Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	epistle_n	paul_n	timothy_n	2,910	5	10.4803	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25771	A sermon preached at the visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, John Lord Bishop of Chester, at Chester by James Arderne ...	Arderne, James, 1636-1691.; Pearson, John, 1613-1686.	1677 (1677)	Wing A3625; ESTC R20728	9,763	22

A SERMON Preached at the Visitation OF The Right Reverend Father in God JOHN Lord Bishop of CHESTER AT CHESTER By JAMES ARDERNE D.D. Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty LONDON Printed for H. Brome at the Gun at the West-end of St. Pauls Church 1677. A Visitation Sermon 2 Tim. iv 5. latter part of the Verse Make full proof of thy Ministry THese words are the summing up of all those advices in general terms which St. Paul had more distinctly given before in this and the former Epistle to Timothy These particulars as we find them in both will most sutably become the matter of this days discourse And I hope tho both the Text and this Assembly would fairly allow us to shew that Timothy was a Diocesan Bishop yet it will not be reckon'd necessary since the Authority of St. Ignatius's Epistles hath been beyond all just exception fully vindicated and that other the ancientest Records of Church-affairs do prove Bishop and Priest to be not meerly two Degrees but likewise two Ranks of Clergy-men distinguish'd by different Ordinations and Powers as appears amongst several Writings from the Apostolick Canons which I take the freedom to urge by this Name because they were called so before the first General Council of the Church and are referred to by it and have expresly this Title given by that of Ephesus which was one of the four principal Councils But to return to the propounded work the Advices given to Timothy which concern all who are plac'd in the Ministry may be brought under these four heads 1. To keep out of our Religion whatever is new 2. To improve in Divine knowledg 3. To be diligent in all Offices of the received Ministry 4. To have a Conversation sutable to their Office 1. To keep out of our Religion whatever is new Our Religion is the eternal Gospel of Jesus Christ therefore sutable both to Christ and to every other Eternal it should be the same yesterday to day and for ever It being at once and at first perfect any alteration or addition would utterly spoil it Hence is it that St. Paul bids Timothy 1 Tim. 1. 3 to charge some that they teach no other Doctrine and ch 4. v. 6 that he should put the Brethren in remembrance like a good Minister of Jesus Christ of the words of Faith and good Doctrine and ch 6. v. 3 that he should so teach and exhort that if it might be not any man might reach otherwise but consent to wholesome words more directions of the same nature you may read in this second Epistle as ch 1. 13. of holding fast the form of sound words of committing the Apostles Doctrine to faithful Teachers of others ch 2. 2. the like charge is given to Titus ch 2. 1. and 7. and so before ch 1. 9. Now being new things made part of Religion do plainly destroy the rest of it let us inquire awhile whence such innovations arise and how they betray themselves and how they are most popularly carried on they rise from the same Original whence wars come from the lusts within men from vain-glory very oft and from an ambitious desire of drawing Disciples after them so the old Canon Law defines at once a Heretick and a Schismatick to be such who for the sake of vain-glory either makes or follows false opinions Such the Gnosticks were men vainly puft up in their fleshly minds professing themselves to be wise such an one Novatus was as Cornelius Bishop of Rome gives an account of him to Fabius of Antioch Euseb. hist. l. 6. cap. 43. That he was lifted up with arrogance and that his ambition and longing for a Bishoprick was the cause of his separation The Heresie of Marcion as we learn from Tertullian sprang from another as bad ground * Tertul. de praescript Epiphan li. haeres 42. and Epiphanius to wit from revenge because the Roman Church was then more strict and modest and judg'd it unlawful to receive him into its Communion who had been excommunicated by his own Father a Bishop in Pontus for foul conversation with a woman of that City Sometimes Divinity-inventions are studied out of covetousness so Simon thought to buy the gift of Healing that he might be a good gainer by his practice And as to the present state of the Church of Rome whose innovations are much more modern than any I have yet nam'd if we survey the main differences 'twixt them and us and compute the large revenues thence arising to their Church-men we should think if their opinions had been old enough that they came rather from this Simon than from St. Peter If it were not tedious to you to hear what already you fully know it would be easie to shew a like beginning of all new whims and fashions of deceivers for though it were uncharitable to question but that some may follow a Heresie or Schism as some follow'd Absoloms rebellion in their simplicity and knew not any thing yet it would be charity mistaken to believe that this simplicity and ignorance could furnish out a Leader that sets up his Banner in defiance of the Church no certainly this requires some endowments like those of a fal'n Angel fighting against Heaven a good understanding and an ill purpose Such men do usually betray themselves and shew that they are setting up a new Doctrine when they quarrel with the words us'd by the Church so the Arrians when they were suspected alledg'd that they were only offended with the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fearing lest it favoured Sabellius who taught that there was but one Person and three Manifestations in the Godhead and the Socinians when they first fram'd into a body like a Church pretended they did not find fault with the Doctrine concerning Christ and the Holy Ghost but only with the barbarous School-term Trinity but for all their simpering both these enemies of God appear'd afterwards bare-fac'd in their own colours the like may be observ'd in those who design an alteration in Discipline as these other did in Doctrine If you knew not the men and their communication you would take them to be harmless and tender but history and experience acquaint us by what has been that they are not like other dealers for that they will have more than they ask Another way whereby men discover an inclination to something foreign to the Church of which they appear Members is when they would compound with the Church that which were all along Articles of Religion should now be only Articles of Peace and what was look'd upon formerly to be believ'd should be only not publickly opposed but this project has too many mischiefs surely ever to obtain success it would cast a mighty Reproach upon our first Restorers and it would make us one just as the Interim made the dissenting Germans not in Religion but as then it was fitly call'd an Inter-religion And further seeing our Doctrines are plainly contain'd in our Devotions