Selected quad for the lemma: church_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A41513
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A just and sober vindication of the observations upon the thirtieth of January, and twenty ninth of May by J.G.G.
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Gailhard, J. (Jean)
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1694
(1694)
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Wing G122; ESTC R24345
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52,426
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80
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it yet she took well the Advice and though thorough other Mens Suggestions she did not follow it yet she did not look upon him as a Disturber of the Peace of her Kingdom But anon I shall by the Grace of God say something more to this Charge in the mean while I will have them to know that we desire the Word of God not Man's Fancies and Inventions to be the Rule of the Reformation we have been speaking of and that our Religion comes to be Good Pure and Evangelical because 't is grounded upon the Gospel he calls it Conventicle-Religion he knows we were driven out of Churches and had no more Liberty in publick to serve God than the former Christians had under the Roman Emperors and of late than the Poor Protestants in France They cannot be ignorant how their Severe Persecution did drive us into Corners and by Places to serve God for fear of being Fined and dragged into Prison The word Presbytery as I perceive out of his Page 26. is to him as Loathsom as that of Reformation and though this is a Matter copious enough and which I having other things more to our purpose am unwilling to engage in yet a few words I must bestow upon it least he should think we avoid it They misinterpret the word Presbyterian in the Fathers Methinks the true Fathers of the Church such as Peter Paul and Luke speak clearly of it the first calls himself a Fellow-Elder or Presbyter and Paul left Titus in Creet to ordain Elders in every City and the Gift that was in Timothy was given him by laying on of the Hands of the Presbytery Luke tells us how St. Paul from Miletus sent to Ephesus and called the Presbyters which is translated Elders of the Church and the same which in that Verse are called Elders in the 28th he calls Overseers or Bistops in the Original and Pastors or Feeders of the Flock where it appears those Elders Bishops and Pastors though under different Names to be the same Persons exercising the same Office St. Paul doth mention two sorts of Elders some who Rule others who besides do labour in the Word and Doctrine so some Teach and others Govern Thus some of the Fathers he means as Cyprian Austin Jerom c. interpret the word Presbyter and thus far have I been led out of my way but to prove our misinterpreting the word Presbyter Julius Cesar with his Positis Speculis not to be understood of Perspective-glasses but his Watch or Sentinel are brought in for Witnesses nay Castor and Helena the Lacedemonians with the word Egg in a Text of Scripture which the Presbyterians would interpret an Hen egg or Goose-egg all this with Mr. Selden's Facetious and Comical Table talk with two Doublets one plain that is mine the other fringed that is his for he and I are now the Actors upon the Stage and the Conclusion of this Learned Debate is That 't is plain we have both a Doublet and we might happen both to have given a Doublet to our Souls but he saith 'T is not Taylors work to take measure of our Souls All these I say in this pretty and ingenious Discourse are brought in to evidence we misinterpret the word Presbyter in the Fathers What a pretty part am I with this Nonsence put to act upon this Stage I intended to have answered him in a more Serious way but one who Converses with Men that are Singular must out of Complaisance sometimes comform himself to their ways After these Irrefragable and Convincing Arguments is he not in the right to ask Will they still persevere in Ignorant Obstinacy and differ from us in Religion and Unity of Performance P. 27. And this attended with his usual Flourishes of Eloquence A-la-mode du Pareè a Geneva Starchness I thank God out of this Barren Field he brings us into one that is more Copious which is Bowing to the Altar As for a time I am his humble Servant so I must follow him wheresoever he goes as I perceive he would by his saying How gladly would he Malice us into Popery so that here I shall fix for a while and neither the Jangling of a pair of Tongs nor the Harpsicles nor his Organ nor the Blind Fidler's Tunes shall draw me off the more because Page 29. he speaks of a great many Joynt stools as I guess for me to rest upon now we must be more Serious Take notice I never did nor do I now say you are Papists I am neither so Rash nor so Uncharitable as you are or as you take me to be But this I affirm That you retain Popish Rites and Ceremonies and though I had no mind to meddle yet seeing you put me upon it I hope to make it out for all your Flashy Wit in your Page 30. stay till last of all to declare me a Lunatick a mad Misrepresenter with my Bedlam Observations 't is not your insipid Jest that if ye eat Plum-pudding and Roast-beef in a Cooks shop we may perhaps call it a Papistical Ordinary It seems he always hath a good Stomach for great part of his Talk is about Kitchin-stuff Bacon Sugar Plums Mince-pies Custards c. However I say If ye eat that which is Sacrificed to Idols I may call things by their Name and say you eat that which is Sacrificed to Idols and if you know it according to St. Paul's Rule you ought not to eat These Matters are not to be ridiculed for no Wise Men would do so I shall begin with the Tale of the Country-man in Spain who would not Pray to St. Nicholas's Image he is one of your Saints as of Papists he might as well have called him St. Neptune because he knew it was made of his own Plum-tree yet I have known Picture-drawers who in the Church have fallen upon their Knees before Pictures of their own Drawing what the Spanish Country-man would not do yet some of yours do Bow to though they Pray not to the Altar I do not say you adore a Moulding Carcase but if you bring it or a Picture of St. George on Horse-back or a Cross into the Church and do Bow Kneel or shew any such Respect to it I say you therein do countenance Idolatry or at least Superstition Doth not the Second Commandment positively forbid to bow down before any Image or likeness of any thing in Heaven in Earth or in the Water whether it be of St. George or of a Cross 't is all one God forbids it will he have me to believe his Story of the Country-man against two for I have no less places out of God's Word The Carpenter he heweth him down Cedars and taketh the Cypress and the Oak Then shall it be for a Man to burn for he will take thereof and warm himself yea he kindleth it and baketh Bread Yea he maketh a God and worshippeth it he maketh it a Graven Image and falleth down thereto He knoweth what