Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	apostle_n	power_n	remit_v	3,967	5	10.6590	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26897	Church concord containing I. a disswasive from unnecessary division and separation, and the real concord of the moderate independents with the Presbyterians, instanced in ten seeming differences, II. by Richard Baxter.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1691 (1691)	Wing B1223; ESTC R14982	99,086	94

join in Ordaining and the Presbyterians hold that they Must in point of Duty in all reason the May be should yield to the Must And therefore let the Congregational de facto on their own Principles admit of Neighbour Presbyters herein If they will not yield in a thing by themselves confessed Lawful for the Reconciliation and Communion of the Churches the guilt of unpeaceableness will be theirs Especially while they have the Election of their Offices and no detriment is like to arise by it to their Churches 2. But if any of them have not so much love to Peace and Communion of Churches as to yield to this the Presbyterians can in consistency with their Principles hold Communion with them for all this as Churches though deficient having first disowned their disorder And therefore their Pastors may join with us in our Assemblies and we may as Brethren hold a loving correspondency though we own not their defects Other differences Doctrinally not the least there are among us 1. Whether a Man may not be Ordained a Minister sine titulo without Relation to a particular Church but to the World and the Church Universal And so 2. Whether such may not be Ordained without popular Election And 3. Whether therefore a Man be not sometime in time A Minister of Christ before he be The Pastor of this particular Church 4. And so whether the peoples Election be not only to make him Their Pastor and not A Minister of Christ in general 5. And whether such an Unfixed General Minister may not Preach Baptize and also pro tempore administer the Lords Supper yea and Govern a particular Church that pro tempore calleth him thereto the peoples call or consent being necessary for the Exercise but not alway to the Being of the Office or Intrinsick power As a Physicion licensed to practise in general must have Mens personal consent before he be Their Physicion But 1. These I cannot call properly differences between the parties because I think the Congregational are not themselves agreed about them 2. If they were yet they are such whose practice our Reconciliation is not much concerned in Let every Man in these Opinions be left to his liberty and it need not hinder our Agreement or Communion For my own Opinion about most of them I have expressed it Disput. of Church Government 1. and 2. and about some more of this nature Chap. VII Difference V. THE Fifth point of Difference is about the first subject of the power of the Keys Or more plainly and limitedly of the Right of Church Government and in particular of Censures And here the difference seemeth greater than in any of the rest And with some it is so Some have made the Congregation by a Major Vote the Governours of the Church Against this as intolerable we have much to say 1. There is no power but of God But the power of Church Governing is not given to the people by God therefore it is none The Minor is good till a power be proved and the peoples Commission produced which never yet hath been attempted with any considerable appearance of Truth Obj. The Keys were given to the Church in Peter Mat. 16. Ans. 1. The most learned and moderate of these Brethren say that There is no such thing as a Lawful Representative Church therefore Peter was none 2. It lyeth on them to prove that Peter represented the Major Vote of a Congregation in receiving the Keys Till they have proved it we take them to have said nothing It sufficeth us for a disproof 1. That no such thing is spoken 2. That the Keys of the Kingdom are in Scripture phrase significant of Stewardly Government which is in Scripture assigned to the Pastors over the people 3. That Peter was not a private Member himself much less a Congregation but a Pastor and a single Pastor Bishop or Apostle 4. That the same power is elsewhere given to all the Apostles Iohn 20. 21. but not to private Members or to Congregations of such 5. That Iohn 20 21 22. the power is described to be a power of Remitting and Retaining Sins annext to their Ministerial Mission and therefore such as belongeth not to private Men. Obj. 1. Cor. 5 4 13. The Church is commanded to deliver the Incestuous person to Satan and to put away the wicked person from among them Ans. 1. That was but Executively Paul having himself most solemnly past the Sentence v. 3 4. For I verily as absent in Body but present in Spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed Paul you see doth judge And that in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my Spirit What then doth he decree to do with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such an one to Satan c. which with the Excommunication it is most probable contained a Corporal miraculous penalty as Elimas was struck blind and Ananias and Saphira dead c. so that to deliver is the act that Paul himself resolved to perform at their meeting The Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not I have judged concerning him but I have judged him even 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. to deliver such a one But if any will rather take delivering here to be the Churches act than Pauls yet it is plain that it is after his Judgment or Sentence or Condemnation as the Syriack hath it and therefore that it is but 1. The solemn declaration 2. And Execution of the sentence already past 2. But if Paul had left the Work to them he wrote to there would have been no proof that the Censure had been committed to the people Here are two works to be done The Sentence and the Execution that is avoiding Communion c. and accordingly two parts of the Church to do it the Pastors to Censure and the people to Execute it by actual avoiding or putting away Now if Paul write to an Organized Governed Society to deliver to Satan and put away no Man can hence prove that he committeth the same parts of the work equally to all the parts of the Society No more than he can prove if the Prince write to this Burrough to cast out a turbulent Member that he intendeth to equal the people with the Magistrates in the work or to commit the same part of the work to one as to another But rather it plainly importeth and no more that every Man in his place obey the command Obj. Matth. 18. Tell the Church authoriz●th the people Ans. 1. It is incumbent on the affirmers to prove that it is the whole Body of the people that is there meant And some think this Argument disproveth it That Church which must be heard must be told If he hear not the Church But the whole Congregation is not the Church that is to be Heard therefore it is not the

ungodliness of the Pharisees nor the dissolute licentiousness of the rest of the peoples lives could drive them from Communion with the rest of the people in holy things And why Because the Lord and the Apostles well knew that the Consciences of the Godly are not defiled with the Society of the wicked if with a pure Conscience they Communicate in the same holy things Next he proveth the 4th Branch that he that joyneth to such a Church doth not therefore Sin nor is defiled with other mens Impurities p. 163 164. Then p. 164 165. he pr●… the 5th Branch that a Believer that hath joyned himself to such a Church must not therefore depart that i●s separate from such a Church and that under this danger of guilt but it is too long to recite all It is not men of such Principle● and Practices as these that we account Separatists What do Presbyterians say more than this eminent Independent Brother in a Writing purposely written in Latin by the perswasion of others in New England to Vindicate their Churches against Apollonius and commended to us by Mr. T. Goodwin Mr. P. Nye and Mr. S. Simpson Yet lest any think him too loose I will add his last leaf of Rules How in a less pure Church Communion must be continued with a safe Conscience Answ. 1. We must still aim and endeavour according to our Places that the Church may be purifie●● according to Christ's Mind Not without seasonable and due warning the Church of its Defects The Defects are to be lamented with holy sighs and sorrows In no way approving but prudently and patiently tolerating Defects in that Church which we c●n neither cure nor depart from without a greater Evil. When singular Evils cannot be cured without a greater publick Evil that must be born which cannot be amended In the Churches Reformation this Doctrine must be observed Paraeus in Matth. 13. that those that press for too much exactness or strictness do more hurt the Church than profit it The Spirit of our Lord Iesus Christ is a Spirit of Truth Peace and Communion so loving Peace that he commandeth Communion with a true Church though impure and so loving Truth that he forbiddeth impurity in every Church We reject the Separatists that distinguish not between a Church and the Impurities of a Church Schism is a grievous Crime We reject the Formalists not sufficiently distinguishing a Church from no Church not separating the pretious from the vile what is this but Confusion Confusion and Schism are the Scylla and Charybdis Peace and Truth are the Jachin and Boaz of the Christian Cause the obtaining of which must be endeavoured under him and implored and expected from him who is Peace Way and Truth alone able among so many and alas too hot Contentions and differing opinions of the Learned and Godly to reach us the mete-wand and direct his Servants into Concord and into the perfect measure of the Temple Altar and Worshippers Preserving us Men Brethren searching after truth in Love both from the left hand of Confusion and the right hand of Separation So far Mr. Norton and so ends his Book And thus I have shewed the Nearness of both Parties and easiness of Reconciliation as to their Principles and that there is nothing among them owned by either Party that should hinder a loving Consociation Correspondency and Communion of the Churches for their mutual strengthening and the healing of the Mischiefs that Divisions Emulations and Contentions have long caused among us Nothing remains then to be feared but lest mens Minds are further distant than their Principles and that Charity doth not effectually dispose them to Agree in Communion as far as their professed Principles will permit them But though Experience make this undeniable yet their Piety and their Professions do put us in hope that there are such Habitual Principles of Charity as better Encouragements and Opportunities will undoubtedly revive to our Reconciliation The Congregational men profess their desire of Reconciliation Read but Mr. Cotton's Preface to Mr. Norton and Mr. Norton's Epistle to Apollonius But especially the Practice of such moderate men as Mr. Firmin and divers that of late hence Associated with the Presbyterians doth give us a more certain Demonstration of their readiness for Peace And if many are otherwise minded it should be no prejudice to the peaceable And for the Presbyterians readiness to the Works of Peace besides the many motions that they have made and the joyning of some in Associations with their Brethren I shall now add but the affectionate Profession which they make of their desire of Reconcilement both with the Congregational and Moderate Episcopal Party in the Epistle to their Ius Divinum Minist 1. Concerning them of the Congregational way they say That this disagreement shall not hinder us from any Christian accord with them in affection That we can willingly write upon our Study Doors that Motto which Mr. Jeremiah Burroughes who a little before his Death did ambitiously endeavour after Union amongst Brethren as some of us can testifie perswades all Scholars unto Opinionum varietas opinantium Unitas non sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And that we shall be willing to entertain any sincere motion as we have also formerly declared in cur Printed Vindication that shall further a happy accommodation between us Then speaking of the Godly moderate Episcopal men they add Though herein we differ from them yet we are far from thinking that this Difference should hinder a happy Union between them and us Nay we crave leave to profess to the World that it will never as we humbly conceive be well with England till there be an Union endeavoured and effected between all those that are Orthodox in Doctrine though differing among themselves in some Circumstances about Church Government And the Lord hath strangely made way for this long desired Union by the bitter woful and unutterable fruits of our Divisions which have almost destroyed not only the Ministry but even the very heart and life of Religion and Godliness Read there the rest You see then that we are all resolv'd for Peace and Concord and devoted to it and intent upon it And you see how small a matter will do it yea that it is done already except the actual execution of our Doctrinal Agreements What then is wanting but that we be up and doing and practice as we profess and that Magistrates and especially the Protector and Parliament now Assembled that have so fair an opportunity and from whom it is commonly expected do call them to the work and help to remove the hinderances and further them by the Countenance and Assistance of their Authority The Sum of our Agreement reduced to Practice 1. WE are Agreed that Adult Church Members must be such as make A Credible Profession of Faith and Repentance and so of Holy Resolved Obedience Or such as personally own and accept the Covenant of Grace and give up themselves to