Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	aaron_n	bless_v	fellowship_n	25	3	10.0579	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69753	The generall demands, of the reverend doctors of divinitie, and ministers of the Gospell in Aberdene, concerning the late covenant, in Scotland together, with the answeres, replyes, and duplyes that followed thereupon, in the year, 1638 : reprinted in one book, by order of Parliament.	Forbes, John, 1593-1648.; Henderson, Alexander, 1583?-1646.	1663 (1663)	Wing C4226; Wing C4225; ESTC R6298	125,063	170

things were left indifferent by the negative Confession yet may we not forbear the practise of them because since that Confession Lawes have passed on them which remaining in vigour require our Obedience as we said before 7. The other horne of your Dilemma is that if these points were abjured for ever before Pearth Assembly then wee who practise them are perjured To which we answere That it followeth not for we never did swear to that negative Confession And therefore though these points were abjured therein yet are we free from all guiltinesse of Perjury And in the mean time ye have not resolved how he who is perswaded of the lawfulnesse of those points can swear the negative Confession if by it the Swearer be tyed to the abjuring of those points which was the other part of our Dilemma Thus if ye will consider rightly ye may perceive that our Dilemma standeth unmoved with the hornes of it still towards you Ye farther insinuate that our Reasons are not solide and grave but velitations of such a sort as ye looked not for Let the judicious Reader pronounce his sentence of this only we wish that ye had chosen rather to satisfie then to contemn our reasons That which ye here againe adde concerning the change of Cōmissioners is answered in our fourth Duply 8. To give light to your former discourse ye subjoine a distinction of discipline into three members First ye say it is taken for the rule of Government of the Church and censure of manners by office bearers appointed by CHRIST and thus ye say it is unchangeable Secondly for constitutions of counsells and Acts of Parliament about matters of Religion And thus ye say it is alterable or constant according to the nature of particular objects Thirdly for the ordering of circumstances to be observed in all actions divyne and humane and so ye say it is variable First by these distinctions the matter seemeth rather to be obscured then cleared For ye doe not expresse in which of these senses the discipline mentioned in the negative Confession is to be taken which was the point required of you 9. Secondly ye seem by this distinction to intangle your selves yet more For first if ye take the name of discipline in any one or any two of these senses what say ye to these following words of your dispute against the English Popish ceremmies Parte 4. cap. 8. Sect. 8. The Bishop doeth but needlesly question what is meaned by the discipline whereof the Oath speaketh For howsoever in Ecclesiasticall use it signifieth often times that Policie which standeth in the censuring of manners yet in the Oath it must be taken in the largest sense namely for the whole Policy of the Church For 1. The whole Policy of this Church did at that time goe under the name of discipline and those two Books wherein this Policy is contained were called the Books of discipline And without all doubt they who swore the Oath meaned by discipline that whole Policy of the Church which is contained in those Books 10. Secondly when that little Confession was framed the government of the Church was only by Presbyters and not by Bishops and therefore if ye think that the name of discipline in that Confession comprehendeth under it the first part of your distinction which as we conceive ye will no● deny ye may easily perceive that we are urged by you to sweare and subscrive against our Consciences since we think the rule of the government of the Church which then was to be changeable and that the Government was lawfully changed by following Assemblies and Parliaments from Presbyters to Bishops 11. Thirdly If these Constitutions of Counsells concerning objects alterable mentioned in the second member of your distinction be one the same with ordering of variable circumstā●es mentioned in the third member why have ye distinguished the one from the other But if they be different then ye grant that Ecclesiastick constitutions may be made concerning some alterable matters of Religion which are not bare circumstances which is repugnant to your ordinary doctrine whereby ye mantain that nothing changeable is left to the determination of the Church in matters of Religion but onely circumstances of Actions We can not see how ye can mantain this doctrine and yet oppose the determinations of the Church concerning Ceremonies which are indifferent 12. We had reason to inquire your judgement concerning Rites or Ceremonies which are not of divine Institution whether they be lawfull or not though ye still shun the declaring of it Since by your Covenant ye intend a reformation of Religion and a recovering of the Liberty and Purity of the Gospell as ye speak if ye in your judgement condemne such Ceremonies as ye insinuate we can not expect but that if ye obtain your desires all such Rites shall be expelled and condemned especially since by this your late Covenant ye tye your selves to that old Covenant wherein ye disclaim and detest all Rites brought into the Church without the word of GOD. Now we can not concurre with you for promoving this end because such a judgement is plain contrary to ours yea contrary to the universall judgement and practise of the Ancient Kirke repugnant also to the judgement of the Protestant Churches and most famous Divines therein as may appear by the quotations on the margine But if ye be of the same mind with us and think that there are some Rites of that kind lawfull why doe you hide your minde from us and others since the acknowledgement and manifesting of this Trueth would be no small advancement to your cause by removing this great offence Of Matrimoniall Benediction and God-fathers in Baptism 13. As for solemn blessing of Marriage we asked what warrand ye had for it by precept or practise set down in GODS Word In your Answere ye insinuate that it is a blessing of the people commanded in the Law and more plainly we find this set down in the Dispute against the English Popish Ceremonies Part. 3. Cap. 2. Sect. 10. Yet plain it is from Scripture it self that Matrimoniall Benediction ought to be given by a Pastor for GOD hath commanded his Ministers to blesse his People Numb 6. First who ever before you did ground the necessity of solemne blessing of Marriage upon these words Numb 6. 23. Speak unto Aaron and unto his sonnes saying on this wise ye shall blesse the children of Israel saying unto them the LORD blesse thee and keep thee c. Learned Melanchton was not so well versed in Scriptures as to see this For he sayeth in his Epistles Pag. 328. Ye see that the Rite of the Ancients is that the Bridegroom and Bride are joined before the Altar in the sight of GOD and with the incalling of GOD. Which custome undoubtedly hath been ordained by the first Fathers that we may consider that this conjunction was appointed by GOD and is assisted by Him 14. Secondly By this

Brethren of the holy Ministery mentioned in our Demand but also supposing that ye doe not allowe them we asked How is it that those Disorders and Miscarriages are not publicklie by you condemned and rebuked Why are the Actors of them not tryed and censured And why doe ye not give some publick Document to the world of your aversation of such Miscarriages chieflie seeing they are as we have showne a manifest transgression of the sixt Commandement We can not sufficiently marvell that ye have keept up your myndes in this matter and not answered to so important and necessarie a Demand As for your Complaint of Perjure and Rebellion c. if ye mean the Warning lately written to the Subjects in Scotland ye shall knowe that the Author thereof himselfe is much displeased with any offensive asperitie which hath beene found in some written Copies thereof and hath already done that for removing of that offen●● which we hope shall give full satisfaction to all men The Thirteenth Demand How can we subscrive that Covenant without incurring many grievous Scandals as first the Scandall of Dissenting from other reformed Churches and famous Divynes the chiefe Instruments of the Reformation of the Church in EUROPE who did hold these Rites which are abjured in this late Covenant as meerly unlawfull Popish and Idolatrous to be in their own nature lawfull Secondly the scandall of dissenting from Antiquitie and vilipending it altogether in matters of the externall Policie of the Church which we know and have found by frequent experience to be a thing that maketh manie Papists more averse from our Profession then otherwise they would be Thirdly the scandall of Perjurie which some of us can not escape who did sweare obedience to the Articles of Pearth and to our ordinarie at our Admission to the Ministrie ANSWERE That threefold scandall ceasseth upon the right interpretation of the clause of the forbearance of the Novations already introduced Replye We have shown your interpretatiō of the clause of forbearance not to be right and have refuted it we thinke by the very wordes of your Covenant so that none of these three scandalls can be eschewed by us if we subscrive to your foresaid Covenant 2. Suppose the other two might be eschewed by that interpretation of the clause of forbearance yet the third can not be eschewed seeing at our Admission we have sworne obedience to the Articles of Pearth and to our Ordinarie Wherefore ye must either prove the Articles of Pearth and Episcopacy to be unlawfull or else we can not without violation of our Oath made at our Admission forebeare the practise of the foresaid Articles against the will of our Ordinarie and other our lawfull Superioures The Fourteenth Demand Last of all We pray these Reverend and Worthy Brethren to consider impartially and charitably seeing we have all these scruples in our minds concerning their Covenant as also seeing we are yet most confident and assured of the lawfulnesse of the Articles of Pearth together with the lawfulnesse and venerable Antiquitie of Episcopall Government how we can with a safe Conscience give our consent that they should preach in our Pulpits who come professedly to withdraw our People from that which we in the inmost thoughts of our soules doe embrace as lawfull and from that obedience which they doe owe to their Gracious and Pious Soveraigne therein Whos 's last Proclamation hath given full satisfaction to us all and much rejoiced our hearts in respect he hath therein most solemnly and by his Oath declared not onely his sincerity in professing the Trueth but also his pious Resolution to continue therein and maintaine it constantly to his lives end most graciously and wiselie removing these things which have occasioned the late perturbation of our Church We wish them likewise to consider how they can requyre this of us seeing they would not we appeale their own Consciences be content that they should be so dealt with themselves we meane that any should goe up to their Pulpits and condemne their Doctrine and practise and with-draw their People from that which hath been before recommended unto them as Trueth We conclude Exhorting earnestlie entreating lovingly and charging modestly these and all others our Reverend Brethren before GOD and the LORD JESUS CHRIST who shall judge the quicke and the dead at his appearing in his Kingdom if there be any consolation in CHRIST if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowells of mercies to looke narrowlie to their own Consciences in these weighty matters remembring that of JEREMIAH The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperatly wicked who can know it To judge charitably of us their Brethren remembering that of our Saviour Iudge not that ye be not judged To deale with us in love and meeknesse if so be they thinke us to have gone astray from the Trueth which GOD knoweth we no wayes doe perceive remembering that of S. PAUL If a man be overtaken in a fault ye that are spiritual restore such a one with the spirit of meeknesse as also that of S. JAMES The wisdome that is from Above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be entreated full of mercy and good fruits c. And last of all To seek Peace and so to follow after it that this our deare native Countrey be not exposed to a dangerous Warrefare and to all the wofull Consequents thereof of which our hearts can not thinke without trembling and horrour ANSWERE 1. Nothing in the Interpretation of the Covenant against the lawfulnesse of Pearth Articles and of Episcopall Government 2. We never intended to draw the meanest of the Subjects from that Loyalty of Obedience which they owe to their Soveraigne and ours 3. The Counsell hath rescinded the Approbation of that Proclamation 4. His Majesties Religious and Righteous Disposition hath been to us a Ground and chiefe Argument of our hope of the hearing of all our Petitions 5. We have no desire to wrong our Reverend and worthie Brethren but rather to passe in silence the wrongs which we have sustained by them and would approve our selves unto our GOD and prove faithful in the imployments put upon us earnestly desiring that every eye may perceive the wonderfull worke of GOD in this Land lest any of us be found fighting against GOD and that all of us may joine Heart and Hand for the Purity and Peace of the Kirke of ou● LORD IESUS CHRIST Blessed for ever JULIE 21. 1638. Mr. ALEXANDER HENDERSON Minister at Leuehars Mr. DAVID DICKSON Minister at Irwing Mr. ANDREW CANT Minister at Petslig● Replye There is too much as we thinke in your Covenant against the lawfullnesse of Pearth Articles 2. Your Band of Mutuall Defence against all persons whatsoever may draw Subjects perhaps to take Armes against their King which GOD avert and consequently from that Loyalty of Obedience which they owe to their Soveraigne and ours except ye declare explaine your selves