Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	holy_a	know_v	word_n	4,020	5	3.9405	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96917	A brotherly and friendly censure of the errour of a dear friend and brother in Christian affection, in an answer to his four questions lately sent abroad in print to the view of the world. Published according to order.	Walker, George, 1581?-1651.	1645 (1645)	Wing W355; Thomason E265_4; ESTC R212426	12,460	13

to a common Auditory is only a generall propounding of the word and promises to all not a particular applying of it to any especially that hear unprofitably for that were giving holy things to doggs therefore there is more danger and greater sinne in admitting unworthy receivers to the Lords Table A small errour in such an holy ordinance doth provoke the Lord to wrath who will be sanctified in them that come neere to him as appears in Aarons two sonnes Levit. 10. ● 2 3. Vzza● 2 Sam. 6. 7. Thirdly Preaching the Word to such as are openly knowne to be scorners of the Gospell and persecutours of the Preachers and doe more rage and are hardened thereby is a prophanation of an holy thing and a casting of pearles before swine which our Saviour expressely forbids Matth. 7. 6. Matth. 10. 14. Bids his Apostles turne from such and shake off the dust from their feet as a testimony against them and so Paul and Barnabas did Act. 13. 51. Fourthly In preaching the Word the Minister of Christ propounds the truth to many wicked men generally but doth not particularly apply any word of comfort or promise of blessing to any but profitable hearers and upon condition of repentance But in giving the Sacrament to known impenitent persons he preacheth most palpable lyes against his own conscience when he saith The body of Christ was broken for you and his blood wasshed for you And therefore the points urged in this Question are very dangerous and divers Scriptures herein quoted are wrested and grossely perverted Quest 4. The fourth Question upon that received truth That God only knows the secrets of mens hearts which Ministers doe not but mistake hypocrites for worthy receivers and more honest simple weak men for unfit Communicants would inferre That Ministers ought not to have power to judge or censure I● which reasoning First I finde grosse absurdity for what can be more ridiculous then to argue that because Ministers know not secret things which belong to God therefore they know not revealed and manifest things as open scandalous sins and impenitency professed in the face of the Church and by consequent may not judge and censure them by the Word of God which doth plainly reveal their wickednesse to them and the whole Consistory Secondly Observe how the Scriptures which forbid rash judgement concerning mens estate before God which is secret or concerning mens last end and the like as Matth. 7. 1. Luk 6. 37. Rom. 14. 4. are wrested to overthrow all judging and censuring in generall both civil and ecclesiasticall Thirdly How vainly the power of God is abused to prove that he will in the midst of a profane wicked act change notorious sinners hearts in a moment which if he should doe how shall these sinners manifest their repentance in a moment to the Church which they have offended that they may he admitted orderly and not rashly without just ground or satisfaction Fourthly The breaking of a bruised reed and quenching of smoking flax is most miserably applied to the suspending of proud refractorie impenitent sinners from the holy Sacrament between which two sorts of persons and actions there is as vast a difference as between heaven and hell light and darknesse For the bruised reed signifies men of broken heart and contrite spirit groaning under the burden of their sins and fleeing to Christ for ease And smoking flax signifies such as have a weak but true faith which like a spark in flax sheweth by smoking that there is fire striving to break forth and to shew light of holy life Now how contrary these are to proud scandalous impenitent sinners let reasonable men judge the first are such as the Publicans and sinners who came to Christ repenting and confessing their sins and by him were received cherished and comforted the latter are like those trees which brought forth no good but bad fruit unto the root of which the axe was laid to hew them down and cast them into the fire The not breaking nor quenching the first is a point of mercy and a work of Christ the tolerating of the other and cherishing and encouraging them in their scandalous sins by admitting them to the holy Communion of Christs body and blood is a point of great impiety and a diabolicall act of profanation Here therefore the Scriptures are dangerously abused and wrested where scandalous impenitent and refractory persons are confounded with humble penitent sinners breathing after comfort and communion with Christ Fifthly Here is a strange supposition that all bearing the name of Christians even scandalous impenitent sinners are invited to the Sacrament and are bound to come and receive it under pain of sin and contempt I am sure the French and our Liturgies before cited doe admonish all impenitent persons to abstain lest they eat and drink their own damnation And the Scriptures here quoted 1 Cor. 11. Heb. 10. 29. do shew that unworthy wicked sinners doe by unworthy receiving count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing Therefore to inferre that no Minister in point of conscience can refuse to give the Sacrament to such is to conclude quidlibet ex quolibet But whereas it is added that Ministers may not refuse any Christian not actually excommunicated the Sacrament if he desires to receive it in case he professe sincere repentance for sins past and promise newnesse of life for the time to come this we embrace with all our hearts and if he obtrude on us no other but only such we will not be so uncharitable as to judge them unworthy neither need we fear to partake of their sin or suspect their unworthy receiving For our rule is to proceed with men according to that which manifestly appears whether it be in truth or in hypocrise if any so professing doth eat unworthily he eats damnation to himself not to the Ministers who therein doe nothing against their consciences but proceed according to the judgement of charity and he shall bear his own burthen The Ministers act of administration to them who professe sincere repentance is an holy and divine institution but to open scandalous impenitent persons it is a manifest profanation and they are partakers in the guilt and punishment The Conclusion being the result of the former arguments which are plainly shewed to be weak and of no strength doth of it self fall to the ground and vanish For I have shewed that unworthy hearing and unworthy receiving are equally sins in the hearers and receivers but in the Preachers of the Word and the givers of the Sacraments it is farre otherwise the Preacher doth onely propound the Word generally and not falsely apply the promises of blessing and life to any particular scandalous persons but upon condition of their beleeving repentance and obedience If he knows any in the auditory who are scorners of the Word and haters and persecutours of him and his doctrine he denounceth a curse from God against them and desires them to keep away and holds himself guilty of sin if he should cast the pearl of the Gospel before such swine when they are alone and separated from other hearers he will not wittingly be to any the savour of death unto death But the Minister who gives the Sacrament to open scandalous sinners in their impenitency doth wittingly profane Gods holy ordinance and lyeth against his conscience in saying that Christs body was broken and his blood shed for them and makes himself guilty of their blood while he gives them wittingly to eat and drink their own damnation as is before shewed Whatsoever power takes from Christs Ministers the lawfull and necessary liberty to exclude from the Lords table scandalous sinners openly impenitent that is such a transcendent arbitrary unlimited power as lordly Prelates sometimes exercised and no lesse then tyrannie and oppression of the consciences both of Ministers and their godly people And therefore here the Divines of the Assembly are charged most unjustly and calumniously who have humbly desired by way of Petition to both the honourable Houses of Parliament that their consciences may not have this yoke of oppression laid on them which will force them either to profane the Sacrament of Christs body and blood by giving it to unworthy persons or to decline their Ministery and administration of that holy ordinance chusing affliction rather then iniquity FINIS

justice Why then will you not take away all power also of judging from Judges and of pleading and expounding the Law from Lawyers and leave all civil government in the hands of the common people Take heed Sir you be not partiall and unequall to one side more then another Aretius hath given you a very good caveat not to strive so earnestly against this point of Christian discipline in those words of his by you cited impossibile praesentibus moribus colla submittere ejusmodi disciplinae which words tell us That the corrupt manners and profane lives of men desperately bent in these evil times to continue in their lewd and scandalous courses make it impossible to bring them to submit their stiff necks to this discipline of Excommunication and Suspension from the holy Communion which is Christs light yoke to tractable Christians If you proceed to take part with such refractory opposers which I hope your religious heart will not permit you to do and spend your strength in so unworthy a cause in hope by justifying these Questions to prevail against the votes of your best friends and most faithfull lover which you have in this world who truly honour you and wish all good to you I trust in God you shall fail of your hopes as Aretius did in his judgement where speaking of this discipline set up by some in the Churches of Germany he seems to deride it in those words by you rehearsed Cecidit in spongiam ridiculus mus For now this despised mouse is become an high mountain in all the best reformed Churches of Germany 4. As for your addresse to the Assembly whom you charge unjustly with falling into extreams and indeed calumniate them as if they seemed to affect a great lording power over the consciences and priviledges of their Christian brethren which of right belongs not unto them usurping that to themselves which they vehemently declaimed against and caused to be taken quite away from the Pope and Prelates To this I answer that you utterly mistake the matter For they abhorre all affectation and usurpation of lording power over the consciences of any Christians but have condemned it in the Pope and Prelates and their humble Petition to the Houses of Parliament is That none may usurp lordly power as the proud Prelates did over them and the people of their flock compelling them either against their consciences and with great offence and scandall to the godly to admit scandalous sinners to the Lords table and to profane the Sacrament of Christs body and blood by giving the seals thereof to them or else to decline the administration of that holy ordinance and their Ministerie chusing affliction rather then iniquity In plain truth this is the lordly tyrannicall power over their consciences and the iron yoke which you in your Question seek to lay on them After the Preface answered I proceed to your Questions The first of which is Quest 1. Whether those places of Scripture Matth. 18. 16 17. 1 Cor. 5. 5. 11. 1 Tim. 1. 20. Joh. 9. 22. 32. 12. 42. 16. 2. ●Thess 3. 14. 2 Joh. 10. 11. Joh. 3. 10. Numb. 12. 14. Deut. 23. 1. be properly meant of Excommunication which you take upon you to prove from Fathers School-men and others to be an exclusion from all ordinances or of Suspension from the Lords Supper onely The first you hold and we will grant it to you The latter you deny and I affirm that it is here also meant inclusively but not only The first place you seem to weaken and enervate by intimating that our Saviour speaks of private personall trespasse between man and man and not of publike scandalous sins against the Congregation and that the censure is private not publike because it is said Let him be not to the whole Church and all others but to Thee as an Heathen man and a Publican and you quote Luk. 17. 3 4. to prove that such private trespasses must be forgiven if seventy times seven which no man will deny if the trespasser repent as often as he offends But now suppose be stand out and persist in his sin and scorn private admonition yea when he is convented before the Church he will not hear nor obey publike admonition doe you not think that this is publike scandall against the Cong●egation and deserves Excommunication Surely if it were not so our Saviour would not have passed against it that dreadfull censure of Excommunication saying Let him be to Thee as an Heathen man and a Publican And if to the private person for his private wrong much more to all others in the Congregation for publike contumacy and scandalous obstinacy in his sin against the Church It is a dangerous doctrine to teach any private person to censure and judge a brother to be in the state of an Ethnike and as a Publican for a private trespasse if for his contumacie against the whole Church and obstinacie in that sin the sentence of Excommunication be not by the Church publikely given against him Whereas you make it a branch of your Question What warrant there is in Scripture for Ministers to suspend men from the Lords Supper only and not from the Congregation and all other publike ordinances with it I answer this very easily That because Suspension from the Sacrament is a step yea the next degree to Excommunication as reason and the practice of all the best Churches of Christ doe teach us the Scriptures which warrant Excommunication do also warrant it as a profitable and necessary means either to prevent that dreadfull sentence by bringing the sinner to repent and be ashamed or to make his impenitency more evident and notorious and to justifie the more the Excommunication of him But I marvell that you should thinke it so strange and unwarrantable a thing to suspend a man from a Sacrament who hath communion in all other ordinances of the Church seeing it was the practice of all the ancient Churches to exclude the Catechumeni from Baptisme till by catechising and hearing the Word publikely preached they were better instructed And how dare you dispute against that which is resolved in this present Parliament To wit That ignorant and some scandalous persons shall not be admitted to the Lords table Q● Your second Question is the same which you propounded last before as a branch of the first belike you are well pleased and affected with it and have some thing more to say in urging it I omit what I have answered before and here I doe first adde That Christian compassion and moderation in dealing with perverse men is commended and commanded in the Scripture 2 Tim. 2. 24 25 26. Jude 22 23. And this is a maine point of compassion and moderation in Ecclesiasticall rulers to try all inferiour meanes whereof suspension from the Lords Table is one before they proceed to the last and greatest censure of excommunication Though the Popes