Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	act_n	faith_n	grace_n	4,482	5	5.9933	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87512	The want of church-government no warrant for a totall omission of the Lords Supper. Or, A brief and scholastical debate of that question, which hath so wonderfully perplexed many, both ministers and people. Whether or no, the sacrament of the Lords Supper may (according to presbyterial principles) be lawfully administred in an un-presbyterated church, that is, a church destitute of ruling elders. Wherein the affirmative is confirmed by many arguments, and cleared from objections, especially such as are drawn from the unavoidablenesse of mixt communions without ecclesiastical discipline. / By Henry Jeanes, minister of Gods Word at Chedzoy in Sommerset-shire.	Jeanes, Henry, 1611-1662.	1650 (1650)	Wing J511; Thomason E618_6; ESTC R202652	58,879	80

right I shall conclude this Argument with that of the Bramble Berry As it were better in our almes to relieve ten Counterfeits then let Christ go naked and hungry in any one member So it were better to admit ten Hypocrites to the Table of the Lord then deprive one Godly man of this soul nourishment To this Argument we may adde weight by considering that in an Un-Presbyterated Church Beleevers have not only a right to the Lords Supper but also need of it Their own necessities saith Mr. Pemble may perswade them to frequent celebration of this Sacrament if they can be sensible of their spiritual weaknesse and wants Let them look inward and see how great need they have of many and often confirmations of their faith renovations of their repentance of stirring up the graces of God in the soul to adde an edge and eagernesse to all spiritual affections after holinesse to get unto themselves the most powerful provocations unto obedience Every one that hath grace knows how frequently the power thereof is impared by temptations weakned by worldly distractions even of our lawful employments and overmastered by the force of sinful lusts so that they must needs discover a great deal of ignorance in their spiritual estate that feel not in their soules a pronenesse to a famishment as well as in their bodies at least they bewray intolerable carlesnesse that finding the emptinesse and leannesse of their souls yet neglect to repaire often unto this holy Table whereon is set forth the bread of life whereof when they have eaten their spirit may come again their hearts may be strengthned their souls may be replenished as with marrow and fatnesse The Ministers and Elders met together in the late Provinciall Assembly at London in their Vindication of the Presbyteriall Government consider the Sacrament under a four fold Notion First As it is a spirituall medicine to cure the remainders of our corruption Secondly As it is spirituall food to strengthen our weak graces Thirdly As it is a spirituall cordiall to comfort our distressed consciences Fourthly As it is a strong obligation and forcible engagement to all acts of thankfulnesse and obedience unto Jesus Christ Now Beleevers in an Un-Presbyterated Church have need of the Lords Supper under all these considerations First Their souls are perpetually diseased and therefore they stand in need of the frequent use of this Sacrament as a soveraigne medicine to heal them Secondly Their souls are naturally empty of all spirituall goodnesse their graces feeble and defective their faith weak and often staggering their hope fainting their love cold their zeal languishing And therefore the Lords Supper is frequently needful as spiritual food for the nourishing and strengthening of all their graces for the confirming of their faith quickning of their hope rowzing of their love and kindling of their zeal c. Thirdly The faith of the strongest Beleevers may be shaken their assurance ecclipsed with doubts their spirituall joy darkned with fears discomforts and afflictions They may walk in darknesse and see no light And in such a case the Lords Supper is necessary as a precious Cordiall to revive and chear up their sinking spirits to confirme their doubting and to comfort their distressed consciences Fourthly The hearts of the best of men are false and unsteadfast loose and deceitfull apt to start from God and his just commands They therefore want the Lords Supper for renuall of their Covenant with God that so thereby they may bind fasten and engage themselves a fresh unto God in the strength of Christ The seventh Argument is from comparison of the Lords Supper with Baptisme The seventh Argument A Comparatis It is a generally received Maxime amongst Divines that Baptisme ought to be administred but once for it is the seal of our new birth and we are borne but once The Lords Supper ought to be administred often for we stand in need continually of food nourishment confirmation c. Now by this Divinity that the Lords Supper is not to be administred in an Un-Presbyterated Church it will follow That if the Church wherein we live be not all our lives long Presbyterated that then in such a condition of the Church Baptisme is to be administred once the Lords Supper never The eight Argument is drawn from the consideration of the opposite of the administration of the Lords Supper The eight Argument Ab Opposito the non-administration thereof Non-administration of the Lords Supper in an Un-Presbyterated Church is unlawful Therefore administration in an Un-Presbyterated Church is lawful That non-administration of the Lords Supper I mean thereby at otal forbearance of the administration therefore is unlawful in an Un-Presbyterated Church I prove by these three following Arguments All unwritten Traditions in matters of Worship and Religion are unlawful But a totall forbearance of the administration of the Lords Supper in an Un Presbyterated Church is an unwritten Tradition having no precept or exmaple in Scripture to countenance it Ergo c. There is expresse Scripture for administration of the Lords Supper unto the Churches of God As for the restriction of it unto Presbyterated Churches it cannot be made good from Scripture And Commentaries Expositions of Scripture that are not by good consequence deducible therefrom are unwritten Traditions and humane Presumptions However we cannot argue negatively from humane testimonies we may yet from divine the Scriptures For they are able to make a man wise unto salvation and throughly to furnish the man of God a Minister to all good works able to give him sufficient direction when to performe when to omit duties And therefore seeing there is such a deep silence in the Scriptures concerning the totall forbearance of administring the Lords Supper in an Un-Presbyterated Church I cannot but conclude it to be unnecessary The Lord may say unto us who hath required this at your hand These two things differ wide First Scandalous persons ought to be excluded the Lords Supper Secondly If for want of an Eldership they cannot be excluded therefore we must wholly forbear administration of the Lords Supper The former is obvious in Scripture the latter an unwritten Tradition But you will say there is warrant for Omission of the Lords Supper c. The Passe over was omitted by the Children of Israel in the Wildernesse as also circumcision whence we may argue by way of Analogy and Proportion for Omission of the Lords Supper when the Church is in a Wildernesse and if ever she were in a Wildernesse then now First Arguments from meer and naked Analogy and Proportion without some other ground are not concludent otherwise we might argue for a Pope from the Jews High-Priest But as to the instances I wonder why omission of the Passeoves in the Wildernesse is alledged For after the first celebration thereof all future celebrations were by expresse plain command to be only in the land of Canaan Exod. 13.4 5. c. Deut. 16.

not upon the Minister only For first every power is for its act and therefore power in a Minister of administring the Lords Supper is not to lie idle and unactive but to be exercised and actuated as often as there is a fit occasion and opportunity unlesse there be some such impediment as I spake of but now c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hoc est frustra quod sua natura in alterius gratiam est comparatum quando non perficit id cujus gratia est natura comparatum est Arist lib. 2. Phys Text 62. Now if that may be said in vaine which doth not reach that end unto which it was appointed much more may that be said so which is never used or applyed for the compassing of that end Secondly The edification of the Church of Christ is as the London Divines say well that eminent scope and end why Christ gave Church Government and all other Ordinances of the New Testament to the Church 2 Cor. 10.8 2 Cor. 13.10 The power then both of Order and Jurisdiction are both to be employed to the edification of the Church The power of Jurisdiction the Minister cannot exercise singly by himself without other Church Officers The power of Order he may For he alone is the seat and receptacle thereof And what is usually said of the power of Order in generall may be affirmed of the power of administring the Lords Supper in particular if there be any thing that varies the case in this branch of the power of Order let them produce it and prove it and I have done Now a Minister ought to exercise and employ for the edification of the Church all the power and authority that he may lawfully exercise For not to employ it were with the slothful servant in the Parable to hide his Talent in the earth But now according to this opinion which we oppose If the Church should chance not to be Presbyterated for a mans whole life then a Minister is bound during that space to suffer a branch of that power of Order which is seated singly in himself to be idle and unactive all his life and never to be exercised for the good and edification of the Church To avoid the dint of this Argument they whom we oppose distinguish between Administration of and admission unto the Lords Supper Administration of the Lords Supper they confesse a branch of the power of Order and only belonging to Ministers But admission to the Lords Supper is say they an act of the power of Jurisdiction and belongs not Vnised Vnitati to the Eldership For they only are to admit who exclude Now they say this Admission is a necessary Anticedent of this administration and Negato Antecedente necessario negabitur consequen● In an Un-Presbyterated Church there can be no admission because there is no Eldership Ergo no administration We distinguish of admission It is either negative or positive negative is nothing else but a non-hinderance And though there be no Eldership the Minister may not hinder those whom he hath no power I meane no lawfull authority to hinder Now the Minister singly by himselfe hath no Authority to hinder keep back or cast out scandalous persons for so the power of Jurisdiction would be seated in him alone But now secondly There is an admission that is positive judiciall and implyeth a previous forensicall examination by the Eldership as of the parties admitted so sometimes of Witnesses and Authoritative declaration of fitnesse And this is to be only in Collegio Presbyteriali in the Colledge of Presbyters and Properly as they are in Court but not seperatim and out of Court Now I conceive that this juridical and Authoritative admission is not of absolute necessity unto administration of the Lords Supper By Baptisme the Baptized are admitted or entered into the Church visible 1 Cor. 12.13 By one spirit we are all baptized into one body See Rutherford in his due right of Presbyteries p. 254. Now in some cases the Lords Supper may be administred unto those of yeares that are baptized without any new authoritative judiciall admission of the Eldership First This may be gathered from Acts 2.41 42. Those three thousand soules whose Baptisme is mentioned verse 41. have their receiving of the Lords Supper recorded verse 42. And there is not a word of any juridical admission of them by the Eldership coming between their Baptisme and their receiving of the Lords Supper Secondly A persecution may be so hot as that it may scatter the Ruling Elders of a Church that they cannot convene in a spiritual Court to performe this juridicall admission and out of Court they have no Authoritative jurisdiction May not now the Minister having a competent number of his flock not yet admitted to the Sacrament meeting him who perhaps cannot stay long together for rage of the persecution without apparent danger of their lives May not now the Minister in such a case for their consolation administer the Lords Supper to them Nay if they demand it can he lawfully withold it from them And if in this case he may administer it to them then juridicall admission is not a necessary Antecedent of administration But because this juridicall and authoritative admission is inferred from the exclusion of grosly ignorant and scandalous persons from the Lords Supper we shall therefore enquire whether or no this exclusion be a necessary Antecedent of the administration of the Lords Supper And indeed if it be a necessary Antecedent thereof it seemes undeniably to follow that in an Un-Presbyterated Church there can be no administration because no exclusion of the scandalous and grosly ignorant For satisfaction to this we must distinguish of a necessary Antecedent A thing may be said to be a necessary Antecedent unto the administration of the Lords Supper either by Morall or Physicall obligation That is a necessary Antecedent unto the Lords Supper by morall Obligation that is morally required as a duty before the Lords Supper be administred That is a necessary Antecedent unto the Lords Supper by Physicall obligation which is essentially required for the Nature and Essence of the Lords Supper The distinction though applyed to another purpose you may find at large explained and applyed by Rutherford in his Peaceable Plea for Pauls Presbytery cap 9. Now we grant that exclusion of grosly ignorant and scandalous persons from the Lords Supper is morally required as a duty to go before the celebration of the Lords Supper But of whom I pray is it required You will say not of the Minister singly but of the whole Presbytery Indeed it is required also of the people as a duty that if they be Un-Presbyterated they do what lies in them for reformation of the condition of their Church by a choice of such Church Officers as are wanting But what advantage do our Antagonists gaine by all these concessions It is necessary that is commanded as a duty unto every Eldership to