Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	bishop_n	church_n	ordination_n	3,829	5	10.8464	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01736	A short treatise against the Donatists of England, whome we call Brownists Wherein, by the answeres vnto certayne writings of theyrs, diuers of their heresies are noted, with sundry fantasticall opinions. By George Giffard, Minister of Gods holy Word in Maldon.	Gifford, George, d. 1620.	1590 (1590)	STC 11869; ESTC S114289	90,151	124

ouercome Then yée turne your selues to those poore soules as yée terme thē whom we like miserable Physicians séeke to cure and your Counsell you giue them I doo allow it for it is the same in effect if you could sée that I gaue them before I would to God the people did follow it we should not then haue one Brownist The Deuill counterfaiting Christs voice in hereticall schismatikes should not be able to allure and call away the shéepe from their shéepeheards Now remaineth the last point onely that I shew some reason to prooue our Ministery to be of Christ The ministery of the Gospell which bringeth the worde of faith and reconciliation betwéene God and the worlde is the true ministerie of Christ for the Deuil and Antichrist ordeine no such ministerie Nowe the ministerie of the Church of England doth bring no word nor doctrine but the sacred scriptures It preacheth faith in God through Christ and the doctrine of repentance deliuering the holy sacraments as seales to confirme the same Let all the schismatikes in the world barke against it and say we haue no word nor Sacraments yet this is the holy word God so loued the world that hee gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting It may be sayde that many ministers in England doo not nor cannot preach the Gospell how then is their ministery the ministery of reconciliation Héere note that as we must distinguish betwéene the ministery and the man himselfe which is the minister for the man may be of the Deuill and yet his ministery of God so must we also distinguish betwéene the function it selfe and the execution of the same For when one is called to bee a minister of the Gospell which is able and dooth not preach the defect is not in the function but in his negligence about the execution Likewise when the office or function is layd vpō him that cannot preach the function it selfe is entyre the defect is in the execution thereof through his disabilitie I say therfore that the Ministerie of England is the Ministerie of the Gospell though some doo not and some cannot Preach Then further such as haue the calling and ordination of the Church haue the Ministerie of Christ for it is giuen to the Church to haue power to call and ordeine Ministers Now if the Church doo falt and breake either by error or negligence in some rules which are to be obserued about this calling and ordinatiō yet the power is not disanulled nor the function destroyed vnlesse we will hold that where there is transgression either of ignorance or otherwise the whole is ouerthrowne and so conclude that there is no praier nor worship of God nor any true seruice doone vnto him vnder heauen because all is with errors and faults In England the Ministers haue their calling and ordination by the Church of God For that people which hath forsaken heresies and false worship and imbraced the doctrine of the Gospell hath in it the true Church which hath the power And the Ministers intrude not themselues but haue the power giuen them by the hands of the Bishops who doo it not by their owne authoritie nor by any authoritie from Antichrist but as committed to their trust by publike authoritie Moreouer that is the Ministerie of God which is to bring men to the faith and to build vp the body of Christ The Ministerie of England is to none other end For the whole drift the whole scope and burthen laid vpon them is to féede with wholsome doctrine and to guide in the waye of godlinesse the shéepe of Christ walking before them in godlye conuersation The Brownist will not take himselfe héere conuinced but will say these causes are but pretended and are not in truth I will therefore now reason from the effect together with that which is properly adioyned to the Ministerie of Christ That Ministerie with the execution whereof there is ioyned the effectuall grace power blessing and operation of the Holy-ghost to the true conuersion of mens soules is not a Ministerie of the Deuill nor of Antichtist nor commeth not in the life and power of the beast but is indeed the true Ministerie of Christ I thinke the Brownists will not be so beastly as to affyrme that the grace and operation of the holy Ghost to the conuersion of mens soules is ioyned to that and worketh by that which is of the Deuill and commeth in the life and power of Antichrist Then it remayneth only to shewe that there hath béene and is this grace and worke in the execution of our function If the Brownists will deny that euer they felt that maiestie and power in the preaching which can not be in the words of man but only in that word which is sharper then any two edged sword and pierceth so déepe as to be a discerner of the thoughts and secret intents Or if they will denie that euer they haue béene driuen by it vnto hatred sorrowe and remorse for sinne and raysed vp with comfort and hope of forgiuenesse and with the promises of eternall glorie Yet vnto many other which by it are conuerted vnto the Lord in déede which vnto feare and trembling doo féele the power and swéetnesse of the liuely word it may be sayd as S. Paule speaketh to the Corinths for when his aduersaries did denie him to be an Apostle the Corinths by his Ministerie were begotten in Christ wherevpon he sayth If I be not an Apostle vnto others yet am I vnto you for you are the seale of mine Apostleship in the Lord 1. Cor. 9. ver 2. Euen so if the Ministery of Englād be not the Ministery of Christ vnto others yet you can not doubt of it your faith your repentance your ioy in the Lord are the seale of it You can not but sée and knowe that they be vile blasphemous wretches which beare ye in hand that it is not the word of God nor the grace of his spirit which worketh in ye but the power of the Deuill and the spirit of Antichrist You knowe it is the direct way which the Deuill taketh by his ministers to bring in flat Atheisme to disgrace and throwe downe the credite of the ministerie But doth it not make against the Ministerie of England that many of the Brownists confesse they haue béene greatly moued at sometimes with the power of the preaching and at the administration of the Sacraments for may it not bée sayd héerevpon that it is but a deceyuable shewe of grace and power for if it had béene in truth it would haue continued I answer it is sufficient to proue the Ministerie and that the power of the holy Ghost goeth with it when men haue bin so moued although they do not continue séeing the reprobate do féele the power and taste the swéetnes of the word for a time Hebr. 6. He that hath therefore felt the power of God in his soule by the

doo offend in not executing the discipline vpon vngodly men to bring them to repentance but in receiuing their children to be baptized they doo not offend so they sée them taught in the faith and to liue a godlye life as our Church hath established yea in refusing them the infants should receiue great iniurie But to make this matter yet more cléere the question is to be answered whether the Church of Rome be the Church of Christ For the Brownists doo hold that our auncestors were not the Church of Christ in the time of poperie and that we now are confused multitudes not rightlye entered into couenant with God to become a Church séeing wee were not of Gods true Church before neither orderly entered into couenant Indéed if we were not within the couenant before from our auncestors nor entered orderly to become a Church the matter would séeme strong against vs. Let it therefore be examined I know this is the vsuall spéech of the learnedest Deuines the church of God is in the Papacie but the Papacie is not the church And it may be the sense will differ little or nothing but I take it a fitter spéech to saye the Papacie is in the church then to say the church is in the papacie For Antichrist dooth sit in the Temple of God his lawes his worship and all his abhominations were brought into the church All the men which receiued his marke and worshipped him were in the church yea euen the whole Apostasie was in the churche The church was before and that commeth after and entreth into or ariseth in it Then to the question if by the church of Rome we vnderstand the Pope his lawes his worship which hath béene deuised by himselfe his adherents and all that worship him or receiue his Marke I answer that this is that which may properly be called the church of Rome which is the papacie the apostasie and seduced to damnation and not the church of Christ otherwise then thus that the Pope the Cardinals and all that worship the Beast be false Christians by profession bred in the Church and continuing in it their séede not excluded from the couenant But if by the Church of Rome we vnderstand all those companies of people ouer whome the tyrannie of the Pope hath heeretofore extended it selfe or dooth at this day or those things which were giuen by Christ which remaine in the same I say this is not the church of Rome but the Church of God First if we respect the holye doctrine of God in all those points which were and are kept sound among them and the holye Sacrament of Baptisme Then secondly if we consider the kingdoms and people themselues all did not fall from Christ but many held the foundation the most of them lying scattered and hid in the desolations and ruines Thirdly if we regard that the infants not only of these faithfull but euen of the wicked Apostates which worshipped the beast were still within the couenant as the holy séed we shall see that the papacie was and is in the Church which is the Temple of God and not the synagog of Rome The Church of Rome then is not the true Church of God but the Church of Rome is the Apostasie in the church Let vs come then more particularly The church of England in the time of poperie was a member of the vniuersall church and had not the being of a church of Christ from Rome nor tooke not her beginning of being a Church by seperating hir selfe from that Romish synagog but hauing her spirites reuiued and her eyes opened by the light of the heauenly word did cast foorth that tyrannie of Antichrist with his abhominable idolatrie heresies and false worship and sought to bring all her children vnto the right faith and true seruice of God And so is a purer and more faithfull church then before Idolatrie was openly set vp in the church of Israel at sundrye times It did not as I haue shewed disanull the couenant of God with them nor debarre their children from the holy signe of circumcision but all the Iewes are called the children of the couenant Then let the Brownist shew some reason why it should bee otherwise in this case with our churches then it was with the church of Israel Thus much for the one part of your assumption wherein ye blame the church of England for receiuing in all by baptisme Now touching the other part of it in which ye affirme that there is no power to cast foorth any by excommunication yée speake very falsely For the church of England hath some power to excommunicate But you reason thus the person and all his parish hath not the power to excommunicate anye one offendor therefore the church of England hath not powre to excommunicate Is it possible if a man would study to reason absurdlie that he should excell yée Will yee argue thus euery seuerall part by it selfe hath not power to excommunicate therefore the whole together hath not the power It is not méete indéed that the Parson and his parish should haue the power to excommunicate vnlesse it bee such a Parish as hath the Consistorie of Pastors Teachers and Gouernours It séemeth yée haue great skill in the discipline of Christ The seuerall flockes about Geneua without the Citie haue euery one a Pastor and two Elders but yet they haue not the power to excommunicate but that is referred to the Consisiorie which is within the Citie Maister Beza Epist 20. Will yée say those seuerall flockes cannot be the Churches of Christ vnlesse their pastors and they together haue power to excommunicate They are members of that church which hath power to excommunicate But yée will say that the excommunication of the Commissarie is no excommunication and therfore our parishes be no members of a church which hath power to excommunicate The like yée will say of the excommunication by the Bishop himselfe and by the Archdeacon I aunswer that if it should bée graunted ye that their excommunication dooth not binde in heauen yet it is of force to remooue and dooth remooue from the societye of our assemblies which prooueth your accusation false because we reason about this outward remoouing But what if the Bishop together with sundry other Ministers of the Gospell doo excommunicate duely an obstinate wicked man is he not excommunicate before God If there be an heretike conuinced and found obstinate and the Bishops and Ministers of the Church of England assembled or some competent number of them as in the conuocation or such synod do duely excommunicate him is it no excommunication Will yée reason after this sort that because euery Minister with his flocke seuerally hath not the power to excommunicate therefore the Ministers of the Church of England are vtterly without this power You confesse that it is the Church of Christ which hath this power though it fault much by negligence in executing the same I would all Brownists could

and Teachers doo examine and make triall and choose him whome they shall finde euery way qualified for so worthy a function The matter being made knowne to as many as may be and especially to that flocke ouer which he is to be set that if any can alleadge iust cause why he is vnworthy of such an office they be heard otherwise after a due kind he is ordeyned and put into possession of his Ministerie Then touching your assumption the Ministers of the Church of England as ye say be imposed If ye vnderstand by imposed that they be all thrust vppon the flockes against theyr will and liking or that the flockes haue no power to take exception yee speake vntruly For there be many flockes in England which haue those Pastors and Ministers of the Gospell whome they haue desired to haue and made choyse of I meane by suite both to the Patrones and to the parties whome they desire to haue and if any of the people can shew iust cause against the partie which is to be ordeined the Byshop may not admit him There follow now many boasting words with which yee march in tryumph it is pitie to put them out of their array You require one reason at the least to confirme our Ministerie I confesse it is a reasonable request but first I must answere that which ye bring for to ouerthrowe it To proue our Ministerie not to be of Christ but to haue his negatiue Yée say yée finde not in his Testament the names we carry the offices we beare the manner of our entrance and administration our support and maintenance Touching our names we are called Ministers of the Gospell Pastors and Teachers which be the Tytles giuen in Gods word The names of Parsons and Vicars are not to make any distinction of the Ministerie but of the state of maintenance annexed vnto the same The Offices we beare are to teach and instruct our flockes by the wholesome word of God to administer the Sacraments and to make publike prayers And I am sure these are prescribed in Christes Testament and if your eye were not malignant yee might espy them there Our entrance is not by intrusion but by calling and that in many by the desire of the flockes as I haue shewed before and for the manner of our administration it hath béen dealt in at large in the first accusation Our support by Tythes and such like is not mayntayned as a matter of necessitie but as the most conuenient The word of God hath giuen the generall rule that the Minister of the word is to be liberally mayntayned the manner touching circumstances is to be ordered for most conueniencie by the Church and power of the Christian Magistrate For many things are lawfull and in the power of the Church to ordeyne which are not particularly named in Gods word but conteyned in generall rules Your next words are farre sharper and cut more déepely yea euen so déepely that wo bée vnto vs all if you haue not the venemous toong of liers and false accusers Yée vse a gradation to set foorth our pedigrée for we are yée say the children of the Byshops The Byshops are the creatures of the Pope The Pope is the eldest sonne of Satan and his vicar generall in earth Now as yée haue set vs héere vnder a verie honorable parentage so doo yée shewe vs great kindnesse in setting vs foorth not to be degenerate but to beare the image the marke the power and life of the Pope and together with him to growe liue raigne stand and fall as the branches with the trée Héere is the verie bottome of your gall héere is your poysoned sting thrust as déepe as is possible But let your words be examined and by the stepps that you ascend I will descend The highest is the Deuill the father of lyes Next vnto him the Pope his eldest sonne and vicar generall in earth In déede I am resolutely perswaded that the Pope is the Beast vnto whome the Dragon gaue his power his Throne and great authoritie Reuel 13. of whome it is sayd in the same place that all the world wondred and followed the Beast They worshipped the Dragon which gaue power to the Beast and they woorshipped the Beast saying Who is like to the Beast who is able to warre with him This no doubt is that man of sinne who hath exalted himselfe aboue all that is called God or that hath imperiall maiestie sitting in the Temple of God and boasting himselfe as God whose comming should be by the effectuall working of Satan with all lying signes and wonders 2. Thess 2. He hath set vp the verie worship of Deuils with all abhominable Idolatrie and blasphemous heresies and lyes He hath not only vsurped and challenged a ciuill power and Lordship ouer Kings but also a spirituall Dominion ouer the consciences and faith of man to make Lawes at his pleasure contrarie to Gods word to binde the same this is the vicar generall of the Deuill Then to come to the next steppe where there is no question nor doubt neyther to be made but that all Popish Byshops be the creatures and children of the Pope in as much as they haue their calling and consecration and power deriued from him in as much as they sweare obedience vnto him to mayntayne his dignitie his tyrannie his doctrine and his lawes and in as much as they challenge together with him a Lordship and tyrannie ouer the conscience But the Byshops of the Church of England haue not their calling consecration or power frō the Pope but frō our Church which hath forsaken the Church of Rome as the Sinagog of Satan The Byshops of England acknowledge no subiection to the Pope but by an oath renounce his vsurped power tyranny The Bishops of Engl. are not ordeined to maintain or defend y e religion lawes of Antichrist but quite contrary they promise and professe to aduance the Gospell of Iesus Christ by the liuely word to cut downe all idolatrie heresies and popish abhominations Finally the Bishops of Engl. do not vsurp a Lordship ouer the faith consciences of men for the power which they haue peculiar in the Church is only in the administration of externall gouernment It is therfore with manifest wicked sclander that ye tearme the Bish of Engl. Antichristian the creatures of the Pope and such as haue his power life in thē yea such as whosoeuer is ordeined by thē hath his ministry frō Antichrist and from the Deuill There is controuersy about the state gouernmēt by Bishops whether y e Church of Engl. hath not erred in cōmitting into their hands the execution of discipline which is the matter to be handled in your fourth accusation but to gather from hence a pedegrée from the Pope is verie foolishe Let vs come then to the lowest step which is in the ministers We haue laboured in studie of holie things to be fitte for the Ministerie and so furnished