Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	love_n	pure_a	unfeigned_a	1,168	5	10.9779	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80283	Complaints concerning corruptions and grievances in church-government. Dedicated and directed to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, the Right Honourable Lords; and the Honourable House of Commons, now assembled in Parliament. By certain peaceably affected Presbyters, of the Church of England; in the name of all the rest of their brethren. Undertaking to maintain the truth of their assertions, against whatsoever contradictors, if by publique edict of supream authority they be called forth, granting them as safe and free audience as their adversaries and judges, not preingaged, or preresolved for either side.		1660 (1660)	Wing C5626; Thomason E1047_6; ESTC R208100	8,781	15

of envy of any mans Greatnesse or Ambitious Affectation to be medling in State Affairs things too high for us but from the powerfull command of Conscience from unfained love to the Gospel of Christ whose Efficacy is much impeached by the following Corruptions and from filiall Commiseration of our wounded and torn Mother Whose Breaches we verily apprehend cannot be made up but by reducing of her Discipline to a pure Concordance with those Original Divine Prescriptions We complain then 1. That the Power of Jurisdiction and Ordination is claimed and exercised by Bishops as their sole Right in a distinction from Presbyters This we affirm to be an Exorbitance from the second of those right original and Apostolick Ordinances for Church Government And as it is a departure from the Rule so it is a main corruption of evil consequence in the Church For it is First an Usurpation and undue appropriation of a Legacy which Christ bestowed in Common to reside in the Consessus or whole Presbytery and to be exercised by their common suffrage It not being in the Presbyters power to strip themselves and cast on man that which was bestowed and by the Donor intended to the whole Community of their Society Secondly a severing of the Word and the Keyes which cannot without detriment to either be sundred To Feed and Rule are the two parts of Pastorship where both are there is a Pastor So that with us while it is Ones work to govern which seldome Feedeth and the work of the rest to Feed which must not meddle with Government there is no full Pastor But the Office is destroyed by being divided and the Word in the mouths of a disarmed Presbytery is weak edglesse and contemptible Thirdly The ordaining of a Number of Presbyters at large whereby the Church is filled with needy Ministers loose from any settled employment fit at low rates to be hired by fat Pluralists Non-Residents and Lazie Voluptuaries which else would be to seek of Mercenary supplies or be driven in a penury to give higher Wages But hereby the Sacred Office is exposed to Contempt and the Ordination to the Office and Institution into a Charge are made several Acts A Divorce unheard of in that Primitive Policy Which grosse Abuse could no be if Ordination were the common on Act of the whole Presbyterie of a Church Fourthly intromission to the Oversight of Congregations of Men Simoniacall scandalous and unapt to teach which can easily steal into Office by the connivence or corruption of One but if the Power were in a Multitude it could not soon be effected 2. The excessive Provincial extent of Diocesan Churches is an evident departure not only from the fift of those pure original Constitutions but also from the manner of after Ages till Bishops in their Synods provided better for their own Greatnesse then the Churches wellfare Then they degraded the Chorepiscopi and made Orders that Bishops should be placed only in the greater and more frequented Cities This is as a departure from the first pure manner so much for the worse for hence arise these Grievances Neglect of Reformation both in disordered Ministers and people Remotenesse of the Bishops Seat Expences of Travailing Difficulty of proving and tedious Expectation of the Issue of Suits where crimes must be tryed before Judges who are meer strangers to the Persons and causes coming before them deterre almost all men from so troublesome an undertaking And thus the Churches are pester'd with infamous Offenders which could not be if the bounds of a Church were so appointed that all its members might be under the eye of the Governours 2. Deputation of Authority and Jurisdiction to others a most grosse degeneration from that Primitive Discipline which never heard of such a thing as the deputing of any part of Pastoral Office which is committed to Men for their Personal Abilities and cannot without abuse be committed to those who are oft Lay men and neither of Pastoral parts or Calling Hence that numerous frie and subordination of Officers with the multitude of Fees which must needs be where the Churches are whole Countries so large that it is impossible that one Pastor should dispatch all by himself 3. The Non-residence of men having Pastoral Charge is a grosse violation of the seventh of those Apostolick constitutions and is an unexcusable corruption unfit to be tolerated in any well governed Church 4. A Plurality of Pastoral Charges undertaken by one Man is also a gross Exorbitancy brought in with the former after Church Government was at the worst Two Evills which are the shame of our Church not fit to be named in a Reformed Church brought in and continued meerly to nourish Ambition Pompe Voluptuousnesse and Avarice in Clergie-men These two usually go together this last necessitating the former and are seminary Evils First inducing a necessity of deputing Pastoral Charge which every one before God undertakes to performe in his own Person Secondly Church Robbery by transporting the sacred Allowance paid and intended for the maintennace of a vigilant painfull Pastor over the soules of the People which afford it to another Place and Person which hath only the Title and Charge but doth not the work of a Pastor 3. Thirdly Impiety in placing a Mercenary unable for the Charge or Injustice if He substitute one able and fully discharging the Office allowing him the least part of that maintenance which was originally intended and in no other Plea can be challenged of the People for performing the Office 5. Imposing and rigorous urging on great undoing extirpating Penalties ceremonies Tasks and Oaths meerly ad placitum and for their own ends contrary to the Fourth of those prime Scripture Canons whereby Christian liberty in Indifferents is much impaired Many worthy Men of great abilities pains and successe of Ministry in their Charges but of tender and strict consciences have been thrust out Schisms and Dissentions in the bowels of the Church for the space now of more then fourscore years nourished to the prejudice of our Ecclesiastical Peace which we apprehend can never be fully attained till Liberty of conscience in Indifferencies and points of small consequence but great controversie be granted If Severity of censures and force could have brought forth Unity it had in this time been effected This Remedy hath been long applied and yet sad Experience now tells us that the Disease hath grown worse and worse 6. The carriage and constitution of our Convocations or if they may be so called our National Synods is such that it is impossible to proceed to a Reformation in any of these Ecclesiastical distortions by that way What are they for the main but Meetings of the one Party consisting of Bishops Deans Arch-Deacons and other Dependers on Episcopacy and preingaged Persons So that there is as little hope for us of Reformation in points of Government from them as was for the Protestants side of a fair decision of their controversies in the Councel of