Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	apostle_n	bishop_n	church_n	1,878	5	4.2003	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50418	A sermon preached at the consecration of the Right Reverend Father in God, Herbert, Lord Bishop of Hereford by Jasper Mayne ...	Mayne, Jasper, 1604-1672.; Croft, Herbert, 1603-1691.	1662 (1662)	Wing M1478; ESTC R19642	22,579	52

in their Travels through the World to convert it from Idolatrie and to gain Proselytes to Christ. When the number of Believers was every where increast and the name of Christian which at first began at Antioch was every where disperst as far as Words were Names of persons the next business of the Apostles whose commission like the Sun 's was never to stand still or settle in one place but still to move like him from one Countrey to another was to mould their new Believers into well-form'd and govern'd Churches especially in great Cities such as Ephesus and Corinth and to appoint them Over-seers who should both teach and rule the Flock lest being left like Sheep without a Shepherd to o'relook them they either should be swallowed up by their own Heresies and Schisms or should break out of the Fold and relapse back again to Heathens These Overseers or as the Scripture calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These Bishops of the Flock they were compelled to chuse out of their new Converts and Disciples who in that infancy of time that famine of great Parts were generally men whose Faith was far greater then their Knowledge men not bred in Schools unskilled in Tongues and Arts especially the Art 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Art of Ruling well Indeed they were such men as St. Paul describes in that mean and humble Map which he drew of those Times in the first Chapter of his first Epistle to the Corinthians at the 26. and 27. Verses where he sayes Ye see your calling Brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called But God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the wise and weak things of the World to confound the mighty and base things and things despised and things that are not hath God chosen to annihilate and bring to nought the things that are To supply this great Defect the holy Ghost was fain to assist the very Apostles in the making of their choices and to furnish men with gifts and parts which might fit them for Elections Nay the persons generally were so ungifted raw unlearned in all kinds so unfit to rule or govern in the Church that he was fain to qualifie them in a way of new creation to make Things which were not bring to nought the things that were to give form to shapelesse matter to change their Ignorance to Knowledge to make unwise men wise and to raise their Wisdom out of nothing to call Light out of Darknesse and then divide it into Stars to make those learned Shepherds who were but lately Sheep able to defend their Flocks from the most fierce and learned Wolves In short to call a Church out of a Chaos and give a beauty to confusion to dispose the several parts into well-tuned Orbes and Spheres to place great Lights in this new Firmament which were to rule the Day and lesser Lights to drive and chace away the Night was a Work which required the Illumination of Gods Spirit to hold a Torch to those who had else stood in the dark And this is that which St. Chrysostom Oecumenius Theodoret Theophylact and many other ancient Writers have very well observed For St. Chrysostom in his Comment upon this very Text sayes that in this childhood this nonage of the Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That nothing was done as Mans Wisdome did direct 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but by the direction of Gods Spirit whose business 't was not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to foretell things to come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to reveal things present too especially in the choice of fit Rulers in the Church Clemens Romanus speaking of those Rulers sayes That the first Bishops which were made were made by the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having tryed them by the Spirit Oecumenius also speaks as if the other held his pen and sayes almost in the same form of words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first Bishops were made Bishops by the appointment of Gods Spirit Thus St. Paul and Barnabas were of Preachers made Apostles Act. 13. 2. thus Titus was made Metropolitane of Creet Tit. 1. 5. and thus Timothy in this Text was made the first Ephesian Bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Spirit of God designing of him by the Prophets Nay Eusebius in the third Book of his Ecclesiastical History taking Clemens of Alexandria for his Chronologer and Warrant sayes That this way of making Bishops by the Appointment of Gods Spirit was observed in the Church till the death of St. John who after his return from his banishment to Ephesus being intreated by the Church there to provide for succession went through all the Regions near in a holy Visitation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and ordained such a Clergie as the holy Ghost revealed So that they who have been curious to compute St. Johns return which was in the Reign of Nerva the 98. year of Christ 30. years after St. Pauls martyrdom do reckon That from the day of Pentecost in which the holy Ghost descended on the Apostles in cloven Tongues of fire to the time of St. John's death which was in the 100. year of Christ this way of making Bishops by the designation of Gods Spirit continued in the Church 66. years complete At which time the Church having taken general root and from a grain of Mustard-seed being become a spacious Tree able to diffuse it self without Miracles and Wonders those gifts of Gods Spirit which had brought it to this Growth and had every where furnisht it with Rulers sent from Heaven like the Manna in the Scripture ceast to fall on those who had now the Promised Land given to them in possession But yet though all this be true we are not to suppose that Gods Spirit did so wholly ingrosse this businesse to himself as to obtrude those new Rulers on the Church without their Allowance and Approbation too He onely did direct and name and recommend them 't was left to the Church to admit them to their Cures he but designed the Persons the Church gave them Ordination by the laying on of the Hands of the Presbytery Which describes to us the Forme of this Bishops Consecration and comes in the fourth place to be considered and examined 'T is observed that the Spirit of God who in the Jewish Church spoke by the several sparklings of those precious stones or Jewels which shined in the Brest-plate of Aaron the High-priest where a Diamond and Amethyst gave Oracles and Answers and an Agate might be reckoned into the number of the Prophets removed those precious stones into the twelve Apostles and made them twelve Foundation stones in the new Building of Christs Church as you may read in the 21. Chapter of the Revelation at the 18 19. Verses Certainly whatever in that Church conduced to Piety and Order whatever might be made a patterne for religious Imitation the Christian