Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	apostle_n	church_n	pillar_n	1,918	5	10.1330	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42582	Eirēnikon, or, A treatise of peace between the two visible divided parties ... by Irenæus Philadelphus Philanthropus ...	Philanthropus, Irenaus Philadelphus.; Gell, Robert, 1595-1665.	1660 (1660)	Wing G469; ESTC R21302	66,598	92

also we must maintain peace such as they are capable of a mixt kinde of peace temper'd with that which they call nor lis but urgiun a friendly and loving strife and contention that they may be thorough-lovely and capable of entire and thorough peace As for the first kinde of Peace with good and Godly men it may be easily preserved and maintained because there is the same best ground of Love and from hence a mutual affection and reciprocal compliance and sweet harmony of souls and spirits intimately maintained on both sides whether the parties so agreeing be otherwise personally known or unknown unto us near unto us or further off from us Yet peace peace to him that is afar off and to him that is near Esa 57.19 as in a musical instrument the greater and less strings though far off one from the other yet have an harmonical agreement and are consonant one with the other whether in Diapason or Disdiapason the distance hinders not the agreement And the reason is Quae conveniunt in uno tertio inter se quoque conveniunt They which agree in one third agree also among themselves Now the God of Love and Peace is the God of all the world and therefore the people of God being every where dispersed in every Nation all the world over agreeing in God and working all their works in God agree also among themselves And this is that peace which all good men desire to advance with all men O that the Lord would enlarge all our hearts to the enterrainment of so large so general so necessary so truly a Christian Peace 2. Who the Parties are who are at difference THe parties at disterence have some things common among themselves And it is a sad thing to name it They are both by profession Ministers of the Gospel of Peace whose common Office it is to be Ambassadors of Peace These are the Parties at difference The Apostle describes them according to their common Function That they are Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the mysteries of God 1 Cor. 4.1 Howbeit though the parties at difference have one common Name and Office and are both called Ministers of the Gospel of Peace and Stewards of the Divine mysteries yet are they distinguished one from another in place and dignity And so there are three degrees of Ministers Bishops Presbyters and Deacons It is not my business or principal intention to decide the Questions whether a Bishop and a Presbyter be one and the same or whether a Bishop a Presbyter and a Deacon be distinct Orders and Degrees or whether a Bishop be of Divine Ordination or onely Ecclesiastical Constitution These and other Questions emergent have been judiciously handled by divers Learned men of the Church of England as Doctor Field Mr. Hooker Hadrian Saravia and others howbeit I shall not wholly decline the Controversies as I meet with them but shew my judgement and the ground of it Thus much we may generally observe that although every one of these Names importeth a proper and distinct Function yet is every one of them equivocally taken in Scripture as the name Bishop Acts 20.28 Presbyter 1 Pet. 5.1 Deacon 2 Cor. 3.6 besides other places I shall speak of them as they import their proper and distinct Function As to the first of these the Bishops The Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Episcopatus Episcopacy or Bishoprick is an Office which imports inspection and oversight of others An Office of great care and labor pains and industry He who desires it desires a good work 1 Tim. 3.1 This Office of Episcopacy or Inspection proceeds from proficiency and growth according to the increase of God in the obedient man as I shall shew more anon The Bishops Office is the same with the Apostles and is distinctly so named as one and the same with the Apostleship Acts 1.20 Let another take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Bishoprick And he who desires 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Bishoprick c. Nor is there any doubt but the Office under that name is by Apostolical tradition being so universal in all Churches where the Gospel was preached which therefore must be of Divine Institution unless we should think that the Apostles delivered any thing to the Church without Divine Authority And because there may be greater degrees of proficiency and growth according to the increase of God As also because there may be need even to the Overseers themselves of one or more who may oversee them qui custodiat ipsos Custodes as David though a Prophet yet had he his Seer besides the Bishops themselves there have been Archbishops and Overseers of the Bishops themselves Such degrees of Proficiency and Orders there were or at least the ground of them among the Apostles themselves So St. Paul saith he was not behinde the very chiefest Apostles 2 Cor. 11.5 such therefore there were And these were Pillars to support the Church Gal. 1. And of how great extent St. Peters Diocese was I know not but St. Pauls was as Oecumunical and universal as large as the Church it self For so he tells us That the care of all the Churches came upon him daily 2 Cor. 11.28 Nor is the like testimony to confirm St. Peters universal Archiepiscopacy as this is And therefore if St. Peter were an Archbishop and Primate of the Church St. Paul was an Archbishop and Primate of all the Churches and the exercise of that Function proves him to be an Archbishop for since Timothy and Titus must be Bishops who ordained Elders surely St. Paul must be an Archbishop who ordained Timothy and Titus Bishops Next to the Bishops are the Presbyters in order and degree though according to the time of institution and ordination the Deacons were made before them as appears Acts 6. compared with Acts 14.23 Presbyter is so called from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies old or an old man yea honorable in regard of old age which is or ought to be grave and venerable and experienced in many things whence persons so qualified are honorable Ezra 6.8 Hence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Presbyter hath his name which may be Englished Elder We may describe such an one according to his Office a Minister of the Church who teacheth the Word of God and administreth the Sacraments according to Acts 14.23 1 Tim. 5.17.19 Titus 1.5 James 5.14 A Presbyter considered according to his proper degree and rank is inferior to a Bishop because a Bishop is President and Overseer of the Presbyters For although every Bishop be a Presbyter yet every Presbyter is not a Bishop Thus every Bishop is a Minister as hath been before shewn but every Minister is not a Bishop which he observed not who therefore proves that Timothy was no Bishop because St. Paul calls him a Minister 1 Tim. 4.6 There is yet a third Ministry which hath properly that name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deaconship and indeed there is little left of this Office