Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	believe_v	church_n	creed_n	1,645	5	10.6358	5	true

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

and with their Parents so as to be Admitted to all Church priviledges of which Infants are capable as namely to Baptisme and therefore when Parents are once Admitted their Children are thereupon Baptised if they were not Baptised afore as sometimes it falls out 2. But whether they should thereupon be admitted to all other priviledges when they come to age without any personall profession of Faith or entring into Church Covenant is another Question of which by Reason of the Infancy of these Churches we have had no occasion yet to determine what to judge or practise one way or other 3. But for the present this we would say It seemes by those words of your Parenthesis being otherwise fit you do acknowledge that Children of Church Members are not to be admitted to Church priviledges unlesse they be fit wherein we consent with you as counting it altogether unsafe that Idiots Franticks or persons openly ungracious and prophane should be admitted to the Lords Table though they were the Children of Church Members and thence we may inferre the necessity of their personall profession of their faith when they come to yeares and taking hold of Church-Covenant whereby we meane onely a Renewing of Covenant or a new professing of their Interest in Gods Covenant and walking according to it when they shall be Adulti for otherwise we do confesse Children that are borne when their Parents are Church Members are in Covenant with God even from their birth Gen. 17. 7. 12. and their Baptisme did seale it to them But notwithstanding their Birthright we conceive there is a necessity of their personall profession of Faith and taking hold of Church-Covenant when they come to yeares though you seeme to thinke it not needfull for without this it cannot so well be discerned what fitnesse is in them for the Lords Table and other Church priviledges as by this meanes it might And inasmuch as entring into Church-Covenant is nothing else but a solemne promise to the Lord before him and the Church to walke in all such wayes as the Gospel requireth of Church Members if they shall refuse to make any such promise and shall be unable or unwilling to make any profession of their Faith when it is required of them this would be an evidence against them of their unfitnesse for Church priviledges inasmuch as they openly breake that Rule 1 Pet. 3. 15. Be ready to give a Reason of the hope that is in you with meeknesse and feare What hope is there that they will examine themselves when they eat of that Bread and drinke of that Cup 1 Cor. 11. 28. Who when others do examine them they are unable or unwilling to give Answer Or how shall we thinke that they will receive the Lords Supper worthily or walke as becomes the Gospel if they do refuse to professe or promise any such matter Wherefore in this Point we cannot but fully approve the practise of the Reformed Churches among whom it is the manner as Zepporus writeth to admit Children that were Baptised in their Infancy unto the Lords Table by publique profession of their Faith and entring into Covenant consuetum est saith he ut qui per aetatem neque Doctrina Catechetica perfectum ad sacram Coenam primum admittuntur fidei confessionem coram tota Ecclesiâ publicè edant c. Polit. Ecles l. 1. c. 14. p. 158. that is The manner is that they who by reason of age and perficiency in the Doctrine of Catechisme are first Admitted to the Lords Supper should publiquely before the whole Church make confession of their Faith being brought forth into the sight of the Church by their Parents or them that are instead of Parents at the appointment of the Minister and likewise should promise and Covenant by the Grace of God to continue in that faith which they have confessed and to leade their lives according to it yea and moreover to subject themselves freely and willingly to the Discipline of the Church these words we see are full and plaine that Children are not in those Churches received to the Lords Table without personall confession of Faith and entring into Covenant before 4. But how long Children should be counted under age and whether Orphans are not to be admitted with their Guardians which is your sixt Quaery we should be willing to heare your judgement therein as having of our selves hitherto had no occasion to search into those Questions onely this we thinke that one certaine rule cannot be given for all whereby to determine how long they are under age but according as God gives experience and maturity of naturall understanding and Spirituall which he gives sooner to some then unto others Such Children whose Father and Mother were neither of them Believers and sanctified are counted by the Apostle as it seemes to us not faederally holy but uncleane what ever their other Ancestors have been 1 Cor. 7. 14. And therefore we Baptise them not If you can give us a sufficient Answer to take us off from that Scripture 1 Cor. 7. which seemes to limit this faederall sanctity or holynesse to the Children whose next Parents one or both were Believers we should gladly hearken to you therein but for the present as we believe we speake and practise according to our light And if we should goe one degree beyond the next Parents we see not but we may goe two and if two why not 3. 4 20 100 or 1000 For where will you stop And if we shall admit all Children to Baptisme whose Ancestors within a thousand Generations have been Believers as some would have us we might by this Reason Baptise the Children of Turkes and of all the Indians and Barbarians in the Country for there is none of them but they have had some Believing Ancestors within lesse then a 1000. Generations it being farre from so much since Noah and his Sonnes came forth out of the Arke We do believe that all Members of Churches ought to be Saints and faithfull in Christ Jesus Eph. 1. 1. 1 Cor. 1. 2. Col. 1. 2. Phil. 1. 1. and thereupon we count it our duty to use all lawfull and convenient meanes whereby God may helpe us to discerne whether those that offer themselves for Church Members be persons so qualified or no and therefore first we heare them speake concerning the Gift and Grace of Justifying Faith in their soules and the manner of Gods dealing with them in working it in their hearts which seemes to be your first particular in this Quaery Secondly we heare them speake what they do believe concerning the Doctrine of Faith so taking a tryall what measure they have of the good knowledge of the Lord as knowing that without knowledge men cannot well Examine themselves and discerne the Lords body as Church Members ought to doe when they come to the Lords Table And hereby also we would prevent as the Lord shall helpe us the creeping in of any into the Church

came up but of late must first prove it contrary to the Word of God or else hold their peace White Way 44. 1. And the same we say in this particular of the Church-Covenant Secondly And yet they that search the Stories and Writers of the times and ages next after the Apostles may find some testimonie of Church-Covenant in those dayes For instance Justine Martyr in his Apol. 2. makes mention of three things which were required of all that were admitted into the Church as members 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is regeneration and soundnesse in the Faith and a promise to walke in obedience to the Gospel And generally this was the practise of all those times that never any man was admitted to Baptisme nor his children neither but they put him to answer three questions Abrenuntios whereto he answered Abrenuntio Credis whereto his answer was Credo and Spondes to which he answered Spondes So that here was an open declaration of his Repentance from dead works and of the soundnesse of his Faith in the two first particulars and an open binding himself by covenant or promise to walke according to the Gospel in the third But much needs not to be said in this point unto them that do acknowledge Scripture Antiquitie to be sufficient though after times should be found to swerve from the Rules and Patterns that are therein contained If Church-Covenant be so necessarie then all the Reformed Churches are to be condemned as no Churches for they have no such Covenant They that have knowne those Churches not onely by their writings and confessions of their faith in Synods and otherwise but also by living amongst them and being eye-witnesses of their Order do report otherwise of them viz. that they are combined together by solemne Covenant with God and one another Zepperus speaking of the manner used in the reformed Churches in admitting the children of Church-members to the Lords Table when they came to age and have been sufficiently catechised and instructed in the doctrine of Religion tells us that such children are admitted to the Lords table by publick profession of Faith and entring into Covenant Consuetum est saith l●e ut qui per atatem inque Doctrinâ Catecheticâ profectum ad sacram Coenam primum admittuntur fidei confessionem coram totâ Ecclesiâ publice edant per parentes aut qui parentum loco sunt jussû ministri in Ecclesia conspectum producti quòdque in illa confessione per Dei gratiam perstare ac juxta illam vitam instituere insuper etiam disciplina Ecclesiasticae ultrò ac spoute suâ subjicere sese velint spondeant atque stipulentur Polit. Eccles lib. 1. cap. 14. p. 158. that is The manner is that they who by reason of age and proficiencie in the doctrine of Catechisme are first admitted to the Lords Supper should publickly before the whole Church make confession of their faith being brought forth into the sight of the Church by their parents or them that are instead of parents at the appointment of the Minister and likewise should promise and covenant by the grace of God to continue in that Faith which they have confessed and to lead their lives according to it yea and moreover to subject themselves freely and willingly to the discipline of the Church These words we see are full and plaine that children are not in those Churches received to the Lords Supper without personall confession of Faith and entring into Covenant before And if they tooke this course with children come to age there is as much reason or more that the same course should be holden with men of yeers when they are admitted members And so the same Zepperus speaking of the consociation of Churches amongst themselves by mutuall confederation hath these words which as they may be applyed to the combining of many Churches so may they be combining of many members of the same Church 〈◊〉 illa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quam in Symbolo profite nunc Apostolico nihil aliud hic requirit vult quam obligationem omnium Ecclesiae membrorum confoederationem c. that is that communion of Saints which we professe in the Creed doth require and meane nothing else but an obligation of all the members of the Church and a binding of them together by Covenant Polit. Eccles li. 3 c. 8. p 721. To these testimonies of Z●pp●r●● those words may be added of Mr. Parker our own countreyman a man of singular note for learning and holinesse who also himselfe lived sometimes beyond Sea in the reformed Churches and there ended his dayes so that we may safely give the more credit to his testimonie he having so good meanes fully to know the state and order of those Churches Now he speaketh of a Solennis forma absque quâ in Ecclesiae alicujus communionem nullus ritè recipitur of a solemne forme without which no man is rightly received into the communion of the Church hath these words Hic mos ille est reformatarum Ecclesiarum non solum in lapsis restituendis sed in extra●eis i●ò quibuscunque recipiendis qui ad habitandum alicubi consident etsi fortè in Ecclesiâ illius loci quo ante commo● abantur juxta hanc formam admissi prius fuerant Examinat Presbyterium plebs consentit quisque testes vita sua secum adfert vel testimonia sal●em publicatur nomen cuiusque competentis pro con●io●e admonetur quisque siquid habeat quod excipiat ut denunciet presbyteris Si nihil contrà adferatur admittitur quidem sed non nisi solerni pactione cum Deo cum Ecclesiâ Spondet verò Ecclesiae se ambulaturum prout sanctam illam communionem decet Disciplinae illius Ecclesiae subjacere velle se fratribus illius communionis invigilaturum juxta Christi praeceptum Matth. 18. 17. ut praeveniantur sanentur que scandala illi ad studium bonorum operum provehantur That is This is the manner of the reformed Churches not onely in restoring such as have fallen but in admitting of strangers yea of all whoever they be who do sit down in any place for habitation though perhaps they have been formerly admitted after the same manner in the Church where they have formerly dwelt The Presbytery doth examine the people do consent every man brings with him witnesses of his life or at least-wise testimonies The name of each one that desires to be a member is published in the Assembly every one is admonished if he have any exception against the party to bring it to the Presbytery If nothing be brought against him then indeed he is admitted but yet no otherwise then by a solemne covenant with God and the Church And to the Church he promiseth that he will walk as becometh that holy Fellowship that he will be subject to the discipline of that Church that he will watch over the brethren of that Communion according to the Command of Christ Mat. 18.