Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	old_a	prophet_n	testament_n	5,085	5	8.1969	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81826	Of the right of churches and of the magistrates power over them. Wherein is further made out 1. the nullity and vanity of ecclesiasticall power (of ex-communicating, deposing, and making lawes) independent from the power of magistracy. 2. The absurdity of the distinctions of power and lawes into ecclesiasticall and civil, spirituall and temporall. 3. That these distinctions have introduced the mystery of iniquity into the world, and alwayes disunited the minds and affections of Christians and brethren. 4. That those reformers who have stood for a jurisdiction distinct from that of the magistrate, have unawares strenghthened [sic] the mystery of iniquity. / By Lewis du Moulin Professour of History in the Vniversity of Oxford.	Du Moulin, Lewis, 1606-1680.	1658 (1658)	Wing D2544; Thomason E2115_1; ESTC R212665	195,819	444

watch-man whereof mention is made in Ezechiel 3. The third act towards the making up the externall call is a publick licence to exercise the ministery whereunto he is called by the voice of God the choice of the people and the publick testimony of other ministers This act of giving licence being an act of jurisdiction is performed under an orthodox magistracy by the magistrate himself but under an heterodox or heathen magistracy by the keepers of the confederate discipline who supply the place of magistracy The 4. act is a solemn begging of God a blessing by the ministers met in a coetus presbytery or synod or otherwise by prayer and fasting upon the resolution of the party that is to take the ministery upon him the choice of the church and the licence of the magistrate This action may be performed with laying on of hands a rite which may be used for decency and ornament not for necessity as if the calling was null without it and so Musculus Bullingerus Gualterus Martyr and Mestrezat late reverend Pastour at Paris all tell us I know of no ministeriall ordination but that which is performed this way and it is much like for the nature of it to Gods making man and wife to the doing whereof there is no concurrence of a minister or ministers requisite but only to begge a blessing upon the man and the woman that intend to joyn themselves in the state of matrimony in which action the minister contributes no more to the integrity of it then his grace before dinner doth to make it a meal though I confesse there is more in the prayer of a minister towards the perfecting of the last act of ministery then in his prayer before the consummation of matrimonie or before a meal For I should think any ministers call null before men that was not first blessed by a solemn prayer and a consecrating to God both of the ministers and people I have been induced to believe that ordination is completed by these 4. acts because 1. I find it most agreeable with the word 2. by them the calling is no lesse if not more of Divine authority for this way there is as much caution against those that enter into the ministery by the window and not by the door as is observed in Sion Colledge I make not only the ministery to be as much of divine institution as the reverend ministers of London in their jus Divinum of the ministery but besides I make the ministers call to be wholly divine and receiving nothing from or by men which the reverend ministers do not for as men do not institute ministery so neither ministers it is with them both as with the doctrine of a preacher which we trye whether it be from God or men but we give no authority to it And as besides in ward evidences by which we discern a divine wisedome in the Scripture we have some outward marks and testimonies which make it currant to be of divine authority even among those that do not believe so may we say of the call of every minister which neither other ministers nor the people make either to be a call or a divine call only by what they see of the man by his life and doctrine and by those mentioned conditions required in all those that God hath inwardly called they no way doubt but whom God hath called inwardly he also will call them outwardly without any act of man but to render a testimony to Gods call which testimony is given partly by the party himself approving himself to all men partly by other markers the choice of the church and the licence of the magistrate 3. By that methode we answer without any difficulty the Papists question how reformed ministers came by their calling and what succession they have which tye of succession is laid upon the presbyterian ordination which will be easily proved void and null if the succession hath been never so little interrupted at which time if we have recourse to Gods immediate call and necessity as the 31. article of the confession of the reformed churches in France hath attributing more to the mission of God then to that of men what inconvenience is it to give the same glory to God at all times and as well at one as at another and to hold that God hath no other succession then that of his providence that God and the ministery are more magnified if ministers receive their office immediatly from God then by the hands of men what need we endeavour to salve and make up a lineal succession interrupted by this shift of necessity the which if it gives more glory to God it may be well converted into a necessity not to be without it For doubtlesse this plea of succession making all ordinations valid is a rank Romish one and very strongly asserting if admitted by us reformed that there is no visible church but the Roman For if it be granted to them that as there is no church without ministery so no ministery without ordination and no ordination without lineall succession from the Apostles they will easily prove that succession failing the ordination hath also failed and with it the ministery and so the church which can never recover a being without a succession be shewed from the Apostles downward as the Vestall virgins when their fire was out did not kindle it at the fire of men but of God 4. It serves to remove an old mistake that the ministers of the Gospell are successours to the Priests and Levites whereas they have rather succeeded the Prophets It is true the Preists and Levites were also Prophets as they were keepers of the law and were to read and expound the Scripture and in that office I grant the ministers of the Gospell have succeeded them but in that the propheticall office was not continued in all those that were only prophets by a lineall succession of ordination but meerly by a succession of the providence of God who never left himself without witnesses Seers and Prophets whom he raised not by any call of man but of God no doubt but now God calleth the ministers the true Prophets of the new Testament by the same succession and ordination of providence not by a creation and installing by man That the ministers of the Gospell did not succeed the priefthood it is manifest for that being rituall typicall ended in Jesus Christ there remaining only the propheticall office common to the prophets both under the old and under the new Testament to which first which I note by the way and it is much materiall to our present purpose and the main argument of the book as no jurisdiction was annexed under the administration of the old Testament but what they had over the uncircumcised in heart so neither is it convenient the ministers of the Gospell should have any other This being the nature of ministeriall calling or ordination if a man will call it so

the sons of the prophets multiplying and their house temple or auditory being too little they enlarged it and chap. 22. v. 14. Huldah the prephetesse is said to dwell in Bamischnah in a colledge or school of learning So from 1 Samuel 19. v. 18. and 20. one may gather that Samuel being the chief Rabbi and Prophet having many disciples under him had his house of oration school or Colledge at Naioth in Ramah where he did not only teach publickly upon sabbath● ayes but also instructed upon other days his disciples or young prophets called his sons as appeareth by the 20. verse except by prophecying be meant uttering marvellous things of Gods greatnesse goodnesse providence for the ordinary gift and charge of the prophets was not so much to declare hidden and foretell future things as to expound the law and to exhort the people and pray with them in which sense John Baptist is called by Jesus Christ a propher who yet never wrote nor uttered any prophecies and Exod. 7. v. 4. Aaron is called the prophet of Moses because he was his interpreter to the people And the great number of those prophets sheweth manifestly that their ordinary employment was to do what the prophets of the new Testament do to exhort teach comfort-rebuke no lesse number being required for that work under the old then under the new In the 1 Kings ch 18. when Jezabel did seek to destroy the Prophets Obadiah hid 100. in a cave and in the 2. book chap. 2. v. 16 the sons of the Prophets sead of their own body 50. men to seek after El jah Sure there was no need of so many to foretell future things when one of a 1000. Prophets might undergo that charge well enough to satisfy all the people of the mind of God concerning future things wherewith but few of the people need to be acquainted but all the people had need of teachers and instructers in the law of Moses and that in a considerable number for 1000. had not been enough to instruct the fourth part of the people in the ordinary way of prophecying that is teaching and exhorting for the Rabbins say that there were 480. such houses of convocation or prayer otherwise called synagogues in Jerusalem There is mention made of two houses which were famous one at Bethel the other at Jericho whither the sons of the Prophets repaired to Elisha They were frequented not only every sabbath-day and new moon for praying with the people of the neighbourhood as appeareth by 2 Kings v. 22. but also for teaching their disciples and resolving any that should come to them upon any doubt whither it is likely David did go Psal 73. v. 16. when being inwardly perplexed with distractions he could find no settlement till he went to the sanctuary of God to be instructed better then he was where by the sanctuary doubtless is meant such a house of convocation or school And in the 27. Psalme that one thing that David desired of the Lord was no doubt to have communion with God and with the faithfull people in the Temple or house of prayer whereto he resorted every sabbath for it is not likely he understood this of being partaker of the legall rites sacrifices in the Temple at Jerusalem which was not yet built What was the form and matter of the exercises in those houses the Scripture mentioneth not only we gather by what the Prophets of Baal did 1 Kings 18. v. 26. that likewise the Prophets of God in those synagogues or houses of convocation did pray from morning untill noon and then till evening taught by catechising and expounding for in the 29. verse the word prophesving is equivalent to teaching and instructing And Samuel 1. book c. 12. v 23. maketh two parts of his propheticall office viz. to pray and teach God forbid that I should sin against God in ceasing to pray for you but I will teach you Now as those prophets had no dependence on the Priests and Levites no more then the houses of convocation where they taught so neither do we read that there was any consociation of all these convocations into one nationall church under some church-judicatory made up of Priests and Levites or that they had any dependence on the Sanedrim or state-court prescribing them any orders how to govern themselves only they were not to teach and expound ought but the law whereof the magistrate was the keeper and guardian nor to thwart the duties of the publick worship commanded such as were the killing of the passeover at set times the appearing of the males three times in the year at the place that God was to chuse and performing all the sacrifices oblations and rites enjoyned and so far were the convocations depending on the magistrate For in the first institution we do not read that these convocations or synagogues or those that were over them were or needed to be invested with any jurisdiction but were like schools of learning whose masters and teachers were also like Plato Zeno Aristotle over the schools in Greece who had scholars men of ripe years and discretion that with a withing fulmission embraced their sayings and precepts so that the Prince or Dr. of the school needed not any restraining or coercive discipline to order them And indeed it is very likely that those heathenish schools of Philosophans had their first rise and ouginall from those 〈◊〉 wish schools But that each of those convocations where Prophets taught and expounded were independent from other convocations saving only so far as they were all members of the same Commonwealth will appear anone when we enquire into the nature of these convocations when they went currently under the name of synagogues and all jointly were not one Commonwealth in one countrey but lived dispersed for then every lynagogue was sui Iuris and governed it self though some R●manists would perswade us that many synagogues were aggregated under one Archisynagogue or chief 〈◊〉 which is a great mistake for some synagogues had sometimes many Archisynagogues It is true we read in the Theodosian code of Patriarchs of the J●wes lib. 8. tit 18. de Iudae●s coelicolis or Samaritanis but those Patriarchs were not over any matter concerning law or religion but were only publick treasurers of mony levied for the poor for building of synagogues the like 'T is true also that the nature of those synagogues being changed as long as the Senat at Jerusalem had any repute other synagogues did defer very much to it requesting letters of advice from them but submitted not to any command as from a superiour to an inferiour as we gather by Act. 9. v. 2. and 3. and ch 28. v. 21. But to follow the history of these convocations a little farther their independency is clearly to be seen when the faithfull people lived under idolatious Kings as under Jeroboam and his successours for they could not depend on the Sanedum at Jerusalem since it was a capitall