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
A94219	A balm to heal religions wounds applied in a serious advice to sober-minded Christians that love the truth, and are well-wishers to reformation : in answer to The pulpit guard routed, lately set forth by one Thomas Collier ... / by Richard Saunders ...	Saunders, Richard, d. 1692.	1652 (1652)	Wing S755A; ESTC R42466	75,152	187

that Bishops are Antichristian simply considered We all say their Lordly power which they assumed to themselves over other Ministers was Antichristian not the Calling of Bishops consider it simply as it signifies no other then the calling of a * Which is the true ancient sence of the word Bishop Pastour or Elder He might know if he were not willfully blind that those that have pleaded against the Lordly power of Bishops have constantly affirmed that the calling and office of a Bishop and a Pastour or Elder are one and the same and so that Power which they usurped over their Brethren was Antichristian and nothing else But secondly he adds The outward calling you have from them The P. G. Routed and can they give you that they have not themselves A Paradox He should have proved that the Bishops had not the outward calling of Ministers Reply Though Christ never called them to that superintendency over their fellow-Ministers which they took to themselves yet he called many of them to the office of Ministers and in that respect they might ordaine and approve others to that office This he ha's nothing to say to unlesse a confident dictate in the next page in answer to this That Bishops were Ministers and Ordained not as Lord Bishops but as Presbyters To this he sayes You juggle with the businesse The P. G. Routed c. Who knows not that not long since the name of Presbyter was a stranger among us and to your selves too Who knowes not Reply There is no man that is not as blind and ignorant as The P. G. Routed is but knows that the name of Presbyter was ever as frequent among men of knowledge as that of Bishop and knowne to be the name of Ministers of the Gospel and so used though his ignorance makes him so bold as to say we were strangers to it Hardly any that have written of the Ministry but have used this name or title more or lesse to signifie Ministers in office So that we doe not new name Bishops in calling them Presbyters as he affirms we give them their old name which they had before ever Lord Bishops were known 'T is knowne that in former ages of the Church a Bishop was onely as the Chair-man of the Eldership not having any power over the rest Now as such not in respect of the additionall power which by favour of Princes they got into did they ordaine our Ministers This is no juggling I hope but plaine enough for any to understand Whereas he sayes The P. G. Routed Why is not Episcopos as good Scripture as ancient as honourable as Presbyteros an Elder I answer who sayes but it is Answ Therefore we allow both the name and office of a Bishop as he is the same with a Preaching Elder But this he suggesteth to perswade his unwary Reader that our Ministers do deny that they were Ordained by Bishops as Bishops when as 't is only denied that they were ordained by them as Lord Bishops If this be not a cheating trick to deceive the weak let any man judge But he adds If they were Ministers and so ordained you The P. G. Routed you have done ill to Preach them downe as Antichristian And so to lay them aside as no Ministers Who ever did so Answ unlesse such rash spirits as himselfe Is it not knowne that those that were faithfull and godly among them have been and still are lookt upon as Ministers And do Preach Christ and that too by appointment of Authority in this Nation I am sure they did not long since * Dr. Hall Dr. Vsher others and if not dead do yet and yet see how impudently he vaunts upon this account Where is your call from them now Notwithstanding his confidence those Bishops that were godly were never denied to be true Ministers though they were justly spoken against in respect of their usurped power They sinned in taking that power to themselves that Christ never gave them but that did not make void that ministeriall power which they had from Christ by vertue of which they ordained and appointed other Ministers Whereas 't is moreover urged against him That the Power of the Presbytery is onely Ministeriall whereby it testifies declares and approves of those whom God approves and calls This I perceive by his answer he doth not understand and therefore I shall help him a little according to my apprehension of it because indeed it makes very much to the clearing of this Question Wherefore take notice that the Presbytery doe not give the Ministers authority to him That is from God who appoints officer in his Church for the edification and comfort thereof The Presbytery do only testifie and declare after they have proved and examined that such and such are approved and called of God that so they may be Ministers and in authority unto the Church and may give themselves to the work of the Ministry with more freedome having such a Seal to their Mission Now it being so that the authority and office descends to our Ministers from Christ and their Ordination by the Presbytery is but their Ministeriall testifying to the same if that which is testified of our Ministers be reall and true that is if they be men that have an inward call from Christ the corruption of those that did approve and testifie cannot at all make void their office So that those that are really gifted and are faithfull among our Ministers for I plead only for such are true Ministers of Christ notwithstanding some spots of Antichristianisme if you will call it so not then discovered to them did stick upon those that did testifie declare and appoint them to be Ministers For that blemish which stuck on the Ordainers could no way redound to them that were Ordained any further then they did approve the same in them and therefore now can redound nothing at all to such as have condemned and publiquely declared against the same as our faithfull Ministers have done This is a thing of speciall note as to the clearing of the controversie in hand and though Mr Hall gives a sufficient hint of it yet The P. G. Routed passes it over as though he understood it not when indeed I rather think 't is because he could not tell what to say to it Onely you may find some of the froth of his unsanctified spirit swimming on the top of the 98th page which you must take as his answer in these words If in some The P. G. Routed pride covetousnesse ignorance malice treachery bloodthirstinesse c. in others loosnesse of life prophanenesse drunkennesse whoring c. may delare men to be called of God You speaking of the Ministers of England have so much to say for your selves as any people in the World This is to perswade Answ and make the world beleeve that our Ministers have no inward call from God But how notoriously false

a true Christian hath an effectuall and practicall knowledge of by the Spirit but a naturall man may know the same onely his heart is not sanctified through the Truth Truth is not in him in power The work of the spirit is to bring that into the heart which by outward means and helps may be brought into the head Now then 4ly I honour I admire I prize this blessed work of Jesus Christ by his Spirit in his Saints revealing Truth in them But this no way opposes the expediency and needfullnesse of outward helps to bring men to the knowledge of truth which is that I plead for The Spirit is pleased to make use of them not that it elfe needs them but because we need them The Spirit can communicate truth to souls without reading hearing meditation c. and yet seing the Lord hath declared that he hath appointed these as the meanes that he will onely in an ordinary way make effectuall to the enlightning of the soul I hope 't is no dishonour to the Spirit of truth to say that without these men cannot come to the knowledge of the Truth Even so the Spirit can by Extaticall Revelations or an immediate inspiration give in truth unto the Preachers of the Gospel now as he did to the Prophets and Pen-men of Scripture of old but because as ha's been proved in confutation of the fourth Errour God does not now reveal himselfe to any after that manner the Scripture rule being perfected I hope it takes nothing from the honour of the Spirit to say that the outward help of Learning c. is expedient and needfull for a Minister of the Gospel and that Scripture cannot be well opened and cleared without it Alas these men are mistaken of the work of the Spirit one part of which is as I hinted before to stir up souls unto a faithfull diligent use of the outward means afforded for to lead them unto the knowledge of his mind in the word The work of the Spirit is to stir up private Christians to make use of the means they have as Reading Hearing c. And to stir up Ministers to make use of their helps and to bring in to the service of Jesus Christ in this great work of the Ministry all that knowledge both divine and humane which they can attain unto Not as these men would have it to cast away as uselesse all outward helps and fit still waiting when knowledge will drop into their mouths without any use of meanes But you may smell what these men drive at 1. They are loath that any sort of men should be thought to have any thing more then themselves 2. They would faine have their owne spirits or phansies to be the judge of the sence of Scripture that so their glosses on the same may goe for currant though they have no affinity at all with the true Grammaticall sence and then his Exposition shall be best that ha's most boldnesse and confidence in asserting it Oh the wantonnesse and vanity of a proud heart Let Christians take heed I have spoken I suppose sufficiently to this matter Whereas he sayes The P. G. Routed The Spirit of Christ is enough to make men able Disputants such as can convince gain-sayers 1. You may see how true it is by himselfe Answ who pretends to more gifts of the Spirit then ordinary If he can dispute no better then he writes I undertake that the meanest of the Romish Emissaries will easily argue him out of all his Religion 2. How evident is it to every mans experience that there are thousands of precious soules that have the truth so deeply engraven upon their hearts that all the powers of darknesse cannot take it from them and yet are not able to maintaine it in dispute against cunning opposers Of which number was that Martyr that said I can die for Christ though I cannot dispute for him But let this suffice you in short as a defence of Humane Learning so much slighted I confesse 't is but a very small portion of it in comparison of many of my Brethren that I ever attained to being soon taken off from the University by the breaking forth of our Civil Wars But as for that little which I have I may say of it as Luther did of his skill in the Hebrew Language I would not change it for all the riches in the World Neither indeed should I know what to doe in the Ministry without it Though withall I must professe too that God ha's been very gracious to me I must speak it to his praise in blessing mine endeavours very much upon the little stock I have Unto which blessing especially I must attribute that sufficiency I have unto my Ministeriall duties 'T is said Learning ha's never any adversary to withstand it but Ignorance I have so much learning as makes me see the worth and usefullnesse of Learning And truly my experience of the same enforces me to speak upon this subject among other things which I know the squeamish stomacks of many will not relish very well However I shall take comfort in this that I have done my duty His Eighth Error That the Ministry of ENGLAND is Antichristian THis lies in the end of his Book and I beleeve to perswade men of this is his end First in his intention though last in execution His designe is not so much to make more Preachers as to vilifie those that are already as Antichristian and no Ministers 'T is an heavy charge this that he brings in not against some but all Ministers I shall examine the strength of what he urgeth to make it good That which he speaks is either in answer to what is pleaded on their behalfe by his Adversary or else something that he urgeth against them I shall give you mine answer to every thing in its order so as that you shall easily perceive that what he writes is grounded either on pittifull ignorance or else on certaine slanderous reproachfull uncharitable calumnies springing out of his unsanctified malicious spirit in which he cannot expect to be beleeved by any but such as have made ship-wrack of love and godlinesse as he himselfe I am much afraid ha's Mr Hal in his Book ha's six Arguments to prove that the Ministers of England are not Antichristian before I take off his answers to these Arguments I shall reply to somewhat that he ha's to say against something that Mr Hall speaks in Answer to an Objection to this purpose The Authority of a Minister doth not depend on the persons Ordaining but principally on Christs inward call discerned by gifts c. We have our Ordination from Christ by Bishops and Presbyters c. To this he gives answer in these words You your selves have concluded the Bishops Antichristian in their calling The P. G. Routed and is yours Christian A Riddle Did ever any of those that have pleaded against the usurped power of Bishops Reply say