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	true_a	visible_a	6,279	5	9.0945	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43631	The naked truth. The second part in several inquiries concerning the canons and ecclesiastical jurisdiction, canonical obedience, convocations, procurations, synodals and visitations : also of the Church of England and church-wardens and the oath of church-wardens and of sacriledge.	Hickeringill, Edmund, 1631-1708.	1681 (1681)	Wing H1822; ESTC R43249	69,524	40

and make Canons and Laws by themselves alone as if they alone were the Church Thus when Magna Charta says That Holy Church should be free They always meant and it is so construed at this Day Let the Clergy be free from Taxes Impositions c. So that by the Church of England is meant the Clergy of England A little Church then surely in so great a Realm and a great pity that so many Lay-Brethren should dye out of the Pale of the Church And yet the Dignitaries of the Church not content to be onely amongst the Croud of other Clergy-men the Church streighten the Bounds and take in the Pale to more scanty Limits making themselves when in Synod especially and Convocation at least the Representative-Church and of power to see for all the rest and to bind them to what Decrees and Laws they list Thus the Articles of Religion Regn. Eliz. Anno Domini 1562. Articuli de quibus convenit c. Articles agreed upon in the Synod of London By and Between the Arch-Bishops and Bishops of Both Provinces and all the Clergy What little share the Inferiour Clergy have in making such Articles I have shown already and also that 1 Eliz. 1. is repealed on which those Articles seem to be founded Which yet I say not to weaken the force and vertue of them they are so good so moderate so charitable so Christian-like in themselves that they need no voucher no Statutes to vouch them they are so honestly come by For Pride and Passion Prejudice and Peevishness Malice and Revenge the wonted Inmates were excluded the Convocation-House when those 39. Articles of the Church of England were composed and nothing but the Naked-Truth permitted entrance 'T is strange you 'l say and in a Synod too compos'd of Clergy-men and of the few too But I care not for that once it happened to be so it seems But still I say under favour The Holy Apostles never took so much upon them to make Canons and Constitutions but by assent and consent as well as joint Promulgation in the names of all the Lay-Brethren or when the multitudes of Disciples were encreased at least they might I hope have a vote in chusing who should represent them in this representative Church Which if true and It is before sufficiently prov'd then surely as the Church of Corinth Ephesus Galatia c. were the Christians of Corinth Ephesus Galatia c. Clergy and Lay together though those distinctions were not then known so really and truly The Church of England are all the Christian's of England over them under Christ the King is the Visible Head and Supreme Governour in the Executive power and the King and Parliament in the Legislative or Canon-making Power With what tollerable modesty then can the Clergy alone much less a few of them arrogate to themselves the Title Priviledges and Immunities of the Church of England Tell not me that it was so when the Pope usurp't the Supremacy what is that to us now I know that when Magna Charta was made by Holy Church being Free was meant Let the Clergy be free from Taxes c. but how little did the Prelates value that Law for though the Clergy by that Statute was free from Impositions and Burdens yet the Prelates did not so much regard it seems but that they notwithstanding would venture to Pill and Poll the Inferiour Clergy by Procurations Synodal's Visitations and many more vexations as if the Clergy was free for no body to fleece but for themselves alone and that too arbi trarily Better it is for them much better to be thrown up in Common as of yore amongst the Laity again and take Neighbour's-fare by Acts of Parliament than by being an Inclosure and exempt be made the peculiar of arbitrary-Impositions though by the men of their own Cloth none were so unkind to Joseph as his own Brethren he had fairer Quarters from the Gypsees As the Clergy all of them have as much His Majesties Protection as other folk and the benefit of the Laws nay and the benefit of the Clergy too if they need it as much as any Lay-men good reason therefore they should contribute equally with others to Taxes and Arms and to the Poor c. But 't is sad when this will not suffice but for enjoying the name and nothing but the name of the Church They shall not only pay First-Fruits and Tenths to His Majesty as bound by Law but to pay without end and without Law all the Arbitrary Impositions that Rich and great Men of their own Cloth shall lay upon them for Letters of orders Institution Induction Licences to Preach Procurations Synodals Visitations and then again for shewing these Letters of Orders Institutions c. 't is that makes you so poor and beggarly generally and consequently contemptible world without end I cannot but with some complacency read the Statute of 16. Rich. 2.5 where the King and Parliament when Popery was in its Zenith did not forget that they and the Clergy the Inferiour Clergy too were English-men namely That Whereas the Commons of the Realm in this present Parliament have showed to our redoubted Lord the King grievously complaining That whereas our said Lord the King and all his Liege People ought of right mark that and of Old time wont mark that too to sue in the King's Court to recover their Presentments to Churches Prebends and other Benefices of Holy Church to the which they had right to Present The cognizance of Plea of which Presentment belongeth only mark that too to the Kings Court of the old Right of his Crown used and approved in the time of all his Progenitors Kings of England And when Judgments shall be given in the same Court upon such a Plea and Presentment mark that too The Arch-Bishops and Bishops and other Spiritual Persons which have Institution of such Benefices within their Jurisdiction be bound mark that too and have made Execution of such Judgments without Interruption mark the Reason for another Lay-Person cannot make such Execution And also be bound of right mark that too to make Execution of many other the King's Commandments c. too long here to insert but concluding That against the offenders Process by Praemunire facias should be made and not only against the offenders but against their Procurators Executors Maintainors mark that too as in the Statute of Provisors 27 Edw. 3.1 and against All other which do sue in any other Court mark that too in derogation of the Regality of our Lord the King Whence it appears That even in those Popish times Patrons most whereof were Lord of the Mannors and gave the Tythes and Glebe should present right and good reason and give their own may they not do what they will with their own to what Clerk they please giving him thereby Jus ad rem and then the Bishop and Archdeacons by Institution and Induction as Instruments in Law because a Lay-person as

strange Religion is built on this rotten foundation Whereas the Church of Jerusalem on whom the Holy Ghost descended chang'd their Opinions if not their Canons concerning the observation of Circumcision and the Mosaical Ceremonies for Acts 15. they required not those Ceremonies but Acts 21. they did require them nay St. Peter himself would not eat with an uncircumcised Christian Gal. 2. if a Jew was present notwithstanding he was one that made the Canon to the contrary Acts 15. Gal. 2. Acts 21. Acts 15. And St. Paul that reprov'd his inconstancy Gal. 2. and would not Circumcise Titus yet had Timothy Circumcised Acts 21. If the Pillars of the Church warp can we think any other Canon-makers of the Church are infallible so that we must believe all they Decree in spight of our Teeth or else by Excommunication Take him Devil and forty days after Take him Jaylor This is like the Muscovites that acknowledge no Christians but themselves and the Greek Church or like the Donatists that confined the Church of Christ to themselves at least within the bounds of Africa which was a larger extent than was afforded by the Family of Love Gratian. Dist 16. and many of our Sectarists whose Opinions in this kind are derived from Rome like that of Pope Agatho l. That commanded that all the Popes Decrees should be taken for the Oracles of God and as true as if pronounced by the Mouth of God though contrary to Holy Writ Thus the Council of Trent Decreed Conc. Trident Sect. 5. Can. 2. that the Church that is themselves had power to change the Sacraments And the Council of Constance did change the Institution of the Lord's Supper by Robbing the Laity of the Cup with a non obstante to Christs command But now henceforth this being premised I 'le keep to our own Canons and Canon-makers of which Query I. Whether Ecclesiastical Canons that want the Stamp of Legislative-power or Acts of Parliament are necessarily binding and of force to us English-Protestants And this Inquiry was occasioned by a late Discourse or Sermon Mischief of Separation Preached by the Reverend Doctor Stilling fleet May 2. 1680. at Guild-hall upon that Text Phil. 3.16 Whence he exhorts in the words of his Text his Auditory to walk by the same Rule or Canon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mischief of Impositions yet Canon is not found in some Greek Copies as one has in answer to the Doctor already very ingeniously observed But the accurate Mr. Baxter very pertinently in a Letter to the Doctor puts him upon declaring what is this same Rule or Canon and who makes it which one would think should be very necessary and one of the first things as a foundation on which should be built any pertinent or rational Discourse For if one certain Rule or Canon be not agreed upon it is impossible to know when we straggle and walk disorderly deviate and err And also if Preachers exhort as they ought to walk by the same Rule and yet do not declare what that same Rule is and who is the Rule-maker the Canon-maker or Law-maker they had as good say nothing at all But the wary Doctor waves the answer to Mr. Baxter and either would not or could not or durst not declare what is the Canon and the Rule and Who are the Rule or Law-makers very wisely foreseeing that Mr. Baxter had got him upon the Lock For it had been dangerous for a Protestant Doctor to deny the King and Parliament to be the only Law makers or Rule and Canon-makers But on the other hand if the Doctor had declared against the Pastoral-Head and Synod who stil'd themselves the representative-Church and no man in pain of Excommunication Can. 139 140 141. Anno 1603. to dare to derogate from their Authority possibly he might fear to come within dunger and reach of the Bishops Canons at least he might fear he had in so doing arriv'd at the Pillars ef Hercules and the streights the nè plùs ultrà of his Preferments But no private-ends ought to byass any man or stop his mouth from speaking out and plain such a necessary Truth for want of adjusting this Query What is truth What is the Canon the Rule this same Law we ought all to walk by that we may all speak the same things For if the Trumpet give an uncertain sound an undistinct sound who shall prepare himself to the Battle 1 Cor. 14.8 1 Cor. 14.8 If one Clergy-man sounds a Retreat whilest others sound Boots and Saddles To Horse To Horse Into what confusions will the distracted-people run and no wonder For certainly this is the great cause of our Divisions not to be remedied at least not till agreed among our selves and till we walk after the same Rule For uniformity in Religion ought to be the endeavour as well as Prayer of all true Christians that all of us may Rom. 15.6 with one mind and one mouth too glorifie God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 15.6 But how is this possible or that Christians should speak the same things and walk by the same Rule when this Rule is not agreed upon no not as aforesaid among our selves For if the Acts of Parliament the universally confessed-Law of England even in Religion be the Rule or Canon and the King and Parliament the only Law-makers or Canon-makers as who dare deny now that the Popes Hierarchical Head is cut off without Incurring a Praemunire and that can and being the only Representatives of the People of England alone ought to make Acts of uniformity in Religion and of all other things especially to have a care of Religion and a watchful eye over Religious men Then how comes the Convocation to call themselves the Representative-Church of England and thunder out Excommunication which with them is eternal Damnation Can. 139 140 141. An. 1603. if men die before they recant and publickly repent their wicked Error in thinking to the contrary And ask any of the Convocation at this day if they also do not look upon themselves and value themselves as the Representative-Church of England and they will not surely deny it For if they be not that what are they But though those that made the Canons in 1603 might in some sense be called the Representative-Church of England and so also were that Synod of London that made the Canons Anno Dom. 1640. which are commonly called the Lambeth-Canons and are Damn'd already as I 'le demonstrate beyond all contradiction if any dare deny so great and evident a Truth Yet the Synods and Convocation now adays have not the Authority they had they are scarce the shadows of those Synods and yet the Authority also of those Synods in 1603 and 1640 and all they did is now abrogated and taken away by Acts of Parliament and their very beings annihilated and made of no force power strength nor vertue as I shall shew hereafter much

greater Barn By vertue whereof Eusebius Pamphilius that writ the Ecclesiastical History refused to remove from the little Bishoprick of Caesarea to be the great Bishop of Constantinople proffer'd to him by the Emperor Constantine the Great But Constantinople in those days no nor yet Rome had an Arch Bishop that name was not yet in Fashion And for this modesty of Eusebius as one that was Proof against Pride and filthy lucre Constantine declared he was fit to be Bishop of the whole world But I must reclaim my Pen for if I go on in instances of this nature and at this rate what will become of me if some men happen to discover who I am and see through my Concealment for it is a known adage of old confirm'd by every mans daily experience Obsequium amicos veritas odium parit I know a Tyger is not more enrag'd nor more revengeful than a Proud and Covetous man when he is told those plain Truths that gaul him especially if he be a man of much Power and little Grace Not a word more therefore at present especially and the rather because the subject of my Discourse will lead me to name some honest Canons hereafter that will cut some men to the very heart that are mightily for the Canon Law and yet practise it not in any thing that thwarts their Pride and avarice But I shall do it in hopes that those Canons may do some good upon them for really I believe some of these imposers of Canons upon others never heard of some that I shall name by and by for all their vaunting of Canons Canons 't is probable they have ply'd their Guns and such Canons more than ply'd their Books or else they could not be so ignorant as I perceive some of them are upon Discourse But I cannot fully handle this Argument of the Canons except I enquire in the second place Quer. 2 Query II. What kind of Canons were in use in the Apostles dayes and Primitive times and who the first Inventers or Founders of Canons GAnon is the Greek word for a Carpenters-Rule it is a word of Architecture signifying the Rule that directs men in building Answ Whence it is that the Holy Scriptures are called a Canon as in Gal. 6.16 Phil. 3.16 and in several other places Canons therefore are nothing else but Ecclesiastical Rules or By-Laws made by the Church for its better edification The first Synod say some or rather private Conventicle of Christians after our Blessed Saviours Resurrection we read of Acts 1. Synod 1. Acts 1. and they met about the choice of an Apostle to succeed Judas and take his place St. Peter being the Prolocutor when the whole number of names was 120. To these Brethren St. Peter makes a Speech and not he but they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Statuerunt made a Statute or a Canon publicè totius Collegii suffragiis the most Votes carried it The second was called Acts 9. to make new Officers in the Church Synod 2. called Overseers for the poor or Deacons which last word in the Original only signifies Your humble Servant or a ready and vigilant Minister Therefore sometimes the Magistrates are called Deacons Rom. 13.4 Sometimes women are so called Rom. 16.1 Sometimes St. Paul is called a Deacon Col. 1.23.25 2 Cor. 2.6 and so is Timothy 1 Tim. 4.6 Sometimes all Believers are called Deacons by Christ himself John 12.26 And at this meeting the Principal Electors that chose these seven Deacons were the People the multitude of Disciples Acts 6.2 5. when they were pleased Then they the multitude chose Stephen The third was a Conventicle of the believers of Jerusalem Synod 3. And from this of all other in Holy Writ all the Councils in after Ages derive their Authority as well as Platform For this was the first that made Canons or Decrees to bind the absent but what Burdens or obligations only a very few and very easie and under no penalty upon those that disobeyed yet in this Council where not only the holy Apostles but the Holy Ghost was present and president yet for all that those few and harmless Canons there made were not like the Laws of the Medes and Persians unalterable and irrefragable For at the next Council held in the same Town and by the same men St. James and the rest of the Presbyters Acts 21.18 were of another opinion as aforesaid concerning the observation of Mosaical Ceremonies particularly Circumcision But the Canons of the same third Synod we find in Acts 15.28 29. only two verses Acts 15.28 29. not a Book of Canons and those Canons or rather one single Canon short full modest and charitable namely It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burthen they were not wanton in their Impositions but how tender and loth to load men than these necessary not trivial things That ye abstain from meats offered to Idols and from blood and from things strangled and from Fornication from which if ye keep your selves ye shall do well Fare ye well Ye shall do well fare ye well why that 's well said and honestly and Christian like That 's a great deal better and more like good Christians than to conclude their Canons with Curses and Anathema's and take them Satan but modestly and piously not the language of Hectors but the language of the Holy Ghost ye shall do well Fare ye well But that 's not all the Remarks I make upon this Synod and Canon it begins It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us In which Stile run all the Canons and Decrees of Councils ever since but how Apish how mimical how false many times The Holy Ghost did indeed in the Primitives times come frequently not only upon the Apostles but upon every Christian in the gifts of Miracles Tongues c. that they might well say and truly too It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us But for men that are only Apes nay that cannot so much as shew any signs of the Holy Ghost than as it is brought from Rome c. in a Cloak-bag for them to Preface at the Primitive Rate It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us Oh Confidence and Forehead This third Synod was Celebrated at Jerusalem about fourteen years after our Saviours Resurrection in the 4th Claudii Imp. Caesaris There when St. Peter St. Paul St. Barnabas and St. James had made their Speeches The people were very well pleas'd Acts 15.22 Had the Apostles the gifts of the Holy Ghost so had the people all the Assembly Acts 2.1 2 7 8. Did the Holy Ghost descend upon the Apostles so did he upon all the people Acts 2.38 39. upon all that repented and were Baptized were the Apostles filled with the Holy Ghost so was all the Assembly Acts 4.31 so was Stephen before he was chosen Deacon Acts 6.5 so at Samaria all believers received the Holy Ghost Acts 8.14 15