University. Free for academic and non-profit use. Please cite in any
publication: ”S. Lindgren and F. Palm (2011), Textometrica Service Package,
online at http://textometrica.humlab.umu.se”.
| | Textometrica created by Simon Lindgren and Fredrik Palm, HUMlab,Umeå University. Free for academic and non-profit use. Please cite in any publication: ”S. Lindgren and F. Palm (2011), Textometrica Service Package, online at http://textometrica.humlab.umu.se”. |
| church : christians christians: church Complete text of 61128736:But the church , if it be one person, is the same thing with a Common-wealth of christians ; called a Common-wealth, because it consisteth of men united in one person, their Soveraign; and a church , because it consisteth in Christian men, united in one Christian Soveraign Complete text of 61128738:Now if the whole number of christians be not contained in one Common-wealth, they are not one person; nor is there an Universall church that hath any authority over them; and therefore the Scriptures are not made Laws, by the Universall church : or if it bee one Common-wealth, then all Christian Monarchs, and States are private persons, and subject to bee judged, deposed, and punished by an Universall Soveraigne of all Christendome Complete text of 61129768:The Temple of Jerusalem was Gods House, and the House of Prayer; and so is any Edifice dedicated by christians to the worship of Christ, Christs House: and therefore the Greek Fathers call it Kuriake, The Lords House; and thence, in our language it came to be called Kyrke, and church Complete text of 61129793:A Christian Common-wealth, And A church All One It followeth also, that there is on Earth, no such universall church as all christians are bound to obey; because there is no power on Earth, to which all other Common-wealths are subject: There are christians , in the Dominions of severall Princes and States; but every one of them is subject to that Common-wealth, whereof he is himself a member; and consequently, cannot be subject to the commands of any other Person Complete text of 61129794:And therefore a church , such as one as is capable to Command, to Judge, Absolve, Condemn, or do any other act, is the same thing with a Civil Common-wealth, consisting of Christian men; and is called a Civill State, for that the subjects of it are Men; and a church , for that the subjects thereof are christians Complete text of 61130256:For what have I to do to judg them that are without? Do not ye judg them that are within?" The Sentence therefore by which a man was put out of the church , was pronounced by the Apostle, or Pastor; but the Judgment concerning the merit of the cause, was in the church ; that is to say, (as the times were before the conversion of Kings, and men that had Soveraign Authority in the Common-wealth,) the Assembly of the christians dwelling in the same City; as in Corinth, in the Assembly of the christians of Corinth Complete text of 61130441:The New Testament Began To Be Canonicall Under Christian Soveraigns By the Writings of the Fathers that lived in the time before that Christian Religion was received, and authorised by Constantine the Emperour, we may find, that the Books wee now have of the New Testament, were held by the christians of that time (except a few, in respect of whose paucity the rest were called the Catholique church , and others Haeretiques) for the dictates of the Holy Ghost; and consequently for the Canon, or Rule of Faith: such was the reverence and opinion they had of their Teachers; as generally the reverence that the Disciples bear to their first Masters, in all manner of doctrine they receive from them, is not small Complete text of 61130480:" But to what end is it (may some man aske), that the Apostles, and other Pastors of the church , after their time, should meet together, to agree upon what Doctrine should be taught, both for Faith and Manners, if no man were obliged to observe their Decrees? To this may be answered, that the Apostles, and Elders of that Councell, were obliged even by their entrance into it, to teach the Doctrine therein concluded, and decreed to be taught, so far forth, as no precedent Law, to which they were obliged to yeeld obedience, was to the contrary; but not that all other Christians should be obliged to observe, what they taught Complete text of 61130550:Ordination Of Teachers As the Apostles, Matthias, Paul, and Barnabas, were not made by our Saviour himself, but were elected by the church , that is, by the Assembly of christians ; namely, Matthias by the church of Jerusalem, and Paul, and Barnabas by the church of Antioch; so were also the Presbyters, and Pastors in other Cities, elected by the Churches of those Cities Complete text of 61130555:) that "they ordained Elders in every church ;" which at first sight may be taken for an Argument, that they themselves chose, and gave them their authority: But if we consider the Originall text, it will be manifest, that they were authorized, and chosen by the Assembly of the christians of each City Complete text of 61130576:of the same Chapter) "Serving of Tables," is a service done to the Church, or Congregation: So that neither any one man, nor the whole Church, could ever of their Pastor say, he was their Minister; but of a Deacon, whether the charge he undertook were to serve tables, or distribute maintenance to the christians , when they lived in each City on a common stock, or upon collections, as in the first times, or to take a care of the House of Prayer, or of the Revenue, or other worldly businesse of the church , the whole Congregation might properly call him their Minister Complete text of 61130644:Excommunication, that is to say, in those places where Christianity was forbidden by the Civill Laws, a putting of themselves out of the company of the Excommunicate, and where Christianity was by the Civill Law commanded, a putting the Excommunicate out of the Congregations of christians ; who elected the Pastors and Ministers of the church , (that it was, the Congregation); who consecrated and blessed them, (that it was the Pastor); what was their due revenue, (that it was none but their own possessions, and their own labour, and the voluntary contributions of devout and gratefull christians ) Complete text of 61130825:Peter to have been the Monarch Universall of the church , that is to say, of all the Christians in the world Complete text of 61130911:Lastly, it hath not been declared by the church , nor by the Pope himselfe, that he is the Civill Soveraign of all the christians in the world; and therefore all christians are not bound to acknowledge his Jurisdiction in point of Manners Complete text of 61131100:And these consist of christians ; and therefore also are severall Bodies of christians ; that is to say, severall Churches: And their severall Soveraigns Represent them, whereby they are capable of commanding and obeying, of doing and suffering, as a natural man; which no Generall or Universall church is, till it have a Representant; which it hath not on Earth: for if it had, there is no doubt but that all Christendome were one Common-wealth, whose Soveraign were that Representant, both in things Spirituall and Temporall: And the Pope, to make himself this Representant, wanteth three things that our Saviour hath not given him, to Command, and to Judge, and to Punish, otherwise than (by Excommunication) to run from those that will not Learn of him: For though the Pope were Christs onely Vicar, yet he cannot exercise his government, till our Saviours second coming: And then also it is not the Pope, but St Complete text of 61131154:Peter, and all other Pastors, are bidden to esteem those christians that disobey the church , that is, (that disobey the Christian Soveraigne) as Heathen men, and as Publicans Complete text of 61131198:They beleeved the Apostles, and after them the Pastors and Doctors of the church , that recommended to their faith the History of the Old and New Testament: so that the Faith of christians ever since our Saviours time, hath had for foundation, first, the reputation of their Pastors, and afterward, the authority of those that made the Old and New Testament to be received for the Rule of Faith; which none could do but Christian Soveraignes; who are therefore the Supreme Pastors, and the onely Persons, whom christians now hear speak from God; except such as God speaketh to, in these days supernaturally Complete text of 61131437:As That The Kingdome Of God Is The Present church Consequent to this Errour, that the present church is Christs Kingdome, there ought to be some one Man, or Assembly, by whose mouth our Saviour (now in heaven) speaketh, giveth law, and which representeth his person to all christians , or divers Men, or divers Assemblies that doe the same to divers parts of Christendome Complete text of 61131445:And That The Pastors Are The Clergy From the same opinion, that the present church is the Kingdome of God, it proceeds that Pastours, Deacons, and all other Ministers of the Church, take the name to themselves of the Clergy, giving to other Christians the name of Laity, that is, simply People Complete text of 61131453:From hence it is, that in all Dominions, where the Popes Ecclesiasticall power is entirely received, Jewes, Turkes, and Gentiles, are in the Roman church tolerated in their Religion, as farre forth, as in the exercise and profession thereof they offend not against the civill power: whereas in a Christian, though a stranger, not to be of the Roman Religion, is Capitall; because the Pope pretendeth that all christians are his Subjects Complete text of 61131828:To worship God, in some peculiar Place, or turning a mans face towards an Image, or determinate Place, is not to worship, or honor the Place, or Image; but to acknowledge it Holy, that is to say, to acknowledge the Image, or the Place to be set apart from common use: for that is the meaning of the word Holy; which implies no new quality in the Place, or Image; but onely a new Relation by Appropriation to God; and therefore is not Idolatry; no more than it was Idolatry to worship God before the Brazen Serpent; or for the Jews when they were out of their owne countrey, to turn their faces (when they prayed) toward the Temple of Jerusalem; or for Moses to put off his Shoes when he was before the Flaming Bush, the ground appertaining to Mount Sinai; which place God had chosen to appear in, and to give his Laws to the People of Israel, and was therefore Holy ground, not by inhaerent sanctity, but by separation to Gods use; or for christians to worship in the Churches, which are once solemnly dedicated to God for that purpose, by the Authority of the King, or other true Representant of the church |