Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	church_n	congregation_n	elder_n	2,807	5	10.1144	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79512	Preaching vvithout ordination or, A treatise proving the lawfulnesse of all persons, of what degree, ranke, or trade soever, being inabled with sufficient guifts and qualifications from God by his spirit, to preach and set forth the Gospel, though no minister nor any other officer in the church of God. By Edmond Chillinden.	Chillenden, Edmund, fl. 1656.	1647 (1647)	Wing C3879; Thomason E405_10; ESTC R201879	25,344	34

it lyes in common to all and every of the Saints members of the Churches of Christ joyntly together to choose them Officers as namely Pastors Teachers Elders Deacons being the whole number of Officers I finde mentioned in the Scrip●ures and to act in all other things given them in charge as Prayer-Preaching receiving into fellowship judging of offenders and administration of the other Ordinances this power doth not lye nor ever was given to the Officers Ministers or Presbytery onely that I can finde in the Scriptures but to the severall Congregations I finde that they had power to chuse from amongst themselves men fitted and inabled by God to supply the severall Offices in his house and Sanctuary to invest and ordaine them 5. If the Church have power it must be supposed or granted that first there must be a Church having this power before there can be any Officers rightly and orderly ordained except it can be maintained from the Scriptues that there is Apostles still or men having an Apostolicall function which I conceive no where in Scripture is to be found therefore if men may not preach before they be ordained then how men should be ordinarily converted to the faith and order of the Gospel I see not because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word preached and if this be not granted how and which way Churches can be gathered and Officers ordained I cannot see except the Popes Ordination will serve which for my part I am loath to allow 6. Againe for to chuse one into Office presupposes an aptnesse and fitnesse in the parties for the sufficient discharge of that place unto which he is so called chosen or ordained and it is granted of all sides that the Officers of the Churches are so and so to be qualified as the Scripture sets forth as namely that they be men of wisdome knowledge grave modest of good report both of them without as well as with them within full of the holy Ghost apt to teach well learned in Christ no novice or youngling in the Schoole of Christ to be instant in season and out of season alwayes ready to convince the gaynsayers by sound Doctrine as he hath been taught the truth in Iesus these quallifications are required in the teaching Elders or Bishops before they be ordained therefore it is cleare that the guift of utterance sound knowledge by which a man is inabled to pray preach teach declare set forth Christ in the Gospel not onely may but must both be and appeare to be in any men before they be chosen into the office of the ministery 1 Tim. 3.1 to 22. Tit. 1.5 Esa 56.10.11 Act. 20.28 Act. 6.3.6 14.23 Iob. 13.17 Thes 1.4.20 Luke 4.16 Mat. 13.54 Act. 13.15.16 Ephes 4.11 12 13. compaire 2 Tim. 3.17 Heb. 3.3 to 6. 1 Cor. 21.13.14 Chap. Rom. 22.6 7 Ephes 1.7 to 17. Col. 3 16. Heb. 10.23 to 26. Heb. 3.3 to 6. Ephes 1.21.22.23 1 Cor. 44.33.40 Act. 1.14 to end Act. 6.1 to 7 for he that is not a Prop●●● or hath not the guift of preaching before he be chosen 〈…〉 the ministery is a dumb dogg and an idel Shephard for the Office doth not give nor indeed cannot any whit increase the guifts or convey by the same any spirituall qualification or ability onely gives a solemn charge and Commission to use their guifts by vertue of their office they have received This I suppose granted on all sides 7. Then it will easily be granted that except men before they be chosen and ordained may be suffered and permitted to declare their guifts in Doctrine and Prayer which are the maine things that which is chiefly to be looked on that the Pastor or teacher is specially to be qualified with how shall the Church that is to chuse them take knowledge of their sufficiency that they may both with faith and good conscience call them and submit to them And otherwise for tryall of mens guifts whereby they may be judged fit to be chosen into the Ministery but onely by the way of preaching before Ordination by vertue of their guifts I finde none the the Scriptures are silent in it But the other that is prophesying or preaching by vertue of the gifts and grace of God before ordination or office thus the Scriptures are very plentifull in manifesting and declaring which God hath instituted for that end that his Church may grow up thereby a compleate habitation compleatly furnished with all her officers or servants to supply all her severall offices to the prayse honour of Jesus Christ her head who hath instituted all things in order he being the God of order hath left nothing in disorder but alwayes hath been carefull to provide for his house not onely Officers to supply her in her severall Offices but also hath prescribed a way and a rule for them in the chusing them in their severall Offices as is partly before specified Obj. But here some may say that a man that is a good Scoller having been at the Vniversity and studied Divini●y may be permitted as it is usually practised in their Vniversities to preach a Sermon two or three for approbation or tryall of his sufficiency before he be ordained Answ 1. To this I answer that it is not his learning 1 Cor. 2.10 to end Rom. 8.7 1 Cor. 1.19.20 and 2.1 to end 1 Cor. 1.5 Col. 4.3 Col. 2.4.8 nor any humane art that will be sufficient to inable him to be a Minister of the Gospel because by that no man can understand the minde and will of God in the Scriptures 2. Because no man by his studying or labour in humane things can procure the gift of utterance whereby he may be inabled to set forth and declare Jesus Christ in the Gospel Answ 2. It is granted in the latter part of the objection that it is lawfull and so practised by our adversaries to preach before ordination therefore I do wonder why they should condemne that in others which they practice themselves for if a man may preach one Sermon why not two then why not twenty and if one moneth why not twelve moneths and so I conceive if it be lawfull thus to preach as they themselves grant then the great controversie about this poynt is betweene them and mee at an end 3. But I further say that it will not be sufficient to preach a Sermon or two whereby to judge of a mans fitnesse because it is impossible that his gifts and qualification can be judged off by any in so short a space and so the Church to be mistaken in their choyce and instead of an able and painfull Minister set up a lying Idoll dumb dogg as it hath often fallen out in many of the Parishes of England 4. Now I shall come to examine the severall Scriptures that do hold forth the lawfulnesse of all the Servants of God preaching before Ordination I shall take them in order as they lye and I shall

of and if the Lord shall give yee understanding in the knowledge of the truth herein contended for feare not to Practise it notwithstanding the threats and menaces of men though their words be stout against the Lord make the righteous offenders for a word yet let those that fear the Lord speake oft to exort teach admonish one another in setting forth the Lord Jesus Christ a Saviour for sinners Now all you that have tasted how good the Lord is and hath seene the goeings out of his Arme before you be not cast downe nor discouraged but with Nehemiah resolve not to flie though Tobiases Sambalats enemies of Gods truth and people be never so greate and mightie and stirr themselves never somuch shall such 〈◊〉 as we flie shall we flinch shall the voice of a damosell now make us afraid and tremble that have had the experience of a Gratious God preserving of us and making us to stand and oppose the fury of our enemies in the field in the midst of flashing flames and showers of fiery bullets did he make us to have stout hearts to stare death in the face and contemn the terrour thereof shall we now distrust him ●oe farr be it from us for God is faithfull and will never leave us nor forsake us but shall and will stand by us to deliver us out of all our troubles I have only one word more to say I know you with my self had thoughts that though in the Bishops dayes we snut our doers for feare of those Iewes eat the bread of affliction drank the waters of adversity yet now they being taken away the armies of the alians being put to flight we had hope our eyes should never have seen our teachers thrust into corners againe but should have inioyed the sweet fruit of outward peace and liberty in the free worshiping of God but you see God ordering of it otherwise Therefore his hand being in it we must conclud it is for his glory and for our good Let us with patience possesse our soules letting our moderation be known to all men the Lord is at hand give our cheekes to the nippers and our backes to the smiters and not to resist authority but patiently to beare and suffer what penalty shall be put upon us for this is the will of God that by well doing we should put to silence the ignorance of foolish slanderous men that so report of us that yee may soe doe it shall be the prayer of him that is your brother and fellow souldier and companion in tribulation and in the Kingdome and patience of Iesus Christ Edmund Chillenden Liuetenant PREACHING WITHOUT ORDINATION THE great controversie Act. 20.28 Ephes 5.25 Esa 8.20 Act. 20.26.27 Mat. 28.18 to the end Mat. 18.17 to 20. Rev. 22.18.19 Gal. 6.16 Ephes 4.8 to 12. 1 Tim. 3. tota Tit. 1.6 to 10. 1 Cor. 12.28 Rom. 12.6 to 9. Act. 1.13.14.15.21 to end Act. 6.1 to 7. Act. 14.25 or thing in this juncture of time is Whether men though by God furnished with gift● and graces and every way made able to dispense the Gospel may preach the same either private or publike except they be ordained Therefore to make it appeare that it is lawfull for men so furnished and enabled by God to preach publish and declare the Gospel though they be not by any Church or men ordained thereunto I shall premise these things to consideration 1. That Christ hath purchased unto himselfe a Church 2. That to this Church he hath given Lawes and ordinances in his written word by which they are to walke and by none other 3. That in them he hath declared and set forth to his Church what and how many Offices there are with Officers to be supplyed with their qualifications 4. How the severall Officers are to be invested ordained or put into their severall Offices 1 Co. 12.13 14. chap. 1. Pet. 4.10.11 Heb. 10.23.24.25 Act. 6.3.1 Tim. 3. tota Titus 1.6 to 10. Psal 132.11 Act 2.3 10.38 Act. 2.36 Esa 9.6.7 Rev. 15.3 17.14.19.20 Act. 20 28. Psal 87.3.1 Pet. 2.5 9. Psal 48.2 Mat. 18 to 20.28 18 to end Psal 147 19.2● Heb 3 2.6 Ephes 1.22.23 2.20 1 Pet. 1.19 20 21. Rev. 22.18.10 Deut. 4.2 Pro. 30.6 Pet. 1.3 1 Cor. 11. 1 Gal 1 7 8 9. v. 1.2.3 chap. Ephes 1.2 Col. 23.10 Eph. 5 3.24 1 Cor 5. 16.1 Act. 14.23 1 Cor. 1.1 Mat. 13 19 20 2 Cor. 1.1 Ro. 1.7 Mat. 28 18● compared vvith Mat. 18.19 20. compare that with Psalme 149.8.9 and all them with 1 Cor. 5 16. 1 Col. 3.10 Rev. 1 2 3. chap. Act. 1.21 to 26. and 6.2 to 6. and 14. to 23. Gal. 1. 1 Tim. 3.1 to 12. Tit. 5.7 Act. 2.37 to 47. compared with Act. 6.2 to 6.14 to 23. Mat. 18.16 to 27. 1 Cor. 49. Rev. 2. Rom. 10.17 1 Tim. 3.1 to 12. Tit. 1.5.7 Act. 1.15 16 26. 6.6.3.7.14.22.23 to end 1 Tim. 4.12 Ephes 4.21 1 Cor. 1.5 Col. 4 3. 5. The manner how they are to manifest their guifts par●● and qualifications to declare their fitnesse that the Church may know and judge of them before they be ordained that they may not be mistaken in their choyce 1. The Lord Jesus Christ being the annointed of his father set on the Throwne of David King of Saints King of Kings hath purchased to himselfe by his blood a Church which is a City or body politick whence it is called the City of God of the great King the body of Christ his Temple Orchard Vineyard nichosed Garden a royall Priesthood a holy Nation a peculiar people to offer up spirituall sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ the Lord. 2. This Church or spirituall City he as their King and head hath given lawes and ordinances in his written word as rules by which she is to be guided and in them is layd downe to his people all things needefull for life and godlinesse to make the man of God perfect in the performance of the visible worship of God so that there is no neede for man or any sort Company or assembly of men to devise or make lawes or institute Ordinances for his people to observe in acting any thing concerning the worship and service of God or in the choyce or ordination of Officers in his house 3. This Church is set forth in the Scriptures to be particular congregated visible Saints depending on none but Christ in things concerning his spirituall Kingdome it is not a house of lime and stone nor a Congregation of visible wicked men no nationall provinticall diosian Church those the Scriptures do not allow nor in no wise declare that God hath promised his blessing and presence to dwell amongst since the assention of Christ and whence such Churches came and of whose devising they were you may see in the Scripture cited Rev. 16.19 13.1 to 11. to end Rev. 18 2.3 4. Those have power given them and