Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	church_n	creed_n	2,605	5	10.2206	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91267	A seasonable vindication of free-admission, and frequent administration of the Holy Communion to all visible church-members, regenerate or unregenerate. From the institution, precept, president of Christ himself; the doctrine, practice of the primitive Church, fathers, councils, Christians: the confessions, articles, records, chief writers of our own and other reformed churches: the dangerous consequents, effects, schisms arising from the disusage, infrequency, monopoly of this sacrament, to visible or real saints alone; and suspension of all others from it, till approved worthy upon trial. And that upon meer Anabaptistical, and papistical false principles, practices, (here discovered) unadvisedly embraced, imitated, asserted, exceeded by sundry over-rigid, reforming ministers; to our Saviours dishonour, our Churches great disturbance, their own, their peoples prejudice; and the common enemies, and seducers grand advantage. / By Will: Prynne of Swainswick Esq; a bencher of Lincolns Inne·	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1656 (1656)	Wing P4070; Thomason E495_3; ESTC R203285	81,072	108

there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement 3ly l Stand constantly upon your watch and m unite all your studies endeavours together against the manifold plots policies of Satan and your Iesuitical Popish Sectarian common Enemies who seek nothing but the speedy ruine of your persons Ministry and of our Protestant Religion Church State being more active subtle and successfull of late years in this design than ever in former ages And let their present joynt attempts combinations against you be a prevailing argument to unite your affections endeavours studies to countermine them 4ly Avoid all carnal Machivilian Policies all sordid Compliances and n base Fears of any Mortals how great or powerful soever And never o act nor consent to any evils error unrighteous impious Projects or hypocritical designes yea hope that any good may come thereby but rather part with your lives liberties and all worldly enjoyments than with a good conscience and the truth or Ordinances of God intrusted to your care 5ly Take Notice of some particular late failings and scandalous sinfull Omissions or Neglects in the discharge of your Ministerial Office in which divers of you have been and still are very peccant Whereas by our former Liturgies confirmed by p sundry Acts of Parliament yet in force the Decalogui or Ten Commandements of God himself q asserted by all or most of you to be Moral and Perpetual as they are a rule of Life and Obedience were to be publikely read in all Churches as heretofore was usual once every Lords day and when ever the Lords Supper was administred to the end the people might the better remember and observe them in their lives and conversations This godly custom hath for sundry years together been universally neglected and cast aside by all or most of you By which means the elder sort of people have quite forgotten these Commandements the younger sort are alltogether ignorant of them and generally know not whether there be any such Decalogue for them to learn know observe their Parents Masters not instructing them in them in their private families as formerly since discontinued publikely in our Chnrches The number of Antinomians is hereby augmented confirmed in their Error the Knowledge Sence Conscience of sinnes against these Precepts almost quite obliturated And these Laws of God with all other good Laws of the Realm quite cast aside slighted scorned violated in the highest degree by many professed Saints of the highest Orb like Old Almanacks quite out of date or force especially the 5 6 8 and last of them Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house c. nor any thing that is his now turned into an affirmative or quite expunged out of the Decalogue of too many English Protestants as well as the r second Commandement heretofore out of the Papists And whether this omission be not a sinne against Deutr. 6. 1. to 10. c. 18. 18. to 22. c. 4. 9 10. Acts 13. 15. Psal. 1. 2. Iosh. 1. 8. and other Scriptures fit henceforth to be reformed let your own Consciences with all Protestant Commentators on these Texts and the Decalogue resolve you 2ly Whereas the Summary Heads of the Christian Faith comprised in antient Creeds made Å¿ used in the Primitive Church and continued in all Christian Churches as most useful necessary ever since were usually repeated by the Ministers and people in all our Churches heretofore when ever they assembled to worship God on Lords-dayes and other Festivals or times of Devotion This Godly profitable Christian practice hath been generally disused and set aside by most of you for sundry years together whereby the old Principles of our Christian Faith and Creeds are quite forgotten or neglected by the ancienter sort and unknown to the younger people not instructed to learn or repeat them by heart as formerly by their Parents and Masters since disused in our Churches by Ministers and a world of New Faiths Heresies Blasphemies Errors have been set up and vented in opposition thereunto destructive to the very Foundations of our Religion Now whether this Omission be not a great Misdemeanour or Oversight in you repugnant to the 1 Cor. 15. 1. to 8. Hebr. 5. 12 13. c. 6. 1 2 3. 2 Pet. 1. 12 13 15. c. 3. 2. and other Texts let all Old and New Expositors on the Creed determine and your own Consciences judge 3ly Whereas by the Laws of our Land confirming the Book of Ordination and the Liturgies of our Church all our Deacons Ministers formerly on Lords dayes and other times of publike Divine Service were specially obliged to read certain Psalms with one Chapter of the Old Testament and another out of the New in the Church for the peoples better edification and instruction in the Scriptures and incouragement to read them diligently in their Families and private Closets yet now of late years contrary to their Solemn Promise at their t Ordinations diligently to read the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to the people assembled in the Church and contrary to Exod. 24. 7. Deut. 6. 1. to 10. c. 11. 18. to 22. c. 31. 11 12 13. Josh. 8. 34 35. 2 Kings 23. 1 2 3. 2 Chron. 34. 29 30 31. Neh. 8. 1. to 19. c. 9. 1. 3. c. 13. 1. Isay 34. 16 Ier. 36. 6 10 c. c. 51. 61 62. Luk. 4. 16 17. Acts 13. 15. c. 15. 21. 31. 2 Cor. 1. 13. Eph. 3. 4. Col. 4. 16. 1 Thess. 5. 27. Rev. 1. 3. c. 5. 4 5. 2 Cor. 3. 14. 1 Tim. 4. 3. contrary to the practice of Gods own people the Iews of Christ himself and his Apostles of the Primitive Fathers Councils Church Christians as u Bishop Iewel proves at large of all x Protestant Churches in foreign parts the Practice Canons Rubricks and Liturgies of our English Church and command of God himself in the forecited Texts most of our Independent Ministers have wholly cast off the reading of all Psalms Chapters of the Old and New Testament in their Churches and Meetings more particularly in Pendennis Castle in Cornwall where there was not one Chapter Psalm either sung or read during my near two years close imprisonment in their Meeting-house there yea many Presbyterians and other Ministers have overmuch failed herein reading only either one Chapter out of the Old Testament or New and somtimes only one Psalm without a Chapter now and then on Lords dayes and other Publick Dayes of worship By which ill president the generality of their people especially such who cannot read are become wholly ignorant of the Scriptures and made a prey to every seducer the constant reading of the Scriptures in privat is much neglected the Scriptures themselves much slighted yea many turned professed Anti-Scripturists rejecting the Old and New Testament both together and others who retain the New Testament have quite rejected the old as nothing

fearful Mysterie● for we are all of one worthinesse to receive the same u Ign●tius saith One bread was broken for all and one Cup was divided to all In the x Canons of the Apostles it is decreed That if any man resort unto the Church and hear the Scriptures and abstain from the Communion he stands excommunicate as one that troubleth the Congregation The y like Decrees are found under the names of Cal●xtus Anacl●tus Martinus Hilarius and others by which it is certain that the whole Church received together This Latin word Missa in the time of Tertullian and St. Cyprian signified a dismission or a license to depart and was specially applied unto the Communion upon this occasion that I must here declare They that were then named Catechumeni that is to say Novices in the faith and not yet christened were suffered to be present at the Communion untill the Gospel was ended Then the Deacon commanded then forth pronouncing these words aloud z Catechumeni exeunto or thus Ite Missa est Goe ye forth Ye have license to depart Of this dismissing or departing forth of the Catechumeni and others the Service it self was then called Missa The rest remained still in the Church and received the Communion together with the Priest Further the breaking of the bread which even now is used in the Masse it self signifieth a distribution of the Sacrament unto the people as a St. Augustine saith unto Paulinus Ad distribuendam comminuitur It is broken to the end it may be divided Surely one b Lorichius a Doctor of Mr. Hardings own side saith thus Ipsius Sacramenti Institutio vult ut omnes una manducemus et bibamus The very instu●tion of the Sacrament willeth that we all eat and drink together After which c Bishop Iewel adds It appears by that place of d St. Cyprian the h●ly Communion was thought so necessary to all the faithfull that children and infants were not excluded And it appeareth by St. Hierom e St. Augustine and other old Writers That they that were baptized as well children as others immediately received the holy Mysteries in both kinds f St. Hierom speaking of one Hilarius saith thus Non potest Baptisma tradere sine Eucharistia He cannot administer Baptism without the Sacrament of Thanksgiving Therefore all that were admitted to and though worthy of one Sacrament were freely admitted to and thought worthy of the other in the Primitive times g Vident haec Sacramenta Pauperes Spiritu et hoc uno contenti ferculo omnes hujus mundi delicias aspernantur possidentes Christum aliquam hujus mundi possidere supellectilem dedignantur He further addes in another place It is h granted of all without contradiction that one end of all Sacraments is to joyn us to God Another end is to joyn us all together And so likewise writeth S. Paul i All we are baptized into one body And therefore saith k St. Augustine In nullum nomen Religionis coagulari c. Men cannot be brought into any name of Religion be it true or false unless they be joyned together with some bend of visible signes or Sacraments And as touching the later of these two ends the same l Dionysius Areopagita writeth thus That holy common and peaceable distribution of one and the same bread and common Cup preacheth or prescribeth unto them a heavenly unity as being men fed together And Pachymeres the Greek Paraphrast expounding the same place hath these words For that common diet and consent bringeth us into the remembrance of the Lords Supper St. Cyprian ad Magnum saith With what love and concord all faithfull Christians are joyned together the Lords Sacrifice doth declare These words do sufficiently declare both the common receiving of the Sacrament and also the knitting and joyning of many together Without all question the effect that Dionysius meant standeth in this that the people prayeth and receiveth the Holy Communion together and thereby doth openly testifie that they be all one in Christ Jesus and all one amongst themselves And therefore m Chrys●stom saith For that cause in the Mysteries we embrace one another that being many we may become one But n St. Cyprian saith The whole Church is but one House in which the Lamb is eaten The Communion or fellowship of the Church standeth in sundry respects For we communicate together either in consent of mind as it is written of the Apostles o They had all one heart and one mind Or in knowledge of God as Christ prayeth for his Apostles unto his Father p That they may be one as thou and I be one And St. Paul to the Philippians q I thank my God alway that ye are come to the Communion of the Gospel Or in one Christ as Paul saith r There is now no bondman there is now no freeman but all are one in Jesus Christ To be short we communicate in Spirit in Prayers in Love we are all washed with one Bloud we are all fed with one body we have all one hope of our vocation and all together with one heart and one voice be we never so far asunder do glorifie God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ And this is that only House where●n the Lamb is eaten grounded upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets In this House we dwell here we wa●● together with consent here we eat the Lamb of God being all Brothers and Members of one Body and all One in Christ Jesus God restore you Mr. Harding once again into the same House that you may open the eyes of ●our heart and see from whence you are fallen ſ Cyrillus saith They that receive the mystical benediction are one body with Christ and also between themselves Whereunto agree these words of t St. Hierome spoken in the behalf of Christ Blesse thine inheritance which thouhast gathered together in thy Church by the Mysterie of my Body and Bloud And u Anselmus a man of later years We break and divide the bread into many parts to declare the unitie of the love of them that receive it Here note This description of unitie standeth in receiving the Sacrament and not only in the Communion The whole Church of God is but one house and all the Members of the same doe communicate together in Faith and Spirit Hereof we may form the Major Every particular Church ought to be a resemblance of the whole Church and this particular Communion ought to be a resemblance of that General Communion That General Communion is common to all and every Member receiveth his part Ergo the particular Communion ought to be ministred commonly unto all and every Member to receive his part Or thus The Ministration of the holy Communion representeth the Conjunction and fellowship that we have in Faith And as x St. Cyprian saith That Christian men are

the Father through the Son his passion and death The custom of the Popes Church is that the people receive the Sacrament usually but once a year that is to say at Easter By which ●eans the Commandement of Christ is broken the Sacrament neglected the death of Christ not so earnestly remembred the people become unthankfull Dissolution of life breaketh in Vice increaseth Virtue decreaseth From these with sundry other like Passages of Bishop Iewel and Thomas Beacon incomparably eminent both for their Learning and Piety it is irrefragable 1. That in the Apostles days as some from Acts 2. 46 47. c. 20. 7. 11. 1 Cor. 10. 16 17 21. c. 11. 17. to 34. resolve and in the l Primitive Church for many hundreds of years next after the Apostles and among the Greeks and Christians under Precious Iohn at this day all Christians and visible Members of the Church of years of discretion to examine themselves constantly received the Communion all together every day or Lords day at the least when ever they met to pray hear the Word or perform any other publike Duties of Religious Worship unto God and that out of meer duty piety devotion zeal and love to Christ m Bishop Iewel in his Defence of the Apology of the Church of England proves this more fully by the confession and testimonies of sundry Popish Authors Thomas Aquine saith In Primitiva Ecclesia quando magna vigebat devotio Fidei Christianae Statutum suit ut fideles quotidie communicarent In the Primitive Church when great Devotion of the Christian Faith was in strength it was ordained that the faithfull should receive the Communion every day n Durandus saith In the Primitive Church all the faithfull daily received the Communion o Hugo Cardinalis saith In the Primitive Church All as many as were present at the Canon of the Masse did daily communicate and if they would not they departed out of the Offertory If ye think these Authorities are not sufficient p Iohannes Cochlaeus saith Omnes olim c. In old time both all the Priests and all the say people received the Communion with the Minister that had made the Oblation as is plainly perceived by the Canons of the Apostles and by the Books of the antient Doctors of the Church c. Likewise saith q Iodocus Clichthovius In Primitiva Ecclesia c. In the Primitive Church the faithful received the Communion every day Likewise it is noted in the Margin upon the Apostles Canons Omnes olim qui intererant communicabant In old time all that were present did communicate In the Council of Antioch Can. 2. Concil. Aquisgran cap 70. Omnes c. All that come into the Church of God and hear the Holy Scriptures and refuse the receiving of the Lords Sacrament let them be put from the Church These Decrees reach not only to the Ministers of the Church but to the whole People r St. Ambrose saith Munus obla●um totius populi fit c. The oblation offered is made the whole peoples For that in me bread all are signified For in that we are all one we must all receive of one bread In imitation hereof the Protestant Churches in forein parts did frequently receive the Lords Supper all together witness the ſ Former Confession of Helvetia Artic. 22. Of the Lords Supper We do therefore use the holy meat oftentimes because that being admonished hereby we do by the eys of faith behold the death and bloud of Christ crucified and meditating upon our salvation not without a tast of heavenly life and a true sense of life eternal we are refreshed with this spiritual lively and inward food with an unspeakable sweetnesse and we do rejoyce with a joy that cannot be expressed with words for that life which we have found and we do wholly and with all our strength pour out our thankssgivings for so wonderfull a benefit of Christ bestowed upon us And this t Confession of Sweveland of their practise Our men do often times with as great reverence as they may receive the Sacrament to be the lively food of their souls and to stir up in them a gratefull remembrance of so great a benefit The which thing also useth now to be done among us much more often and reverently than heretofore was used to wit in times of Popery With the u Confession of Auspurg in these words Therefore the Masse to wit the celebration of the Lords Supper must be used to this end that there the Sacrament may be reached unto them that have need of comfort As Ambrose saith Because I do alwayes sin therefore I ought alwayes to receive a medicin And seeing the Masse is such a Communion of the Sacrament we do observe one common masse every Holy-day and on other dayes if any will use the Sacrament when it is offered to them which desired it Neither is this custom newly brought into the Church With what * hearts of adamant browes of brasse searedness not tenderness of Conscience then can or dare any Protestant Ministers Parsons or Vicars now who have Cure of Souls obstinately deny peremptorily refuse to deliver the Lords Supper to themselves or any or all of their Parishioners and Church members when they earnestly desire it at their hands not only for sundry dayes weeks months but years together and that under a new monstrous x pretext of extraordinary Zeal Piety Devotion Sanctity tendernesse of conscience transcendent Love to Christ his Sacraments their own and their peoples souls Or with what colour will such Pastors be able to justifie or excuse themselves before any Tribunals of God or men when legally accused convicted for this notorious detestable Sacrilege and Apostacy from the custom of the Primitive and Protestant Churches if they presently repent not of it with confusion of face and redemption of their former wilfull neglect herein by constant frequent publike Communions henceforth delivered to all their people in Common without future seclusions of any unexcommunicate persons from it who unfeignedly desire it 2. That the Apostles Primitive Christians Fathers Authors with these two most judicious Divines believed asserted both by their preaching writing practise y That the Sacrament belonged to and ought to be administred to every visible Christian and Church-member alike to all the whole Congregation in common and that none ought to be secluded suspended from it but persons actually z excommunicated from Church-communion and all other publike Ordinances for notorious scandalous offences That upon this ground and its frequent common reception by all it was stiled The Communion both by the Fathers Primitive and Modern Christian Church-writers of all sorts This is the express doctrine of the whole Church of England confirmed by a Parliament and subscribed assented to by all true Ministers Pastors of the Church of England admitted to any Pastoral Charge Article 30. The Cup of the Lord is not