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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	bind_v	church_n	loose_v	4,001	5	10.0884	5	false

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