Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	church_n	power_n	presbyter_n	2,457	5	9.9410	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88532	A looking-glas for the Presbitary government, establishing in the Church of England. Or, A declaration of the revolution of the times, pithily composed and seasonably recommended to the view of all sorts of people, but principally to the judicious reformers of the church and state. Look in this glasse you'l not think't strange, England once more receives a change. Of Scotlands government, you'l have a view, and Englands Presbitary which is new. As in a glasse you here may see, the king: the kingdomes misery. The crown resign'd, religion suffers, by pride, ambition, and selfe lovers.		1644 (1644)	Wing L3030; Thomason E21_40; ESTC R1040	8,199	17

of Israel and Saint Peter saith the Church saluteth you But when the Emperour became a Christian there was soon a glorious visible Church for Eusebius writes about the yeare 254. after Christ there was forty six Presbiters in the Church of Rome and 1500. poore people maintained by the contribution of the Christians of the Citie and there was of the Clergy 108. which were men that had such excellent gifts and of so holy a conversation that the proverb of those dayes is that they had woodden Challaces and golden Priests But to discend nearer to our times and our own country Ethelbert King of Kent married with Berta the French Kings daughter who was a Christian and she being desirous to have her husband of her Religion made meanes to Pope Gregory first to send some ministers to convert the English who sent Augustine the monke and Candidus the Priest which were curteously received by the King and Augustine made Bishop or minister of Canterbury there being a Church or Temple and being the chiefe place in the dominions of the King of Kent other places became subordinate to this and so he got the title of Metropolitan or Archbishop and as Christanity increased and Churches built they were but as chappels of ease to this church and all were brought hither to be christened this being the parish church for we finde in the Epistle of our Saxon King Renulphus that the whole Archiepiscopall sea of Canterbery is called parochia or a parish yet at that time there were other places for christians to assemble in but the church at canterbury was like unto Halifax in Yorkeshire which hath twelve chappels belonging to its Dioces or parish In England before William the conquerers time there were few country churches or at leastwise parish churches for Diocesses or parishes were erected since according to the civill government of the Land to the intent it might be known out of what towneship tithes were due Having laid this foundation and shewed you what a church is and what a Bishop and his Diocesses were we will give a short view of their varying from their first station for by degrees they usurp authority over the whole clergie get into temporall offices and become rather Statesmen then Divines yea though the Bishop of Winton saith that the Church is never taken for the assembly of Priests alone but for the assembly of all the faithfull yet the Clergie alone assembled in their convocations would be accounted the Church of E●gland as Linwood hath it and were growne to that height that Anselme Archbishop of Canterbu●y writes in his Epistle to the Pope that the power of the holy Church is drawne by two open of equall strength and beauty the King and himselfe And the Bishop of Winton though he were the Kings brother assembled all the Clergie against King Stephen And Temopre H●●ry 1. The Bishop complies with the Pope standing in defence of the King untill the King complying with his Parliament made a Law that if any Bishop or Clergie-man had any wrong offered him he should have no writ to redresse it that all the lay fees of the Bishop and Clergie should be seized into the Kings hands that if any man met with a Clergie man which had a better horse then his he might unhorse him and change with him then change was no robbery By this meanes the King was for the presnt restored to his right of government and the present abuses found some redresse but they could not long be kept under for innumberable are the presidents which I might recite in the dayes of Hen●y 7. Edward the 6. Queen Mary Queene Elizabeth and King Iames too of the plots against the Church against the Kingdome against preaching against Religious discourse and Godly meetings and to bring in Popery tyrannie profanation all which have been practized by many Bishops but because I would not be tedious finding them all summoned up in one as yet living example who though in his life was like his predeceslour Thomas Becket yet I am cofident hee will not in his death for the death of Becket is said to be the birth of the Canon Law and superstition but I hop● the death of this man will bee the death of these and many other Romish Dregs And thus being again discended to the present times I shall say little concerning the first part of my discourse touching the Civill government of this Kingdome for that it hath abundantly beene manifested to the world the unwearied pains and uncessant indeavours that have been long used by the Honourable Houses of Parliament to redresse them and to remove the causes from whence all those evills flow wherein by the way we may observe that the evill of evills or the greatest evill that ever befell this Kingdome is that the inhabitants thereof for the most part are as a man in a dead palsey and one side quite benummed and utterly voyd of sence or feeling or like one that is stricken with some other desperate disease and instead of seeking a cure plungeth himselfe into a condition irrecoverable And such an evill as this is not to be paralelld amongst all the distempers and revolutions of times since Christianity first entred this Iland For though our Historians mention former differences betweene the King and his subjects and that in time of a Parliament too which grew to so g●eat a height that it produced open warres even when the whole Kingdome for matter of Religion were universally of one mind yet were the Commons of this land so tender of their birth-rights and liberty of their posterity that they maintained them with their dearest blood but in a dead Lithurgy is this age that although liberty was never deeper ingaged and Religion the life of our lives at the stake the greatest part of this Kingdome either stand as Newters or most unnaturally by a course of violence endeavour to plunge themselvs and their posterity into a condition irrecoverable and though they professe a hatred to Popery joyne with all the Papists in the Kingdom yea the uncivillized barberous bloody Irish Rebels which are more cruell then Nero. But I hasten to a period for it is my taske to draw my conclusions from what I roughly represent and lay before you for having in the second part of my discourse declared the foundation of Christianity the nature of a Church and given you a short hint of the manner of Discipline and government therein and how it hath varied from the first foundation I shall humbly leave the rectifying or re-establishment thereof to the grave and juditious reformers of the Church and State For though there be some doubts whether the Church at Ierusalem were but one Congregation or assembly in the Apostles time yet if we consider the multitude of Christians that were there and the severall sorts of Languages and Nations in i● we may thence gather that there were more places to Congregate then one else all could not hear or if they could yet were not capable to understand and edifie And as for the division of parishes the matter is not great being a politique Law which a State have had power to make in all ages That there were Presbiters in the Church is not denyed but some question is made what power and authority they had over the Clergie which we humbly conceive may easily be cleered and though the Minister may bee presented by the Presbyters as in the Church of Scotland yet may there be such testimony and approbation given by consent of the P●●ish where he or they are to serve that all scruples 〈…〉 away and tender consciences both in this and 〈…〉 receive good satisfaction And the difference between ●●e Presbyterians and Independents is not in point of Religion but in matter of Civill Government which the Civ●●● Magistrates have power to settle according to the policy of 〈◊〉 which power hath beene exercised heretofore in this K●●g●om wherein I humbly conceive they followed the examp●● or the renowned Senators of the Roman State for though I find not in the old Law of Moses that any man was to dye for theft yet I read that two theeves were crucified with our Saviour which being according to the politick lawes amongst the Romans was not condemned by Christ himselfe or his Apostles And when Shemei was confined to a city out of which hee was not to goe on paine of death though we read not before of any such penalty upon the breach of such confinement yet hee was executed for that offence and the judgement acknowledged against him to be just and good If this be the case then the Parliament of England have power to make Laws for the Civill Government in Church and Common-wealth which are not repugnant to the word of God and by the Lawes of this Land parishes are already divided and those which are called Independents are not able to make it appeare that there was any such Independency as some have aimed at in the Church of Ierusalem or elsewhere in the primitive times after the Church came to be setled O let it not therefore be said in Gath or published in Ashkelon that any haughty spirits strive to make a breach amongst those which are within the Pale of the Church of God but let us submit to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake and let it bee our constant prayers that this great Counsell may goe on in establishing such lawes in Church and Kingdome as may bee for the glory of God and establishing of peace and tranquility amongst us So shall they doe worthily and be rendred famous to all posterity FINIS