Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	ancient_a	holy_a	word_n	2,313	5	3.7681	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30892	The anarchy of the Ranters and other libertines, the hierarchy of the Romanists, and other pretended churches, equally refused and refuted in a two-fold apology for the church and people of God called in derision Quakers : wherein they are vindicated from those that accuse them of disorder and confusion on the one hand, and from such as calumniate them with tyranny and imposition on the other ... / by Robert Barclay.	Barclay, Robert, 1648-1690.	1676 (1676)	Wing B718; ESTC R10444	60,765	91

absolutely needful in order to the keeping my Conscience clear and void of Offence towards God and Man none will be so unreasonable as to say I ought not to do it because it is according to the Scriptures nor do I think it will savour ill among any serious solid Christians for me to be the more confirmed and perswaded that I am led to this Thing by the Spirit that I find it in it self good and useful and that upon the like Occasions Christ commanded it the Apostles and Primitive Christians practised and recommended it Now seeing it is so that we can boldly say with a good Conscience in the Sight of God that the same Spirit which leads us to believe the Doctrines and Principles of the Truth and to hold them and maintain them again after the Apostacy in their primitive and ancient Purity as they were delivered by the Apostles of Christ in the holy Scriptures I say that the same Spirit doth now lead us into the like holy Order and Government to be exercised among us as it was among them being now the like Occasion and Opportunity ministred to us therefore what can any Christianly or Rationally object against it for that there is a Real Cause for it the thing it self speaketh and that it was the Practice of the Saints and Church of old is undeniable what kind of Ground then can any such Opposers have for to such as scrupling at this do notwithstanding acknowledge our Principle that this were done by Imposition or Imitation more then the Belief of the Doctrines and Principles seeing as it is needful to use all Diligence to convince and perswade People of the Truth and bring them to the Belief of it which yet we cannot do but as Truth moves and draws in their Hearts it is also no less needful when a People is gathered to keep and preserve them in Unity and Love as becomes the Church of Christ and to be careful as saith the Apostle That all Things be done decently and in Order and that all that is wrong be removed according to the Method of the Gospel and the good cherished and encouraged so that we conclude and that upon very good Grounds that there ought now as well as heretofore to be Order Government in the Church of Christ that which now cometh to be examined in the third Place is First What is the Order and Government we plead for Secondly In what Cases and how far it may extend and in whom the Power decisive is Thirdly How it differeth and is wholely an other then the oppressive and persecuting Principallity of the Church of Rome and other Antichristian Assemblies SECTION Fourth Of the Order and Government which we plead for IT will be needful then before I proceed to describe the Order Government of the Church to consider what is or may be properly understood by the Church for some as I touched before seem to be offended or at least afraid of the very Word because The Power of the Church the Order of the Church the Judgment of the Church and such like Pretences have been the great Weapons wherewith Antichrist and the Apostate Christians have been these many Generations persecuting the Woman and warring against the Man-child and indeed great Disputes have been among the Learned Rabbies in the Apostacy concerning this Church what it is or what may be so accounted which I find not my Place at present to dive much in but shall only give the true Sense of it according to Truth and the Scriptures plain Testimony The Word Church in it self and as used in the Scriptures is no other but a Gathering Company or Assembly of certain People called or gathered together for so the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies which is that the Translators render Church which Word is derived from the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. evoco I call out of from the Root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voco I call Now though the English Word Church be only taken in such a Sense as People are gathered together upon a Religious Account yet the Greek Word that is so rendered is taken in general for every Gathering or Meeting together of People and therefore where it is said The Town-Clark of the Ephesians dismissed the Tumult that was gathered there together the same Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used Acts 19. 41. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he dismissed the Assembly or the Church A Church then in the Scripture Phrase is no other then a Meeting or Gathering of certain People which if it be taken in a religious Sense as most commonly it is are gathered together in the Belief of the same Principles Doctrines and Points of Faith whereby as a Body they become distinguished from others and have a certain Relation among themselves and a conjunct Interest to the maintaining and propagating these Principles they judge to be right and therefore have a certain Care and Oversight over on another to prevent and remove all Occasions that may tend to break this their conjunct Interest hinder the Propagation of it or bring Infamy Contempt or Contumely upon it or give such as on the other Hand are or may be banded together to undo them just Occasion against them to decry and defame them Now the Way to distinguish that Church Gathering or Assembly of People whereof Christ truly is the Head from snch as falsly pretend thereto is by considering the Principles Grounds upon which they are gathered together the Nature of that Hierarchy Order they have among themselves the Way and Method they take to uphold it and the Bottom upon which it standeth which will greatly contribute to clear all Mistakes Forasmuch as Sanctification and Holiness is the great and chief End among true Christians which moves them to gather together therefore the Apostle Paul defines the Church in his Salutation to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 1. 2. Vnto the Church of God which is at Corinth them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints so the Church is such as are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints The Power and Authority Order and Government we speak of is such as a Church Meeting Gathering or Assembly claims towards those that have or do declare themselves Members who own believe and profess the same Doctrines and Principles of Faith with us and go under the same Distinction and Denomination whose Escapes Faults and Errors may by our Adversaries justly be imputed to us if not seasonably and christianly reproved reclaimed or condemned for we are not so foolish as to concern our selves with those who are not of us far less who stand in Opposition to us so as to reprove instruct or reclaim them as Fellow Members or Brethren yet with a Respect to remove the general Reproach from the Christian Name with a tender Regard to the good of their immortal Souls for the Zeal we owe to God's Glory and

THE ANARCHY OF THE RANTERS And other LIBERTINES The Hierarchy of the Romanists and other Pretended Churches equally Refused and Refuted in a Two-fold Apology for the Church and People of God called in Derision QUAKERS Wherein they are Vindicated from those that accuse them of Disorder and Confusion on the one hand and from such as Calumniate them with Tyranny and Imposition on the other shewing that as the true and pure Principles of the Gospel are restored by their Testimony so is also the ancient apostolick ORDER of the Church of Christ re-established among them and setled upon its Right Basis and Foundation By Robert Barclay Phil. 2. 3. Let nothing be done through Strife or Vain-glory but in Lowliness of Mind let each esteem another better then themselves Hebr. 13. 7. Remember them that have the Rule over you who spoke unto you the Word of God whose Faith follow Printed in the Year 1676. THE PREFACE TO THE READER SUCH is the Malignity of man's Nature in his fallen State and so averse is he from walking in the Straight and even Path of TRUTH that at every turn he is inclinable to lean either to the Right Hand or the Left yea such as by the Work of God's Grace in their Hearts and powerful Operation of his Spirit have obtained an Entrance in this Way are daily molested and set upon on all hands some striving to draw them the one way some the other and if through the Power of God they be kept faithful and stable then are they calumniated on bothsides each likening or comparing them to the worst of their Enemies Those that are acquainted with the holy Scriptures may observe this to have been the Lot of the Saints in all Ages but especially those whose place it hath been to Reform and Restore the Ruins of the House of God when decayed or any considerable time have been lyable to such Censures hence those that set about Repairing of the Walls of Jerusalem were necessitated to Work with the one hand and Defend with the other Christ is accused of the Jews as a Samaritan and by the Samaritans quarrelled for being a Jew The Apostle Paul is whipped imprisoned by the Gentiles and upbraided with being a Jew and teaching their Customs the same Paul is haled and ready to be killed by the Jews for breaking the Law and defiling the Temple with the Gentiles The like hath also befaln these faithful Witnesses and Messengers whom God has raised up in this day to witness for his Truth which hath long been in a great Measure hid but now is again revealed and many brought to be Witnesses of it who thereby are come to walk in the Light of the Lord. This People thus gathered have not wanted those Tryals that usually accompany the Church of Christ both on the right hand on the left each characterizing them in such Terms as they ha●e judged would prove most to their Disadvantage from whence as the Testimony of the false Witnesses against their Lord did not agree neither do these against us some will have us to be foolish mad Creatures others to be deep subtil Polititions some to be illiterate ignorant Fellows others to be learned cunning Jesuites under a meer Vizard divers Professors will have us to be only Pensioners of the Pope undoubtedly Papists but the Papists abhor us as Hereticks Sometimes we are a disorderly confused Rabble leaving every one to do as they list against all Good Order and Government at other times we are so much for Order as we admit not men to exercise the Liberty of their own Judgments Thus are our Reputations tossed by the Envy of our Adversaries which yet cannot but have this Effect upon sober-minded people as to see what Malice works against us and how these men by their Contradictory Assertions concerning us save us the Pains while they Refute one another True it is we have laboured to walk amidst these Extremities upon our appearing for the Truth we have found things good in themselves abused upon both hands for such hath alwayes been the Work of an Apostacy to keep up the Shadow of certain Truths that there-through they might shelter other Evils Thus the Jews made use of the Law and the Prophets to vindicate their Abuses yea and to Crucifie Christ And how much many Christians abuse the Scriptures and the Traditions of the Apostles to uphold Things quite Contrary to it will in the general be readily acknowledged by most But to descend more particularly There be Two Things especially both of which in their primitive Use were appointed and did very much contribute towards the Edification of the Church The one is The Power and Authority which the Apostles had given them of Christ for the Gathering Building up and Governing of his Church by Vertue of which Power and Authority they also wrote the holy Scriptures The other is That Priviledge given to every Christian under the Gospel to be led and guided by the Spirit of Christ and to be taught thereof in all things Now both these in the primitive Church wrought effectually towards the same End of Edification and did as in their Nature they may and in their Use they ought to do in a good Harmony very well consist together but by the Workings of Satan and Perversness of Men they are made to fight against and destroy one another For on the one hand the Authority Power that resided in the Apostles while it is annexed entailed to an Outward Ordination and Succession of Teachers is made use of to cloak and cover all manner of Abuses even the height of Idolatry and Superstition for by Vertue of this Succession these men claiming the like Infallibility that was in the Apostles though they be Strangers to any inward Work or Manifestation of the Spirit in their Hearts will needs obliege all others to acquiesce and agree to their Conclusions however different from or contrary to the Truths of the Gospel and yet for any to call such Conclusions in Question or examine them is no less then a Hainous Heresie deserving Death c. Or while the Revelation of God's Mind is wholely bound up to these things already delivered in the Scriptures as if God had spoke his last words there to his People we are put with our own natural Understandings to Debate about the Meanings of it and forced to interpret them not as they plainly speak but according to the Analogy of a certain Faith made by Men not so much contrived to answer the Scriptures as the Scriptures are strained to vindicate it which to doubt of is also counted Heresie deserving no less then Ejection out of our native Country and to be robbed of the common Aid our Nativity entitles us to and on this hand we may boldly say both Papists and Protestants have greatly gone aside On the other hand some are so great Pretenders to inward Motions and Revelations of the Spirit that