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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	authority_n	great_a	king_n	1,863	5	3.5392	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34064	A discourse upon the form and manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating bishops, priests, and deacons, according to the order of the Church of England by Thomas Comber ...	Comber, Thomas, 1645-1699.	1699 (1699)	Wing C5464; ESTC R1808	281,164	522

these Seven who were all qualified as the Apostles required First Steven (s) Qui vocatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Menol. Anthol Graec. the chief and most eminent among them a Man full of Faith and zeal and inspired with extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost above the rest who all had such degrees of these gifts and graces as fitted them for this Office and therefore they elected Philip (t) Vide Act. viii 5 26 cap. xxi 8. and Procorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicholas (u) Vid. Apoc. ii 7. Ab eo orti sunt Nicolaitae Epiphan haer 25. Hieron ep 48. At ipsum inculpa●um asserunt Clem. Alex. Strom. 3. Euseb l. 3. c. 23. Theod. haeret Fab. l. 3. who was of Gentile Extraction a Proselyte converted first to the Jewish Religion and formerly of Antioch all which had deserved a good testimony and were then well known in the Apostolical College and divers of them afterward proved eminent in the Church Ver. vi These Seven are the Men whom they of the Synod elected and set before the Apostles who as Supream Rulers of the Church had the sole power of delegating a right to any that were to officiate therein And since the Office of Deacons was sacred necessary and to continue in the Church they solemnly admitted them in such manner as all others afterwards were to be admitted therefore when they had prayed earnestly to God for them they laid their hands upon them as the Jews were wont to do in their solemn Designations of any to Offices of Dignity and trust (w) Numb xxvii 18. and from this Precedent set by the Apostles here and afterwards all Ordinations in the Christian Church were made by Prayer and Imposition of Hands (x) Ordinatio Clericorum non solum ad imprecationem vocis sed ad impositionem impletur manus Hieron in Isai 58. Tom. 4. p. 421. And these two have been ever since accounted so necessary that no regular Ordination could be without them Ver. vii And God who directed the setting up this New Order gave it a good effect the Apostles having more leisure to make Converts and being sometimes assisted by the Deacons in these higher Ministries divers became Christians And the word of God was preached so frequently that the knowledge thereof encreased and the number of the Disciples by the accession of new Converts multiplied in that Church of Ierusalem greatly notwithstanding the malice and menaces of the Jewish Rulers So that abundance of the common people and a great company of the Priests (y) Male Beza dubitat de hoc loco cum omnes MSS. Graec. ita legunt themselves not only professed but were obedient to the Faith of Christ believing the Principles and practising the Duties of Christianity §. 9. Of the Oath of Supremacy Though the Form of this Oath in our Nation be no older than the dawning of our Reformation under King Henry 8. (z) Sub Henrico 8. primo introductum est juramentum primatûs Reg. Jacobi Apol. log p. 53. yet the thing is as old as Scripture History for the right of Kings which this Oath declares is set forth in God's Word where David and Solomon Hezekiah and Jehosaphat (a) 1 Chron. xxviii 21. 1 King ii 27. 2 Chron. viii 14 15. chap. xx 21. as Supream in the Ecclesiastical as well as in Civil Affairs made Laws in matters of Religion and the Priests as well as the People were subject unto them As to the putting it into the Ordination Office we will shew 1st The reasonableness thereof in general 2ly The particular reasons for giving it to the Clergy 3ly The occasion of introducing it here 1st That it is reasonable in general will appear from the consent of all mankind the modern Papists excepted that Kings are Supream in all sorts of Causes the Jews thought so as was shewed before and so did the Gentiles as the great Philosopher sufficiently declares in saying the King is Lord of all things that relate to the Gods (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Pol. l. 3. of which opinion also was a good old Pope who did not foresee the unjust claim of his Successors but owned that God had given the Emperor dominion over all Priests as well as Soldiers (c) Deus qui ei omnia tribuit dominari eum non solum Militibus sed etiam Sacerdotibus concessit Greg. l. 2. ep 64. a Doctrine taught long before by St. Chrysostom who says the Emperor was the Supream and Head of all things upon Earth (d) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys Orat. de Stat. 2. p. 463. To which agree all those Titles that the Clergy gave Christian Princes or they claimed as their due Pope Eleutherius calls Lucius King of Britain The Vicar of God in his Kingdom (e) Epist Eleuther ad Luc. Spelm. Tom. 1. p. 34. King Edgar is called The Vicar of Christ in the Laws promulgated in his time (f) Leg. Hydens ibid. p. 438. and he stiles himself Pastor of the Pastors (g) Charta ejus apud Seld. notis in Eadmer p. 146. and in much later times before the Pope pretended to give the Kings of England this Title for defending the Roman Errors our Princes claimed it as a right inherent in their Crown to be the Defenders of the Faith (h) Fidei defensores sumus esse volumus Brev. Ric. 2. Reg. Eliens fol. 1384. and 't is very remarkable that the General Councils of Constantinople and Chalcedon used that very same stile as of right belonging to the Emperors Theodosius and Marcian (i) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conc. Constant Bin. Tom. 2. Par. 1. p. 89. ita Concil Chalced. Act. 6. Bin. ibid. p. 269. and Leo Magnus Bishop of Rome calls the latter of these the Defender or Preserver of the Faith (k) Custos Fidei Leo M. ep 71. ad Anastas p. 415. Agreeably to which Pope Anastasius calls the Emperor of the same Name God's Vicar appointed in his stead to preside in the Earth (l) Epist Anastas Pap. ad Imperator Anastas Bin. ut supr p. 507. The like Titles were given by the Bishops in Councils to the Western Emperors for Charlemaign is stiled Ruler of the true Religion and Governor of God's holy Church (m) Concil Mogunt An. 813. in Praef. Bin. T. 3. Par. 1. §. 2. p. 196. his Son Lewis is also called The strenuous Ruler of the true Religion (n) Vid. ibid. An. 847. p. 372. But if any should object these are only Complements and do not prove that Princes were really Supream in all Causes I shall observe that they really exercised this Supream Authority for the Codes and Novels of Justinian Theodosius and other Emperors in the East the Capitulars of Charles the Great and his Successors in the West the Laws of our Saxon Danish and first Norman Kings abound with Statutes and Edicts concerning

xiv 18. and by the testimony of Heathen Writers (o) Temporibus heroicis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot Polit. l. 3. c. 14. Majorum b●ec erat consuetudo ut Rex esset etiam Sacerdos Serv. ad Virg. Aen. 3. p. 276. as well as the evidence of Christian Authors (p) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isid Pelcus l. 2. ep 47. So that in those eldest times the dignity of the Priesthood was reputed very great and only fit for the greatest Persons to exercise And it is rationally believed it was this right which Esau despised and sold (q) Gen. xxv 34. for which he was rejected by God who confirmed this honour to Jacob However it is certain that before the Levites were chosen to officiate about holy things the first-born were Priests and such were those young men who were sent by Moses to offer Sacrifices before Aaron's election (r) Exod. xxiv 5. misit primogenitos Cald. Par. Vers Arab. Ante erectum Tabernaculum li●urgia erat penes primogenitos Beresc Rab. Yea God himself declares he had taken the Levites to minister to him instead of the first-born (s) Numb iii. 12 45. who therefore must have been the Priests of the Lord till then and some observe Reuben regularly was to have this dignity but was excluded by a notorious crime so was Simeon the next Son also and Levi his Partner in destroying Shechem had been deprived also but only that Tribe expiated their Fathers fault by slaying the Idolaters Exod. xxxii 29. and so as the eldest Tribe duly qualified were chosen to this honour for which Dathan and Abiram the Reubenites envyed them and joyned in a Sedition against Moses on this occasion (t) Numb xvi 1. which shews these Offices were then very highly accounted of and God did intend they should remain great and honourable both by the large and noble Revenues setled on them which maintained them in the state of Princes under the Jewish Oeconomy a (u) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. de praem sacerd p. 832. And by the Authority of judging all sorts of Causes so that even the Levites sat on the Tribunals by Divine Command (w) Deut. xviii 9. 2 Chron. xix 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joseph adv Ap. l. 2. and bore the highest Character among that People As for the High-Priest his Garments his Palace his place in the Sanhedrin and elsewhere do all shew an extraordinary Grandeur and Authority was vested in him and Josephus saith that Moses who was King in Jeshurun (x) Deut. xxxiii 5. when he published God's having elected Aaron for High-Priest declared if it had been left to his choice he would have named himself and have accounted it a reward for all his labours for that People (y) Joseph Antiq. Jud. l. 3. c. 9. p. 179. We know that Eli was both High-Priest and the Supream Judge over Israel so that both Offices were united in him (z) 1 Sam. iv 18. and in Joshua's time Eleazar's dignity was such that he is generally named before Joshua the Prince and Chief Magistrate of Israel (a) Numb xxxii 28. and xxxiv 17. Josh xvii 4. and xxi 1. We see also that God was so tender of Aaron's honour that when he and Miriam were both in a fault she was struck with Leprosie and he spared (b) Ut discamus cavere ne Sacerdotes exesos reddamus Drus in Num. xii 1 10. which Example Solomon also imitated who only deprived Abiathar the High-Priest but put Joab his Partner in the same Treason to death (c) 1 King ii 26 27. To this purpose also we may note that the Priests in Scripture are called Gods (d) Exod. xxii 28. RR. exempl de Sacerdotibus D. Paul locum applicat Pontifici Act. xxiii 5. and sometimes as the Rabins tell us Angels (e) Jud. ii 1. Hic erat Phineas Phesic fol 2. For that Angel who came up from Gilgal to Bochim they say was Phineas the High-Priest because Angels properly come down and not only in Judea but in the adjacent Countries of Egypt and Midian there was the same name for a Prince and a Priest which often causes a difference among Interpreters but it 's probable the persons were both (f) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deut. xvii 9. Exod. ii 16. Chald. Par. Principem Midian ita Gen. xli 45. the Priests also as Princes then were usually called Fathers (g) Judg. xvii 10. So that no Titles were then too great for them which might express veneration and respect For it seems by Josephus that among the Jews to have right in ministring holy things was reckoned the highest kind of Nobility wherefore when he would set out his own extraction he glories that he descended of a Sacerdotal Family (h) Joseph Vita Tom. 2. p. 661. All this and much more which I might add proves the reverent estimation of these Orders among God's ancient People and that by divine direction The same also we shall find as if it were by universal consent was the Opinion and Practice of the Gentiles all over the World to esteem and give honour to their Priests next to their Kings Among the Egyptians the King was either chosen out of the Priests or was obliged to be of that Order before his election as divers ancient Authors do relate (i) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synes de Prov. p. 93. ita Plat. de Repub. Plut. Is Osir and their lesser Orders were plentifully supplied with variety of Meats and Wines at the publick Charge (k) Herodot Euterp l. 2. p. 104. The Persian Priests were their Magi who are described by Porphyry as the Divine Philosophers and Servants of their God a great and venerable Order of men (l) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Porph. de abst l. 4. §. 16. who were highly respected by and Privy-Councellors to that great Emperor (m) Id. ibid. Yea one of the Persian Kings made it to be writ on his Monument as one of his greatest Titles that he had been Master of the Magi For as Strabo tells us they by excelling others in Wisdom of old time got themselves dominion and honour (n) Sacerdotes Aegyptios Chaldaeos Magos aliqua sapientia caeteris excellentes principatum honorem apud majores nostros comparasse Strabo Geogr. l. 1. p. 18. The Indians likewise so revered their Brachmans or Priests as to exempt them from all legal penalties and tribute and both Prince and People applied to them for their Prayers and Advice in all difficulties (o) Porphyr de abstin l. 4. §. 17. p. 168 169. The Priest of Hercules at Tyre wore a Mitre and a Purple Robe and was next in dignity to the King as Alex. ab Alexandro hath recorded (p) In Tyro Herculis Sacerdos cum insula purpura procedit post Regem secunda dignitate fungitur Alex. ab Alex. Gen. Dier l. 2. c. 8. p. 66.

against their Civil Superiors So that when there was an irreconcilable difference between Rome and our King and he had by Law cast out the Pope's usurped Power he was obliged for his own safety to restore the ancient custom and make a Law that all the Clergy should swear Allegiance to him as being under Christ Supream Head on Earth or as we now without a Metaphor call it Supream Governor (g) Vide Stat. An. 23. Hev 8. And this Oath was brought into the Ordination Office in the first Book of King Edward the 6th (h) Sparrow's Collect. pag. 145. and in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's Reign the taking it was enjoyned under the severest Penalties (i) Stat. 1 Eliz. 1. 5. 1. And no doubt there was good reason and great cause for this for the Pope by his Interest in the Clergy had long oppressed this Nation and taken away much of the King 's just Prerogative as our Nobles and Parliaments in Popish times had often complained (k) Vid. Gravamina Eccles Anglicanae ap Fascic rerum expetend T. 2. p. 416. Vid. item Histor Tho. Wals An. 1312. p. 74. and they made divers good Laws to retrench these encroachments (l) Stat. Provis 25. Ed. 3. Stat. Ric. 2. cap. 5. but all in vain for the Pope proceeded in the exercise of his Tyranny and the Clergy receiving divers yea contrary commands from different Masters the King and the Roman Bishop could not possibly serve them both as our Saviour notes and they generally stuck to their Spiritual and despised their Temporal Lord (m) Matth. vi 24. Nemo potest quamvis uno Domino obtemperare repugnantia jubenti Aug. de verb. Dom. Ser. 2. p. 2. So that it was absolutely necessary utterly to expel the Pope's Authority from hence because as one of our Kings soon after the Conquest publickly declared No Man could keep his Allegiance to him and pay Obedience to the Apostolick See against his Will (n) Nequaquam fidem quam sibi debebat simul Apostolicae sedis obedientiam contra suam voluntatem posse servare Gul. 2. Anselmo ap Eadmer l. 1. p. 26. And this seemed so necessary at first to many who in other things were zealous in the Romish Faith that they took it and Gardiner writ an excellent Book in defence of this Oath and the Supremacy therein asserted as well as the Allegiance there promised o (p) Gardin de vera obed in Fascicul rer exp T. 2. p. 800. and the Pope's prohibiting it only produced stricter Injunctions to oblige the taking it and greater penalties on the refusers especially because our Governors observed (p) Vid. praefat Laur. Humph. ad Hist Jesuitismi that the Opinion of the Pope's Supremacy put him upon Excommunicating and Deposing our Kings and excited his Creatures in these Realms to lay many execrable Plots to destroy the Queen and change the Religion and Government also And 't is the restless endeavours of the bigotted Papist to restore the Papal Power that has since brought in another stricter Oath and doth make it necessary to continue these Precautions even in our times I shall not enter into this Dispute which has been already handled by so many learned Pens but refer the Reader to some of them who elaborately and unanswerably confute the Pope's and assert the King's Supremacy (q) Regis Jacobi Apolog. pro juram Relig. Christian subjection par 2. Lond. 1586. Mason de minister Anglic. l. 3. c. 4 5. and particularly shall recommend a posthumous work of Dr. Is Barrow upon this Subject (r) Dr. Barrow of the Pope's Supremacy Lon. 1680. which unfinished though it be is abundantly sufficient to satisfie any impartial Enquirer and had it received the advantage of the Author 's own last hand it would have been the most perfect Tract on any point of Controversy now extant so that I wish some Pen that were suitable to his would fill up the vacant references and enlarge upon the pertinent hints of that Book which would make it next to a Demonstration of the Question he undertook to prove §. 10. Of the Questions in general That all possible care may be taken to make or find those who enter into Holy Orders Worthy Our Church hath here rightly placed these Questions not deferring and confining them to the consecration of a Bishop as the Roman Ordinal doth (s) Pontific Roman p. 61. because the greatest security to Religion is the careful guarding the first entrance into its Ministrations (t) Cujusque rei potissima pars principium est Digest l. 1. Tit. 2. praef and therefore we put these interrogatories to Deacons and Priests for he that would breed good Officers must choose good Soldiers and he that is faithful in a lesser will be so in a greater trust (u) Luke xvi 10. 'T is a calling that Men can never forsake and so ought not to be rashly undertaken (w) Luke ix 62. Et Conc. Chalced. can 7. Item Annot. Bev. T. 2. p. 114. So that though these Questions be now first proposed to the Candidates yet it is absolutely necessary they should have Read them over seriously before in Private and duly weighed them all before they presume to answer them in the Presence of God and of his Holy Angels (x) Tenetur vox tua in libro viventium praesentibus Angelis locutus es Ambros de initiand c. 2. p. 343. as well as of the Bishop his representative if they answer falsly or rashly before so great an Assembly and just before they are to receive the Holy Sacrament it is an inexcusable as well as a presumptuous Sin and Solomon hath told us we cannot come off by saying it was an Error (y) Eccles v. 2 3 4 5 c. neither God nor the Angels who attend these Holy Ministries will so excuse us The wise Heathens advise us not to answer any Questions suddenly (z) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aeschin ap Plutar. de audit p. 39. The Scripture makes it the character of a Fool to answer a matter before he heareth that is understands and considers it (a) Prov. xviii 13. and it is an evidence of a most notorious Hypocrite to promise easily for gaining his ends b (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph. in Matth. 20. But if either of these be the case in a matter of so high importance it is unpardonable For what says a late Author is more unworthy What is worthy of greater Punishment than to profess they know that which they are Ignorant of to say they will do that which they do not intend and can do that which they cannot any ways perform (c) Soccolovij Epithalamion Episcopi cum suâ sponsâ Eccles p. 39. Wherefore I must beseech all that are to take Orders to set apart some days before their Ordination by Fasting and Prayer to examin themselves concerning every Question that they may answer truly to