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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	receive_v	scripture_n	tradition_n	3,442	5	9.3524	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34020	Gospel order revived being an answer to a book lately set forth by ... Increase Mather ... entituled, The order of the gospel, &c ... / by sundry ministers of the gospel in New England.	Colman, Benjamin, 1673-1747.; Pemberton, Ebenezer, 1672-1717.; Woodbridge, Timothy, 1656-1732.; Bradstreet, Simon, 1671-1741.	1700 (1700)	Wing C5399; ESTC W13238	38,537	52

enough to set us down resolved against any such thing if we can say there is a silence about it in the Scripture that God has no where commanded it in his word either expresly or by just and necessary consequence it s no Order of his devising Scripture silence about any Tradition gives a full condemnation what ever ●leas men may bring for it as That it is profitable many have been edified by it it is a prudent way to secure the Interest of Religion many wise holy learned Men have pleaded for it and practised it that there is much of decency in it and the thing it self is no waye harm●u● A●l this is fully answered with that one word God has spoke nothing about it Heb. 7. 4. It never entered into his h●art to enjoyn it Jer. 7. 31. Thus he This being publickly practised and printed so long a go by so eminent a Minister and never since contradicted we take it for granted that none have any thing to say against it And we are thankful to him for furnishing us with a Doctrine so fully laid down to bear off the Institutions Traditions and Impositions that men would lay upon us But it is high time now to consider the Questions which the Reverend Author propounds and the Answer he gives to each of them In which attempt we shall offer no other Apology for our brevity save that our Author himself 〈…〉 ight have been as brief and yet full as clear and 〈…〉 iv● Gospel Order Revived c. THe two first Questions might have been wholy spared yet may serve as a good Introduction to others of a●● ill aspect Quest 1. Whether particular Churches ought to consist of Saints and true Believers in Christ It is granted that the matter of a particular Church for the Question is not stated with reference to the Catholick is visible Saints And tho' the Answer is not given in the words yet we would charitably hope his sense is the same with the united Ministers in London That none shall be admitted as members in order to Communion in all the special Ordinances of the Gospel but such as are knowing and sound in the fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Religion without scandal in their Lives and to a judgment regulated by the word of God are Persons of visible Godliness and honesty credibly professing cordial subjection to Jesus Christ Had our Reverend Author only said thus much and indeed more is needless he had saved us the labour of any Reflections on this part of his Essay But there is one passage in p. 15 which we cannot but except against A Scripture saith he which has respect in the times of the Gospel severely rebukes those Ministers which shall bring men that are uncircumcised in bear● unregenerate persons into the sanctuary into the Church of God to eat the Bread and drink the Blood which 〈…〉 y that are there partake o● Ezek. 44. 7 9. A hard saying and w●o can ●ear it The Text is here mangled and the principal things left out What God has joyned our Reverend Author has seperated to drive on his design The Text saith Uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh but here we have it only uncircumcise in hea●t interpreted unregenerate persons What a rebuke is this to the best of Ministers because forsooth they are not heart searchers and dare not invade the prerogative of God Did the Reverend Author or the Church with him never admit any un 〈…〉 ●erate Person to communion with them He will not dare to pretend to it and therefore the rebuke is to himself We know our Lord Jesus Christ admitted Judas uncircumcised in heart an unregenerate Person to holy things and in the purest Ages of the Church there were Hypocrites crept in many of whom turned Apostates Nay our Author is so sensible of this that p. 19. he quotes the opinion of the Reverend M. Co●ton That its better to admit diverse Hypocrites than to keep out one sincere Child of God It is obvious then that Hypocrites may be admitted and yet the Minister incur neither the rebukes of Conscience or of this Scripture nay he may be approved of God as doing his Duty though Hypocrisie may too well consist with sufficient Knowledge found belief a blameless Life a credible Profession c. To conclude It s very observeable the Reverend Author closes this first Enquiry by saying That the Churches here are free to admit those into their communion who are thus qualified We marvel then his Zeal is not stirred to rebuke them afresh But what will the Reader think if we should make an Apology after all for the Reverend Author and assure him he means no more than that Ministers ought not to admit known Infidels or Prophane for for his part he pretends not to know mens hearts We only can intreat the Reader not to rebuke the Author too severely for his inconsistency for he may mean well and all parties are agreed Unless he should imagine himself attacqued by the Reverend Author of the Doctrine of instituted Churches Q 2. Whether there ought not to be a Tryal of Persons concerning their qualifications and fitness for Church communion before they are admitted thereunto We shall not here examine the force of the Authors arguments whether they unresistably conclude or not and whether the consequence is good from the tryal of the Apostles the Porters at the Temple or the 12 Angels at the Gates of the Mystical Jerusalem to the tryal of Church Members It suffices that the Reverend Author has modestly stated this Truth and cited us to a merciful Bar the judgment seat of a rational Charity where the Judge avoids severity and the tryal is managed with abundant tenderness the bruised Reed is not broken nor the smoaking flax quenched the tender Lambs find the kind Shepherds Arms to fold them and a gentle carriage in his bosom This is indeed the part of the good shepherd and we could now gladly commit our selves to the Reverend Authors Pastoral care So many good words remove all jealousie of a rigid Tryal But alas the Clouds return upon us and a black doubt is started as follows Q 3 Whether are not the Brethren and not the Elders of the Church only to judge concerning the qualifications and fitness of those who art admitted into their Communion The Reverend Author allows there may be a difference of apprehension as to this point and yet no breach of Union We think so too and therefore as we continue to honour the Person though we expose his opinion so we ●o●● the negative will not dele●ve the popular cry Oh Apostacy Apostacy The difference as the Reverend Author tells us is between the Brethren of the Presbyterian and the Congregational way the former giving this power only to the Eldership the latter joyning the fraternity with them He takes up for the latter but whether he proves it the world may see when we have considered his

dishonour upon them or call them fools This Charge falls heavy on those who are for imposing their will on others We crave no more but to enjoy the Institutions of Christ unmix't And it appears very strange that those who fl●d from an Act of Uniformity should presently impose on themselves on their Neighbours and entail the Mischief on their Posterity Some indeed would make the design of our first Planters to consist in some little Rites Modes or Circumstances of Church Discipline and those such as the Word of God no where requires These are the men who dishonour their Country and their Fathers Memory by making their great design to lie in so small matters And it is notorious there has been no agreement in these points from the beginning It s known there was Anti-Synodatia printed and who had a hand in it and how modest his Dissent was and in what terms they contradicted what the Synod had established tho' the like is criminal and insufferable in any other These Principles in Church Discipline are also wrote against in English by the Assembly of Divines by Mr. C●●dry Mr. Ratherford Mr. Ba●ly c. In a word if it be the Truth according to Gods Word we stand for it would not be grievous to any of our pious Ancestors were they now on Earth neither will it be grievous to them now in Heaven nor should it be grievous to any good Man to receive Conviction We refer all therefore to the Word of God to the Law and to the Testimony In the Preface or Epistle to said Book we find several things that might be justly excepted against but designing neither to be contentious nor volumnious we shall speak but to one or two In pag. 8. the Reverend Author is pleased to number up seven or eight erronious Doctrines as he apprehends them to be the consequence from all is this that if we espouse these Principles we give away the whole Congregational Cause at once Whence we perceive now the professed cause which the Author engages in tho' we hope it is not the Name or the Party but the Truths they delend We shall have occasion to examine these Principles hereafter it may su●ti●e here to say they are craftily unfairly worded in the Dress they are here clad we do not espouse them yet according to their most fair genuine construction there is a great deal of Truth in most of them And this is but a block the Author politickly casts in the way which at last we fear may but discourage some from embracing the Congregational way seeing it must needs fight for its life against some Truths It s hard kicking against the pricks Acts 9. 5. Another thing Remarkable in the Preface is the Authors heat and 〈◊〉 pag 9. Shall we then by Silence betray the Truth shall we re●ort therefore we are bold to speak too Who is on the Lord side Who shall we answer we are we trust through Gods Grace together with you and all other siding 〈◊〉 would have in contempt Is there no one that will stand up for the Churches of Christ God orbid but we should had others declined it The good People in them then may well think their Watch-men are all either dead or a sleep or if they talk light and heady they may conclude them in a trance or not quite awaked 〈◊〉 which cause it is that I dedicate this ensuing Dissertation And for the same cause we address you in the following answer It is not my cause but yours Nor is it ours but the Churches and every good Christians in common Did I say yours nay it is Christ cause We list under the same Banners and would to God we were all as really as we would seem to be divested wholly of carnal self ........ for truly our present Defence is become the peculiar concern of these Churches But why all this heat we would not interpret too hard but these Expressions seem plainly to carry this sense That every one who obeys not the late published Orders is an opposer of Truth not on the Lord side Enemies to the cause of Christ and the Churches of New-England Whereupon the Reverend Author roules himself and sounds an Alarm to the Churches To put down all such If this be not involv'd in it we would beg his Pardon and be informed better But truly Sir it is a mistaken Zeal ●dly lavish'd away and not kindled from above ●or we know no such conspiracy against the Truths of our Lord Jesus Christ or against the good of the Churches in New-England altho' we are not proselyted to some of your particular Opinions It appears to us that the Reverend Authors infirmity in this matter is the same with the Apostle Johns Mark 9. 38. Master we saw one casting out Devils in thy Name and he followeth not us and we forbad him because he followed not us Which too forward zeal ou● Lord checks and reconciles the matter Vers 39 40. And ●esus answered forbid him not he that is not against ●● is on our part But in this case as in many others we ●ould instance in if need were the Reverend Author tho' very zealous for a time yet is not very steady constant for before he ends his Book he comes about again in pag 139. where he proposeth his Brothers Essay for Union wherein he shows how inconsiderable the Differences are between those of the Presbyterian and Congregational judgment that they need not set Truth to purchase Peace And yet by the cry just now you would have thought all the Truths of Christ trampeled under foot the Cause of Religion deserted and and a formidable War commenced by the Presbyterians against the order of the Gospel It is observable that the Reverend Author in the Dissertation of the following Questions makes use of abundance of Quotations from several famous Persons in their Generations but in some the sence is perverted to a wrong end beside the obvious intention of the Writers in some he brings them in contradicting at one time what they said at another and sets some in opposition to others And where he endeavours to confirm his Tenets by the Testimony of some he might if he had pleased have brought many others to contradict the same thing But this is a good way to amuse the Reader and to cloud his mind and to terrifie him by mustering a legion of 〈…〉 artifica● Arguments We shall be sparing in Quotations and pass by many cited by the Author tho' we approve them not Only we crave leave to present one Quotation which may be of use to us all along being we are unwilling to be imposed on to believe what God never spoke or to do what God never requir'd It is that of the Reverend Mr. Willa●a in his fore-quoted Sermon pag. 23. 24. Hence it follows that there ●s nothing to be received by us on this account but what has Gods Seal affixed to it It s therefore

no Wife is a Husband This is worn thred-bare and answered long ago by the Assembly at London and others and sometimes by the Author himself A Minister may be considered under a double Notion as a Minister of C 〈…〉 t or of this or that particular Church In this latter sence they are Relate Correlate and no otherwise Hence if he leaves them he ceases to be their Minister and they cease to be his Flock but still he may be a Minister of Christ and they a Church of Christ And thus in that little Book that is en●it●led The judgment of several Divines of the Congregational way concerning a Pastors Power occasionally to exe●t Ministerial acts in another Church besides that which is his particular Flock the Reverend Author expresses himself after this manner pag. 1. The Ministerial Power which a Pastor has received from the Lord Jesus Christ ●● not so ●o●fined to his particular Flock as that he shall cease to be a Minister when he shall act in the Name of the Lord else where And a little after I am as to this particular fully of the same judgment with the learned Dr. J. Owen in 〈◊〉 judicious Treatise concerning a Gospel Church Pag. 100 101 where he has these words Although we have no concer●●●us in the sig●ent of an indelible Character accompanying sacred Orders yet we do not think the Pastoral Office is such a thing as a man must leave be●●nd him every time he goes from home for my own part ● I did not think my self b●●nd to preach as a Minister authorized in all places and ●● all occasions when I am called thereunto I think I should never preach more in this World Thus Dr. Owen We see then that our Reverend Author and the famous Dr. Owen plainly hold that though there be a Relation to a particular flock yet a Minister is so au●hro●zed by Jesus Christ that he is capable in his Name to perform Ministerial Acts in other places and upon all occasions And were not our Author sincerely of this Opinion we cannot but think he would highly condemn any Minister that should be absent from his Flock four years together upon any service whatsoever ●ure if he be no way capable to act as a Minister of Jesus Christ he is all that while but as a stray Bird idly wandering from its Nest Yet at this time our Author would bear the World in hand that a Minister has no power to act as such but to his particular Flock and therefore quotes the words of the Plat-form chap. 9. sect 7. He that is clearly loosed from his Office Relation to that Church whereof he was a Minister cannot be looked on as an Officer nor perform any act of O 〈…〉 e in any other Church unless he be again called unto Office But a more eminent Assembly of Divines at London have quoted this very Paragraph pag 1●5 and severely but justly answered it as a great ●bs●rdity and contrary to sound Doctrine The answer to the other part of the Question Whether a Minister should be ordained only in the presence of that Church where he is ●●serve ● Will result from what has been already laid down The presence of Christ must be supposed when ever a person is seperated to his Ministry but seeing our Lord Commissions none immediately such must be present as have Power to authorize Commission and give the charge in his Name When ever a Call is given received and accepted whether it be by Words Message or letter both Minister and People are conceived as present face to face But the Circumstances of Times Places Persons Distance c. must determine this matter which as they m●● fall out may sometimes render it both prodent regular and necessar● then its the Voice of Providence for a Min 〈…〉 to be ordained on one Land and to serve in another Q. 14. Is the Practice of the Churches of New-England in granting Letters of Dismission or Recommendation from one Church to another according to Scripture and the Example of other Churches The Reverend Author refers to many Scriptures to prove the Affirmative but not one of them reaches the Question or proves ●● dismission for this end soil to take a person off from being a Member of one Church to be made a Member of another The Epistles or Letters he refers to are all Apo●ta●●cal or Ministerial not the Letters of one Church to another some only excepted which is mentioned as writ by the Brethren but Apol●● on whole behalf they wrote was not a Member of their Church nor do they write to those in Achaia to receive him as a Member but rather as a Minister or as a Christian of eminence and singular goodness Indeed there may be a good use of Letters of Recommendation and especially among strangers and where a Member removes from one Church to another a mutual satisfaction may be laboured after But we cannot but think such Letters frivilous when in the same Town and at two streets distance a Person known over all the Town for an exemplary Conversation prefers anothers Ministry Civility will constrain such persons to acquaint then Ministers of their purposes and the same Christian Civility obliges such a Minister to acquaint the other Pastor if need be to whose Ministry they repair that they have carried themselves well in his Communion and that he hopes they may prove blessings in all other But as for the Brethren We need not go to them to make a second Speech now to ask leave to with-draw and to render an account to every impertinent Talker who thinks the man Married to him and that his bed is broke into or that there 's no just reason for a divorce Moreover some people are forever dissatisfied neither conveniencies of Habitation liking the others Ministry profiting under it or dislike of some Customs and Practices which he would willingly be rid of the light of can satisfy And what must the grieved person do further in this case Why truly he has done his duty and may hear and communicate where God and his own sober Conscience directs him No● ought any Minister of Christ to reject his claim to the Lords Table with him To say no more our Reverend Author having in a former Treatise proved that persons baptized are thereby subjects of Discipline We think they all ought to be accountable to the Society where they are there persons being dismissed by the Providence of God whether they have letters of dismission or not Else by their principles an ordained Minister in London formerly of Communion with a Church in Boston being called to Office in a particular Church and having accepted the Pastoral Care thereof must first send over a Pacquet to New-England for a Letter of dismission And don't you think he would be well imployed Qu. 15 Is not the asserting that a Pastor may administer the Sacrament to another Church besides his own particular Church at the a●fire