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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90119	A sermon preach't at a publick ordination in a country congregation, on Acts XIII. 2, 3. Together with an exhortation to the minister and people, / by another brother.	Offley, William, 1659 or 60-1724.	1697 (1697)	Wing O159C; ESTC R19633	32,388	32

or Bishops by the Holy Ghost in the Acts Treating of the Ordination of Presbyters he lays down the Qualifications of Bishops in Titus the Elders or Presbyters are commanded to exercise the Office of a Bishop in Peter Therefore Presbyters are Scripture-Bishops and consequently may ordain or Ordination performed by them is Firm and Sufficient And here I might content my self with this Proof it being sufficient for us that we have Scripture-warrant for what we do But because Antiquity is so much insisted upon by some in this case as King Charles the First ask'd Archb. Vsher in the Isle of Wight Where he found in Antiquity That Presbyters alone ordain'd any therefore I shall not decline dealing with them at this Weapon but shall joyn Issue with them upon this Point also wherein I shall only produce the Judgment and Testimony of two famous Bishops the most Learned of this Age. The first is a Passage of the renowned Archb. Vsher as it is related by Mr. Baxter both in his Life p. 206. and in his Disput of Church-Government p. 216. The passage is this I ask'd him Archb. Vsher his Judgment about the Validity of Presbyterian Ordination which he asserted and told me That the King ask'd him at the Isle of Wight Where ever he found in Antiquity that Presbyters alone ordain'd any And that he answered I can shew your Majesty more even where Presbyters alone successively ordain'd Bishops and instanc'd in Jerom's words Epist ad Evagr. of the Presbyters of Alexandria choosing and making their own Bishops from the days of Mark till Heraclas and Dionysius The other is of Bishop Stillingfleet who proves by several Instances that Presbyters had the intrinsick power of Ordination but only that it was restrain'd by Ecclesiastical Laws and that after Episcopal Government was setled yet Ordination by Presbyters was lookt on as valid Iren. p. 379 c. and then in another place p. 273. he quotes that very passage of Jerom which A. Bish Vsher had done Nam Alexandria a Marco Evangelista usque ad Heraclam Dionysium Episcopos Presbyteri semper unum ex se electum in excelsiori gradu collocatum Episcopum nominabant quomodo si exercitus Imperatorem faciat aut Diaconi eligant de se quem industrium noverint Archidiaconum vocent Ep. 85. ad Evagr. At Alexandria from Mark the Evangelist to Heraclas and Dionysius Bishops the Presbyters having chosen one of themselves and set him in a higher station called him a Bishop as if an Army should chuse an Emperor or a Company of Deacons should chuse one of themselves whom they know to be very diligent and should call him Archdeacon Which Testimony he vindicates from several exceptions that were made against it This then may justifie our practise this day against all Gainsayers that we who are Presbyters and have no Diocesan Bishop among us yet undertake to perform this work of Ordination since as you have seen we have good ground and warrant for it both from Scripture and from Antiquity To which might be added the Consent of all Reformed Churches but that I must hasten Hence also we may see the intolerable Usurpation of those who would not allow the Ordination by Presbyters even in those times when either there were no Bishops or they durst not be known to be lawful and sufficient But do but observe the partiality of these Men They that would not allow Ordination by Presbyters in England or any other Reform'd Church to be valid yet would allow Ordination in the Church of Rome though their Bishops be so far from being the true Ministers of Christ that they are the Slaves and Limbs of Antichrist though their Ordination be attended with so many Fopperies and Superstitious Ceremonies and though the persons be never so unfit yet because one that has the Title of a Bishop has a hand in it therefore that must be valid forsooth and all others invalid and null Let a Person Ordain'd by Presbyters be never so well qualify'd never so faithful in the discharge of his Office let another Person Ordain'd by a Bishop be never so defective in qualifications let him be never so prophane in his Life yet this Man must pass for a true Minister because he has the ineffectual Blessing of a Bishop and the other a meer Usurper and all his Administrations must be null and void for want of this Ceremony Owen of Ordination p. 86. This plainly shows what Friends such are to the Reformation how highly they value the Church of Rome and what dirt they cast in the face and upon the practice of all Reform'd Churches Thus I have I hope pretty well acquitted my self from these Adversaries But there are some others though not so considerable that I must speak a word unto who instead of this Ordination by Church-Officers set up two things in its Room Gifts and a Call from the People I shall speak briefly to both 1. Gifts and Abilities are not sufficient to give a Man a Title to the Office of the Ministry 't is so in no case whatsoever There 's no instance in the World that I can think of from the King on the Throne to a petty Constable or Surveyor of the High-ways or any other thing whatsoever that hath the Nature of an Office in the Commonwealth that a bare qualification and ability for it doth inable a Man to take upon him the discharge of it Much less then should it be so in the Church where all things should be most regular and orderly 1 Cor. 14.40 and where the least miscarriage is dangerous Levit. 10.1 1 Cor. 11.30 Hence even Christ himself tho' fill'd with Wisdom when but a Child Luke 2.40 in whom were hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Col. 2.3 yet did not thrust himself into the Office of a Priest till called as Aaron as the Apostle observes Heb. 5.5 Now Aaron had not only a particular designation and appointment by God to this Office but was actually put into it and setled in it by Moses Levit. 8. and 9. So Christ was not only call'd by an immediate voice from God the Father Matth. 3.17 but was Anointed as it were by John the Baptist in his Baptism and thereby Invested and Installed into this Office Wheupon the Apostle lays down this General Rue Heb. 5.4 No man takes viz. legally and duly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any honour or office whatsoever his parts and abilities be but he that is called of God And thus much is generally granted by all except a few self-conceited persons that think better of themselves than any body else doth and so turn Self-ordainers They can scarce be said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they have generally little or no Learning but however they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they lay hands I don't say violent hands upon themselves and so become guilty of a sort of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tho' not in the worst sense of