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	gospel_n	word_n	3,444	5	4.1556	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62859	An addition to the Apology for the two treatises concerning infant-baptisme, published December 15, 1645 in which the author is vindicated from 21 unjust criminations in the 92 page of the book of Mr. Robert Baille, minister of Glasgow, intituled Anabaptisme and sundry materiall points concerning the covenant, infants-interest in it, and baptisme by it, baptism by an unbaptized person, dipping, erastianism and church-government, are argued, in a letter, now enlarged, sent in September 1647, to him / by John Tombes . ..	Tombes, John, 1603?-1676.	1652 (1652)	Wing T1794; ESTC R11324	36,211	48

troubles many and is of very frequent occurrence in a place that lead me to speak of it But it seems neither Mr. Marshall nor your self are willing to let any thing passe that may make me odious or ridiculous though you do but shew your own inconsideratenesse and uncharitablenesse the like dealing you use towards me in the following charges SECT. XVII Of the seventeenth Crimination That I am a compleate Erastian wherein reason is given of my doubt that in Scripture no such juridicall Excommunication is appointed as is now contended for YOu say Fourthly to shew how little inclineable he is to joine with the Anabaptists he declares himself a compleat ERASTIAN Sir what I said and to what end I expressed plainly enough in my Apology page 91. The occasion of printing what I conceived was a passage in Mr. Marshalls Defence which he stuffed with all the exceptions he could thrust in against my person but answered little or nothing punctually in the maine points of the dispute which praevarication I may perhaps in time discover also in your dispute chap. 5. of your ANABAPTISME The occasion of speaking in private conference was to shew my sensiblenesse of the misery of the Land by reason of the present differences upon some speech that was moved by some friend of mine as I remember when the Assembly brought into the House of Commons their Petitior desiring power to suspend persons from the Lords Supper for all scandals without restriction and asserted the Presbyterian Government unto which they advised the Parliament to be jure Divino by the will and appointment of Jesus Christ What I spake then and since printed was to shew my compassion of my native Countrey like to be ruined by the violent asserting things disputable to be ure Divino and thereby necessitating men to oppose lest conscience be brought in bondage according to the Apostles warning Col. 2. 20. It was not as you say to shew how little inclineable I am to ●oine with the Anabaptists Nor did I declare my selfe a Compleat ERASTIAN in the words you alleadge at the letters NN out of my Apology as you charge me but only expresse my doubts much lesse did I declare my self a compleate ERASTIAN that is in your sense one that holds with ERASTUS in all things wherein he differs from BEZA in the disputes between them For whereas there are two main points in difference between them Excommunication and the mixt Presbytery Concerning this latter my words in my Apology speak nothing against it but rather for it when I say And if any Assembly of Ministers and Rulers be set up for the better discovery of such as live viciously or do contrary to the Christian faith or worship that a person be not charged with those evils upon uncertain reports I think it agreeable to Gods will 1 Tim. 5. 19. And whereas Mr Gillespy in his Aarons rod blossoming page 249. hath these words Eras●us pag. 175. hath not spared to say that the Magistrate may in the New Testament though he might not in the Old exercise the Ministeriall functior of he can have so much leasure from his other imployments and pag. 315. in very truth the Erastians do oppose not only the institution but the Lawfulnesse and agreeablenesse to the word of God of a Church-government distinct from the civill yet you cannot shew that I hold either of these positions I confesse I have read ERASTUS his Theses Confirmatio thesium but I could not do it so exactly as I would have done it if I had had Beza's book to compare with it I have read that which Mr. Rutherford disputes against Erastus but it doth not satisfy me in that he dictates many things without proof which are most necessary to be proved and proves something by the sayings of Authors that deserve to be examined and many times omits in reciting his Antagonists words that which is either most or very material and makes not his own answers punctual which things Mr. Mather also chargeth him with about another point besides many incoherent and imperfect speeches and inserting things impertinent Besides in this dispute I conceive Mr. Rutherford doth yield that which overthroweth that which he concludeth for As when in his Divine right of Church-government chap. 4. q. 1. page 223. he hath these words It is evident from the text Mat. 18. 15. that Christ speaks of such sins in a speciall manner committed against me or a particular brother which are within the verge of my power or his to pardon as not being yet publickly scandalous which if true then it can be meant onely of personal injuries which alone a private person hath power to pardon and so is not an institution how to correct scandals under that notion which Mr. Gillespy contends so much for in his Aarons rod blossoming book 2. chap. 9. page 295. and book 3. chap. 2. As for his a●gument from proportior Christ did appoint this to be done in case of civill in●uries much more in scandals it hath no strength to impose a thing as by Divine institution upon mens consciences yea it is no better then a humane invention when only gathered by such reasoning such arguments from proportions being weak probations as rightly Mr. Rutherford Due right of Presbyteries chap. 2. sect. 2. page 37. and all Logicians acknowledge that an argument à comparatis is but Topical yea easily overthrown if any disparity be assigned And this is enough though much more may be said to shew that Mat. 18. 15 16 17. is impertinently alleadged though it be one of the chief tex●s urged importunately for Church-government by Prelates Independents Presbyterians even the Assembly it self Advice concerning a Confession of faith chap. 30. art 2 4. to prove a power of excommunicating for sins as scandalous and so all scandals And for the power of the keyes Mat. 16. 19. Mr. Rutherford chap. 3. q. 1. pag. 236. makes the power of the keyes to belong to Church-Rulers that are the Stewards of the house and the d●spensers of the heavenly mysteries but this may be only preaching the Gospel of which the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 4. 1. which place is impertinently alleadged in the Assemblies confession of faith chap. 27. art 4. to prove neither Sacrament may be dispensed by any but a Minister of the word lawfull ordained the Scripture no where calling the Sacraments mysteries but the doctrine of the Gospel however the Greek Fathers oft call them so As for binding and loosing though I conceive Dr. Hammond hath more exactly disputed this matter in his book of the power of keyes chap. 4. then others yet I conceive it more agreeable to other places in Matthew leaving Mr. Selden to justify his explication in his preface to his book of the Calender of the Jewes out of the Talmudists as he conceives fit as Mat. 23. 4. 11. 28. besides Acts 15. 28. Revel. 2. 24. Luke 11. 46. to draw the Metaphor from binding and

it happen that any such facts be perpe●rated as are like to that of the incestuous person I doubt not but the whole Church may and ought to disclaime the person so offending and to exclude him from all brotherly Communion because I conceive so much was done to the incestuous person as I gather from 2 Cor. 2. 6 7. So that my doubt was not of suspension for any but for every emergent scandal for which the Assembly were so earnest with the Parliament Many scandals there are in abuse of liberty in things indifferent in sins of evil councel and example which may happen through strength of temptation by infirmity in men not habitually vicio●s which are not of that hainous nature as to deserve keeping from the Lords Table Nor doth the Scripture either prescribe such a thing to be done or give power to do it I like not Doctor Ames his determination lib. 4. de conscientiac 29. num 7. Proprium adaequatum ob●e●●um hu●●s censurae est scandalum datum ●fratre which I imagine was the cause of the Assembly's mistake upon which they petitioned SECT. XIX Of the nineteenth Crimination of me that I hold no censure of Fexcommunication YOu further charge me as avowing also that there is no such thing as any censure of Excommunicatior and for proof you referre your Reader to the letters O O where is cited one or two passages of my Apology page 91. in neither of which do I avow any thing but my doubt which is of 5. things whereof one is whether ever Excommunication a sacris that is as I after expresse my self ●uridical forensica ●●horitative Excommunication by some officers or the whole congregation as superiou●s that have jurisdiction without special gift as the Apostles had would be proved to be ●ure divino by Christs appointment And I confesse I have still the same doubt notwithstanding what I have read in Mr. Rutherford Mr. Gillespy or any other And I should be willing to be resolved how citing to appear by power of office keeping Courts or Assemblies requiring persons yea of all sorts and qualities to answer as before Judges examining witnesses hearing causes passing sentence inflicting so great a punishment as Excommunication without liberty of Appeale if by a national Assembly of Elders on ministers and people even the chiefest not as Arbitrators to whom the parties referre the matter but as Ecclesiastical Officers to whose judgement they must stand whether they will or no will be acquitted from that dominion condemned Lu. 22. 25 26. Mat. 20. 26. Mar. 10. 42 43 1 Pet. 5. 2 3. as the Assertors of the Presbyterian discipline expound the texts against the Prelates what dominion more like the heathen the Prelates take upon them then such an Assembly and whether the Prelates against whom you pleade may not acquit their Prelacy which they claime from the dominion you charge them with out of these texts of Scripture as well as you But in this I do not avow there is no such thing as any censure of Excommunitation as you accuse me yea I do expressely grant a social medicinal Excommunication by the whole Church from all brotherly communion with the whole and by each member from arbitrary communion with himself provided they do not rashly or unjustly exclude And this I gather from 1 Cor. 5. 9 10 11. 2 Thess. 3. 6 14 15. and other places as in my Apology page 93. may be seen And I think the Congregational way in this nearer to the use of Excommunication in Scripture then the Presbyterian though I think they misse in two things 1. That they make it an act of superiority and jurisdiction or as they speak of the power of the keyes in the whole Church over the person censured 2. They ascribe this power only to that particular congregation of which the offender is a fixed member which I conceive common to any other Church or brother in another Congregation and is in effect nothing else but the non-communion which they ascribe to one Church towards another Nor do I conceive what other Excommunication Christians could in the primitive times exercise or did exercise one towards another when Victor Bishop of Rome would have excommunicated Polycrates Bishop of Ephesus or the Western the Eastern Church about Easter or Stephanus of Rome Firmilianus Bishop of Caesarca in Cappadocia holding with Cyprian about rebaptization of persons baptized by heretiques then this non-communion And for the texts Mat. 16. 19. Mat. 18. 16 17 18. I am not yet moved from the interpretation I gave in my Apology page 91. but rather conceive that I can prove it true notwithstanding what I have read hitherto to the contrary SECT. XX Of the twentieth Crimination that I hold Christ hath not appointed any particular government for his Church YOu say further That Christ hath not appointed any particular government for his Church and for proof hereof you referre the Reader to the letters P P at which you cite two passages of my Apology page 91. 93. of which neither sayes the thing you charge me with the former onely making two things according to my conceit prudencial to wit the Independency or Dependency and the fixednesse or moveablenesse of Pastors and Congregations In the other I acknowledged a discipline proper to the Church and shewed what it was And therefore you do manifestly wrong me in saying I avow a particular governmen● when my words expressely yield the contrary onely I said I suppose the manner of doing the thing is left to prudence that is by whom when in what order evils committed should be examined the persons charged admonished avoided which I think you will not deny Surely you will be hard put to it to prove out of Scripture the particularities of your or any other discipline To tell you my minde yet more plainly the word government comes from the Greeke {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} now {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} saith Suidas he that guides ●●ship by steering it Being applied to men I conceive government is either by counsel directing admonishing reproving in words or actions as by shewing favour or dislike in lookes embracing or shunning company c. giving example c. or by giving lawes and inflicting punishments or giving rewards I conceive Christ hath not left a particular government for his Church the latter way but referres that unto himself but in the former way he hath in the hands of some Officers whom he hath made as Stewards in his house whose government consists chiefely in declaring the will of Christ convincing gain-sayers ordaining Pastors to teach and declaring ●alse teachers to be shunned and such like offices but for the juridical government mentioned before I find it not appointed them by Christ I like H●●romes expression on Tit. 1. That the Churches co●muni presbyt●r●●●● consilie cura solicitudine not imperio guvernabantur and I like Salmasi●● his observation in his