Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	catholic_n	church_n	communion_n	6,888	5	9.4764	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50759	A discourse of licenses to preach occasioned by a question propounded, viz., why many officers of the Church of England in the episcopal visitations urge the incumbents to take licenses to preach / replied to by Ja. Metford in a letter to the proposer ; published for the consideration of the clergy to whom it is of no small importance.	Metford, James.	1698 (1698)	Wing M1937; ESTC R27111	28,133	37

when the Laurae were settled in Aegypt we yet find nothing but Ordination and the Priests Mission to dwell in a house placed very near the Church which answers well enough to our Institution II. Secondly That the Church for 1400 years never required Incumbents on Benifices to take Licenses to Preach This Proposition being negative admits of no other Proof than that no notice of any Licenses to Preach hath come to our hands after the best Search we could make about them We see Ordination did Qualify for Preaching in the Church And find that Bishops did send their Presbyters abroad to administer Religion where they thought convenient We find also a great many Requisite Forms or Letters used in many Cases as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which also were sometimes called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they did not only commend the Party that had Them but also contained his dismission in Peace There were also Literae Formatae called so I think from the Form of the Bishops Seal put to them as also Communicatoriae given to Christians Travelling that they might be received into the Catholick Communion where they came These and a few others we meet with in the Primitive times as the Tractoriae which directed the Messengers of Churches and gave them ready Acceptance where they were sent And so ancient that we find the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Commendatory Letters mentioned by S. Paul himself as of common use in his time 2 Cor. 3.1 Can. Antioch 7 8. Witness those words of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in the Synod of Antioch we see some others but no where these Letters of License for Preaching And if there were any such 't is to be wonder'd at that neither Bernardinus Ferarius that treated so minutely of the ancient Rights of Bishops nor Alcuinus Amalarius or any other of those Antiquaries that Charles the Great set on work to search the ancient customs of the Church nor any other of those collected by Melchior Hittorpius should hit on them We can't suspect those Authors of Ignorance in the Church Canons and customs seeing it was a known Rule Nulli Sacerdotum liceat suos Canones ignorare Grat. nulli dist 38. We may add the Probability that this Church of England knew nothing of this License to Preach in the time of Archbishop Stratford An. Dom. 1342 Lyndw. l. 3 tit 22 cap. Saeva c. nor at any time before For his Synod endeavoured to stop the Oppressions of the Clergy and to Restrain the greedy appetites of the Officers seeing the inferior Clergy groaning under their burdens ready to joyn with the Wiclefists in their complaints And therefore enumerated all the Seals and Writings then in use and ascertained the Fees for them but makes no mention of any Licenses to Preach as distinct from Letters of Orders They are thus reckoned Pro Scriptura Literarum Inquisitionum Institutionum vel Collationum Commissionum ad inducendum vel Certificatorijs ipsarum in Beneficijs ultra xij Denarios Pro Literis vero cujuslibet Sacri Ordinis ultra vj Denarios dicti Clerici per se vel per alios non recipiant quovis modò And farther to Evidence that the Synod intended to omit nothing then in use they add that the Sewers Porters Grooms nor Barbers should require nothing giving this Reason for it That the Ordinary ought to maintain his own Servants with fitting Wages Now can any man not quite deserted of Reason imagine this intent Synod forgat these Licenses to Preach Or may we not more reasonably conclude there was no Footstep of any such Practice then in use And yet we shall soon hear of it even in his time tho' not required to be taken by any Incumbents III. Thirdly That the Church Canons enjoyned all Incumbents to Preach under great Penalties which surely they would not do if they were not qualified for it without Licenses But the Canons proceed on a Supposition that Ordination and Institution gave Title enough to furnish out a Preacher for his Cure It will not be necessary to shew the many Canons of Codex Ecclesiae universatis seeing our own Church hath plenty enough But if any desire it he may consult Photius his Nomo canon tit 8. c. 2. where He may be satisfied For the Church of Englands zeal that way we may consult Stephen Langtons Decree in the Council holden at Oxford Anno 1222 how earnestly Preaching is urged on all Incumbents Praesentis Concilij definitione districte duximus injung endum ut Rectores vicarij Plebes sibi commissas pabulo verbi Dei secundum quòd fuit ijs inspiratum informare procurent ne canes muti meritò judicentur cùm latratu salubri a Caulis Dominicis Luporum spiritualium morsus non expellunt c. So likewise John Peccham in a Constitution made at Lambeth An. Dom. 1281 Cap. Ignorantia Sacerdotum c. Imposes this care on the Archdeacon to watch the Clergy concerning Preaching Quoties Archidiaconi invenerint Presbyteros Institutionem moralem populo minime praedicasse sen publicasse toties eos arguant poena Canonica castigando supplere compellant quod temere omiserunt The same Council also lays this charge on the Clergy Praecipimus ut quilibet Sacerdos Plebi praesidens quater in Anno per. vel per alium exponat populo vulgariter quatuor decem Fidei Articulos Decem mandata Decalogi Duo Praecepta Evangelij Septem opera misericordiae Septem mortalia peccata c. and gives them a Method how to do it By which we may conclude they were so far from Restraining their Clergy from Preaching that they urged it by all good means they could While we strive to embarass that work till so much money is paid for our leave to do it 'T is true indeed that if a Priest were a Stranger that came out of Ireland Wales or Scotland and for the same Reason from any other Foreign Church such a one was forbidden to celebrate any Divine Offices in this Church If he came without Commendatory or Dimissory Letters of his Ordinary And especially if there were any doubt of his Lawful Ordination Unless He came with a License from the Diocesan This Constitution was made under Walter Reynolds in the Second Council at Oxford Anno 1322 in these words Item praecipimus ne Sacerdotes ignoti de quorum Ordinatione non constat ad Divinorum celebrationem diserviendo Ecclesijs admittantur nisi de Licentia Episcopi Dioecesani Nor was it Lawful for the Diocesan to give him that License without Letters Testimonial and good Evidence that He was lawfully ordained Here we see a License mentioned to be given by the Diocesan but it was to a Foreigner 2 To one that was no Incumbent 3. To one whose Ordination was doubted 4. T was a License ad celebrationem Divinorum Lynd. de ●ler peregrinat c. 8 which the Gloss interprets to celebrate Mass the