Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	form_n	people_n	set_a	2,482	5	10.9989	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88943	Church-government and church-covenant discussed, in an answer of the elders of the severall churches in New-England to two and thirty questions, sent over to them by divers ministers in England, to declare their judgments therein. Together with an apologie of the said elders in New-England for church-covenant, sent over in answer to Master Bernard in the yeare 1639. As also in an answer to nine positions about church-government. And now published for the satisfaction of all who desire resolution in those points.	Mather, Richard, 1596-1669.; Mather, Richard, 1596-1669. Apologie of the churches in New-England for church-covenant.; Peters, Hugh, 1598-1660.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670.	1643 (1643)	Wing M1270; Thomason E106_8; Thomason E106_9; ESTC R18913	104,756	140

the proper fruit and effect of the word Preached by a Minister alone and that by vertue of his Office alone or that it is alike common to ministers and Lay persons so they be gifted to preach 30. Whether all and every of your Churches including Plimouth c. do precisely observe the same course both in Constitution and Government of themselves 31. VVhether would you permit any Companie of Ministers and People being otherwise in some measure approvable to sit downe by you and set up and practise another forme of Discipline enioying like libertie with your selves in the Common-wealth and accepted as a sister Church by the rest of your Churches 32. VVhether hold you it lawfull to use any set forms of Prayer in publique or private as the Lords prayer and others either made by himselfe that useth the same or else by some other man THE ANSWERS TO THE Aforegoing QUESTIONS The first Question Answered ALL the English and others also are freely admitted to be present in our Congregations at the reading of the Scriptures and exposition thereof which is wont alwayes to goe along therewith at the preaching of the word singing of Psalmes Prayers Admitting of Members and dispencing of Censures And many also are admitted to Church Communion and so to partake in Church Ordinances and priviledges as Sacraments power of Election Censures c. though many also there are who are not yet admitted to this Church Communion But whether is the greater number those that are admitted hereunto or those that are not we cannot certainly tell But in the Churches in the Bay where most of us are best acquainted we may truely say that for the heads of Families those that are admitted are farre more in number then the other besides whom there are likewise sundry children and Servants that are Admitted also And for the Reason● why many are not yet received to Church Communion they are sundry 1. Many are not admitted because they are not yet knowne Every yeare hitherto God hath replenished the Country with many new commers and these at the first are not suddainly taken in as Members of Churches till by time there have been some triall of them and better occasion to know them what they are Sometimes once a yeare there are in the Land many hundreds and some thousands of this sort 2. When by time they come to be knowne many do appeare to be carnall and give no Testimony of being Members of Christ and therefore if they should offer themselves to be Members of Churches the Churches would not see Warrant to receive them because the Church is the body of Christ 3. Some that are Godly do of their own accord for a time forbeare to offer themselves till they be better acquainted with the Church and Ministry where they intend to joyne and with the wayes in which the Churches walke in this Country and and till they be better informed what are the duties of Church Members 4. Those that are knowne to be Godly are all admitted in some Church or other presently upon their own desire when they offer themselves thereto except any have given offence by walking in any particular in their Conversation otherwise then becomes the Gospell and then such are to give satisfaction to them to whom they have given offence by acknowledgeing their offence and shewing repentance for it and then they are Admitted It is one thing what Churches ought to be by the appointment of Jesus Christ another what weaknesse and swerving● from his appointment he may beare withall for a time before he renounce and cast off a People from being his Church In respect of the former our Answer is That when a Visible Church is to be e●rected planted or constituted by the Appointment of Christ it is necessary that the matter of it in regard of quality should be Saints by calling Visible Christians and Believers 1 Cor. 1. 2. Eph. 1. 1. And in respect of Quantity no more in number in the dayes of the New Testament but so many as may meet in one Congregation 1 Cor. 11. 20 14. 23. Acts 14. 27. 15. 22 30. And the forme a gathering together of these visible Christians a combining and uniting of them into one body by the bond of an holy Covenant for which we refer you to the Apolgie of the Churches in N. E. sent the last yeare in way of Answer to Mr. Bernard For the latter we deny not but visible Churches rightly constituted at the first may degenerate and great corruptions may grow therein both in respect of matter and forme and likewise in respect of their walking and Administrations and yet the Lord in his patience may beare long with them before he give them a Bill of Divorce and make them Lo-ammi not a People as the example of the Church of Israel in the old Testament Of the Church of Corinth the Churches of Galatia the 7 Churches of Asia and others in the New Testament doe abundantly manifest But what degrees of corruption may be before the soule as it were and life and being of a Church be destroyed is hard for us precisely and punctually to determine or to say thus farre a Church may erre and yet remaine a Church but if it proceed any further then it ceaseth to be a Church any more onely in the generall this we observe the Lord doth not presently cast off a Church or give them a Bill of Divorce no not for fundamentall errors in Doctrine or Idolatry in Worship or Tyranny in Government till after obstinate and rebellious rejection of Reformation and the meanes thereof for all these were found in the Church of Israel when they crucified Christ yet the Apostles rejected them not till after the light of Grace offered and blasphemously rejected Acts 13. 45 46. But if your selves have so Studied this point as to have ripened and formed thoughts therein we should gladly receive light from you We do not know any visible Church of the N. T. properly so called but onely a particular Congregation and therefore when this Question in the first and last clause of it speakes of Believers within the visible Church as Members thereof although they be not Members of that particular Congregation where for the present they reside nor of any other this speech seemes to us according to our apprehension to imply a contradiction They that are within the visible Church as Members thereof must needs be Members of some particular Congregation because all visible Churches are Congregationall as Mr. Baine sheweth at large from the Church of Antioch Act. 14. 27. the Church at Corinth 1 Cor. 11. 14. and other examples and Reasons with Answers to the objections to the contrary in his Dioces Triall Quest 1. Whereto we referre you in this Point neither is he alone in this Tenent for Mr. Parker and many other teach the same Those silenced and deprived Ministers that wrote the Booke called The Christian and