Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	church_n	communion_n	society_n	2,512	5	9.2730	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94109	A sermon preached at the consecration of the Right Reverend Fathers in God, Gilbert Lord Bishop of London, Humphry Lord Bishop of Sarum, George Lord Bishop of Worcester, Robert Lord Bishop of Lincolne, George Lord Bishop of St. Asaph. On Sunday 28. October, 1660. at S. Peters Westminster. By John Sudbury, one of the prebendaries of that church.	Sudbury, John, 1604-1684.	1660 (1660)	Wing S6136; Thomason E1048_10; ESTC R203686	23,261	45

right the limitation of them to such or such a Diocese which is by Ecclesiastical constitution is not a limitation of their power and authority but of the exercise of it not to lessen them but to preserve peace and unity in the Church In a word the Apostles were the chief Governours of the Church which was in their time the Bishops of the Church in their time And what need we say more for the Dignity of an Office which is so much the same with that of an Apostle But because I have said thus much of it it is the more needfull before I passe from this particular to speak something of the difference between this Power and Authority which is the highest in the Church and that which is the highest in the Kingdoms of the world Both are powers ordained of God not to oppose or confront but to assist each other The Power of the one is the power of his Sword which is a rod of iron the Power of the other is the power of his Sword which is the sword of the Spirit the Word of God The Power of the one serves to punish them that will not be subject to him with banishment imprisonment confiscation death c. The Power of the other banisheth no man out of his Country but only out of the Church it cuts off no man from the land of the living but only from the communion of Christians it deprives no man of any right that belongs to him either as a man or as a member of any Common-wealth Kingdom or other Society in them but only that which belongs to Christians In which it deprives him of nothing but that to which he hath no right And as the Powers are distinct so likewise are the Ends of them the End of the one being the civill and temporall good of them that are under it the End of the other the spirituall and eternall good But these two distinct Powers with their different Ends do not hinder but help each other For while the Bishop useth his power to make men good Christians he makes them so much the better Subjects it being a part of their Christianity to be good Subjects their Allegiance is bound up in their Religion so as they cannot depart from the one unlesse they likewise renounce the other a Christian cannot be a Rebell but he must depart from his Faith and turn infidel if not in word yet in deed So that the Spirituall Sword doth not clash with the Temporall but joyn with it in the same work and so assists and strengthens it as that it doth that work which belongs properly to the temporall Sword better than it self The King with his Sword commands all that are under him to live in obedience to him and to his Lawes for fear of incurring his displeasure and falling under his power which can but kill the Body The Bishop with his power commands subjects to be obedient to their Soveraigns and their Lawes out of Conscience towards God whose Ministers they are for fear of his displeasure and falling under his power who can cast both Soul and Body into hell And as the Spirituall Sword doth not clash with the Temporall so neither doth the Temporall Sword clash with the Spirituall as I could shew you but that I must remember that my Text speaks not of the Office of a King but of a Bishop and there be other particulars in it for which I must reserve some time and therefore I passe on to the next Particular which is the Work belonging to this Office The Office of a Bishop is an Office not of Dignity only but of Work the Dignity is annex'd to it for the Works sake partly as necessary for the better exercise and discharge of it and partly as a due for the worthiness of the Work 1 Thes 5.12 13. We beseech you brethren to know them that labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake He doth not say for their Office and Dignity but for their Works sake For the Office and Dignity were not made for the Bishop that he might have an Office but the Bishop was made for the Office and the Office for the Work This is the end of all the Offices which Christ hath set in the Church Eph. 4.11 He gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors and Doctors for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Not for the dignity of a Magistracy but for the work of the Ministry for every one of these Offices is a ministry even the highest of them all For who is Paul and who is Apollo 1 Cor. 3.5 but ministers and a ministry is a Work As therefore in the Church of the Jews God ordained Priests not that they might have the Office of Priesthood but that they might minister to the Lord in the Priests Office Levit. 7.35 So in the Christian Church he hath ordained severall Officers but all of them to this end that every one of them might minister to him in his Office When our Saviour committed this Office to St. Peter he did not say to him Be thou a Bishop or a Pastor but he said unto him Feed my sheep John 21.15 to mind him chiefly of his Work for which he put him in Office And S. Peter in like manner minds the Elders or Bishops not to stand so much upon their Dignity as to look well to their Work 1 Pet. 5.1 c. The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder Feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not as being lords over God's heritage c. For they are not the lords Luke 12.42 but the Stewards whom the Lord hath set over his houshold not to exercise dominion like the Princes of the Gentiles but to give them their portion of meat in due season It is not their flock but the flock of God over which they are set not to feed themselves with the fat and to cloth themselves with the wooll but to feed and oversee the flock of God it is not their heritage but the heritage of God which is committed to them not as a principality to have a dominion in it but as a charge to have the care and inspection over it The Work which belongs to the Office of a Bishop must needs be greater then that which belongs to the Office of a Priest or Presbyter for every Bishop is a Priest but every Priest is not a Bishop as much greater as the Office is higher and the sphere in which his work lies of a larger compasse A Priest or Presbyter is over his flock inasmuch as it is his Office to minister to them the things that are holy and to instruct and teach them the word of God but his flock is but a