Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n
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A41704
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Conformity according to canon justified, and the new way of moderation reproved a sermon preached at Exon, in the cathedral of St. Peter, at the visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, Anthony by divine permission Lord Bishop of Exon / by William Govld.
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Gould, William, d. 1686.
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1674
(1674)
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Wing G1438; ESTC R10196
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17,842
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58
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Armies of Israel be solemnly worshipped in the beauty of holiness and that the Rules of Order be observed by all the Inferiour Officers of the Church in their several stations Hic Ergo quae conducant leges tantum abest ut damnemus ut his ablatis dissolvi suis nervis Ecclesias totasque deformari ac dissipari contendamus So Calvin in the Tenth Chapter of the Fourth Book of Institutions Order and Decency are the hedges fencing the substance of Religion from all the Indignities of Sacriledg and Prophaneness as the glorious Laud spake quaintly and piously who became formidable to the Roman Interest by pursuing the External Decorum of my Text in the English Church The general Conclusion according to most Expositors upon this Text is briefly this There is a Power in Ecclesiastical Governours to make Laws and Canons and to decree Rites of Order and Decorum for the External Solemnization of Divine Service to which all under their Authority Priests and People are obliged to yield a regular and a conscientious Obedience Which I shall briefly and very plainly demonstrate by Scripture Reason and Experience Fathers Councils Reformed Churches and the Confession of Adversaries and so make Application to our selves As to the first I humbly offer Six unquestionable Scripture-Principles which this Reverend Audience is able to defend against the most Learned and Judicious Nonconformists First The Apostles intended Unity as in the known Chapter of Unity the Fourth to the Ephesians and to preserve Unity they recommend Order and Uniformity to the Church of Christ as appears sufficiently from Rom. 15.6 compared with Colossians 2.5 and this Canon of the Text. Secondly The Apostles at the first Preaching of the Gospel did not establish that Order which the State of the Church did afterwards require The rest will I set in order when I come 1 Cor. 11.29 Upon which words the Assembly of Divines are as politiquely reserved and silent as in the case of Sacriledg in their Annotations ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pertinet so Grotius ad ordinem pertinet Ecclesiasticum so Pareus Certum est Paulum non nisi de externo decoro loqui saith Calvin quod ut in Ecclesiae libertate positum est ita pro temporum locorum hominum conditione constitui debet The Second Scripture-principle Thirdly The Apostles expected such a Setlement to be made by those to whom they entrusted the Government of the Church For this cause left I thee in Creet to set in order the things that are wanting or as the Original left undone Titus 1.5 Upon which Walo Messalinus or Salmasius he who called the blessed Dr. Hammond Nebulo for defending of Bishops he himself does acknowledg That Titus had an Episcopal Power at least in the Judgment of all the Greek Fathers particularly quoting St. Chrysostom Theodoret Theophilact and others To set in Order the things that are wanting quae ego ob brevitatem temporis impedimenta a Custodibus ordinare non potui So Calvin and Grotius Hence two things are very naturally and genuinely deducible First That St. Paul as to External Order for he omitted no Essentials had left some things undone in the Church in his own Judgment fit to be afterwards at Creet established Secondly He committed the accomplishment of these Externals relating to the Discipline and Decency of the Church to the at least Episcopal some say Archiepiscopal Titus as having under him many Bishops which is the Third Scripture-principle Fourthly The Apostles gave certain Canons to direct Church-Governours in in such Ecclesiastical Establishments to prescribe such things which according to the conditions of times and places should seem most expedient to Order Honesty Edification and Peace according to 1 Cor. 10.31 32. 1 Cor. 14.26 1 Cor. 11.27 29. and the precept of the Text. Hence Calvin soundly teacheth his too credulous Proselytes in deeper Mysteries that such Ecclesiastical Laws and Canons are not to be esteemed as humane Traditions quia fundatae sunt in generali lege Omnia decenter c. Whence in his Institutions lib. 4. Cap. 10. He determines concerning kneeling at publick Prayers in obedience to such Church-constitutions to be a Divine as well as Human Institution Divine as founded in the general Precept Let all things be done decently and in order And Human as framed by Governours according to that general Injunction of the Apostl's Hence Beza in Confessione fidei cap. 5. all such Laws as to their end and foundation sunt Divinae Coelestes Which is the fourth Principle of the holy Oracles Fifthly The Apostles gave only general Rules and so supposed a Power in the Governours to frame thence particular Rites consonant with their general Canons Thence Calvin non potest haberi quod Paulus hic exigit nisi additis observationibus tanquam vinculis quibus ordo servetur But more plainly Pareus facit Ecclesiae potestatem de ordine decoro Ecclesiastico liberis disponendi ferendi leges The only question is Where this Power was placed for at this time Kings were not nursing Fathers to the Church for this cause left I thee to set in order as before exprest it was lodged in the Bishops and Governours of the Church by the blessed Apostles which is the fifth Principle consonant with the holy Oracles Lastly the Five former Principles supposed That we ought to obey such orderly Canons is included under obedite praepositis Heb. 13.17 There are two words in that Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obey and submit your selves The one relating to active and the other to passive Obedience If Church-Governours do give out Precepts and Directions for the Policy of the Church or the Decorum or Order of Divine Service here obedite praepositis takes place according to the former Principles and there is a passive Subjection due called Submission by the Casuists where we cannot pay the other active Obedience but in doubtful Cases praesumptio est pro Autoritate imponentis say Divines And so much briefly for Scripture-Evidence 2. The Light of Nature and right Reason doth apologize for this Power in our Ecclesiastical Superiours This Topique to the great advantage of the cause Dr. Stillingfleet in his Irenicum Book the first the third fourth fifth and sixth Chapters hath taken out of my hands He there proves that the Light of 1. Nature dictates that there be a Society for the worship of God 2. That this Church-society be governed in a decent and orderly manner 3. That there be a Distinction of Persons and a Superiority of Powers 4. That the Governours be reverenced according to their Employments and Offices and Obedience paid to their solemn Constitutions 5. Lastly That every offender do give an account of his actions to such Governours and submit to their Censures So far Nature goes as that learned Man fully demonstrates which is sufficient as to the Second Particular referring thither because I cannot add and will not diminish all that
Conformity ACCORDING TO CANON JUSTIFIED AND THE New Way of Moderation REPROVED A SERMON Preached at EXON in the Cathedral of St. Peter at the Visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God Anthony by Divine permission Lord Bishop of EXON BY WILLIAM GOVLD LONDON Printed by A. Maxwell for R. Royston Bookseller to his most Sacred Majesty and are to be sold by Abisha Brocas Bookseller in Exon. MDCLXXIV To the Right Reverend Father in GOD Anthony by Divine permission Lord Bishop of Exon. Right Reverend Father in GOD and my ever-Honoured Lord IT were an unpardonable affront to your Lordship to publish to the World that you have laid a command upon me to be thus publique for I must declare that I had not the same injunction to Print this Sermon that I had to Preach it but it was partly done to gratify the importunity of the Regular Sons partly to stop the mouths of the malicious enemies of the Church of England The one zealously pretended it might be someway useful to recover and promote that indisputable Obedience which is due to our Ecclesiastical Constitutions the other cried it down with noise and clamour and calumnies which with men of their Character and Complexion drowns all the force of reason and demonstrations not to mention the moderate Conformist who had two impregnable arguments against the following Discourse the preheminence of Diotrephes and the interest of Demetrius But my Lord however this Sermon be entertained I am happy in the opportunity of thus openly professing my self your Lordships most humble and obedient Servant William Gould Kenne Devon Sept. 28. 1674. Conformity according to Justified c. 1 COR. 14.40 Let all things be done Decently and in Order THAT men pretending a tender Conscience should have Estrich-stomachs and digest Iron rather than Obedience esteem a Surplice more criminal than Schism and Sedition less culpable than Ceremonies plead for compassion from the weakness of their Brains when they have a stubbornness in their Necks which will not bow to any Regular Constitutions This is at once so ridiculous and mischievous an Impiety as puts all Hyperboles to a nonplus Who but a Refractory Non-conformist One who adheres to his own Conclusion in defiance to all Premisses could ever declare by his publique practice That the Whore and the Beast are more nearly allied to the Order and Decorum of my Text than Sacriledg to the late thorow godly Reformation or Witchcraft to Disobedience But these are not the only persecutors of this best of Reformed Churches We have a sort of men who are neither for Liturgy nor Directory Canon nor Covenant part Churchmen and part Schismatical having one Leg for a Tub and another for a Pulpit one Hand subscribing to separate Worship and the other to the Church of England such who conform to the Benefice not to the Canons and Pope-like cancel all their solemn Obligations to the Laws and give themselves a pardon and dispensation for their barbarous Irregularity against the Ecclesiastical Constitutions Ex animo in their Subscription signifies Lukewarmness and Neutrality an unfeigned Assent and Consent is a deep Hypocrisie Decently is a compliance with a faction and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to moderation and too frequently according to contribution Now we have not the Title of precious Soul-searching Ministers unless we sell Divine Worship to accommodate our Interests and add a precious breach of all our promises and engagements to the utmost height of all Sacriledg and Prophaneness He is your only Man of Moderate Principles whose Conscience is a Composition of Five precious Ingredients the Pride of Diotrephes the Interest of Demas the Treachery of Judas the Hypocrisie of the Pharisees and the Disobedience of Devils Such with whom to pray by the Purse is to pray by the Spirit who expose to sale their Duty and the Laws at the despicable pension of a few Ignorant Zealots who call themselves Saints before they are Christians and are Heirs of Heaven without the Civility of Heathens or the Morals of Infidels These are your blessed Episcopal Covenanters Canonical Comprehenders Clergy Merchants and Regular Renegadoes whose very Character is Nonsence and Contradictions It is from their Indevotion Irreverence and wilful Omissions as if some offensive vapours did ascend from our excellent Devotions that the people seldom enter some of our Oratories till the Air be first purged and cleansed and made clear and free to breath in by the Ravishing Meeter of Sternhold and Hopkins These are your powerful men of God described by Tertullian of old Tert. depi script cont Haeret Qui simplicitatem volunt esse prostrationem disciplinae cujus apud alios curam lenocinium vocant The Church hath a Custom to prescribe the Laws of Order relating to Divine Worship and these have a Custom that they be not observed Their Religion consists in the overthrow of Church-Discipline and Goverment and their Moderation is a wilful Omission of the Rites and Offices of the Church of England It is with these men as with Servilius in Rome Medium se gerendo nec plebis vetuit odium nec apud patres gratiam iniit Thus these please neither the Church nor the Schismatick not the Last because not wholly Irregular nor do they act according to the Canonical Precepts of their Mother because all things are not done decently and in order Calvin who with some is of more Authority than all the Fathers calls the Text the Canon of Canons giving life and efficacy to all our Ecclesiastical Constitutions Regula est ad quam omnia quae ad externam Ecclesiae Politiam spectant exigere convenit The Learned Dr. Hammond observes That upon these Two all Uniformity is built rendring the first according to Custom Custom being the Rule of Decency and the other words according to Appointment viz. of the Governours of the Church of God The Learned Bp. Davenant on Col. 2.5 where we have the same word for order as in the Text tells us It is a Military Term implying the Church is a well Marshal'd Camp wherein the strictest Discipline is observed and exercised It is an Army with Banners Cant. 6.9 and so where this requisite Order of Offices Distinctions Ranks and Files and Postures are not observed it 's in an Army of Souldiers non Ecclesiastica Disciplina sed politia Cyclopica est saith the Reverend Prelate upon that Text. The Church then is not all Head nor all Body no Roman Monarchy nor Disciplinarian party no Familistical Community nor Anabaptistical Anarchy but a well-compacted Army of Voluntiers who have listed themselves by their Baptismal Covenant to live and dye Christs faithful Souldiers and under the Banner of the Cross to follow the Captain of their Salvation the Eternal Jesus The Lord-Marshals under this victorious General are the Sovereign Christian Princes and in the next degree of Eminence the Reverend Fathers and Pastors of the Church who are especially to provide that the God of the