Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
city_n bishop_n church_n ordain_v 4,727 4 9.0001 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
B02463 A modest apology occasioned by the importunity of the Bishop of Derrie, who presseth for an answer to a query, stated by himself, in his second admonition: concerning joyning in the publick worship established by law. In answer to the query, the pondering of some weighty exceptions is first desired: and then such a resolution is given to the query, as the word of God, and thereby the safety of our consciences will allow. / By a minister of the gospel, at the desire of some Presbyterian dissenters. Craghead, Robert.; King, William, 1650-1729. 1696 (1696) Wing C6794; ESTC R171586 54,814 122

There are 4 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

was the Will of GOD that such an Officer as a ●shop over Presbyters should be in the House ● GOD that they might obey him in the LOR● 3. The Apostle in the following Words give● Warning that after his Departure grievous Wolv● shall enter in among them not sparing the Flock a● verse 30. of their own selves shall Men arise spea●ing perverse things to draw away Disciples after the● Yet for all this Danger he giveth no Direction set up a Bishop over other Ministers for pres●ving the Flock nor any Intimation that it w● the Will of GOD to provide such a Remedy a●terwards But requireth the Pastors to Watch a● commendeth them to GOD and the Word of h● Grace which was able to Build them up whe● by we may see they are remitted to the word for D●rection in what concerneth his Church and n● to invent without the Word a Remedy of the● own devising 4. From the same Scripture ● are also instructed that the instituted Pastors ● the Church are to feed and take heed unto all ● Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath ma● them Overseers And therefore Gospel-Ministe● are to have no greater Charge than such as th● may perform all the Duties belonging to a Pasto● to all the Flock And if any Minister assum● greater Charge than he can perform these Du● unto then it is not that Charge that the Holy Gh● hath committed to him If it be said that the Bishop feedeth the Flock ● his Substituts such as he is pleased to appoint Answ But quo jure by what Right or Autho●ty can he substitute another to do that which he ●th assumed for his own Work and personal Per●rmance it was a doubt that the learned Sir Fran● Bacon said he could never be resolved of how a Man that had a Trust committed to him for his per●nal Faithfulness could delegate that Trust to another ●d if a Bishop say he never engaged to Feed so ●any then it may be justly replyed he was never ●astor to so many Why then should he presume ●e Title and Name of their Pastor When he ●●weth it simply impossible for him to Teach ●d Feed them or the twentieth part of them ac●rding to the Duty of a Pastor It 's also to be observed that as by this and ma● other Texts the Ministers of the Gospel have ●ual Pastoral Authority de jure so we find in the ●riptures that de facto they are placed in Possessi● of this Ministerial-Power and exercise it with ●vine Approbation For Presbyters ordain Mi●sters as 1 Tim. 4. 14. and are therein approved ● the Apostle Timothy being charged not to ne●ct the Gift he had thereby received 2. A Com●nity of Presbyters exert their Power in Church ●scipline and are required by the Apostle so to ● 1 Cor. 5. 4. and 5. verses This Sentence was ●icted by many not by one assuming the sole Power of Jurisdiction to himself which is c●sonant to our Saviours Doctrine Matth. 18. 1● who requireth the offended Brother to tell ● Church not a single Person if Christ had co●mitted the Power of Discipline to One than ● Complaint of the offended Brother should h● been to that One for to whom should he Co●plain but to such as had Power to do him Justi● and remove the Offence But we see Christ's ●pointment is not to make Application to One ● to the Church Therefore it 's no Institution Christ that authoritative Church-Power be lo●ed in one Person So also we find that Presbyters are Constitu● Members of that famous Juridical Synod at Je●salem Acts 15. the Apostles and Elders came to ●ther to consider the Matter in which Assem● there is not one found to Over-rule the Rest ● assuming a negative Voice Though some pres● had more just Authority in the Church than ● now on Earth can pretend to yet all had f● liberty to speak their Judgement and all car● by Suffrages and that which was concluded pl●ed the Apostles and Elders and is published in ● Name of the Apostles and Elders whereby it's parent that in the Apostles time Presbyters ● in the actual exercise of Church-Government ●therwise the Decrees of the Synod had never ● published in their Name We shall not at pr● multiply Arguments but let these three be duely ●nsidered 1. That the Office of a Prelate can●t be found in the Roll of Church-Officers 2. ●rists Discharging his Ministers to be one of ●em Greater than another And 3. The Di●e Institution of parity among Ministers Object Timothy and Titus are called Bishops in ● Bibles therefore Bishops are by Divine Insti●tion Answ All Gospel Pastors are Bishops accor●g to the Word of GOD and therefore tho' ●ey were Bishops which cannot be granted ●t the Episcopal Cause gaineth nothing because ●shops above Presbyters are never found in our ●bles 2. These Postscripts to the 2d Epistle to Ti●thy and the Epistle to Titus are not Canonick ●ripture but added several Ages after the Canon Scripture was closed and after the Church be●n to degenerat which is irrefragably evinced Mr Pryn in his Unbishoping of Timothy and ●us and is acknowledged both by Papists and ●ers that the most antient Copies have no such ●stscripts and therefore our Bibles have these ●stscripts still at some distance from the rest of ●se Epistles But the Difference is not altoge●er so observable now as formerly when these ●stscripts were purposely Printed in very smal ●aracters to make the Difference discernable by all who read them 3 Timothy is expresly ●led an Evangelist 2 Tim. 4. 5. and therefore co● not be a Bishop neither in Scripture sence a● Pastor to a particular Flock whom he might p●sonally oversee nor in the Prelatical sence as a ●ocesan Bishop because an Evangelist was no●●mited to any particular bounds as hath been cle●ed already And to say that Timothy was Bish● of Ephesus is against reason for Timothy was p●sent with the Apostle Paul when he commit● the Charge of the Flock to the Presbyters in co●mon but no mention of Timothy as their Bishop● whom the Charge had chiefly belonged if he h● been the only Bishop of Ephesus As for Titus he was employed in the like G●pel-Service from one place to another as Tim● was But it 's said Tit. 15. That he was left in Cret● ordain Elders in every City therefore he had Epis●pal Jurisdiction Answ 1. Timothy and Titus were both ex●ordinary Officers in the Church as appears ● their constant Travels from place to place th● Work being to erect Churches and plant Bish● or Presbyters in these Churches but not to Bishops of them themselves their Power be● greater than ordinary Bishops or Pastors as is ● served by Chrysostom on Eph. 4 that their Work ● to plant Churches and Bishops or Elders to be thei●●dinary Pastors 2. Seing Titus was to ordain El●ers in every City of Crete then where was his own ●iocess For it cannot be supposed that he did ●rdain himself Bishop of one of these Cities 3.
●eing he was to Ordain Elders in the plural num●er in every City and by the Scripture these El●ers are Bishops then mo Bishops then one was ● be in every City which is contrare to the Epis●opal Constitution 4. If it be said that Titus ●as Archbishop or Metropolitan Answ This ●cketh nothing but Proof which no where can ●e had For the primitive gospel-Gospel-Church knew ●o such thing as either a Diocesan Bishop Arch●ishop or Metropolitan long after the Death of ●imothy and Titus there being no certain Rule ●or modeling of Diocesses until the Reign of Con●antine the Great at which time the Church did ●ollow the Civil Government as to Diocesses this ●ishop Stilling-fleet maketh out in his Irenic page ●76 377. 5. There is nothing to be found in ●e Scriptures to countenance this Assertion that ●itus was Archbishop of Crete all that can be said is ●at he was sent to Crete upon a piece of special ser●ice for the Church which made him no more Bi●op there then when he staid some time in other ●laces Aquinas run into the same Mistake as ●o Dalmatia for because Titus went to Dalmatia ●herefore he calls him the Bishop of Dalmatia 6. ●f it be said that the least that Bishops can Gain from Titus being left to Ordain Elders is that ●shops have sole Power of Ordination seing T● alone ordained Answ This is but to beg● Question for we deny that Titus was a Bish● let that first be proved And 2. That he orda●ed as a Bishop And 3. That he ordained alo● For his ordaining of Elders makes him no Bisho● no more then the Apostle Pauls ordaining ma● him a Bishop they ordained as Extraordina● Officers in the Church making way for Bisho● or Pastors and though Titus was invested wi● extraordinary Power above any Bishop or Pasto● yet that it self will not prove that he ordained s● paratim without Presbyters Because he was Ordain Elders in the same manner that was the ●stablished Way of the Church in conjunction wi● Presbyters as the Apostle Paul did lay his han● on Timothy conjunctim with the Presbytry th● is joyntly with a Presbytry Object 2. The Epistles to the seven Church of Asia are directed to the Bishops of these Chu●ches because each of them is directed to one si●gle Person called the Angel of the Church Answ That these Epistles are directed to t● Bishops of these Churches in the Scripture se● we easily acknowledge but then no advanta● to the Episcopal Cause is gained For if these A●gels be Bishops and Bishops the same with Pr●byters then ye are just where you were not li● ●d one step higher than a preaching Presbyter or ●ospel-Pastor 2. Whereas the Angel is spoken unto in the sin●lar number you have no advantage by this either ●r you shall find one and the same Angel spoken ● in the plural number As to the Angel of the ●hurch of Smyrna Rev. 2. 10 The Devil shal cast ●me of you into Prison the Speech is directed un● the Angel yet the plural number is used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to ●ew that it 's not one single Person only that is de●ted by the Name of Angel so also to the Angel ●f the Church of Thyatira but unto you I say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ●ere the Angel is expresly spoken unto in the plu●l number So that any Argument from the ●ame Angel utterly faileth you For though an ●gel be named in the singular number yet that by ●e Name Angel is understood a collective Body ● Ministers is evident otherwise let any Man ●nder a Reason why the Angel is spoken to in the ●ural number as mo than one And hereby we ●ve solid ground to think that the Angel is spo●n to in the plural number purposly to obviat or ●rrect the Misapprehensions of any who would ●ink that a Bishop over Presbyters is understood ● the Word Angel Object 3 But the Government of the Church ● Bishops having Authority Jurisdiction over ●esbyters is so Antient that we cannot judge it ● any lower Derivation then from the Apostles albeit we have it not by express Scripture Answ 1. If you have such a Government the Church by due consequence from any Scriptu● of the New Testament We are ready to ye● Subjection albeit ye cannot Prove it by expr● Scriptures ye shall not be so hard put to it ● for you only to Affirm and Assert it Apostoli● without any Proof cannot convince Mens Judg●ments and satisfie their Conscience in a matter so great Importance Your selves being Judge if you have Proof for it make it appear Bish● Laud and some other Bishops with him said o● publickly if Prelacy were not the Apostolick G●vernment they would forth with throw away th● Rotchets But they kept them as long as th● could and the Proof went no further upon whi● Mr. Pryne did challenge them for breach of P●mise VVhy do ye not stop all our Mouths ●proving your Assertion and so satisfie a great B●dy of Protestants at Home and Abroad Who gi● Reasons from Scripture contrare to your Asser●on And to say it must be Apostolick because its Antiquity is little less then to say we will ha● it from them whither they will or not their D●ctrine and Practice refuse and yet it must be ●torted from them 2. We have made it appear already that the ●postles did prescribe another Form of Governmen● be managed by the Ministers of the Gospel in ● ●ty of Ministerial Power and how to impose u●on our own Reason and Belief that by some in●isible Prescription they have contradicted all ●is were hard measure should we or can we ●ject what they have Recorded by Inspiration of ●e Holy Ghost and betake our selves to some fan●ed Tradition Could this be a safe Way for our ●onsciences Or could we Answer to GOD for ● Your selves being Judges 3. If the Antiquity of Prelacy be at last its only ●ea and strongest Defence Cyprian will soon An●er for us that Antiquity without Verity is but mouldy ●rror and as Sir Francis Bacon termed it a Cypher ●ithout a Figure 2. If this Plea should hold Good then there ● a Door opened for the most Antient Errors ●herewith the Church was infested even in the A●ostles times and such as soon after endangered ●e renting of her Bowels 3. And however Antient Prelacy be found yet may and doth suffice us that it hath no Institution ● the Gospel-Church by Christ or his Apostles ●nd therefore can claim no better than Humane Appointment for which Appointment no Commis●n was granted to the Church Object All that is Alledged by you against E●iscopacy is but your own late Sentiments For ●e Antient Fathers who understood the State of ●e Primitive Church better than you do generally bear Testimony that Bishops have been in all Ag● of the Gospel-Church Answ We are of the same mind with Aug●stin who being urged with the Authority of ●prian answered That what he spoke according to ● Scriptures he would
to be Bishops of Cities and from thence an Episcopal Line of Succession is drawn not only from their Times but from their Persons Answ That Apostles were Bishops of any Ci●y or Diocess is false because they were not limited to any certain place as all Diocesan Bishops are and therefore it implyes a Contradiction that they were limited and not limited But if any shall say it will make no Contradiction to be limited in one Respect and unlimited in another R●spect that is the Apostles Charge might be lim●ted as they were Bishops but unlimited as the● were Apostles Answ This Distinction leave● the Difficulty untouched and is but a begging ● the Question to suppose they had any limite● Charge as Bishops which can never be prove● by Scripture Reason or Antiquity For 2. No Man had Power to restrict their Charg● whom Christ had left free 3. As no other Men had Power to alter or mak● narrower Limits to the Apostolick Charge so ne●ther had they Power themselves to alter thei● own Commission by being bound as Pastors ● Bishops of a particular Charge For thereby the● should be disabled to discharge the general Co●mission of Preaching and Planting Church● through the World 4. This were a degrading of the Apostolic● Office to reduce it to the Office of a Bishop or P●stor therefore ignominious to the Apostles b●sides the confounding of these two most distin● Offices of Apostle and Pastor by all which it is a● parent that a Bishop over Presbyters hath no clai● to that Office by Succession to Apostles and t● maxime holdeth sure Apostolo in quantum est Ap●stolus non succeditur All the rest of the Sacred Roll of Church-O●ficers shall be easily dispatched For Prophets who are twice enrolled next to the Apostles will sustain no Debate whether Prophe●ying be taken more strictly for predicting things ●o come or more largely for opening the Myste●ies of Religion or expounding the Scriptures For in the first sence Bishops are so Modest as not ●o claim it Though some had that extraordina●y Gift in the Apostles times In the second sence ●t importeth no Authority over other Ministers and therefore can do them no service The next are Evangelists but nothing can de●cend from that Office for the Office of Bishops because it 's agreed on all Hands that Evange●ists were the Apostles Adjuvants travelling from ●lace to place on Gospel-Service without any fix●d residence either in Parish or Diocess and there●ore no claim is made to that for it would deprive ●hem of a fixed Diocess As for Teachers since teaching of it self imply●th no Authority over other Teachers it can yeild ●o Argument for Episcopal Authority whither ●y these Teachers be understood such Doctors of ●ivinity as are set a-part for instructing and pre●aring others for the Ministerial Calling or for ●xplaining of Scriptures neither of them can ●rove Authority over others of the same Office ●d therefore is not pleaded As for Pastors we acknowledge these to be the ●dinary established Ministers of the Gospel unto whom the Charge of Feeding the Flock is co●mitted and these in Scripture are called Bisho● or Presbyters all of them by the Gospel-Chart● under one Commission for equal Authority and Power in the Church as hereafter GOD willing sha● plainly appear As for Governments and these who Rule wh● come in among the last of the Roll they are d●stinct Officers in the Church being neith● Teachers nor Pastors but such as Rule as is ●vident 1 Tim. 5. 17. where they are said to ● worthy of double Honour specially such as L●bour in Word and Doctrine here are Elders t● Rule who do not teach and therefore Bishops ca● not make this Officer their Claim because a B●shop must be apt to teach and if he only Rule an● do not Teach Some will be sure to call him Ruling-Elder which he is not fond of As for Ministring and Exhorting they are t● low for a Bishops Character and therefore n● pleaded By all this Pains taken in searching for a B●shop Superior to Presbyters the candide Read● will perceive that we do not willfully blind fo● our selves but are willing to search the Scriptur● and be determined by them but in all these Sc●ptures where Church-Officers are particularly ● numerated there is no such Church-Officer to ●ound as Bishop over other Ministers of the G●pel either in express Words or by any true Consequence from them and therefore we cannot ●ubject to the said office as an Institution of Christ A second Reason shall be taken from the Words ●f our Saviour Luke 2● 24. And there was also a ●trife among them which of them should be accounted ●e Greatest and He said unto them the Kings of the Gentils exercise Lordship over them and they that ex●cise Authority upon them are called Benefactors but ●e shall not be so but he that is Greatest among you let ●m be as the Younger and he that is Chief as he that ●oth Serve The paralel place is Matth. 20. 25. and by ●ese Scriptures Christ Dischargeth Prelacy a●ong his Servants or that one of them should be ●reater than another Therefore We cannot con●orm to it For clearing of this that Christ hath ●rohibited one of his Ministers to be Greater than ●other Consider first that the Apostles tho' generally ●odly Men yet by reason of remaining Corrup●on did too much affect Preheminence which ●ised Heat and Strife among them a Disease not ●sily c●red 2 Christ perceiving this proud Debate rebuk●h it by shewing it shall not be with them as with ●reat Men of this World in their exercise of ●ordship and Authority for none of them shall be ●reatest or Chief 3. It cannot be said without Violence to t●● Text that Christ doth only reprove the affecti● of Greatness tho' that be reproved yet it is n● all that is reproved for Superiority it self or o● of them to be Greater than another is discharge Christ's Words are it shall not be so the Thing self is forbidden besides the Love of it he sh● not be Greatest whither he Love it or not Th● maketh it evident to be a meer perverting of t● Text contrary to our Saviours express Word● when Men say that nothing is here discharged b● the Love of Greatness for Christ doth not say t● Kings of the Gentiles Love to exercise Authorit● but it shall not be so among you but they do e●ercise Authority and it shall not be so among yo● 4. Nor can it be said that only Tyrannical D●mination is forbidden by these Scriptures beca●● the word here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth la●full Authority and commonly taken in that se● so Matth. 8. 9. I am a Man under Authority the same word so also it 's made use of to signi● Christs own Power John 17. 2. Thou hast given H● Power over all Flesh so that the same Author● that is lawfull among others yet shall not be u●ped by any of his Servants over one another 5. Whatever might be the
that is given to us whither Prophecy let ● Prophecy according to the proportion of Faith or Min●stry let us wait on our Ministry or he that Teache● on Teaching or he that Exhorteth on Exhortation ● that Giveth let him do it with Simplicity he that Ru●eth with Diligence he that sheweth Mercy with Chee●fulness Ephes 4. 11. And he gave some Apostles an● some Prophets and some Evangelists and some P●stors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints f● the Work of the Ministry for the Edifieing of the B●dy of Christ As for any other Scriptures alledged to favour th● Episcopal Cause they shall be considered in thei● due place But these Scriptures now mentione● are the places that all Church-Officers do ordinarily betake themselves unto who are willing t● have their Commission and Title tryed by th● Word of GOD because by them we are particula●ly instructed Who they are whom GOD hath s● in his Church and in what order as first second●rily c. now let the Reader demonstrate a Bisho● over Presbyters by any of these Scriptures and ●e shall not want reverence let him appear and ●ell us plainly where he fixeth his claim for he will ●ot for Truth and Modesties sake challenge all ●hese Offices and Gifts to be his and some of them ●eing now out of his reach and ceased as Mi●acles Gifts of Healing and Diversities of Tongues ●t's agreed that all these may be laid aside from ●his Debate as Extraordinary Some of the Offi●es mentioned are too low for a Bishop being the ●owest Set of Church Officers as Deacons under ●he Denomination of Helps giving with Simplicity ●nd Cheerfulness neither will these be concerned ●n this Debate We shall come then to the Highest and First in ●he Roll the Apostles being set down first and Bi●hops now the First and Highest in the Church ●ere some of them fix their Claim as Successors ●o the Apostles and plead it with all earnestness ●ut no successe for lack of Arguments and the ●eight of Arguments against it and that VVe be ●ot amused with big and ambiguous Words not ●nderstood We crave that Justice of those who ●aintain this Apostolick succession to let us know ●hat they understand by it if it be that Prelats ●● the Gospel-Church have succeded to the intire ●ffice of Apostles or 2d if they have fucceded un●o the Doctrine of the Apostles or 3d. unto such ●ospel-Administrations performed by the Apostles as were necessary to continue in the Gosp● Church as Preaching administration of Sacrame● Discipline c. or 4th if by Apostolick Succ●sion they understand Apostolick Institution T● is such as have Commission from Christs Apostl● to Feed his Flock If the first of these be affirmed that Bishops ●ver Presbyters succeed to the Apostles intire Off● Then First we have many moe Apostles than e● Christ did Institute for all Diocesan Bishops m● be Apostles 2. Then they have all immediat Commissi● from Christ as all the Apostles had For we m● see that when one Apostle was wanting the Det●mination who should fill his Room the imme●at Decision thereof was left to GOD by Lots ● Acts 1. When Mathias was appointed to take p● of the Apostleship from which Judas fell by Tra●gression This manner of Election our Bishops w● not pretend 3. If Bishops Succeed to the very Office a● Commission of Apostles then they are infallible Doctrine and may write Canonick Scriptu● which their modesty will not challenge 4. If Bishops succeed the Apostles Office th● shall all lose their Diocesses for the Apostles ● no Diocess but the wide World they had no li●ted Bounds but the Bishop is restricted by L● limited Bounds for as Diocesan his Power exten●eth no further then the circumscribed Diocess ●hereof he is Bishop Secondly If it be said that Apostolick Successi● is by succeeding to their Doctrine then all Gos●el-Ministers have the same claim for they also reach the same Doctrine feeding the Flock with ●e same sincere Milk of the Word So that e●ery faithfull Gospel-Pastor preaching sound Do●rine neither Corrupting Diminishing nor Ad●ing to the Word of GOD may put in his Claim ●r this Kind of Succession And that with great● confidence than such as make Additions of do●rinal significative Ceremonies of their own In●ention For the third manner of Succession to these Go●el-Administrations which were to continue in the ●urch tho' performed by the Apostles Consider ● First That all Gospel-Ministers partake equal● of that manner of Succession As they are Pa●rs entrusted by Christ with the feeding of his ●ock Let the Maintainers of imparity among ●ospel-Ministers shew a Difference or what Mi●sterial Acts are reserved to some and denied to ●hers 2. These Gospel-Administrations now to be ●erformed by the ordinary Pastors of the Church ●ke not their Original Authority from the Apo●olick Office but from Christs Commission and Precepts to the Pastors of his Church to perfo● these Ministerial Acts the Pastor being a disti● Officer in the House of GOD dependeth not ● the Apostolick Office nor is there any need for ● Because the Pastor hath his Commission disti● from the Office of an Apostle though the matt● of their Administrations in some things coincid● yet that maketh not the two distinct Offices coi●cide the Pastors Office being entire by it self the Gospel Charter Fourthly If by Apostolick Succession be mea● only Apostolick Institution that is that these a● the Apostles Successors whom the Apostles d● Institute and Appoint to be the Pastors of t● Church This manner of Succession we ackno●ledge to be most firm and therefore whosoev● can instruct their Office in the Church to be Apostolick Institution have the true Right a● Title and therefore shall now most willingly jo● Issues for its Trial knowing that Bishops ov● Presbyters were never instituted by the Apostl● as shall hereafter appear Object Some Bishops can draw the line of ●piscopal Succession from the Apostles days un● this day Answ A line of Episcopal Succession that is the Succession of Diocesan Bishops for its Bisho● of that new Cut Model who are concern'd this Debate such a Line of Succession can no M● draw from the Apostles Times The Reason is ob●ious because there were no Diocesses and there●ore no Diocesan Bishops long after the Apostles ●imes For the first three Centuries the Church was under Heathnish Persecutors incapable of a●y Diocess for a Bishop and therefore Euseb commonly calleth the Bishop a Bishop of a Parish the Church knew not what a Diocess was before Con●tantin appeared and then began to follow the Mode of the Civil Government 2. Tho' a Line of Succession could be drawn from the Apostles Times that is of Scriptural Bishops having no greater Charge then they could personally oversee Yet as this maketh nothing for diocesan-Diocesan-Bishops so it proveth nothing of Apostolick Succession because a Succession from the Apostles Times can never prove a Succession to the Apostolick Office the one cannot infer the other Object Some Apostles came