Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A49508
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An apologie for our publick ministerie and infant-baptism written som years ago for private satisfaction of som dissenting brethren and upon request enlarged and published for the same ends / by William Lyford.
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Lyford, William, 1598-1653.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing L3544; ESTC R24102
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42,825
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54
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our studies 2 Tim. 2.4 Paul saie's wee must not intangle our selvs in worldly imploiments But you say a man may follow a Trade all the week Vers 15. and yet preach the Lord's day True after a wilde fashion but not like a workman that need not bee ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth Answ 3 To the third part of the objection I say it is a mere deluding of people to set the Spirit of God against God's means in and by which his Spirit doth usually work The Spirit is it which worketh effectually in the ministerie of us all Gal. 2.8 the sufficiencie and efficiencie is not of us but of God but yet the Spirit worketh by such Gifts as himself bestoweth 1 Cor. 12.4 There bee diversities of Gifts but the same Spirit and by the right use of those Gifts the Spirit doth work to the edifying of the Churches For the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every one to profit withall i.e. Whosoëver hath any Gift manifesting the miraculous power of the Spirit it is given not for ostentation or to bee admired but for this onely end for the profit of all vers 7. Now the Gifts then given to profit the Church withall in the way of instruction are reckoned up six 1. Sapientia wisdom to applie Christian Doctrine to Practice and Use of believers 2. Scientia a knowledg of Principles and deep points of Religion 3. Prophecie i.e. a Gift to expound the prophecies and secret things of Scripture 4. Discerning of spirits viz fanatick and counterfeit inspirations from true 5. Divers kindes of tongues that all Nations and languages might hear and understand the Gospel 6. Interpretation of tongues wherewith others did speak and wherein the Scripture is written These Gifts of the Spirit are useful and profitable for the Church they were miraculous for the manner of coming by them but the Doctrine taught was the same which was before revealed These Gifts may either bee acquired or infused At first they were infused immediately both for the honor of the Gospel and the speedier spreading of it Afterwards they are continued for the good of the Church by the Help of studie or praier Even as the Gift of Healing is now continued by the studie and Art of Physick without the Gifts of wisdom science and tongues wee can never soundly nor fruitfully make known the mysteries of Scripture and hee that by studie and praier doe's attain the use of any of these Gifts in preaching hee preacheth by the Spirit if the Things which wee preach bee the things Conclus 2 which the Spirit hath revealed in the written word and the Gifts by which wee preach bee the Gifts of the Spirit then whether the means by which wee com by those Gifts bee extraordinarie as by inspiration or ordinarie as by studie and praier the matter is the same Wee preach by the Spirit i.e. by the illumination and guidance of the Spirit leading us into the truth which himself hath revealed Wee pretend not yea wee detest all pretensions of new and immediate inspirations whereby the holie Ghost is made the Autor of disorder and confusion or a cloak for ignorance non-sence and Heresie Conclus 2 Our second Conclusion in Answer to the second Question in this viz. Ordination of ministers by imposition of hands of the Presbyterie for the Administration of the Word and Sacraments is an Ordinance of Christ in the New Testament The work of the ministerie is an Office and Calling as you have heard and Ordination is Christ's Ordinance whereby fit and approved persons are set apart and Commissioned for the execution of that Office in the Name and with the Autoritie of Jesus Christ Droved 1. by example The weight of the Controversie lieth upon this Conclusion which is directly proved 1. By example Wee finde in the New Testament four descents of men sent and ordained 1. Christ himself was sent of his Father 2. The Apostles were sent and ordained by Christ Mark 3.14 3. The Apostles sent and ordained Timothie and others of their own time 4. And they that lived in the Apostles times did in like manner ordain others to survive and do the Office of Ministers when they were dead and this succession of Ministers is to last to the end of the world 1. Christ was sent and had his Commission from his Father Joh. 20.21 22 23. My Father hath sent mee Christ himself was sent and Autuorized to preach els hee had not not taken that honor to himself Heb. 5.4 5. 2d. Descent Christ send 's the Apostles As my Father sent mee so sent I you there 's their Commission hee committed the ministerie to their execution which himself had received viz. a power to Preach and Baptize to binde and loos Job 20.23 with Matth. 28.19 Go yee therefore Teach all Nations and Baptize them The Man Christ could do nothing but by Commission from the Father nor the Apostles except Christ had given them Commission both Christ and his Apostles were solemnly inaugurated into their Office of Teaching Conclus 2 3d Descent The Apostles ordained Timothie and others of their own time 2 Tim. 1.6 Stir up the Gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands and the hands of the presbyterie 1 Tim. 4.14 By Gift there is meant that Ghostly power or Office which Timothie received at his ordination by the laying on of the Apostles hands in the presence and with the consent of the presbyterie who joined with Paul in that action Again wee finde Paul and Barnabas ordaining Elders in every Church where they went Acts 14.23 4th Descent Timothie and Titus did ordain others as theniselvs had been ordained and that by the Apostle's own appointment Tit. 1.5 for this caus was Titus left in Crete that hee should ordain Elders in every Citie So likewise Timothie is directed how to lay on hands not suddenly but with good advisedness 1 Tim. 5.22 As Timothie was entrusted with the word of Christ so Hee must commit the same trust to faithful men able to teach others also that so there may bee a succession of Teachers 2 Tim. 2.2 Thus yee have recorded in Scripture four descents 1. Christ 2. His Apostles 3. Timothie and Titus 4. Elders at Creet and Ephesus and other Churches where the Gospel was planted all sent and ordained the two later by ordination in the ordinarie way thus the Apostles in their own Practice admitted men into the ministerie and thus they appointed for succeeding times And can any think that Ordination ended with that Age Is there not the same caus necessitie use and reason for it in after Ages as in the first times of the Church when there were as yet extraordinarie Gifts stirring in the Church which are now ceased and therefore the more need of a standing ministerie Secondly 2 From Scripture-Rules This Conclusion is proved by Scripture Rules and Precepts given touching Ordination and the manner thereof
not bee known but by examination therefore the Apostle will have those Prophets Teaching submitted to the judgment of others that have the spirit of Prophecie that so by the harmonie and consent of their Doctrines the unitie of the spirit by which they all speak 1 Cor. 14.37 may bee evidenced and approved Now this could not befal the Pen-men of holy Scripture who spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost and not of their own spirits at any time when they preach't or writ any part of Scripture Whatsoëver the Apostles preached or wrote it is of Divine Autoritie becaus they wrote it Conclus 3 Object 4 Som be so inconsiderate as to plead for their pattern and warrant Christ's making Preachers of Fishermen why therefore may not Tradsmen preach Answ Nothing can make more directly against you 1. Christ called them from their Trades to an higher imploiment to bee Fishers of men and they left their Trades to do this Work But you say keep on your Trades and preach too 2. Christ who is the Autor of the Ministerie of New Testament Called them trained them up in his School as Disciples then hee Ordained Twelv that they should bee with him that hee might send them to preach Mark 3.14 But you preach without any such Calling Training up Ordaining or sending 3. Christ sent them out two and two to preach and gave them power to heal the sick cleans the Leapers rais the dead cast out Divels Christ enabled them for the work which hee sent them about But you have no such mission nor new abilities Here is the difference between Christ and men hee doe's not finde men fit but make's them fit and so send 's them But wee must finde them fit or els not send them Neither must any run before they bee sent Jer. 23.21 I have not sent these Prophets yet they ran c. These are the chief Arguments for preaching without Ordination for farther satisfaction wherein and of all Mr Chillenden's Objections I refer the Reader to that acute solid short Treatise entituled Church-members set in joint written by Filodexter Transylvanus and I the rather recommend that Treatise becaus my people have grounded their Opinion and Practice upon Mr Chillenden's Book The second Question WHether Baptism belong's and bee rightly administred to Infants of Christian Parents in the New Testament Affir Baptism is the first visible Act of God's Grace whereby hee doth receiv us into his favor and familie And the first visible means whereby hee doth apply to us by Word Sign and Seal the blood of Jesus Christ for remission of sins Now the Question is to whom this Seal of mercie doth belong Anabaptists have sundrie pretences to scorn and deride Infant baptism in their account the Baptism of Infants is no Baptism becaus according to Christ's Institution as they conceiv true Baptism doth alwaies presuppose actual belief in the receivers and is otherwise no Baptism therefore they rebaptize Others allow of Infant-baptism they esteem it as an Ordinance which Christ hath instituted in special love and favor to his people onely they restrain this priviledg to the Infants of Parents who joyn themselvs in Church-Covenant to som particular Congregation My debate is with the former who deny all Infant-baptism the which if it be proved to belong to any Infants it is enough for my purpose and the same Arguments which prove it to belong to Infants of this or that Congregation do prove it to belong to the whole visible Church and their Infants it being a vain pride and great presumption to make new conditions of Church-membership which God hath not made and to ascribe to the inventions of men a power to supersede the Ordinances of God to cast both us and our Infants out of the Covenant us that were baptized into that one bodie if wee subscribe not to their Articles and our children becaus wee subscribe not thus making voide the Commandment of god by the commandments and Ordinances of men I the rather force my self to speak somthing of this beaten point becaus there bee three yong heathens in my Parish and three others dead out of the Covenant through their Parents frowardness Now for the convincing and satisfying if it may bee of theirs and other poor peoples judgments in the present Controversie I shall content my self with five Arguments the first will depend upon a clear positive Answer to another question viz. Quest Did God make the Covenant of grace onely with actual Believers or with them and their Infant-seed Did God take into Covenant the Parents with their children or the Parents onely Answ Not the Parents onely but with them their Infant-seed this is the express Tenor of the Covenant Gen. 17.7 between God and Abraham between mee and thee and thy seed to bee a God unto you What seed meaneth hee his Infant-seed vers 12. Hee that is eight daies old whether it bee a child of thy loines or of a stranger a proselyte which is not of thy seed this Covenant was first made with Abraham Gen. 12.3 wherein God promised that in his seed shall all the Nations of the Earth bee blessed Of God's Covenint i. e. in Christ And it was renewed with the Sign of Circumcision added unto it Gen. 17 7 12. Wherein observ three things 1. That the Covenant made with Abraham was the Gospel-Covenant wherein blessedness was promised in and through Christ the promised Seed for God preached the Gospel to Abraham when hee said In thy seed shall all Nations bee blessed as S. Paul reasoneth Gal. 3.8 the which Covenant seeing it was 430 years before the Law and not disanulled by the coming of the Law it was to endure till the Seed should com to whom the promiss was made vers 17.19 and consequently to the end of the World becaus Christ came to establish the Covenant made to the Fathers Rom. 15.8 and after Christ no more changes to bee expected 2. Note that the Persons with whom that Gospel-Covenant was made were Abraham and his Infant-seed and all Nations even us Englishmen and our Infant-seed as appear's Gen. 17.4.12 My Covenant is with thee and with thy seed in their Generations and with the stranger that is not thy seed all of them must bee Circumcised Compared with Rom. 15.8 15. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a Minister of the Circumcision i. e. of the Jews for the truth of God to confirm the promises of the Covenant made unto the Fathers and that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his mercie beeing made partakers with them of the same promises according as it is written Rejoice yee Gentiles with his People c. Now this Covenant of promises made with the Fathers Christ should not confirm but clip and curtail it if so great a part as all our Infants bee left out and excluded But if God take our Infants into Covenant who shall dare to exclude them 3. Note when God at first gave