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
A94441	To the high and honourable court of Parliament. The humble petition of sundry of the nobles, knights, gentry, ministers, freeholders, and divers thousands of the inhabitants of the county palatine of Chester, whose names are subscribed to the several schedules hereunto annexed. In answer to a petition delivered on to the Lords Spirituall and Temporall, by Sir Thomas Aston, Baronet, from the county palatine of Chester, concerning episcopacie.	England and Wales. Parliament.	1641 (1641)	Wing T1396D; ESTC R205594	5,286	1

To the High and Honourable Court of Parliament The humble Petition of sundry of the Nobles Knights Gentry Ministers Freeholders and divers thousands of the Inhabitants of the County Palatine of Chester whose names are subscribed to the several Schedules hereunto annexed In Answer to a Petition delivered in to the Lords Spirituall and Temporall by Sir Thomas Aston Baronet from the County Palatine of CHESTER concerning Episcopacie Humbly shew THAT whereas divers Petitions by the practise of the Prelates and our present Diocesan have been lately posted about this County for the continuance of our present exorbitant Hierarchie and Church-Government under which the whole Kingdome hath long time groaned and the hands of many persons of sundry qualities sollicited to the same by the Prelates agents with intent to be preferred to this Honourable House which we conceiving not so much to ayme at our Church and Prelates Reformation as at the maintenance of their absolute Jurisdiction and Innovations both in Religion and Government which will give the greatest advantage to the adversaries of ou● Religion We hold it our duties to disavow them all especially that lately tendred to the Lords Spirituall and Temporall by Sir Thomas Aston Baronet And hu●bly pray that we incurre no mis-Censure if any such scattered Papers have without our privitie surreptitiously assumed the name of our County We as all other Counties of this Realme are deeply sensible of the many common and heavie Grievances under which the whole three Kingdomes suffer occasioned by the Prelates and have just cause to rejoyce at and acknowledge with thankfullnesse the pious care already taken by your Honours for the suppressing of the growth of Popery the better supply of able Ministers in all places to instruct the People removing of all Innovations and for your indeavours to suppresse and remove our Lordly Prelates the sole Authors of all our present miseries Innovations and most professed enemies of the Gospell and we doubt not but in your great Wisdomes you will not only regulate the rigour of their exorbitant Ecclesiasticall Courts but likewise wholly extirpate them as neither suiting with the Temper of our Laws nor the nature of Free-men And when we consider that Diocesan Lordly Bishops superiour to Presbyters were neither Instituted nor heard of in the time of the Apostles who alwayes ordayned a sundry Bishops in every particulor Congregation and those all equall in Authority not one Bishop over many hundred Churches and he paramount his fellow Presbyters That our b Church of England with that of Scotland from the first plantation of the Gospell here in the Apostles dayes for some hundred of yeares after had no Bishops at all to governe it That c all ancient Authors and Historians unanimously record that our Archbishops and Bishops succeeded the Heathenish Arch-Flammines and Flammines here planted in times of Paganisme both in their Institution Jurisdiction and Seas and so are onely of Ethnicall or Diabolicall not Apostolicall Institution That they were the greatest fire-brands of contention and Authors of d all the Schismes in the first generall Councels and Primitive-Church That so many of them have sowed the tares of Heresie Popery Schisme Rebellion Sedition e opposed excommunicated dethroned yea murthered Christian Kings Emperours and raysed up many bloody warres to the effusion of much Christian blood in all Kingdomes where they have swayed preserved and rescued Popery and Heresie from utter extirpation in this and former ages exceeded the Primitive persecuters in Martyring and shedding the blood of Gods deare Saints That to them we owe the corruption of the purity of the Gospell we now professe with Romish Errors and Superstitions as your Honou●s have already unanimously voted That many of them for the propagation of Popery and suppressing of the Truth especially the Arch-prelate of Canterbury William Laud accused by your Honours and committed to the Tower of London for * High Treason against his Majesty our Laws and established Religion Bishop Wren Bishop Mountague Bishop Pierce Bishop Goodman and others now in question before this Honourable Assembly are like to become glorious Martyrs in the Roman Calendar That not divers but most of them lately and yet living with us have been very great Oppugners of our Religion indeavouring to reduce or captivate it to the common enemie of Rome And that their tyrannicall Papall Lordly government hath been so long oppugned by f infinite godly Martyrs and writers both at home and abroad established through their own over-swaying power and undermining subtiltie by the Common and Statute Laws of the Kingdome made onely in times of Popery but oft exploded or restrained by sundry Laws and Statutes since the time of Reformation though with little good successe And as yet there is nothing in their Doctrine generally taught when they rarely preach but what is dissonant from the word of God or the Articles ratified by Law In this case not to call their government a perpetuall vassalage an intollerable bondage And prima facie though not inaudita altera parte of whom your Honours have heard so much evill already in the Committees for Religion for the High Commission Bishop Wren Bishop Peirce the Ministers Londoners and other Counties Petitions against Prelacie not to pray the removall of them and not to seek the utter desolation and ruine of their Offices as ●●●hristian as divers Counties else have done in their Petitions to your Honours we cannot conceive but to relish of injustice and uncharitablenesse both to the So●●●● Bodies and Estates of us and our Posteritie nor can we joyne with them who petition for their continuance But on the contrary when we consider the Tenor of such writings and Books as by the Prelates and their agents have been lately spread among the people with their publike allowance as the Prelates New Canons Oath and act for a malevolent Benevolence for non payment whereof every Minister shall at first bout be ipso facto deprived without the benefit of any Appeale Bishop Mountagues Dr. Heylins Dr. Pocklingtons Shelfords Doves Reeves Francis Salis Franciscus de Sancta Clara their late Books with others and our Prelates Letters in nature of Commissions for the collecting of the late Lone for the maintenance of the Warres against the Scots which Bishop Peirce affirmed in sundry speeches to the Clergie of his Diocese to be Bellum Episcopale the Bishops Warre using it as the chiefe motive why they should liberally contribute towards it When we againe ponder the Tenents preached publiquely in Pulpits and the Contents of many Printed Pamphlets swarming every where amongst us * against the frequencie power and use of Parliaments the Right and Liberties of the Subjects the propriety of their goods in advancing the exorbitant Jurisdiction of Prelates their Inj●nctions and Courts under the name of the Church their asserting of his Majesties absolute power both over the Laws Goods Lives and Liberties of the Subject and the like all of