Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	ceremony_n	church_n	ordain_v	3,759	5	9.3766	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68023	A briefe examination for the tyme, of a certaine declaration, lately put in print in the name and defence of certaine ministers in London, refusyng to weare the apparell prescribed by the lawes and orders of the realme In the ende is reported, the iudgement of two notable learned fathers, M. doctour Bucer, and M. doctour Martir ... translated out of the originals, written by theyr owne handes, purposely debatyng this controuersie.	Parker, Matthew, 1504-1575.; Bucer, Martin, 1491-1551.; Vermigli, Pietro Martire, 1499-1562.; Hooper, John, d. 1555.	1566 (1566)	STC 10387; ESTC S101661	56,521	86

the same as they may rightlye of them by whom chiefelye all Romyshe religion with superstition and errour was through the spirite of God bannyshed this Realme Well howesoeuer it hath pleased you for spite agaynst some one to bryng a great number of very godly in obloqui and suspition yf the thynges required be indifferent in themselues and not so horrible daungerous for this Churche at these dayes as the prudent and chare ouerseers iudge euen as it were in the syght of Chryst to whom they must render an accompt for his deare flocke what matter is it who they be that call vpon you to accomplyshe your duetie Unlesse you thinke that no man ought to make general lawes in the lyke cases but let euery Curate be supreme gouernour in his owne paryshe Which loose imagination what inconuenience it wyll drawe with it you may well consider Howe innocent handes they haue from the bloud of all Gods Saintes who vnder a most godly vertuous and pure regiment deale with you al maner of wayes that you slippe not from your loyall obedience yea though they shoulde vse towarde some of you charitable seueritie terrible lenitie auengement medicinal as S. Augustine setteth out the true ecclesiastical discipline not only the wise within this Realme vnderstande but the enemies also without confesse But because your enemies as you surmize put you in mynde of your duetiful subiection you wyll not be cowards you saye yeeldyng your weapons to your aduersaries handes As yf by wearyng this apparell the sword of Gods worde were wrested out of your handelyng where as you knowe well enough in these orders you may manfully caste downe strong holdes ouerthrowe imaginations and euery hygh thyng that exalteth hymselfe agaynst the knowledge of God and bryng into captiuitie all vnderstandyng to the obedience of Christ yea and take vengeaunce of all disobedience as S. Paule describeth at large the faythful preachers weapons and fyght Nay God graunt this vndiscrete dealyng of yours be not a voluntarye throwyng awaye of your weapons in deede marueylous daungerous also to Christes people committed to your charge whyles you open thus a gappe for hirelynges to creepe in and defende not your flockes from the great peryls of heynous errours and vngodlynesse of lyfe because some hauyng interest aswellas you in your sheepe shewe vnto you an orderly poynt or two Last of all you request two thynges The one That you may kepe your conscience vndefiled This your petition in some thynges touchyng the worshyp of God myght haue his place But in these matters which you call indifferent what is it that shoulde defyle you the thyng itselfe or your weake opinion of it The thing itselfe doth not pollute you For as S. Paule sayth to the pure all thynges are pure And agayne Nothyng is common or vncleane of itselfe Nowe as concernyng your weakenes thankes be to God that which the same S. Paule reporteth of the Corinthes may be verified of you We all haue knowledge And We are sure that an Idoll is nothyng in the worlde and that there is none other God but one It were to be wyshed and would to God there were no examples now of it that none of them which pretende herein a straytnes of conscience dyd strayne a Gnat and swallowe a Camell Next you require freedom to teach your flockes by doctrine This thyng your bounden obedience may easylye obtayne where as by your owne wylfulnes you depriue yourselues therof Then you would go before your sheepe in that which you haue taught If it be as farre as becommeth your owne persons and degree you shall deserue thankes whensoeuer you perfourme it â–ª For though it chaunce so oftentymes that many thynges are to be taught of themselues indifferent yet in your example it shall not be lawefull for you to vse them before your paroeces as you lyst Meete is it that Christian people heare dyuers tymes of the freedome of conscience in meates places tymes and dayes and yet neyther you nor they ought to disturbe politicall order lawfully taken Whiche disturbaunce of publique quiet in rites and ordinaunces which may be for the varietie of places diuers and yet to be straytly obserued what a great offence it is not only the Scriptures may teache you the vsage of Christes true Church but also the determination of this Church in Englande both agreed vpon in kyng Edwardes dayes also testified and subscribed by them themselues who nowe woulde gaynsay theyr owne doynges then The wordes which the whole Sinode were well pleased withall whervnto all the Cleargies handes are set to be these It is not necessary that traditions and ceremonies be in all places one or vtterly lyke for at all tymes they haue ben dyuers and maye be chaunged accordyng to the diuersities of Countreys tymes and mens maners so that nothyng be ordered agaynst the worde of God VVhosoeuer through his priuate iudgement wyllyngly and purposely doth openly breake the traditions and ceremonies of the Church which be not repugnaunt to the word of God and be ordeyned and approued by common auctoritie ought to be rebuked openly that other may feare to do the lyke as one that offendeth agaynst the common order of the Church and hurteth the auctoritie of the Magistrate and woundeth the consciences of the weake brethren After these Godly mens iudgementes yf you go before your flocke in this quiet maner your example veryly shall edifie much Thus therfore if we al shalbe faithful wise seruauntes geuyng our maisters housholde theyr duetie of meate in due season and also be founde by our Lorde when he commeth so doyng happy shall we be and we shall haue our portion not with the hypocrites where is weepyng and gnashyng of teeth but with the blessed in the kyngdome of the most mightie God which is kyng of kynges and Lorde of Lordes to whom be honour and rule euerlastyng Amen Ephes. 4. But let vs folowe the trueth in loue and in all thynges growe vp into hym which is the head that is Christ. Phil. 3. Neuerthelesse in that wherevnto we are come let vs proceade by one rule that we may be of one accorde A prayer to be said dayly of a Christian man for the Churche Promissam pacem tua nunc ecclesia Christe Insano mundi turbine pressa petit â–ª Euigila tandem fluctus compesce furentes Fac tibi non pereant quos pater ipse dedit THe Churche O Christ thy spouse opprest with worldly spight Thy ioyfull peace doth craue by thee to her behight Awake sweete Lorde awake and styll this raging sea That thyne elect he saude whiche once were geune to thee FINIS Doctissimo viro D. Martino Bucero Theologiae in Academia Cantabrigiensi professori Regio Thomas Cantuariensis AFter my hartie salutations ryght welbebeloued Master Bucer I haue read that booke whiche ye haue sent to Doctour Peter Alexander concernyng the controuersie betwixt Master Hoper and the

from the begynnyng synce that I applyed my selfe vnto the Gospell my mynde was that this difference of vesture shoulde be taken awaye but yet so that I dyd not iudge it of theyr owne nature eyther wicked or pernitious I beseche God almyghtie to preserue you safe sounde with all your householde through Chryst Jesus our Lorde Farewell At Oxforde the fourth of Nouember 1550. Yours both in minde and spirite vvholly Peter Martir Amplissimo domino et Colendissimo Symmistae Ioanni à Lasco ¶ The Lorde graunt vnto vs in these troublesome tymes of the Church to begyn and finis he all things that offences and daungers be not encreased Amen THe more diligently I weigh and consyder both what fruite we may gather by this controuersie of vestures also what Sathan goeth about thereby to worke I woulde haue wyshed before the Lorde that it neuer once hadde ben spoken of but rather that all men of our function had agreeably and stoutlye gone forwarde and continued in teachyng true repentaunce the holsome vse of all thynges yea in commendyng and puttyng on the apparell of saluation I see in very many right honorable alas I say I see their marueilous diligence in abolishing Amelech concernyng stones stockes vestures those thynges that be without vs when in theyr deedes and whole lyfe they most styflye retayne the whole Amelech styll I knowe also some that helpe forward this stryfe so that in the meane tyme the chiefe and most necessary poyntes are lesse regarded called vpon that is of remouyng sacrilegious persons from spoylyng of Churches of prouydyng fyt ministers for euery paryshe of the restoryng of discipline agayne As for my part yf I thought those ceremonies and vestures were impure of them selues I woulde not take vppon me in any wyse the office of a Byshop vntyll by ordinary aucthoritie they were taken away c. But to the purpose I thynke it not impartinent vnto this matter that we all be admonyshed to take heede of Sathans accustomed sleyghtes whereby he leadeth vs away from the care of necessary thynges to the carefulnesse of those thynges whiche may be well let passe and from the searchyng out of the true doctrine of Chryst to induce vs to those things wherin few can consent a like finally by the which he kyndleth in diuers men a zele to purge those thynges which are without vs thereby to neglect our inwarde deformities And seyng whatsoeuer we do eyther in worde or deede both priuately and publiquely we ought to do it in the name of our Lord Jesu Christ geuing thanks by hym to God the father Surely it is our duetie no lesse circumspectly to beware that we nether do nor leaue vndone any thyng whereof we haue not sure or certayne auctoritie out of Gods worde touchyng our actions and matters domesticall and Ecclesiasticall It is alwayes in all thynges synne whatsoeuer is not of fayth of the certayne worde of God But to consider this question in it selfe I haue accordyng to my gyfte weyghed your reasons and yet I can perceyue no other but that the vse of all externall thynges aswell in holy ceremonies as in priuate matters ought to be left free to the Churches of God I call that free vse wherin godly men vse thynges created of God without any superstition and to a certayne edifiyng of theyr fayth in Chryst. I veryly as I haue confessed vnto you and haue declared in deede vnto our countreymen had rather that no kynde of vesture whiche the papistes vsed were retayned amongst vs and that both for the more full detestation of the Antichristian priesthood and also for playner aduouchyng of Christian libertie yea and to be shorte for the auoydyng of daungerous contentions among the brethren though notwithstandyng I woulde haue the Ministers of Churches to vse sage vesture and such whereby they myght be discerned from other men but chiefely I woulde all the discipline of Christ to be in force among vs Yet I can not be brought by any Scriptures as farre as I see hytherto to denye that the true Ministers of Christes Churche may vse without superstition and to a certayne edification of fayth in Christ any of those vestures whiche the Antichristians abused For what shoulde let but that the Churches maye vse that whyte vesture or more vestures to monyshe vs precisely of that diuine benefite which he by the holy ministerie of the Church dealeth vnto vs the benefite I saye of the lyght and dignitie of that heauenly doctrine by the which also the Ministers them selues may be the more myndfull of theyr offyce and had both for it and by the admonyshment of that outwarde token in greater reuerence of the common people of the Churche Whether we wyll or naye we are compelled to confesse that the insignes of them that beare publique offices helpe somethinges to retayne and encrease the auctoritie of Magistrates and publique power yf other thynges want not by the which the true reuerence is geuen vnto them For yf these thynges be not ioyned with those ensignes they induce not a veneration but rather the singuler detestation of them who vnworthyly vse these notes of vertue Signes in deede are signes and not the thynges yet how much they are able to admonyshe moue the mynd God geuyng the increase he that obserueth wyll wonder Wherefore whereas otherwayes the true dignitie of Ministers is euident if any perticuler Church by publique iugement do consent vpon the retaining of certain vestures only for the cōmendyng vnto vs of the gyftes of God which he geueth by the ministery of the Church and for to put the yonger and ruder sort in mynde without all superstition Truelye I can not see why suche vse of vestures in suche a Church may not serue to some commendation of the holye ministerie and so consequentlye to the edification of fayth For what let is there but at this day they which are indued with the same spirite of faith may vse a few signes as godly as the auncient holy men haue vsed many They had you wyll say expresse writing concerning the vse of their signes I graunt and in deede it made much touchyng the true vse of their signes But in that God dyd commaunde the vse of those and many signes we certaynly learne that the vse of those signes may serue he geuyng grace to promote true religion and that it hath none vncleannesse in it selfe or superstition neither can be by the abuse of the wicked so polluted that it can not be healthful to godly men vsyng it godly Nowe when as God by his worde hath sanctified all thyngs by our prayers and hath made al thynges pure to the pure what cause can we alleage out of the worde of God to deny that god wyl not blesse such vse of signes wherof we speake that it should not be effectuous to that Church to some commendation of the ministery and therof also to some edification of fayth For