Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	bishop_n	church_n	jurisdiction_n	5,357	5	9.3309	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18914	A chronological discourse touching, 1 The Church. 2 Christ. 3 Anti-Christ. 4 Gog & Magog. &c. The substaunce whereof, was collected about some 10. or 11. yeares since (as may be gathered by an epistle prefixed before a tractate, called, The visible Christian) but now digested into better order; and first published, by the author himselfe, H. Cl.	Clapham, Henoch.	1609 (1609)	STC 5336; ESTC S108005	72,787	116

Prayer specially he being a Priest vnto God and deuoted to Prayer By this little taste iudge of our Aduersaries learning and discretion though I of many be most vnfitted to propound it 4. Touching their exception at Capitall letters an exception now very vulgare the case standes thus There be in the Common-seruice Booke certaine great Letters within whose Circumference the Grauer of these Letters hath sometimes put certaine Pictures resembling Triton Hercules c. For which diuers doe charge the Booke for an vpholder of Idolatrie I answere it is nothing to the Matter because not of the Bookes matter Nor is the Matter a pinne the worse though the Manner of conuaying it be not so sutable as may be If there be a fault in the Fashion blame the Taylor not the Wearer These Spirites by like proportion may rayle vpon euery Bible as an vpholder of Corruption Why for that euery Printer wil be found to haue fayled in something as in mistaking a Letter displacing a Poynt c. Secondly if they so stumble at the Pictures of persons that haue been idolatrized why not also at the Picture of a Rose which some Mahumetistes venerate as sproung of the blood of the most lasciuious Goddesse that the Gentles ouer had namely Venus others of them for that it had as they say the originall from the sweat sweete sweat of their Prophet Mahomet a sweete sweatie Prophet vpon which superstitious conceites the Rose may not forsooth fall to the ground And why with as good reason doe they not reiect the two Capitall letters T and X the first hauing been idolatrized as the Crosse of Christ the other as the Crosse of S. Andrew Or why contend they not about the Capitall I which being the fashion of a Piller vnder which forme it is sayd of Clemens Alexandrine the Gentiles did worship God they might also entitle it a Monument of Idolatrie The Apostle forbids men to contend about Wordes and these hold it a vertue to make warre about Letters yea about the very Ornament of Letters I perceiue that they will play small play ere they sit out for wranglers Though it be not alwayes of Absolute necessitie that there be a Leitourgie yet respectiuely times may bring with them a deepe necessitie thereof And if any times then these times for if no forme be concluded of but euery one left to his owne discretion herein as the Apostles iustly were they being filled with spirit of Discretion not one Congregation wil be like another But as among the Romanistes the multiplicitie of Monckerie begot multiplicitie of Differences euery one affecting so his owne Order as therewithall grew a contempt of the other so this Church would so affect this Forme and that Church that Forme and a third a third forme c. as therewithall would arise such praysinges dispray singes likinges dislikinges as no one Parioch would be at quiet with another nor any possible vnitie among the Teachers Let it remaine then for Orthodoxall not onely that such a Leitourgie is lawfull but also for begetting and continuing vnitie that such an vniforme Leitourgie is very expedient and needfull With the Apostle to the Corinths he there handling also matters of Order in the Church I thus conclude If any man lust to be contentious we haue no such custome nor the Churches of God CHAP. xij Touching the Beginning of the Christian Chruch c. VVHen the fulnesse of time was come God sent his Sonne made of a Woman who being aged about 30. yeares the age whereat the Ko●athite began to waite at the Altar did then publiquely fall a preaching and of gathering Disciples vnto him About three yeares a halfe after he suffered and was buried The third day after he arose and for fourtie dayes after he appeared to his Disciples specially to eleuen of them who are called Apostles Then he ascended vp into Heauen and ten dayes after the Apostles then being conuened in an house in Ierushalem he raines downe Guiftes vpon his Disciples by the which they were not onely fitted to Teach and Gouerne the Church but also furnished with all Language and power of Myracles They so furnished doe take to themselues Assistants called Euangelistes or Prophets and the Church of Ierushalem being shaken asunder they to Samaria and so to the vttermost partes of the earth as they were of Christ foretold and commaunded immediatly before his Ascension And as they were before commaunded to cry that as vpon the house-top which he had told them as in the eare so they repaire vnto the most publique and populous Cities which were Head-townes to the Countrie adiacent So they preached in Ephesus Corinth Colossus Philippi Thessal●nia Rome c. that so the Christian fayth might not onely beat the Diuel at first hand out of his principall fortes but also from these Head-townes the Law might goe out to their Pagies or Villagies which Pagies receiued the Gospell at second hand and so subiected themselues to the Church in their Citie And because many Pagies were long ere they came to the Fayth being much remote from the holy meanes in the Citie they came to be called Paganes in an ill sense as Infidels whereas before it was but the tearme that belonged to the inhabitants of these Pagies or Country places Heere I could note and it is worthy the noting that the Countrie Christians howsoeuer meeting in some Countrie house might be tearmed a Church as before yet they made not an established Church The Church for plenarie power of doctrine and gouernement was stablished in the Citie that City-church exercising her iurisdiction ouer Country assemblies came to be called the Metropolitane Church and the like Ecclesiastique Histories make this poynt plaine and easily from the Apostles Actes and Epistles the thing may be collected The Bishop of Brownis●● must needes in this ioyne with mee seeing his Established Church at Amsterdam in Netherland exerciseth authoritie ouer some assemblies in England and elswhere which is a Bishoppricke of more length by many hundred myles then any Bishop in England hath besides that betweene him and some of his Sheepes dwelling plots there is a large Sea if not Seas by the which he is not like to ride somuch as once in a yeare through the Suburbes of his Church for keeping Visitations But what doe I following that squeaking Lapwinge As the Apostles were appoynted to take possession for Christ from one corner of the earth to another and to the Romaines he testifieth that their sound then was gone through the earth as Dauid also foretold in the 19 Psalme though in am●sterie so that blessed glad●tidinges was brought into Britaine and our predecessors then barbarous rude naked and painted with Woad were amongst others of Iaphets seede allured by the sweetnesse of the Gospell to come into Shems Tent and to worship one and the same true God the Father of Christ Iesus That some of the Apostles or