Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	authority_n	church_n	office_n	1,059	5	7.1206	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47283	Ichabod: or, Five groans of the church: Prudently foreseeing, and passionately bewailing her second fall: Threatened by these five dangerous, though undiscerned, miscarriages that caused her first: Viz. [bracket] 1. Undue ordination, 2. Loose prophaness, 3. Unconscionable symony, 4. Careless non-residence, 5. Encroaching pluralities. Humbly presented to her supreme head and governour, the kings most excellent majesty, and his great council, the Parliament of England.; Ichabod.	Ken, Thomas, 1637-1711.	1663 (1663)	Wing K264A; ESTC R22531	49,473	66

four hundreds pounds yearlie during a short life that you should appear in a Pulpit if yet you doe appear in a Pulpit for a little Maintenance that you should appear very solemnly every Sunday onely to put a trick upon God and men I hope better things of you and things that accompany salvation though thus I speak In the Primitive times every Church of so many souls as are of your Parishes had many Ministers whereof the ablest speakers did most in publick and the rest did the more of the less publick work which some mistake for ruling Elders but now one of you takes the care of many Churches The Popish times I mean years 632. could divide England into Parishes for the better discharging of the cure of souls our times unite those Parishes again for the better maintenance of pride and vanity Is it for this that we are reformed is it for this we are Protestants then each Parish had their Ministers to pray with them ferventlie to teach them faithfullie to comfort them seasonablie to converse with them usefullie to relieve them charitablie to direct them carefullie Ah! in quae nos reservamur tempora Now now my people are neglected my buildings are ruined my hospitalitie is lost my authoritie is shrunk and faln and the Church of England is thought to be nothing else but the interest of a few crafty Clergie-men ordering all things to their best advantage Though Envy may know and Prejudice it self may consider I am a Church made up of godly and religious men Princes Nobles Gentry Bishops Ministers and People maintaining an Orthodox Doctrine a Primitive Government a pure and orderly Worship a severe Discipline and a Christian Communion in Word and Sacrament who have forbid these extravagancies by wholsome Laws checked them by severe Canons and disallowed them by fair and just means imaginable In the darkest and most superstitious times I ordered That no Monks i.e. idle persons should take Livings of Bishops or appropriate the Revenues of them to themselves but that the Priests serving in those Cures and the Churches might be provided with necessaries Do you know why Monks were pulled down in H. 8. time Lay it to heart I beseech you for many look for your fall too 1. They were accused for engrossing Wealth and trade and do you hear what the world saith of you 2. They were accused for impoverishing Parish-Priests by decrying Preaching as ministring matter of Schisms and Disputes and magnifying their own performances of Prayer and Devotion by which and other Artifices they undermined the poor Priests and procured that many Churches presentative with their Glebes and Tythes were appropriated to their Covents leaving but a poor pittance for the Parish-Vicar This was the occasion of the first Impropriations I pray God your carelesness doth not occasion another Oh remember Robert Whigifts the Abbot of Wellow's speech who was wont to say That they and their Religion could not long continue because said he I have read the whole Scripture over and over and never found that Monasteries and I may adde Pluralities were founded by God for said the honest Abbot every planting which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up Do you remember that Lay-parliament in King H. 8. his time wherein the Nobles and Commons assembled signified to the King That the Temporal profession of Abbots Priors c. vainly spent would suffice to finde 150 Earls 1500 Knights 6200 Esquires 100 Hospitals Doe you remember those Mock-parliaments that often considered how many 1000 men your Tythes ill bestowed upon you as they thought would maintain You were once undone now are you made whole I beseech you my Sons sinne no more left a worse thing come unto you Bishop Iewel on 1 Thes. p 71. Forasmuch brethren as we were kept from you for a season concerning sight but not in heart we are enforced the more to s●e your face with great desire Therefore we would have come unto you I Paul at least once or twice but Satan hindred us Such a zeal and care had he over the people of God Oh in what case then are they that are careless and have no regard of the people of God! which hunt after 〈◊〉 and bend not themselves to do good which serve their own belly and seek to be rich and eat up the people of God as if they were bread They cannot say they have a desire to sée the face of their flock and that their heart is with them howsoevar they find time for other matters they can never take time to know their sheep and 〈◊〉 doe the work of the Ministry among them they care not for them they think not of them they plant not they water not they watch not they give no warning of the dangers at hand they teach them not to deny all ungodliness and worldly lust● and to live soverly righteously and godly in this present world It were happy if all such were removed out of the Church of God they destroy the souls and lead them to destruction by their negligence What account shall they give unto God for the souls of their Brethren Where shall they stand or what will they say when he shall bid them make a strait account This is the practise of Satan he useth all means to snare us and withdraw us from that blessed hope sometimes he letteth the encrease of the Gospel by raising up tumults and disquieting the Church of God 〈…〉 the heart of such as are in Authority to per●ecute by all means the teachers of the Gospel of Christ. Again when God gives peace and quietness to his Church he leadeth the Overséers of the people to a forgetfulness of their duty to séek the pleasures and delight of this life and to have no regard of the work of the Lord such occasion the Devil séeketh to hinder our salvation and to withstand the truth and glory of God CHAP. V. The Church of England's resentment of Non-residence OH my Sons I have no pleasure in exposing you yet have I no power to excuse you you know that I have charity for you that suffereth long that is kind that is not easily provoked thinketh no evil beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things Alas what shall I do now my people complain my adversaries reproach my Soveraign is displeased my Nobility and Gentry are incensed and where-ever I turn my self Complaints are made Petitions are drawn up Jealousies are whispered and Fears are murmured If I should hold my peace I should be thought altogether such a one as you are if I should speak my tongue fails me I am in a great strait yet you had better hear your miscarriages faithfully reproved by me to your reformation then mali●iously aggravated by others to your destruction My words may be smart yet they are wholsome severe they may be yet kind you hear me with sorrow but not with more then I speak to you with 1. It

What empty discourses do I hear what incoherent Notions do I r●●d what vain trifles am I troubled with what pillering learned mens works do I endure O what abundance of things should a Minister understand O what a great defect is it to be ignorant of them● O how much doe we ●●iss a competent Knowledge in ordinary Ministers● 1. To satisfie themselves and others exactly in the true and original will of God 2. To explain and unfold the words in which Gods will is originally expressed and to endeavour by all means a right notion and conception of them as they are to be understood in the Scripture 3. To shew exactly what are those saving truths which are naturally contained in tho●e words so explained 4. To confirm those truths so drawn out of the Scripture by such evident Arguments and powerful Re●sons as may esta●lish the ●●ue believer and convince the Gainsa●er 5. To press those ●●uths so made manifest upon men with that power that they may have their proper influence and efficacy upon mens hearts and lives The honest men that are industrious I would willingly encourage provided they have what I wished alwaies and shall now expect in all my Priests and Deacons solidity gravity modesty piety and some savour of Learning 〈…〉 with humanity some methods of intelligible Reason and profitable Scripture-Divinit● The Law was published by Moses learned in all the Learning of the Egyptians the Gospel was propagated by St. Paul bred up at the feet of Gamaliel 〈◊〉 all the varieties of 〈◊〉 and J●wi●h knowledge the Primitive 〈…〉 St. Aug. St. Ambrose Min. ●el● Lact●nt and ●thers maintained the Faith ●o propagated by their comprehensive Learning Therefore I have taken care that none should be admitted ●o Orders but they who are app●oved by sober and wise men as 〈…〉 that their pro●i●ing 〈◊〉 appear 〈◊〉 as men of whom there is some hope because of their promptne●s of wit quickness of conceit fastness of memory clearnesse of understanding soundnesse of judgement and readinesse of speech that they ●ay in time by art industry experience and observation become skilful Linguists subtle Disputants ●opiou● Orators exact Critiques comprehensive Historians profound Divines and powerful Preachers that throughout the three Kingdomes I may have those that may settle the people rightly instruct the ignorant clearly satisfie the doubtful fully meet with the seducers skilfully and promote piety and peace succesfully As the times now are wherein Learning aboundeth even unto wantonnesse and wherein the world is full of Questions Controversies Novelties and Niceties in Religion and wherein most of our Gentry and people are by the advantage of long peace and the customes of modern Education together with a multitude of English Books are able to look through the ignorance of a Clergy-man and censure it if he be tripping in any point of History Cosmography Moral or Natural Philosophy Divinity or the Arts yea and to cha●tise his very method and phrase if he speaks loosely or impertinently or but improperly I as these times are must not admit any Clergy-men without a competency of Learning as who may endeavour by their prayers care and industry to improve the Learning they have so as they may be able upon good occasion to impart a spiritual gift to the people of God whereby they may be established and to speak with such understanding sufficiencie and pertinencie in some good measure of proportion to the quicknesse and ripeness of these present times shewing in their Doctrine uncorruptness gravity sincerity sound speech which cannot be condemned that they which are of the contr●ry party may be ashamed ●●ving no evil to say of them I whose Clergy professed to use and prayed to God to blesse their long Preparative Studies Mediations Writings Readings habitually to fit them for that dread●ul work and for every actual discharge of it I am ashamed of those poor Smatterers who have gathered a few raw and indigested Notions either by superficial reading of the Scriptures or by hearing some Sermons or by gleaning a little here and there from the plainest Writings without any Critical Historical or Polemical Learning who are fit implements to bring in such ignorance irreverence Atheism Superstition and Confusion as shall quite put out the Christian and reformed Religion in this Nation reducing all to the ancient darkness looseness and barbarousness which hath been established by persons of real abilities of good Learning sound knowledge sober Judgements orderly Method grave Utterance and weighty Eloquence which all wise and sober Christians expect should appear in every true Minister of the Church of Christ insuch a competent measure and evident manner as they may be able comfortably to discern them and usefully to enjoy them I am ashamed to see a Roll of four hundred and fix and twenty Tradesmen who 1. out of desultory restlesness 2. out of covetousness and ambition 3. out of ●ullennesse and discontent 4 out of pride and envy having intruded in former years into the sacred Calling of a Minister are now ordained to it I am ashamed that my Authority should consecrate their Extravagancies and that what I looked upon as the misery of late times should be allowed in this that I should countenance vain men that run from that Calling wherein they are called and usurp the 〈◊〉 Honour and Authority of that sacred Priesthood and Evangelical Ministry instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ as sent of God the Father a mischief that greatly threatneth the Church and State Faith and good Manners all things Civil as well as Sacred O what wise and honest hearted Protestant that hath any care of posterity or prospect for the future findes not a sad dispondency with an holy impatience arising in his soul while he seeth so many weak shoulders such unwashen hands such unprepared feet such rash heads such empty souls publikly intruding themselves upon all h●ly Du●ies all sacred Offices all solemn Mysteries all divine Ministrations with equ●l insolency and insufficiency being for the most part so much the more impudent by how much they are grosly ignorant in whom you cannot discern any either ra●ional or religious orderly or honest expressions in any degree proportionable to what was observable in my most solid Ministers my most acute Scholars and most profound Divines who have been 〈…〉 Certainly Reverend Fathers you will not so de●ase and undervalue the Evangelical Offices of Christ as to admit every self 〈…〉 presen●ly to officiate without any due ●●amination o● approbation from those with whom that commission and power hath been ever deposi●ed in a regular and visible succ●ssion from Christ the great Examplar or Origin●l al●hough duely considering the diversities of gi●●s fr●m the same Spirit you are not to exclude any modest pe●son though of meaner parts and less improved education if he be of ingenious education of pious aff●ctions an● an orderly life from a place in Christs Minist●y where one may sow another may reap according to the several