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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	administration_n	consider_v	great_a	17	3	2.0729	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50206	The first principles of New-England concerning the subject of baptisme & communion of churches : collected partly out of the printed books, but chiefly out of the original manuscripts of the first and chiefe fathers in the New-English churches : with the judgment of sundry learned divines of the congregational way in England, concerning the said questions : published for the benefit of those who are of the rising generation in New-England / by Increase Mather ...	Mather, Increase, 1639-1723.; Mitchel, Jonathan, 1624-1668.	1675 (1675)	Wing M1211; ESTC W35680	45,581	56

Spirit of meckness and Love there doth grow dissention in any Church as did in the Church of Antioch about Circumsision The Church so divided shall do wisely and safely not to proceed to determine the Case by a Major V●te to the unsatisfaction and offence of a Considerable part among themselves or the offence of other Churches But ought rather to bring the matter to the hearing and Judgement of other Elders and Brethren of other Churches who being desired ought readily to meet together and seriously as in the fear of God to enquire into the Case search out by the word what is the mind of Christ therein by themselves if present or otherwise by Letters and Messengers to declare to the Church what they judge to be the Rule of Christ which they should walk by which Judgement ought to be received with all due respect according to God Acts 15. Proposition VIII As there is a Brotherhood of members in the same Church so there is a Brotherhood of Churches being all Fellow members of Christ Jesus and so bound to have a m●utal Care one of another Cant. 8 8. It is therefore meet and requiste that in Case any Church shall fall into any scandalous error or offence in doctrine or practice then the Neighbour Church or Churches should Advertize Convince and admonish such a Church thereof according to the Rule of the Gospel And if after due Conviction by a Neighbour Church and again by more Churches the offending Church as the nature of the offence and the respect due to a Church of Christ may require may at length withdraw the Church with sufficient partience will not yet hearken to their Brethren then withdraw from that Church or at least that part of it which refuse to be healed such Brotherly Communion and the fruits thereof as otherwise Churches usually do afford to each other Proposition IX In Case any member shall be laid under Censure in a Church by the Major part with the offence of a Considerable part thereof or when any whole Church shall seem to have Consented corruptly to such a Censure upon Complaint of the grieved part attested by the dusenting Brethren or in the other Case by other credible persons it is free yea requisite that other Church or Churches in the Spirit of meckness desire to know the Reason or their Censure which if the Church shall clear up to be just then the other Church or Churches ought to bear witness to their proceedings and to perswade the Censured and dissenting part of the submit and give satisfaction But if the Church shall refuse to give an account of the Reasons of their procceedings or not finally clear up the Justice thereof nor ease the grieved party it will then be equal for any other Church to receive the Censured part to their Covenant or Communion For so Christ received the blind man after he was unjustly Cast out of the Synogogue Iob● 9. The unjust acts of any Church cannot appear to be done in the name of Christ out rather in the abuse of his name and power and therefore do not bind in Heaven Clavis errans uon Ligat Proposition X. As it is the practise of Godly Christians in the Churches without any Scruple and with much Edification and increase of Love to meet together in Covenient numbers or Families at Set times house by house to exercise that Christian Communion which the moral Rules of the Gospel call for 1 Thes 5.11 Col. 3.16 Heb. 3 13. and so 24. so also upon the same grounds besides others it would by the blessing of God conduce much to the increase of brotherly Love and Unity the spiritual Edification of many by mutual Faith of each other to the strengthening of the hearts and hands of one another in the work of the Lord If the Elders and brethren of the Churches did meet together Church by Church in Convenient numbers at set times not to exercise any Jurisdiction over any but to enjoy and practice Church Communion by prayer together hearing the word preached and Conference about such Gases and Questions of Conscience as shall be found useful or needful for the edification and Comfort and peace of every Church or any of the Brethren thereof and this Course might tend much to satisfy the Spirits of divers godly Brethren who have thought that we so much mind the distinction of particular Churches and the duties of fellow members in the same that we loose much of the Comfort of Love and the Fellowship of the Spirit which we might enjoy and that we fall short in some brotherly Love which we owe mutually to our dear Brethren of several Churches For the better Improvement of such a Conference 1. It is fit that the Number of Churches so to meet be regulated according to the nearness or distance of Churches and as other Conveniences or Inconveniences shall require 2. For the times of meeting it may seem best to leave it to the wisdome of each Society of Churches to meet more frequently or seldom as they shall see Cause 3. Concerning their Exercises it is meet that the Elders of each Church where the Conference is to be held should choose with Consent of the Church some other Elder as they see best whom they may intreat to preach at their meeting and also to desire some to moderate in the Conference and agree upon such Questions as they see fit three or four and send them to the Elders of other Churches at least fourteen dayes before the time of their Assembly 4. For the ordering of the Time it may be fit that the Sermon should end at Eleven a Clock and after it the Conference follow and continue so long as shall be found meet and seasonable Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself who is the Counsellour the Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace grant unto all his Churches truth and Peace alwayes and ●y all means and He counsel and guide the hearts of his people to discern and embrace all such wayes as himself hath sanctified to those holy Ends. Amen Thus farr Mr. Cotton And that this is according to Congregational Principles is evident from other Testimonies For the Messengers of an hundred and twenty Congregational Churches who met at the Savoy in London Anno 1658. do in their declaration of the order appointed in the Churches of Christ Thesis 26. thus declare In Case of difficulties or differences either in point of doctrine or in Administrations wherein either the Churches in general are concerned or any one Church in their Peace Vnion and Edification or any member or members of any Church are injured in or by any proceeding in Censures not agreeable to Truth and Order It is according to the mind of Christ that many Churches holding Communion together do by their Messengers meet in a Synod or Council to Consider and give their Advice in or about the matter in difference c. And Doctor Owen who was a great part of

THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF NEW-ENGLAND Concerning The Subject of Baptisme Communion of Churches Collected partly out of the Printed Books but chiefly out of the Original Manuscripts of the First and chiefe Fathers in the New-English Churches With the Judgment of Sundry Learned Divines of the Congregational Way in England Concerning the said Questions Published for the Benefit of those who are of the Rising Generation in New England By INCREASE MATHER Teacher of a Church in Boston in New-England Deut. 32.7 Remember the dayes of old Aske thy Father and he will shew thee thy Elders they will tell thee Psal 102.18 This shall be written for the Generation to come Nihil mihi Authoritatis assumo sed quae ab alijs dispersa velut in ordinem Epitomata Conscribo Veget. L. 1. C. 8. CAMBRIDGE Printed by Samuel Green 1671. To the Reader COncerning the ensuing Collection of Testimonies which are expressive of the Judgement of the first and chief of the Fathers in the New English Churches as also of sundry others that are Pillars amongst those of the true Congregational way about the Subject of Baptisme and the Communion of Churches if any should have Scruples about the truth thereof they may easily in part satisfy themselves by having recourse to the printed Books out of which these passages are faithfully excerped And as for those things which are as most of the subsequent Collection is taken from Manuscripts I have by me the Original Scripts only some few of them are in other hands who are ready to shew them unto such if any such there be as shall hesitate touching the Fidelity of this publication As to that matter therefore no more shall or needs to be said My designe at pr sent is only to Commend a few things to the serious and Christian Consideration of the Antisynodalian Brethren Brethren I was once of your perswasion and thence can with the more Love and Compassion speak unto you What the Arguments were which caused me to be of another mind is not here a place to relate but it shall be done if God permit elsewhere For the present let it suffice to be said that Study and Prayer and much Affliction hath brought me to be of another belief then once I was of touching the Controverted Questions And unto you that are still of the Antisynodalian perswasion I would in the bowels and love of Christ say these few things 1. Consider that it is possible that you may be mistaken in your Apprehensions Many things might be mertioned to you which ought to Cause an humble jealousy in you least so it should be Were there that only Consideration that so many Learned and gedly men are opposed it ought to Cause Trembling and an holy fear in you least your Notions should be Erroneous It is a Christian Speech and Spirit which blessed Burroughs hath in his Excellent Itenicum pag. 89. where he saith He that differs in his Judgement from gedly learned men had need to spend much Time in Prayer and Humiliation before the Lord There is a notable Expression of Basil cited in an Epistle of Luther to the Ministers of Norimberg who were at variance variance one from another He who will separate from his Brethren had need to Consider many things even to anxiety he had need break his sleep many nights and seek of God with many Tears the demonstration of the Truth Thus He. Remember that those you differ from were under greater Advantages and Probabilities to understand the Truth then can be said concerning your selves For that many of the members of the late Synod called to Answer the Questions concerning the Subject of Baptisme and Consociation of Churches besides their eminent Piety and inlarged understanding and Capacity in those respects to discern the Truth had bestowed much Time and pains in seeking and searching after the mind of God about these Questions cannot be denyed For the most part when godly learned men miss of the Truth it is in points which either they have not at all or not throughly and Impartially studied when as the Leaders in the Synod mentioned had most industriously and not without prayers and Tears laboured to know the will of the Lord concerning these Affairs of his house and Kingdome Nor is it to be forgotten how the Lord did in his Providence signally own that Assembly For at the Time of their second Sessions there was a sore and threatning drought on the Land whereupon that Synod set a day apart to seek the Lord by Fasting and Prayer and Immediately upon those Prayers did the Lord give Rain from Heaven whereby he did from Heaven own both his Servants and the work which they were about And therein likewise we may observe a divine Confutation of those Spirits who impute our droughts blastings c. to that Assembly or to the Doctrine by them asseried and propugned Remember also that there have been very worthy men amongst whom I who am Conscious to my self that I am the chief of Sinners am no way worthy to be mentioned who were against such Inlargement of Baptisme as the Synod pleads for yet upon second and wisest thoughts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have seen Cause to change their opinion This is true concerning some now at rest with Christ and sundry amongst whom as I said I reckon not my self yet surviving Yea it is true concerning some Judicious of the Congregational way in England as well as in New-England It is a good Observation which I remember Mr Cotton hath in his Letter to M. Williams pag. 12. where he argueth that the way of the Rig●●●epa●●tion is not of God because those who in Simplicity and tenderness 〈◊〉 Conscience have been drawn into the error of that way yet when they have grown in grace they have also grown to discern the error of the Separation The same thing ●e may say in this Case some who did once Conscientiously and humbly according to their present light dissent from the late Synod yet as they have grown in wisdome and grace and ripeness for Heaven the Lord hath given them for to see that their Rigidity in this particular was a failing Moreover ii is a Rule as true as Ancient and Common that whatever Opinion doth drive the maintainers of it to any absurdities is to be suspected and rejected as erroneous It 's Everlastingly Certain that a false Conclusion can never be drawn out of true Premisses ex ●ero nil nisi verum Now some that with the highest Confidence have opposed the Doctrine of the Synod concerning the Subject of Baptisme to uphold their No ions have been forced to embrace such things as are very Irrational Al● these things being put together are enough to br●●d an humble and an holy Jealousie over your own Apprehensions That then is the first word I would seriously and affectionately Comm●nd to your Consideration The second word is this Consider that if you be mistaken your Error hath as things are