Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	common_a	court_n	equity_n	4,332	5	10.6896	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25670	An anti-remonstrance to the late humble remonstrance to the high court of Parliament		1641 (1641)	Wing A3512; ESTC R13045	7,536	18

are deputing where in most of the members of it there is no free choise of election but Bishops Deanes and Arch-deacons have right to sit by their place and office where those of the lower House are like so manie stockes that have no motion but as they are carried by the members of the sphere of the higher house Who ever shall reade Matthaeus Paris and Matthaeus Westmonasteriensis and view the disfigured face of the Church of England under Henry the second Iohn Henry the third Kings of England will acknowledge that the Pope had more power and jurisdiction in England in the persons of his Bishops and Abbots then in any other Kingdome and will not wonder if Bishops have hitherto kept possession though they hold no more of the Pope nor will he easily be perswaded that that governement is of Divine or Apostolicall institution which hath ever beene contrary to the constitutions of the ancient Church and to Imperiall lawes and repugnant to the proceedings of all Courts of Iustice and common equity and sence These ten grounds or reasons which are rockie for upholding this assertion that Episcopall English government is Antichristian are sandie under the superstructure of the Authour of the Remonstrance for who doubts but an Ecclesiasticall Governement that is such cannot bee pleaded to be unalterable and not to bee removed though it were never so ancient since there is no prescription against Christ and the Apostles institution and that the number of yeares cannot make a lye to bee a truth yea rather many things are worse by age and an old man hath no more the beeing of man then a young man and a common-wealth no more then a Church is nothing the better for to be of an ancienter standing But as it is vaine and out of the question to prove Episcopacie to bee of Divine right and to have continued so many hundred yeares and to call unjust and weake the clamours of those that cry downe Episcopacie likewise it is no lesse lost labour to goe about to perswade the Honorable House with such earnestnesse not to give way to the change of Episcopacy which hath its pedegree from the Apostles for I know none of them that cry downe such an Episcopacie or giveth his conscent to pull it up few or none of them beleeving that the Episcopall governement as it is established in England is derived from the Apostles who ever affirmes that Priests are by Divine right will not consequently evince Divine right in the function of the Romish Priests The like may I say of Episcopall governement of these times in reference to that in the times of the Primitive Church As the Remonstrancers superstructure is like to be tottering if it be grounded upon that supposition that English Episcopall governement is Apostolicall so will it bee like to fall having no better ground then he layes downe viz. That Episcopacy or the eminent superiority of Bishops above their fellow Presbyters in the power of ordination and jurisdiction is of Divine institution and that that spirituall power hath beene by Apostolicall authoritie delegated unto Timothy and Titus and to the Angells of the Church of Asia Touching Timothy it is a wonder that Saint Paul writing to the Ephesians doth not so much as once make mention of him far is he to enjoyne him to keepe residence in his Diocesse where it is like hee made no great residence being upon every occasion sent from place to place by the appointment of Saint Paul and it appeareth by Ireneus Nicephorus and Eusebius that John the Apostle immediately after the councell of the Apostles Act the 15 did governe the Church of Ephesus untill the dayes of Trajan the Emperour I might also wonder that S. Paul who had a cooperatour in most things he did or wrote would ordaine Elders in Ephesus when they had at hand their Diocesan Bishop appointed for that work neither by the Angels of the seven Asian Churches are meant seven severall Diocesan Bishops for the things spoken to a single Angel are said to him under that title in the name of all the flocke within the precinct of one particular Church or congregation Thus the Angels Genes 32. v. 1. who met Jacob are in the 46. chap. verse 16. included in one Angel And it is the exposition of Calvin Psal 43. v. 7. that by a single Angel pitching his campe for the defence of the faithfull more then one yea all the good Angels are understood I say more that it is verie likelie that by the Angel of one Church not onely the Elders of that one Church are understood but also the whole Church it selfe else it will follow that for the sinne of one Bishop or a few Ministers if they had not repented the whole congregation had deserved to be bereaved of the light of the Gospel and the words some of you in the 2. chap. verse 10. whether they insinuate the whole Church or the Pastors of the Church doe shew they cannot be understood of one single Angel or Minister In the next place the Author of the Remonstrance saith in derision of the French discipline that Lay-Elders till this age had never any footing in the Christian Church I will not stand reasoning what great neede there is of Laymen to bee sharers with the Pastors in the administration of the Churches discipline onely to make good that such Lay Presbyters are grounded upon Scripture it is cleare out of the words of the Acts chap. 15. verse 22. It pleaseth the Apostles the Elders with the whole Church By the whole Church either the whole company of Elders or the chiefe of the people if not the whole Christian congregation present at Jerusalem is understood The former cannot be else by an uncouth tautologie in one little verse the Elders were said to have met with Elders It followes then that by the whole Church others be meant besides Bishops and Elders It matters not much whether they bee called Lay-Presbyters or not as long as the thing intended is granted viz. that the Laicke congregation may meddle in Churches affaires and give councell and assistance to the Pastors and bee as well as they arbiters and censurers of errors and disorders For further proofe thereof in the 14 of the Acts verse 23. though the English version hath When they had ordained Elders the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beares as much as that Elders were ordained by the advise of the congregation Again in the 6. of the Acts the whole multitude of Disciples is said to have chosen the seven Deacons of whom Saint Steven was one That by the multitude of the Disciples others are meant then the company of the Elders it is manifest by the ninth of the Acts verse 39. where Tabitha a woman is called an ancient Disciple And by the eleventh chap. verse 26. where it is said that the Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch The appellations of Disciples and Christians being promiscuously