Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
hand_n	bishop_n	church_n	presbyter_n	4,517	5	10.4419	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02486	The auncient ecclesiasticall practise of confirmation Confirmed by arguments drawne from Scripture, reason, councels, Fathers, and later writers. VVritten, vpon occasion of the confirmation of the Prince his Highnesse, performed on Munday in Easter-weeke, 1613. in the chappell at White-hall, by the right Reuerend Father in God, the Bishop of Bath and Wels, Deane of his Maiesties Chappell. By George Hakevvill, Doctor of Diuinitie, his Highnesse chaplaine in ordinarie. Published by authoritie.	Hakewill, George, 1578-1649.	1613 (1613)	STC 12614; ESTC S103566	14,283	32

In the third the Bishops and Fathers of the Church so that by vertue of this Succession the power of the Keyes and Imposition of Hands properly belongeth to them Now that the Apostles alone imposed hands not onely in Ordination but in Confirmation appeares out of the 8. of the Acts where when Phillip had baptised the Samaritanes it is said that the Apostles Peter and Iohn came downe from Ierusalem to confirme them with Prayer and Imposition of hands Vpon which place Saint Chrysostome directly concludes the administration of that Ceremonie to belong to Bishops And Augustine affirmes the Church in his time to haue obserued it in suis praepositis as hee speaketh in her Gouernours the like doth Saint Cyprian witnesse of his times and Saint Ambrose being himselfe a Bishop as also the former three giueth a reason for so doing ad Confirmationem vnitatis I take his meaning to be that the Bishops by approuing in Confirmation that which the inferiour Ministers had performed in Baptisme thereby established the peace of the Church as well by declaring their vnitie among themselues I meane of the Bishops with the inferiour Ministers as also by exacting of such as vvere confirmed an vniformitie or harmonie of Confessions To this reason of Saint Ambrose Saint Hierome in his Dialogue against the Luciferians addes another of no lesse moment vvhich is that the safetie of the Church depending vpon the authoritie of Bishops for the shunning of Schismes it was requisite some eminent specialties of power should be reserued and annexed to that place as namely Imposition of hands which hee there affirmeth was the custome of the Church for the Bishop to performe passing by the Country Parishes thereby blessing those vvhom the Presbyters and Deacons had baptized To these reasons of the holy Doctors and Fathers may be added the vvaight of Councels The first Canon of the Councell of Aurenge in France and the 20. of the first Councell held at Toledo in Spaine to which the Schoole-men and Canonists generally agree Nay Caluin himselfe in his Institutions confesseth in expresse tearmes that the Minister of it was aunciently a Bishop And Bucer in his Commentaries vpon the Fourth to the Ephesians Farther thinkes it to haue beene grounded vpon good reason And Doctor Raynolds in the second dayes Conference at Hampton-Court being challenged by the Lord Bishop of Winchester where euer he had read that CONFIRMATION was aunciently vsed by any other then Bishops by not encountring the challenge seemed to giue way vnto it I will close vp this Chapter also vvith those memorable wordes of Mr. Hooker in the place before alledged To pray for others is to blesse them for whom wee pray because prayer procureth the blessing of God vpon them especially the prayer of such as God eyther most respecteth for their pietie and zeale that way or else regardeth for that their Place and Calling bindeth them aboue others vnto this dutie as it doth both naturall and spirituall Fathers Indiuiduae Trinitati sit Gloria a Cap. de Confirm Quare satis est pro ritu quodam Ecclesiastico seu Ceremonia sacramentali Confirmationem habere b Cap. de Confirm In ritu Confirmationis fiebat exploratio doctrinae in quae singuli recitabāt summam doctrinae palā profitebantur se improbare ●urores Ethnicos Haereticos velle se esse manere verae Ecclesiae membra non discessur●s à vera sententia quam tū profitebantur Hic mos erat vtilis ad e●udiendos homines retinendus in vera agnitione dei c Cap. de rel Sacram. Confirmatio tum sumpsit exordi●̄ quum vulgo caep●tum est infante● tingi d Lib. 2. pag. 72 Talis ritus Confirmati●nis valde multum vtilitatis ad aedification●m iuuentutis totius Ecclesiae conferrat esset etiam consentaneus Scripturae priori Antiquitati Et paulo post Haec in Colloquio Ratisponensi Anno 1541. proposita fuerunt e Cap. 19. Para. 13. Vtinam vero m●rem retin remus quem apud vete●es fuisse admo● nui priusquam abor●●● haec sacramenti larua nasceretur Et paulo post Haec disciplin● si hodi● valeret pro●fecto parentum quorundam igna●ia acueretur qui liberorum institutionem quasi rem nihil● ad se pertinentem securè negligunt quam tum sine publico dedecore ●mittere non possent maior esset in populo Christiano fidei consensus nec tanta multorum inscitia ruditas non adèo temerè quidem nouis peregrinis dogmatibus ab●●perentur f Cl●s 4. Cap. 7. Sect. 4. Nec d●splicet vt ea Confirmatio habeatur qua pueri adul●iores ●ogantur fidem suam in Ecclesia confiteri in externa prof●ssione comprobare quod in Baptismo illis non sentientibus factū est ita tamen ne ex eiusmodi actione fabricemur Sacramentum g Cap. de Confirm Non est nobis dubium qui● Apostoli initio confirmati in die Pentecostes c●ntulerint impositione manuum admirandum donum spiritus sancti credentibus in Christum vt varijs linguis loguer●ntur se●timus vtilissimum vt pueri adolescentes ●a Pastoribus Ecclesi●e suae in Catechismo ex●mmentur siquidem pi● rectè fuerint eruditi approbentur sin ●ra●è emendentur h Cap. 70. Quo● igi●ur in ista inquisitione comperieb●nt ita pro●ecisse vt digni viderentur qui reliquo coetu● adiu●gerentur eos in fide confirmatos impositis man●bus publicè sui● precibus De● Ecclesiae commendabant i In vers 2. Cap. 6. Heb. Imposition of hands vvith Prayer vvhich vvas the olde and p●re Ceremonie of Confirmation vve doe not speake against k Et 8. Act. vers 14. The Primitiue Church had nothing in their Cat●chisme or inst●uction that vvas taught by vvord of mouth but that vvhich vvas contain●d in the holy Scripture as all the Articles of the Creed the doctrine of Repentance before Baptisme the manner and vse of Baptisme Confirmation by imposition of hands and such like Page 794. Page 197. See the 25. Article and Rogers vpon it a Liu. dec 1. lib. 1. b 2 King 5. 11. Gen. 48. 14. Numb 27. 18 Matth. 9. 18. Marc. 5. 23. Mat. 19. 13. c Hyperius in 6. ad Heb. Bulling ibidem Atq●● vtinam haec postliminio ad nos redeat manuum impositio ritus sanctissimus iuxta● v●il●ss●mus d Manuum imposition●m cum baptismo coniungit quia vt du● erant Catechumenorum ordines itaduplex erat Cer●monia nam qui eran● extran●i non ante perueniebant ad Baptismum quam ed●ta ●ide● professione in illis ergo Catechesis Baptismum precedere sole●at at liberi fidelium quoniam ab vtero adoptati erant iure promissionis pertinebant ad Corpus Ecclesiae Infantes bap●izibantur transacta verò infantia postquam instituti erant in fide se quoque ad Catechesin offerebant quae in illis

beene very aunciently vsed not onely in Ordination of Ministers but in Confirmation of such vvho in the Congregation publikely professed the doctrine of their Catechisme And the first of them affirmeth it to haue beene in vse in his time in the C●urch of Wirtenberge and such as depended on that 8 Now I the rather presse these testimonies of later VVriters because I know there are some whose iudgements not without reason are much swayed with their Authoritie and for the generall Concurrence of antiquitie I thinke among the learned there is little question 9 The most auncient Councils of Eliberis in Spaine and Arles in France deliuer as much vpon record not onely commending but commanding the vse of this Ceremonie in their seuerall Acts. And Tertullian in his Booke of the resurrection of the flesh doth not so much aduise what should be done in this case as witnesse what the Catholike Church did in his time The Flesh saith hee is ouer-shadowed by the imposition of Hands that the Soule may be enlightened with the Spirit of Grace VVhich vvords of his seeming to ascribe too much to imposition of Hands giue mee leaue to interprete as Caluin doth Leo Bishop of Rome vnderstanding by the conferring of the holy Spirit Inuocation by earnest and heartie Prayer that it may be conferred where it is not and the Gifts and effectuall Operation of it increased where it is alreadie 10 Thus doth Saint Augustine himselfe whom Caluin seldome leaues expound the giuing of the holy Ghost by Imposition of Hands Hee saith hee speaking of Christ both receiued the holy Ghost and dispensed it receiued it as man dispensed it as God but we receiue it indeede but dispense i● not howbeit wee call vpon him for the dispensing and pouring of it forth on those on whom wee lay our hands And in another place shewes what is meant by pouring out the Holy Ghost since the ceasing of Miracles For now-a dayes saith hee the holy Ghost is not giuen through Imposition of Hands for the working of outward and sensible Miracles as heretofore it was that so the strangenesse of the Faith professed might the sooner be entertayned and the narrow bounds of the Church further enlarged for who now expecteth that they on whom hands are laid for the receiuing of the holy Ghost should presently beginne to speake with strange tongues but inuisibly the Loue of God is poured into their hearts by the secret working of the Holy Ghost To vvhich accordeth that of Bullinger on the 8. of the Acts borrowed as it seemes out of Amalarius By the outward Ceremony of the Imposition of Hands is meant that the Holy Ghost is not giuen by any strength of ours but by the hand that is the Power of God 11 I vvill conclude this Chapter with the vvords of Mr. Hooker in his fift Booke of Ecclesiasticall Policie with Prayers of Spirituall and personall Benediction the manner hath beene in all ages to vse Imposition of Hands as a Ceremonie betokening our restrayned desires to the partie vvhom vvee present vnto GOD by Prayer CHAP. III. Of the restrayning of Confirmation to the Order of Bishops 1 THat there should be an Order consisting in distinct degrees and a subordination of Offices as well in Ecclesiasticall as Ciuill Gouernment the common Practise of all Nations Iewish Heathenish Christian and the voyce of Nature and Reason seeme to proclaime that disparitie which ariseth betweene the Superiour and the Inferiour being the chiefest meanes of lincking and vniting the seuerall parcels of the whole Societie in a mutuall correspondence and reciprocall proportion of Loue and Dutie To this purpose that Bishops were superiour to other Ministers all Antiquitie with one consent if you except Aiërius who for dissenting in this poynt vvas accounted an Heretique by Epiphanius and Augustine doth acknowledge distinguishing three degrees of Ministers Bishops Presbyters Deacons answerable to the High Priest Priests and Leuites among the Iewes Ignatius who liued in the Apostles times often mentioneth this distinction as namely in his Epistle 〈◊〉 the S●yrnians Let the Lay-men saith hee be subiect to the Deacons the Deacons to the Presbyters the Presbyters to the Bishop the Bishop to Christ. And Saint Hierome notwithstanding by reason of his Controuersie with the Bishop of Ierusalem hee were held an aduersarie to the state of Bishops in his Epistle to Euagrius calleth it an Apostolicall Tradition That wee may know saith hee that the Apostolicall Traditions are taken out of the olde Testament looke what Aaron and his Sonnes and the Leuites were in the Temple the same let the Bishops Presbyters and Deacons challenge in the Church Now then as among the Iewes Aarons Sonnes iustly challenged many prerogatiues aboue the Leuites and againe Aaron himselfe aboue his Sonnes so among Christians doe the Presbyters aboue the Deacons and the Bishops aboue the Presbyters specially considering that as the distinction of Presbyters and Bishops was shadowed vnder the Law in Aaron and his Sonnes so vnder the Gospell is it established by referring their seuerall Succession the one to the Apostles the other to the 70. Disciples For that Bishops succeeded in the roome of the Apostles besides many other testimonies the Councill of Neocaesarea witnesseth Irenaeus in his third Booke and 3. Chapter Ambrose in his Commentaries vpon the 4. Chapter to the Ephesians Augustine vpon those vvordes of the 45. Psalme Instead of thy Fathers shall thy Children be And lastly S. Hierome vpon the same words and againe in his Epistle to Marcella touching the errours of Montanus But lest I be here mistaken as also for the opening of a clearer passage to my present purpose giue mee leaue to vnfolde my meaning in vvhat sence Byshops most properly are said to succeede the Apostles For the better vnderstanding of which Position vvee must obserue that the Apostles transcendently comprehended in their persons the vvhole Hierarchie of the Church as now it is and some-what aboue them all for first they were members of the Church as being Christians secondly they were Presbyters as being to preach the Gospell and administer the Sacraments thirdly they vvere Bishops for iurisdiction and imposition of Hands fourthly they vvere Apostles for the large circuit of their Commission for being called immediately by Christ himselfe for being furnished with the infallible assurance of his truth and visible assistance of his Spirit ●n speaking diuers tongues curing diseases working Miracles knowing secrets and lastly not onely for receiuing the Holy Ghost themselues in miraculous manner and measure but also for imparting it to others In this last regard I meane for their Apostolique charge they left none to succeede them this calling being extraordinary and to endure but for a time but the other three were all ordinary and consequently capable of succession In the first roome succeeded them all that professe the Gospell In the second all the Ministers of the Gospell

in his Antithesis or Opposition betwixt Papisme and Christianisme 13 Lastly among our owne men Doctor Fulke in his answere to the Rhemish Annotations alloweth Imposition of Hands with Prayer to haue beene the old and pure Ceremonie of Confirmation And in another place affirmeth that the Primitiue Church was taught it out of the VVord of God And Doctor Raynolds in the second dayes Conference at Hampton-Court howbeit he tooke some exceptions against a supposed difference betwixt the wordes of the Communion-Booke and the 25. Article touching Confirmation yet for ought I finde hee findeth no fault with the Rite it selfe as it is now enioyned in the Church of England Nay Mr. Cartwright himselfe in the first edition of his Admonition confesseth that the Confirmation of Children is very auncient and that it hath beene well instituted Howbeit in another place forgetting himselfe hee referres the originall of it to the fained Decretall Epistles of the Popes vnderstanding thereby as it seemes eyther Melchiades Epistle to the Bishops of Spaine or that of Fabianus to the Easterne Bishops or that of Iohn the 3. to the Bishops of Germanie CHAP. II. Touching Imposition of Hands in Confirmation 1 AMong those vvho allow the vse and end of Confirmation as we haue in the first Chapter vnfolded it there are n●twithstanding some who eyther out of Ignorance or desire of Contradiction or too much nicenesse except against the Ceremonie of Imposition of hands vsed in it as sauouring of Poperie others against the restrayning of it to the Administration of Bishops as a relique of Antichrist VVherefore hauing cleared these two points I see no difficultie but that the most tender in this case were there no Ecclesiasticall Iniunction to enforce it might be induced to the entertayning and embracing of it considering withall that as vvee retaine that which is due vnto it so haue wee abandoned from it that which latter ages haue thrust vpon it as vndue First then of Imposition of hands 2 The Hand is a member proper vnto man alone and is by Aristotle tearmed the Instrument of Instruments because it both frames and directs them all the vse of it being no lesse diuers then needfull as well in sacred and religious as naturall and ciuill Actions 3 But the most generall and notable vse of the Hands in sacred actions is the Imposition of them eyther for the blessing and consecrating of them on vvhom they are laid to God or for the separating and ordayning of them to roomes and offices of diuine calling or for the curing of their diseases or for reconciling of them to the Church after sufficient demonstration made of their repentance or lastly for confirming of them in that grace vvhich they haue receiued in Baptisme that as they beleeue remission of sinnes vnto Iustification so they may be imboldened to make open profession of this beliefe vnto Saluation 4 Now this vse of Imposition of hands in solemne and sacred actions seemes to be founded vpon Nature it selfe since we find it to haue beene vsed in the Consecration of Numa and that Naaman expected it from Elizeus for the curing of his Leprosie 5 Neyther was it peculiar to the Gentiles but more vsuall among the Iewes Thus when Israel blessed Ephraim and Manasses Iosephs Sonnes hee imposed vpon them his Hands and prayed Thus God commanded Moses to dedicate Ioshua as his Successor by laying his hands on him At the comming of our Sauiour their suites that came vnto him for helpe were also tender●d in such formes of speech as shew that hee was himselfe an obseruer of that Custome And to steppe one degree neerer to our purpose they brought vnto him little Children saith the Text that hee should put his Hands o● them and pray and to manifest his Approbation of it hee controuled his Disciples for rebuking them that came vnto him 6 After the Ascention of our Lord and Sauiour that which hee had begunne vvas practised by the Apostles and hath beene since continued in the Christian Church downe to this present time nay and in those very Churches from vvhich it is banished it is againe wished for as an holy and profitable Institution 7 And sure for mine owne part when I throughly consider that of the Apostle in the 6. to the Hebrewes of the fundamentall Points of Christian Religion namely of Repentance from dead Workes of Faith towards God of the Doctrine of Baptismes and laying on of Hands of the Resurrection from the dead and eternall Iudgement I cannot thinke of Confirmation performed by Imposition of Hands but as of a part of the Apostles Catechisme since it is agreed vpon both by Caluin and Beza and Piscator that those foure poynts of Repentance of Faith of the Resurrection and the last Iudgement were proposed to such as were not baptised till they arriued to yeeres of discretion before their admittance to baptisme but to Infants baptised at the time of their Confirmation or Imposition of Hands when they came to the vse of reason Nay this one passage saith Caluin doth sufficiently testifie that the source and head-spring of this Ceremonie flowed first from the Apostles it being instituted by them as a solemne forme of Prayer and an argument of approuing that confession which was made in Confirmation So then saith hee let vs remoue the Superstition but retaine the Institution hauing shewed before that this Superstition chiefly consisteth in making it a Sacrament and with-drawing from the vertue and dignitie of Baptisme to magnifie and enrich it And lest he might seeme casually to let so much droppe from his penne to like purpose is that in his Booke of Institutions where hee affirmeth that imposition of hands was vsed in Confirmation thereby to purchase more respect and reuerence to so holy and sacred an action and vvisheth it restored againe to its pure vse It may seeme strange I suppose to some that Caluin should thus speake but if any make a doubt of it and thinke I doe him wrong I desire his words may be sifted and my reputation cleared from such aspersions which may be I graunt deseruedly cast vpon mee through mis-vnderstanding but neuer I hope of malice yet the rather to winne credit and waight to that vvhich I haue deliuered of Caluin I will cast into the same Scale the opinion of Kemnitius assuring vs that Imposition of Hands in Confirmation may now-adayes be well vsed without superstition and of Bucer affirming that if any Church held this Rite or Signe as hee calleth it to be peculiar to the Apostles times I would not too hardly censure such a Church saith he yet would I endeauour to draw it from that conceit And for making the number full to these may be added the testimonie of Hunnius Illyricus Tossamus Grynaeus vvho all ioyntly confesse this Ceremonie of Imposition of hands to haue