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	church_n	successor_n	2,614	5	9.1249	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86417	Philosophicall rudiments concerning government and society. Or, A dissertation concerning man in his severall habitudes and respects, as the member of a society, first secular, and then sacred. Containing the elements of civill politie in the agreement which it hath both with naturall and divine lawes. In which is demonstrated, both what the origine of justice is, and wherein the essence of Christian religion doth consist. Together with the nature, limits, and qualifications both of regiment and subjection. / By Tho: Hobbes.; De cive. English	Hobbes, Thomas, 1588-1679.; Vaughan, Robert, engraver.	1651 (1651)	Wing H2253; Thomason E1262_1; ESTC R202404	220,568	406

those Churches who having cast off the Emperours were yet content to admit the Doctours of Rome XXIII They may be called Church-men who exercise a publique office in the Church But of offices there was one a Ministery another a Maistery The office of the Ministers was to serve Tables to take care of the temporall goods of the Church and to distribute at that time when all propriety of riches being abolisht they were fed in common to each man his portion The Maisters according to their order were called some Apostles some Bishops some Presbyters that is to say Elders yet not so as that by the name of Presbyter the age but the office might be d●stinguisht For Timothy was a Presbyter although a young man but because for the most part the Elders were receiv'd into the Maistership the word denoting age was us'd to signifie the office The same Maisters according to the diversity of their employments were called some of them Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors or Teachers And the Apostolicall worke indeed was universall the Propheticall to declare their owne revelations in the Church the Evangelicall to preach or to be publishers of the Gospell among the infidels that of the Pastors to teach confirme and rule the minds of those who already beleev'd XXIV In the Election of Church-men two things are to be considered the Election of the Persons and their consecration or institution which also is called ordination The first twelve Apostles CHRIST himselfe both elected and ordain'd After CHRISTS asc●nsion Matthias was elected in the roome of Judas the Traitour the Church which at that time consisted of a Congregation of about one hundred and twenty men choosing two men And they appointed two Joseph and Matthias but God himselfe by lot approving of Ma●●ias And Saint Paul calls these twelve the first and great Apostles also the Apostles of the Circumcision Afterward were added two other Apostles Paul and Barnabas ordain'd indeed by the Doctours and Prophets of the Church of A●…h which was a particular Church by the imposition of hands but elected by the command of the Holy Ghost That they were both Apostles is manifest in the 13. of the Acts v. 2 3. That they receiv'd their Apostleship from hence namely because they were separated by command of the spirit for the work of God from the rest of the Prophets and Doctours of the Church of Antioch Saint Paul himselfe shewes who calls himselfe for distinctions sake an Apostle separated unto the Gospell of God Rom. 1. ver 1. But if it be demanded further by what authority it came to passe that that was receiv'd for the command of the Holy Ghost which those Prophets and Doctours did say proceeded from him it must necessarily be answer'd by the Authority of the church of Antioch for the Prophets Doctours must be examined by the Church before they be admitted For Saint John saith Beleeve not every Spitit but try the Spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the world but by what Church but that to which that Epistle was written In like manner Saint Paul reprooves the Churches of Galatia because they Judaized Gal. 2. v. ●…4 although they seemed to doe so by the Authority of Peter for when he had told them that he had reprehended Peter himselfe with these words If thou being a Iew livest after the manner of Gentiles and not as doe the Iewes why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do● the Iewes Not long after he questions them saying This onely would I learne of you Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of faith Gal. 3. ver●… Where it is evident that it was Judaisme which he reprehended the Galathians for notwithstanding that the Apostle Peter compelled them to Judaize Seeing therefore it belonged to the Church and not to Peter and therefore also not to any man to determine what Doctors they should follow it also pertained to the authority of the Church of Antioch to elect their Prophets and Doctors Now because the Holy Ghost separated to himself the Apostles Paul Barnabas by the imposition of hands from Doctors thus elicted its manifest that imposition of hands consecration of the prime Doctors in each Church belongs to the Doctors of the same Church But Bishops who were also called Presbyters although all Presbyters were not Bishops were ordain'd somtimes by Apostles for Paul Barnabas when they had taught in Derbe Lystra and I●onium ordained Elders in every Church Acts 14. v. 23. sometimes by other Bishops for Titus was by Paul left in Crete that he should ordain Elders in every City Tit. 1. v. 5. And Timothy was advised not to neglect the gift that was in him which was given him by Prophesy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery 1. Tim. 4. v. 14 And he had rules given him concerning the Election of Presbyters But that cannot be understood otherwise then of the ordination of those who were elected by the Church for no man could constitute a Doctor in the Church but by the Churches permission For the duty of the Apostles themselves was not to command but to teach and although they who were recommended by the Apostles or Presbyters were not rejected for the esteem that was had of the recommenders yet seeing they could not be elected without the will of the Church they were also suppos'd elected by the authority of the Church In like manner Ministers who are called Deacons were ordained by the Apostles yet elected by the Church for when the seven Deacons were to bee elected and ordained the Apostles elected them not but look yee out say they among you Brethren seven men of honest report c. And they chose Stephen c. And they set them before the Apostles Acts 6. vers 13. 6. It is apparent therefore by the custome of the Primitive Church under the Apostles that the ordination or consecration of all Church-men which is done by prayer and imposition of hands belonged to the Apostles and Doctors but the Election of those who were to be consecrated to the Church XXV Concerning the power of binding and loosing that is to say of remitting and retaining of sinnes there is no doubt but it was given by Christ to the Pastors then yet for to come in the same manner as it was to the present Apostles now the Apostles had all the power of remitting of sins given them which Christ himselfe had As the Father hath sent me sayes Christ so send I you John 20. vers 21. and he addes Whose soever sins yee remit they are remitted and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained vers 23. But what binding and loosing or remitting and retaining of sinnes is admits of some scruple For first to retain his sinnes who being baptized into remission of sins is truly penitent seems to be against the very Covenant it selfe of

in a Civill Government and with the peace of mankind cannot possibly be done because there is no City without a Command and a restraining Right LIBERTY that we may define it is nothing else but an absence of the lets and hinderances of motion as water shut up in a vessell is therefore not at liberty ●ecause the vessell hinders it from running out which the vessell being broken is made free And every man hath more or lesse liberty as he hath more or lesse space in which he employes himself as he hath more liberty who is in a large then he that is kept in a close prison And a man may be free toward one part and yet not toward anothert as the traveller is bounded on this and that side with hedges or stone walls lest he spoyle the vines or corne neighbouring on the high way And these kinde of le●s are externall and absolute in which sense all Servants and Subjects are free who are not fetter'd and imprisoned There are others which are arbitrary which doe not absolutely hinder motion but by accident to wit by our own choyce as he that is in a ship is not so hindered but he may cast himselfe into the Sea if he will and here also the more wayes a man may move himselfe the more liberty he hath and herein consists civill liberty for no man whether subject sonne or servant is so hindred by the punishments appointed by the City the Father or the Lord how cruell soever but that he may doe all things and make use of all meanes necessary to the preservation of his life and health for my part therefore I cannot finde what reason a meer servant hath to make complaints if they relate onely to want of liberty unlesse he count it a●misery to be restrained from hurting himselfe and to receive that life which by warre or misfortune or through his own idlenesse was forfeited together with all manner of sustenance and all things necessary to the conservation of health on this condition only that he will be rul'd for he that is kept in by punishments layd before him so as he dares not let loose the reines to his will in all things is not opprest by servitude but is governed and sustained But this priviledge free subjects and sonnes of a family have above servants in every goverment and family where servants are that they may both undergoe the more honourable offices of the City or family and also enjoy a larger possession of things superfluous And herein layes the difference between a f●ce subject and a servant that he is FREE indeed who serves his City onely but a SERVANT is he who also serves his fellow subject all other liberty is an exemption from the Lawes of the City and proper only to those that bear Rule X. A Father with his sonnes and scrvants growne into a civill Person by vertue of his paternall jurisdiction is called a FAMILY This family if through multiplying of children and acquisition of servants it becomes numerous insomuch as without casting the uncertain dye of warre it cannot be subdued will be termed an Hereditary Kingdome which though it differ from an institutive Monarchy being acquired by force in the original manner of its constitution yet being constituted it hath al the same properties and the Right of authority is every where the same insomuch as it is not needfull to speak any thing of them apart XI It hath been spoken by what Right supreme authorities are constituted Wee must now briefly tell you by what right they may be continued Now the Right by which they are continued is that which is called the right of SUCCESSION Now because in a Democratie the supreme authority is with the People as long as there be any subjects in being so long it rests with the same Person for the People hath no Successour In like manner in an Aristocra●y one of the Nobles ●ying some other by the rest is substituted in his place and therefore except they all dye together which 〈◊〉 suppose will never happen there is no succession The Querie therefore of the Right of Succession takes place onely in an absolute Monarchy For they who exercise the supreme power for a time onely are themselves no Monarchs but Ministers of state XII But first if a Monarch shall by Testament appoint one to succeed him the Person appointed shall succeed for if he be appointed by the People he shall have all the Right over the City which the People had as hath been shewed in the 7. Chap. Art 11. but the People might choose him by the same Right therefore may he choose another but in an hereditary Kingdome there are the same Rights as in an institutive wherefore every Monarch may by his will make a successour XIII But what a man may transferre on another by Testament that by the same Right may he yet living give or sell away To whomsoever therefore he shall make over the supreme power whether by gift or sale it is rightly made XIV But if living he have not declared his will concerning his successour by Testament not otherwise it is supposed First that he would not have his Government reduced to an Anarchy or the state of warre that is to the destruction of his subjects as well because he could not doe that without breach of the Lawes of nature whereby he was obliged to the performance of all things necessarily conducing to the preservation of Peace as also because if that had been his will it had not been hard for him to have declared that openly Next because the Right passeth according to the will of the Father we must judge of the successour according to the signes of his will It is understood therefore that he would have his subjects to be under a Monarchicall Government rather then any other because he himselfe in ruling hath before approved of that state by his example and hath not afterward either by any word or deed condemned it XV. Furthermore because by naturall necessity all men wish them better from whom they receive glory and honour then others but every man after death receives honour and glory from his children sooner then from the power of any other men hence we gather that a father intends better for his children then any other persons It is to be understood therefore that the will of the father dying without Testament was that some of his children should succeed him yet this is to be understood with this prov●so that there be no more apparent tokens to the contrary of which kind after many successions custome may be one for he that makes no mention of his succession is supposed to consent to the customes of his Realme XVI Among children the Males carry the preheminence in the beginning perhaps because for the most part although not alwayes they are ●itter for the administration of 〈◊〉 matters but specially of wars but afterwards