Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n
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A66584
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Quaker's false interpretations of Holy Scripture By Thomas Wilson rector of Arrow in Warwick-shire.
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Wilson, Thomas, 17th cent.
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1678
(1678)
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Wing W2935; ESTC R222279
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83,988
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180
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Father Rabbi Doctor Teacher or Guide which is absurd enough and just so absurd is your interpretation But that which is forbidden here is 1 That the Teachers be not ambitious affecting great Titles nor usurp authority over the people ruling as Lords their persons and their faith setting themselves in the place of Christ as if the Doctrine were their own and they were the Masters to be obeyed and the people were their subjects and their disciples vers 7. 8 10 11 12. The Scribes and Pharisees love to be called of men Rabbi Rabbi But be not ye called Rabbi for one is your Master 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ductor Guide Preceptor even Christ and all ye are Brethren Neither be ye called Masters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ductors for one is your Master even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant and whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased These latter words confirm my interpretation One part of which viz. that which concerns secular dominion I have also taken from our Saviour's words cap. 10. 21. 26. Grant that these my two Sons may sit the one on thy Right hand and the other on thy left in thy Kingdom And note ye that there was a strife among the Apostles which of them should be counted greatest Luk. 22. 24. and moreover they expected Christ would rule as a secular King Luk. 19. 11. 24. 21. Act. 1. 6. But Jesus said ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise Dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority upon them but it shall not be so among you But whosoever will be great among you let him be your Minister The other part of my interpretation which concerns Mastership over the faith of people I have from St. Paul's words 1 Cor. 3. 4 5. While one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos are ye not Carnal who then is Paul and who is Apollos but Ministers by whom ye believed even as the Lord gave to every Man The faith is not ours but the Lords we only Minister it in his Name and as we have received it we did not make it ver 9. VVe are Labourers together with God only such ye are God's building not ours 2 Cor. 4. 5. VVe preach not our selves but Christ. Jesus the Lord and our selves your servants for Jesus sake chap. 1. 24. VVe have not dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy 2 Another thing here forbidden is that as the Preachers should not assume this Authority so neither should the people give it them not look upon them as their Masters but only as God's Servants ministring to them not set them in the place of God and Christ not profess themselves their disciples nor their subjects servants and children vers 9. And call no man your Father upon earth And this interpretation I have likewise from St. Paul 1 Cor. 1. 12. 13. Every one of you saith I am of Paul and I of Apollos and I of Cephas and I of Christ. VVas Paul Crucified for you or were you Baptised into the Name of Paul Which is to say you are not to profess your selves any mans disciples but his only who was Crucified for you and into whose name ye were Baptised that is Christ's c. 2. 21. Let no man glory in Men whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas all are yours Ye are Christ's They are only appointed of God to Minister to you Christ is only your Master Father Head chap. 11. 3. 7. 23. Heb. 3. 6. Again chap 4. 1. Let a man account of us as the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God No more than such v. 6. And these things I have in a figure transferred to my self and Apollos for your sakes that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which hath been written viz. That we are Ministers of Christ and dispensers of God's Mysteries and no more not your Masters nor Teachers of our own Doctrine Thus you may see how far wide of the true sense you have erred whilst you expound our Saviour's words as forbidding to call or to be called Master or Sir in civil respect And you may discern that they which would have their doctrine pass for Oracles without examination and their commands for Edicts without contradiction and they that yield up themselves to such are the offenders though they neither give nor receive this title I cannot but admonish you here to look into your Bibles and consider how the Texts stand which you cite and not to conclude every portion of Scripture which cometh into your mind to be infused by the Holy Ghost for you to make use of to the purpose which you intend and therefore not daring to examin it for the right sense lest you should disobey that Holy One and the work should smell a little of human study and care For certainly you have erred even where the words have no obscurity at all And if you will not make use of your eies to see and your understanding to consider and will take no more pains than to speak and write it is just that God suffer you to fall into mistakes that may justly shame you that you may be more vigilant G. Fox's Catechism p. 26. We have held up such Teachers as bear rule by their means which Jeremy saith was an horrible and filthy thing And such as seek for their gain from their Quarter ' G. F. Truth and Deceit p. 7. Jeremy cried against the Priests that bore rule for their mony Nayl Love to Lost. p. 74. The Ministers of Christ never sought to the people for means nor bore rule by it The words of Jeremy are these c. 5. 31. The Prophets prophesie falsly and the Priests bare rule by their means I cannot but wonder that all of you should so grosly mistake as to understand by Means Tithes and Riches and that of the Priests for nothing is plainer than that the Priests bearing rule by means of the Prophets is spoken of and that that signifieth by their help power and authority 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by their hand In which signification you find the word I King 10. 29. 2 Chron. 1. 17. Mal. 1. 9. G. F. Catechism p. 124 125. They tell me that Hebrew Greek and Latin is the Original by which I may know the Scriptures A. The Beast which killed the Saints had power over Tongues and the great Whore sits upon Tongues Rev. 17. 15. 13. 7. G. F. Message to Parliam p. 7. The Teachers say Hebrew Greek and Latin are the Original Now with the light of Christ Jesus this Doctrine is seen to be contrary to the Scripture They that keep in many Languages keep from Christ for he redeems out of Languages Tongues Kindreds Nations and People All who are in Christ are one and all who are in Tongues Kindreds Nations Languages are in confusion Thus also Smith in his Lamentation
that heard Christ's Doctrine and saw his Miracles and yet believed not nor repented had not had Sin in comparison of what now they have their Sin had been less they had been more excusable Which sense is manifest from those Words in the Text But now have they no Cloak for their Sin For if they will not see when they have the clearest Light nor believe when they have multitude of miracles nor repent when they have the best instruction what can they plead for themselves And in like manner we had not had Sin if the Gospel had not come unto us our Sin would not have had those aggravations which now it hath it being now the abuse of far greater Grace G. W. Authority of Ministry p. 2. Baptizing people in outward Baptism doth not Baptize Men into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost p. 7. That Baptism which Christ commanded Mat. 28. and Mark 16. is of necessity unto Salvation For by it they were to Baptize men into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Now without being Baptized into this name a man cannot be saved For by no other name under Heaven comes Salvation but by the name of Jesus But there is not a necessity upon Water-Baptism and therefore it was not Water-Baptism but the Spiritual Baptism which was an effect of the Gospel which is the power of God which the Disciples Preached The Disciples obeyed this command when they Ministred the Spirit and turned men from darkness to light And a Testimony of this was manifest when the Holy Ghost fell on them that heard the Disciples Preach But 1 Water-Baptism is meant in that command of our Saviour Mat. 28. and Mark 16. For with Water the Apostles to whom the command was given Baptized and in all places and all sorts of persons both Jews and Gentiles and the very best converts three thousand Jews that repented at St. Peter's Sermon and gladly received the word Act. 2. Men and Women of Samaria Simon Magus and the Eunuch of Ethiopia Chap. 8. Paul Chap. 9. Cornelius his company Chap. 10. Lydia and her houshold and the Jailor and his Chap. 16. Crispus and many Corinthians Chap. 18. Twelve Ephesians which were John's Disciples Chap. 19. Now what necessity was there or what reason that the Apostles did thus constantly Baptize all sorts of proselytes the most Holy and the most Perfect not excepted and yet add those that did not desire it of them if they did it not in obedience to Christ's cammand And if they might altogether forbear why said Peter thus Can any forbid Water that these should not be Baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we And why commanded he them to be Baptized Act. 10. And why did he not forbear when he knew that to Baptize these Gentiles would give offence as it did to his Bethren of the circumcision vers 28. 34 35. Chap 11. 2. 3. And especially why did he not forbear for a season till he had satisfied his Brethren by certifying them of his Vision For might not such as you have said what need of Water whilst they Believe and have received the Holy Ghost what commandment is there for it what offence would be given to any if this arbitrary Ceremony were omitted which if they had said you see who would have reproved them as is manifest by his words Add we further and just as it is in our Saviour's command so the Apostles practised in their Water-Baptism Which is an indication that what they did was in execution of that command and therefore that Water-Baptism is there meant For as he said Preach the Gospel and them that Believe Baptize so we find they Preached and required Faith before they Baptized Act. 8. 12. When they Believed Philip Preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ they were Baptized Vers. 35. Philip Preached Jesus unto the Eunuch and the Eunuch said see here is Water what doth hinder me to be Baptized And Philip said if thou Believest with all thy heart thou mayest And he answered I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God And they went down into the Water and Philip Baptized him Further they Baptized such both Jews and Gentiles with Water as had been Baptized with the Holy Ghost and that as that signifies either Sanctification or other gifts of the Holy Ghost as appears in the former instances Act. 2. 37 41. 8. 12. 37 38. 9. 15 18. 10. 47 48. And if they did not thus upon the account of Christ's command you must produce some Scripture which tells you another reason why they did it But if you can produce no such Scripture then it is sure that Water-Baptism was meant in that command For when they ordeined that the Gentiles should abstain from Meats offered to Idols and from Blood and things Strangled the reason is assigned Act. 15. 21. And so likewise is it when Paul Circumcised Timothy and when again he purified himself with others Act. 16. 3. 21. 20. c. Finally whereas St. Paul says 1 Cor. 1. Christ sent me not to Baptize but to Preach it implies that he did send others to Baptize whom he also sent to Preach And moreover he speaking there of Baptizing Gentiles to what mission can his words relate but to this where we find the Gentiles expressed Go teach all Nations Baptizing them especially considering it was to the other Apostles that Christ spake those words St. Paul at that time being not chosen into the number and that when he was chosen it was not so said to him as it was to them Preach and Baptize but only Preach Act. 9. 22. 26. 16. c. And that he speaks there of Water-Baptism is evident and you grant it alledging the same words frequently against the necessity of it Wherefore according to St. Paul Water-Baptism was intended by our Saviour in that command to his Apostles And thus having proved this I need not prove the necessity of it unto Salvation and that hereby men were Baptized into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost forasmuch as the Text asserts both as your selves grant of that Baptism whereof it speaks which I have proved to be the Water-Baptism But yet because these are the reasons why you cannot believe this external Baptism to be there meant I will proceed to shew the invalidity of them And therefore 2 I assert contrary to you that by water men were Baptized into the name of Christ or unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is said 1 Cor. 10. 2. All our Fathers were Baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto Moses This I prove from the following Texts 1 Cor. 1. 13. Were ye Baptized into the name of Paul The answer must be we were not but into Christ's name Vers. 14 15. I thank God I Baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius lest any should say I Baptized into my own