Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	baptize_v	eunuch_n	philip_n	3,839	5	10.4025	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76080	Independency not Gods ordinance: or A treatise concerning church-government, occasioned by the distractions of these times. Wherein is evidently proved, that the Presbyterian government dependent is Gods ordinance, and not the Presbyterian government independent. To vvhich is annexed a postscript, discovering the uncharitable dealing of the independents towards their Christian brethren, and the fraud and jugglings of many of their pastors and ministers, to the misleading of the poor people, not only to their own detriment, but the hurt of church and state; with the danger of all novelties in religion. / By John Bastvvick, Dr in Physick.; Independency not Gods ordinance. Part 1	Bastwick, John, 1593-1654.	1645 (1645)	Wing B1063; Thomason E285_2; ESTC R200066	144,017	171

Brethren what shall we do Then Peter said unto them Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gifts of the holy Ghost c. Act. 2.37 38. then they that gladly received the word were baptized and the same day were added unto them about three thousand soules Here we may observe these two things The first that the Apostles by themselvs alone without the multitude or Church admitted the people into the society company of beleevers Secondly that in the execution of their commission they did nothing but according to their warrant and according to their injunction that was given unto them by Christ they propounded no other condition or termes for their making all and every one of them members of the Church but baptisme and repentance the which when the people had accepted of they were forthwith admitted and that upon their owne word and testimony without any more adoe or further inquiry Concerning the soundnesse of their repentance without any witnesse from others of their conversation and without the voyce allowance or approbation of the people or the multitude of beleevers in Jerusalem much lesse of the whole Church who were never joyned with the Apostles in their comission or consulted with by them whether they should be admitted or no into the fellowship of the faithfull or demanded or asked by the people whether it were not fit that they should take some time of further consideration that they might walke with them to the end that they might behold their conversation and by their owne experience might further be confirmed that their conversion was sound and well Neither did any call for at their hands that they should make a publike confession of their faith to the Church and give in evidences to the Congregation that they were converted really or that they should take a private covenant or enter into the church by way of a peculiar covenant nothing of all this is specified But it is onely related that the people upon their being pricked in their hearts applied themselves unto the Apostles and that the Apostles by their owne authority and that power that was delegated unto them without reference to the church or people admitted them into the number of beleevers We further may take notice that when the Angell appeared unto Cornelius in the tenth of the Acts he sent him unto Joppa to call for one Simon whose surname was Peter he did not send him unto the Church in Joppa And it is related that when Peter came to Cornelius and that he had recited unto him the manner of the vision and that he was commanded by the Angell to send for him it is further also declared what Peter there did and that he said of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnes is accepted with him And after a Sermon made unto Cornelius and all that were assembly there with him It is said that the holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word and that all the beleevers that came with Peter were astonished at it for they heard them speake with divers tongues and magnified God Then answered Peter can any man forbid water that these men should not be baptized which have received the holy Ghost as well as we And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Here we see first that Peter was sent unto and not the Church Secondly that he admitted Cornelius and those that were with him into the number of beleevers and into the fellowship of the Church by his owne authority and never consulted with the Church to aske their leave or voyce but concludes the businesse with an interrogation which hath a greater force of binding that no man ought to hinder any beleever from comming into the society of the Church and communion of Saints in whom the graces of God spirit evidently appeare as in these so that if either the Ministers come into their houses or they goe into the Ministers and make sufficient testimony by themselves of their faith and that they feare God of what nation soever they be they are by the Ministers to be admitted the congregation hath nothing to doe to hinder any such nay they may not it is more than belongs unto them neither did those that came with Peter intermeddle in that businesse or require a covenant at their hand or a publike confession of faith Againe when the Lord of his infinite mercy was purposed to reveale himself unto the Eunuch in the 8 of the Acts he sendeth Phillip the Evangelist unto him whom he found reading in his Chariot the prophesie of Isaiah and after that he had interpreted unto him that prophesie and preached unto him Jesus and Baptisme in his name it is related that when they came unto acertaine water the Eunuch said unto him what doth hinder me to be baptized and Philip said if thou beleevest with all thine heart thou mayest And he answered and said I beleeve that Jesus Christ is the Sonne of God and he commanded the Chariot to stand still and they went downe both into the water both Philip and the Eunuch and he baptized him Here we see that Philip and not the Church was sent unto the Eunuch and that Philip by his owne authority and upon the Eunuch his owne testimony without any reference unto the Church or without consulting with the Congregation admits him into the number of beleevers and makes him a member of the Church and here was neither a publik confession required of him by any of the Church or any covenant exacted by the people and so when Saul in the 9. of the Acts was fallen downe out of astonishment and afterwards was converted as the story there fully declareth the whole manner of it the Lord sent one Ananias a Disciple and Minister unto him he did not send the Church unto him neither did Ananias when he came to Saul say unto him I will consult with the Church to see whether they will admit thee to be a member for thou hast greatly wasted the Church and made havock of the Saints and therefore I will have their approbation and consent and I will have thee first walk with the Church some time that they may behold thy conversation and then thou shalt make a confession of thy faith publikely before the Congregation and give in thy evidences of the truth of thy conversion and enter in a private and solemne covenant and so be received and admitted But without all this adoe he baptizes Paul and admitteth him into the number of beleevers and makes him a member of the Church and that by his sole authority and he was received immediately among the Disciples at Damascus without any reluctation or so much as any scruple and strait-way he preached Christ in the Sinagogue that he was the Son

not have contained them all And which is yet more to be observed that whereas the Pharisees said none but the cursed people believed in him and none of the Rulers in this very Chapter we finde one Ruler one Nicodemus Vers 50. none of the least of the Rulers And in Iohn 12.42 it is affirmed That among the chief Rulers many believed on him but because of the Pharisees they did not confesse him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue And in Verse 11. of the same Chapter it is asserted That many of the Iewes went away and believed on Iesus here was multiplication upon multiplication of Believers And in Vers 19. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves perceive ye how ye prevaile nothing behold the world is gone after him These words the Pharisees spake in private among themselves deliberately and confest that the world of men were turned Christians all Jerusalem swarmed with Believers without doubt all these could not meet in one place And indeed through all the Evangelists we shall reade of infinite multitudes that believed in him and the reason is given Matth. 7.29 Because he taught them as one having authority and not as the Scribes and did such works of wonder and wrought such miracles as in Iohn 7.31 they confest none could do but Christ and in Chap. 12. Vers 11. it is related that the raising up Lazarus from the dead made many believe on him and was the cause that such multitudes of people followed him and did so highly honour him and magnifie him and did receive him comming into Jerusalem with such an acclamation crying Hosanna as in this 12 Chapter is specified and is more largely set downe in Matth. 21.8 where it is related That a great multitude spread their garments in the way and others cut down branches and the people that went before they that came after cryed Hosanna said this is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth they all believed in him and confessed him before the world Now our Saviour saith He that shall confesse me and own me before men I will confesse and own him before my Father in Heaven Here is a whole City of Believers and Confessors Yea the very children believed in him and openly and in the Temple cried Hosanna And Christ himself allowed of their testimony and avouched they did well and accordingly as was written And in Luke 19.47 48. it is said That he taught dayly in the Temple but the chief Priests and Scribes and the Elders of the people sought to destroy him and could not finde what they might do for all the people were very attentive to hear him The universality therefore of the people by all these places were believers and such as followed Christ So that a man may wonder how that Jerusalem it self though it were a mighty City could containe such multitudes of people as believed in Christ so far improbable it is that any one place or congregation could containe the hundreth part of them And we may also gather that the great miracles at his Suffering and at his Resurrection and the apparition of so many that rose from their graves and went into the holy City made a great increase and addition of Disciples and new Believers so that the number was daily augmented we finde no diminution but if some that followed Christ for bread that were but Hypocrites left following him yet in those places we read again and again of numberlesse companies that daily came in and believed in him And to all this we may adde that Iohn the Baptist and his Disciples a little before his death and Christ and his Disciples by reason of the increase of the multitudes of Believers were forced to baptize in severall places For so it is in Iohn 3.23 After these dayes came Iesus and his Disciples into the land of Iudea and there he tarried with them and baptized and Iohn also was baptizing in Enon neer Salim because there was much water there they came and were baptized And very reason will tell all men that of necessity there must be an innumerable multitude of beleevers for none were Baptized but beleevers that must take up an hundred preachers or thereabouts for our Saviour had twelve Apostles and 70. Disciples as we may see in the 9. of Luke and in the 10. chapter of the same book and Iohn had also many Disciples though not so many as Christ and all these were imployed in preaching the Gospell and many of them in working miracles and wonders so that the very Devills were subject unto them as they rejoycingly confest to Christ when they returned to give him an account of their Ministery And without doubt if these miracles wrought so with the very Disciples they prevailed much more generally with the people to make them beleeve so that infinite multitudes of people came in and were Baptized as the Scripture it selfe informeth us And of necessity so many Ministers must have severall places to Preach in and severall congregations and Assemblies to Preach to and severall places to Baptize in for otherwise there would have been great confusion for but one of them could speak at once and all these Disciples were taken up in their severall Ministeries and had their hands full as the Scripture it self sufficiently declareth in expresse words for it is said That Christs Disciples Baptized in Iudaea and Iohn in Enon neer Salim because there was much water there It seems there was too little water to Baptize them in in other places which expression is worthy to be taken notice of And amongst those that came to be Baptized multitudes of them came from Ierusalem And if we compare times with times which will make much for the evidencing of the truth and consider the divers passages in the holy Scriptures we shall finde the like division of the people in those dayes some standing for Christ and Iohn Baptist and speaking in the justification of them and their Ministery and others that were of the Pharisaicall faction and of the high priests company as is even in these our dayes between them they call Caviliers and those they call Parliamentiers Now what twenty or thirty places in the City of London can contain all the Parliamentiers to partake in all acts of Worship Or what ten places can hold all those of the Prelaticall faction that contend for their Bishops and Service and all their other trumpery and accoutrements And yet although they be in divers and sundry Assemblies they are still the Prelaticall party and all of them of the Malignant Church and as the diversity of the places changeth not their complexions so it altereth not their faith nor manners but they continue still Malignants and remain all members of the Malignant Church And as in these dayes all that wish well unto the true Religion through both city and kingdome and love their Country stand for the Parliament so in those dayes those that loved Zion and