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	church_n	speak_v	2,219	5	4.9080	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51403	The clergyman's office, and the clergyman's due a sermon preach'd at the Triennial Visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God Edward, Lord Bishop of Gloucester at Campden, Octob. 7, 1698 / by Robert Morse ...	Morse, Robert, 1660 or 61-1703.	1699 (1699)	Wing M2815; ESTC R4155	14,141	25

Brotherly Love and Respect Neighbourly Visits especially in any Affliction extraordinary Emergency or Occasion but above all by the Gravity of our Deportment and the Lustre and Ornament of Sober and Religious Lives Where there is such a Ministry as God be thanked ours is And Honour is due Divines that have been Episcopally Ordain'd according to the custom of the Church from the Apostles times having been strictly examined as to their Abilities before admitted Graduates in the Universities afterward before the Imposition of Hands for the Susception of Holy Orders by the Holy Prelates of the Church themselves or by persons of Learning and Integrity deputed by them whom they can safely confide in for that weighty purpose These are the Levites that as the Scripture speaks the Laity are not to forsake as long as they live upon the earth Deut. 12.19 such are to be reverenc'd for their works sake the Message which they came upon being no less than the Reconciliation of Men to God the Salvation of their unvaluable and immortal Souls Which is one great meaning of the not quenching the Spirit that as the Ministers of the Gospel should not by neglect of their Office and illness of their lifes which God avert drive off the Holy Spirit from assisting them in their Labour but keep up Godliness and Religion by devout Prayer and good Preaching joyned with a sober exemplary Life and Conversation so where such persons and gifts are seen none should be averse to them as if they were false Prophets None should rob them of their Tithes and Dues which is call'd robbing of God Malac. the 3d. and v. 8. and such sacriligious Persons are said to be cursed with a Curse in the verse following None should wrong them in their good Names by execrable Lies and Villainous Slanders or any way grieve or misuse them none should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as I may so speak haters of the Clergy which yet more than a good many are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lovers of the Clergy remembring that antient observation Qui vera fide colit Deum amat etiam Sacerdotum He that loveth God in sincerity loves his Ministers so too and as the Apostle speaks let us be so accounted of as Ministers of Christ and stewards of the Mysteries of God 1 Cor. 4.1 And that all we that are Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God may be found faithful in our several Stations which is required of us v. 2 of that Chapter May the Good Spirit of God guide and direct us that thus by the goodness of our Lives and soundness of our Doctrine we may save both our selves and them that hear us 1 Tim. 4.16 4. Which introduces the Fourth and last Particular Despise not Prophecying i. e. Genuine Interpretations of the Word of God the Holy Scriptures nor consequently those that make them such as labour in the Word and Doctrine as the Apostle's expression is to Timothy 1 Tim. 5.17 The Holy Scripture is the Rule that we are all to walk by and the Expounding of this and the exciting our Brethren from the Examples Precepts Promises and Threats thereof how to deport themselves is our Ministerial Office and Duty That the word Prophecy is Interpreting Scripture and preaching upon it is evident from the 14 Chap. of the 1 Ep. to the Cor. v. 1. Follow after Charity and desire spiritual gifts but rather that ye may prophecy and v. 3.4 He that Prophecieth speaketh unto men to Edification and Exhortation and Comfort he that speaketh in an unknown Tongue edifieth himself but he that prophecieth Edifieth the Church This was our Saviour Christ's Prophetick Office to make known the Will of God to the World and so all that have in any good degree done the like are stiled Prophets all that have Taught men their Duty towards God and man Thus among the Pagans the Divines who taught them what they ought to do their Priests or Religious Persons were termed Vates Prophets The word doth always imply such as are indu'd with a Spirit of foretelling future Events but as Grammarians informs us naturally signifies no more than a Procurator or Prolocutor speaking from or instead of another or acting in his stead as a Pro-Consul is he that supplies the Consul's Place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Composition being the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Upon this account the Jewish High-Priest was a Prophet to his People who entring into the Sanctum Sanctorum the Holy of Holies to inform himself of God's Will was to reveal the same to the People In the like Sense it is that God saith to Moses concerning Aaron He shall be thy Spokesman to the People and he shall be to thee a mouth and thou shalt be to him instead of God Exod. 4.16 That which is here render'd Spokesman Orator or Prolocutor is Chap. 7.5 Interpreted Prophet See saith God I have made thee a God to Pharaoh and Aaron thy brother shall be thy Prophet In the acceptation of speaking from Man to God Abraham is call'd a Prophet Gen. 20. v. 7. where God in a Dream speaketh to Abimilech in this manner Now therefore restore the man his wife for he is a Prophet and he shall pray for thee Whence may be inferr'd that the Appellation of Prophet may be ascribed not improperly to them who in Christian Congregations have a due Ministerial Call to put up publick Petitions for their People and Administer all the Offices of Religious Worship Now though the Word of God it self in this degenerate Age is despised by many evil Men under the Notion of Reveal'd Religion which they are great Contemners of yet since it is clear as the Sun that it is unjustly and groundless no Writings whatsoever having the like Authentick Truth as the Learned Bishop Stillingfleet in his Origines Sacra makes appear So I take those Words to be Reflection sufficient upon them and which ought to be a Terror to them from the Examples of others as being spoken on the like occasion Acts 13.41 Behold the desisers and wonder and perish The Despisers of the Gospel are here particularly threatned for disbelieving and rejecting our Saviour's Resurrection and other Divine Works fore-told by the Prophets long before And what if the Romanists vilifie this Word of God in comparison with their Traditions their Foolish and Ridiculous Legends as the Pharisees of old is it ever the worse in it self No 't is for this very reason that they do it assign'd by St. John chap. 3.20 Every one that doth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved And as for those that call it a Dead Letter doubt we not upon the good evidence we have but they receiv'd it from those Deluders the first Projectors of this rude and ill manner'd antick and ridiculous Profession As to us Ministers of the Church of England we desire upon all accounts to have the Scripture for