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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	receive_v	time_n	3,111	5	3.8577	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62171	The infancy of elders a short treatise composed for vindication of the Christian liberty of freeborne denizens of England, or A refutation of the tyrannicall unlawfull mis-government of our church by lay-elders / written by J.S. minister of the Word in Lancashire.	J. S., Minister of the Word in Lancashire.	1647 (1647)	Wing S68; ESTC R8376	22,428	29

opportunity to warmehis fingers at an English fire which is likely to come to passe if these malapart Officers be not quickly supprest Nor can their wisdomes blame the Christians who for defence of their just freedomes and liberty of conscience without any sinister ends shall cause new stirs and in defence of their liberties and Religion endeavour to chase this new tyrany forth of the Kingdome And I am assured would their wisdomes but duely examine their businesse heere they would plainely find it is for no other end And withall would their grave judgements but seriously poize the validity of their passe to come and settle here they would finde it altogether insufficient and no warrant either by Gods Law or the Law of Nations for such people by people of other Nations directed hither to settle and make a constant abode heer And I am confident their Honours upon due consideration hereof would either send them from Constable to Constable backe into Scotland or else whip them quite home to Geneva which that they may doe The Lord who is Ruler of all mens hearts dictate this to his servants in the Parliament that they may put their helping hands to this worke and then the Lord prosper the worke of their hands Oh prosper thou ô Lord their handy worke I will but adde one reason more why the Lay-Elders are not to meddle in the spirituall consistory and that is because they were never included within the power of the keyes given to the Apostles and their Successors which power hath from them devolved into our Church Some affirme the Gospel to have been preached heere by Paul the Apostle but I cannot learne any certainety of that But the Apostles being under the persecution of Nero I finde that Philip and divers of the godly fled into France who severed themselves asunder the better to propogate the Gospel about the 64 yeere after Christ he sent over into Brittaine one Josephus together with one Simon Zelotes to preach unto the Britaines and administer the Sacraments according to the Rites of the Church of Greece which Josephus saith William Malmesbury in his booke de Antiquitate Glasconici Monasterii was buryed at Glassenbury and John Bale following the Authority of Gyldas and other English Writers saith that it was Joseph of Arimathea and about this time did divers of this Nation receive the Christian faith and were baptized Not long after all Authors agree that Lucius King of this Isle sent to Eleutherius Bishop of Rome Anno Christi 177 not promising any subjection to his See that not being desired only obtruded upon King Henry the second in Beckets businesse but to say with such as were pricked in minde Acts 2.37 Men and Brethren what shall wee doe to be saved Eleutherius understanding the desires of King Lucius to be baptized and to professe and maintaine the Christian Religion and withall perceiving the able parts and sufficiency of those two Britaines Lucius had for this purpose sent over to him did consecrate them Bishops and sent them backe into Britaine And withall he taking into consideration that the converting of some and establishing of all of this Isle in the Christian Faith was a taske too great for two to undergoe Though he had knowledge of their faire progresse herein yet for their ease helpe and incouragement in so great a worke he sent over more labourers after them into this Harvest who for the better propogating of the faith and winning of soules unto Christ and that all might be instructed they divided the Kingdome into Circuits amongst them There being by Lucius and his Nobles appointed three superintendents or Arch-bishops instead of three Arch-Flamins which ruled before in time of Paganisme placed over the rest one at London another at Yorke another at Carleon in Monmouth-shire This Bishopricke of Carleon was after removed thence to St. Davids in Wales thence into Normandy Yorke continues Metropolitan still London was translated to Canterbury by Austine the Monke Lambert in his perambulation of Kent fol. 63. And although the English Saxons had not received the Gospel till Ethelberts time in whose Raigne Gregory the Pope upon occasion of seeing sweet faced boyes to be sould in the Market and inquiring of them of what Nation and Countrey they were he was told they were Angli and of the Province of Deira their Kings name being Alla to which Gregory replied well may they be called Angli à Dei ira liberandi to sing Hallelujah unto the Lord whereupon Austin the Monke was sent over and preached in Ethelbert his Kingdome to the English Saxons at Canterbury Anno Christi 596. Yet reverend Bede and divers others testifie that the Britons who by the impetuous fury of the Saxons were beaten hence into Wales embraced the Christian faith many hundred yeeres before Austins time Lambert Perambulation of Kent 19. Holinshead History of England 51 and had their Church government by convocations assemblies of the most learned and best Divines which in some course and order continued amongst us till this new fashioned Presbyters started up but never had any Lay-men to joyne with them in that action it being conceived not to be warranted by Gods word Some perhaps will wonder at me that I should digresse so far from my purpose for vindication of Bishops affirming them to be by Lucius our first Christian King established in this Land I might say they were ordained by the Apostles themselves Act. 20.28 but this is no part of my purpose only laid in the way to prove our Church by the Apost●●s planted heere some say by Paul but certaine by Philip and by the Church of Rome in after times which then was a true Church much p●●●●●●ted I say it is not my purpose to vindicate Episcopacy I am too weake a prop to uphold such a tottering and reeling Fabricke Yet armed inwardly with truth outwardly with argument I will boldly tell you Reader I care not who wonder at me let them be wondring still and in their wonder snarle at me I would rather be subject to moderate Episcopacy then our Classicall Presbytery such Episcopacy as should not Lord it over Gods Heritage for wee know our Saviour rebuked James and John Mar. 10.42 Luke 22.25 When the one desired to sit to his right hand the other on his left in his Kingdome saying The Kings of the Gentiles beare rule over them and their great ones exercise Authority upon them but it shall not be so amongst you Such Episcopacy as should have no temporall honour or office to withdraw them from their spirituall function there being appointed in every County one Superintendent or Bishop who with his Assembly of Divines of that County should governe the Church and decree Ecclesiasticall Causes I say such Episcopacy I would rather embrace and submit unto it then a company of ignorant Elders for better it were to be governed with prudence and knowledge then with pride and ignorance two things incident to our

exposition I take to be most agreeable to the word of God Paul telling us in the second to the Corinthians 5.20 that the Ministers of the Gospel are Christs Embassadours praying us by the Gospel to be reconciled to God and 6. Ephes 20. Paul though in Prison was Christs Embassadour to speake the word boldly so that according to the sence of the word Presbyter Lay-Elders are not to be understood therby only the Ministers of the Gospel the Embassadours of Christ sometime the word Elder is rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is inspectores overseers of their flocke Acts the 20.28 and in that Chapter it is both rendred Presbyter in the 17. ver and Episcopus or Overseer in the 28. Sunt enim Episcopi sacri gregis in spectores qui verbo gubernationi preerunt quique quasi speculatores in doctrinam mores commissi gregis inquirebant Nor are out Lay-Elders within the comprise or reach of this word for they have no flocks to feede their high Priest takes that Office to himselfe And I thinke they will thanke me for telling them so for they would hate to be called Bishops And here by the way I thinke it were not amisse should I a little explane the meaning of that much wrested and abused Text of Scripture which our Novalists so much insist upon to ensnare the people to a subjection to their new Eldership 1 Tim. 5.17 The Elders which rule well account worthy of double honour especially those which labour in word and doctrine by which Text they would perswade the people that there ought to be ruling Lay-Elders as well as teaching Elders in the Church The Elders in that place is by all Translators rendered Presbyteri not seniores Lay-Elders or Rulers of the people but I say Presbyteri that is Ministers of the gospel Embassadours of Christ so that it cannot be understood of ruling Laity but ruling or governing Cleargy nor is this interpretation either contrary to Gods word as may be proved by other Texts ef Scripture nor doth it any wise gainsay the practise of the Primitive Churches for you may finde it recorded in Posen in vita Augusti cap. 5. that there may be as well ruling Ministers as preaching Ministers for some for administration of the Sacraments for their wisdome and judgement were not unmeete to be Bishops and Pastors and yet being not well versed in the languge of the people over which they had the charge they wanted elocution to preach and yet governed their Church well as Valerius was a Bishop amongst the Romans at that time Paul writ to Tymothy and being a Grecian borne and not skilled to pronounce the Latine did not preach and yet was honoured as a reverend Father of the Church and Minister of Jesus Christ so I beleeve wee have some great Presbyters rule in Welch Benefices and know not how to teach in that language and yet will think to have double honour from their Parishoners and it is due unto them but if they could teach too then were they more to be esteemed Wee may read in the first of the Cor. 12. chap. All men had not the same gifts to one was given the spirit of wisdome to another the spirit of faith to another the spirit of healing to another the spirit of miracles to another divers kinds of tongues and ver 28 It is said in the Church God hath set some first Apostles secondly Prophets and thirdly Teachers so that if wee must goe the old way of expounding Scripture to examine one place by another wee may hence cleerely perceive that that Text of Tymothy is to be understood ruling Presbyters and not ruling Lay-Elders ruling Presbyters ordained by God and his Church and all Translators that ever I did see render it Preebyter understanding that the Elders which rule well and are to be accounted worthy of double honour mentioned in that Text are spirituall men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ministers of the Gospel Christs Embassadors But admit the new Classicall wresting of that Text that it is to be understood of ruling Laiety yet there can be nothing gathered from that pace to prove that such men are to meddle in Ecclesiasticall affaires but of that in his proper place only that the Civill Elders which governed the State well were to be accounted worthy of double honour but especially the spirituall Elders which governed the Church and increased the flocke of Christ by their word and doctrine I have briefly done with the first part of this worke to wit the diffinition of the word Elder and now I will proceed to the second branch touching Civil or Lay-Elders in generall in the number of whom our Lay-Elders are not to be reckoned Wee read that Jewish State was governed by Elders almost in every Authour which writes any thing either of them their State or Government and more particularly and fully Mr. Purchase in his Pilgrimage folio 110. testifieth of them thus That their government was under 70. Elders according to the number of the persons which descended with Jacob into Aegypt and that the 70 assigned after to Moses in the 11. chapter of Numbers were but continued in their former Office with confirmation from on high but not newly instituted and ruled in Aegypt notwithstanding Pharaohs cruelty and were by Moses and Aron assembled together Exod 4.29 And thus it continued in Josuahs time till they had conquered and inhabited severall Cities then each City had its Sanhedrim or Councell of Elders proportionable to the greatnesse thereof as in Bethlem Boaz assembled 10 Elders about the matter of Ruth Ruth 4.2 1 Chron. 23.4 2 Chron. 19.8 and usually every Senate of Elders had a Levite or two to sit with them in judgement because the Elders were ignorant of the Talmud or Law which was much altered and inlarged by severall Governours of the University of Jerusalem and was lastly compleated by Rabbi Jochanan Anno Christi 500. and called the Talmud a rule in all causes Ecclesiasticall and Civill to this very day amongst the Jewes God commanded Moses in the 11 of Numbers saying Gather unto me 70. men of the Elders of Israel which thou knowest to be Elders of the people and they shall be are the burden of the people with thee c. This is a place much insisted upon to warrant our newtaking of Elders into the Church to beare part of the Government but I will make it manifest that this part of Scripture is no warrant for us to doe so heere in England The Government thus setled saith Josephus in his book of Antiquities libro quarto cap. 8. was mixed the Monarchy being in Moses but qualified with an aristocracy in the 70 and democracy as it were appeared in the often Assemblies of the people this but continued saith he till they desired a King and then it ceased and whilst it continued it was only for temporall affaires the Elders not being to medle in any Ecclesiasticall matter for