Selected quad for the lemma: blood_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
blood_n	drink_v	eat_v	saviour_n	5,467	4	7.4314	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41780	Hear the church, or, An appeal to the mother of us all to all the baptized believers in England, exhorting them to stedfastness in the truth, according to the scriptures : together with some farther considerations of seven queries, sent to the baptized believers in Lincolnshire, concerning the judge of contriversies in matters of religion : in three parts / by Thomas Grantham.	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.	1687 (1687)	Wing G1536; ESTC R5931	41,980	66

unto this Church or the Guides of it unto whom our Blessed Saviour delivered that Mystical Doctrine which offended so many of his Disciples John 6. 53. Verily verily I say unto you Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood ye have no Life in you which yet cannot be rightly understood of a corporal eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood because he expresly says Verily verily I say unto you He that believeth on me hath everlasting life Verse 47. And it is certain there were many that did truly believe on him at that time among whom S. Peter and the rest that stood by him when so many forsook him Now these things must all be true 1. That none of Christ's Disciples had Life in them at that time but such as did eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of Christ 2. That S. Peter and the rest of the Faithful had eternal Life in them at that time 3. That the Lord's Table was not yet instituted And therefore from these Premises it follows that our Saviour speaks not here of his Disciples now eating and drinking his Flesh and Blood in the Lord's Table and therefore cannot with any shew of Truth or Reason be understood of eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood carnally or corporally but spiritually even by believing in him Of the several Orders of Ministry in this Mother-Church This Church was endowed with a three-fold Order of Ministry 1. Messengers or Apostles whose work was more especially to gather constitute and take care for the Church in general 2. Elders whose work was especially to feed the Flock committed to them in particular 3. Deacons whose work more especially was to take care of the Poor and to distribute the Alms of the Church to the ends for which they were given and consequently all Churches ought to maintain this Order of Ministry unless they can shew that God has repealed this Ministery in part or in whole 'T is true some things were pertinent to the Apostles here which were temporary and extraordinary which Churches in after-Ages are not to expect but it is also true that some things were ordinary and fixed in that Office for the continual use of the Church and therefore to remain for ever viz. Their care for all Churches their travels and labours to plant and settle new Churches their withstanding false Apostles as themselves are true Apostles Their authority to appease strife and contention which may arise among particular Pastors and Churches which things being demonstrated in our Christianismus Primitivus to which we refer we shall not here enlarge This part of the Apostolical Office was conferred on many in the Apostles days who were also entituled the Angels of the Churches Rev. 2. 1 c. which in English is Messenger of the Churches Of this Order was James the Lord's Brother in this Church at Jerusalem and such were Timothy Titus Sylvanus Andronicus and Junia with others A Ministry as needful as any both for the unity of Churches and the management of the most important affairs of the Gospel both in the Church and in the World as experience may convince men if nothing else will do it And here it were easie to bring in the full Test of the best Antiquity but this Letter will not bear it Of the Discipline or Government of this Mother-Church It was unto the Guides of this Cuhrch to whom our Blessed Lord first gave Rules for the Government of his Church Mat. 18. whence we learn that in cases of personal Trespasses and sins of Infirmity or Weakness all possible Love Patience and Charity should be exercised by one Christian towards another and the Offender upon confession of his fault forgiven unto seventy times seven Offences so abundantly should Charity appear among the Members of Christ But it was also in this Church where wilfull Iniquity was punished with great severity as the Hypocrisie and Deceit of Ananias and Saphira and the like severity was shewed against Simon Magus for his Pride and Covetousness in aspiring to a Ministry for which he was not qualified and to which he was not called by Heaven's Donation and due vocation from the Church without which woful experience hath taught the Chrian Nations that it is in vain by Money or for Mony to make Men Ministers in the Christian Church In this Church was held the first and best of General Councils for setling the Churches in peace when troubles did arise among themselves by means of false Teachers c. And because the Churches in all Ages and Nations may have perpetual need of such helps it shall not be amiss that we consider the Quality and Authority of such Assemblies lest otherwise we be abused by Usurpation and Tyranny and first of the occasion of the calling this present Assembly Acts 15. This Assembly was called upon the greatest occasion that ever was namely the Repealing or rather shewing the Repeal of many Divine Ordinances and freeing the Christian Church from their Obligation because they were either fulfilled or too burthensome for his Church as indeed St. Peter avers they were so heavie that neither they nor their Fathers were able to bear them And the endeavours of this Council was successful to the removal of them and the settlement of the Churches in the Faith and to the great encrease of their number Asts 16. From whence we may safely conclude that if Moses's Ceremonies which were from Heaven were a hindrance to Peace and growth in the Christian Church much more must all Ceremonies devised and imposed by Human Force and Power only be an obstruction to it Let us therefore stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and not be entangled in the Yoak of Bondage whether of Legal or other devised Ceremonies As for the quality of the persons of whom this Assembly did consist 't is plain they were Messengers Elders and Brethren and these did all freely deliberate upon the matters in question offering their Reasons pro contra and the Dicision was made not by the interposition of Power Apostolical but by the clear evidence of Truth and Reason to which they all agreed The Apostles acting here as Grave Fathers giving free Audience and faithful Advice to which when all agreed the conclusion was made in all their names as appears Acts 15. 22 23. Then pleased it the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church to send chosen men of their own Company to Antioch and wrote Letters by them after this manner The Apostles Elders and Brethren send greeting unto the Brethren which are of the Gentiles c. From the sweet concord here we suppose all Churches should do well to constitute their general Consistories of such seeing such helps she may have still in things ordinary to each Office if she render not her self unworthy of them Now for the quality and authority of the Decrees made by this or succeeding Assemblies the case is clear of