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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	authority_n	church_n	scripture_n	3,566	5	6.5669	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39997	A counter-essay, or, A vindication and assertion of Calvin and Beza's presbyterian judgment and principles drawn from their writings, in answer to the imputations of a late pamphlet, entituled, An essay concerning church-government ... attempting to fasten upon them an episcopal perswasion ... / by a minister of the true Presbyterian Church of Scotland, established by law.	Forrester, Thomas, 1635?-1706.	1692 (1692)	Wing F1594; ESTC R35532	63,101	86

to the end of the World is to be understood We have also demonstrate this and this only to be Calvins sense by a large account of the series and contexture of Calvin's discourse in the Chapter where this passage stands so that Calvin doth palpably contradict this mans sense of the president Bishop Calvin asserting the temporary expired state and nature of the Apostolick Office as above that of the Pastor and likewise in the citation of this Pamphleter immediately preceeding that Bishops Presbyters and Deacons are the only Officers that have a Divine standing Right of perpetual necessity That as Calvin makes the Bishop and Presybters Office one and the same so he makes it in this distinct from the Apostolick and Evangelistick that the one is ordinary and perpetual the other not the one imports a fixed Charge over a definite Flock the other not the one is suited to the Churches state when exedified the other to its state in fieri c. Thus we have both admitted the Major in a sound sense and everted it in his sense Assumption But the President Episcopacy understand this still according to his mold and pleading is that Government which is of Divine Right Answer This Assumption I deny for proof whereof he referrs to the preceeding Corollarie immediately before everted and upon which we have demonstrat the Antithesis of the Conclusion which this man draws out in his Demonstration brought to fortifie the same Thus his Assumption is found nought Conclusion Therefore the want of the President Episcopacy is prejudicial to the cause of Christ evanishes into smoak To which I oppose as before this Antithesis and Counter-Corollarie Counter-Corollary The want of the President Episcopacy pleaded for by this man is not in the sense of Calvin and Beza prejudicial to the cause of Christ or the Christian Religion For proof of which I offer a Demonstration in his own mold thus Demonstration The want of that Government which in the sense of Calvin and Beza has no Divine Right or Warrand is not according to them prejudicial to the cause of Christ or the Christian Religion This is his own Proposition upon the matter for if this Divine Right be the adequat ground rendering this want pernicious then the negation of this Divine Right must have the contrary effect and in sound methods of reasoning bear the contrary Conclusion by the Rule of Opposits I subsume Assumption But the President Episcopacy pleaded for by this man is a Government of the Church which has no Divine Right in the sense of these Divines This I proved in his own mould as he refers for proof of this Divine Right to the preceeding Corollary I refer for evincing this negative to the confutation of his Positive or Affirmative and the discovery of its falshood immediately premised Whereupon I draw out a contradictory conclusion to his therefore the want of the President Episcopacy pleaded for by him is not in the sense of Calvin and Beza prejudicial to the cause of Christ or the Christian Religion which was to be proved or if he will listen to another Demonstration he may have it thus Demonstration Major If the Churches having the President Episcopacy pleaded for by him being the sense of Calvin and Beza prejudical to the cause of Christ then the Churches want of it cannot be thus prejudicial This Major I am hopeful common reason and learning will not suffer him to deny Since the denyal thereof would cause so many clear Rules of even natural far more this Gentleman 's acquired and habitual Logicks I subsume Assumption But so it is that the existence of that President Episcopacy which he pleads for in the Church is in the sense of these Divines prejudicial to the cause of Christ. This I prove thus That Episcopacy which in their sense imports an usurped unlawful Dominion over Pastors and impeaches their Authority allowed them of God which has thus given a rise to the destructive Antichristian ●yranny over the Church the existence of that Government in the Church must needs be in their Judgement prejudicial to the cause of Christ. This Proposition I am confident he will not deny I subsume But the President Episcopacy which he pleads for is in the judgement of Calvin and Beza of this nature and issue Therefore it is in their Judgement the Churches prejudice to have been burthened with this Government The Minor is above fully proved First as to Calvin in that as he clearly asserts all Pastors to have one and the same Function so the encroachment of one under the peculiar title of Bishop upon this their equal Authority we heard him expresly condemn upon Phil 1. And next for Beza we heard him clearly assert that the Episcopus humanus and the begun encroachments thereof upon the Collegiat Authority of Pastors in Churches Government gave the rise to the Oligarchical and Antichristian tyranny which was the native issue and effect thereof upon Rev. 2. 24 26 And let any judge if an Episcopacy with such a pretended Ap●stolick Official preheminency in Ordination and Jurisdiction over Pastors as this man has shappen out be not of this mould in Beza's and Calvins Judgement so that we may again safely conclude upon the whole that therefore the existence of this President Bishop in the Church to which our Pamphleter has endeavoured to draw the Patrociny of Calvin and Beza in these distorted places above examined is by them condemned as an Idol of jealousy prejudicial to the Cause of Christ and the Christian Religion which was to be demonstrated FINIS

up was an a●eration and 〈◊〉 from the Divine Rule and that which gave th● f●rst rise to Antichristian Tyranny we also heard that he disown even the inference of a Fixed Moderator from the Angel of the Churches we have also frequently Observed how that Calvin disowns the peculiarity of the very name Bishop to one Pastor as giving the least semolance of any difference in the Official power and function of pastors The Conclusion therefore of their disowning this Official preheminent power in Ordination and Jurisdiction assumed or rather usurped in after times evidently and necessarily fo●lows yea is so evident that Beza in his Treatise de Episcopatu triphci calls the Bishop assuming in after times this preheminence in Ordination and Iurisdiction over Pastors the Satanical Bishop and the poysoned egg out of which Antichrist was hatched Come we to the 4th Proposition of our pamphleter which is this thus Proposition 4. The president Episcopacie is approven by Christ in the Book of the Revelation Answer Upon the Proposition it self I shall only here again animadvert and remind the Reader of this man's pitiful palpable ●orgery and abusive Sophilirie in covering himself and his design all alone g●●der the Cloud and playing with the general terms of President Epis●●p●cie to give some semblance of truth unto his proofs as knowing that Calvin and Beza do express themselves modestly of the first Proestotes or Fixed Moderators who first took place but his Mediums and Methods of arguing do sufficiently unmask his pitiful folly for they do make these Divines plead for a Hierarchial Diocesian or Patriarchal Prelat of the highest degree with a fixed sole Power of Ordination and Jurisdiction yea shape● out after the measures of Apostolick Authority The first Proposition of his Demonstration whereby the premised assertion is fastned upon Beza is thus Demonstration Proposition 1. The seven Angels of the seven Churches written unto by St. Iohn in the Book of the Revelation are encouraged against all the devices of the ungodly upon condition of their continuing faithful in their Administrations for proof of which we are referred to Postulatum 4. Answer 1. This Proposition in it self considered we may safely admit without the least prejudice to our cause or help to his design We might on the by here tell him as our learned Mr. Gilespie admonished some of his fellows that the Scripture Saints we may add and inspecial such an eminent Saint and Divine as the Apostle Iohn needs no titles of Honour out of the Popes Callendar and was acknowledged such by the Churches before this Canonizing came in use And enquire whether our Author useth to prefix St. to Aaron when he names him who is called the Saint of the Lord together with Moses and other old Testament Saints and what ground of disparity and difference he can assign But to pass this 2. Since he referrs to Postulatum 4. where we have the same Proposition with an annext Sentence of Beza on Revel 2. 26. v. Where he expons My Works c. of the faithful performance of the works laid upon this Angel and shews that the Assembly of Pastors are bespoken in the person of the President to whom victory is promised if he rely upon Christs power c. I shall here only resume what we have answered upon that 4 Postulatum viz. That Bezas taking the Angel for a single Person is the utmost conclusion he can draw from this passage wherein as Beza differs from the ordinary current of Interpreters So we have evinced the gross palpable folly and forgery of this mans design and inference here-from viz. That Beza ownes this president Bishop which he hath shapen out and described since he cannot conclude from these words that Beza asserts his Official Preheminence and Authority over his Colleagues which we told him is so Demonstratively evident that Beza disowns even the very inference of the necessity of a fixed Moderator as following upon his Assertion anent the president Angel expressly adding this Proviso Caution to guard against any mis-application of what he sayes anent the Angel his being a single person and thus in terminis gives this Pamphleter the lie as if by a Prophetick Spirit he had forseen this forgery And holding the very first fixed Moderators to have been the humane Custom subsequent and opposite to the first divine appointment and practice of the Official compleat parity among Pastors our Lords enjoyning the Pastors faithfulness in their administrations and bespeaking them thus in the person of the President we told him will therefore in Bezas sense and words import no more then a faithful exercise of their joynt Collegiat Power and Authority which Beza holds was our Lords Institution and at this time is existent So we see the Major is nought The Assumption is Assumption But the Angels were President Bishops over other Ministers within their respective Churches For proof of this we are referred to Definition 4. Where we are told that the Angel of any Church representative is the President Bishop over other Ministers within the respective Diocess Province or Patriarchat which is proved by Beza Rev. 2. and 24. His words are To the Angel that is the President whom it behoved especially to be admonished and by him his fellow Colleagues To you the Angel the President and the Assembly of your Colleagues Answer We have upon that Definition fully discovered the folly and impertinency of this inference from the words of Beza and this Mans palpable shameless imposings upon him as if these words would bear the Conclusion of his owning a President Bishop with an Official yea sole Preheminence in Ordination and Jurisdiction over ordinary Pastors of as high a nature as he supposes the Apostle Paul exercised which appears by Definition 3. compared with its proof this his arguing we said is a shameless imposing both in that he supposes Beza to hold these Angels to be Patriarchat Provincial or Diocesian Angels or Bishops above 260 years before such a mold and cast of Churches was existent as likewise that every representative Church is Provincial Diocesian or Patriarchal and inferring this high Patriarchiall or Diocesian Prelat with sole power of Ordination and Jurisdiction from Bezas simple assertion of a president Angel in whom the rest of the Pastors were bespoken yea and bespoken as his fellow Colleagues viz of equal Official Authority in Bezas sense unless he will make him contradict not only himself but Calvin who expons and understands Colleagues thus yea and all this contrair to the express caution of Beza in the same very place who asserts that this his sense and exposition of the President Angel will not so much as bear the Conclusion of the necessity of a fixed Moderator which he holds to be a humane invention and that the Prelat of this Mans mold and pleaded for by him by these distorted citations gave the rise to the Antichristian tyranny If this be not shameless imposing let any rational man