Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	faith_n	teach_v	4,044	5	6.3549	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75847	Gospel publique worship: or, The translation, metaphrase, analysis, and exposition of Rom. 12. from v.1. to 8. Describing, and prescribing, the compleat pattern of gospel-worship. Also, an exposition of the 18th. chapter of Matthew. To which is added A discovery of Adam's three-fold estate in paradise, viz. moral, legal, and evangelical. / By Thomas Brewer.	Brewer, Thomas, fl. 1656.	1656 (1656)	Wing A4429; Thomason E1654_1; ESTC R208992	154,122	337

or principally in the work to be done according to the divers abilities of the gifted Secondly Church Ministry is expresly divided into five particulars by the disjunctive and proper distinctive conjunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latter is in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which cannot be translated she that pittyeth because both the article the substantive are the Masculine Gender Nor he that pittyeth because the work is receivedly proper to the Church-widow and so it should be false English and therefore must they be translated the pittyer or shewer of mercy denotating a known Church-office and not only properly or principally a working gifted mercifull and pittying Officer or Member that is so to do more than any other of the Church whether Officer or Member more and more plain and exact proofs of what kinde you wil I think cannot be shewn in any place of Scripture for any point of instituted worship so that we must admit it or dismiss the second Commandment with the Papists professedly or with other hierarchicall or prophane and carnall worshippers so much as we can and dare † Mediate * Near. ¶ Apportioning ordering and confining the Offices to the Powers and the Powers to the Offices i. e. the Functions of the Offices not considered as abilities and that either as existing inherent or acting in the Members prerequisites to the Church-Offices or Actions or causes of the benefit of the Church but only as the portions of faith measured out by God to every Officer v. 3. the bounding proportions of faith v. 6. the distinct and not one work or function of the many members v. 4. and the appropriated paralelled charged adaequated and proper designations of and to every Office v. 7 8. for those five expressed contain in and under them and intend all the passive and exequatable Ordinances of the Church either as such viz. the Sacraments which as signes are teaching and as conveyers and seals perswade and unite us and the thing exhorted and sealed to And the censures and orderings of the Church-actions are parts of ruling or else as concurring to their being viz. the collections for the poor unto distribution in which respect teaching as a power or act subordnate may be used by the Exhorter without breach of Christs order in the distinctness mentioned it coming here under the respect and nature of exhortation it being upon right understanding of that nature and reason intended to that end but I know no other Functions that can be brought under the Exhorters for excommunication that he may administer the Sacraments only to worthy persons cometh not unto this case First because he administereth to the Church in whose power is Excommunication and to persons not as such but as Members of the Church and so it cometh not within his Office to judge of their particular unworthiness much less upon that judgement to excommunicate them Secondly because his personall discomfort toucheth not his ministeriall Function they being of clean different natures and considerations Thirdly Excommunication is an Institution and so not to be by the Light of nature found much less ordered as an essential or subordinate unto any thing without authority from the Word expresly or under an expressed Reason which is equivolent but teaching is a Naturall subordidinate to Exhortation and so used in our case which also is a fourth Argument though v. 7. it be made also the instituted Function of the Teacher but that in our and the like case it is otherwise is evident both by the Scriptures and the Precepts and practise of Naturalists boasting and self-p●●ising is a sin and folly resting in that nature and end and more forbidden than teaching is the Exhorter in the case of giving matter to the Corinthians to rejoyce of him and answer the false Apostles he Paul doth it and yet denyeth that he doth it 2 Cor. 5.12 because he doth it as a necessary and proper subordinate to that end and on the contrary eating meat otherwise lawfully was a sin to the Heathen being done in way of worship of Idolls and that not only the idolatrous intent but even the eating it self was sinfull is evident 1 Cor. 10.21 because it was a sin for the Corinthians to eat that meat in their feasts though without that intent for that intent having made that eating a true subordinate to their worship it was now the same Communion with Devils with the Corinthians The Precepts of Logicians are plentifull in this case both of their Prince Aristot 2. Phys And of their soundest accutest and most methodicall and judicious Pillars Zeb a rel lib. de Constit Scaliger de subtilitate Exercit 307. Cap. 26. Keckerman sustem Log. Lib. 2 Cap. The practise hereof is most current in all civill Courts and courses in the world In England tryalls of right to Lands Goods are peculiar to the common Pleas and of personall actions to the Kings Bench yet by way of tryall of Actions Titles of Lands and Goods may be and are lawfully daily tryed and so may Actions in the Common Pleas and both in the Chancery under the respects peculiar to each court The truce between the Low-Countreys and Spain was n●ver supposed to be broken by their warring together in Cleveland hurts to any possession of the City of Amsterdam are to be tryed punished by the Burgemasters yet by way of tryall of any persons right thereto they may be desided by the Court of Skepins A Woman is forbidden to speak in the Church 1 Cor. 14. yet in the case of confession of Faith she may teach all the Principles of Religion in the Congregation and as a witness speak and ask therein for it is the right Reason Respects and Order of Actions which is their soul and life and not their acts that make them lawfull and on the contrary unlawful and so our answerable knowledg and intention of them that maketh them so to us but the simple acts are meer matter and so passive and so neither under the state of good nor bad for Murder Adulterie Robbery c. are not evill because of their actions of killing a man lying with a woman taking goods from a man c. but because they are either not Gods subordinate means to out intended ends of revenge pleasure profit c. or else because as such means they are not committed to us nor permitted as might be cleared if present occasion required only let me not be mistaken to compare teaching with the act of killing and generating in the originall estate of things for then were they simply unlawfull but not teaching neither speak I here of teaching as a ministerial Function for so it is simply unlawfull to any but the Teacher or the end of Exposition Analysis Metaphrase and Extraction of Doctrines but as an ability and action duly subordinate and necessarily prerequisite to Exhortation without which it cannot he and so may by the Exhorter be used as a Passenger may eat

Deputations of Christ and of like confident expectation thereof in the greater charge and duty to obey and also in the greater measure of gifts which are to be supposed in the Ministers whereof an answerable success is to be expected 8. None hath right to exercise as a Prophet out of a Church-Assembly at least but to Church members much less one that is no Church-member whether within or without the Church though they may and that successfully to the begetting and nourishing Faith and its fruits exercise the same gift because and as it is personal which also hath a less measure of authority charge promise and gifts annexed 9. The scope of the Prophets is to speak to the edification exhortation and comfort of the Church and not for triall no nor exercise of gifts though both may also yield that use and therefore distinct prayer in those respects onely is not good though the goodness of prayer alone be added because it is here used as a Sanctifier of an action and not as a distinct action for the edifying exhorting or comforting the Church much less is the Churches custome especially if begun on a divers reason warrant for it but least of all fear of Innovation both which are of through and for Babylonism and nourish up carkasses and traditions yea tyranny in the Church to the eating the heart of Religion and purity of Worship thereout Secondly therefore matters of sin or disorder therein are no more censurable within that time then the sins and disorders committed in any other Exercise but are to be referred to the Exercise of Ruling at least if great and turbulent but if onely in the length of time and number or other orders agreed by the Prophets they are to be remedied first by the reasons perswasion of the Prophets 1 Cor. 14.32 or by them referred to the censure of the Church in case of obstinacy Thirdly therefore each is to be referred to the knowledge of his own ability and to his fitting it with Text Doctrine and Manner for the fruit is much diminished by the inequality of the matter and ability Fourthly though respect be to be had of strangers in many mean circumstances and observations the main of the course is not to be shaped nor altered for them Again briefly of the Organical and five Officers there are five distinct objects functions portions and proportions of Faith Rom. 12.7 8. with 3 4 5 6. The first is of the Teacher who is v. 7. confined within Teaching which is fourfold Lingual Grammatical Logical and Ethical The first is his apt expressing the Original Tongues by the Mother-Tongue of the Church The second is his apt expounding the meaning of the Holy Ghost in the Grammer Phrases and Figures either in his own person or metaphrastically in the person of the Writer The third is his analytical dividing the word of truth aright into its proper parts and his genetical incorporating them into one body enspired or ensouled by the scope of the Holy Ghost The fourth is his distinct extracting the Doctrines of the Holy Ghost testimentary and preceptive and the genuine consequences from them both confirming and confuting and his suasive pressing them to approbation The second is of the Exhorter which is there called Exhortation which is either unto good from evil or to stay in good or flee out of evil which four are peculiarly called Exhortation Dehortation Comfort and Terrour Now the Sacraments and singing Psalms being both teachingly exhorting and exhortingly teaching are the works of both these Offices but most plenarily and properly of the Exhorter but prayer is equally common not only to these two but to the other three Offices before and after the execution of their offices and that in respect of their offices and not onely of their persons The third is that of the Ruler which consisteth in ordering of others in the execution of their functions and the Church in its Church-duties as its decreeing admission excommunication ordination degradation c. or in executing his own the former is his ordering the Church unto and in its Assembly and in its Members and Officers unto and in their Church-works late mentioned and promised the latter is his admitting excommunicating members ordaining degrading Officers and dismissing the Church and in respect of other Churches and persons and absent members to receive and read in the Church their Letters and write and send to them in this respect he is written unto under the name of the Angel of the Church seven times Rev. 2. 3. Chap. and charged with the faults of their Churches as not using their offices to their best redressing them and commended for their good on the contrary Fourthly the Function of the Distributer to provide for the relief of the Poor of the Church by the richer ones thereof and to do all the services of the Church in matter of provision by employment of Church-stock buying selling or building or ordering its meeting-place and following its necessary Suits in the Law and providing bread wine water and other necessaries for the Elders Bishops or Pastors proper discharge of their offices in which respect he is called the Servant Helper and Deacon of the Church The last and least is the Function of the Pittier shewer of mercy Widow or Deaconness of the Church which is to tend upon the health of each member thereof in cases of need as in sickness child-birth and in all matters of preservation of their persons so that by these five offices and their functions all the needs of the Church are supplyed as by the five offices of Christ our Prophet Priest King Provider and Preserver and the answerable gifts of the mind infused and acquisite and humane innate abilities three whereof are the three faculties of the reasonable soul apprehending applying and expressing and two of the sensitive i.e. desire-of provision and preservation and so all Gods promises Christs purchases and the Spirits graces for us and all that Faith Hope and Love expect in this life is in these as in the immediate niples spoons and hands of the nursing Mother the Church encorporate for the visible preservation of the mystical or saved Church wherein the one half of the special uses and ends promised is performed and the other half will be shewn after my present summary manner by observing in them all God as our Lord as in the former half he is shewn to be Jesus or our Saviour which two are the sole object of Faith 2 Pet. 1.2 for they are means of Gods sanctifying both for his service and our preservation and that convertibly for whatsoever is divinely to serve God is divinely to preserve his and è contra and wherein can he be more glorified by us than by our acknowledging of all these to be means of and by God for our salvation and of all them and our selves also to be for Gods service and worship for if they be for Gods Divine

being the Kingdom of Heaven compleat ● e. the Evangelical Ministerial Church its five-fold Offices Ordinances Works and Uses derived from and answering to Christ as Prophet Priest King Provider Preserver as Instituter of his five Church-Offices i. e. the Teacher Exhorter Ruler Distributer Pitier with their five Functions of Teaching Exhortation Ruling Distribution Pittying enrighting us by these three sorts of Christs five-fold respects to Teaching Exhorting Ruling Distributing Pittying for and unto the knowledge sincerity honesty provision preservation of our understanding heart and its affections Christian conversation estates and possessions persons health and life as from through and for God as an essential Mind Will actus good Being or Essence a Respecting our five-fold needs of him sent n Christ as to Sons to be received by Faith so to his Servants to be worshipped by Works as acknowledging Christ therein and n The Holy Ghost to adequate Christ as our Mediatour with all gifts Son-like to receive the benefits and Servant-like to do the Works of instituted Church-worship By this Table is Synopticè to be seen the external relation of our present Divine Worship to all Gods former Worships and the internal order of the materials thereof within themselves and also their respects to God Christ the Spirit and Man all exactly parallelling each other in all particularities and also compleating all things Divine into an integral unity perfectly resembling the perfect uniformity of the glorified Heaven and proposing to Us the present enjoyment thereof in an exact Epitome by a proper Livery of Seisin and imparting earnest so that nothing is more worthy of knowledge in respect of the perfection and gloriousness thereof nor more desirable in respect of its pretiousness to us and for their acceptableness it cannot but be discerned through their evident being of through and for God yea in the highest degree on earth Alas that this kind of Knowledge is so unknown and the pearl and treasure thereof as hid in the earth though like yea being Wisdoms house pillars and food proposed to yea proclaimed for us with many and manifold motives by her maidens Prov. 9.1 to 12. and though so unlike the contrary false worship and folly of Antichrist that foolish Whore and whorish folly so vilified and deterred in the rest of that Chapter as illustrating true worship by its contrary the particulars of this worship are so many and magnifyed that I dare not move by one of them Eleventhly This word-worship is the subject of the greatest part of the Scripture in its describing the particulars thereof prescribing the observance thereof prohibiting the contrary historying the practises of both sorts and the answerable blessings and judgments and making use thereof for future encouragements and terrours of the proceeders and adding farther comforts and threatnings accordingly but the particularizing hereof requiring a kind of Exposition of half the Scripture I must refer the marking this point in your daily readings thereof wherein you shall find these things exceeding useful and worthy your knowledge Twelfthly the great and many blessings of the Word are annexed to this true divine worship and the plenty of fierce Curses are denounced against the false and because this and the other are too large to prosecute to the full see both verified in the Decalogue-Epitome thereof in the second Commandement for that is so large as all the rest except the fourth Commandement which instituteth Gods set time for the celebration thereof and so it rather secondeth than affronteth our point and pronounceth moe and higher blessings and denounceth heavier judgments in this matter than all the body of the Decalogue beside But I more need to excuse my prolixness herein and to break off from the many proofs of and motives to this point then to proceed herein both since the matter is so pregnant and the remaining points so many and special above my ability to accomplish your patience to read except you be more then vulgarly transformed for this purpose which v. 2. requireth and also the suppressedness of the matter by the wrong exposition of this place and its parallels and the wronging opposition of their subject than which none is greater And therefore having made some use of the point and proofs I will pass to other for if I should instance the particulars of this Worship I should be drowned in the multitude of their special motives to this point of the worth and need of their knowledge Since then Evangelical Worship is so many and main wayes worthy and necessary to be known why is the knowledge thereof so slighted as worthless and useless and that not onely by the world and its world-worshippers for I as much slight the slightings and the fightings of Christs adversaries but by the Lovers of the Word and also of Gods worship in the general and of the particulars thereof which they hold so to be i. e. of preaching the Word administring the Sacraments and Prayer But the main and radical parts thereof i. e. the Church as encorporated and congregated the diversities of its Ministries and their Functions their derivation from the Church their ministration i. e. service in and unto that Church their set number and nature and their distinct collateral order and more the more particular appropriating of Divine Ruling order and acts to the proper Ruler of such a Church and in its Congregation but most of all the most particular act of that Ruler in admission and ordination and the knowledge whether those acts or the decree of the Congregation give the being to a member or Minister of a Church All these and divers other points of great use and worth they hold to be Walls Hedges Orders and Circumstances of Religion and Gods Worship but not of the substance thereof and therefore put off the knowledge thereof in pretence of their love and esteem of the substance thereof Alas that Professours of Religion should thus he Ushers of Antichrists Hall to make room for his entrance Porters of his tryumphant chair of estate to bring him in and supporters of his Hierarchy with their own shoulders upon such groundless pretences for Antichristianisme consisteth in the confusion of those main points of Religion and thereby those things which they call the substance of Religion But first ad hominem hath God set them for walls of defence of his true worship and worshippers and will they through ignorant negligence relinquish the walls to their and their Kings mortal enemy since the winning the Walls is the winning the City and all therein and the subjecting themselves to the enemy either to his service direct or indirect or destruction yea in God's Matters to both if to the first Secondly hath God bounded his Services with Hedges Dikes or other Fences and Circumferences to distinguish Christs servants and services from Antichrists and shall we slight Antichrists encroaching on Christs Tabernacle Tent or Church and Inheritance or Clergy and entitling himself with those names of

Christs Church and Clergy and to their answerable nature and so to domineer in and over both Domum dominium domini and so ut dominus domini nostri Mansion and Mannour of our Lord and so as Lord of our Lord and his Lordship its appendant worship homage rent and service Thirdly suppose we the word Sacraments and Prayer to be the materials of Christs and Christians Communion shall we therefore like Swine eat of his meat without observance of the order he hath set for their administration by his Ministers according to their distinct offices and functions and that as parts of his family or court of his own forming The Queen of Sheba shameth these Borderers on Jerusalem for she came from the utmost parts of the Earth to know the wisdome of Solomon and observed the house which he had built and the meat of his Table and the sitting of his Servants and the attendance of his Ministers and their apparel and his Butlers and their apparel and his ascent to the house of God and she admired them and pronounced him and them blessed of God therein and God blessed thereby 2 Chron. 9.1 to 8. But these eaters of the meat of the greater than Solomon come from Heaven to them observe not much less admire Christs wisdome Love and Will in his house formed by himself in the offices and set-estates thereof and their orderly attendance and administration of them and the comely ornaments of them all and the distinctness of the particular officers and their functions and beauty and also their relation reciprocal to God and his house and the mutual blessings communicated in all these Nay they rather as sensual gluttons and self-feeders lust after and suck up his wine and milk without seeking after his wisdome and perfect order therein loving him for his goodness therein or obeying him in his holy and so acceptable Will and Command in them all Fourthly they learned not of David to speak so slightly of these distinct Orders and Offices of the Church and their necessited relation to the Ark and the like administrations of the Priests and Levites as to call them circumstances of Religion for he saith that because they were not there in their Orders at the bringing home of the Ark God made that great breach in Israel because though Israel sought him yet they neglected the Ministerial Order God had prescribed for his Worship 1 Chron. 15.2 to 13. with Chap. 13. and Numb 4.4 15. Nor of Moses to neglect an hoof in way of compleat readiness for Gods service much less would he neglect the least hoof after it was sanctified by God for that end But what do they mean by circumstances distinctly They are vulgarly known to be three Time Place and Persons onely the third then can be the controversie Whether it be material in the Word Sacraments and Prayer publike who administreth them whether an instituted Officer or no But they are so far from holding the Sacramēts administrable by any out of an instituted office that they impose a necessity therof in preaching and praying in the congregation and the formal Protestants out of the congregration also except by reading especially in preaching since then they hold the ministry of the Church and i'ts administration so necessary unto in preaching Sacraments and prayer in Gods worship why villifie they our necessiting this Church estate to be distinctly known purposed and practised as a pertinent point of Gods worship But now to pass from these motives ab homine unto the greater à Deo call to mind the constant necessity of this official Celebration of all instituted ordinances since God set up a set Church-ministry teaching exhorting ruleing and serving and helping me and your self herein read Heb. 5. to 8 8. Exod. 25. to 31.33 to Lev. 10. 1 Chron. 20 2 Chron. 2. to 7. Ezek. 40. to 46. All which and many other parts of Scripture are wholly of one of the types of this worship summarily contrived in our present 8. verses of Rom. 12. expressed so to be 2 Cor. 6.16 1 Tim. 3.15 Rev. 21. compared with Levit. 26.11 Ezek. 37.26 27. Then in your reading the Histories and Prophesies of the Old Testament from Joshua to Malachi First mark the main scope of the Holy Ghost in them and you shall find it to be to observe the Israelites observing and neglecting the same and their omission of the matter and order thereof and their commission of the contrary false Worship of divers sorts and degrees and Gods reproofs and judgments for the same and his comforts and blessings of the walkers after that rule of his truth or true worship Secondly in reading the New Testament do the like in respect of his present Rule of true Worship both in it self and its comparisons with that his former instituted Rule of Worship prescribed in his Word of Truth and therefore called Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 Rom. 1.23 25. and comparing it with its opposites and you shall then find this our present subject not to be such circumstances ceremonies nor the like trivial trifles as the present worldly worshippers account call them But to be on the contrary of so high and deer esteem with God and his servants as they be of base and slight account with the halters between Christ and Antichrist one of which must alwayes prevail the former in love to his true Lovers in their inward and outward blessings The latter in contempt of his contemners God giving them over to strong delusions to beleeve lyes and to wonder and wander after him For 1260. years yet in quiet trading and prosperity both of outward worship and jollity while the true worshippers were forced by him them into the Inner Temple Sackcloth Rev. 11. into the w●lderness Rev. 12.6 14. Mat. 24.15 c. even to death Rev. 13.10 15.20 4. So that these Semi-christian doters on the 3. of the parts only of divine worship i. e. Preaching Sacraments and prayer and slighters of the rest are worse both in worship and benefits then Antichristians who highly esteem and devoutly practise the other parts in their intent and esteem and so observe the general duty of obedience to God therein though they misse the particular and thereby build their Babel and Babylonish regiment and orders instead of and as Gods City and Church with its ministry and ministrings whereunto they are also furthered and occasioned by this Semi-christian conceit and practise not only in giving way and leave thereto but even in devoutly accepting their administrations of the word Sacraments and prayer yea and in magnifying maintaining and pleading for them that are sent according to that Babylonish regiment and professe their ministry to be from by and of that Antichristian Hierarchy it self which even themselves hold and say is Antichrist and that against many heavy penaltied laws of the Land and general practises and confessions of all their fellow opposites to that Antichrist throughout all

enchurched Christian or Church-member 4. Of thine i. e. of the same Church with thee in union first and properly secondly and in cases and by proportion in communion and generall state and order 5. Sinneth i. e. breaketh Gods Law or Religion whereto he hath bound him and thee 6. Vnto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the experimental and certain knowledge conscience and extent of patience lest he should perish by and in that sinne as above in the word BUT of 7. Thee as his brother i. e. against that Church-brotherhood i. e. to his forfeiture or less thereof and of his communion with thee therein in the Scripture phrase 1 King 2.23 against thine own life i. e. to the forfeiture and loss thereof Lev. 17.10 ב in both being the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in as transitive and so is it 2 Sam. 18.13 and so is ל also Lev. 19.16 and the connexive must answer to the scope of the place and to the transition from the subject or efficient unto its object or effect both in their order and power all which are thus well sitted then and in this case and not otherwise 8. Argue i. e. confute by argument of that sinne in the general and convince of the particular of the fact and then redargue reprove and dehort from it and then threaten Gods judgments against the obstinate and irrepentant i. e. argument and evidence by Scripture proofs in all for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same with Heb. 11.1 argumentively convince and reprove but not report which is to reproach or slander or murder Levit. 18.16 with Matth. 5.21 22. these four degrees must be from the first to the last of the tryall 9. Him personally by conference or writing immediate for it is not report to nor tell others which is to reproach but argument him 10. Between i. e. Dialogue-wise or by way of conference mutual and equal but not chidingly nor beggingly 11. Thee in thy person not by Deputies 12. And him in his person not behind his back 13. Alone none other being present both for thy better and quieter proceeding in these observances without interruption and for thy manifestation of all tender love in that privacie and brotherly wisdome in preventing his being provoked to be more stout in arguing and slow in confession a farther acting and exacting of all these points and phrases and excluding all colour and excuse of whispering it much more of blazing it to any much less to many All these instituted parts of Christs discipline being actually done in a decent humane manner and with all brotherly compassion and tenderness toward him prayer for him and patience of his weakness and delay then expect the issue good or bad 14. If on the better part through Gods gracious working by his Spirit with his Gospel-Institutions son-likely exercised by thee 15. He or she for the masculine gender is indefinitly here put for both as natural in natural things and spiritual in spiritual things 16. Hears with his ears thy words in that personal communication without which all the other particulars are irregular and also with brotherly attention of mind especially with sincerity of heart acknowledging the fact and its sinfulness with true repentance and promise of amendment for all the requisite passages intervening between the preceding and succeeding things or actions are to be understood in the intervening word and the like is in connexives as above in the word Vnto especially if he hear thy words and give a satisfactory answer by proving that matter not to be sinful or that he did not sinne that objected sinne must by the same reason in the whole clause thereof be here supposed 17. Thee thou mark how in all the passages thereof immediate personal dealing on both sides is exacted by Christ and all intervening medlers on either side are excluded 18. Hast gained i. e. gotten good and purchased a spiritual and heavenly purchase even an eternal and pretious Inheritance next in nature to that of Christs getting Sonnes that are Princes in all Lands Psal 45.16 and his redeeming straying souls and converting of sinners Jam. 5.19 20. So careful ought we to be in this case of all meek instructing the differers from us with gentleness teachingness and patience and without provoking and hardening war-waging and striving 2 Tim. 2.24 25 26. 19. A Brother even a Weakling or Publicane-Christian that is the greatest in the Kingdome of God and yet so prone to wander neer to losing and perishing that Christ hath instructed the stronger by this instituted order and brotherly Spirit to prevent it or regain him from that his perishing case v. 14. v. 2. and 10. the contrary Pharisaical forth-bearing Spirit and carnal Hog-herds and boysterous Bearwards are hereby discovered to be little in Gods account 20. Of thine and therefore this gain is also our own and so it is both Wisdome and Religion conjoyned and of an high and heavenly nature thus to encorporate this Gospel-discipline and to ensoul and enlive it with this brotherly spirit and practice VER 16. 21. But though all these indulgences of order spirit and practice be first in nature dignity and time to be exercised and discreet distinct and tender compassion be frequently and Jude 21 22. fervently charged upon us in this case yet when these weak ones turn wicked ones in cavelling gain-saying and stiff-necked obstinacy then Jude 23. is in season and this love and Spirit of meekness a Rod must follow For 22 23 24. If the worst come that all these and you be slighted so that he a brother in state and profession yet seeming unbrotherly in heart right and practise hear not both in humane and divine respects above-said Sec. 16. 25. Thee Having thus holyly lovingly wisely and meekly conjoyned the Gospel-Institutions Instructions and Spirit for his secret and discreditless recovery seeking with Joseph Matth. 1.19 to free him from publike censure 26. Take unto or joyn with thee yet or moe as uniting to thee and adding to thy power and testimony not as weakning his credit by meer relating his sin thy former course with him and his obstinacy against it and in his sin 27. One or two as few as may be but one if that may suffice however but two at the most an evident barring the Spirit of envy from its licentious reproaching of his brother and an eminent charging us to discharge this duty with so small help as may be rather than the sins of the Saints should be spread farther than their necessited cure exacted and an imminent judgment of the contrary disposed that is that of Cham and Canaan Doeg Shimei Diotrephes c. 2. Of the Doctrine warranted thereby here onely in the Index or sum of the Chapter especially of these six verses both in their soul and body their Soul Gospel-Spirit or scope of the Holy Ghost is compiled into this word Meek-love-mercy their body is answerable thereto both in the whole Chapter

the time be out v. 35. and to his raigning as a King of such Disseparatists in his own swolne conceit 1 Cor. 4.6 7. Thus hath malice slain the Gospel-spirit of the Diotrephists to pervert Christs word of truth and mercy to erect Antichrists fraud and fierceness with this bragging and begging Sermon though the plain meaning of this Scripture be clean contrary even to commend as wisdome our own confession of our own known and Conscience-wounding sins to God who knoweth them and our own forsaking them but not to command under the censure of Treason against God our publishing others rumoured facts and unconvinced sins unto men who know them not nor our disseparating our selves and whom else we can from their persons and communion spiritual and natural personal and publike nor to make this frowardness opposite to Christs meek-love-mercy to be that holy towardness teachableness and tractableness toward Christ which he requireth nor that contenting glory joy nor happiness which we desire it being a rejoycing in iniquity murderousness and mischief hated by God and his Saints 1 Cor. 13.6 Rom. 1.31 much less to be irreconcilable to them and inveterate against them and irregular in evil courses toward them These errours and erroneous mischiefs squeezed out of or rather falsly fathered on the word of truth and life especially on this special portion thereof exceedingly aggravateth the impiety and perniciousness of this personall Antichristianisme especially they being made by their Extracters to be parts of Divine Discipline devised by man and so abomination to Christ and Christians and yet pretended from the Word and so making Christ and his Scripture seem contradictory to himself and his Scripture of truth to be falshood and its Spirit and scope of meek-love-mercy to seem to these Deceivers and their Receivers to be a Patron of Usurpation and Pride and a Pattern of Mischief and Cruelty which is very neer if not meer forgery of Christs Scripture incurring all the plagues and curses of his true Scripture The Exposition of Matth. 18. especially of ver 15. to 20. THE 18th Chapter of Matthew best brooketh its name Chapter or Head of Scripture of any that I know First it is equal with any other in all vulgar use Secondly in its Head and Chapter of Gospel-matter it exceedeth other in the expresness thereof v. 1 4. and in the answerable and connected prosecution thereof unto the end of the Chapter And also Chap. 19.1 it is said that Christ had finished all that matter before he passed to any other Thirdly that matter so finished is the handling of the truest state and highest degree of heavenlyness and that in all its distinct parts of sonship servantship and heirship in our relation to God and to our threefold Collaterals viz. to our fellow-sons fellow-servants and coheirs The first of the three unto v. 14. The second unto v. 20. The third in the rest of the Chapter and that both lineally and collaterally and also in the affirmative and negative Fourthly that Christ our sole Gospel-head personal and publike is the sole decider of this head qu●stion of the chiefship in Heavenliness all which call us to a special respect hereof in the whole and in each of its distinct parts The summariest expression of the affirmative part of the whole is in this word meek-love-mercy and of the negative in this proud-rail-racking The middle part of them is the center chair tryer and crown of the rest and for that reason placed before the first Col. 2.5 for otherwise cultive order and divine Church-worship in the course of generation and nature is after Faith and Personal Union with God thereby for that giveth us right of publike communion with him as with our husband but Conversion by Faith justifieth us and evidenceth our son-like Union with him Heb. 11.1 which our Child-meekness v. 4 called foolishness weakness baseness despisedness and nothingness 1 Cor. 1.27 28. justifieth to be true faith that God onely and no man may have the glory v. 29 30 31. which I desire may be specially considered and throughout my handling the second part remembred lest we deal about the hull and carkase of Religion omitting the precious kernel life and soul thereof and mark that this soul or spirit of Faith Christ and the Word is enmity and implacably opposite to that of Workes-Worth Antichrist and the World This middle or second part of this Chapter being the center throne tryer and crown of the rest and my present endeavours being in and for a Church and spoken and heard by Church-right the Church-use and exercise of this head-grace and soul of Religion is first to be handled for the Church is the center about which this meek-love-mercy is to move and work it is the throne wherein it exerciseth its supream authority it is the tryer of the truth and power thereof at our admission into it and in our being in it and therefore its approbation is the Crown and it the Crowner thereof and its due condemnation the discrowner thereof but onely upon full discovery that it is false and counterfeit and after all divine regular proceedings unto and in that tryall especially it evidently and eminently exercising in them all the true kind and pregnant degree of this meek-love-mercy without which all due conviction of obstinacy is not used without which no Excommunication ought to be by any Church decreed much less executed in affections or actions but least of all may any or many members so discommunicate any or many members or the Church it self whereof they are or any other yea these two last God hath reserved to himself as his peculiar prerogative and therefore our present Church-discipline nor any rule nor grace thereof is to be extended to them without flat rebellion This our second or middle part v. 15. to 20. is an authoritive or regular exercising and trying of that head or heart-grace of meek-love-mercy the subject matter of the 14. first verses and that in three parts or degrees The first is between the tryer and the tryed alone v. 15. The 2d between one or two moe v. 16. as an help both to the first in repentance and to the third in due and certain tryal of guiltiness The third between the tryed and the Church and that before and after that tryal accomplished affirmed v. 17. and ratified v. 18 19 20. There is a connexion of this matter with the former expressed v. 15. in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in relation to v. 14. that is it ought to be for the recovery of our sick professing brother if he be curable but if not then for preservation of the Church and with the latter in this word then v. 21. But first of the body of this matter it self and first of the first part or degree thereof v. 15. The sole Institutor Law-giver and head of the Instituted Church prescribeth herein the first part and Use of Divine Church-discipline which is both a service of