a reason because the Promise is made to you and to your children therefore we teach that the Promise which should bring 〈◊〉 Baptisme belongs to the faithfull and their seed the Covenant of Grace being the same with the faithfull now in respect of the substance of it that it was with Abraham Gen. 17. 7. Even that everlasting Covenant To be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee This was the Covenant confirmed of God in Christ Gal. 3. 16 17. Looking upon all that are in Christ as one ver 16. This Covenant was not disanulled by the Law ver 17. either by the giving of the Law or by the taking away the Ceremoniall part of the said Law by the death of Christ and the Apostle tels us plainely that all that are in Christ are one in him and Abrahams seed and heires according to the Promise Gal. 3. 28 29. So that you must either exclude the Children of Beleevers from Christ or give them the same interest in Christ with their Parents and so to be in Covenant with God in Christ and to have a right to the Seale of the Covenant