Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	church_n	let_v	2,627	5	4.5197	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36060	A Directory for church-government and ordination of ministers to be examined against the next Generall Assemblie.	Church of Scotland.	1647 (1647)	Wing D1542; ESTC R34740	14,967	36

A DIRECTORY FOR CHURCH-GOVERNMENT AND ORDINATION OF MINISTERS To be examined against the next Generall Assemblie EDINBURGH Printed by Evan Tyler Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty 1647. A DIRECTORY FOR CHURCH-GOVERNMENT AND ORDINATION OF MINISTERS To be examined against the next GENERALL ASSEMBLY The Preface JEsus Christ upon whose shoulder the Government is whose Name is called Wonderfull Counseller the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace of the encrease of whose Government and Peace there shall bee no end who sits upon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdom to order it and establish it with Judgement and Justice from henceforth even for ever Having all power given unto him in Heaven and Earth by the Father who raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand far above all Principalitie and Power and Might and Dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come and put all things under his feet and gave him to be the Head over all things to the Church which is his Body the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all He being ascended up far above all Heavens that he might fill all things received gifts for his Church and gave all Officers necessary for the edification of his Church and perfecting of his Saints Of the Church THere is one Generall Church visible held forth in the New Testament unto which Generall Church visible the Ministery Oracles and Ordinances of the New Testament are given by Jesus Christ for the gathering and perfecting of the Saints in this life untill his second coming Particular visible Churches members of the Generall Church are also held forth in the New Testament which particular Churches in the primitive times were made up of visible Saints viz. of such as being of age professed Faith in Christ and obedience unto Christ according to the rules of Faith and Life taught by him and his Apostles and of their Children Of the Officers of the Church APostles Prophets and Evangelists were extraordinary Officers in the Church and are ceased The Pastor is an ordinary and perpetuall Officer in the Church To whose Office it belongeth to pray for and with his Flock To read the Scripture publikely in the Congregation which is an holy Ordinance in Gods Church although there follow no immediate explication of what is read To preach the Word to be instant in season out of season To reprove correct instruct rebuke exhort convince and comfort One especiall way of discharging which work of Preaching is by a plain laying down the first principles of the Oracles of God which is commonly called Catechising to administer the Sacraments In the Name of God to blesse the people To take care for the poor And he hath also a ruling power over the Flock as a Pastor In the Scripture we also finde the name and title of Teacher who is a Minister of the Word and hath power of administration of the Sacraments and Discipline as well as the Pastor The Lord having given different gifts and divers exercises according to those gifts in the Ministers of the Word though these different gifts may meet in and accordingly be exercised by one and the same Minister yet where there be severall Ministers in the same Congregation they may be designed to severall imployments according to the different gifts wherein each of them doth excell And he who doth more excell in exposition of Scripture in Teaching sound Doctrine and in convincing gainsayers then he doth in application and is accordingly imployed therein may be called a Teacher or Doctor Neverthelesse where there is but one Minister in a particular Congregation he is to perform so far as he is able the whole work of the Ministery A Teacher or Doctor is of most excellent use in Schooles and Universities as of old in the Schooles of the Prophets and at Jerusalem where Gamaliel and others taught as Doctors It is likewise agreeable to and warranted by the Word of God that some others beside the Ministers of the Word be Church Governours to joyne with the Ministers in the Government of the Church which Officers Reformed Churches commonly call Elders These Elders ought to be such as are men of good understanding in matters of Religion sound in the faith prudent discreet grave and of unblameable conversation Deacons also are distinct Officers in the Church To whose Office it belongeth not to preach the Word or administer the Sacraments but to take speciall care for the necessities of the poor by collecting for and distributing to them with direction of the Eldership that none amongst the people of God be constrained to bee beggers The Deacons must be wise sober grave of honest report and not greedy of filthy lucre Of Church Government and the severall sorts of Assemblies for the same CHrist hath instituted a Government and Governours Ecclesiasticall in the Church And to that purpose the Apostles did immediatly receive the keyes from the hand of Jesus Christ and did use and exercise them in all the Churches of the World upon all occasions And Christ hath from time to time furnished some in his Church with gifts for Government and with Commission to exercise the same when called thereunto It is agreeable to and warranted by the Word of God that some others besides the Ministers of the Word be Church Governours as was mentioned before It is lawfull and agreeable to the Word of God that the Church be governed by severall sorts of Assemblies Which are Presbyteries and Synods or Assemblies Congregationall Classicall and Synodicall The Scripture doth hold out a Presbytery in a Church which Presbytery consisteth of Ministers of the Word and those other Church Officers who are to joyne with the Ministers in the Government of the Church The Scripture doth hold out another sort of Assemblies for the Government of the Church besides Classicall and Congregationall which wee call Synodicall Of the power in Common of all these Assemblies and the order to be observed in them IT is lawfull and agreeable to the Word of God that the severall Assemblies before mentioned do convent and call before them any person within their severall bounds whom the Ecclesiasticall businesse which is before them shall concerne either as a party or a witnesse or otherwise and to examine them according to the nature of the businesse And that they do hear and determine such causes and differences as shall orderly come before them and accordingly dispence Church censures It is most expedient that in these meetings one whose Office is to labour in the Word and Doctrine do moderate in their proceedings who is to vote as well as the rest of the members To begin and end every meeting with prayer To propose questions gather the votes pronounce the Resolves But not to do any act of Government unlesse in and joyntly with the Assembly whereof he is Moderator All the members of these

Assemblies respectively are to attend on the appointed dayes of their meetings or to send the reason of their absence to bee judged by the Assembly where they ought to meet The finall resolutions shall be by the Major part of the votes of those members who are present Of Particular congregations IT is expedient that particular Congregations bee fixed both in their Officers and members which are to meet in the same Assembly ordinarily for publike Worship When their number is great that they cannot conveniently meet in one place it is expedient that they be divided according to the respective bounds of their dwellings into distinct and fixed Congregations for the better administration of such Ordinances as belong unto them and the discharge of mutuall duties wherein all according to their severall places and callings are to labour to promote what ever appertaines to the power of Godlinesse and credit of Religion that the whole band in the full extent of it may become the Kingdome of the Lord and of his Christ Parochiall Congregations in this Kingdome consisting of Ministers and People who professe faith in Christ and obedience unto Christ according to the rules of Faith and Life taught by Him and his Apostles and joyne together in the publike Worship of Hearing Praying and administration of the Sacraments are Churches truely constituted If any Person or Persons in the Congregation do not answer his or their profession but by open sin and wickednesse crosse and deny it or if there bee a want of some Officers or a sinfull neglect of Officers in the due execution of Discipline yet this doth not make that Congregation cease to be a Church but requires that there should be a supply of Officers which are wanting and a carefull endeavour for the Reformation of the offending Person or Persons and of negligent Officers by just censures according to the nature of the cause Communion and Membership in Congregations thus constituted notwithstanding the forementioned defects is not unlawfull And to refuse or renounce membership and Church-communion or to separate from Church-communion with Congregations thus constituted as unlawfull to be joyned with in regard of their constitution is not warranted by the Word of God Separation from a Church thus constituted where the Government is lawfull upon an opinion that it is unlawfull and that therefore all the godly are also bound o separate from all such Churches so constituted and governed and to joyn themselves to another Church of another Constitution and Government is not warranted by the Word of God but contrary to it To gather Churches into an independent forme of Government out of Churches of a Presbyteriall forme of Government upon an opinion that the Presbyteriall Government is unlawfull is not lawfull or warranted by the Word of God Nor is it lawfull for any member of a Parochiall Congregation if the Ordinances be there administred in purity to go and seek them elsewhere ordinarily Of ordinances in a particular Congregation ORdinances in a particular Congregation are Prayer Thanksgiving singing of Psalmes reading of the Word Preaching and Catechising administring the Sacraments blessing the People in the Name of God and collection for the Poor As for Discipline wee referre our selves to what wee have elsewhere expressed Of the Officers of a particular Congregation IN the Congregation there must be some who are set apart to bear Office One at the least to labour in the Word and Doctrine and to rule And let others bee chosen ruling Elders to joyne with him in Government When any ruling Elder is to bee chosen where an Eldership is constituted let it bee done by them with the consent and approbation of the people of that Congregation and that not for a limited time Yet the exercise of their Office may be so ordered by the Eldership as that their civill imployments bee least hindered thereby Where there are many ruling Officers in a particular Congregation let some of them more especially attend the inspection of one part some of another as may be most convenient and let them at fit times visit the severall Families for their spirituall good Let there be also Deacons to take speciall care for the relief of the poor who are likewise to be chosen by the Eldership with the consent of the people of that Congregation and the continuance of them in that Office is to be determined by the Eldership with the consent of the Congregation so as may least hinder their civill imployment These Officers are to meet together at convenient and set times for the well ordering of the affaires of that Congregation each according to his Office The number of Elders and Deacons in each Congregation is to be proportioned according to the condition of the Congregation Of Congregationall Elderships or Assemblies for Governing in a particular Congregation THE Congregationall Eldership consisting of the Minister or Ministers and the other ruling Officers of that Congregation hath power as they shall see just occasion to enquire into the knowledge and spirituall estate of any member of the Congregation To admonish and rebuke To suspend from the Lords table though the person be not yet cast out of the Church All which is agreable to the Word of God Although the truth of conversion and regeneration bee necessary to every worthy communicant for his own comfort and benefit yet those onely are to bee by the Eldership excluded or suspended from the Lords Table who are found by them to be ignorant or scandalous Where there are more fixed Ministers then one in a Congregation it is expedient that they moderate by course in that Eldership Of Classicall Assemblies WHen Congregations are divided and fixed they need all mutuall help one from another both in regard of their intrinsicall weaknesse and mutual dependance as also in regard of Enemies from without The Scripture doth hold forth that many particular Congregations may bee under one Presbyteriall Government A Classicall Presbytery is an Assembly made up of Ministers of the Word and other ruling Officers belonging unto severall Neighbouring Congregations and doth ordinarily consist of all the Pastous and Teachers belonging those severall Congregations so associated and of one of the other ruling Officers at the least from every of these Congregations to be sent by their respective Presbyteries Let them meetionce every Moneth or oftner as occasion shall require in such place as they shall judge most convenient And before they sit about other businesse let there be a Sermon or exposition of Scripture made by some Minister of that Classis or Expectant as they shall agree amongst themselves For the more orderly managing of such affaires as come before them let there bee one Moderator chosen by the Classis at every meeting out of the Ministers of the Word who shall continue till the next meeting To the enabling them to performe any Classicall act of Goverment or Ordination there shall bee there present a major part at least of the Ministers