Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	church_n	elder_n	pastor_n	988	5	9.2585	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13028	An assertion for true and Christian church-policie VVherein certaine politike obiections made against the planting of pastours and elders in every congregation, are sufficientlie aunswered. And wherein also sundrie projectes are set downe, how the discipline by pastors & elders may be planted, without any derogation to the Kings royal prerogatiue, any indignitie to the three estates in Parleament, or any greater alteration of the laudable lawes, statutes, or customes of the realme, then may well be made without damage to the people.	Stoughton, William, fl. 1584.; Knollys, Francis, Sir, d. 1643.	1604 (1604)	STC 23318; ESTC S117843	177,506	448

so to of the Church by Prelacie to be Monarchicall because the Queene was a Monarch and that the reverend Bishop governed vnder a Monarch then what did hee els but put a weapon into the handes of Pastors and Elders to prove their governement also to be Princelie and Monarchicall Because Pastors Elders desire not to haue that maner of governement to bee brought into the Church otherwise then by the Royall assent Souveraigne authoritie and expresse commandement of our most gratious King and Monarch Besids if any governement may be therefore saide to be a Monarchie because the same is derived from an earthly Monarch howe much more then may the governement of the Churches by Pastors and Elders be adiudged Monarchical by reason the same is deduced from our heavenly and everlasting Monarch For the reverend Bb. by their publike preachings apologeticall Ma. Horne Bishoppe of Winch. Ma. Iewell Bishop of Sali Mai. Bilson Bishoppe of Winch. writings testifie that power authoritie to ordeine and depose Ministers to excommunicate and to absolue to devise and to establishe rites and ceremonies in the church to define what is trueth to pronounce what is falsehood to determine what is schisme and to cōdemne what is heresie our reverend Bb. I say confesse this power to bee originallie decided vnto the true Bishoppes and Pastours of the Church from the Kinglie and Soveraine power of our Saviour Christ By what name therefore soever the gouvernment of Pastours and Elders in the Churches be called there is no manner of cause to dislike of the planting of that government in a Monarchie because the same is instituted by the Monarch of Monarches who is able and readie to vphold the state of al Monarchies in common weales togither with the state of Aristocracie in his No cause for a Monarch to feare that his Christian subiectes should haue the sence of Aristocracie in Church goverment Church Neither is there any cause for anie Monarch in the world to feare the making of christian commō people by familiar experience to haue the sence feeling of the principles and reasons of Aristocracie For if a people haue once submitted their necks to the yoke of Christ they can liue a peaceable godly life vnder all kinds of powers because they knowe all kind of powers to be the ordenance of God But especially there is not neyther euer was neyther euer can there be any cause for any King or Monarch of England greatly as the Admonitor insinuateth to feare that the common people will very easely transferre the principles and reasons of Aristocracie to the gouerment of the common weale and therevpon bee induced to thinke that they haue iniurie if they haue not as much to doe in civill matters as they haue in matters of the Church seeing they also touch their commoditie and benefit temporallie as the other doeth spirituallie And certes it seemeth that the Admonitor was drawen very drie of reason whē he was fayne to plucke this stake from the hedge to make a fire and to kindle the wrath of the Magistrate against the forme of discipline by Pastors and Elders For whether hee intendeth that the Pastors and Elders will thinke them selues to haue iniurie if they deale not in all causes of the commō weale as well as in all causes of their churches or whether he ment that the common people will easely transferre the government of the common weale from a Kingly Monarchie to a noble Aristocracie there is neither soothnes nor soundnes in his meaning For sithence Pastors disclaime to deale in civil matters the learned Ministers against the reuerend Bishopps by the holy rules of our faith mainteyne that it is not lawful for a Minister of the Gospell to exercise civill magistracy and that it is not lawfull for the man of God to bee intangled with the affaires of this life how is it probable that those Ministers will easely oppugne their owne knowledge by their owne cōtrary practise Or how is it probable that they would over-loade them selues with that burthen to ease the Church wherof they haue contentedly exposed thē selues into a number of reproches contempts bytings persecutions As for that other intendement of the Admonitors that it is greatlie to be feared that the commō people will easely transferre Monarchie vnto Democracie or Aristocracie if the principles and reason thereof by experience were made familiar in their minds this reason I say might seeme to carrie some shewe of affrighting a Monarch if the same were insinuated vnto a king whose people were neuer acquainted with the principles reasons of Democracie or Aristocracie but this feare being insinuated vnto our late Souveraigne Ladie the Queene whose people euer since the time they first begā to be a people haue had their witts long exercised with the The people of England haue their wits exercised with the sence of Democracie Aristocrarie sence and feeling of the reasons principles aswell of Democracie as also of Aristocracie what sence had the Admonitor to vrge this feare That in the Kingdome of Englande the common people haue alreadie the sence and feeling of the reasons principles of Democracie cannot be denied For in euerie cause almost aswell of criminall as ciuill iustice some few only excepted to be executed in the common weale by the common lawes of the Realm haue they not some hand and dealing in the same by one meanes or other Nay which is more haue they not the sence and feeling of the making and vnmaking their owne lawes in Parleament And is not their consultation in Parleament a mere Democraticall consultation As much also there is to bee avowed for the sence and feeling of the reasons and principles of Aristocracie to be alreadie in the minds of the Peres the Nobles the Iudges and other great men of the Realme For are not the Wisest the Noblest the Chiefest taken out of these by the King to bee of his Counsell and to be Iudges and Iusticers in his Courts Yea and is not their assembly also in Parleament a mere Aristocraticall assembly And what translation then is there greatly to be feared out of the Church to bee made into the common weale when the minds of all sorts of our common wealthes-men be already seasoned with the things which hee feareth And when the common weale is alreadie seysed of the principles and reasons which he would not haue familiarly known vnto it Wherefore that the King the Nobles and cōmons may no more be scarred with the strangenes of these vncouth and vnknowne greeke names of Democracie and Aristocracie writtē in his booke with great and capitall letters I haue thought it my duty by these presents to informe them that the govermēt of the church by Pastors and Elders nowe wanting amongst vs and desired to bee brought into the Church by the Souveraine authority of our King Nobles and commons in Parleament for the outward form

as robbers and ransackers of the church And that some of the plotters for the Prelacie more honestlie might haue imployed both their Latine and their labour then latelie they did When by drawing letters as they pretended congratulatorie to the King onlie in the name of preaching Ministers they procured notwithstanding ignorant vnpreaching Ministers to ioyne in the action and to affix their handes and names That such letters haue bene made and signed is sufficientlie to bee proved but whether they haue ben presented to the Kinges handes is not yet knowne Onely if they shall hereafter come then may they be known by these wordes Nos Concionatores c. ab omni domestica capacitate eorum qui pretextu religionis ecclesiae insidiantur My Lord the King is wise according to the wisedome 2 Sā 14. 24 of an Angell of God to vnderstand all things whereof he is informed The third meanes to reduce impropriations vnto the possession of the Ministerie Publick redemption of impropriations is by way of publicke redemption or purchase For the accomplishment whereof it is necessarie that not onelie a common treasure be provided but also that the price of impropriations by a publicke consent be valued at a reasonable rate to make which rate will bee a matter of small weight whether they be valued to be bought and sould at their old and auncient or at their new improved rentes To provide a common treasure though to some it may seeme a matter intricate and troublesome yet seeing the same possiblie and convenienlie may be done there is no cause that men should feint before they fight or be at an end before they beginne It is written that the cause when Kinge Solomon 1 K. 9. 15. raised the tribute to wit was to build the house of the Lorde his owne house and Millo and the wall of Ierusalem After that wicked Athaliah and 2. Cron. 24 her children had broken vp the hous● of God had bestowed all the things that were dedicate for the house of the Lorde vpon Baalim King Ioash commanded the Priestes and Levites to goe vnto the Cities of Iudah and to gather of al Israell money to repayre the house of God from yeare to yeare and they made a chest and made Proclamation to bring the tax of Moses the Princes reioyced and brought in and cast into the chest And when there was much silver they emptied the chest and caryed it to his place againe and thus day by day they gathered silver in abundance If thē towards the building of an earthlie house the Princes people of Iudah and Israell willinglie with ioy of their heartes from yeare to yeare and from day to day threwe silver in abundance into the chest how much more were it praise worthy if Christian people did encourage them selves to pay a small tribute towards the provision of a competent maintenance for their spirituall Pastours by whose labours as livelie stones they might be buylded vp into a spirituall temple in the Lord That manie and great taxes and tributes of late yeares haue bene made for many vses and to many purposes there is no man ignorant thereof And therfore though there bee litle reason that the people standing alreadie burdened with great charge should be again recharged especiallie when without any extraordinarie burden there is an ordinarie meanes if the same were accordingly bestowed by the people yeelded to relieve the Ministers in all places with a decent and comelie portion yet notwithstanding to be eased from those publicke payments and annuall greevances imposed by the ecclesiasticall Courtes vpon the people it is not to be doubted but the Parishioners in al places would willinglie pay any reasonable taxe or tribute to be demanded of them for this purpose An other meanes to rayse this publike treasure may be a dissolution of all free The dissolution of Chappels may bee a good meane to rayse a tribute Chapples and Chapples of ease in the Countrey together with an vnion of two or moe churches into one especiallie in Cities and great Townes For as in these Cities and Townes the poorest meanest livings be provided so generallie for the most part are they fitted with the poorest and meanest Curates as by most lamētable experience is to be seene in all the Episcopall cities of the Realm excepting London Nay the chiefe and Metropolitane citie of Canterburie is not to bee excepted For in that Citie there being about 12. or 13. Parish churches there hath not bene ordinarilie of late yeares aboue 3. or 4. able Preachers placed in the same Churches The Chapples to be dissolved and the Churches to be consolidated by two and two into one one can be no fewer in number then one thousand at the least All which if they might be solde the money to bee raysed vpon their sale could be no lesse then twentie thousand poundes if they were soulde onlie for twentie pounds a peece But if they be well worth double or treble so much then would the treasure also bee doubled or trebled This dissolution of Chapples and vnion of Churches is no new devise nor strange innovation But hath ben heretofore thought vpon and in some parte confirmed alreadie by our Kinges in their Parleaments Touching the dissolution of Chapples the most Dissolution of Chappels noe newe devise reverēd Father Thomas Crammer Archbishop of Camterburie with the residue of the Kings Commissioners appointed for the reformation of Ecclesiasticall lawes alloweth of the same And for the vnion of Churches there was an acte made 27. H. 8. so they exceeded not the value of six pounds And by a statute Titu de eccles gard fol. 54. r. Ed. 6. it was lawfull for the Mayor Recorder of the Citie of Yorke and the Ordinarie or his Deputie six Iustices Lawfull for the Maior of Yorke c. to vnite Churches in the Citie of Yorke of the peace in the same Citie to vnite and knit together so many of the poore Parishes of the same Citie and suburbes of the same as to thē should be thought convenient to be a living for one honest incumbent And it was lawfull for the said Mayor Recorder and Aldermen to pull downe the Churches which they should think superflous in the said citie and suburbes of the same and to bestow the same towardes the reparation and enlargement of other Churches of the Bridges in the Citie and to the reliefe of the poore people The considerations which moved the King and Parleament What reasons moved K. Ed 6. to vnite churches in York may moue King Iames to vnite Churches in Canterburie c. to ordeyne this act were these viz. The former incompetēcie of honest livings the former necessitie of taking verie vnlearned and ignorant Curates not able to do any part of their duties the former replenishing of the Citie with blinde guides and Pastors the former keeping of the people aswell in ignorance of their

be continued but to continue evill And what a thing were that This argument then for lawes setled being the sophisme of that Fox Steven Gardener is but a quarelsome and wrangling argument Admonition If this goverment whereof they Pag. 7● speake be as they say necessarie in all places then must they haue of necessitie in everie particular parish one Pastor a companie of Seniors and a Deacon or two at the least al those to be found of the parish because they must leaue their occupations to attende vpon the matters of the Church But there are a number of Parishes in England not able to finde one tollerable Minister much lesse to find such a companie Assertion This argument seemeth to be drawne from kitchin profite and is but a bugbegger to scarr covetous men from submitting their neckes vnto the yoke of that holy Discipline which our Savior Christ hath prescribed and which the Admonitor himselfe confesseth to haue bene practised by the Apostles and primitive Church And yet because this argument seemeth to lay a very heavie burden on mens shoulders such as is impossible to be borne it is an argumēt That Seniours Deacons should be found at the charge of the Parish is absurd worthy to bee examined though in it selfe the same be very vntrue absurd For who did ever fancie that a Pastour a company of Seniours and a Deacon or two at the least should be men of occupations or that they should be all found of the parish because they must leaue their occupations to attend vpon the matters of the Church Why there be many hūdreths of parishes in England wherein there dwelleth not one man of an occupation And what reason then or likelihood of reason was there to father such an absurd necessitie vpon the Church As for the necessitie of having one Pastour in every particular parish and of his finding by the parish because it is his duety to attend vpon reading exhortation doctrine although he be no man of occupation this I say is agreable consonant to the goverment of the church practised by the Bishops And therefore in the finding having of one Pastour in every parish they and we differ not But that men of occupations onelie should bee chosen Seniours and Deacons in every parish or if Seniours and Deacons were men of occupations in any parish that they should bee all found of the parish wee vtterly disclayme as an absurditie of absurdities And yet wee deny not but in Cities and great Townes wherin for the most part men of trade do inhabite that Seniours Deacons must of necessitie be men of occupations Vnlesse then an occupation must of necessitie hinder men from being faithfull religious godly men there is no reason to inforce that mē of occupations in Cities and great townes should not be chosen Seniors and Deacons And as for Countrey parishes What kinde of mē ought to be chosen Seniours Deacons wherein either verie fewe or no men of occupations doe reside this obiection is altogether idle In which parishes also we affirme that men of greatest gravitie integritie wisedome faith and godlines ought to be chosen Seniours and Deacons And we doubt not but all such men as whom we intend ought to bee chosen Seniours and Deacons whether dwelling in Cities Townes or in the Coūtrey would be as readie as willing and as watchfull prudentlie to imploy them selues hereafter in matters of the Church as now either them selues or their equalles are busied in matters of their corporations or common weale without anie maner of contribution to be yeelded towards their finding When the people of Israell were commanded to pay their tythes first fruites and other oblations vnto the Priestes Levites for their attendance and service in the Sāctuarie we doe not reade in the whole booke of God that they were inioyned to be helpers and cōtributors to the reliefe and sustentation of the Captaynes over thousands of the Captaines over hundreds nor of the Elders Governours placed Citie by Citie for the affaires of the King And therefore sithence we haue neither precept nor president that all the officers of the church should bee founde at the costes of the Church and sithence also as well in Coūtrey parishes as in Cities townes to the prayse and glorie of God be it spoken we haue many able wealthie substantiall persons who haue giuen their names vnto Christ what necessitie is there that any such Seniours and Deacons should be elected as haue need to be relieved and supported by a common purse And had the Admonitor wel and advisedlie pōdered that our Church Church wardens side men are not found at the chardges of the parishes Wardens side men who carie a semblance of governing Seniours that our collectors also for the poore who iustle out the Deacons being all of them men of occupations poore husbandmen or day labourers and being not founde of the parish are notwithstandinge oftentimes in the yere troubled and turmoyled from one end of the Diocesse vnto the other and that which is more from attendance vpon their day labour husbandrie and occupations to weight and to attend not vpō matters of the church but vpon money matters perteyning to the officers of the Bb. Consistorie Had he I say wiselie and sincerelie considered these things he would certeinlie not once haue mencioned this so sillie and simple a suggestion But quite cleane to cutt of at one blow all the skirtes of the coat of this sillie bulbegger that the verie buttockes of it may bee bare and that the church may see there is no such burdensome charge to bee layde vpon her as is feyned the graue and godlie iudgement and policie of King Edward The iudgemēt of King Ed. the sixt cōmissioners touching Elders and Deacons the sixt his Commissioners authorized to compile a booke for the reformatiō of lawes ecclesiasticall according to an Act of Parleament in that behalfe provided shall rise vp for vs and pleade the trueth and equitie of this our sayinges The Commissioners names were these viz. The most reverend Father Thomas Crammer Archbishoppe of Canterburie Thomas Bishoppe of Ely Richard Cox the Kings Almoner Peter Martyr professor of Divinitie William May Rowland Taylor Doctors of the Lawe Sir Iohn Cheeke Iohn Lucas Richard Goddericke Maister Hadon and others All Titul de diuiois officijs cap. 10. fol. 45. which reverend learned and religious men as with one voyce accord speak one thing so thus and thus they speake Evening prayer being finished wherevnto all shal be attēdant after sermon in their owne Churches the chief minister whom they call Parochies and the Deacon if happely they shal be present or they being absent let the Ministers Vicars and Elders lo the Archb. of of Cāterburie afterwards a godlie Martyr and Bishoppes can skill of the name of Deacon and Elders with the people conferr about the money put apart to

duties to God as also towardes the King and common weale and lastlie the former danger of the soules of the Citizens If then in these dayes it might please the King to applie like playsters to the like sorcs to provide remedies for the like mischieves and for the like diseases to minister like medicins it would come to passe no doubt in few yeares that the lame the blind the broken with a number of vnhallowed and vncleane beastes should be swept and cast foorth of all the Parochiall churches within Canterburie Winchest Chichester Lichfield Oxford and other great Cities of the Realme For these Chapples and smaler churches being the verie Chapples the seminaries of hyrelings Seminaries of all hyrelinges and idoll Sheapheards a benefice can no sooner become voyd but the poore and hungrie Chapleynes wearie of their thynne dyet and long leaping after a beane presentlie trudge to the patrone offering or accepting any condicions to be presented by him And not onelie should the Church by this meanes bee rid of these vermine but also the learned preaching Minister without further aide or cōtribution in those places might haue more liberall maintenance then erst they haue had For then should they be no more constreyned to deduct out of their livings by reason of Chapples yet standing and as it were annexed to their Parish churches some 10. lb. some 20. lb. some 30. lb. by the yeare for the wages of these hyrelings Besides this a singuler and apparant benefite By y● dissolution of Chappels many suites in law shold be avoyded could not but redound to the common weale by the dissolution of these Chapples when as many long tedious and changeable vncharitable sutes heretofore had commenced should hereafter bee extinguished between the Parochians of the mother Churches and the inhabitants of Hamblets for concerning the repayre and reedifying of the said Churches and Chapples for other rights and duties chalenged to belong from one vnto the other A third meanes to leavie a treasure Sequestration of the fruits of the Churches of pluralists may further the treasure for the redemption of impropriations for the redemption of impropriations may be a sequestration of the fruites of the Churches of non Residentes and commendames with the fruites of the Churches of the pluralistes and perinde valeres from the which the same plurisied persons are to depart the said sequestration no longer to endure then some able Ministers may be provided placed in the same Churches A fourth meane to rayse this treasure if it please the King and that the church have found favour in his sight may bee the money due vnto the King vpō such penall lawes as for the benefite of the commō weale are necessarilie to be put in execution especially vpon the law of provision and premunire not pardoued by the Queene And albeit happelie the King vpon a most worthie and christian zeale be well pleased hereafter not to vrge vpon the popish recusantes the paymēt of their forfeytures for absence from divine service yet because they be able and do daylie contribute to seminaries abroad and be favourers and abettours of popish Priestes and Iesuites lurking at home the most treasonable daungerous enemies that can be to the Kings Person and State in cōsideration heereof I say if it may please the King it seemeth not vnreasonable the lawe standing still in force and vnrepealed that the popish recusants be vrged to the payment of such summes of money as are alreadie forfeyted the same by the commaundement and free gift of the King to be imployed vpon the redemption of such impropriatiōs as are within the parishes of their abodes To the end that learned and preaching Ministers being placed in the same they their wyves children servaunts tenants and dependantes by the powerful preaching of the worde might be converted vnto the Gospell It followeth now in order that wee speak of contributiō the fourth meanes By what cōtributiō impropriations may be brought to the vse of the ministerie whereby some impropriations may bee reduced whollie to the vse of the Ministerie Wherein there can not any certeyne rule or direction bee prescribed because it must proceed onlie frō those whose heartes God shall touch stirre vp encourage willinglie to bring a free offering vnto the Lord for the building vp of his spirituall house For of everie one saith the Lorde whose heart offereth Exod. 25. 2 it freelie yee shall take an offeringe for me And everie one whose heart encouraged him and whose Spirite made him willing and men and women as manie as were free-hearted came and Exod. 35. brought taches and earings and ringes and bracelettes all were iewells of gold and blewe silke and purple skarlett and fine linnen and goates hayre and Rammes skinnes and Badgees skinnes and silver and brasse Shittim wood and Onix stones and Spice and Oyle Everie man and woman I saye whose heartes moved them willinglie to bring for all the worke which the Lorde had Exod. 36. 5. commaunded brought a free offering yea and the people brought too much and more thē ynough for the vse of the worke of the Lord. King Salomon having 2. King 8. all the Elders the heads the chiefe Fathers and all the men of Israell the Priestes and Levites to bring vppe the Arck and Tabernacle of the Lord offered Beeves and sheepe which could not be numbred for multitude Yea and after these offeringes were made and after the Kinge had prayed that their heart might bee perfect with the Lord their God to walke in his statutes to keepe his commaundementes as at that day the King agayne offered a sacrifice of two and twentie thousande beeves one hundred and twentie thousande sheepe and so was the house dedicated After the returne of the people out of captiuitie certeyne of the chiefe Fathers when they came to the house of the Lorde which was in Ierusalem they gave after their abilitie vnto the treasure of the worke even one and three score thousand drammes of golde and five thousande pieces of silver and an hundred priestes garmentes they gave money also E●● 2. 2 68 c. to the Masons and to the workmen and meate and drinke and oyle Yea at the exhortatiō of Nehemiah the Priests the great men the people and the women Nehe. 2. 〈◊〉 that they might bee no more a reproch sett their mindes to the building of the Walls and at their owne charges builded some one gate some another some one doore some another som one tower some another some one portion of the Wall some an other Wherefore seeing we haue not an Ester to succeed our Deborah but a Salomon rather to succeede a David yea such a Salomon as whose heart the Lord hath filled with an excellent spirite of wisedome of vnderstanding and of knowledge to finde out and to dissolve hard curious parables hath put in his heart

authorized disposed or established in particularitie the order of these thinges or if the Scripture haue not delivered everie ceremonie forme or circumstance about these three things shall not the Minister therefore minister these or any of these three things at all And suppose I pray you that neither this nor anie other law had in particularitie appointed the ceremonie of the Crosse the ceremonie of Godfathers or any other ceremonie in Baptisme or that the Law had not appoynted the ceremonie of kneeling or any other ceremonie at the celebration of the Lords Supper should not the Minister therefore minister neither Baptisme nor the Lords Supper in the charge committed vnto him yes he should And why forsooth because he hath promised so to doe and because the Lorde hath commaunded him so to doe Besides sithence everie Minister by vertue of his promise and force of this law is bound to teach the doctrine of Christ to the people of his charge notwithstanding he be not tyed by the law of the Realm nor by the holy Scripture to any rite ceremonie or circumstance or to any exact forme or particuler maner in teaching what reason can any mā pretend that the not particularizing of al rites ceremonies or circumstances in the Scripture or the not establishing of any order by the law of the Realm touching discipline should altogether hinder everie Minister from the administration of al discipline in the church For as touching the aunswere that the Ministers may and doe exercise not the Answere to the abstract Pag. 59. least partes of Discipline of declaring by doctrine according to the worde of God mens sinnes to be bound and loosed and the censure of rebuking and reproving Pag. 55. openlie and that the discipline Discipline of declaring by doctrine is called discipline erroneouslie which the Minister is to execute reacheth no further then to reach his Parish with all diligence to keepe and observe so much of the Doctrine Sacramentes and Discipline of Christ as apperteineth vnto them as touching this aunswere I say it is as erroneous as the former were frivoulous and impe●tinent For as consolation and comfort by way of exhortation so reprofe and sharpe rebuking by way of dehortatiō belong properlie to that part of the Ministers function which concerneth the binding and loosing of sinners by doctrine and not by discipline and is but an application of the doctrine to a wounded or seared cōscience Hee therefore that leaveth no other Discipline to be executed by the Pastor of the church then of declaring by doctrine mens sinnes to bee bound or loosed and by teaching his Parish to obserue doctrine sacraments and discipline Discipline doctrine confounded by the Answerer confoundeth the matters both of discipline and doctrine Againe if not any other discipline was ment to be attributed to everie Minister then such as is declared by doctrine thē these words viz. and the discipline of Christ were superfluouslie and idellie added by the Parleament For then had it bene sufficient for the Parleament to haue enioyned the Bishopp to demaund of the Minister onely this and no more viz. Whether will you giue all faithfull diligence to Minister the Doctrine and Sacraments of Christ There is therefore some other kind of discipline of Christ intendeth by the Parleament to be attributed The Parleament intendeth some other discipline then of declaring by doctrine vnto euerie Minister and wherewith also the law of the Realm doth enable euerie Minister then is this maner of discipline of declaring by doctrine teaching the people And this discipline also must needs be vnderstood to be of the spirituall censures of the Church because Christ neuer instituted any other discipline And therefore because our opposites agree with vs in a generalitie that the doctrine Sacraments and Answere to the abstract 55. 60. discipline of Christ are to be Ministred as the Lord hath commaunded onlie none otherwise and yet neuertheles doe dissent from vs touching the persons by whom this discipline is to be ministred because say they everie particuler ceremonie rite or circumstance of externall policie are not set downe in scripture because of this their answere I say it is to be cōsidered First vnto what persons the function of the ministration of the discipline of Christ by the holy Scriptures is cōmitted Secondlie whether the same persons with their functions be arbitrable ceremonious rituall or circūstantiall to be altered chāged by authoritie of the Church as thinges To what persons the discipline of Christ by the scriptures is committed whether the persons bee arbitrable or no. indifferent yea or no. To the first seeing to one and the selfe same person the holie Scriptures attribute these two names Bishop and Pastor thereby signifying what are the two duties which belong to the same one person and seeing also no one person by Gods word is called a Bishop or Pastour in regard of Phil 1. 1. his fellow brethren the other Bishopps Tit. 9. 1. 5. 7. or Pastours but in regard of his owne flocke which he overseeth and seeing 1 Tim. 3. 1● also in well ordered Churches by the ordinance of God certeyne men of approved godlines called according to the common name of the Hebrewes by the common name of Elders whom partly calleth governors were ioyned as ecclesiasticall Magistrats to the Bishop 1 Cor. 12. 28. Pastor or teaching Elder by whose cōmon direction authoritie ecclesiasticall discipline was practised seeing I say these things are so we affirme that the persons to whom the ministratiō of the discipline of Christ rightlie belongeth are the persons onlie aboue specified and none other And further we say if any spirituall Discipline or power which directlie belongeth vnto the conscience The Discipline of Christ prophaned if the same be ministred by other persons then the holie scriptures doe appoint be ministred in the church by any other persons thē by those persons only that the same discipline is not to be called the discipline but a mere prophanation of the Discipline of Christ For as it is vnlawfull for any person to vsurpe any part of the Bishopps or Pastors office which consisteth in spiritual teaching the word and administring the sacraments so is it also vnlawfull for any person to vsurpe any parte of a Bishopps Pastors or Elders office which consisteth in spirituall rule and gouernment Whervpon it secondlie followeth that the same persons with their functions are not arbitrable ceremoniall rituall and circumstanciall as things indifferent to be altered by the authoritie of the church but perpetuall substanciall essentiall and as it were the verie mayne and fundamentall pillers to vphold stay the house of God from all spirituall sliding and falling downe And therefore from the execution of the discipline of Christ we seclude the persons of all humane Archbishopps humane Bishoppes Suffraganes Archdeacons Chauncelors Commissaries Officials and all Rowland Allens because their persons