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	great_a	time_n	1,465	5	3.3468	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56120	A sermon preached in the Parish-Church of Bridgewater, July 16, 1693, before the Right Reverend Father in God, Richard, Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, at a confirmation by Fran. Prode ...	Prowde, Francis, 1653 or 4-1723.	1694 (1694)	Wing P3879; ESTC R6025	16,780	34

Their Infancy passed over and being catechized Children were admitted to the symbol of Imposition of Hands Inst l. 4. c. 19. and this one place of Scripture says Mr. Calvin plainly proves that this practice derived from the Apostles and in another place he has these words Vtinam verò morem hunc c. Would to God we might retain this Custom Of the same Judgment with these I find Beza Piscator Marloret and several others And here not to mention the extraordinary Zeal for this Doctrine declared by the many great Men of the Church of England whose Learning and Piety is famous throughout the Christian World I say not to mention these in our own Cause I shall onely in short remark two Instances more Mr. Baxter's Judgment in this case and that of the Assembly in their Annotations Mr. Baxter p. 102. in his Tract on Confirmation besides many other to the same End has these Words 1. Says he We find in Scripture a Blessing of Church-Members with Laying on of Hands 2. We find in Scripture that the Holy Ghost is in a special manner promised to believers over and above that measure of the Spirit which caused them to believe 3. We find that Prayer with Laying on of Hands was the outward means to be used by Christ's Ministers for the procuring of this Blessing 4. We sind that this was a fixed Ordinance to the Church and not a temporary thing Thus Mr. Baxter declares his Judgment The Assembly in their Annotations express themselves thus Laying on of Hands which is usually called Confirmation consisted 1. In examining those who had been baptized what progress they had made in the Doctrine of Christianity 2. In praying for them that God would continue them in the Faith and give them more Grace strengthening them by the Holy Ghost Now when the Chief Pastour or Pastours of the Church prayed for them they Laid their Hands upon them whence the Apostolical Constitution was called Laying on of Hands so they so St. Augustin and so most of the Fathers with one Consent Now from all this I hope I may justly inferr and that even from the Confession of some of those who have been unhappily prejudiced against our Communion That the design and usage of the Church in the case of Confirmation owes it self to a pious and judicious Respect to a truly Ancient and Apostolical Institution practised and recommended in all succeeding Ages of the Church as a Means of conferring farther spiritual strength and the Advancements of Divine Grace To impress upon tender and capable Thoughts a signal and lasting Reverence and Dread of the Divine Majesty and an agreeable Care and Concern for that Holy Religion which they espoused in their Baptism by the Means of others But I proceed to the Second particular briefly to observe the qualification of the Persons to whom the administring of Confirmation seems to have been originally assigned And here 't is much more than probable that according to Apostolical Example and all along after the Apostles till of very late Years the Office of Confirmation was constantly performed by the chief Governours of the Church called Bishops 'T is very evident that our Blessed Lord himself made an original distinction among those whom he constituted and ordained Officers in in s Church He well knew that an Imparity in Church Officers naturally promotes peace would lay a Foundation for that Unity which he all along so highly recommends and which indeed belongs to the. Nature and Design of that happy Religion which he came to establish and promote in the World To this purpose we find the plain Distinction of twelve Apostles and seventy or seventy two Disciples When one of the select Twelve betrayed his Master immediately one of the Seventy was chosen in his place Now if the Office of these and their Power in the Church were the same why do we meet with this Distinction between Apostles and Disciples Some Inequality of Order and Power in the then Officers of the Church we must hence discover and that likewise instituted by our Saviour himself This Distinction which is founded even in the Nature of Things and is so absolutely necessary in the World could not be forgot by our Blessed Lord who knew all things now agreeably to this Notion to go no farther than my Text and the preceding Verses we read that when the Apostles to whom the Power of governing the Church then belonged being at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God they immediately sent two of their own Number to wit St. Peter and St. John to administer Confirmation For though we read that the Samaritans were baptized by Philip and that his Miraculous Works among them demonstrated him to be a very extraordinary Person yet 't is evident this did not qualifie him for administring Confirmation that being an Office which then belonged to the Apostles by reason of that Superiority over the then Infant Church our Saviour had invested them with And which according to this his first Institution was all along afterwards continued in a Succession of Bishops Blondel and Salmasius themselves the great and learned Defenders of Presbytery own Bishops to have been accounted Superiour to Presbyters even in the next Age to the Apostles But this they labour to prove was an Incroachment of Episcopacy But whoever sincerely reads their Writings and the Famous Monsieur Daillé on the same Subject will find such struggles of Thought and forcing of Argument in short such obstinate Resolves to maintain a Cause as instead of disapproving recommends the Truth they design to baffle Particularly whoever calmly observes Mr. Daillé s violent Efforts against Ignatius's Epistles which clearly give the Cause for Episcopacy must needs own that he never saw Opinion more strangely prevail against Truth and Judgment For that great Man observing several of Ignatius his Epistles describing the Constitution of the Hierarchy in his Time by the several distinct Orders of Bishop Presbyter and Deacon is so extremely furious against them that rather than drop his own dear Opinion he offers such Arguments as indeed reflect upon all Antiquity even the Sacred Canon of Scripture it self not excepted But having briefly hinted thus much I might proceed to shew that according to this Superiority of Order and Office this right of governing the Church which was first lodg'd in the Apostles of our Saviour and wherewith the Bishops were after them de facto invested I say according to this Primitive Custom and Example was the Administration of Confirmation assigned to Episcopacy in the succeeding Ages of the Church To this purpose Dialog advers Lucif St. Hierom tells us That non nisi per manus Episcopi c. By the Hands of the Bishop onely was Confirmation administred But waving this Sort of Proof I shall onely add the plain Confessions in this Case of some Persons who were far from being interested in the Episcopal Cause Hic mos olim