Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	bishop_n	hand_n	ordination_n	2,718	5	10.1610	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44542	A sermon preached at Fulham in the Chappel of the Palace, upon Easter-day, MDCLXXXIX, at the consecration of the Right Reverend Father in God Gilbert, Lord Bishop of Sarum by Anthony Horneck ...	Horneck, Anthony, 1641-1697.	1689 (1689)	Wing H2850; ESTC R8309	15,421	39

Office and Station Men that have been thus initiated themselves lay their Hands on him which calls me to Examination of the second Query II. How this Gift was anciently and is still bestowed and communicated By the putting on of my Hands saith St. Paul and 1 Tim. iv 14 he adds by the laying on of the Hands of the Presbytery i. e. of the whole Apostolical Colledge or the greater part of the Apostles who it's like were present upon the place for the Apostles are called Presbyters sometimes ' nay Deacons too Names in those days not of Office at least not constantly but of Age and Honour and Service This Rite or Ceremony of Imposition of Hands on a Person designed for Church-Offices and the Service of the Tabernacle Isidore and others derive from Isaac's blessing his Son Jacob which they suppose was one by the Patriarch's laying his Hands upon Jacob's Head from Jacob's laying his Hands on his Grand-Children and blessing them from Moses's laying his Hand on Joshua and communicating part of his Spirit to him And indeed there are very few but will grant that it came from the Jews who at the preferring or promoting a Person to the degree of Rabbi or Doctor of their Law laid their Hands upon him a Ceremony performed by three and call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Semicah and this was a Symbol that the Holy Ghost rested upon the Person thus ordained The Ancient Romans used to lay their Hands upon their Slaves when they made them free and Numa Pompilius had Hands laid on him when he was made High Pontiff but it 's probable that even these fetcht it from the Jews The Christian Churches who retain'd what was good and praise worthy among the Jews seeing nothing in this Rite but what was grave and decent and solemn and serious adopted it into their Service The three Orders Bishops Priests and Deacons were in imitation of the Synagogue which had her High-Priests her Priests and her Levites and so was this Imposition of Hands In sacrificing Beasts to the Honour of God the Priest laid his Hands on the Victims Head to shew he dedicated it to God and from common separated it to a holy use and dismiss'd it from the Service of Men into that of the most High God all which Significations did wonderfully well agree with the end of the Ministerial Function under the Gospel and therefore the Christians had no reason to reject this useful and decent Custom Our Blessed Saviour first practised this Ceremony upon the Children that were brought to him for his Blessing and it 's not unlikly he laid his Hands on the Apostles before he left the World for we read that a little before his Departure he lifted up his Hands and blessed them Luke xxiv 50 After our Saviour's Ascension into Heaven the Apostles constantly used it after Baptism in Confirmation as an external Mark to signify the Descent of the Spirit upon the Persons wash'd with Water But more especially when they separated any Persons to holy Offices and they laid their Hands on such as a sign or pledg that the Holy Ghost or a Spirit and Temper suitable to their Calling and Employment and Profession was and would be conferr'd upon them to guide and assist and direct them This Imposition of Hands was no Physical Cause of conveying the Holy Ghost but an External Assurance That as surely as the Hands were laid on the Head of the Person ordain'd so surely would the Spirit of Power of Love and of a sound Mind light upon his Soul if he did not obstruct it by wilful departing from the Living God. And yet all this doth not make Order a Sacrament for tho we grant here is a Sign and something Spiritual and Unseen Represented by that Sign yet there is something more required to the making of a Sacrament and those must necessarily think so who believe that the Apostles could institute no Sacraments by their Authority That this Rite hath lasted in the Church from the Apostles Times unto this day is what the concurrent Testimonies of all Ages witness Those that would confine it to the Apostles Times are injurious to the Church of Christ which would be in an uncomfortable condition if her Guides and Pastors came not in the same way their Predecessors did and why should we think the Lord's Hand shortned or believe he will not let his Spirit accompany the Pious Ceremony when his Church now hath as much need of it as heretofore and it 's hard God should vouchsafe his Spirit to Persons on whom Holy Hands were laid in the Jewish and refuse that Favour to the Guides and Pastors of the Christian Church those especially who keep themselves unspotted from the World. The Maronites in their Office of Ordination make out the Original and Succession of this Rite thus The Most High God say they came down on Mount Sinai and laid his Hands upon Moses Moses laid his upon Aaron Aaron upon his Sons his Sons successively on those that follow'd them until John the Baptist John the Baptist laid his Hand upon our Saviour our Saviour upon his Apostles his Apostles on the Bishops that succeeded them and they ever since on those who are admitted into Holy Orders How true or how just this Calculation is I shall not now enquire But that which I hinted before I must touch here again viz. That this Ceremony as it relates to Orders and particularly to Timothy's Office must be performed by those upon whom Holy Hands were laid before in order to their Lawful Ministring before the Lord. The Secular Magistrate and Laity may name and propose Candidates but cannot by their Imposition of Hands ordain Bishops and Elders for no such Power was ever given them In the purest and best none would nay in the most corrupt Ages none durst presume to do it The Power Ecclesiastical as it was distinct from the Secular before the Empire was Christian so they have continued distinct since Crowns have stoopt to the Cross and though they live lovingly together and are helpful one to another yet the one ought not to interfere with the other's essential rights and Constitutions The Apostle emphatically says by the putting on of my hands Himself had been separated to the Office of Teacher and Apostle by Imposition of Hands and what was conferr'd on him he confers on Timothy the same way And yet though he had assistants in the Ordination of his Beloved Son and though others laid their Hands on him as well as St. Paul that 's no Argument that therefore one without the help of more cannot convey the Power and Authority of Timothy's Office to others I know the Church requires three at least to lay their hands on the Man of God who is to be consecrated to the Churches service and most of the Ancient Canons press it nay some Churches have been so stiff in this point that they have pronounc'd that Ordination of a Bishop unlawful

Imprimatur Z. Isham R.P.P. Henrico Episc. Lond. à sacris Apr. 4. 1689. A SERMON PREACHED AT FULHAM IN THE Chappel of the Palace Upon Easter-day MDCLXXXIX AT THE CONSECRATION OF THE Right Reverend Father in God GILBERT Lord Bishop of SARVM By ANTHONY HORNECK D.D. LONDON Printed for Ric. Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXIX To the Right Reverend Father in God GILBERT Lord Bishop of SARVM My Lord AFter your Lordship had desired me to Print this Sermon I met with a Discourse upon the very same Subject and upon an occasion of the same nature by an abler Hand which made me look upon the printing of mine as needless and had almost prevailed with me to lay aside all thoughts of Publishing what I deliver'd in your Lordship's presence but considering that Obedience would be better resented than Excuses and a man had better see himself out-shined by persons of greater parts and abilities which is a comfort to an humble mind than be guilty of disrespect to those whom we look upon both as our Friends and Superiors Not to mention that our matter and method are different I was resolved to venture And tho these courser Meditations may not give that satisfaction that more elaborate Orations do yet since there must be Vnder-workmen as well as Master-builders and both may be useful in their several stations I was willing to appear before your Lordship with this Present in which I must beseech you to regard the heart with which it is offer'd more than the gift it self which if you do you will not only let the World see how great your Charity is in over-looking Defects and Blemishes but increase the Obligations you have already laid on My Lord Your Lordships most affectionate and most humble Servant A. HORNECK 2 TIM i. 6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance That thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands THEY that think that every Christian may be a Preacher and that the Ministry considered as a distinct Calling or Employ is nothing but usurpation and some ambitious mens affecting a Superiority over their Brethren like the Cynick of old trampling upon Plato's Cloak make themselves guilty of greater Pride than that which they pretend to condemn They not only contradict the universal Sense of Mankind which from immemorial times have had their distinct Officers of Religion but set up their Conceits against the Wisdom of God himself who did no sooner plant a Church in the World but took care the Priesthood should be in a certain Order of Men and as before the Law the First-born was to have that Priviledge as all the ancient Jewish Records do witness so under the Law the Family of Aaron was p●…ched upon to attend the Altar And tho the whole Jewish Nation was a Royal Priesthood or a Kingdom of Priests in a metaphorical sense yet properly speaking none could officiate in publick either in the Tabernacle or Temple but the Levites and the Sons of Aaron And under the New Testament tho the Spirit was poured out upon all flesh yet even then men were separated and set apart for preaching the Word administring the Holy Sacraments and exercising Church-Censures and to invade the Office was counted Presumption and Sacriledge and no less than resisting the Holy Ghost The Church is called a Building and we know that every Flint or Pebble is not fit to be a Foundation or Corner-stone much less to be set into the Ephod and there to shine in Oracles and Responses It 's call'd a Body too and this hath various Members and these various Offices which cannot be all Eyes and Overseers if they were where would be the hearing It was therefore that the Apostles in the places where they preach'd the Gospel before they left them or took their final leave of the People ordain'd them Bishops and Elders to succeed them in the Ministerial Function such a Bishop was Timothy the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the President and Overseer of the Church of Ephesus and not only of the Church in the City but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Diocess of Ephesus saith Eusebius and if we may believe St. Chrysostom of all Asia whose Office was besides his other Ministerial Labours to inspect the Clergy under his charge and other Officers belonging to the House of God whereof the Fifth Chapter of the First Epistle to Timothy seems to me a very clear Evidence for it speaks of an Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction lodged in Timothy an Overseer constituted and appointed by St. Paul even by the laying on of his hands whereof he puts him in mind in the Text and of the Gift that was bestow'd upon him by that imposition of hands and of his duty to exercise it Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the laying on of my hands And here before I enter upon the Apostle's Exhortation or the Duty contain'd in it I cannot but take notice of the softness and gentleness of his Address I put thee in remembrance Practical Discourses and salutary Admonitions to men of Learning and good Education are a refreshing of their Memories rather than teaching or illuminating their Understandings Timothy could not be ignorant of the Duty recommended to him here by his spiritual Father for from a child he had known the holy Scriptures which made him wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus perfect and throughly furnish'd unto all good works yet the Apostle preaches to him a very familiar Duty and this preaching he calls putting him in remembrance The same may be said almost of all Sermons deliver'd in mixt Auditories where judicious and intelligent persons are mingled with vulgar capacities The Morals and common Principles explain'd and taught and inculcated there may be as useful to those of a higher as well as to those of a lower Form for tho they came not attended with new Notions to instruct them yet they may serve to put them in mind of the solid Truths they know and give them opportunity to enlarge and ruminate upon them to their spiritual profit and edification The things which tend to make us eternally happy are the plainest the most known and the most familiar Doctrines improv'd into practice of godliness and he that makes the Articles of the Catholick Faith Motives and Engagements to Self-denial and strictness of life is more likely to arrive in the Harbour of a blessed Immortality than the greatest Literati who think it below them to employ their Parts and Understandings about things which every Ploughman knows as well as they It was the custom of a very learned Prelate of our Church when he had talk'd with his friends of some nicer Points of Divinity or History or Chronology to close his Discourse with this friendly Exhortation Come let us now talk a little of Jesus Christ being