Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	apostle_n	church_n	minister_n	2,916	5	6.7721	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30138	Differences in judgment about vvater-baptism, no bar to communion, or, To communicate with saints, as saints, proved lawful in answer to a book written by the Baptists, and published by Mr. T.P. and Mr. W.K. entituled, Some serious reflections on that part of Mr. Bunyan's confession of faith, touching church-communion with unbaptized believers : wherein, their objections and arguments are answered, and the doctrine of communion still asserted and vindicated : here is also Mr. Henry's Jesse's judgment in the case, fully declaring the doctrine I have asserted / by John Bunyan.	Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.; Jessey, Henry, 1603-1663.	1673 (1673)	Wing B5509; ESTC R21419	60,966	126

towards them that sought him not according to due order 1 Chron. 15. 13. Was God so exact with his People then that all things to a Pin must be according to the Pattern in the Mount Heb. 7. 16. 9. 11. whose Worship then comparatively to the Gospel was but after the Law of a Carnal Commandment and can it be supposed he should be so indifferent no● to leave men to their own liberty to time and place his Appointments contrary to what he hath given in express Rule for in his Word as before Ezek. 44. 7 9 10. It was the Priest's Sin formerly to bring the uncircumcised in heart and flesh into his house Answ. That there is no such Order in that Commission as you feign I have proved As for your far-fetch'd Instance 1 Chron. 15. 't is quite besides your purpose The express Word was That the Priest not a Cart should bear the Ark of God Also they were not to touch it and yet Uzza did Exod. 25. 14. 1 Chron. 15. 12 13 14 15. Numb 4. 15. 1 Chron. 13. Now if you can make that 28th of Matthew say Receive none that are not baptized first or that Christ would have them of his that are not yet baptized kept ignorant of all other Truths that respect Church-Communion then you say something else you do but raise a mist before the simple Reader but who so listeth may hang on your sleeve As for the Pins and Tacks of the Tabernacle they were expresly commanded and when you have proved by the Word of God That you ought to shut Saints out of your Communion for want of Baptism then you may begin more justly to make your Parallel How fitly you have urged Ezek. 44. to insinuate that unbaptized Believers are like the uncircumcised in heart and flesh I leave it to all Gospel-Novices to consider Your third Argument is The practice of the first Gospel-Ministers with them that first trusted in Christ discovers the truth of what I assert Certainly they that lived at the spring-head or fountain of Truth and had the Law from Christ's own mouth knew the meaning of his Commission better than we but their constant practice in conformity to that Commission all along the Acts of the Apostles discovers that they never arrived to such a latitude as men plead for now a-dayes They that gladly received the Word were baptized and they yea they only were received into the Church Answ. How well you have proved what you have asserted is manifest by my Answer to the two former Arguments I adde That the Ministers and Servants of Jesus Christ in the first Churches for that you are to prove were Commanded to forbear to Preach other Truths to the Unbaptized Believers or that they were to keep them out of the Church or that the Apostles and first Fathers have given you to understand by their Example that you ought to keep as good out of Churches as your selves hath not yet been shewed by the Authority of the Word The second of the Acts proveth not That the three thousand were necessitated to be baptized in order to their Fellowship with the Church neither doth it say THEY yea they only were received into the Church But suppose all this as much was done at the first Institution of Circumcision c. yet afterwards thousands were received without it Your fourth Argument is None of the Scripture-Saints ever attempted this Church-priviledge without Baptism if they did let it be shewn The Eunuch first desired Baptism before any thing else Paul was first baptized before he did essay to joyn with the Church Our Lord Christ the great Example of the New Testament entred not upon his publick Ministry much less any other Gospel-Ordinance of Worship till he was Baptized Answ. That none of the Scripture-Saints if there be any unscripture ones so much as attempted this Church-priviledge first remains for you to prove But suppose they were all Baptized because they had light therein what then Doth this prove that Baptism is essential to Church-Communion Or that Christ commanded in the 28th of Matthew or gave his Ministers by that authority not to make known to Believers other parts of Gospel-Worship if they shall want light in Baptism The Eunuch Paul and our blessed Lord Jesus did none of them by their Baptism set themselves to us Examples how to enter into Church-Communion what Church was the Eunuch Baptized into or made a Member of but where is it said that the unbaptized Believer how excellent soever in Faith and Holiness must for want of Water-baptism be shut out from the communion of Saints or be debarred the Priviledge of his Fathers House This you are to prove Your fifth Argument is If Christ himself was made manifest to be the SENT of God by Baptism as appears Mark 1. 9 10. Then why may not Baptism as the first Fruits of Faith and the first step of Gospel-Obedience as to Instituted Worship be a manifesting discovering Ordinance upon others who thus follow Christ's steps Answ. That Jesus Christ was manifested as the SENT of God by Baptism or that Baptism is the first Fruit of Faith and the first step of Gospel-Obedience as to instituted Worship is both without proof and truth the Text saith not he was manifest to be the sent of God by Baptism nay it saith not that by that he was manifest to others to be any thing thereby you have therefore but wronged the Text to prove your wordless Practice by Yea John himself though he knew him before he was baptized to be a Man of God for saith he I have need to be Baptized of thee and comest thou to me and knew him after to be the SENT of God yet not in or by but after he was Baptized to wit by the descending of the Holy Ghost after he was come out of the Water as he was in Prayer for the Heavens were opened to John and he saw and bare Record because he saw the Spirit descend from Heaven and abide upon Jesus after his Baptism as he was in Prayer Mat. 3. 13 14 15 16. Luk. 3. 21 22. Thus we find him made known before and after but not at all by Baptism to be the SENT of God And that Baptism is the first fruits of Faith or that Faith ought to be tyed to take its first step in Water-baptism in the instituted Worship of God this you must prove is not found expressed within the whole Bible Faith acts according to its strength and as it sees it is not tyed or bound to any outward Circumstance one believeth he may and another believeth he may not either do this or that Your sixth Argument is If Baptism be in any sence any part of the foundation of a Church as to order Heb. 6. 1 2. it must have place here or no where why are those things called first Principles if not first to be believed and practised Why are they rendred by the learned the A.

be the Effects of Baptism saying to me None but your self could find an innocent Truth big with so many monstrous Absurdities pag. 42. I Answer This is but speaking wickedly for God or rather to justifie your wordless Practice I say not that Baptism hath any Absurdity in it though your abusing it hath them all and many more while you make it without warrant from the Word as the flaming Sword to keep the Brotherhood out of Communion because they after your manner cannot consent thereto And let no man be offended for that I suggest that Baptism may be abused to the breeding such monstrous Absurdities for greater Truths than that have been as much abused What say you to This is my Body To instance no more although I could instance many are not they the words of our Lord are not they part of the Scriptures of Truth and yet behold even with those words the Devil by abusing them made an Engine to let out the heart-blood of thousands Baptism also may be abused and is when more is laid upon it by us than is Commanded by God And that you do so is manifest by what I have said already and shall yet say to your Fourteen Arguments My last Argument you say is this The World may wonder at your carriage to those Unbaptized Persons in keeping them out of Communion Ans. You will yet set up your own words and then fight against them but my words are these What greater contempt can be thrown upon the Saints than for their Brethren to cut them off from or to debar them Church-Communion And now I add Is not this to deliver them to the Devil 1 Cor. 5. or to put them to shame before all that see your acts There is but one thing can hinder this and that is by-standers see that these your Brethren that you thus abuse are as holy men as our selves Do you more to the open Prophane yea to all Wizards and Witches in the Land For all you can do to them I speak now as to Church-acts is no other than debar them the Communion of Saints And now I say again The World may well wonder when they see you deny holy-men of God that liberty of the Communion of Saints which you Monopolize to your selves And though they do not understand the grounds of Profession or Communion yet they can both see and say these Holy-men of God in all visible acts of Holiness are not one inch behind you Yea I will put it to your selves If those many yea very many who thus severely but with how little ground is seen by men of God you deny Communion with are not of as good as holy as unblameable in life and as sound if not sounder in the Faith than many among our selves Here only they make the stop they cannot without Light be driven into Water-baptism I mean after our Notion of it but what if they were 't would be little sign to me that they were sincere with God To conclude this when you have proved that Water-baptism which you your self have said is not a Church-Ordinance p. 40. is Essential to Church-Communion and that the Church may by the Word of God bolt bar and for ever shut out those far better than our selves that have not according to our Notion been baptized with Water then 't will be time enough to talk of ground for so doing In the mean time I must take leave to tell you There is not in all the Bible one syllable for such a Practice wherefore your great cry about your Order is wordless and therefore faithless and is a meer Humane Invention I come now to your Fourteen Arguments and shall impartially consider them YOur first Argument to prove it lawful to reject the Unbaptized Saint is Because the great Commission of Christ Matth. 28. from which all Persons have their Authority for their Ministry if any Authority at all doth clearly direct the contrary By that Commission Ministers are first to Disciple and then to Baptize them so made Disciples and afterward to teach them to observe all that Christ Commanded them as to other Ordinances of Worship If Ministers have no other Authority to teach them other parts of Gospel-Worship before they believe and are baptized it may be strongly supposed they are not to admit them to other Ordinances before they have passed this first injoyned in the Commission Answ. 1. That the Ministers are to Disciple and Baptize is granted But that they are prohibited by the Commission Matth. 28. to Teach the Disciples other parts of Gospel-Worship that have not Light in Baptism remains for you to prove Shall I add This Position is so absurd and void of truth that none that have ever read the Love of Christ the Nature of Faith the End of the Gospel or of the Reason of Instituted Worship which is Edification with understanding should so much as once imagine But where are they here forbidden to teach them other Truths before they be baptized This Text as fairly denieth to the unbaptized Believer Heaven and Glory Nay our Author in the midst of all his flutter about this 28th of Matthew dare venture to gather no more therefrom but that it may be strongly supposed Behold therefore gentle Reader the ground on which these Brethren lay the stress of their separation from their Fellows is nothing else but a supposition without warrant skrewed out of this blessed Word of God Strongly Supposed but may it not be as strongly supposed that the Presence and Blessing of the Lord Jesus with his Ministers is laid upon the same ground also for thus he concludes the Text And lo I am with you alwayes even to the end of the World But would I say any man from these words conclude That Christ Jesus hath here promised his Presence only to them that after discipling baptize those that are so made and that they that do not baptize shall neither have his Presence nor his Blessing I say again Should any so conclude hence would not all Experience prove him void of Truth The words therefore must be left by you as you found them they favour not at all your groundless supposition To conclude these words have not laid Baptism in the way to debar the Saint from Fellowship of his Brethren no more than to hinder his inheritance in Life and Glory Mark reads it thus He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16. 16. letting Baptism which he mentioned in the promise fall when he came at the threatning God also doth thus with respect to his Worship in the Church he commands all and every whit of his will to be done but beareth with our coming short in this and that and another Duty But let 's go on Your second Argument is That the Order of Christ's Commission as well as the matter therein contained to be observed may easily be concluded from God's severity