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	jurisdiction_n	ordination_n	4,138	5	10.4414	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45150	The peaceable design being a modest account of the non-conformist's meetings : with some of their reasons for nonconformity, and the way of accomodation in the matter of religion, humbly proposed to publick consideration by some ministers of London against the sitting of Parliament in the year 1675.	Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.	1675 (1675)	Wing H3701; ESTC R24391	30,262	97

some of the Non-conformists as well as of Conformists do believe it not impossible but that some Heathen and professed Socinian may be saved What if they cannot think otherwise in regard to the Goodness of God but that whosoever he was or is that walk'd or walks up to his Light in sincerity with a general Repentance for his unseen Errors must by vertue of the Covenant made with Adam faln and Noah no less than the Jews were by the same confirmed with Abraham be in a state of acceptation with God not conceiving but both alike for ought they see were ignorant of their Redemption by the Blood of Christ or the means how their Peace was made with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We have shewn before that Christ is the first begotten of God the Divine Reason Wisdom or Word whereof the whole kind of Men or the whole stock of Mankind do partake and whosoever lives according to reason are Christians though they be accounted Heathen and without God such as Socrates Heraclitus and the like Justine Martyr in his second Apology for the Christians We do not say we receive this nor deny it But we are ready to say what was Luthers saying We hope God will be merciful to such a one as Cicero but our Duty is to abide by the Word And yet cannot this little Candour it self be used if we must be forced to declare that whosoever believes not the Athanasian Creed must undoubtedly perish Not that other Non conformists generally make any scruple in this But what do those sober and learned Doctors of the Church think of it who have a name given them upon this account that though they hold some things that agree not with her Articles or Homilies yet they can conform to them or have a Latitude to do it I A. B. do declare my unfained Assent and Consent to every thing contained in the Book of Common Prayer and yet I A. B. do declare that I Assent not to that passage in the Athanasian Creed Again I A. B. do profess that a Heathen may be saved and yet I do libenter ex animo subscribe to the Article among the thirty nine that does pronounce him accursed who dares hold such an opinion We are not ignorant indeed how some would blend the two terms Assent and Consent and then interpret them by the words to the use in the Act But this is a shift which will not satisfie all persons and many desire to use no shifts If these words to the use had been put into the Declaration it self it had been better Yet if they had Assent is proper to the Truth and Consent to the Vse And yet moreover how can a Man unfainedly consent to the use of any such Particular which is false and which perhaps he even abhors that the Wise and Ingenious of his particuler perswasion should think he believed Another Instance shall be this In the Service on the Gunpowder-Treason we thank God for preserving the King and the Three Estates of the Realm Assembled It is a difficult Point now in the Politicks of England Whether the Three Estates be the King the House of Lords and the House of Commons Or the Lords-Spiritual Temporal and Commons The late King made no scruple in his Answer to the nineteen Propositions to reckon himself one of the Three Estates Neither was there any we know that durst account the Three Estates of the Land to be dissolved when the Bishops were turned out of the House by an Act. We cannot tell therefore of what Consequence it is to the fundimental liberty constitution and state of the Kingdom to yield unto the insinuation of such a thing as this in our Prayers No Man can give his unfained Assent to any thing he knows not and understands not This is a thing we do not know that the Bishops are indeed one of the Three Estates of this Realm Whether they be or no we dispute not but till we are better satisfied with them and their station we are afraid that any snare should be laid for the people in the Exercise of their Devotions unto God We must mention one Particular more which is our general Exception In the new Book there is inserted several Passages that make the Bishops a distinct Office and Order from the Presbyter We need not name the Words for they are put in more than once de industria They would not be content with a difference in Degree and Eminency but they would have us declare to a jure divino distinction disproved by learned Doctors among the Papists and among the Episcopal Men as well as the Reformed Churches Now we humbly beseech the Parliament to consider whether the Bishops have dealt candidly with us to get such a Condition imposed on the Presbyterian to the keeping of his Ministry as not only Bishop Davenant and Vsher but such as Dr. Field and Francis Mason must have been turned out for Non-conformists upon the same There are Two Orders Ecclesiastical Presbyteri Diaconi When we say Bishops Priests and Deacons we name but two Orders yet three Degrees Mr. Joseph Mede disc V. For our Consent We will name three things likewise and but name them more indefinitely There is the Hierarchy or Bishop invested with sole power of Ordination and Jurisdiction There are the Ceremonies in general so often disputed There is the Imposition it self of things not necessary the occasion of stumbling to many good Men and cause of our divisions If we give our unfained consent to all and every thing prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer and the form of ordering Bishops Priests and Deacons then must we give our approbation we suppose to these things amongst others But if the Two first are disputable we are past doubt in the last that to impose things that are inductive to others to sin and yet not necessary is unlawful What Charter hath Christ given to the Church to bind Men up to more than himself hath done Says Stillingfleet with much more to the purpose in his Epistle to his Iranicum We will not speak so laxly altogether as he does there but when we distinguish the Imposition and Submission this we are fully perswaded of in Conscience that the Submission to the things imposed may perhaps be maintained the Imposition of them is not to be so neither by that Dr. nor by us For if we build again the things we have destroyed we make our selves transgressors It is not Sirs the serving God by a Liturgy or the reading Common Prayer in the ordinary daily Service that makes us Non-conformists though it be this only lyes in the view of the inconsiderate many and though there are some things we except against the occasional Offices which by and by may be named We are sorry if any have given cause for such a scandal which tends to the breaking of the Concord and Charity which ought to be maintained equally between the Brethren of

think if they could do it It is only to answer the Sheet which was tendered to the Parliament about two or three Sessions ago for taking away the Subscription and Oxford Oath and which shall be in order therefore by and by repeated We would give all the Money in our Purses with a Tax or without any upon condition that the Parliament would either have such Arguments of ours answered or else repeal their Impositions There are Three things enjoyned in the Act of Uniformity Re-ordination The Declaration The Subscription As we have borrowed thus much already from a late Paper of the Author now intimated So shall we make use of others of the same person in the which follows We begin with the Threshold Re-ordination It must be acknowledg'd by both Parties That Re-ordinvtion is an uncouth thing quite against the Hair of the literate World whether Fathers Councels or Modern Divines Protestants and Papists and put usually into the same Predicament and more especially by Austin with Re-baptization If the present Bishops therefore in the imposing of it would have stood by it and maintained the Lawfulness of it as being neither against the Law of Nature nor positive Institution but as having rather the Examples of the Apostles and of Paul and Barnabas more particularly for it with what else by some is urged against the stream barely of humane Authority this would perhaps have looked handsome and the ingenuity of it would have been notable But when they would generally have it imposed and yet disown it and be ashamed of it in so much as though there be few or none ordained by Presbyters but believed the validity of that Ordination they would have our former Ministry to be null and make us contented in effect to be held but usurpers of holy things Sacrilegious persons and all our Ministerial Acts void as the Acts of meer Laicks before it is really so intollerably vile as no mortal flesh is able to bear It is true there is one Instance from Antiquity out of Athanasius of some persons with Ischyras among them whom they would not allow as these hold to be Ministers because one Coluthus that ordained them was only a Presbyter Unto which may be added the Story of the purblind Bishop 2. Concil Hispal 3. Can. 5. circa An. 656. But we answer with Dr. Field on the Church in his Fifth Book It is one thing what they judged according to their Ecclesiastical Canons and another what they ought to judg according to the Word of God The Scripture makes no difference between Bishop and Presbyter the Superiority and Inferiority arising after in the Church And when we are made Christs Ministers and put in office by him according to his Word how shall that Authority be vacated for something wanting only in the Constitutions of Men Here is a matter of Infinite wrong which the opinion of these Men do us It takes away the Office Christ hath given us and holds it null If it was a grievous thing in the late times to put one of these Ministers out of his place what is it to put so many of us out of our Office There is no Person almost of Spirit but will be ready to part with his life as soon as the Honour he holds from the King and shall not the Ordained Minister maintain the Right which he holds from Christ When so many eminent Predecessors to these Bishops and other Defenders of this Church have maintained Presbyterian Ordination When the Reformed Churches abroad have no other When the Case was such as that there was no other to be had here in the late times When not we alone then are concerned only in the wrong but our Lord and Master whose cause it is and whose business we are to do and the Souls of so many people We cannot but appeal to the Higher Powers in a matter of so great right and wrong as this is For we are contented to have it revised and judged whether the Diocesan Bishop be distinguishedly named in Christs Charter for Ordination as he is in the Canons of Men Or when we have been ordained already as Timothy by the laying on of the hands of Presbytery whether the Lawn be de Essentia to the Ceremony and the Hands avail nothing without the Sleeves on The next thing is the Declaration I A. B. do here declare my unfained assent and consent to all and every thing contain-and pr●scribed in and by the Book Entituled The Book of Common Prayer and the form of Ordaining Bishops Priests and Deacons That is assent to all and every thing contained in and consent to every thing prescribed by these Books Sirs There was a time when that the Nation had the hopeful overture of a Concord between the sober of two parties and the Hearts of most Men were in preparation to receive it But alas instead of such a Gratious and Blessed Issue as was expected loe here the streight injunction of an Assent and Consent to all Conformity and every thing of it new and old to be approved and obeyed or else one part of the Ministry must be immediately turn'd out How can those now whose Judgments are and have been still for moderation between both opinions in times before as now be able to come over to one side altogether on such terms as these How can they we say make so short a turn as this without the hazard of some sprain to their Conscience if they do it We cannot tell you perhaps nor are willing to declare the Impressions we have upon our Spirits against a going back from that more Spiritual Plain and simply zealous Service of Almighty God in the way we were in and Reformation we sought unto that something we are not used to and fear to wit unto a form of Worship and Discipline that carrying a countenance of both but being rather only a kind of Idols thereof doth seem to us by the shew pomp and complement of the things it contains not to undermine the Life Power and Efficacy of one and the other We cannot tell you perhaps what moves us so much from within whether fear of Popery returning on us or aliquid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But we will produce Two or Three Instances apiece against Assent and against Consent to that which is injoyned that we may approve our selves to the Consciences of all as well as our own in refusing this Declaration For our Assent In the Athanasian Creed we find this passage Which Faith except every one does keep whole without doubt he shall perish everlastingly One of the Articles of this Creed is this The Holy Ghost is of the Father and the Son In this Article we know the Greek Church hath differed from the Latin and held That the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father only If we give our Assent then to every thing or passage contained in this Book we must believe the Greek Church undoubtedly damned And what if