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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	according_a	lord_n	way_n	3,348	5	4.6967	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91314	A vindication of foure serious questions of grand importance, concerning excommunication and suspention from the sacrament of the Lords Supper, from some misprisions and unjust exceptions lately taken against them; both in the pulpit, by a reverend brother of Scotland, in a sermon at Margarets Church in Westminster, before the Honourable House of Commons, at a publike fast there held for Scotland, on the 5th of September last: and in the presse, by three new-printed pamphlets, by way of answer to, and censure of them. Wherein some scripture texts, (commonly reproduced for excommunication, and bare suspention from the Lords Supper onely,) are cleared from false glosses, inferences, conclusions wrested from them; ... / By William Prynne of Lincolns Inne, Esquire.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1645 (1645)	Wing P4124; Thomason E265_5; ESTC R212424	79,558	71

that the remembrance of them is grievous unto them the burthen of them intolerable desiring God to have mercy upon them for his Sonne Christ Jesus sake and to for●er all that is past and grant that they may ever after serve and please him in newnesse of life offering up themselves soules and bodyes to be a holy and li●ing Sacrifice acceptable unto God through Jesus Christ Yea I dare presume there is no Receiver so desperate that dares professe when he comes to receive he is not heartily sorow for his sinnes past but resolvs to persevere impenitently in them for the future though afterward he relapse into them as the be● Saints do to their old infirmities because his heart nature are not truly regenerated by Gods Spirit All this being granted no Minister ought to refuse the Sacrament to such an external penitent sinner the sincerity of whose heart and repentance God onely knows nor may or ought any Christian to abstaine from communicating with him at it in case he be not actually excommunicated or not re-admitted to the Church for his prophane scandalous life since they have no warrant from this or any other Scripture else to doe it All which if seriously pondered by Separatists and Independents misled by the objected inference would speedily reduce them to the bosome of our Church and quite allay the heat of the present controversies about suspension from the Sacrament in which many now place The very Kingdome of Christ who never claimed nor exercised such a soveraignty as they under his name and title would usurp unto themselves The fifth thing in difference is Whether the Priests under the Law had divine authority to keepe backe any circumcised person from the Passeover who desired to eat it for any reall or pretended ignorance heresie or scandalous sinne My opposites affirme they had for proofe whereof they produce Num. 9. 1. to 12. Where the Israelites being commanded to eat the Pasover on the fourteenth day of the first moneth at evening there were certaine men defiled by the dead body of man that they could not keep the Passeover on that day and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day and said unto Moses we are de●iled by the dead body of man wherefore are we kept backe that we may not offer an Offering to the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel And Moses said unto them stand still and I will heare what the Lord will command concerning you And the Lord spake unto Moses saying speak unto the children of Israel saying If any man of you or your posterity shall be uncleane by reason of a dead body or in a journey a farre off he shall keep the Passeover unto the Lord the fourteeenth day of the second Moneth they shall keep it and eat it By which it is cleere that legall uncleannesse did dis-able them to eat the Passover at the appointed time therefore much more scandalous sinnes and spirituall uncleannesse did dis-able and keep them from it and by consequence they doe likewise debar men from the Lords Supper now of which the Passeover was a type yea our reverend Scottish brother in his controversall Fast-Sermon added that no man might bring a Trespasse offering to the Lord to expiate any particular sin he was guilty of unlesse he did first confesse he had sined in that thing Levit. 5. 5 6. Therefore said he a fortiori he could not be admitted unto the Pasover nor any now unto the Lords Table unlesse he first particularly and publikely confessed the sinnes he stood guilty of To this I answer first that all circumcised persons whatsoever had a right to eat the Passeover and participate of all the Ordinances under the law from which the Priests had no power to exclude them for ignorance or any scandalous offence for ought appeares by any Scripture-precept or president ALL of them under pain of being cut off from their people being bound to eat the Passeover in its season except in cases of necessity disability by reason of a journey or of legall uncleannesse onely not spirituall as is cleere by Exod. 12. 3. 43. to 50. Num. 9. 1. to 15. Deut. 16. 16 17. Ezra 6. 19 20 21. 2 Kings 23. 21 22. 2 Chron. 35. 6 7 13 17 18. where we read that ALL THE PEOPLE and ALL the Males THAT WERE PRESENT received the Pasover not one of them being excluded from eating it This is most evident by that noted place of 2 Chro. 30. 3. to 21. where King Hezekiah proclaiming a solemn● Pasover summoned ALL Israel and ALL THE PEOPLE from Dan to Beersheba to repaire to it whereupon there assembled MUCH PEOPLE to Jerusalem to keep it Now there were many in the Congregation that were not clean nor sanctified for a multitude of the people had not cleansed themselves from their legall pollutions YET DID THEY EAT THE PASSOVER neither Hezekiah nor the Priests prohibiting them to eat it otherwise then it was written But Hezekiah prayed for them saying The good God pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seeke God the Lord God of his Fathers though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord hearkned t● Hezekiah and healed the people Here legall uncleannesse did not actually suspend them from the Passover when their hearts were upright and they desirous to eat it the Lord at Hezekiah's prayer passing by their unpreparations and accepting their devotions in this act Nor yet did spirituall pollution by reason of grosse and scandalous sinnes debar them that were circumcized from the Passeover as Paul expresly determines 1 Cor. 10. 1. to 10. an unanswerable Text to this purpose Moreover brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant that ALL our Fathers were under the cloud and ALL passed through the sea and were ALL baptiz●d unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea and DID ALL EAT THE SAME SPIRITUALL MEAT to wit the Passeover and Manna and did ALL DRINK OF THE SAME SPIRITUALL DRINK for they drank of the Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ But perchance ALL these Communicants were visible Saints free from any legall pollution at least not tainted with any scandalous sinne The Apostle to take off this evasion subjoynes in the very next words But with MANY OF THEM God was not well pleased for they were overthrowne in the Wildernesse No● these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evill things 〈◊〉 they also lusted neither be ye Idolaters as were some of them c. neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed c. neither let us tempt Christ 〈◊〉 some of them also tempted neither murmure ye as also some of them murmurd and were destroyed of the destroyer So that the Israelites being once circumcized were all admitted to eat the Passeover though some of them were Idolaters others lusters after evill things others Fornicators others tempters of Christ

So ●re his Word ●●d Sacraments too accidentally set by reason of me●● corruptions and ●●worthy ●●profitable particip●tio● of them for the fall and ruine as well as the salvation of 〈◊〉 Fiftly that God onely i●fallibly knows the he●●ts and present state of all men not any Minister or Presbytery 2 Chron. 6. 30. Acts 1. 24. 2 Tim. 2. 19. 1 Sam. 16. 5. to 14. Matth. 26. 21 22. Iohn 2 24 25. That he can convert and change ●●●s hearts and lives in a m●ment and make them meet Co●●nicants though●● cannot discerne them to be such Acts 3. 9. to 28. chap. 2. 37 38. c. Rom. 11. 3 4 5 He can sodainly give th●m a white ston● with a new name written in it which NO MAN KNOWETH SAVING HE THAT RECEIVETH IT Revel● 2. 17. And therefore if we see any desirous to receive the Sacrament to be penitent in outward shew and profession we ought in the judgement of ch●●ity to esteem them such since we cannot infallibly discern● and search their hearts 1 ●or 13. 5. 7. Phil. 2. 3. Heb 6. 9. Mat. 7. 1. Rom. 14 4. to 15. Sixthly that no Ministers private judgement or conscience ought to be the rule of his admitting any to or suspending them from the Sacrament For first there is no Text nor cla●se of S●ri●tu●e that makes his private judgement or conscience such a rule Secondly if a Minister should have power to deny the sacrament under pain of sin ye● punishmentt as some men ●each ●o every Communicant he deems unmeet or unworthy before actuall convictio● of his unworthinesse in the Presbytery then it would rest in the power of every particular Minister how justly or unjustly soever to admit or se●l●de from the sacrament whom ever his cōscience or judgment should think fit which would introduce the most exorbitant arbitrary Papall jurisdiction usurpation over the consciences priviledges of christians Ordinances of Christ that was ever yet heard of or exer●ised in the christian world make every Minister more thē a Pope every member of a congregation worse then a slave and give greater authority to every ordinary Pastor then ever Christ or ●is Apostles exercised or the Pope or Prelats hitherto claimed Thirdly then it would inevitably follow that in case the whole Presbytery Classis or Synod should deem a man upon any appe●l unto them against his Ministers unjust suspension worthy and fit to receive the sacrament yet if his Ministers judgement and conscience be not satisfied but he deems him still ●nworthy he may will and must still refuse to administer the Sacrament to him notwithstanding their resolution else he should offend against his owne judgement and conscience So on the other side if the Presbytery Classis Synod should vote any man unworthy and unfit to communicate yet if the Minister think him fit he may wil and must admit him to the sacrament if he r●quire it lest he should sin against his conscience And then to what end serve Presbyteries Classes Synods or Appeales unto them in such ●ases since upon my Opposites objected princi●les if they will adhere unto them not their resolutions but every particular Ministers private j●dgment conscience is and ought to be the sole canon and Directory which he will must and ought to follow And then to what a miserable slavery shall we be re●●●ed if every Minister may have snch authority to Lord it over the Lords inheritances and Ordinances too let all prudent men determine These six conclusions premised which have utterly overt●rned the very foundations o● this strange Objection and laid the Opposites on their backs I answer directly That a Minister in delivering the sacrament to a scandalous unexcomm●nicated person who ●fter admonition of the danger doth earnestly desire to receive it as conceiving himselfe in his owne heart and conscience meet to participate of it becomes no way guilty of his si●ne or punishment in case he eat and drink judgement by his ●nworthy receiving of it My reasons are th●se First because this receiver being not excommunicated hath a true ●ight to this sacrament as a vi●●ble member of the visible Church as well as to Baptisme and other Ordinan●●s therefore the Ministers cannot in point of conscience debarr● hi● fro● it Secondly be●●use he hath no commission from Christ to keep bac● such a person nor yet any such power from the Church or state Thirdly because every Communicant is to examine himselfe and his owne conscience between God him whether he be fit to receive the sacrament or not and to be the judge of his owne heart which no other can so truly discerne as himselfe 1 Cor. 11. 28. 31. 2 Cor. 13. 6. Gal. 6. 4. 5. Jer. 17. 9. 1 Cor. 2. 11. And if he judge himselfe fitly prepared joynes with others in the publike confession of his sinnes and promiseth newnesse of life the Minister ought in point of charity to deem him so and hath no commission from Christ to exclude him When Christ himselfe instituted and administred this sacrament we read not of any examination made by him of his Disciples fitnesse or preparednesse to receive it nor yet of Paul or any other Apostle or Minister in the new Testament that made any such particular scrutiny into other Communicants consciences to try their fitnesse or unfitnesse as some now magisterially take upon them to make by way of jurisdiction not advice derived originally from Popish tyranny and their exploded practice of Auricular confession to a Priest before the receiving of the sacrament All the power they claimed or exercised in this kind was onely by way of Councell Let a man therefore examine himselfe not others or others him say all old and new Expositors on the Text And if they may not examine then much lesse judge or seclude him as unworthy without examination or knowledge of his heart which God onely knowes and searcheth and himself Fourthly because he administers the sacrament to him as to a person outwardly fitted and prepared the inward preparation of whose heart for ought he knowes may be sincere towards God really changed from what it was before Fifthly because the administration of the sacrament is an holy lawfull action and Gods Ordinan●ce in the Minister who delivers it onely as Gods Ordinance in obedi●nce to his command with a good intention to benefit all and hurt none by it Sixthly because such a persons unworthy receiving is onely contingent and casuall no Minister or creature being able infallibly to judge whether God at this instant out of his abundant mercy may not by the omnipotent working of his spirit in the preparatory examinations prayers exhortations before the act of receiving in the very receiving it selfe the sacrament being as well a meanes to beget as confirme grace change both his heart and life and make him eat and drink salvation instead of damnation to himselfe Seventhly because all our Opposites accord that Ministers may and ought to admister the