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	deacon_n	presbyter_n	3,323	5	10.5055	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18914	A chronological discourse touching, 1 The Church. 2 Christ. 3 Anti-Christ. 4 Gog & Magog. &c. The substaunce whereof, was collected about some 10. or 11. yeares since (as may be gathered by an epistle prefixed before a tractate, called, The visible Christian) but now digested into better order; and first published, by the author himselfe, H. Cl.	Clapham, Henoch.	1609 (1609)	STC 5336; ESTC S108005	72,787	116

our soules Answere So in Math. 23. himselfe sayth One is your Doctor one is your Father and that Doctor himselfe sayth is Christ and that one Father is in heauen and therefore no one in the earth teacheth Christ is to be called Father Doctor When the Doctor of schisme hath opened Christs meaning let him but put the same key vnto his owne Obiection and the spring flies so open that bad eyed Leah running by will easily discouer his follie ¶ The other Presbyter or Elder for the Greeke word Presbiter is Elder in English he is as the Ordinarie Priest vnto the Hy-priest imployed in the Word and Sacraments also And therefore in Act. 20. 17. 18 c. one and the same persons be indifferently called Elders Ouerseers or as the Greeke words sound Presbiters and Bishops For that in 1. Tim. 5. 17. it is to be read thus The Elders that gouerne well are worthy double honour specially they which wearie themselues in the word and doctrine where the comparison is not betweene Elders some Gouerning some teaching but betweene Elders labouring more or lesse which caused Zuinghus at the first starting vp of such Lay-eldership in his expounding of the former verse to oppose vnto all Eldership sauing the Teaching Nor could Gualter see any vse of such sole Gouernours where the ciuill Magistrate hath his place Before God added the Ciuill Gouernour to the Church there might happily haue been some vse of such Lay-elders yet I see no Scripture for proofe of it but God giuing once Kinges and Princes to be of the Church the weaker gouernment might giue place And indeed the peruerse holding of a Lay-eldership as a setled function of Christes it hath ministred occasion to the Anabaptistes of thrusting the Magistrate out of the Church as hauing no vse of his sword within The Deacons are called to assist the Presbiters as Euangelistes did the Apostles and as in the Temple of Salomon the Common Leuites attended the Priestes Seauen such were ordained to the Church in Ierushalem but vpon the persecution of Stephen one of the seauen the Church being scattered Philip one of the Deacons comes to Samaria and there not onely preacheth but also baptiseth Vnto whom some of the Apostles repayred conferring vpon the Christians the guiftes of the Holy Ghost After that time Philip might well become an Euangelist and so be assistant vnto the Apostles as Iohn Marke was to Barnabas and Silas to Paul but before that he was but a plaine Deacon and as a Christian Deacon he so preached and baptised euen else where then in Ierushalems Church whereto he was at first ordayned Now leauing to contend about wordes which the Apostle forbids to Timothj what difference of ministerie is there betweene Apostles Prophets Euangelistes the extraordinarie sort and these of Pastors for so the new Testament Ministers be also called and put thereto also the Deacons which in Ephe. 4. may be very well meant in the tearme Doctors seeing Bishops and Deacons be the whole Ministerie in 1. Tim. 4. where the Apostle precisely describes the callinges as also in Philip 1. 1. where the salutations from the Apostle runnes thus To the Saintes of Philippj meaning the body of the people with the Bishops and Deacons intending the whole Ministerie in them two words What difference I say is there in the matter of their ministerie Apostle is in English One that is sent Whereto to minister the word and both Sacraments and so doth the Bishop Presbiter or Pastor All the rest minister the same word and preaching must also of necessitie minister Baptisme For the Deacon doing that as before and he being the least it followes that the greater had no lesse power to doe that specially seeing not onely in the Commission Math. 28. 19. Preaching and Baptisme be conioyned but also for that the Apostle euidently maketh Preaching the greater 1. Cor. 1. 17. and necessarily it must be so seeing the Word is greater then the Seale for that by the word of Fayth some soule can be saued without the Seale as afore but none by the Seale without the Word As for the Sacrament of Communion it can onely be ministred to a Communion of people and therefore cannot be fitly administred but by him that is Superintendent to such a Communion of people And that is by the Apostle that ruleth ouer the Whole or the Pastor that ruleth ouer a Part. Yet seeing Prophets and Euangelistes were to assist the Apostle and Deacons to assist the Pastor it cannot follow otherwise but the Maisters of the worke calling for the helpe of their Ministers they might also follow in the administration of the other Sacrament though not goe before as Presidentes And as the Scriptures intend all this so God hath preserued the true footesteps of it through all ages in the Churches which none but fantasticke Nouelistes can but admit with Reuerence And the not admittance hereof what hath it bgeot in the Factions Euen so many crosse opinions and vnresolued positions touching Callinges and duetie of Called as themselues begin to stinke in the nosethrilles of their owne Disciples Which sadly also obserued will cause the Ingenuous minded hereafter not so easily to blot and blurre the lines of Antiquitie As for the Widowes mentioned in 1. Tim. 5. they are not to be counted with Church-officers Once for that neither they nor any other Woman was to speake in the Congregation Besides for that the greatnes of their yeares being threescore before they might be receiued as also their impotencie of outward meanes considered ere they might be admitted do argue that they were taken in not so much to minister as to be ministred vnto Touching whom a most auncient Father thus writes Let not the Widowes be neglect●● but next to the Lord see that thou doe care for them Such a Widow was Phaebe of Cenchrea and such a one vnder the Law Anna the Prophetesse some 84. yeares Widow who continued in the Temple night and day with fastinges and prayers An Apish imitation whereof the order of Nunns is in the Church of Rome As for Philips Daughters Propetisses that was a fulfilling of the Prophecie in Ioel. 2. 28. and a thing not common to the Church in their kind Vnto old mother Zion such was Deborah in the time of the Iudges and Huldah vnder the raigne of Iosiah Such a sweete harmonie is betweene the Mother-church and her Daughter whether we respect that is Substantiall or otherwise Accidentall Are they not then well helped vp that leaue the Analogicall frame of both Testaments for digging to themselues Cesternes that will neuer hold Water They should as Ieremy aduiseth haue stood in the wayes and so haue inquired of the good and old way But leauing these wayes of sacred tradition they neuer haue been able to find out the Good and old way deliuered in the Scriptures For as Agur teacheth The eye that mocketh the Father and despiseth the