Selected quad for the lemma: order_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
order_n	bishop_n	ordain_v	ordination_n	2,930	5	10.6276	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85836	A petition for the vindication of the publique use of the Book of Common-Prayer, from some foul, but undeserved aspersions lately cast upon it And for the asserting of the publique use of set-forms of prayer, and dispensing the holy Sacraments. Occasioned by the late ordinance for the ejecting of scandalous, ignorant, and insufficient ministers and school-masters. As also thirty seven quæres concerning the said ordinance, and the particulars thereof. Humbly presented to the most Honourable and highest court of Parliament, now convened at Westminster, anno 1654. With a true account rendred in an epistle prefixed, and an appendix subjoyned, both of the printing and presenting the same. By Lionel Gatford, batchelour in Divinity.	Gatford, Lionel, d. 1665.	1654 (1654)	Wing G336; Thomason E818_17; ESTC R207397	22,484	48

the testimony of one false witnesse could do no man any hurt unless another or two more did conspire with him in the fame testimony much more then now in this case when the testimony of one such witnesse may ruine a man And if a false witnesse of what ranck soever he were was to be so severely dealt with when he rose up against any man though never so much inferiour to him and testified falsely aganst him though perhaps only that man against whom he so testified were injured thereby or some few others How much more then should the extremity of that punishment be inflicted now when any base inferiour fellow may by rising up and bearing false witnesse against a Minister of the Gospell utterly ruine not onely that Minister but his whole Family and do no small wrong to his whole Parish or cure of souls and to the souls of many others besides Quaer 14. Whether If the testimony of any one man with somewhat else which five Commissioners shall judge to be concurrent evidence be sufficient to eject any Minister It may not be evidently and visibly foreseen That now such a door of hope to ruine Ministers is opened and such an easie way chalked out for the accomplishing it there will suddenly be very few ministers left in England to exercise their ministery especially considering the professed distaste and hatred that hath of late been openly proclaimed and published by severall numerous factions and hereticall and schismaticall combinations against the ordination order office and settled maintainance of Ministers As that all that have been ordained by Bishops are Antichristian That the orders and degrees of Ministers and the power and authority that they pretend to have over others of their Brethren the people of God is a mere usurpation That their office and function is needlesse and superfluous And which hath the most abettors That their Tithes and settled maintainance which God and the Lawes have given and confirmed to them are Jewish Popish and unjust Quae. 15. Whether if such testimony and such concurrence of Evidence as was instanced in by the last Quaere be sufficient to eject any Minister either a mans own Minister or any other The most pious orthodox laborious conscienscious Ministers that are which do most stoutly oppose Hereticks and Schismaticks most severely reprove sin most powerfully incite to holinesse and most religiously conforme their own lives to their doctrines be not therefore considering the Devills and wicked mens malice against such more subject to have some criminous accusation or other brought against them then other Ministers that are more obnoxious themselves but withall lesse earnest against the vices of others And so whether this Ordinance which is pretended to be constituted for the more effectuall propagating the Gospell and the settlement of a painfull Ministery in this Nation will not in probability prove a grand hinderance of the liberty of the Gospell and a strong temptation to the Ministers thereof to forbear their crying aloud and not sparing to tell the people their sins and their transgressions and to choose rather to preach only smooth things unto them that may humour and please them And so both Ministers and people to perish together in their iniquity Quaer 16 Whether that clause To proceed to the examination of witnesses upon Oath if the cause require as well for and on the behalf of the person accused c. as for proof of the said Charge Articles c. Does not leave it to five Commissioners will and pleasure whether they shall think it fit to examine any witnesses either on the Ministers or on the accusers part upon oath or no. And if so whether such an arbitrary unlimited power and Commission was ever granted by any Christian to be exercised over Christians or by any sober Heathen over Heathen or Christians Quaer 17. Whether that close couched proviso of allowing all necessary charges incident to the ejecting sequestring or removing of Ministets Be not too great an incouragement as well as temptation to the enemies and adversaries of those of that sacred function to rise up against them and to appear either accusers of them or witnesses of such accusations how unjust soever When our Saviour Christ in sending forth his disciples did forewarn and forearm them and in them all other dispensers of his Gospell against revilings persecutions and false accusations amongst other arguments that he used he told them that so the world persecuted the Prophets so that his Prophets his Apostles his Ministers in all Ages have been and shall be reviled persecuted and falsly accused And needs must they be so in this age above other if a reward be allowed them that shall do it and they who should keep off the Ministers as much as in them lieth from being so injuriously charged shall allow them their Charges that deal so with them The Ministers of the Gospell are sent forth as Lambes into the midst of Wolves and if those shepherds of the people that should defend those Lambes from such Wolves shall allow such wolves some of those Lambes bloods for worrying them 't is the infinite mercy and providence of that great Shepherd that all those his Lambes are not devoured for 't is not their serpentine wisdome nor done like innocency that can protect them Quaer 18. Whether if we consider the pronenesse of man in generall both to swear and swear falsely when it may either satisfy their malice or otherwise conduce to the obtaining their base ends as also the great and horrid violation of oaths and covenants that this our Nation in particular is guilty of together with the desperate Atheisme and damnable practice of common swearing that abounds in all parts thereof and all these added to the other arguments before hinted It be not much to be feared That this ordinance for the ejecting of Ministers for perjury and subordination of perjury will by its admitting of such witnesses against Ministers as it admits and incourages instead of finding and punishing one Minister guilty of those abominable crimes occasion many hundreds yea thousands of other men whose souls ought to be more regarded wittingly and frequently to run into those soul-destroying abominations And who shall answer for them Quaer 19. Whether all those things deemed and reputed by this Ordinance to be crimes and such crimes as are so scandalous that every Minister that is guilty thereof must be ejected be any crimes at all or so much as sins or not As first those often disputed and diversly determined games of Cards and Dice provided that they be onely for recreation and for no wager or sponsion or for no other then what is neither prejudiciall to the looser in his estate nor detrimentall to any that he is bound to provide for and that there be no provoking of either gamester to intemperancy of language or disturbance of passion Secondly that long continued universally approved and often subscribed to use of the Common