Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	bishop_n	church_n	presbyter_n	1,708	5	10.0860	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15828	A treatise of the honor of Gods house: or, The true paterne of the Church, shewed in the parts and pietie of it with a discovery of the true cause and cure of our present contentions, and an answer of such objections as may offend the weake.	Yates, John, d. ca. 1660.	1637 (1637)	STC 26089; ESTC S120542	57,719	94

keepe himselfe in the communion of the Apostles that he may be partaker of the Altar and Prayers of the Church Saint Ignatius in his Epistles very often makes the communion of the one to flow from the communication with the other Take away the Apostles fellowship and you take away the breaking of bread and prayer at the Lords Table except there be a Priest within the Altar the people are wholly without it I say it is Saint Ignatius his constant determination that the people must so depend upon their Pastours that they doe nothing without them Ep. ad Polycarpum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As nothing must be done without the minde of the Bishop so the Bishop must do nothing without the minde of God The Apostles and Bishops hee makes next to God in the Church he acknowledgeth none above them respecting the Ecclesia sticall Ministerie Epist ad Trall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be subject to the Bishop as to Christ for he watcheth for you He applyes the Apostles words Heb. 13.17 to the Bishop and defines him in the same Epistle lest we should imagine his name to be common to all Pastours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what is a Bishop but one that bears sway and autoritie above all others Epist ad Smyrnenses he sayes thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As in all the world there is none greater then God so in the Church and Order Ecclesiasticall there is none greater then the Bishop The same Father exhorts in Epist ad Ephes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The people should concurre in their consent to what their Bishop teacheth them according to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they may concurre and accord in Gods minde and again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The people must live after Gods minde and the Bishop must be their guide therin As in the Apostles dayes the head of the Churches fellowship was from them to which our Saviour added seventie Disciples so in the succession the Bishop is the head and chiefe to which the Presbyters are added and of them Saint Ignatius sayes thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. be subject to the Presbyterie as to the Apostles This he explains after when he makes a fuller narration Epist ad Trall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Bishop is the type of him which is the father of all Priests are the assessors with God the band of Apostles The Apostles fellowship as it was in the the 12 Apostles 70 Disciples so afterwards it continued in Bishops and Presbyters and as the Apostles had commited unto them the calling of all ordinary Pastours and correction of all mens manners that is God appointed them to ordaine and censure and without them the seventie could not execute any such power So the Bishops above all other Pastors have this power without them it cannot be executed by any inferior Minister And I never read testimonie in the Word of God or any ancient Writer to the contrary Saint Paul decreed the Excommunication of the incestuous person commanded the Church of Corinth the execution thereof reprehended them for their neglect As we are to receive our doctrine from the Apostles so our fellowship and all proofe of succession in the Ministery is taken from thence Tertull. lib. de praescript c. 32. Evolvant ordinem Episcoporum suorum it a per successiones ab initio decurrentem ut primus ille Episcopus aliquem ex Apostolis vel Apostolicis viris qui tamen cum Apostolis perseverarit habuerint auctorem antecessorem hoc enim medo Ecclesiae Apostolicae census suos deferunt sic Smyrnaeorum Ecclesia habens Polycarpum à Ioanne collocatumrefert sicut Romanorum Clementem à Petro ordinatum edit Let them examine the order of their Bishops that so hath held by succession from the beginning that that first Bishop might have for his authour and predecessour some of the Apostles or Apostolicall men yet such as have persevered with the Apostles for so the Apostolicall Churches gave their Suffrages So he relates of the Church of Smyrna where Polycarpe was placed by Saint Iohn and shewes the like of Clement ordained by Peter for the Romanes Cyprianus l. 2. Epist 20. or Pamelii 42. laborare debemus ut unitatem à Domino per Apostolos nobis successoribus traditam obtinere curemus we ought to labour that the unitie from the Lord and by the Apostles to us his successours given through our care might be retained S. Augustine in Psal 44. quid est pro patribus tuis nati sunt tobi filii patres missi sunt Apostoli pro Apostolis filii nati sunt tibi constituti sunt Episcopi Hodie enim Episcopi quisunt per totum mundum unde natisunt Ipsa Ecclesia patres illos appellat ipsaillos genuit ipsaillos constituit in sedibus patrum What means this in stead of fathers sonnes are borne to thee the Apostles are sent fathers for Apostles sonnes are sent to thee Bishops are constituted for the Bishops at this time that are through all the World whence are they born the Church it selfe calls them fathers that begot them and that constituted them in the seats of the fathers many moe such passages might be cited and sent both to Rome and some other Churches as citations nay as sentences of condemnation for two errors both contrary to this truth as they are also contrary one to another and agree in nothing but falshood first Bellarmine l. 4. de Pontific cap. 25. sayes thus Magnum est discrimen inter successionem Petri aliorum Apostolorum Nam Romanus Pontifex propree succedit Petro non ut Apostolo sed ut pastori ordinario totius Ecclesiae at Episcopi non succedunt proprtè Apostolis quoniam Apostoli non fuerunt ordinarii sed extraordinarii pastores quibus non suceeditur nisi improprié But God appointed his Apostles such as should be succeeded for how otherwise is his promise made good of being with them to the worlds end Others to avoid the Pope and all Bishops say this fellowship may come from all Pastors and that they have power to ordain nay some are so absurd that they stick not to say Pastors maybe made by the people and Magistrates may set up Ministers and never be beholding to Rome or any Bishops or Pastours that were ever ordained by them Saint Ignatius Epist ad Ephes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obeying the Bishop and Presbytery with immoveable and stedfast minde breaking one bread c. He shews plainly that breaking of bread must follow our undivided fellowship from the Apostles and their successours and surely how can we have the Sacraments duly administred if wee be not truly informed of our Pastours calling and the comming of it from the Apostles Let mee exhort all good Christians to keepe close to these notes of the Church first sound Doctrine which the Apostles have only delivered Secondly an holy fellowship fetched from the Apostles and kept by the

faithfull in all obedience to their Bishops as the chiefe of Pastours and the Presbyters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epist ad Trall as his consiliarii assessores english it as you will so you erre no more in your base account of Bishops What hath not Rome made offensive to vulgar eares the name of a Bishop Priest Altar Sacrifice and all Church-service is set at nought and wee abhorre to heare of veneiable antiquitie it s to small purpose to presse any thing upon them that have sworn to believe nothing but their own novelties and late inventions of discontented persons set on foot to trouble the peace and quiet of our Church which I beleeve holds in the most holy manner the Doctrine Fellowship Altar and Prayers expressed Acts 2.42 Storme not at the word Altar for breaking of bread cannot be without it in that sense which is so often inculcated in the Epistles of Saint Ignatius and think no man can be ignorant that will not wilfully blinde his eyes with prejudice to an Altar and rather make it any thing then an holy Table surely from fellow ship with Bishops he concludes his Altar as Saint Luke does breaking of bread from fellowship with the Apostles I would wish the separation of our times to take need lest to avoid Pope ry they part with puritie it selfe and do not so much find as forsake what they seek for if they take not ministerie from us they have none Then they can have no Baptism break no bread and where will they finde the marks and notes of their Church if they brand ours for none of Gods our Doctrine Fellowship Altar and Prayers will find footing when I feare they will faile in all if they opposeus in any May I conclude not be thought to flatter for I professe what I have said hath ever been my opinion that Bishops are by divine institution CHAP. VII The Cause and Cure of all our Contentions Vnitie in the Church is the path of peace which Papists and Sectaries disturbe in a contrary course The one misplacing the head the other the feet and both set them where they should not The Papists place their Popc where they should place all Bishops and Sectaries seeke that in the feet which is onely to be found in the head Saint Cyprian de unitate Eccles compares the universall power and jurisdiction of Bishops to an head which derives all the vertue to the bodie To a root which feeds and fils all the branches To a fountain from which flow all streams To the Sunne that sends forth all rayes and beames c. This head root fountain and Sun the Papists make their Pope all Bishops but members branches streames and beames of him Ab uno Episcopatu tanquam ab uno capite radice fonte sole oriuntur omnes Episcapi hujus Episcopatus a singulis in solidum pars tenetur A singulis in solidum every Bishop holds wholly for his part whatsoever is in the whole The head root fountain and Sun are similar and alike in all the members The same vertue is in one Bishop that is in all Bishops and the body being univocall hath but one essence in al the parts of it Order jurisdiction is the same and nothing heterogeneall but the Popes challenge to take all to himselfe and make Bishops stand to his courtesie for their calling and power as if all the Sea were in Tyber or the whole Sunne in the Romane Sphere the root in one branch and all the vertue of the head in one member Sectaries are as senslesse that take off the head to give life to the feet raise up the root that the branches may flourish Cut off the fountain that the streames may flow and remove the Sun out of its Orbe that they may enjoy the light These be our diseases whose causes and cure we are now to seeke out and hope it will helpe us to recover our misery I suppose I may reduce all the causes to two heads Envie and Ignorance Envie of the persons Ignorance of the calling of our Bishops Their persons and practices are so hated that Timothy and Titus must be unbishoped for their sakes We imagine corruptions in Bishops and cast such eyes of discontent upon them that we cannot abide to heare of their calling I am confident till that be established our contentions will never cease They are the words of holy Ignatius breathing with the sweet spirit that was in the beloved Disciple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fly the division of unitie his arguments which are as medicines to cure the disease are foure Epist ad Philad First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one faith to be beleeved of all Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one predication of the same as an effectuall meanes Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one Eucharist to seale it wherein are many unities to perswade us from division First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one flesh of our Lord Iesus Christ given for us Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one bloud shed for us Thirdly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one bread visibly broken to us Fourthly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one cup distributed to us all Fiftly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one Altar or Table where we communicate The last argument is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one Bishop together with the Presbytery and Deacons This laft unitie being disturbed disturbes all the rest and because all the spite is against the Bishops wherein lyes the Churches unitie we will vindicate the truth thereof and prove plainly that Bishops as the best instruments derive all power and peace to the Church and that without them no unitie can possibly in all the rest be imagined or mayntained We will begin with the mayn text Eph. 4.11 12. There is a double calling for a threefold end First extraordinary in Apostles Prophets Evangelists Secondly ordinary in Pastors and Teachers Vpon these two hangs the perfection of the Saints work of the Ministery and edification of the universall Church In the first wee have that calling which is of God and by God alone In the second that which is also of God but by man and here we must inquire by what men the Scripture resolves us by the Apostles and by no others and therfore Timothy and Titus could be no Evangelists for two reasons First because they were not called immediatly of God and by God but of God by man and Saint Paul witnesseth hee ordained Timothy 2. Tim. 1.6 and no question the same is to be said of Titus Secondly both these ordained others which was effected by no extraordinary persons before them since the Apostles The objection is that Timothy is bidden doe the work of an Evangelist and therefore is one of their number By this reason I must reckon also the foure Evangelists and reduce them to the same order and so confound Apostles and Evangelists A cleere distinction will remedie this confusion First some Evangelists were writers of the Gospel Secondly others