Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	apostle_n	bishop_n	church_n	8,364	5	4.6820	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44125	D.E. defeated, or, A reply to a late scurrilous pamphlet vented against the Lord Bishop of Worcester's letter, whereby he vindicated himself from Mr. Baxter's misreports. / By S.H.	Holden, Samuel, fl. 1662-1676.	1662 (1662)	Wing H2381; ESTC R19194	22,454	35

make particular inquisition into the execution of their functions And for A Bishop's adopting to himselfe a limited number of deputies whose more neighbouring deportments he may with much facility survay and determine of them according to their known actions What will any man judge but that D. E. his witts were at Rome all this while But he informes us That he forbears to urge how contrary this Practice is to the Doctrine of the Apostles Paul and Peter hoping the Bishop will not take it angrily that he did not call them Saints Since that these holy men did not need any style of honour out of the the Pope's Kalender The Saints are very little oblig'd to the Charity of this irreverent fellow who will not give them what they deserve but what they need And their Necessities not their Merits must prescribe a proportion to their titles But why do not Bishops follow the Doctrine of these Apostles Paul saith he had sent for the Elders of the Church of Ephesus bidding them feed the Church of God over which not be himselfe by his sole authority as Bishop of the Diocese but the Spirit had made them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Overseers And did the Spirit I wonder immediately without any instrumentall Cooperation of St. Paul make them overseers Or doth the Bishop now pretend to make Men overseers without any respect had to the Influence of the Spirit Wherein then lies the difference between the Bishop's practise and the Apostles Doctrine O but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with them signifie the same T is true sometimes they did signifie the same yet they were not allwayes of the Same Extent Every one that was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and no more might in some sense be calld 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not è converso Every Bishop or overseer could not be calld a Presbyter and no more For my part I will not envy the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the most undeserving priest in it's genuine signification But withall I would have D. E. know that a Community of name doth not alwayes involve an indistinction of dignity or a parity of degree Else would I enquire why St. Paul who was also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did so imperiously summon the rest Or what plea St. Peter could produce for his Commanding the ministers to feed the Flock as D. E. himselfe tells us Which two occurrences are so far from patronizing our Replicant's Asseverations that they utterly defeat them Manifestly holding forth a disparity of eminence and command I would desire him therefore to be inform'd that Custom is guilty neither of Blasphemy nor heresy the Degrees being still the same with those of the Apostles in the restriction of the title A Scholar I will not say D. E. knowes that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 formerly was a word equally appropriated to men and Spirits employ'd in embassies but now the eminence of the latter hath engross'd the Name especially in it's translations as likewise the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●-ness of the Bishops office hath attracted the use of the title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the next place we are told to detract from the Episcopal power that Whoever feed the flock are under Christ Whom the Apostle terms the Chief-Shepheard the next and immediate pastours of the flock though his wits were gone a wool-gathering and now I have found them among the flock In the first of his Exceptions he is strongly provok'd against Bishops as detracting from his Majesty's Ecclesiastick prerogative And yet here he thinks it no impeachment to the Kings supremacy to give the most inconsiderable priest the upper hand of him inspiritualls T was well he discovered no more of his name than D. E. else this sentence might chance to have made his neck crack since it savours little better than reason For I would willingly know of him whether the Pastour of the Flock be not the Governour of the flock If that he be as he cannot deny it then whosoever feeds that flock is next and immediately under Christ supream governour in Ecclesiasticals and the immediate head of the Church next to God for D. E. tells us that he is the immediate and consequently next to God the supream Pastour So farewell to one of his Majesty's titles Is not this to be a most affectionate lover of the Kings person and Government as he elsewhere pretended But he tells us moreover that To extend the power beyond the actuall care of feeding is a Notion altogether unscripturall Unless I am as farre out of the way as our Authour and Animadvertour is out of his wits here is a false 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein he takes it for granted that a Bishops care is not actuall How unwarily doth he confound those two termes actuall and Immediate which last he would have said and so have excluded the Kings power from most parochiall congregations in England thinking them of the same import and signification If D. E. did understand what actuall meant he would know that a mediate care such as Episcop●l is likewise actual The word signifying nothing else than existent and in Act. Let us a little for illustration suppose an owner of a great flock dividing them into severall parts giving them to the tuition of one Pastor he distributing them to the Care of others whose executing of their office he supreviseth Will D. E. say that this Supravisour doth not take an actuall care of the flock or that he is not the shepheard more immediate to the Owner Or that he may not dispose of the more inferiour pastours pro arbitrio alwayes respecting their actions and his Master's permission Or that there is the same reason for ones feeding by vicegerents whom by reason of their multitude and remotion he cannot oversee and for another's deputation of feeders whom by reason of their paucity and vicinity he may easily survey I think he will not although his indiscretion and malevolence might counsell him to the assertion III. EXCEPT HE calls it A light and unseemly trifling with sacred Writ to understand the words spoken concerning th●se that go not in by the door and are therefore theeves and Robbers of such Ministers as preach to Congregations without the Bishop's license Little dreams he that they are called theeves and Robbers not as preaching only to Congregations for so they do but come in the wrong way but as they preach out of a designe to prejudice and plunder the true Shepheard And indeed such postick irruptions imply something of a malevolent Complexion and the ensuing practises of such intruders have bin an ample Comment on those preceding designes that encourag'd them to the Attempt But he tels us that If besides ordination there must be a License then 1 He knows not what Ordination mean's Indeed I am easily induc'd to believe this latter Clause He doth not know that ther 's a difference between the power and