Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	authority_n	bishop_n	presbyter_n	4,945	5	9.8142	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88532	A looking-glas for the Presbitary government, establishing in the Church of England. Or, A declaration of the revolution of the times, pithily composed and seasonably recommended to the view of all sorts of people, but principally to the judicious reformers of the church and state. Look in this glasse you'l not think't strange, England once more receives a change. Of Scotlands government, you'l have a view, and Englands Presbitary which is new. As in a glasse you here may see, the king: the kingdomes misery. The crown resign'd, religion suffers, by pride, ambition, and selfe lovers.		1644 (1644)	Wing L3030; Thomason E21_40; ESTC R1040	8,199	17

of Israel and Saint Peter saith the Church saluteth you But when the Emperour became a Christian there was soon a glorious visible Church for Eusebius writes about the yeare 254. after Christ there was forty six Presbiters in the Church of Rome and 1500. poore people maintained by the contribution of the Christians of the Citie and there was of the Clergy 108. which were men that had such excellent gifts and of so holy a conversation that the proverb of those dayes is that they had woodden Challaces and golden Priests But to discend nearer to our times and our own country Ethelbert King of Kent married with Berta the French Kings daughter who was a Christian and she being desirous to have her husband of her Religion made meanes to Pope Gregory first to send some ministers to convert the English who sent Augustine the monke and Candidus the Priest which were curteously received by the King and Augustine made Bishop or minister of Canterbury there being a Church or Temple and being the chiefe place in the dominions of the King of Kent other places became subordinate to this and so he got the title of Metropolitan or Archbishop and as Christanity increased and Churches built they were but as chappels of ease to this church and all were brought hither to be christened this being the parish church for we finde in the Epistle of our Saxon King Renulphus that the whole Archiepiscopall sea of Canterbery is called parochia or a parish yet at that time there were other places for christians to assemble in but the church at canterbury was like unto Halifax in Yorkeshire which hath twelve chappels belonging to its Dioces or parish In England before William the conquerers time there were few country churches or at leastwise parish churches for Diocesses or parishes were erected since according to the civill government of the Land to the intent it might be known out of what towneship tithes were due Having laid this foundation and shewed you what a church is and what a Bishop and his Diocesses were we will give a short view of their varying from their first station for by degrees they usurp authority over the whole clergie get into temporall offices and become rather Statesmen then Divines yea though the Bishop of Winton saith that the Church is never taken for the assembly of Priests alone but for the assembly of all the faithfull yet the Clergie alone assembled in their convocations would be accounted the Church of E●gland as Linwood hath it and were growne to that height that Anselme Archbishop of Canterbu●y writes in his Epistle to the Pope that the power of the holy Church is drawne by two open of equall strength and beauty the King and himselfe And the Bishop of Winton though he were the Kings brother assembled all the Clergie against King Stephen And Temopre H●●ry 1. The Bishop complies with the Pope standing in defence of the King untill the King complying with his Parliament made a Law that if any Bishop or Clergie-man had any wrong offered him he should have no writ to redresse it that all the lay fees of the Bishop and Clergie should be seized into the Kings hands that if any man met with a Clergie man which had a better horse then his he might unhorse him and change with him then change was no robbery By this meanes the King was for the presnt restored to his right of government and the present abuses found some redresse but they could not long be kept under for innumberable are the presidents which I might recite in the dayes of Hen●y 7. Edward the 6. Queen Mary Queene Elizabeth and King Iames too of the plots against the Church against the Kingdome against preaching against Religious discourse and Godly meetings and to bring in Popery tyrannie profanation all which have been practized by many Bishops but because I would not be tedious finding them all summoned up in one as yet living example who though in his life was like his predeceslour Thomas Becket yet I am cofident hee will not in his death for the death of Becket is said to be the birth of the Canon Law and superstition but I hop● the death of this man will bee the death of these and many other Romish Dregs And thus being again discended to the present times I shall say little concerning the first part of my discourse touching the Civill government of this Kingdome for that it hath abundantly beene manifested to the world the unwearied pains and uncessant indeavours that have been long used by the Honourable Houses of Parliament to redresse them and to remove the causes from whence all those evills flow wherein by the way we may observe that the evill of evills or the greatest evill that ever befell this Kingdome is that the inhabitants thereof for the most part are as a man in a dead palsey and one side quite benummed and utterly voyd of sence or feeling or like one that is stricken with some other desperate disease and instead of seeking a cure plungeth himselfe into a condition irrecoverable And such an evill as this is not to be paralelld amongst all the distempers and revolutions of times since Christianity first entred this Iland For though our Historians mention former differences betweene the King and his subjects and that in time of a Parliament too which grew to so g●eat a height that it produced open warres even when the whole Kingdome for matter of Religion were universally of one mind yet were the Commons of this land so tender of their birth-rights and liberty of their posterity that they maintained them with their dearest blood but in a dead Lithurgy is this age that although liberty was never deeper ingaged and Religion the life of our lives at the stake the greatest part of this Kingdome either stand as Newters or most unnaturally by a course of violence endeavour to plunge themselvs and their posterity into a condition irrecoverable and though they professe a hatred to Popery joyne with all the Papists in the Kingdom yea the uncivillized barberous bloody Irish Rebels which are more cruell then Nero. But I hasten to a period for it is my taske to draw my conclusions from what I roughly represent and lay before you for having in the second part of my discourse declared the foundation of Christianity the nature of a Church and given you a short hint of the manner of Discipline and government therein and how it hath varied from the first foundation I shall humbly leave the rectifying or re-establishment thereof to the grave and juditious reformers of the Church and State For though there be some doubts whether the Church at Ierusalem were but one Congregation or assembly in the Apostles time yet if we consider the multitude of Christians that were there and the severall sorts of Languages and Nations in i● we may thence gather that there were more places to Congregate then one else all could not hear or if they could yet were not capable to understand and edifie And as for the division of parishes the matter is not great being a politique Law which a State have had power to make in all ages That there were Presbiters in the Church is not denyed but some question is made what power and authority they had over the Clergie which we humbly conceive may easily be cleered and though the Minister may bee presented by the Presbyters as in the Church of Scotland yet may there be such testimony and approbation given by consent of the P●●ish where he or they are to serve that all scruples 〈…〉 away and tender consciences both in this and 〈…〉 receive good satisfaction And the difference between ●●e Presbyterians and Independents is not in point of Religion but in matter of Civill Government which the Civ●●● Magistrates have power to settle according to the policy of 〈◊〉 which power hath beene exercised heretofore in this K●●g●om wherein I humbly conceive they followed the examp●● or the renowned Senators of the Roman State for though I find not in the old Law of Moses that any man was to dye for theft yet I read that two theeves were crucified with our Saviour which being according to the politick lawes amongst the Romans was not condemned by Christ himselfe or his Apostles And when Shemei was confined to a city out of which hee was not to goe on paine of death though we read not before of any such penalty upon the breach of such confinement yet hee was executed for that offence and the judgement acknowledged against him to be just and good If this be the case then the Parliament of England have power to make Laws for the Civill Government in Church and Common-wealth which are not repugnant to the word of God and by the Lawes of this Land parishes are already divided and those which are called Independents are not able to make it appeare that there was any such Independency as some have aimed at in the Church of Ierusalem or elsewhere in the primitive times after the Church came to be setled O let it not therefore be said in Gath or published in Ashkelon that any haughty spirits strive to make a breach amongst those which are within the Pale of the Church of God but let us submit to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake and let it bee our constant prayers that this great Counsell may goe on in establishing such lawes in Church and Kingdome as may bee for the glory of God and establishing of peace and tranquility amongst us So shall they doe worthily and be rendred famous to all posterity FINIS

practise of their sandy foundations perswaded her that there was too much preaching and that one or two preaching Ministers in a County was sufficient which was so subtilly infused into her eare that it took such impression in her Royall Breast that her Majesty wrote a Letter to Bishop Grindall then Archbishop of Canterbury seeming to relish that advise but this religious Bishop being then foure miles distant from Court wrote another Letter to her Majesty declaring that her Majesty was misadvised therein desiring that shee would not have a thought of restraing the worship and service of God shewing that nothing was so dangerous to her person as ignorance in her people proving that to be the cause of the Rebellion about the same time in the North besides it was one way whereby she should best discharge her duty to God if she promoted his Gospell This Counsell of the Bishops wrought so effectually on the Religious affections of that gracious Queene that she presently not to consult with flesh and bloud received the former Councell and lookt upon it and the persons as favouring of the Iesuiticall faction and al●hough the G●oves many Reliques of Popery were no● utterly taken away it being then but the dawning of the day yet Religion did flourish and increase not only during the whole Raigne of that famous Queene but in the time of King James mauger all the wicked practises of the adversaries of our Religion and Liberty and when they perceived that they were infatuated in their Counsels and confounded in their domestick plots that it might appeare to the world that they are ever plotting mischeife they take on them the managing of a Treaty of marriage for our King that now is till they had treated the Palsgrave out of his Kingdome and after so much time lost a match was concluded with France to our farre greater disadvantage at the present and hath proved a scourge to us for the future neither doe wee read that ever any match with France proved advantageous to this Kingdome though the parties were of our Religion much lesse therefore could it be expected when they were of different Religions and Articles agreed upon which on out side were too well kept that such a number of Priests and Capuchians should come over into England and that Idolatry should be openly exercised in her Majesties Chappell ●hough a●l English men except her Majesties servants were prohibited from comming thither neither was the Queen to use any private perswasions to his Majesty concerning matters of Religin But mark how the Game was played now Canterburies Chaplaines must preach nothing but themselves and Arminianisme the subtilest sort of Popery and wee must believe that Papists were honest men and might goe to Heaven as soone as Protestants yet they might alwayes account and call us Heretiques and that there was some little difference betweene their Religion and ours that they might easily bee reconciled and as an efficatious meanes of this reconciliation her Majesties Chappell doores must stand open to all Commers and sights bee seene there and musick to be heard farre exceeding any pastime at Interludes or Stage-playes the number of Priests about her Majesty must have been doubled if not trebled and Iesuites peeping nay swaggering about in every street more Chappels must bee built and Nunneries erected the Queene her selfe is forced for what offence I know not to goe barefoot to Tyburne and back againe on pennance His Majesty put to an excessive charge in maintaining those which under a profession of povertie eate the fatte of the Land and had their pockets full of gold and a garbe like a Lord yet might not his Majesty complaine of this nor suffer it to bee spoken on Nay when they had broken all their conditions instead of banishing them as by the Law they might they are now become such necessary instruments and so potent that they must set forward and contribute to the maintaining of a warre against our brethren of Scotland Yea further their advice is held better then a Parliament and Father Phillips is protected within the verge of the Court against the power and authority of the supreame Court in the Kingdome and the King cannot rest in his private Chamber And although the King by his Proclamation declare the insurrection in Ireland to be a Rebe lion yet within a short time after their factors are protected and the Rebels to the dishonour of his Majesty are so impudent that they boast of the authority they have from the Royall powers to warrant their massacring thousands of Protestants in that Kingdome and the provisions which were designed for their releife by the Parliament are intercepted by the Papists in England and their adherents the Parliament are sometimes termed Rebels and sometimes no notice taken of them and an Anti-Parliament cal●ed at Oxford which imitated all those branches o● priviledge which is only prosper to the Parliament at first called by his Majesties writ wherein he calls them his great Cousell but when it appeared that this plot to deceive the people could not take that effect as was intended It is once more granted that the L●rds and Commons assembled in the Parliament at Westminster are the Parliament of England by which at the last is confirmed even from Oxford that whatsoever Ordinances c. have been made at Westminster since the sitting of the House have been done by the P●rliament of England what ever G. Dighy was pleased heretofore to call them and whatsoever a Parliament hath power to doe may be done by them hereafter Having thus farre declared the state of this Kingdome from the Conquest unto our times under the burthen of an aspiring Iesuited Clergy and their faction it remaines that I should briefly represent unto you the true state of the Church by which as in a glasse you may perceive the foundation increase and alterations therein which that I may the clearer demonstrate unto you I shall ascend above the Conquest and in the first place lay before you the state of the prosessours of Christ and his Gospell in the primitive times for our orthodox writers speaking of those times say thus From the time of our Saviour untill the Emperours became Christians the people of God assembled upon the face of the earth much as the fishes doe in the Sea or the birds in the Aire for the inhabitants thereof admit of no bounds or particuler divisions neither were Christians allowed any particuler bounds or places of residence or meeting but gathered together and assembled sometimes in private houses and sometimes in Cells and Caves and therefore were the more materially called the Catholick Church dispersed over the face of the Earth for all the world was but one Diocesse or Parish the Church in those times much resembling the Church of England in the dayes of Queen Mary yet were they called a Church for by this word is meant the Assembly of faithfull Christians for Solomon blessed all the Church