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	ordain_v	ordination_n	7,513	5	10.6596	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34187	The Bishop of London's ninth conference with his clergy upon the fifth and tenth injunctions given by the King, February the 15th, 1694/5 held in the years 1695 and 1696.	Compton, Henry, 1632-1713.	1699 (1699)	Wing C5671; ESTC R8647	11,725	20

THE Bishop of LONDON's Ninth CONFERENCE With his CLERGY Upon the Fifth and Tenth INIUNCTIONS Given by the KING February the 15th 1694 5 Held in the Years 1695. and 1696. LONDON Printed by Benj. Motte 1699. THE Bishop of LONDON's Ninth CONFERENCE With his CLERGY c. HAving at several times formerly taken notice of so many of the Subjects of these Injunctions as concern the Clergy in general except these two I thought it might not be amiss to desire your advice upon them especially since the Vanity of being thought Good natured too often tempts Men to forget the discharge of a good Conscience and the easiness of Complaisance draws them into those things which are not Convenient but sometimes Scandalous I. The Words of the Fifth Injunction run thus That that part of the 34th Canon which relates to the giving of Certificates concerning the Lives and Manners of those who are to be Ordained be strictly looked to And that the Bishops lay it on the Consciences of the Clergy that they sign no Certificates unless upon their own knowledg they judge the Persons to be duly Qualified The words of the Canon so far as this Injunction is grafted upon it are these Except he shall then exhibit Letters Testimonial of his good Life and Conversation under the Seal of some College in Cambridge or Oxford where before he remained or of three or four grave Ministers together with the Subscription and Testimony of other Credible Persons who have known his Life and Behaviour by the space of Three Years next before The Church had several occasions for Letters recommendatory and Testimonials for the Security and Preservation of her Discipline according to the exigence of different Ages as well for the brotherly and hospitable Reception of those that travel'd into Forain Jurisdictions as for the satisfaction of those Churches they went to that they might not be Imposed upon by False Brethren These were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by St. Paul They were afterwards called Literae Canonicae and sometimes Formatae Of which you have a learned discourse written by Priorius But I believe you would be more satisfied in the reason and authority of this sort of Credentials from the Canons of the Catholick Church under the four first General Councils Which gave ground to those so many and divers directions afterwards in the following particular Councils of several Nations But this were too large a Work and too much beside our purpose to be treated of at this time We will therefore confine our selves to the consideration of those Letters Dimissory and Testimonials only as relate to such as seek to enter into holy Orders And this I conceive will appear in the best light if we proceed by these Three steps I. To look into the Appointment of them II. To examine the Reason of that Appointment III. To apply that Reason to our Behaviour in this particular I. As to the Appointment it is so obvious a method to come to the knowledge of any thing otherwise out of our reach that without question it must have been the universal Practice of all Ages But it will suffice us to keep within the compass of our own Profession When Moses directed the People to find out fit Men to be Rulers over them amongst other Enquiries he would have them expect good Testimonials from their Neighbours and Acquaintance Take ye wise men and understanding and known among your Tribes When the Apostles instituted Deacons they gave this charge to the Disciples Look ye out among ye seven men of honest report We see the reason given why St. Paul took Timothy forth with him because he was well reported of by the Brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium The Characters St. Paul requires of such as are to be admitted to the Orders of Bishops Priests or Deacons shews the necessity of good Testimonials because many of those Particulars upon which that Character depended could not otherwise be so well made out And therefore he says A Bishop must have a good report of them which are without And of Deacons Let these also first be proved In conformity to this necessary Method of proceeding has the Church practised ever since So it was in St. Cyprian's time In the Ordination of Clergymen most dearly beloved Brethren we are used to consult you beforehand and by common consent examine both the Manners and Merits of each Person For this reason it is that the Council of Nice would have every one Ordained in their own Diocese where they are known If any Bishop shall presume to take one out of another Diocese and Ordain him in his Church without the consent of his proper Bishop from whom he has departed such Ordination shall be void To the same purpose is that of Chalcedon Strange and unknown Clergymen are by no means to Officiate in another City without commendatory Letters from their own Bishop But these primitive Councils had the Apostolick practice too fresh before them to need such particular directions as were given by later Councils Among which you have one that says Because it may so fall out that they who desire to get into Holy Orders may give a false account of their Lives and Conversation as likewise of their Pedigree to the end that every way to Fraud and Deceit may be stopt let him that is to be promoted to any Degree bring with him Letters from his Ordinary or the chief Men of the Place where he was born or wont to inhabit by which he may be attested to be of full Age of a good Conversation c. which unless he bring to the Bishop let him not be Ordained unless it appear evident to him some other way c. There is likewise another remarkable Passage in the same Council Wherein shall be contained this Clause whom we find to be fit and worthy or else no credit shall be given to the Letters To the same purpose it is expressed in another Council Diocesans are not to promote any to Holy Orders before they have seen Testimonials from the Minister of their Parish wherein are contained the Depositions of two or three approved unsuspected Witnesses given upon Oath of the sufficiency of their Age and of their commendable and unblamed Life Thus we see or may easily gather from what has been quoted that the Church was careful in all Ages to admit of none but approved Persons to the Ministry II. Therefore it may be convenient in the second place to look into the Reasons of this cautious Proceeding And truly they are so natural that it is impossible they should bear any Debate For common Reason tells us we must take our Information from others in those things the notice whereof we cannot attain to by our selves and Experience teaches us to have a care whom we believe So that where a Testimony is required we are to receive it with great