Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	church_n	member_n	visible_a	3,184	5	9.3025	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58941	Sacramentorum encomium: or The praise of the sacraments in a letter written in the year 1654 to the preacher then at Barham in the county of Kent, with-holding the holy sacraments from a great number of godly souls, unless they would subject themselves against laws and good conscience to a rigid Presbyterian government. Wherein the said government is plainly and undeniably proved to be (of all other) the most injurious to the magistrate, most oppressive to the subject, &c. Published by a member of the parish of Barham, for the satisfaction of all wel-affected subjects, and good Christians.	Member of the parish of Barnham.	1661 (1661)	Wing S223B; ESTC R219820	25,942	69

people whom they expect should do just as they would have them be it right or wrong will not presently go out of the old and instantly come into a new Church way and that even before they are shewn what it is or where it lies or the contrivers of it themselves have thorowly agreed what it shall be a way which when by themselves as they may think perfected will in all likelyhood be as little liked of and followed by the most godly most wise and most learned men of this Nation as it hath been practised by them since the time of our blessed Saviors coming into the world till the first year of Liberty for every one to take upon him what Religion he pleaseth broach what Heresie he fancieth and be of what Sect he conceiveth most to his own advantage And is it any other then an unsatisfactory reason in those Austere Doctors which will not administer the holy Sacrament of Baptism to those children whose Parents though visibly in the Covenant of God and visible members of Christs Church though they acknowledg themselves to believe in him and by vertue of his merits to obtain everlasting life and though they desire to partake of his Ordinances yet because they will not in every thing dance after their pipe will not have a hand with them in renting in pieces the seamless Coat of their Saviour will not apprehend all their errors to be truths will not suffer themselves to be rid upon by these unmercifull horsmen under pretence of Church discipline will not break the bond of unity amongst themselves but maintain a sociable familiarity and sometimes as they have too too much cause speak against Pharisaical practises yet because they will not confess all that these teachers say to be true all that they practise to be good all that they would have done to be of absolute necessity to be done shall therefore be denied the benefit of the Holy Sacraments though accused by no other then themselves to be ignorant scandalous and scoffers at Religion and hereupon be rejected as Children of wrath plain Aliens altogether without hope utterly without God in this present world Miserable were the condition of man if it were by a perpetual Law established that these partial and hard-hearted Rulers should be his Accusers and Judges For should not God through his unspeakeable goodness shew mercy unto thousands of poor Children whose remote forefathers loved him They must forever go without it for these men and all because their immediate parents were such as would not every way square themselves according to their wild fancies and unrectified judgments But suppose those immediate parents were wicked indeed as they many times only pretend them to be so Hath not God told them plain enough by the Prophet Ezekiel Ez. 18.20 That the child shall not suffer for the iniquity of the Father is it not evident that the Children of wicked Parents amongst the Jews were circumcised and if so why may not Children proceeding from the like Parents of the Christians be baptized sith it is not to be doubted his hand is not shortned and he hath given as large priviledges to us under the Gospel as he gave to them under the Law otherwise we should be loosers by the coming of Christ which Credat Judaeus Apella non nos though the circumcised Jew will believe we will be far from giving credit to any such monstruous improbability Nisi forte arbitramur Christum in suo adventu Patris gra●…am imminuisse aut decurtasse quod ex●crabi●… blasphemia non va●… C●l Inst lib. 4. c. 16. sect 4. We read that Saint John the Baptist sprang for joy in his Mothers womb at the salutation of the Virgin Luke 1.41 but are to seek for the cause of so great joy had his birth been so disadvantagious to him and others in that condition the coming of Christ witness the testimony of an Angel from heaven and the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the truth of that Testimony was joyous to all Lu. 2.20 all sexes all conditions all ages advantagious to all even to Infants Our most blessed Saviour brought grace along with him Grace and Truth saith John Joh. 1.17 came by with Jesus Christ Grace in the superlative degree reaching spreading farther under the new then the old Testament The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared saith the Apostle Tit. 2.11 to all men i.e. to all sorts of ages conditions of men The grace of God in an ordinary dispensation was first appropriated to the Jews they were then his favourites to whom his grace in Christ was manifested but now that grace hath appeared to all men the grace of the Gospel is more ample and every wayes greater Grace then that before or under the Law God having provided some better things for us saith the Apostle Heb. 11.40 more greater and better privileges for us under the Gospel then for them under the Law and by consequence for the Children of the Christians then for the Children of the Jews which could not be if our Children had not right to the Covenant as well as theirs Had these Teachers who are thus scrupulous in administring this holy Ordinance perused and minded holy and learned Perkins his works as much as they use to read and and study the noval and schismatical Pamphlets of the time they might have been taught by him that The Children of Parents that are professed members of the Church though cut off for a time upon some offence committed have right to Baptism because it is not in the power of man to cut them off from Christ though excommunicated which being so why may not the Children descending from Parents though in their persons wicked not excommunicated have right to the sacred Ordinance of Baptism sith those of the very excommunicated in the Judgment of so profound a Master as Perkins have right thereunto But behold the opinion by the practice of a greater then Perkins even of John the Baptist himself who baptized all that came unto him for his Baptism Mat. 3.5 amongst others even those very Pharisees and Sadduces whom at the same time he called a generation of vipers Mat. 3.7 and the latter of whom denyed the resurrection it self And as they are no other then unsatisfactory reasons which are given for not administring the holy Sacrament of Baptism what are they better which are rendred for their not admitting those that are Religious and knowing Christians to the supper of the Lord because peradventure there may be some in a Parish who may be Scandalous or ignorant or others who will refuse to make answer to some needless questions may be demanded by such as rake it to be a part of their function to make a deeper search into consciences then any Law of God or reason of man inforceth and upon this denyal they shall be put off to another time from the mystery of