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
A41939	The great question, of the authority of the arch-bishops, bishops, & clergy of the present constitution of the Church of England estalished by law, whether truly apostolical, or only political, regal, and parliamentary? Faithfully examined, and clearly resolved.		1690 (1690)	Wing G1745A; ESTC R223655	11,009	15

The Great Question Of the AUTHORITY of the arch-Arch-Bishops Bishops Clergy Of the present Constitution of the Church of England Established by LAW Whether truly Apostolical or only Political Regal and Parliamentary Faithfully Examined and clearly Resolved TO pretend Authority and act without any is doubly injurious both to those whose Authority is pretended and to all who are concerned in the Exercise of it This is universally true but may be much aggravated by the Circumstances of the Persons any way concerned and of the Matters wherein it is pretended and exercised And from hence it may be perceived that Pretence of Episcopal Authority is of it self a Crime of a very high degree and yet this may be farther aggravated by the Addition of another Crime of like nature and degree that is Schism when the Authority is not only pretended and usurped but with this farther Iniquity to cast out or keep out a true and just Authority And from hence may be perceived how reasonable it is that no Authority be admitted trusted or submitted to without good Evidence or sufficient grounds And therefore so long as it is doubtful it is as none till the Doubt be cleared or it be ratified and confirmed by just and competent Authority And because the Episcopal Authority of the whole Succession of those who are now in Possession of the Temporalities of the Bishops of England from Cranmer hath been questioned and denied from the beginning it is the Concern of every Person in this Nation to be well satisfied of the Authority they pretend or else to seek for some other that is without question And this is yet the more necessary or reasonable because there are no Churches either in the East or in the West or any part of the World whose Episcopal or Ecclesiastical Authority is denied or questioned at this day but those which call themselves Reformed Churches and yet have no Communion with any Catholick Church in being before the pretended Reformation Tho' Cranmer had no true Canonical Election nor was qualified for Episcopal Consecration having married a second Wife and she living tho' kept conceiled yet since his Consecration hath not been questioned and there are greater Matters to be considered I shall pass by that and supposing the Ordination and Consecration which he received to be good proceed immediately to the Consideration of the Ordination and Consecration of others by Him Whether that might confer any true Apostolical either Episcopal or Sacerdotal Authority and admitting it might till October 1535. when he received a Commission exactly agreeing with that published in the History of the Reformation Vol. 1. Rec. 14. p. 184. and in all but one particular with his second Commission in Vol. 2. Rec. 2. p. 90. as appears by a Note of Dr. Yale principal Registrary and Vicar-General to Mat. Parker upon a Transcript probably for a Precedent of such Commissions wherein are noted the Dates of divers others then and soon after to the Arch-Bishop of York c. Yet is there great reason to doubt of it afterward This is a Matter of great moment which had been buried in Silence and Oblivion for some time but undoubtedly by a special order of Providence brought to Light by two late Writers who did good Service to necessary Truth what-ever either of them intended For 1st from hence may be observed divers matters of Fact of great Consequence 1. That it was Cranmer 's Project and Invention which is confirmed by its agreement with his Principles otherwise declared but is disingenuously dishonestly and falsly imputed to Bonner by the Historian and such as contrary to their own knowledge have written after him for setting a wicked Example 2. That it was not he alone but the Arch-Bishop of York and the Bishops of London Lincoln Winchester c. who accepted such Commissions undoubtedly all of both Provinces either then or soon after For if any one had dared to stand out it would have been soon publickly known and taken notice of Tho' he and his Friend Cromwell betrayed them all into it 3. That this was continued in that Reign may well be concluded from the Temper of that King who would abate nothing of what he had once gotten the Spirit and Concern of Cranmer Arch-Bishop and the Record of Bonner 's Commission 4 years after and the Order of Council in the beginning of K. Edward 's Reign to take out Commissions of the same form 4. That all Promotions afterward in his Cranmer 's time to any Episcopal Sees was by Commissions Which is confirmed by the Order of Council aforesaid and the Stat. 1. Ed. 6. c. 2. Passim obtinuit ab Anno 1535. ad Annum 1553. says Wharton de Episc Lond. in Bonner And 2dly from this matter of Fact it may be farther observed that the Authority of these Persons whom we presumed to be true Bishops of the Church of England without all doubt is not what we presumed unquestionable but at least greatly doubtful not only in respect of Title to their Sees but in respect of their Episcopal Authority it self Whether they have any true Apostolical or Ecclestiastical Authority at all or so much as Sacerdotal or Clerical or any other than meerly Political And if this be so it * V. Dodwell of Schism c. 18. concerns all to look about us to secure our Right and Title not to any present Temporal Estates upon Earth but to our future Eternal State in Heaven and more especially after sufficient Notice The Doubts are divers and most of them Fatal if but any one of those prove clear and undeniable against it I shall propose only these following 1. Whether the Commission doth not contain matter Heretical and Schismatical 2. Whether the Acceptance of an Heretical and Schismatical Commission doth not make the Acceptors guilty of both and by Consequence vitiate or make the Ordination and Consecration of such Persons by such Persons irregular 3. Whether a Commission declaring All Authority and Jurisdiction as well Ecclesiastical as Secular to proceed originally from the Regal Power as the Supream Head and Spring and that they who before exercised any such did it only Precario c. and delegating by the Words Tibi Vices nostras committimus Licence to Ordain c. Vice Nomine Authoritate nostris per praesentes ad nostri Beneplaciti voluntatem duraturas doth convey any other Authority than what is really existent in the Fountain at the time of the Grant that is meerly Political unless the King had received also by special Consecration any truly Episcopal 4. Whether the Acceptance of such a Commission be not a Recognition of such an Authority as is therein declared and a Renunciation of the Apostolical received from the Church 5. Whether a Person acting under such a Commission may be intended to confer any other Authority than what is conveyed to him by such Commission 6. Whether when both the Consecrators and Consecrated have before accepted such