Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	church_n	head_n	visible_a	4,516	5	9.9185	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57861	A true representation of Presbyterian government wherein a short and clear account is given of the principles of them that owne it, the common objections against it answered, and some other things opened that concern it in the present circumstances / by a friend to that interest.	Rule, Gilbert, 1629?-1701.	1690 (1690)	Wing R2228; ESTC R28113	15,541	24

from that Sentence Nor to administer or manage any part of that Work that is peculiar to the Church as it is a Religious Society nor to appoint how the Church should be governed But he hath committed it to the Church Guides Ministers and Ruling Elders for to them are all the Directions about it given in the Word not to the Magistrates they are to give an account of it Heb. 13 17. They did manage it for diverse hundreds of years when there was no Magistrate that did own or countenance Christianity And there is no hint in Scripture nor Principle of reason that can evince that this Power should devolve into the hands of the Magistrate when he should become Christian neither are any Directions given to the Magistrate how he should administer any of the Ordinances of Christ. 10 ly Yet we own the Civil Magistrate as Nursing Father of the Church and Custos utriusque tabulae legis Upon which account he is not only to provide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Church and to procure her Peace and Unity by all good means as repressing of Heresie Schism and other Disorders wherein he is to use a judgement of Discretion and not blindly to execute the Sentence of the Church but also may require all the Officers and Members of the Church to do what is their Duty And that he may when the Case requireth convocat Synods and Indict times of Fasting and Thanskgiving Though for these we assert an intrinsick Power in the Church to which that of the Magistrate is not privative but cumulative For we maintain a twofold Kingdom of Christ one as God over all men in which the Magistrate is his Vicegerent another as Mediator over the Church as such in which he hath Deputed no Magistratical but only Ministerial Power We hold also that the Persons and Actions of Church-men are subject to the Civil Magistrate and that they may be punish'd when they transgress the Laws 11 ly This Ministerial governing Power in the Church the Lord hath not committed to all the Members nor to all the Males thereof But hath made a manifest distinction between Rulers and Ruled in the Scriptures mentioned already 12 ly The Lord hath equally intrusted all his Servants the Ministers not only with the power of dispensing the Word and Sacraments but also with the power of Governing the Church Which by his appointment and acoording to the practice of the first and best Ages of the Churches ought to be and was done in common by Ministers acting in Parity and not by a single Prelate set over the rest This is accknowledged by most and the most eminent of our Prelatick Brethren And must be so by all of them who do not plead for a Divine Right of Episcopacy Besides that neither Names Directions or Reproofs given to Church Guides in Scripture do import any such imparity of Power nor is their any footstep of the exercise of it in Scripture to infer this disparity of Power from that of the Apostles is most inconsequential They being Universal Extraordinary Unfixed and temporary Officers whom the Lord immediatly called and abrogated their Office with their Death in that he neither called others to succeed in that Power nor gave any hint that it should be done by the Church It is as if one should say the Church was once governed Monarchically by a visible Head viz. While Christ was on Earth Ergo It should be so still Which no Protestant will aver The Argument in Timothy and Titus is of the same Kidney they being extraordinary and unfixed Officers and so no precedent for after times Neither can any Argument be drawn from the Angels of the Churches words not being often used properly in that mystical Book and we know that Theologia Symbolica non est Argumentativa Besides that the Angel of Thyatyra was certainly a community being spoken to in the plural Number Revel 2. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 13 There being no disparity of power amongst Ministers by Christs grant of power to them No man can make this disparity by setting One over the Rest Neither can they devolve their power on One of themselves For Christ hath given no such warrant to Men to dispose of His Ordinance as they see fit And power being delegated to them by him they cannot so commit it to another to exercise it for them as to deprive themselves of it Also it being not a License only but a Trust of which they must give an account they must perform the work by themselves as they will be answerable But we must contract not being now disputing but asserting what we shall be ready to defend as occasion shall be offered 14 We assert Presbyterial Government to be so of Divine Right as We can make no composition with men about it though none shall be more condescending to them that are otherwise minded in what is consistant with Truth and necessary Duty then we Yet it is not alike so in all the parts of it For some parts of it are of Christs institution as the officers of the Church the Laws and Censures of it And others of the dictates of natural Reason which is also a Beam of Divine Light as that there be a Government and meeting for managing of it that one preside in them that lesser and greater parts of the Church had their meetings as Congregational Classical Provincial and National Assemblies for Government that there be a subordination and appeals amongst these To require positive assertions of Scripture warranting every one of these though there want not Scripture examples and other hints to countenance severals of them is as unreasonable as if we should be called to bring a text to prove that we should come in to the publick assemblies cloathed and not naked In an usual and not in an antiquat Garb 15 Whether the Moderator or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of rulei●g Church meetings should continue for one or more Diets or for how long a time is not determined by any institution of Christ not by any general dictate of natural Light Yet we judge a constant Moderator highly inconvenient and by all means to be shuned For it he be imposed on the meeting it is an encroachment on their intrinsick power of governing themselves in such things as are peculiar to them And though chosen by themselves fatal and constant examples together with the inclinanations of men to usurpation do shew it to have so violent tendency to Lordly Prelacy as rately doeth it fail or the bad effects nor can be expected not to Issue in it We maintain that no Church Judicature ought to cognosce of Affairs of State nor of Mens civil Rights or Interests except their advice should be sought by the Magistrat concerning Sin or Duty in any such matter As if the thing be manifestly Scandalous and evidently dangerous to the interest of Religion and the Souls of Men. Neither do they inflict any punishment save