Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	apostle_n	appoint_v	bishop_n	3,573	5	5.9455	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50246	A catechisme, or, The grounds and principles of Christian religion set forth by way of question and answer wherein the summe of the doctrine of religion is comprised, familiarly opened, and clearly confirmed from the Holy Scriptures / by Richard Mather, teacher to the church at Dorchester in New England.	Mather, Richard, 1596-1669.	1650 (1650)	Wing M1268; ESTC R43433	66,565	136

true Religion or onely so far forth as the Princes of the earth shall give them leave A. Princes ought not to hinder these things but to be nursing fathers to the Church c and it is a great blessing of God when they are such d Q. But if Princes be not such what ought the Church to do in such case A. They must not neglect to observe the commandements of God for lack of the commandement of man e because Jesus Christ who giveth them commandement for these things is the King of Kings and the Prince of the Kings of the earth f Q. To whom belongeth the power of choosing Officers to the Church A. The Church is to choose her own Officers Acts 1. 23. 6. 3 5. 14. 23. Q. How may that be further cleared A. Either the Church must choose her own Officers or else men may intrude themselves or Officers must be called immediately of God or be appointed by some other men none of which may be affirmed Q. Why may not men intrude themselves A. No man must take this honour to himself to be an Officer in the Church but he that is called of God as was Aaron Heb. 5. 4. Q. And why may not a man be called of God immediately A. Such kind of callings are not to be expected in these daies as being particular to Apostles and other extraordinary Officers Gal. 1. 1. Q. But why may no other men appoint Officers to the Church A. Other men that are not of the Church have no such authority given them as to appoint Offices to the Church Q. If men must not be Officers without a calling and immediate callings be ceased and other men may not appoint Church Officers it remaineth then that the Church is to choose her own Officers but unto what Functions must the Church choose Officers A. Onely to such Functions as are appointed by Christ in his word g and are of ordinary and perpetuall use in the Church for otherwise they cannot expect that God will be with them in the choise or blesse the officers unto them Q. VVhat are the Officers appointed by Christ for ordinary and perpetuall use in the Church A. They are Bishops and Deacons h which Bishops are also called Elders i more particularly they are Pastors Teachers k ruling Elders l Deacons m and Widdows n Q. What are Pastors A. They are Elders of the Chuch who are to quicken the hearts of the people unto all faith and obedience and to reprove and comfort where there is need by attending upon Exhortation o with a word of wisdom Q. What are Teachers A. They are Elders of the Church who are to instruct the people in the good knowledge of the Lord and to refute errour p by attending upon teaching sound doctrine with a word of knowledge q Q. What are ruling Elders A. They are Elders of the Church who though they doe not labour in the word and doctrine r yet they are to guide the Church in comelinesse and order and peaceably attending upon ruling with diligence s Q. VVhat are Deacons A. They are Officers of the Church who are to retaine preserve and distribute t the outward Treasures of the Church for the reliefe of the poore and other outward affaires of the Church in simplicity and faithfulnesse u Q. VVhat are widows and their works A. They are godly and ancient women left desolate and destitute of outward succour who are to attend the sick and such like offices as are more suitable to be performed by women then by men 1 Tim. 5. 9 10. Rom. 16. 1. Q. What persons must the Church choose for these Offices A. Such members of the Church w as by sufficient experience time and triall x are known to be fitted with gifts y and graces from God for the places that the Church would put them in Q. How must Officers be put into their places A. All of them by solemn prayer unto God and with imposition of hands upon Elders and Deacons and in the ordaining of Elders with fasting also Acts 6. 6. 1 Tim. 4. 14. 5. 22. Heb. 6. 2. Acts 14. 26. CHAP. 31. Of Church Discipline or Censures Q. WHat is Church Discipline A. A personall application of the will of God by censures for the preventing and removing of scandals Q. What are the parts of it A. Binding and loosing a which may be also called retaining and remitting of sinnes b and the former is either Admonition c or Excommunication d Q. What persons are subject to Church-censures A. All and onely they that are member of the Church Mat. 18. 15. 1 Cor. 5. 12. Psa. 149. 4. Q. In what way and by what steps and degrees must an offending brother be dealt withall A. If the matter be private I must first reprove him privately if this doe not win him I must then take one or two more Matth. 18. 15. 16. Q. How if this also prevaile not A. Then the matter must be told unto the Church and the Church must publiquely admonish him and if he do not heare the Church he is to be excommunicated Mat. 18. 17. Q. In what manner must admonition or reproof whether private or publique be administred A. Sometimes with meeknesse e and sometimes with severity and sharpnesse f according to the condition of the person sinning the sinne committed and the manner of doing g Q. How else A. Alwaies with due solemnity as an ordinance of God h in the Name of Christ and so that the winning i of the party must be the thing that must be aymed at Q. VVhat is Excommunication A. A putting away or cutting off from the communion and fellowship of the Church 1 Cor. 5. 2 13. Gal. 5. 12. Mat. 18. 17. Q. For what sinnes must men be excommunicated A. For hainous and flagitious k offences being publiquely known and for other offences persisted in with obstinacy after due admonition l 1 Cor. 5. 1 4 5. Q. For what end should men be excommunicated A. For the healing of the offendor m and for the preserving others from sinne n and for the glory of the Name of God which is blasphemed because of the sinne of Church-members o Q. How should a man behave himselfe towards them that are excommunicated A. He must avoyd all Church-communion with them p and all voluntary civill fellowship q that may argue approbation or familiarity But not such duties as men are bound unto in naturall or civill respects r Q. When must a man under censure be loosed and forgiven A. When he gives such signes of repentance as may satisfie rationall charity that the sinne is truly subdued and mortified Luke 17. 3 4. 1 Cor. 5. 5. 2 Cor. 2. 6 7 8. CHAP. 32. Of the life that beievers ought to live in the world and of the Law of God Q.

proofe hereof A. Their union whith Christ wich is the form of that Church is knowne onely unto God Q Name a sixth difference A. The Catholike Church and all the members of it continue for ever n but particular churches by persecutions and corruptions may come to be utterly dissolved and extinct o Q. What is a last difference betweene them A. The ordinary ministery appointed by christ is for the instituted and particular churches but not for the church catholike as such because that church hath no Pastor nor Bishop but Christ Q. How may this appeare that ministers are not ministers of the universall Church but only of some particular congregation A. The church to whom the ministery belong is to chuse her owne ministers p but the unversall church never comes together to make any such choice Q. How else may this appeare A. There is no part of the church to which the ministery belongs but it stands in need of ministers q but a good part of the catholike Church is glorious in heaven with Christ and therefore hath no such need Q. What may be a third ground hereof A. The flock of God over which the Holy ghost doth make men overseers is such as may be attended and watched over even the whole flocke and ministers thereof r Q. And why may not the same be said of the Catholike Church A. Because that Church is so large that it is not possible for any man to attend it or watch over it Q. Is there any evill in it for one man to be a Bishop or minister to all Christians where ever they be disposed of and not onely to one congregation A. Besides that such a man must needs neglect the greatest part of his charge it is a great part of the usurpation of the Bishop of Rome for which he is truely called Antichrist that he will take upon him to be universall Bishop s over all the Christians in the world Q Who is the head of the catholike church A. Onely Iesus Christ t as giving influence of life sense and motion to the same as the head doth unto the body Q Who are the members of that church A. Only they and all they that are effectually called to be true beleevers in Christ Rev. 17. 14. Iohn 15. 19. Q. What are the parts of the Catholike church A. According to the degrees of communion which they have with Christ so that church may be distinguished into that which is militant and that which is triumphant Q. VVhat is the church militant A. It is that part of the catholike Church which is warring and fighting here on earth against spirituall enemies the divell the world and the flesh Eph. 6. 12. Phil. 1. 30. 2 Cor. 10. 4. 1 Tim. 1. 18. Q. And what is the Church Triumphant A. It is that part of the Catholike church which are now in heaven gloriously triumphing over all those enemies which in this world they did conflict and combate withall Eph. 4. 13. Heb. 12. 23. Eph. 5. 27. CHAP. 29. Of the instituted Church or perticular churches Q. WHat is the matter of particular or visible churches A. By the appointment of Christ all churches ought to consist onely of true beleevers a and all that are true beleevers ought to joyn themselves unto some church b Q. If the matter of particular churches for the quality of it ought to be true beleevers in Christ what ought to be the quantity thereof Q No more in number in the dayes of the new Testament but onely so many as may ordinarily meet together in one congregation Acts 2. 46. 5. 12. 3. 2. 14. 27. 15. 25. 1 Cor. 5. 4. and 11. 17 18. and 14. 23. Q. Is any thing else needfull to the being of a visible church but onely the matter above mentioned A. Timber and stones are not an house untill they be compacted and joyned together and as the humane soule and body are not man unlesse they be united so beleevers are not a visible church without some visible bond and union Q. And what is that bond that doth unite them A. An holy agreement and covenant c with God and one another to walke together in such duties of worship to God and edification of one another as the Gospell of Christ requireth of all Churches and the members thereof Q. How many kinds of Churches are there A. The visible Church if we speake of that which is truely so called is one and the same in essence from the beginning of the world to the end thereof namely a company of people united together in the profession of the true religion Q. But may not the true church be some way distinguished A Yes for there is the church of the old Testament and the churches of the new there are pure churches and churches that are corrupt and besides these that are true there are also some that are false Churches Q. What is the Church of the old Testament A A company of people united together in the profession of such a Religion or faith whereby men beleeved on Christ then to come Q. What is a Church of the new Testement A. A company of people united together in the profession of such a religion or faith whereby men beleeve on Christ already come Q What are pure churches and churches that are corrupt A. A pure Church is such a church whose matter forme doctrine worship and ministery is accordding to the appointment of Christ in the word Q. And what is a corrupt Church A. Such an one as in the things last mentioned or in some of them doth swerve from the appointment of Christ yet still holding the foundation of salvation Q. How if their swerving be such as overthroweth the foundation A. Then they cease to be a true church and become either no church or at the best a false church Q. What is a false church A. One that is so exceedingly corrupt in regard of their constitution doctrine worship ministery that if men beleeve and walke according thereunto they cannot be saved Q. And may not thus much befall a true church A. No a true Church is either pure in these things or if corrupt yet not so corrupt as to overthrow salvation CHAP. 30. Of the power or liberty of churches and of church officers Q. WHat is the power or liberty of particular Churches A. It is not civill or worldly for Christs kingdome is not of this world a neither is it independent and supreame for that belongs only to Christ b but their power is Spirituall and ministeriall Q. And wherein have they such power A. They have such power from Christ to exercise all the Ordinances of true Religion and to assemble together for the exercise thereof and in particular to choose Officers to themselves and to practice Discipline or censures Q. Whether have Churches absolute power from Christ to assemble together for the exercise of