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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	bishop_n	ordination_n	presbyter_n	9,874	5	10.5221	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87137	The prerogative of popular government. A politicall discourse in two books. The former containing the first præliminary of Oceana, inlarged, interpreted, and vindicated from all such mistakes or slanders as have been alledged against it under the notion of objections. The second concerning ordination, against Dr. H. Hamond, Dr. L. Seaman, and the authors they follow. In which two books is contained the whole commonwealth of the Hebrews, or of Israel, senate, people, and magistracy, both as it stood in the institution by Moses, and as it came to be formed after the captivity. As also the different policies introduced into the Church of Christ, during the time of the Apostles. By James Harrington.	Harrington, James, 1611-1677.	1657 (1657)	Wing H820; Thomason E929_7; ESTC R202382	184,546	252

Christ intended his Doctrine should be preached unto all Nations so he intended his Discipline should be such as might sute with any Government as indeed if the choice of any of these three be lawful it doth exactly is I hope performed For where the Government is popular it is the same with the first where it is Aristocratical or Monarchical it agrees with the last and where it is mixed it is between both and responsible unto the second Of these three in the further exercise of their natural and intended complyance with humane prudence it may be convenient to give some fuller Exemplification That any other Ordination than that of the first kinde for the original Authority or practise of it whether in the Common-wealth of Israel or in the Church of Christ and indeed for the prerogative of the same in nature should have been introduced by the Apostles where it might much less where the nature of the civil Policy would admit of no other is neither propable by Scripture nor Reason whence it is that in the Cities of Lyeaonia and Pisidia the Government of these being then Popular we do not find any mention at all of the Chirothesia the Apostles in these places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chirotonizing Elders in every Congregation To evade this place our Adversaries turn tails to the things and make their whole flight at the words In taking one of them into the disputation I shall take in all for they run all upon the same quotations or with little addition That the word Chirotonizing saith Doctor Hamond in this place signifies no more than Ordaining by the Imposition of Hands is not so generally acknowledged by late Writers but that it may be useful to give some few Testimonies out of those Wtiters which were nearest the times of the Scripture Thus Philo Judaeus of Joseph 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was ordained Governour of all Aegypt under the King So again of Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was constituted their Ruler So of Aarons sons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God constituted them Priests Alexander son of Antiochus Epiphanes writes to Jonathan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we in the regal stile constitute thee High Priest Lucian saies of Hephestion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Alexander made him a God when he was dead Appian which is added out of Grotius whence most of the rest is taken to signifie Election of Magistrates made by the Romane Emperors uses no other word and later Writers speak of some that were chirotonized Emperors by their Fathers For the use of the word among Christian Writers take one place in the Author of the Constitutions for many Clement after the death of Linus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was ordained Bishop of Rome by Peter But what need any more Christs Disciples are said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 designed or fore-constituted by God the witnesses of his Resurrection by al which that of Paul Barnabas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is but constituting or creating Elders in every Church Wherefore they that have looked so far back to the Original as to think it necessary to render the word to create by suffrages are sure guilty of very impertinent nicety I promise you had this been against one of our Doctors it might have been a rude charge but it is but against Erasmus Beza Diodati and such as took upon them to translate the Switz French Italian Belgicke and till the Episcopal correction the English Bibles And what apparent cause is there of such confidence What necessity is there even in the places alleadged why the word Chirotonia should be understood in the sense imposed The People of Aegypt till having sold their Lands they came to loose their Popular ballance were not servants unto Pharaoh wherefore when Joseph was made Governour over all Aegypt they were sree now that a King should make a Governour of a free People without their consent or some advice as we say of his Parliament is altogether impropable the rather because a Protector in the absence or minority of the King hath been no otherwise made in England nor pretendeth the present Protector unto any other title than the like Chirotonia But that Moses is said by the same Author who affirmed that he introduced the Chirotonia in Israel to have been Chirotonized Ruler of the People can in my judgement be no otherwise than originally and literally taken seeing God himself was no otherwise made King in Israel than by the suffrage of the People That the like must be understood of the Sons of Aaron hath been already shewn The Doctor is the first hath told me that the plural number for the royal stile is so ancient as Epiphanes Sure I am it was not deriv'd from his Macedonian Predecessors for in the Letters to the Athenians and the Thebans recited by Demosthenes Philip of Macedon writes in the singular number But the Letter of Epiphanes to Jonathan must it seems import that he at single hand though the words carry double had Chirotonized an High Priest of the Jews Who can help it Some Princes have not onely given out that their Priests have been chirotonized when they were not but that themselves have been Chirotonized when there was no such matter When a Prince saies that he was Chirotonized or Elected by the People to talk of Rhetorique is to have none Divines in this case commonly understand it to be proper or literally meant for to impose a new sense is to spoil the word and spoil the word spoil the Prince Lucian is a droll and intends a jest but not so good an one as that he of all other should come nearest to help up with an Heirarchy For the Chirotonia or Election of the Roman Magistrates by the suffrage of the People or of the Army every man knows that it is literal Suidas himself interpreting the word by this very example where he affirms it to signifie Election or Ratification by the many The quotation out of the Constitutions with those of Bishop Bilson and others out of the Greek Fathers and out of Councils do not onely imply the word Chirotonia but the thing while they all relate unto that kind of Ordination which being in those Churches yet administred as at the Ordination of Stephen was not conferred without the consent of the People But it is above all that labouring to prove the Chirotonia and the Chirothesia to be the same thing they should rely most upon the place where the Apostles are said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to have been fore-chirotonized by God as if it were clear in this that God ordained the Apostles by the laying on of Hands for so it must be understood or it makes no more for them than for us Or if they mean it onely to shew that the word Chirotonia or suffrage is used for some Ordination that cannot be taken in our sense so the word Chirothesia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or laying on

that not onely they who had received advantage could suffer Martyrdome but they that had lost by it would be utterly lost for it were admirable in the case of this people if it were not common in the case of most in the world at this day custom may bring that to be received as an Ordinance of God for which there is no colour in Scripture For to consult Maimonides a little better upon this point Whereas saith he they grant in case it should happen that in all the Holy Land there remained but one Presbyter that Presbyter assisted by two other Israelites might ordain the seventy or great Sanhedrim and the Sanhedrim so constituted might constitute and ordain the lesser Courts I am of opinion that were there no Presbyter in the Land yet if all the wise-men of Israel should agree to constitute or ordain Judges they might do it lawfully enough But if so then how comes it to pass that our Ancestors have been so solicitous least Judicature should fail in Israel Surely for no other cause than that from the time of the Captivity the Israelites were so dispersed that they could not upon like occasions be brought together Now I appeal whether the clear words of Maimonides where he saith that out Master Moses ordained the Sanhedrim by the Chirothesia be not more clearly and strongly contradicted in this place than they are affirmed in the other since acknowledging that if the people could assemble they might Ordain the Sanhedrim he gives it for granted that when they did assemble they had power to Ordain it and that Moses did assemble them upon this occasion is plain in Scripture Again if the power of Ordination fall ultimately unto the People there is not a stronger argument in Nature that it thence primarily derived To conclude the Chirothesia of the Presbyterian party in Israel is thus confessed by the Author no otherwise necessaty than through the defect of the Chirotonia of the People which ingenuity of the Talmudist for any thing that hath yet past might be worthy the imitation of Divines In tracking the Jews from the restitution of their Common-wealth after the Captivity to their dispersion it seemeth that the later Monarchy in Israel was occasioned by the Oligarchy the Oligarchy by the Aristocracy and the Aristocracy by the Chirothesia But that this Monarchy though erected by Magnanimous and Popular Princes could be no less than Tyranny deriv'd from another principle that is the insufficiency of the ballance For albeit from the time of the Captivity the Jubilee was no more in use yet the Virgin Mary as an Heiress is affirmed by some to have been Married unto Ioseph by vertue of this Law Every Daughter that possesseth an inheritance in any Tribe of the Children of Israel shall be Wife unto one of the Family of the Tribe of her Fathers c. By which the popular Agrarian may be more than suspected to have been of greater vigour than would admit of a well ballanced Monarchy The second Presbytery which is now attained unto a well ballanced Empire in the Papacy hath infinitely excelled the patern the Lands of Italy being most of them in the Church This if I had leisure might be tracked by the very same steps at first it consisted of the seventy Parish Priests or Presbyters of Rome now seventy Cardinals creating unto themselves an High Priest or Prince of their Sanhedrim the Pope but for the Superstition whereunto he hath brought Religion and continues by his Chirothesia to hold it a great and a Reverend Monarch established upon a solid foundation and governing by an Exquisite policy not only well ballanced at home but deeply rooted in the greatest Monarchies of Christendom where the Clergy by vertue of their Lands are one of the three States The maxims of Rome are profound for there is no making use of Princes without being necessary unto them nor have they any regard unto that Religion which doth not regard Empire All Monarchies of the Golthick model that is to say where the Clergy by vertue of their Lands are a third estate subsist by the Pope whose Religon creating a reverence in the people and bearing an awe upon the Prince preserveth the Clergy that else being unarmed become a certain prey unto the King or the people and where this happeneth as in Henry the Eighth down goes the Throne for so much as the Clergy looseth falls out of the Monarchical into the Popular scale Where a Clergy is a third estate Popular Government wants earth and can never grow but where they dye at the root a Prince may sit a while but is not safe nor is it in nature except he have a Nobility or Gentry able without a Clergy to give ballance unto the people that he should subsist long or peaceably For where-ever a Government is founded upon an Army as in the Kings of Israel or the Emperours of Rome there the saddest Tragedies under heaven are either one the stage or in the Tiring-house These things considered the Chirothesia being originally nothing else but a way of Policy excluding the people where it attaineth not unto a ballance that is sufficient for this purpose bringeth forth Oligarchy or Tyranny as among the Jews And where it attaineth unto a ballance sufficent unto this end produceth Monarchy as in the Papacy and in all Gothick Kingdomes The Priests of Aegypt where as it is described by Siculus their revenue came unto the third part of the Realm would no question have been exactly well fitted with the Chirothesia pretended unto by modern Divines Suppose the Apostles had planted the Christian Religion in those parts and the Priests had been all converted I do not think that Divines will say that having altered their Religion they needed to have deserted their being a third estate their overballance to the people their lands their preheminece in the Government or any part of thir Policy for that and I am as far from saying so as themselves On the other side as Paul was a Citizen of Rome let us suppose him to have been a Citizen of Athens and about 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to constitute the Christian Religion in this Gommon-wealth where any Citizen might speak unto the people Imagine then he should have said thus Men of Athens that which you ignorantly seek I bring unto you the true Religion but to receive this you must not alter your former belief only but your ancient Customes your political Assemblies have been hitherto called Ecclesiae this word must loose the ancient sense and be no more understood but of spiritual Consistories and so whereas it hath been of a popular it must henceforth be of an Aristocratical or Presbyterian signification For your Christonia that also must follow the same rule insomuch as on whomsoever one or more of the Aristocracy or Presbytery shall lay their hands the same is understood by vertue of that Action to be Chirotonized How well would this have sounded

assembled upon occasion as I conceive of giving an extraordinary Commission after the manner of the people of Athens when they Elected Ambassadors or that I may avoid strife upon a point so indifferent to choose two new Apostles The Holy Ghost said Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work wbereunto I have appointed them that is for so it is rendred by all Interpretors the Holy Ghost spake those words by the mouths of the Prophets Now the Prophets being well known for such this suffrage of theirs was no sooner given than as one that can allow Prophets to be leading men may easily think followed by all the rest of the Congregation so the whole multitude having fasted and prayed the most eminent among them or the Senatorian order in that Church laid their hands upon Paul and Barnabas who being thus sent forth by the Holy Ghost departed unto Seleucia To evade this apparent Election or Chirotonia of the whole Congregation whereby these Apostles or Embassadors unto the Churches of the Gentiles were ordained Divines have nothing to say but that they were elected by the Holy Ghost as if the Chirotonia of the people were more exclusive unto Election by the Holy Ghost than the Chirothesia of the Aristocracy for which in the mean time they contend but if neither of these were indeed exclusive of the Holy Ghost how is it possible in this frame where though of natural necessity an Aristocracy must have been included yet the Aristocracy is not in the Text so much as distinguisht from the people or once named that the power and so the ordination should not have been in the people The Council of the Apostles of the Elders and of the whole Church at Jerusalem and other Councils not of Apostles nor of the whole Church in other times or places used this form in their Acts It seemeth good unto the Holy Ghost and unto us but doth this where a true or where a pretended style exclude that act from being an Act of that whole Council or how comes it to pals that because Paul and Barnabas were separated by the Holy Ghost they were not ordained by the Chirotonia of the whole Christian people at Antioch The Chirothesia can be no otherwise understood in nature nor ever was in the Common-wealth of the Jews than Election by the few And so even under the meer Chirothesia Ordination and Election were not two but one and the same thing If Moses ordain'd Joshua his Successor by the Chirothesia he Elected Ioshua his Successour by the Chirothesia and for what reason must it be otherwise with the Chirotonia That a Pharisee could do more with one hand or a pair of hands than a Christian Church or Congregation can do with all their hands is a Doctrine very much for the honour of the true Religion and a soveraign maxime of Ecclesiastical policy The third constitution of Church Government in Scripture whether consisting of Bishops or Presbyters between which at this time a man shall hardly find a difference runs wholly upon the Aristocracy without mention of the people and is therefore compared by Grotius unto the Sanhedrim of Israel as that came to be in these dayes from whence Divines also generally and truly confess that it was taken up to which I shall need to add no more than that it is an order for which there is no precept either in the Old Testament of God or in the New of Christ This therefore thus taken up by the Apostles from the Jews is a clear demonstration that the Government of the Church in what purity soever of the times nay though under the inspection of the Apostles themselves hath been obnoxious unto that of the State wherein it was planted The Sanhedrim from the institution of the Chirothesia for a constant Order consisted of no other Senators than such only as had been ordain'd by the Imposition of Hands which came now to be conferred by the Prince in the presence or with the assistance of the Sanhedrim the same order was observed by the Jewish Synagogues of which each had her archon nor would the Jews converted unto the Christian Faith relinquish the Law of Moses whereunto this way of Ordination among other things though erroneously was vulgarly attributed whence in the Church where it consisted of converted Jews Ordination was conferred by the Archon or first in order of the Presbytery with the assistance of the rest Hence Paul in one place exhorts Timothy thus Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by Prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery And in another thus Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou st●r up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands I grant Divines that Ordination by this time was wholly in the Presbytery what say they then unto the distinction of Ordination and Election Are these still two distinct things or may we hence at least compute them to be one and the same If they say yes Why then might they not have been so before If they say no Who in this place but the Presbytery elected Why saies Doctor Hamond it is plain that the Spirit of Prophesie elected But to give account of no more than is already performed were the spirit of History rather than of Prophecy to which it appertains to tell things before they be done as did the Prophets now living in this Church that Tim thy should come to be ordained so the place is interpreted by Grotius and how it should otherwise be understood I cannot see But putting the case some Act preceded as Saul and David were elected Kings by Prophecy Yet did ever man say that for this Soul or David were any whit the less elected Kings by the People To the contrary in every well ordered Common-wealth a jove principium the disposing of the Lot and of the Suffrage too hath universally been attributed unto God The Piety of Divines in perswading the People that God elects for them and therefore they need not trouble themselves to vote is as if they should perswade them that God provides their daily bread and therefore they need not trouble themselves to work To conclude this point with Doctor Hamonds own words upon the same occasion this didinction of Ordination and Election is in Divines the procreative mistake or ignorance producing all the rest The reason why Paul ordained now after this manner among the Jews is unto me an irrefragable Argument that he ordained not after this manner among the Gentiles for whereas the first ordination in the Christian Church namely that of Matthias was performed by the Chirotonia which by degrees came now in complacence with the Jews unto the Chirothesia it seems he was contented not to alter the worst of Political institutions or customes where he found them confirm'd by long and universal practice and if so why should any man

of Hands where Ananias being neither Bishop nor Ptesbyter but onely a Disciple that is a Christian layes his Hands upon Paul is used for some Ordination that cannot be taken in their sense or a man not Ordained may Ordain as well as they for to say that the call was extraordinary where the like is or is pretended will avayl little But there is no need that we should go so near the wind wherefore to give them all these places in their own sense even till we come to the Cities in question What word in any Language is not sometimes nay frequently used in some other than the proper sense With what elegance if this be forbidden can any man write or speak Is a word like a Woman that being taken with a Metaphor it can never be restored unto the Original Virtue If Chirotonia have as Divines pretend lost all other but their signification how shall we understand it in Isaiah or where Paul speaks it of the Brother 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chirotonized or chosen by the Churches Certainly in this one place at least it is of our sense and in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is but once yet in all the New Testament of any other so that if we gain the place in controversie we have it twice of our sense in Scripture for once not in theirs but in any other and in humane Authors they will not so much as pretend to have it once for them of an hundred times for us which is pretty well for the vindication of the propriety of one word and somewhat more perhaps than can be done for another But in the sense of words that are sometimes properly and sometimes improperly taken may we admit of the things whereof they are spoken for Interpretors Or if Lillies and Roses have been almost as often said of Ladies Cheeks must we understand them no otherwise when we are speaking of Gardens Yes sayes Doctor Hamond and therefore to say of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas that they created ●ld●rs by their own suffrages is no w●re than to say that they joyntly did create and indeed being but two there could be no place for suffrages and to affirm they did it by the suffrages of others is not agreeable to the pretended use of the word for where it is used of choosing by suffrages as when the people are said to Chirotonize it is certain that their own and not others suffrages are meant by it It were hardly possible to have contrived a greater number of Affirmations inso smal a compasse nor to have gone farther in them from all truth Phrases as words are to be understood according unto the Rule and Law of Speech which is use and thus that the Apostles created Elders by their own suffrage is not said that they did it by the suffrage of others is necessarily implyed as also that the people are understood to chirotonize as well when it is said of the Presidents of their Assemblies as of themselves Diruit aedificat mutat quadratarotundis When a man is said to build an House or marry a Daughter he is not understood to be the Mason of the Brides-groom But the Apostles built Churches in these Cities therefore the people were not the Masons The Apostles married Christ unto these Nations therefore the people gave not their consent or suffrage what a construction were this in-ordinary discourse or writing and yet in the language as I may say of a Common-wealth the phrase is more usuall How often doth Demosthenes speak of his Laws see my Psephisma peruse my Law and those of other private men after which Copy the Par●è or Laws in the Common-wealth of Venice are called by the names of the Proposers as were those of Rome Rupilia Cornelia Tr●bonia in which manner we have Poynings Laws and some Statutes bearing no other Style than Enacted by the Kings most excellent Majesty which nevertheless are known to have been all Enacted by the Parliament Thus the Laws of Moses Rhadamanthus Minos Lycurgus S●lon Romulus King Edward were leges consuetudines quas vulgus elegerit such as the people had confirmed or chosen by their Chirotonia But they may say granting you this use of speech in relation unto Laws what have you of this kind for Elections The exception is nice but to leave none The High Sheriffs in England proposing unto their Counries the Names of such as stand are said to Elect Parliament men They that thus propose Competitors unto the Great Council in Venice are called Electors and said to elect the Magistrates The Proedri certain Magistrates to whom it belonged to put the question in the Representative of the people of Athens consisting of one thousand were said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to give or make the suffrage The Thesmothetae who were Presidents at the creation of Magistrates were said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to chirotonize the Generals Josephus renders those words of God unto Samuel Hearken unto the voice of the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I command thee to chirotonize them a King which Authors vindicating Luke for his understanding both of the Grecian customes and propriety of speech at each of which he was expert come up unto the full and genuine interpretation of the place in controversie where Paul and Barnabas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chirotonizing them Elders in every Congregation can be no otherwise understood than that they here as Moses at the institution of the Sanhedrim Samuel at the Election of the King the Proedri at the passing of Laws the Thesmothetae at the creation of Magistrates the Electors in the great Council of Venice and the High Sheriffs in the Counties of England were no more than Presidents of that Chirotonia which was given or made by the suffrage of the people Wherefore the Greek is thus rendred by these several Translations of the Bible That of Zurich When they had created them Elders by suffrages in every Congregation That of Beza When they had created them Elders by suffrages in every Congregation The French When by the advice of the Assemblies they had established Elders The Italian When by the advice of the Congregation they had constituted them Elders That of Diodati When they had ordained them in every Church by the common votes of the Elders That appointed by the Synod of Dort When in each Church by the holding up of Hands they had Elected Presbyters That used in England from the time of the Reformation untill the Episcopal correction of the same When they had ordained them Elders by Election in every Congregation Indeed the circumstance of the place forbids any other construction of the words for if the suffrage or Chirotonia which were scarce sense related unto the Apostles onely what needed they have done that in every Congregation or Church which they might have done in any Chamber or closet The circumstance of the action forbids any other construction for the people