Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bishop_n	church_n	presbyter_n	1,664	5	10.2707	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61651	A rebuke to the informers with a plea for the ministers of the Gospel, called nonconformists, and their meetings and advice to those to whom these informers address themselves for assistance in their undertakings.	Stockton, Owen, 1630-1680.	1675 (1675)	Wing S5699; ESTC R34618	98,356	92

shall appear ye shall receive a Crown of glory which fadeth not away As Preaching so Hearing the Word is a good work For 1. It is commanded of God Jam. 1.19 Let every one be swist to bear 2. It hath the promise of life and salvation annexed to it Isa 55.3 Hear and your soul shall live 3. By Hearing the Word of God we get great good for our souls For hereby we get faving faith Rom. 10.17 Faith cometh by hearing And have the Holy Ghost communicated to us Act. 10.44 While Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on them that heard him with many other precious blessings And yet for these things are Ministers that preach and pray and people that hear them vexed and molested 3. These Ministers are true Ministers of Jesus Christ called of God to preach the Gospel To prove this confider 1. They have the internal call which consists in bestowing Ministerial abilities and a willingness to serve the Lord in the work of the Ministry Gods distribution of abilities is one branch of this call 1 Cor. 7.17 As God hath distributed as God hath called every man Our Lord Jesus proves his Call to the Ministry by being anointed with the Spirit Luk. 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor These Ministers are endued with Ministerial abilities and have those qualifications required by the Apostle in a Minister of the Gospel 2 Tim. 2.3 4. They are blameless vigilant sober of good behaviour given to hospitality apt to teach not given to wine no strikers they rule their houses well c. The internal Call consists also in a willingness and desire stirred up in the heart by the Spirit of God to undertake this work and office of preaching the Gospel Deut. 18.5 6 7. In the 5th verse Moses tells us that of all the Tribes God had chosen Levi to minister to him and v. 7. he tells us which of the Sons of Levi were to be admitted to minister before the Lord namely he that came with all the desire of his mind This willing mind to serve the Lord in the work of the Ministry God hath given unto these men 2. They have given up themselves unto the Lord to serve him in the Gospel of his Son and have been set apart for this work in a solemn manner by fasting and prayer and most of them also with imposition of hands And they that having the internal Call are separated and set apart by fasting and prayer for the work of the Ministry are sent out by God to preach the Gospel Act. 13.2 3 4. The Holy Ghost said Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them they sent them away So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost departed 3. They prove themselves to be true Ministers of Jesus Christ by preaching the word of truth There is nothing contrary to sound Doctrine in what they teach and preach unto the people This was the way by which the Apostle proved himself a true Minister by preaching the word of truth 2 Cor. 6.4.7 But in all things approving your selves as the Ministers of God by the word of truth And thus John Baptist proved Christ to be sent of God because he preached Gods word Joh. 3.34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God Such as being separated to the work of the Ministry do teach the truth and preach sound Doctrine are good Ministers of Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 4.6 If thou put the Brethren in remembrance of these things thou shalt be a good Minister of Jesus Christ nourished up in the words of faith and good doctrine whereunto thou hast attained 4. God hath given evidence to the truth of their Call to the Ministry by the conversion of many souls They have been instrumental to turn many souls from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God and also to edifie and build up such as are converted When there were some that questioned whether Paul were a true Apostle he proves himself to be a true Apostle by the success God had given his Ministry in the conversion of the Corinthians 1 Cor. 9.1 2. Am I not an Apostle Are not you my work in the Lord If I am not an Apostle to others yet doubtless am unto you for the seal of mine Apostleship are ye in the Lord. 5. The people that do feel the want of the word and desire to be instructed in the way to life and salvation do call upon them to preach the word to them We read of Paul that he concluded assuredly that God called him to preach the Gospel in Macedonia because he saw a man in a vision calling to him Come over into Macedonia and help us Act. 16.9 10. There are multitudes of people that call out to these men Come and help us Why may they not thence assuredly gather that the Lord hath called them to preach to them being such as are duly qualified and have been set apart for the work of the Ministry Obj. These men were not ordained to the work of the Ministry by the Bishops and therefore are no true Ministers Answ 1. The Ministers of the French and Dutch and several other Reformed Churches have no other Ordination than by Presbyters yet are their Churches owned by most Protestants for true Churches and their Ministers for true Ministers of Jesus Christ 2. Many of the Nonconformists were ordained by Bishops yet these Informers prosecute them with as great fury as they do others making no distinction between them 3. Those whose cause I plead that were not ordained by Bishops were set apart to the work of the Ministry with fasting and prayer by the Elders of other Churches And it is contrary to the judgment of many learned Bishops and great Assertors of Episcopacy to deny those to be true Ministers that were ordained by Presbyters because they had not Episcopal Ordination For divers instances might be given out of their Writings whereby it appeareth they did allow Ordination by Presbyters to be valid and lawful especially in such cases as Ordination could not be had by Bishops and in Ecclesiâ turbatâ which is the case of several of these Ministers they were set apart to the work of the Ministry when Bishops were laid aside in the Nation and when the Nation and Church were in great troubles I will mention two or three Archbishop Spotswood in his History of Scotland lib. 7. p. 514. makes mention of three Bishops that came out of Scotland to be Consecrated in England when the time and place for the Consecration was agreed on a Question in the mean time was moved by Dr. Andrews Bishop of Ely touching the Consecration of the Scottish Bishops who as he said must first be ordained Presbyters as having received no Ordination from a Bishop The Archbishop

God rather than man Obj. Though the Apostles preached the Gospel when commanded by the rulers to forbear preaching these Ministers must not follow their example Ans 1. If all Christians are not to imitate the Apostles in what they did as Christians and the Ministers of the Gospel to imitate and follow their example in what they did as Ministers what is the meaning of those places in the Epistle to the Pastors and Saints at Philippi Phil. 3.17 Brethren be ye followers together of me and mark them which walk so as you have us for an example And Ch. 4.9 These things which ye have both learned received and heard and seen in me do and the God of peace shall be with you And of that command 1 Cor. 11.1 Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ 2. Dr. Sanderson brings in Daniel's praying against the Law and the Apostles preaching contrary to the command of the rulers to prove this conclusion Leges humanae injustae non obligant ad obediendum Humane Laws if injust oblige not to obedience And justifies Daniel's praying and the Apostles preaching though both acted contrary to the Law with this reason Nimirum quia utrobique quae prohibabantur erant res necessariae illic cultus veri dei hic concredita ipsis Evangelii praedicatio Because in both cases the things which were forbidden were necessary Duties In Daniel's case the worship of the true God in the Apostles case the preaching of the Gospel which was committed to them I conceive the same reason will justifie the praying and preaching of these men if the Informers were able to prove there were Laws forbidding the same for praying and preaching are Res necessariae now as well as in Daniel's and the Apostles times And it cannot be denyed but their worship is cultus veri Dei and that they being true Ministers of Jesus Christ Concredita est ipsis Evangelii praedicatio 7. I would ask these clamorous persons that do cry out of these Ministers for praying and preaching contrary to the Laws of the Nation and thereupon charge them with disobeying Magistrates and rebellion against the Law what they judge of Dr. Taylor 's assertion in his Ductor dubitantium lib. 3. p. 32. Every Law made against Religion or any thing of divine Sanction and Commandment is void and cannot oblige the Conscience And pag. 34. All such things as are against the good of the Subjects the Law it self declares to be no Law that is more than the Superiour hath right or leave to do Now is there not a divine Sanction for praying and preaching is not praying to God in the Name of Christ and preaching the Gospel whereby men may be saved for the good of the subject If these men do nothing but what is agreeable to the Laws of God and what is for a publick good they are not to be charged as transgressors of the Laws Hear also what Dr. Sanderson saith concerning obedience to such Laws as are cross to the Laws of God Quicquid legi Dei aut naturae lumine notae cordibus inseriptae aut in verbo Scripto revelatae adversatur non est ob quodcunque vel detrimentum proprium vel proximo scandalum vel praelati sive gratiam promovendam vel declinandum odium vere Christiano admittendum Da veniam Imperator lu carcerem ille gehennam Sic olim veteres illi Christiani Whatsoever is contrary to the Law of God either manifest by the light of Nature and graven in the heart or revealed in the Scriptures a Christian must not yield to for avoiding any hurt whatsoever to himself or for preventing the scandal of others or for the gaining the favour or avoiding the displeasure of his Superiour The Christians of old were wont to say to the Emperor when his command did cross the command of God Excuse me Sir you may cast us into Prison but God can cast us into Hell Both these Authors were great casuists and speak as highly for obeying Authority as most men they were both Bishops the one in England the other in Ireland neither to be suspected of any favour to Non-conformists that might in the least sway them to speak in favour of their cause yet both agree that such Laws as are contrary to the Laws of God or to the publick good do not oblige the Conscience But that praying to God in the name of Jesus Christ for things agreeable to the Will of God and Preaching the Gospel are Duties commanded in the Word of God and that they tend to a publick good is so plain in the Holy Scriptures that he that runneth may read of 8. In cases of necessity the Ceremonial Law was dispensed with and they that transgressed the Law were accounted guiltless It was not lawful for any man excepting the Priests to eat of the Shewbread others were forbid to eat thereof by the Law of Moses yet in a case of necessity David and they that were with him did eat of that bread contrary to the Law of Moses and yet were guiltless Matt. 12.3 4. Have ye not read what David did when he was an hungred and they that were with them how he entred into the house of God and did eat the Shewbread which was not lawful for him to cat neither for them that were with him but only for the Priests Hence I would argue thus If David in the case of necessity transgressed the Ceremonial Law which was a divine Law and yet was not charged with guilt then if these men in a case of greater necessity transgress an humane Law about Ceremonies and Religious Rites they are no more culpable than David was To clear this let it be considered 1. The saving of lost Souls and feeding hungry Souls with the bread of life is a greater good and a more necessary work than giving Shew-bread to David and his companions when they were hungry 2. The Ceremonial Law was of divine Institution the Law that requireth conformity to the Ceremonies now in use is but an humane Law And there is greater reverence due unto divine than humane Laws 3. There was no dispute among the Jews whether the Ceremonial Law was to be observed by them they knew and did believe that Moses received it from God but the lawfulness of conformity hath been of a long time and still is a disputable point many Learned and Holy men are not satisfied therein Obj. But there is no necessity of these mens Preaching if their Preaching were necessary we should have nothing to say against it but the people may hear the Word Preached from conformable Ministers and therefore their Preaching is needless Ans 1. The Preaching of these men is necessary in respect of the command of God which hath laid a necessity upon those that are called to the office and work of the Ministry to preach the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 For necessity is laid upon me yea wo is unto me if I preach not the