Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	bishop_n	call_v	presbyter_n	3,415	5	10.3134	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87016	Considerations of present use concerning the danger resulting from the change of our church-government. By H.H. D.D.	Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660.	1646 (1646)	Wing H527; Thomason E344_17; ESTC R200971	9,929	18

and the mention of Episcopacy is as cleare the Angell of the Church of Ephesus c. in the Revelation which hath beene cleared by irrefragable evidence to belong to this matter and the Ruling Elder in S. Paul that must have double honour and Titus left in Crete to set in order the things that were wanting and to ordaine Elders in every Church and many other more cleare mentions of the severall titles and offices of Bishop Presbyter and Deacon then there is of the name and duties of the Lords day The obscure mentions of that in Scripture were explained in the writings and Stories of the first age of the Church particularly in the Epistles of Ignatius and the obscurities of the Sacred text concerning Episcopacy are as clearely explicated and unfolded by the same Ignatius even in every one of those Epistles of his which Vedelius as great an enemy of this Order as Geneva hath produced any after his fiery tryall of that Author hath acknowledged to be his The use of that continued from the Apostles time though not so universally till the Jewish Sabbath was fairely laid asleep till these dayes in the universall Church and all particular Churches that wee read of and the like use and practice of this continued universally without any exception from the Apostles time till this day in the universall Church as that signifies the Eastern and the Western Church and in each particular Church till about this last Century and in this of ours from the plantation of the Gospell till this day These are parallels enough to even the ballance and I professe to know no one more which might weigh it downe on that side and to make it now seasonable to-demand whether it would not bee thought an act contrarie to Religion whether that signifies Christian Piety or meekenesse or awe to all that is Sacred for any particular nationall Church or part thereof without any more warrant then is now offered for this present change to remove the service of God from the Lords day to any other day in the week which sure is as small a difference as that betwixt Presbyteriall and Episcopall government can by any be conceived to be or insted of our first day of the weeke to set apart either an eight or a sixt day and so to change that Apostolicall institution If that seem strange or be startled at as unfit to be ventured on or yeelded to I shall desire the same plea may be entred for this and that conscience may be secured that either both are lawfull or that the difference is cleare and the advantage on the Lords dayes side or that it may be resolved that this is unlawfull as well as that A fift Argument will be this That the making or yeelding to this change will be a scandall very worthy to bee considered in them that so yeeld toward those which oppose this Government as unlawfull for this yeelding will be an appearing acknowledgement that their contrary pretentions are true and so a confirming them in their errour which is no light one but the same for which Aërius was and any other opposer would certainely have been anathematized and turned out of the Catholike Church for an Heretick which is one speciall kind of Scandalizing or occasioning the fall of our Brethren and withall a nourishing them in their uncharitable opinion not only of us but of the ancient Fathers of the Church who were all Antichristian if this be so which is another causing my Brother to offend nay a kind of countenancing that unchristian I am sure unprotestant Doctrine of the lawfulnesse of taking up Armes against lawfull Superiours and establisht Lawes and propagating our opinions in Religion by that means which perchance some may be betrayed to by this example others brought to believe consentaneous to Protestant Doctrine if they which are thus guilty be thus gratified which as it were a change in our Doctrine if it were really acknowledged so is it in this respect another act of Scandall if it thus appeare to bee acknowledged and that which would make any Heathen Prince unwilling to embrace our Religion if this disloyall perswasion were conceived to be a part of it A sixt Argument which to me is of no small force I will yet but name and referre it to others to consider of That no man is a Priest or lawfully ordained Minister of any Christian Church but he that is called and sent by God that there is now no way in this Kingdome to have that calling or mission duly but from Bishops who are the only persons who have the power of Ordaining others given to them in their assumption to that Order by those who had it before and can derive it from the Apostles who had it immediately from Heaven and whatsoever other power a Priest or Presbyter may be thought or said to have common with a Bishop it is yet the constant judgement of the universall Church for 1500. yeares that this of Ordination is not competible to one or more bare Presbyters without a Bishop and it will be easie to satisfie any reasonable man in whatsoever may be produced of sound or probabilitie to the contrarie and therefore if any Office or Order or Ministry in the Church be considerable this which is the standing well-head and spring of all the other must be thought so also Having premised these Arguments of so much weight sufficient to support the burthen designed to them I shall add ex abundanti some inferiour ones though they amount not so farre as alone of themselves to conclude it direct irreligion yet to adde to the former heap some aggravations As 1. That to yeeld to this change is to disclaime those blessed meanes of Gods providence which brought us to our Baptisme to all our spirituall life and growth that we have attained to and that is a great ingratitude to that Government 2. It is an act of pride and insolencie to prefer any scheme of humane and Modern invention before that which the Apostles the Primitive and for so many years the Vniversall Church had authorized and therefore I could almost adventure to believe that the framers of the Covenant had obliged themselves secretly to maintain Episcopacy by putting in those words the best Reformed Churches that I might escape thinking them so insolent as to preferre any Churches before those which they cannot but know have used Episcopacy 3. It is a great tempting of Gods providence in not being contented with that Forme which hath prospered so happily with us and the whole Christian World though subject as all that is humane or mixt with flesh is even the very grace of God in us to be abused and putting it to the adventure whatsoever inconveniencies the next may bee subject to Of the inconveniencies that Presbyterie doth infallibly bring along with it and the unreconcileablenesse of them with Monarchicall Government in the State sufficient evidences have been given and if there