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	think_v	1,479	5	4.5634	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41155	Zions rjghts and babels rvine, or, The Church restored to her primitive lustre a treatise concerning the essence and subsistence of the christian church defecated and purged from the dregges of erroneous humane invention and erected by the vnerrable patterne of the Word of God / by William Fenwick.	Fenwick, William, 1616 or 17-ca. 1682.	1642 (1642)	Wing F725; ESTC R22447	51,941	79

omitted and after the Nicene Councell quite extinct and wiped out of memory So that no marvell if our age call it the new-brought-in discipline and government of Pastors Elders and People In this discourse of Discipline I must have relation to that which is gone before for that which is part of government in the theoricke is also a part of Discipline in the practicke therefore though I have shewed that election and ordination are necessary relatives in the Church that as proper to the Congregation this other to the Pastours and how they were practised by the Apostles yet it is needfull to reforme the Judgements and opinions of men to shew how it is most proper for Congregations to choose their Pastours and Elders and Deacons and also their consent and counsell in their ordination To satisfie any indifferent judgement it is best to make It a perpetuall rule and patterne to follow the example of the Apostles but it is an enforcing reason that is necessary that the people whose summum bonum doth instrumentally consist in their Pastor should be well acquainted and sufficiently experimented in his life and conversation as also in his doctrine which they ought to taste by their ●are for the earth tasteth words as the palate doth meat before they make choyce of him though it may bee they cannot nor is it required at their hands to trie his schollarship but their capacities if it be a Congregation that hath lived and been nourished under a wholsome and structifyng minister● may well judge and taste the sweetnesse of the divine gift of Preaching by the ●are and so trie his doctrine as the men of Berea did the doctrine of Paul and it may so happen in some Congregations that are well edified in the Word of God that they may have among themselves some of their Deacons able and sufficient to succeed their deceased Pastor and withall I doe not thinke it fit to exclude the choyce and presentation of the Universities nor to debarre their Letters of commendation nor for one Congregation to supply the want of another for all Congregations are members one of another and every Christian University is a Congregation and they all make but one Church to God But what shall I say of Patrons presentations I know not unlesse I should say they are too frequently the seed of Simony For except the Nobles and Peeres of this Kingdome do● freely bestow their presentations I feare there are not many that do● the like and to speake truly of their first donation it was not done purely For the Donors in reserving a presentation to them and their heires they kept backe a part of the possession they had dedicated to God as did Ananias and Saph●r● And so if they bee righty considered they are are as unnecessary evills in the Church as Deanes and Prebends which no man can tell to what use they serve in the Church But if Patro●s cannot be admitted by our law let them present three or foure at the least that the Church may have her choyce and as much as may be avoyd that horrid crime of Simony And as for ordination though the power thereof rest in the Pastors and * Bishops yet it is great arrogancie and presumption to forsake the Apostolike and Primitive practise and usurpe a singularity and predominancie to themselves as if they would disdaine the humility of the Apostles and condemne the wisedome of the holy Ghost But that which doth foster and nourish men in a good opinion of this errour to attribute such absolute power to the Bishops and Clergie is that mysticall doctrine of Antichrist which in that smoakie darknesse thrust upon the world for an undeniable truth that the Church in her essence is to bee conceived to bee the Bishops and Clergie and that they onely have the unerrable Spirit of God and that thereby they have power to doe all things as much and as absolutely as Christ himselfe when he was on earth as once a Romish Priest averred to me that the Priests or Clergie were the soule of the Church The nourishing and maintaining of this opinion is the cause why the world hath so long and so madly doated after Episcopacie But if we thinke it fit to cast away the pride and ambition of man abhorre this opinion and let the worke bee of God and not of man Of Excommunication Now touching Excommunication which is that supreme Discipline and divine power which purgeth and segregateth the drosse from the pure gold in the temple of God This part of Discipline is of so high and holy a nature and qualitie as that of a Christian it ought to bee had in a most reverend estimation above all the powers of earth for it is thunderbolt and lightning of God that upon whom it falleth and pierceth it doth consume with a terrible ●lame and grind him to powder with a direfull fall This power is committed unto the Church not to Bishops alone not to the Pastors or Clergie onely neither have the Elders this power appropriate unto them but the Church As Mat. 18 17. If he will not heare then tell it unto the Church Now the Church is not properly to bee conceived to consist in any one person who is but a member of the whole nor can she be said to be any one proper function in the Church but the whole Church consisting of one head Christ and many members indued with divers and many administrations and gifts of one and the same spirit and in this sence every particular publicke Congregation is an entire Church and a member of the universall Church throughout the world because a Congregation containes in it selfe the whole Church of God as she hath one and the same head Christ one and the same Spirit and one and the same ministration of the same Word and Sacrament and one and the same God and Father of all above all in all and through all and one And thus having the same Word and Doctrine the same functions of Pastors Teachers Deacons and Elders the same Sacraments Administration Discipline and Government so that hereby they are united one into another and one in all and all in all The private exercise of this part of Discipline I have spoken of which by degrees in private admonition if it bring not forth the fruits of repentance and amendment proceeds to the first degree of publicke correction Tell the Church This information is made by the Elders who have used the private discipline of exhortation with much wisedome and patience upon some particular persons who with hardnesse of heart have resisted the power of God through ungodlinesse They declare the offence to the Pastor and the Pastor in the publicke assembly acquainteth the people with the offence and if the delinquent be present hee is caused to stand up before the Pastor who reproves him with the sharpe Judgements of God against his sinne by the Word seeking to

wished rather to die than to live Therefore God ordained these kind of Elders to be an assistance in his publicke ministration that as Moyses among the Jewes and Paul in the Church of God planted the Word in publicke So these might be as Apollo's to water it in private and that by their vigilancie and diligence in every place of the Congregation they might be ready to suppresse by divine instruction exhortation and admonition out of the word of God Murmurings grudgings contentions strife cursings railings and all so●● of inordinate walkings This was the private and particular duty of these sorts of Elders by the power of the Word to kill the Cockatrice in the egge and to pull up the weeds of sinne by the roots For this cause they are described in the fourth of the Revelation to be the wings of the foure beasts placed round about their bodyes full of eyes within for they are knit unto the Ministers in a peculiar and inseparable neerenesse and their discerning operation is not to extend beyond the bounds of the Professors of the Church for as Paul saith what have wee to doe with those that are without These sort● of Elders are so necessarily annexed to the publicke ministration of the Word as that the Church cannot be without them but that by the want thereof she doth expose her selfe to all kind of dangers externall and internall like a bird without wings Therefore Christ tooke not away this kind of Elders but rather established them in their function and office both in private and publicke as in the 18. of Matth. 15. 16. 17. If thy brother trespasse goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone if hee heare thee thou hast wo●ne thy brother If he heare thee not take yet with thee one or two that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be ●o●firmed And if he will not vouchsafe to heare them then tell the Church Which is to make the offence and the offender knowne to the Congregation the Elders acquainting the Pastor the Pastor acquainting the Congregation they all joyne in publicke censure and discipline Paul hath some rules which pertaine to private admonition for it ought to be done in all gravitie prudence and in much love Galat. 6. 1. If a man bee fallen by occasion into any sinne yee which are spirituall restore such a one with the spirit of meeknesse considering thy selfe lest thou also bee tempted Beare one anothers burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ The Elders ought to excell in brotherly love and wisedome and to use their exhortations with much temperance as Paul hath set before them in another place 1 Tim. 5. 1. Rebuke not an Elder but exhort him as a father and the younger men as brethren The elder women as mothers and the younger as sisters with all purenesse And there is another particular dutie which pertaines to these Elders as also to the Pastors and Ministers which is to visit the sicke and those that are burthened or troubled in conscience as Iames saith If any be sicke let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray for him and anoynt him with oyle in the name of the Lord For oyle is an embleme of the holy Ghost which by comfortable exhortations out of the word of God with prayer is like oyle unto the bones or as wine that glads the heart Such refreshment are the Elders to the sicke for the prayer of faith shall save the sicke and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sinne it shall be forgiven him And for this cause there is a mutuall confession among Christians when any thing doth vehemently oppresse the conscience therefore saith James confesse your faults one to another and pray one for another that yee may be healed for the prayer of a righteous man availeth much if it be fervent Of Discipline and censure Now I come to the second part of government which consisteth also in these three functions The first sort is called promiscuously Pastors Teachers Bishops for they have received the gift of one and the same spirit according to the measure of Christ as Ephes. 4. For the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the ministery and for the edification of the body of Christ untill wee all meet together in the unitie of faith and knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect Man and unto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ The second sort is Deacons The third is called by a generall name in common to them and the Pastors Teachers and Bishops which is the name of Elders for that in their publicke execution of Discipline they are joyntly united so that though the Pastor have the leading voyce and precedencie yet he is not to execute nor pronounce sentence in the Church without the Elders nor yet to ordaine either Deacons Elders or Pastors without their counsell and the generall consent of the Church so that the Pastors Teachers and Bishops are not to beare the burthen alone it would bee too heavy for them as it was for Moyses if they bore the like conscience to God as Moyses did and if it were too heavy a burden for one man in those dayes when the Church was but one Nation and but one Congregation and had but one Tabernacle How must it not now needs be a farre greater weight when the Church is many Nations farre and wide dispersed and many distinct Congregations But notwithstanding the Elders be joyned in one power with the Pastors and Bishops so that nothing ought to bee done without them the Pastors have this preheminence that the worke both of Discipline censure and ordination of Elders Pastors and Deacons is attributed unto them as most proper to their function For this cause Paul tells Titus in his Epistle cap. 1. that he left him in Crete that hee should continue to redresse things that remained and ordaine Elders in every Citie as saith he I appointed thee And Acts the 14 23. And when they ordained them Elders by election in every Church and prayed and fasted they commended them to the Lord in whom they beleeved For neither divine censure nor ordination could be done without them neither would the Apostles nor Pastors of the primitive times for the space of two hundred and fifty yeares either censure or ordaine any Elders Pastors or Deacons without the Election and counsell of the Church and Elders But a little after these times when pride began to creepe into the hearts of the Pastors Teachers and Bishops and that the zeale and care of the Elders grew cold and negligent as Cyprian Bishop o●Carthage lib. 4. speaking of the cause of the then present pe●secutions among other things saith What plague● what s●ripes doe we not 〈◊〉 when no not the Confessours and Elders do● 〈◊〉 Discipline● And from this degr●● of luke-warmnesse it came to be