Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	apostle_n	church_n	key_n	4,850	5	9.8788	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96932	Private-men no pulpit-men: or, A modest examination of lay-mens preaching. Discovering it to be neither warranted by the Word of God; nor allowed by the judgement, or practise, of the Churches of Christ in New-England. / Written by Giles Workman, M.A. and master of the Colledge School in Gloucester. In answer to a writing published by John Knowls.	Workman, Giles, 1604 or 5-1665.	1646 (1646)	Wing W3583; Thomason E354_9; ESTC R201096	26,327	32

among them to preach for by this he distinguisheth preaching and ruling Elders that preaching and administring the Sacraments Keys of the Kingd of heaven c. 5. Ibid. p. 22. is that Key of Authority that is peculiar to preaching Elders The Ruling Elders have not received power to preach but to charge any of the people in private that none of them live inordinately without a Calling or idly in their Calling or scandalously in any sort So that the practise of the Churches of Christ in New-England alloweth not private mens preaching and therefore not their Judgement unlesse their practise be not according to their judgement 2. What approbation these two books of Mr. Cotton cited in this Discourse have in Old-England we may learn from the publishers of them 1. N. H. and J. H. the publishers of the one viz. The Way of the Churches of Christ in New-England calling it A Full Declaration of the Church-way in all particulars measured and examined by the golden reed of the Sanctuary have in their Epistle to the Reader these words with seconds of frequent intimations that we hold with the Churches of New-England And again With much adoo we have say they presented you with a fuller Declaration of All Our Way according to the Scriptures in this learned yet modest Treatise of The way of the Churches of Christ in New-England And we do in this our Epistle certifie Our assent thereunto saving that we do not yet fully close with some expressions passim in the book before some of which we minded it to note a* in the Margin And we finde not this star before any of the testimonies which we have cited against private persons preaching And therefore we have for us in this Controversie the judgement as of Mr. Cotton and the Churches in New-England so of all those Churches and persons in Old-England which are contained in those publishers ALL OVR and WE And who and how many they are they best know who made that Manifesto Their We and All Our with the drift of the Epistle seem to imply an unanimous consent And the Reverend publishers of the other book viz. The M. Tho. M. Goodwin M. Phil. Nye Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven albeit they seem to dissent from Mr. Cotton in this point of prophesying yet are expresse I am sure against that which is practised among us defended by John Knowls and oppugned by me in this Discourse For take their cautions in their own words it must be say they sometimes To the Reader onely 1. Occasionally not in an ordinary course 2. By such men as are fit for office And 3 not assuming this of themselves but judged such by those that have the power and so allowed and designed to it c. Thus and thus onely they conceive gifted Brethren may preach and had these cautions been observed we had not had this controversie a foot and how unsuitable the practise of our private Preachers hath been to these limitations is so manifest that I need not nor will speak it were to speak rather ad personas which I meddle not with than ad rem which is that I seek the clearing of the truth And as I said though these learned men seem to dissent from Mr. Catton yet wherein the difference lies having considered their cautions and his writings I confesse I see not unlesse it be in the word Occasionally For Mr. Cotten permits none though gifted men and Ecclesiasticall Officers unlesse Pastors or Teachers to preach Mr. Peters Colleague hath himself Mr. Norice held up all the ordinances in the whole work of the Ministery all the time of Mr. Peters residing here in this Kingdom in a letter to his friend for which he blesseth God for Divine assistance considering the greatnesse of the Congregation and the weaknesse of his body formerly I shall conclude with that patheticall passage of Mr. Cottons which I wish them to observe who make so small a matter of this businesse We saith he be far from allowing that sacrilegious Keys of the Kingd of heav c. 2. usurpation of the Ministers Office which we hear of to our grief to be practised in some places that private Christians ordinarily take upon them to preach the Gospel publiquely and to minister the Sacraments And if his eye could have helped his ear it would have affected his heart with more grief to see it done with that contempt of the ordinance of Christ Why he cals it sacrilegious usurpation he gives not his reasons but we may gather them to be such as these That 't is usurpation 1. It appears from that of the Apostle I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man but to be in silence And 1 Tim. 2. 12. 1 Cor. 14. 34. the same Apostle Let your women keep silence in the congregations for it is not permitted unto them to speak but they are commanded to be under obedience In which places it is evident that power to preach is to have authority and this being not given by God to women if they take it they do usurp authority and are not under Obedience and so do others if they take it How is this Authority given From Mr. Cotton we have an Answer and a 2 Reason 2. The Lord Jesus Christ the Head of his Church is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rev. 3. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first proper subject of the soveraigne power of the Keyes He Isa 9. 6 Keys of the Kingd of Hea. c. 7. p. 29 30. hath the Key of David He openeth and no man shutteth c. And himself declareth the same to his Apostles as the ground of his granting to them Apostolicall power Matth. 28. 18. And it is from the same soveraigne power that all the Offices or Ministeries in the Church are ordained by him 1 Cor. 12. 5 yea and all the members are set in the body by him c. And again speaking of the Key of Order or Authority he hath these words This Key when it was promised to Peter Matth. 16. 19. Ibid. c 2. p. 20. and given to him with the rest of the Apostles Joh. 20. 23. they thereby had power to binde and loose and it is the same Authority which is given to their Successors the Elders whereby they are called to feed and rule the Church of God as the Apostles had done before them Act. 20. 28. And afterwards saith he By vertue of this Key as they viz. the Elders the Apostles successors as before preach with all Authority not onely the Doctrine of the Law but also the Covenant of the Gospel so they administer the Seals thereof Baptisme and the Lords Supper And this is peculiar to Preaching Elders viz. to preach and administer the Sacraments as before is cited out of the same Author So the summe of all this comes to thus much That Christ Heb. 5. 4 5. took not this power and authority in the Church unto Himself but it was given unto him All power in heaven and in Matt 28. 18. earth is given unto Him And he hath set this Order in the Church that some should be officers to preach and rule Other Si nem● honorem sibi ritè in Ecclesiâ usurpat nisi qui vocatus est ut Aaron Heb 5 4. Quisquis sine legitimâ vocatione baptizat eum temere in alienam functionem involare d●co Quid enim Cum ne Dei quidem Filius se ingerere voluer it an sibi nescio quis Terrae fil●us se publicum tanti mysterii dispensatorem nullâ authoritate creabit Calvin Tract Theol. p. 350. Members he hath set in the body in their places to do their own businesse so the Apostle 1 Thes 4. 11. as in the naturall body so in the Church 1 Cor. 12. 18. And they to whom Christ hath given the Authority Power or Key to preach and administer the Sacraments they must do it And the Key or Authority Christ hath given not to private members but to Preaching Elders i. e. such as are Ministers called to the Office of the Ministery So then private members taking on them to preach or administer the Seals do take to themselves that Key Power and Authority which Christ hath given to another and so they usurp and their preaching is usurpation and matter of grief to see Christs followers violate his Ordinance and break His Order and the more where it is done with contempt The Lord Jesus is our Lord and King under whose feet the Father hath put all things and given Him to be the Head over Ephes 1. 22. all things to the Church let us sincerely and ingenuously endeavour to know and keep his Orders as we have received Col. 2. 6. Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him Prove all things and hold fast that which is good And the Lord root out of our hearts the 1 Thes 5. 21. spirit of Contradiction that we read not books rather to confute them then to throw down our selves humbly under the Cott. Way Epist power of Truth Amen FINIS

diseases of the body by which it comes to passe that there are more Phisitians then Patients So every one is wont to think himself fitter to teach then to learn So he 3. Where be gifts indeed fit for the Ministery such must desire the office and the exercise thereof Hear the Apostle to all such This is a true saying if a man desire the office of a Bishop he desireth 1 Tim. 3. 1. a good work God doth and the Church must encourage and receive such into the Ministery as are fit for it and encourage them to desire and undertake it For the charge is so great as the great Apostle felt that some sensible of it need incouragement and drawing a spurre as much as some others do a bit a barre What means e●se that phrase of our Saviour Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest that he will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thrust Matth 9. or cast out Labourers into his Vineyard We in our dayes may with compassion look upon as great a Harvest in the three Kingdoms as our Lord Jesus did in Judea As He commands we must pray the Lord of the Harvest to Gift and send more out where they are wanting The Church and such as are intrusted in this businesse must call and they must enter into office and then be Preachers This is Christs order to be called to the office of the Ministery then preach they that do not this do for ought I know crosse Christs order preach unwarrantably and walk disorderly in this particular We come to the second place alledged for Lay-mens preaching and that is Act. 8. 1. At that time there was a great persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem and they were all scattered abroad thorowout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the Apostles 4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word Here he supposes that these who preached here were private persons in the same condition as Lay-men with us And therefore our Lay-men may preach so as they do even as these Primitive Christians did 1. We will examine his proof that these Preachers were private men and if he makes not this good he proves nothing 2. We will shew that if it could be proved that these were private men this example will no way help to prove the lawfulnesse of that practise which our Lay-preachers use and plead for 1. How doth he prove them private men this is all this proof which is nothing satisfactory Kno. They were not the Apostles as it is apparent v. 1. and at this time there were no Offi●ers in the Church save the Apostles and Deacons as we read of Answ We grant they were not the Apostles for they stayed at Jerusalem v. 1. and he grants there were Deacons and they were more then Lay-men for he cals them Officers and the Scripture shews that they had imposition of hands Act. 6. 6. so they were not all private persons But grant it was not a Deacons office to preach how doth he prove there were no other officers at this time He must prove out of Gods Word that before this persecution there were no other Officers and if these were all private persons at Jerusalem he must prove that the Apostles gave them no Commission to preach when they went thence and supposing this then that God did not give them commission by immediate Revelation till he prove this there is nothing hence to satisfie them that seek Scripture-warrant but onely to beguil inconfiderate people All that is said for this is there were none as we read of He may read of them if he will as others do But by this time doth he mean before this scattering by this persecution or after If before I answer two things 1. A very learned man saith that the seventy Disciples Rutherf Due Right of Presbyt c. 5. S. 1. p. 292. Id. ibid. p. 293. were Pastors in office v. 1. The Lord appointed other seventy also and sent them not onely to preach but to work miracles and this makes them more then private persons And the same man tels us that learned Divines think that these of the scattered Church who preached were the seventy Disciples 2. Grant that the first commission of these seventy Disciples was but temporary and that all these before this dispersion were at Jerusalem but private persons No need of other Preachers at Jerusalem whilest all the Apostles were there and Deacons were not made till need required them Act. 6. But after this dispersion he may read of others if he will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prophets and Evangelists the Apostles fellow-labourers in the work of the Ministery That there were such see Act. 13. 1. chap. 15. 32. and often And Act. 21. 8. we shall finde that Philip one of the seven Deacons and one of these that were scattered abroad is now an Evangelist And that these Prophets and Evangelists were Officers is plain Ephes 4. 11. Now can this Writer finde the time when they were put into office He will have Philip and all the rest of the scattered Christians to go from Jerusalem private persons Philip but a Deacon at most afterwards we finde some of them Prophets some Evangelists can it be proved they were not appointed to these Functions when they left Jerusalem It will be hard to prove it yet that and more then that must be proved as we shall see anon or his Argument and Cause fals for any help it can have from this place Wherefore I oppose these three considerations against what is said to prove that these Preachers were private persons 1. The Apostles had a charge from the Lord Jesus to preach the Gospel to every creature and herewith they had power as to preach themselves so to authorize and send forth other men to that work And this they did practise every where as opportunity offered and necessity required witnesse the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles sending forth Prophets and Evangelists the Apostles Assistants in their extraordinary work to plant and gather Churches or to confirm them that were planted and to ordain Pastors and Teachers in setled Churches And how will it be proved that the Apostles did not give Authority to these men to preach the Gospel as they went Was there not need when the Apostles themselves must stay at Jerusalem v. 1. and the Gospel must be preached abroad at the sametime And is it probable nay is it not to question the Apostles care that they being trusted with the spreading of the Gospel should let these men go and give them no order to preach it which if they did it's enough especially since this persecution came by Gods Providence for this very end that they whom peace held together in comfortable fellowship at Jerusalem being dispersed might spread the Gospel as they went Is there any Scripture Reason or sense to the contrary And if the Apostles gave them order to preach then