Selected quad for the lemma: diversity_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
diversity_n	apostle_n	church_n	time_n	400	5	4.1440	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41505	A discourse about ceremonies, church-government and liturgy humbly offered to the consideration of the convocation / by J.G.G.	Gailhard, J. (Jean)	1696 (1696)	Wing G120; ESTC R25091	108,929	160

and he addeth Austin would have us to be content with those very few Ceremonies which are contained in the Canonical Scriptures Another saith Dr. Fulk in his Rejoinder to mart The Gates of Hell in idle Ceremonies did assault the Church the Fathers in them declined from the Simplicity of the Gospel Again Every idle Ceremony that prevailed had the Prelates of the Church either for Authors or Approvers Christ committed his Church to them to be fed with his Word and not with dumb Signs and dead Images which things he hath forbidden The Prelates of our Church have continued in the same Temper as those he speaks of out of what hath been said it appears how the Church hath no Authority to institute such Ceremonies as have no warrant in the word of God such are ours But they are not content to assume and usurp that Power to themselves but also to impose such Constitutions of theirs upon the Church and God's People thus arrogating to themselves a legislative and executive Authority but we are perswaded they may do no such things nor Men in Conscience obey and practise them yet 't is a strange Opinion of theirs as if observing or not these Ceremonies could make Men good or evil honest or dishonest they who would require and six our Practice of such Constitutions must first as much as in them lies fix our Judgments which all the Convocations can never do so as to settle other Peoples Judgment concerning things lawful or unlawful according to the Notions they themselves have of them or else to impose it whether one will or not is no less than Tyranny All Casuists amongst Papists do hold it for a Wrong done to Monks Fryars Seculars and Regulars of any Order if their Priors Abbots Generals or other Superiors should impose upon them the Observance of any thing besides the Vow they have made to observe the Rules and Rites instituted by their Founder and we Christians are we not as much by our Vow tied unto the Lord Jesus as they are or can be to Francis Dominick Benedictus Bruno c. Or are we more subject to our Prelates than they to their Superiours by Vow of Obedience Christ hath purchased his Church a Christian Liberty which she ought not to be deprived of and 't is a presumptuous Attempt in any Man or Society of men to go about it and to institute any Religious Ceremonies to be used in God's Worship 't is unlawful for men to add unto God's Institution in Worship and to say this is true as to the doctrinal not as to the ritual Part is as good as to say Man may not add unto God's Institutions any of God's Institutions but mans only which is a Piece of Nonsence And as the Church hath no Authority to add to Divine Institutions or to make new ones upon a religious Account so it may not by its Institution make a thing good or bad true or false only it may declare it so to be according to the Rule of God's Word except we would give it the same Power which some Doctors of the Church of Rome give the Pope namely to alter the Nature of things as to make that to be Sin which is not Sin and that not to be Sin which is Sin I hope we do not entail Infallibility upon our Church nor stretch her Power so as to transubstantiate things a Prayer made in the House of Lords or Commons doth not cease from being a religious Duty to become a civil one Such an Application doth not alter the Nature of it To prove the Churches Authority to institute their unnecessary Ceremonies which we deny after they have screwed up their Wits with Endeavours to prove it out of Scripture of the New Testament they can find but one place which they stretch as far as they can and under the Notion of Decency and Order they think they may bring into the Church what they please not only all Papists but also all Jewish and Heathenish Ceremonies if the Convocation and Rulers of the Church think them to be decent and for Order The Place is let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 Elsewhere the Objection I answered but thus much I shall add for all their going about to inlarge the Commission there is a Restriction to be admitted V. 26. Let all things be done to edifying That which is granted is to have things done decently and in order for Edification Edification is the end Decency and Order the means or as we may call it a decent Order tending to Edification thus an holy Sacrament must be decently and orderly or in a decent order administred This Decency and Order relate to Place Time Manner Persons Number as how many Psalms sung Sermons preached Chapters read and the like Circumstances the Apostle leaves no more to the Churches Liberty than to order God's Ordinances to be performed in a decent manner Any Constitution beyond ordering that which before was enjoyned is properly a Law now Christ is the only Lawgiver of his Church which receiveth no other Laws but his and any Laws added to God's Laws are contrary to them which are really perfect in themselves in their Reason and Manner and those of the Church are but Directions for better observing of Divine Laws according to the Diversity of Times Places and Persons which are occasional Circumstances and no new things in God's Worship The Churches Authority as I already observed is but Ministerial to see those things observed which Christ hath appointed not to institute any new things Decency is when God's Worship is performed with those convenient Circumstances of Gesture and such as I already named agreeing not only with God's Service but also with any grave Assembly In this place Order is strictly taken in Opposition to Confusion so is Decency opposed to the Vice of Undecency hence it follows that Order doth require nothing but what is necessary to avoid Confusion and Decency to hinder Undecency Our Ceremonists must give me leave to make them take notice how they are guilty of the Breach of two things contained in that Chapter the first of Confusion for to speak all together aloud as they do in the use of the Common-Prayer-Book makes a confuse Noise and brings in a Confusion thus they interrupt one anothers Devotion Vers 28. The Apostle forbiddeth to speak all at once Cannot they follow the Minister when he reads Vers 34. and according to the Apostle's Order speak every one to himself and to God Another Breach they are guilty of is directly against Women keeping silence and not speaking in Churches yet commonly they speak the loudest So then if they will answer the Apostles end they must act to edifying which through Persecution they have not taken the Way to do he tells them the right Way Charity wherein they have been so wanting Cor. 8.1 edifyeth Our Ceremonies contribute nothing towards Order and Decency

to kindle his Fury against us And though the Epistle deserves wholly to be transcribed yet not to be too tedious I shall shorten it He calls those Garments unknown to the Christian World in the Times of the Apostles and of the Apostolical Men Garments of Godless Priests and Slaves of Antichrist So assuredly by the arguing of things indifferent to trouble the Peace of Churches and to cause Strife between good Men and bad yea between good Men themselves is so wicked that it can by no means be defended If your gracious Majesty desireth as you would to seem Apostolical then in this matter imitate the Apostles Neither lay and impose this Yoke upon the Neck of Christ's Disciples your self nor suffer others to do it For all Men know that most part of all the Churches that are fallen from the Bishop of Rome for the Gospel's Sake not only have left off but also abhor those Garments 'T is in vain to hope in so doing to bring in Papists over to us who can never amend their Doctrines nor part with their abominable Superstitions and Idolatries then saith he this woundeth the Consciences of private Believers a tender Conscience that feareth God is a most precious thing and acceptable to him for if these things be imposed as necessary we do ungodlily because we make those things to be necessary which Christ would have to be free if indifferent they ought to be left free These are the same Arguments we use but here we leave off thinking we have done enough to shew the Sence of that Learned and Famous Divine upon so solemn an Occasion But this Letter nor other weighty Reasons could not prevail for any thing they were resolved upon another way the Queen was young when she came to the Throne and they that were about her and coming upon the Stage were willing to retain Part of that Pomp and as much as they could of that Power which popish Predecessors in their places had enjoyed Self denial and a perfect Zeal for the Glory of God did not wholly govern in the Spirits of some Men wherefore in that Convocation in 1571 when the Cranmers Hoopers Latimers c. were gone instead of following The Reformation began in King Edward's Days they made those Alterations which we all know But I need not to insist upon these Evidences of particular though eminent Men seeing we have for us that of whole Churches I mean that the Generality of Reformed Churches doth about the Matters now in Hand joyn and agree with us so that we are not fingular in our Opinion but well grounded therein For first we affirm that Christ hath instituted a Discipline according to which and no other his Church ought to be governed The French Reformed Churches say the Order which Christ hath by his Authority setled in his Church ought inviolably to be kept Confes Gallic Articl 25. and somewhat lower they add we believe the true Church must be governned according to the Rule and Order setled by the Lord. Art 29. And this is the Perswasion of the Church in the low Countries how the Church ought to be governed according to the Spiritual Policy which God hath taught in his Word Conf. Belgica Art 30. which containeth three things First There is a Government already settled secondly That Government is set down in Scripture thirdly The Church ought to be governed according to that exclusively to any other seeing a Divine Institution doth exclude Humane Inventions To this also agree the Churches of Switzerland for say they Discipline is administred according to the Order which the Lord hath given in his Word Helv. Conf. cap. 18. quemadmodum suo verbo praescripsit dominus Docemus Gubern c. And a little lower the Church-Government given us by the Apostles is sufficient to keep it in good Order And the Church of Scotland in her Confession of Faith published in the beginning of Reformation giveth for a Mark of the true Church the Administration of Church Discipline such as God hath prescribed in his Word Conf. Scot. Art 18. This overthroweth the prelatical Opinion that 't is left to the Prudence of the Governors of the Church to establish what Government they shall think fit Secondly We say all Ministers of Christ have the same Authority and by the Commission none is to have more Power than another and are not these the positive Words of a Confession of Faith we believe all true Pastors to have one and the same equal Power among them Gal. Conf. Art 30. Let this be taken notice of how 't is an Article not only of their Discipline but also of their Faith we believe the low-Dutch Churches speak to the same purpose Conf. Belg. Art 31. whatsoever Place God's Ministers are in they have the same Power and unequal Authority Helv. Conf. cap. 18. So do those of Switzerland all Ministers of Christ have received the same Power and Office Observe how as there is but one and the same Power so there is but one and the same Office whereby are condemned Primacy and the Episcopal Distinction which they explain elsewhere Apostolis suuis principatum Christus Severis sine prohibuit c. Christ hath most strictly forbidden his Apostles Primacy in the Church who then can but perceive that those who oppose this plain Truth and do bring in a different Government and as it may be taken Diversity of Government into the Church ought to be taken for those of whom Christ's Apostles have foretold 2 Pet. 2. and Paul Acts 20.29 2 Cor. 11. 2 Thess 2. and in several other Places It is also the third and chief Advice of that religious Prince Conf. Palat. at the latter end the Palsgrave in his Confession of Faith to his Children and Successors to take heed of those who acted by meer Ambition as 't is practised in Popery dostrive for a Command over the Consciences of Magistrates and Subjects and to erect for themselves some new Primacy of a large Extent And to shew that Union Equality and Affection which ought to be between Ministers The antient Church of the Waldenses saith Discip of the Vaud Chap. 2. about the middle speaking of Pastors He that is ordained last ought to do nothing without the Leave of him that was ordained first and he that was first must do nothing without the Leave of him that was chosen last Now all this doth ruine the superiority settled by Bishops We say in the third place that no Humane Invention ought to be introduced into God's Worship and that Men must not impose upon Consciences the Yoke of Ceremonies and the Reformed Conf. Gal. Art 24. reject Ceremonies partly because they are Humane Inventions and a Yoke which Humane Authority imposeth upon Consciences Indeed Divine Worship ought to be practised according to the Purity and Simplicity of the Gospel which Mind the Vaudois are of Compend Conf. Art 1. Divine Worship