Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	authority_n	church_n	particular_a	1,635	5	6.7687	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28344	Vindiciæ foederis, or, A treatise of the covenant of God enterd with man-kinde in the several kindes and degrees of it, in which the agreement and respective differences of the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, of the old and new covenant are discust ... / [by] Thomas Blake ... ; whereunto is annexed a sermon preached at his funeral by Mr. Anthony Burgesse, and a funeral oration made at his death by Mr. Samuel Shaw.	Blake, Thomas, 1597?-1657.; Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.; Shaw, Samuel, 1635-1696.	1658 (1658)	Wing B3150; ESTC R31595	453,190	558

as above 3. Brings arguments sor the negative which I shall here take into consideration First The infant that is to be baptized if we consider it in it self as abstracted from the parent gives no reason for it selfe why it should be baptized This we willingly yield the infant hath no independent title the right claimed is in relation to the parents and thence I inferre the infants right is somewhat that parents can transmit to their children that gives the title otherwise they might have regeneration from parents as well as Baptisme It is not then inherent graces that we must look after respective to the childes interest but covenant-priviledge covenant-holinesse A second ground is inferred from the former All children then saith he are baptized by vertue of the parent one or both ever considering the childe in relation to the parent being the branch of such a root and so I take in the childe together with the parent Hence we say commonly they must be children borne in the Church that is of such parents as are members of the Church being a society of visible Saints joyned together by way of covenant to exercise an holy communion with God in Christ and so one with another according to the order of the Gospel for I presume none are so sottish to understand a Church to be that place which by a Metonymy of the subject we call a Church nor the Parishes that men live in which never were of Ecolesiastical constitution I am utterly to seek what is meant by that place which by a Metonymy of the subject we call a Church our meeting places seeme to be intended but few children are borne there and the Authonr speaks of a Church where children are borne For the covenant of which he speaks one with another according to the order of the Gospel which he seemes to understand of a Congregational Church constituting covenant and puts into the definition of a Church this should not have been premised but proved His adversaries in this thing know no such explicite covenant If an implicite one will serve then the Parish inhabitants which he sayes were never of Ecclesiastical constitution are all in covenant Men that professe God in Christ and by vertue of conveniency of habitation joyne in one in the worship of God in the use of Ordinances tacitely and implicitely are in covenant together and we take it to be no sottish thing to esteeme these as Churches If this be his meaning to assert onely an implicite covenant where he sayes page 3. This rule warrants any Minister comfortably to administer that Ordinance Here is a parent one or both visibly in covenant with God and a visible member of Christs Church I do therefore administer the seal of the covenant unto this infant by vertue of this parent according to that Command given to Abraham the father of believers with whom when the Lord entered into covenant and laid the foundation of the Church visible in his family he took his seed into covenant with him and commanded that they with him should keep that Seale of his covenant we freely consent and then the question is determined in the affirmative I am sure the Church of the Jewes took in such by circumcision that some would exclude from Baptisme In case he meanes an explicite Church-covenant over and above the covenant of grace as the Jewes had no such way so neither had the Apostles or primitive Christians Those converts Acts 2. did not that first day of their conversion before their Baptisme set up Congregational Churches with officers they dwelt in many remote places at great distance whither they were to returne to their respective families and therefore could not in this way embody themselves in one distinct society for exercise of discipline Assoon as the Eunuch by Philips preaching of a Jewish proselyte is made a Christian Disciple he saith to Philip See here is water what doth hinder me to be baptized Acts 8. 36. Had Philip understood a necessity of confederation into a Church-way over and above the covenant of grace before Baptisme he had doubtlesse informed him and as Christ sent the Leper that he had cleansed to shew himselfe to the Priest and offer the gift that Moses had Commanded Matth. 8. 4. so Philip would have observed the Gospel-order appointed and have sent him to some particular constituted visible Church upon his covenant to have been received and not hand over head upon his bare profession that he beleeved that Jesus Christ is the Sonne of God baptized him When the Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost Peter said Acts 10. 47. Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we had there been any such rule of a Church-covenant orderly to have preceded he might easily have seen that any man upon that account might have forbidden it Paul had made much more haste as I may say than good speed Acts 16. In baptizing the Jaylour and his houshold in case Jesus had set down an order of a preconfederation into a particular Church-society Master Bartlet in his model of the Congregational way saith that those particular instances which are produced by divers reverend Divines of the Eunuch Centurions Jaylours Baptisme though not belonging to any particular Church against what we have laid down are of little force and validity in regard that which was done to those persons was by the hands of extraordinary officers that were not tied to particular Churches as ordinary Pastours and Teachers were then and still are But these persons whom they thus baptized were not persons in any such extraordinary capacity and they must come in in a Gospel-way This might have priviledged the Leper cleansed by Christ from offering his gift appointed by Moses as well as it could priviledge these new Converts from any covenant-way appointed by Christ and the Eunuch saith What doth hinder me to be baptized without mention of any special priviledge of an officer extraordinary in a way otherwise irregular And the like we may observe in the speech of Peter 2. They should shew us where when and by what authority any ordinary Pastours and Teachers tied themselves to such an order to bring men into a Congregational Church-way and to baptize into such particular Church Congregational and not into the universal Church visible 3. Those of his judgement may do well to give us their thoughts of their own Baptisme They had no independant right all their right was in relation to their parents Their parents were not as we conceive thus in any particular Church federation perhaps they were no fit persons in their judgement for admission neither were they baptized by the hands of extraordinary Officers If their Baptisme was null then they are yet to be baptized if valid they had then title to Baptisme and others in their condition are entitled 4. Then it is in the power of man at

of of God who go up into the Pulpit in the name of Christ to preach his Word ought to have such firmness of Faith in them that they are assured that their Doctrine can no more be overthrowne then God himself now truely this faith is much to be commended to us we may have much learning much reading but little Faith be very scepticall and deale in Divinitie as we use to do in Philosophy videtur quod sic videtur quod non Great Schollars are not alwayes great beleevers The want of this maketh a man of a Socinian faith an Arminian faith a Popish faith as often as any plausible Argument or carnal Interest interposeth 2. With this knowledge labour much after Casuisticall Divinity whereby you may be able to direct the tempted in cases of Conscience To guide the afflicted in soul what they are to doe Indeed the Papists have a deale of Casuisticall divinitie in large voluminous discourses but it is for the most part calculated according to their meridians of superstitious usages and Customes but it is pitty that among us Protestants our controversall Bookes are farre more then our casuisticall yet remember the Scripture calleth it the tongue of the Learned Isa 50. 4. To know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary The wounds of Conscience are the most tender and therefore require a Spirituall skilfull Physitian The Consciences of men are the subject matter of your Office and therefore look after that Ars Cordis which is indeed a liberall art that will set us free 3. He that will faithfully discharge the Office of his Ministery must regard the end of it the finis operis and finis operantis the finis ministerii and ministri must be all one The end of the Ministry is to exalt God Christ to dethrone Satan to bring many out of their sins unto the obedience of the Gospel Now if a man aim at other things in his Ministry then this he can never comfortably discharge it To be a Minister for earthly profits for ambition and vain glory these will be like the gravel that will presently stop the Ship in its passage and truly herein we may much lament our entrance in to this work how many set upon it as a profession to live upon by that they hope to satisfie their needs but if this end and motive do still reign in thee it will be like a milstone about thy neck outward maintenance may be a secondary end but not the principal still then a we thy soul with the end of thy office that all other knowledge is exercised about the body or mens Estates or the nature of things but thine is Theology De Deo à Deo in Deum its concerning God objectively it s from God effectively it s to God finally 4. He that will faithfully discharge this Office of the Ministry must as Paul professeth 2 Cor. 1. 12. have his conversation with all godly simplicity and sincerity He is to carry on his work in Scripture-ways avoiding those two Rocks Media violentiae and Media fraudulentiae A man of a crafty multiplicity of Spirit will turn into any shape dispute for any thing a lawful This the Jesuit said to one for so I understand it who doubted about something he was to do whether lawful or no Aude saith he nos efficiemus probabile Jansen St. August lib. proaem pag. 9. Be daring to do it and we will make it probable now this simplicity of Spirit in Ministerial imployment is greatly seen in an obediential dependance upon the word of God whether in matter of Duty or of Faith What is it that maketh so many learned Men embrace Errors after Errors but because they leave Faith and attend to reason They think we come to be Christians by Disputations and scientifical Demonstrations as we come to be Philosophers not by a single and plain captivating of our understandings to the scripture whereas it is Christian Faith not Christian reason It is said to be Nazianzens Emblem Theologia nostra est Pythagorica by this simplicity of Spirit a man shall overcome those Temptations which are usually in Scholars to bring inaudita invisa strange and unheard things unto our People especially let the Ministers of the Gospel be so guided by simplicity of Spirit that they may avoid these three Rocks First that while they avoid a Popish blinde obedience to men examining things by Scripture they therefore do not make all things uncertain That of Durand is true whosoever forsaketh reason because of humane Authority incidit in insipientiam bestialem maketh himself like a Beast yet let not this liberty be abused to licentiousness to believe nothing to despise all those Ministerial helps which God hath vouchsafed to the Church because he is to try all things though he must try yet he must not be always trying but hold fast that which is good 1 Thess 5. 21. This liberty and particular Judgement of discerning which God alloweth every man is not to be opposed to that decisive Ministerial Judgement which God hath appointed in his Church Secondly under pretence of a more moderate and impartial handling of things as not being addicted unto parties take heed thou do not make a party of thy self as the Sect of Philosophers called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diogen Laert. in Proent pretending they would be of no Sect but choose the best Art of all thus they made a Sect while they condemned all Lastly Take heed of being deceived under the pretence that thou doest not bring in any new matter but new words or thou dost digest things into a better method for by this means men leaving that simplicity and Scripture-dependance they once had have corrupted their Ministerial Office instead of a faithful discharge of it Fifthly To a faithful discharge of this dreadful Office there is required an excellent compound of many choice Graces insomuch that a Ministers qualification is like that Ointment that was to be made for the Priest onely There must be love and compassion to Peoples Souls which was abundantly discovered in our Savior himself Paul compareth himself sometimes to a Father sometimes to a Mother sometimes to a Nurse because of this affectionate desire in him There must be Zeal Fortitude and Courage the spirit of love and of power also he is not a Minister that is not ad mille mortes paratus said Chrysostome as a good Souldier endure hardship saith Paul to Timothy 1 Tim. 2. 3. There must be Prudence and Wisdom else Love and Power will make us like Sampson without eyes there must be salt in the Sacrifice as well as fire Oportet Pastor sit totus oculus a Pastor must be an Argus full of eyes Again there must be an Heavemly heart contemning the world and all earthly advantages The eye that is to see for others must not have dust falling into it Austin maketh an Heretick to have some carnal profit or