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	time_n	5,907	5	3.9565	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56143	A brief, pithy discourse upon I Corinthians 14. 40. Let all things be done decently and in order. Tending to search out the truth in question: Whether it be lawfull for church-governours to command and impose indifferent decent things (not absolutely necessary) in the administration of Gods worship? Written some years past by a judicious divine, and seasonable for our present times	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1661 (1661)	Wing P3915; ESTC R219594	10,985	16

A BRIEF PITHY DISCOURSE Upon 1 Corinthians 14. 40. Let all things be done decently and in Order Tending to search out the Truth in this Question Whether it be Lawfull for Church-Governours to Command and Impose indifferent decent things not absolutely necessary in the Administration of Gods worship Written some years past by a Judicious Divine and Seasonable for our present Times Numb 15. 39. That yee may look upon it and remember all the Commandements of the Lord and do them and that yee seek not after your own heart and your own eyes after which yee use to go a Whoring Gregorius Magnus Pastoralium lib. 3. cap. 5. Aliter admonendi sunt subditi aliter Praelati illi ne subjectio Conterat illi ne-locus superior extollat illi ut humi●●ter subjaceant illi quoque ut temperantur praesint Bishop Pilkingtons Exposition on the Prophet A●di●s pag. ult It is not meet that God should be King and the Pope and Prelates to make Lawes for him to rule by But God Rules by his own Laws LONDON Printed in the Year 1661. A Brief Pithy Discourse upon 1 Corinthians 14. 40. Let all things be done decently and in Order ALL I conceive that this place 1 Corinthians 14. 40. Let all things be done decently and in order holdeth forth touching the point of Decency and Order may be summed up in these particulars First That the whole Church and every Member thereof are to perform all the duties of Gods worship in a decent and orderly manner Secondly What the Church and Members thereof are to do in this kind That the Church-Governours may and ought to see it done Thirdly That it being the duty of Church-Governours to see that all things in the Congregation be done decently and orderly It is therefore their part in eminent measure to be able to discern and judge what is decent and undecent what is orderly and disorderly Now when I say it is their part I mean it is their duty Their place and authority requireth it nor that they alwayes have a power Spirit of discerning to judge aright in this Case For it seemeth the High-Priest with the rest of his Brethren and Prophtes yea and David himself all of them thought it decent to bring back the Ark of the Lord upon a New Cart which afterward David himself saw and confessed it was not done after due order 1. Chron. 15. 13. From whence it appeareth since they also are subject to errours in this kind that it will not be safe for them to judge and declare the decency of things by no better a rule than their own wisedom judgement and pleasure But even they also as well as the people must be guided by such rules as the Holy Ghost direct thus unto in this Case which are the holy and infallible Scriptures and with Scripture Nature and Civil-Customes Yea and I willingly also admit the lawfull Custom of the Church or Congregation in which a man liveth For to judge of decency by all these Rules we have warrant in Scripture as 1 Cor. 14. 33 34. 1 Cor. 11. 14 16. And indeed they who are to approve themselves in all their proceedings as Paul did and as all Church-Masters ought to do to every Mans conscience in the sight of God ought to be seriously guideo by these patterns It is not fit for them I say to give for the ground of their proceeding their own wisedome and pleasure but it behooves them to justifie their doings therein from such rules as every good Conscience may see approveable 2 Cor. 1. 12. 13. c. 4. 2. Fourthly and lastly this place in hand holdeth forth also farther this truth that whatsoever thing the Church seeth by those former rules to be indifferent and decent or which Church-Governors shall by these rules declare so to be those things may and ought lawfully to be done For farther clearing whereof and the better describing of the power of Church-Governours in these matters It may be observed that of decent things lawfull to be done in Gods Church some are 1. Indifferent and decent only As to preach in a Gown or a Cloak whereof the one is no more necessary or expedient than the other But now they are become Laudable Ceremonies whereas before they were but Ceremonies alone Now are they become necessary Rites godly Institutions seemly Ordinances when as afore they had no such names and he that disobeyeth them shall not only be judged a Schismatick or Felon but also condemned as a Traytor against the King as Iohn Bale Bp. of Ossery writes in his Image of both Churches on Apoc. 13. f. 108. 2. Decent and Expedient As to abide in single life or to enter into mariage of which though mariage in time of persecution be indifferent yet single life is more expedient to prevent the troubles of the Flesh 1 Cor. 7. 26. c. 3. Necessary and decent either alwayes As for a Woman to keep silence in the Church Or at least Hic Nune in some places and at some times so as the neglect thereof would be uncomely and unexpedient by light of 1. Nature 2. Scripture 3. Custome As a Woman to be unvailed in the Congregation in Eastern Countries so to abstain from bloud whilst the eating of it was offensive to the Jewes Now for such things as are necessary and decent Church-Governours have power to give order and commandement concerning them As did the Synod at Ierusalem touching those things which they called Necessary to wit Necessary during the time of the offence of the Jews which was necessary to be avoided Acts 15. 28 29. 1. Cor. 20. 32. Of such things as are decent and expedient Church-Governors also have power to declare the Decency and Expediency of them yea and to advise and perswade the practise of them but not to give an Order or Law to binde the people thereunto farther than themselves shall find it expedient and decent for themselves Thus in point of abiding in Single-life in time of the Churches Distresse the Apostle gives his advise and judgement 1 Cor 7. 25 40. Yea and perswaded to it for avoyding trouble in the flesh Vers. 26. and 28. but would not bind them to it neither in point of Conscience nor of outward practise as having no command for it from the Lord V. 25. In which respect he calleth such a commandement if he had given it a Snare V. 35. And herein the power of the Church-Governours falleth short of the authoritie of Civill Majestrates who may in civill-matters make binding Laws for any thing expedient for publike weale which subjects are readily to submit unto 1 Pet. 2. 13. Tit. 3. 1. Rom. 13. 1. 2. 5. But Church-Governours have not the like power in matters Ecclesiastical to make binding Laws for any thing expedient in the Churches behoofe unlesse Necessity be joyned with expediencie Against this it may be objected Paul had power to

command Phil●mon that which was convenient Phil. 8. Therefore he might make a Law commanding the Church some expedient decent things It follows not For first it s one thing to give a Commandment for once and that in a particular case as here another thing to make a Law to bind One alwayes to doe the like Secondly it is one thing to command a particular person in case only of a private wrong who may owe himself to a Church-Governour as Philemon did to Paul Another thing to command yea to give a standing command binding Law to a whole Church in Worship or Ceremonies to whom he professeth himself only a Servant or Minister 2 Cor. 4. 5. over whom he hath no authority but only Stewardly or Economically to wit when he speaks in his Lords or Masters name not in his own As the Steward in a family hath not power over his Masters Spouse but when he speaks or shews his Masters command or directions not his own But of such things as are only Indifferent and Decent I do not find in Scripture that ever Church Governours did Lawfully advise and perswade them Much lesse charge and command them And that this place in hand 1 Cor. 14. 40. doth not give them any such power though it be much urged to this end may appear from these reasons First the place speaketh not of Indifferent Decent things but of Necessary Decent things only the neglect wherof was undecent and disorderly by the light of Nature Scripture Custom As for Men to wear long-hair women to be bare-headed brayd their hair for women to speak in the Congregation as also for men to speak many of them at once Secondly the words of this place run not thus Let all decent things be done Or let all things judged or declared by the Church-Governours to be decent be done but thus Let all things to wit all Ecclesiastical matters As all the Ordinances of God that are done in the Church all the duties of Gods worship Whether Praying Prophesying Psalmes Sacraments or the like be done decently orderly in orderly and decent manner But whether in that decent manner which Church Governours do appoint or in some other that the Apostle limitteth not but only requireth that all be done decently which if it be done in any decent manner gesture warranted by Scripture or Nature his rule here prescribed is fully observed and followed 3. Thirdly the same may appear out of this place by this argument If this Text of the Apostle did give power and authority to Church Governours to command indifferent decent things then he that should transgresse the commandement of the Church therein should also transgresse the commandement of the Apostle As look what Order or Acts of Justice any civil Governour doth by vertue of the Commission of the King He that violateth such Acts or transgresseth such Orders transgresseth also against the Commandement and Commission of the King But it appeareth to be otherwise in this case as for instance If the Church-Governours command a Minister to pre●ch alwayes in a Gown it being indifferent and decent so to do he that shall now and then preach in a Cloak transgresseth the command of the Church But not of the Apostle For he that preacheth in a Cloak preacheth also decently or else whereto serveth Tertullians whole Book de Pallio Now if so be it be done decently then it is all that the rule of the Apostle requireth in this point The like may be 〈◊〉 of praying and of receiving the Lords Supper standing kneeling or siting which are all three lawfull indifferent and decent gestures warranted by Scripture Presidents and Sitting the gesture which doubtless Christ and his Apostles used when they instituted and received the Lords Supper is a posture of Humility and Reberence as well as Kneeling alwaies used at Suppers and Feasts among all Nations as St. August Enarratio in Psal. 126. 138. ad Simplicianum l. 2. qu. 4. Gulielmus Stuckius Antiqu. Convivialium l. c. 33. l. 2. c. 34. and Walaeus in Mat. c. 26. p. 294 to 299 and in Mar. c. 11. v. 25. prove at large Therefore to confine Christians to pray or receive the Sacrament only kneeling not standing or sitting or else to censure or debar them from these Ordinances must needs be without the verge of this Text and so of Church-Governours Jurisdiction and a high encroachment upon their Christian Liberty But because this point is of great consequence both for Church Governours and others to be truly informed in give me leave to clear the same from some other arguments To wit That it is not in the power of Church-Governours to command things meerly decent and indifferent in the worship of God by Order of Law That so Prelates Clergy men may be right well assured God never gave unto them authority to make and establish so many Ceremonies and Traditions which be contrary to the liberty of the Gospel and are blocks in Christen mens wayes that they can neither know nor observe the same his Gospel in liberty of Conscience nor attain a ready way to Heaven as Iohn Purvey affirmed in his Articles Fox Acts and Monuments p. 7. 11. 712. First then that which exceeds the bounds of Apostolical authority and straightneth the bounds of Christian Liberty is not in the power of any Church-Governour to command But to command indifferent decent things by order of Law exceedeth the bounds of Apostolical authority and straightneth the bounds of Christian Liberty Ergo c. The former of these to witt that to command indifferent decent things exceedeth the bounds of Apostolical authority appeareth from the Commission granted to the Apostles which was the largest Commission that ever Christ gave to any Church-Governours Mat. 28. 20. Where our Saviour giveth them Commission to teach all Nations to observe all things whatsoever he had commanded them Now all things whatsoever he hath commanded them are Necessary not indifferent for the people to observe If therefore the Apostles over and above the Commandements of Christ which are necessary should teach the people to observe indifferent things also which Christ hath not commanded they shall exceed the bounds of their Commission 1 Cor. 11. 23. c. 14. 37. 1 Cor. 7. 6. 10. It will be in vain to object that our Saviour here speaketh only of matters of Doctrine and Faith not of Government and Order unlesse it could be proved that our Saviour else where did enlarge this Commission and gave them more unlimited power in matters of Government Order or Indifferency Which for ought I can see no man goes about to do unles it be from this place of the Corinth which hath been already cleared as I hope from any such meaning As for the second or latter part of the Assumption that to command indifferent Decent things straightneth the bounds of Christian Liberty is of it self evident For whereas for