Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A47117
|
Mr. George Keith's account of a national church, and the clergy, &c. humbly presented to the Bishop of London : with some queries concerning the Sacrament.; Account of a national church and the clergy
|
Keith, George, 1639?-1716.
|
1700
(1700)
|
Wing K135; ESTC R12896
|
3,629
|
9
|
Mr. George Keith's ACCOUNT OF A National Church AND THE CLERGY c. Humbly Presented to the BISHOP of LONDON WITH SOME QUERIES Concerning the Sacrament LONDON Printed and Sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster 1700. Mr. George Keith's Account Of a National Church c. I Cannot in the least Acknowledge that ever any National Way Cast up p. 36. Church can be a true Church of Christ It were indeed greatly to be wished that not only this Nation but all the Nations of the Earth were the true Church of Christ But Men should not make such Preposterous haste to make Nations Churches by meer humane Law and Power bare Humane Laws and Edicts and Degrees will never do it For indeed this hath been the Ground and Rise of all the Persecutions that have been in Christendom But those that will have a National Church they will have all others to bow to them and join with them and is always a Persecuting Church it is her very Nature so it must always be exceeding Hypocrital seeing it begetteth Thousands to be its Children and Members ☜ by the meer Will and Power of Man which only makes Hypocrites Concerning the Teachers The Teachers have been generally and for the most part p. 40. 41. Self-seeking Worldly-minded and Covetous Men who loved Pleasures and Riches more than God And this the Magistrate did well know and saw the best way to prevent them was to Bribe them with Augmentations and Benefices The Preachers of the Waldenses were Lay-men most of them and P. 42. Ib. wrought with their Hands as the Teachers of the Primitive Church did and had no set Stipends or Sallaries but Preached freely And they are very Blind who see not that upon this Foundation Immed Rev. p. 136. of denying immediate Revelation or teaching of God's Spirit depends their Church-Ministry and the whole Clergy and their so called Theology and Philosophy-Schools and Colledges for if once People were Perswaded and Convinced that God did teach and would teach them who wait on him Such and many more Things and in a more Excellent way than they are taught by them for such great Sums of Money then they would turn their Backs upon them and their Colledges would become like the Abbacies at this Day which lodged that Prophane Rabble of Papist-Monks and Friars who pretended to as great Spirituallity as the National Priests do an Habitation for Owls and Ravenous Beasts and then down should all the Proud Lording Lofty Clergy with their many Degrees of Doctorships Lordships and Masterships ☞ pass who being Strangers to the True Knowledge which is Life Peace Joy and Satisfaction in full Assurance to the Soul are vainly puffed up in their Fleshly Minds by the Form of Knowledge in the Letter as I was my self whilst among them and thought all Men Idiots and Unlearned who were not skilled in that Literal Knowledge And I was Convinced that I was yet Ignorant of the True Knowledge of God I came to vallue one Dram of the Living Knowledge from God himself so to speak before all the Tallents of that other which I had Laboured so much for and had Cost me so much Travel and Money and I saw it was all but Loss and Dung and it lay upon me from the Lord to depart from these Teachers who could not point me to the Living Knowledge of God where I could find it And I came and heard Men and Women who were taught of God who pointed me to the True Principle and tho' some of them could not Read a Letter yet I found them ☞ Wiser than all the Teachers I ever formerly had been under and now the Lord hath brought me into a Measure of the same Living Knowledge from his own Mouth and if People were Convinced that there is such a Blessed and Glorious Dispensation and so freely attained they would turn their Backs from the old Formal Clergy and wait upon the Lord for Knowledge and these they would only hear who were taught of God themselves Ibid. 30 31. Altho' the School-Men and National Teachers Doctrine who generally being Men void of all Sence and Feeling of God have in the Blindness of their Minds and in the Wisdom from below that is Carnal Earthly and Devilish framed and invented this perverse Doctrine for their own Gains and Ends. Concerning the Members of the National Church The Members of the National Churches generally are a p. 192. Mixed and Confused Rabble of Godless Atheists Concerning Baptism with Water I say that Baptism with Water is not meant because not Expressed nor by any true and just Consequence is proved Truths Defence c. p. 135. to be meant in Matth. 28. 19. Concerning the Scriptures It is only the Words that Christ himself Speaks that are Spirit and Life and they who seek Life in the Letter seek the Immed Rev. p. 96. Living among the Dead for it declares of the Life but it is not therein but in him Concerning Singing and Artificial Musick As for the Singing on a Book and with Artificial Musick Presb. Ind. c. p. 53. and Notes or Tones It is no part of Gospel-Worship being no where either Commanded or Practised in the New Testament Concerning Names and Habits Is it not the Popish Church thy Grand-mother who hath Rector Correct p. 122. taught this Distinction of Laick and Clergy Secular and Spiritual For these she only calleth the Clergy and Spiritual who are either Priests or Bishops or Popes or in some such Order But the rest of the People she calleth Laicks as to say the Vulgar and Common People and Secular as to say Worldly and Temporal Whereas the Apostle calleth the whole Body of the People that believeth the Clergy or Inheritance of the Lord Have they the less i. e. of the Spirit 123. ☞ because they are Tradesmen and Farmers and Shepherds and Fishermen and Ploughmen And have ye i. e. that call your selves the Clergy the more because you Labour not with your Hands but live upon the Sweat of other Mens honest Labours or because ye have Hebrew Greek and Latin or because ye are called Masters and walk in Long Robes and have the Chief Places in Assemblies Again are not these called Teachers of the Man-made Ministry Ambitious Do they not affect great Titles And The Rector Corr. p. 125. if it be Sin to affect them is it not because they are Vain and Sinful Have not some of the Clergy so call'd greater Titles now then the Rabbies had of Old As your Grace your Holiness Most Reverend Father in God c. Concerning the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper so call'd G. K. Querieth 1. What Scripture hath he and his Brethren to call that Eating of Bread and Drinking of Wine once or twice in a Truth 's Defence c. p. 148 149 150. Year in the Publick Assembly the Sacrament 2. What Scripture have they to Instruct them how oft they should use it as once twice or four times every Year And if they have none was it not then left to the People according to the Query at least as to the time 3. What Scripture have they for Consecrating it or when did Christ say Before ye Eat it Consecrate it 4. When did Christ give only the Power to a Priest or Presbyter or ordained Minister to Consecrate it so as without the said Consecration by some Priest or ordained Minister it is no Sacrament And seeing every Christian may Eat it as well as the Minister why may he not also Consecrate it as well as he seeing every true Christian is a Priest 5. Where did Christ appoint that these Words Take eat this is my Body should be the words of Consecration And have ye not received all this from the Papists and not from Christ 6. Seeing ye Commonly say that this Sacrament of the Supper is come in the room of the Passover and under the Law every Family had Power without a Priest to Celebrate the Passoever why hath not also every Family under the Gospel as much Power without any ordained Priest or Minister to Celebrate that called the Supper 7. Seeing every true Christian feeds daily by Faith upon the Body of Christ according to the Protestant Doctrine and ought daily to remember the Death of Christ in all their Eating and Drinking which is also sanctified unto them by the Word of God and Prayer what peculiar Vertue or Efficacy hath your Sacramental Eating more than ordinary Eating when done with Godly Fear Prayer and Thanksgiving and Rememoring the Lord's Death 8. Seeing it's clear from Luk. 22. 17 18 19 20. that Christ did take the Cup twice once before he gave them the Bread and once after bidding them do the same Why take ye the Cup but once Was this only a bare Circumstance 9. Is not the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 10. 15. 16 17. to be understood of quite another Bread and Cup than that which is Visible and Outward when he saith I speak as unto Wise Men judge ye what I say Did he not say this because he was to speak of the Bread and Cup in the Mystery as it was Altogether a Spiritual and Invisible thing to wit The real Body and Blood of Christ spiritually received which none but the spiritually Wise could understand The Cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ The Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ For we being many are one Bread for we are all Partakers of that one Bread Is it not clear from all this that Paul speaks not of any Visible or Corruptible Bread but of Christ himself as he is Spiritually and Invisibly received by Faith whom he calls the same Spiritual Meat and Drink which the Father 's received of old See the same Chapter Vers 3. 4. 10. Do any receive the Supper of the Lord or say with the Lord but such as Open to him and hear his Voice according to Rev. 3. 20 And is not this Supper or supping with the Lord Altogether Inward Spiritual and Invisible Gal. 2. 18. If I Build again the things which I Destroyed I make my self a Transgressor FINIS