Selected quad for the lemma: order_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
order_n	apostle_n	bishop_n	deacon_n	3,197	5	10.6688	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26279	Aaron's rod blossoming, or, The orthodox government of the Church of England by bishops, presbiters, and deacons, asserted from the practice of the apostles, the testimony of councils, synods, fathers and doctors, from the apostles time to this day ...		1680 (1680)	Wing A43; ESTC R22486	17,618	40

Flock under you until God shew who shall be your Governour and hereby establishes Superiority to Bishops and enjoyns the Presbyters Obedience The same Father in an Epistle to the Ephesians acknowledgeth Onessimus named often by Paul to be their Bishop and exhorts them saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it becomes you submit your selves to your Bishops Advice Thus here we find St. Pauls Charge or Ordination observed and followed by Ignatius who lived in the first Century and whose Worth and Authority clouds of Witnesses do confirm In the same Journey he writes to the Church of Smirna and salutes their Bishop by name and exhorts the Flock 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to follow their Bishop as Jesus Christ did his Father and the Presbytery as the Apostles The Bishop here spoken of was Policarpus as Ireneus his Successour affirms multa accepit ab illo de sancti Johannis vita conversatione Cotemporary with Ireneus and by whom he was informed in many things concerning St. John's Life and Conversation In the life time of Trajan the Emperour St. John returning from his Banishment out of Patmos where he wrote the Revelations summoned the Seven Bishops who are conceived to be those named in the Apocalips the Angels of the Seven Churches and used their Ministry for setling and ordering his own Metropolis of Ephesus and the other Churches in Asia as the antient Greek Records found in the Library of Photius testifie Concerning this Apostolical Superiority and practice of Constitution and Ordination of Bishops is frequent mention in Ireneus Eusebius and Jerom. So that by that which hath been said we see that Episcopacy is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 warranted by the practice of the Apostles because that viventibus constituentibus confirmantibus Apostolis viris Apostolicis patribus doctoribus testantibus The Apostles and Apostolick men being alive seing it appointing it and confirming it and the Fathers and Doctors being eye-witnesses thereof there were these three distinct Degrees in the Clergy viz. Bishops Presbyters Deacons Now to the Second Point That Episcopacy is Analogical to the Institution of the Church Government of the Jews in the Old Testament which Moses as a Prince did establish by Gods appointment in the Wilderness and which continued in force till the Veil of the Temple rent and the Gentiles became Heirs to Abraham And the Promises made to him were made good to us his Heirs by Faith and Adoption Because the Jews Abrahams Heirs according to the Flesh by their own default and disobedience forfeited their Interest in that Conveyance of Inheritance which they claimed from their Father Abraham by the Evidences registred in Moses and the Prophets Episcopacy and Subordination thereto I say holds Analogy and a kind of proportion of the Jewish-Church-Government for God in it appointed an High-Priest Priests and Levites subordinate one to the other such is the Subordination of the three Degrees in the Clergy In the New-Testament-Church St. Jerom near the end of his Epistle to Evagrius observes and says scimus traditiones Apostolorum sumptas de veteri Testamento quod Aaron filii ejus atque Levitae in templo fuere Hoc Episcopi Presbiteri Diaconi sibi vindicant in Ecclesia scil Christiana The Orders delivered to the Church by the Apostles were taken out of the Old Testament the same Subordination which was in Aaron his Sons and the Levites now appear in the Christian Church in our Bishops Presbyters and Deacons This proportion is made undeniable by St. Jude who Charges some in the Christian Church with the Gainsaying of Korah now there can be no gainsaying like that of Korah in the Christian Church except there be distinction and subordination of Superiours and Inferiours in the Clergy as there was in Korah's time and was gainsaid by him and his Complices desirous of superiour honour and of higher degrees and places than they had a Calling unto Here then you see that God would have a Proportion of Church-Government betwixt the Old and New-Testament And it is further worthy the observation that both the Church and Common-wealth of the Jews had in their Government a kind of proportion establisht by God For the Church was Monarchical in Aaron Aristocratical in some Select Priests and Levites so was the Common-wealth Monarchical in Moses Aristocratical in some Select Princes of each Tribe governing under Moses and Democratical in the rest and in the whole Body of the People And such is the proportion betwixt our Church and Common-wealth and such hath it been from the first foundation this will I hope appear when I come to speak of the Succession in our Church and what kind of Government thus suitable to that of the Jews is in any one Church may be in all Churches namely all degrees of men subordinate to their Princes and all Princes or Kings subordinate to Christ without having any King on earth Head over the rest As all the degrees of men in the Churches were subordinate to the Apostles and the Apostles going to several and far remote Nations were all equally subordinate to Christ To conclude this then seeing the Constitution of Episcopal Government is so agreeable to that which is most absolute and was establisht by that Wisdom that no other Common-wealth and Church ever was as one observes dictante Deo Constituente Mose God ordaining it and Moses putting it in Practice why should any endeavour to alter it It is held an Axiome amongst Architectors that it is not wisdom to pull down a main Post of a Building especially so antient and well settled except we be sure to settle and fix another which is right and fitted to our purpose which yet for all the Workmans skill may have a private Flaw in it which cannot be discovered and so may the Building fall on the Builders Heads Thus much for the Analogie and Proportion betwixt Episcopacy and the Church-Government of the Jews Now in the Third place I come to prove That Episcopacy was pointed at and in some sort deciphered in the New-testament What I produced before concerning the Authority of Ordination Convention Punishment and Reward put upon some special persons may serve sufficiently to this purpose Yet something more I will here add Be it so that when the Apostle says If any desire the Office of a Bishop he desires a good work that this is spoken of an Inferiour Bishop or Presbiter which is an Overseer of the People committed to his charge as well as of a Bishop Superiour who hath the oversight of the Clergy and People Yet will it follow that if the Office of an Inferiour Bishop or Overseer of his Flock be a good Work as indeed it is then much more they who have laboured in that painful Harvest first and afterward in their elder Years are advanced to the Superiour Bishops Office of Overseeing the Clergy of Ordaining Conventing and the like as aforesaid undergo and perform 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉

prebere because they would not submit to Austin's Will For this was indeed the quarrel as our Writers say This their refusal to yield to Austin the Monk I produce as a Proof that the Christians which he found here held in many things with the Eastern Churches as having their Doctrine from Jerusalem and Sion whence the Gospel was to be sent Isaiah 2.3 Malachi 4.2 to the Nations and whence as Salvation went Psal 14.7 so likewise the Doctrine of Salvation for Christ who gave the Apostles Commission to go to all Nations and preach the Gospel did bid them stay at Jerusalem not at Rome till the Holy Ghost had furnisht them with Gifts for the work commanded This further appears by that resolute Answer which the Abbot of Bangor gave to Austin the Monk Anno 601. viz. that he and his acknowledged no Superiority in the Bishop of Rome over them nor any Superiour but their own Arch-Bishop Caer Leonis or as some will have it Senovensis qui sub Deo solus possitus fuit super illos ad super videndum ad faciendum illos servare viam spiritualem who alone was under God made an Overseer or Bishop to them that he might make them observe the Spiritual way Seing this stout Champion thus answered it is propable that they were of the Primitive Institution And this I rather give credit to because if the Bishop of Rome had then held the present Tenent of that Church viz. that their City is the Spiritual Metropolis and that their Bishop is Caput Ecclesiae our Predecessours would have acknowledged the Pope and his See as they had been taught But Baronius saith that our English Bishops are as Antient as those of Rome and it is probable they were For this we have good proof that at a Council held at Arles Anno 314 we had three Bishops viz. Eborius de Civitate Eboraci Episcopus Restitutus de Civitate Londini Episcopus Eldelphius de Civitate Coloniae Londinensium exinde Sacerdos Presbyter Arminius Diaconus Eborius Bishop of York Restitutus Bishop of London Eldelphius Bishop of Colchester and after them Sacerdos a Presbyter Arminius a Deacon These subscribed in this Council here therefore I observe that in the year 314 we had Bishops Presbyters and Deacons the very Government now in question and Romish they were not as I conceive because they then acknowledged not a Subordination to Rome and because Urban the Second called Learned Anselme Patriarcha Brittanniae the Patriarch of Brittain Therefore methinks it should not now be questioned whether Episcopacy be a Romish Relique but rather that it should be confirmed as an Evangelical Ordinance and as Antient as the first Institution of Churches and as a Calling appointed by the Apostles What more have we for Baptism of Infants What more for our Lords Day or Sunday but convincing Deductions from the Scriptures or the Practice of the Apostles and the Observation of the same in the Churches of God successively to this very day And yet we hold both these to be Sacred Ordinances and of Divine Institution though they be both questioned by some men of the Reformed Churches as Episcopacy is among some of Ours The Case is alike and as clear if not clearer for Episcopacy that it had a Divine Institution If what is formerly said satisfie not I will only use this Argument more to prove that Episcopacy is jure divino If the Charge given Tim. 1.6 14. be to Timothy personally and be perpetual then it is to One person namely to Timothy and to the Successours in his place for Timothy was Mortal so that the perpetuity of the Charge must reach to all his Successours until the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ But the Charge is personal to Timothy and perpetual even to the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ therefore it is to one person viz. to Timothy and to his Successours for ever Object If it be here objected that the Charge was given to Timothy as elsewhere the Keys to Peter and according to that which is said quod dixit Petro dixit ceterisque Apostolis what was spoke to Peter was spoke to the other Apostles also Answ I answer It is true for what was said to Timothy was said ceterisque Episcopis Successoribus corum both to other Bishops and their Successours as Christ's giving the Keys to Peter was to him and the other Apostles but not to all Disciples Deacons and Widdows To sum up all Since it appears that Episcopacy Presbytery and Diaconatus are according to the practice of the Apostles Analogical to the Institution of the Jewish Church appointed by God and establisht by Moses pointed at and in some sort deciphered in the New-Testament and strongly insinuated by the Successours of the Apostles to have been received and practised by them as commended to them by Divine Authority Since these three Orders in our Church are derived so high have continued so long even from the Primitive times to this day we may well conclude that as Presbyters and Deacons so Bishops are jure divino especially seeing Episcopacy is so generally confirmed and hath been so constantly continued by the Aphstles Apostolick men Councils Fathers and Doctors And much the rather I am induced thus as I have said to judge of Episcopacy because the contrary part have not the like Proofs Warrant and Approbation for their Presbytery and can bring no sufficient and convincing Authority for a Quarterly or Yearly President joynt Presbyters and Lay-Elders usurping Pastoral and Episcopal Jurisdiction And here in confidence of my Cause I add That if they have any lawful General Council or any Synod except their own which established Church-Government by such a President Presbyters and Lay-Elders as aforesaid I will renounce my Opinion and yield the Cause Now it concernes us very much to be well advised and truly to judge of these Matters because it appears in a Seditious Pamphlet entituled the Prelates Pride that the Author thereof and such as he is care not what Government be established so that Popery which we wish more rightly than they may be abolisht Episcopacy and the present Government which how inconvenient it may be they know not may be abolisht and they have Liberty and Toleration which what settled State will permit to profess what Religion they please to make choice of and what shall best suit their own Interest the Card they commonly sail by So may we have as many Religions as there be at Amsterdam and unpeople all our Plantations by calling home many Phanatical Scismaticks who under colour of dislike of the Church-Government here have fallen out with our Religion and framed to themselves divers Opinions if not Religions contrary to ours not only in Form but Reality Seeing then there is but one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of All let us endeavour to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace That there may be one Body and one Spirit even as we are Called in one Hope of our Calling Eph. 4. Let us stick fast to that one Truth which we are taught and be stedfast in one Faith and agree jointly with one accord like Children of the same Father and Mother Let us not loose the Honour of our Church-Government but reform the personal Errours if any such be and sinde Reformation signifies nothing else but the reduceing and setting Matters into the Form in which they were most perfect let us constantly bold our selves to the Form kept and practised in the primitiver and purest Times and in the First and Second Centuries in which we shall find the Order Episcopal Presbyterial and Diaconal observed and ever since confirmed by National Synods and Councils of our own near 1400 years ago or 1000 at least and practised in many Successions before and since Nothing now remains but Prayers and Endeavours for the Continuance of the Establishment of the present Government of the Church of England which is so agreeable to the Antient Constitution Only now here I wish that we may save the Honour of our dear and aged Mother and punish her Sons if any have dishonoured her by pride tyranny covetousness or any other way and that the Church and Common-wealth may hold such Correspondency as they did in the days of David and as Kings were nursing Fathers and Queens nursing Mothers to the Church in her Infancy so in her Age she may find Kings to support her if weak And if any of her Children be like Eli's their Father may correct them so that their Mother may not be dishonoured and ruined I conclude with that of St. Augustine si quid tota ecclesia hodie frequent at per orbem hoc quin ita sit faciendum disputare insolentissimae est insaniae if any thing at this day be of frequent use in the whole Church to question and dispute whether it ought so to be is a most insolent Madness Epist. 118 and that it is Arianism to say That Presbyters in Common Acception are equal to Bishops such as were Successours of the Apostles and such as St. Augustin himself was This Epiphanius reckons it among the Antient Heresies and time hath not bettered it And whether it resembles and comes near the Antilogie of Korah or not my self not being rigid and prone to censure I leave to be determined by Others FINIS