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	ordination_n	presbyter_n	10,148	5	10.8332	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64412	Terms of accomodation, between those of the Episcopall, and their brethren of the Presbyterian perswasions supposed to be consistent with the declared principles of the most moderate of both parties, and humbly presented to the consideration of His Majesty, and both Houses of Parliament / by a countrey minister, a friend to Bath ...	Countrey minister.	1661 (1661)	Wing T756; ESTC R5	12,818	24

of his Majesties declaration concerning Ecclesiastical Affairs seeing it is demonstrable that wherein that modell varies from the former Vsages of Episcopacy in this Nation it comes nearer to the practice of Pure Antiquity For 1. That the antient Bishops were constant Preachers appears by their Homilies yet extant 2. That they had their Chorepiscopi which in his Majesties modell are Suffragan Bishops is evident by many Testimonies produced in this case and allowed by the highest Episcoparians 3. That they had a Colledge of Presbyters who joined with them in all acts of Ordination and Jurisdiction is clear by the mention of πρεσβυτέριον in the Apostle Paul 1 Tim. 4.14 in the work of imposition of hands and the frequent conjunction of the Bishop and his πρεσβυτέριον in Ignatius the great Patron of Episcopacy in those clauses where he requires subjection from the people to Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of which many instances besides these might be produced 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad Ephes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad Magnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad Philad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad Trall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad Smyrn c. 4. That they delegated their power to any other persons to act in their names seems most improbable Nay there is a passage in Ignatius which not obscurely intimates that even in the necessary abscence of the Bishop his seat was void or supplyed which is most probable by none or the Presbyterie alone For he sends commendations to his Church in Smyrna when he was upon his Journey to Rome with this clause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That he had left them under the only Episcopal inspection of Jesus Christ Ign. ep ad Romanos 5. That if such delegation be supposed agreeable to the Primitive pattern yet to be sure there is not one footstep of a Lay-Chancellor or Commissary exercising Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in all Antiquity 6. That confirmation admission to and suspention from the Lords Supper Catechising and composing of Parochial differences are works in which the Pastors of particular Churches are most directly concerned and therefore are most rationally to be joyned with the Bishop and Presbyterie in all such acts as concern them may be concluded not repugnant to best Antiquity till the person that questions it shew sufficient evidence from it for a Contrary practice then we have yet seen 7. And Lastly that Bishops did not in the Primitive times act arbitrarily but according to rule the acknowleged antient Canons among the Patrons of Episcopacy at least whom we have now to do withall evidence All which are the substance of the plat-form laid by his Majesty and much consonant to the model contrived by his Royal Father whose knowledge in the nature of Primitive Episcopacy no man can doubt who hath read his learned discourses upon that subject and those approved by most Episcopal men then in being so that I account my assertion firm thus farr at least But 2. The Episcopal party may salvâ conscientiâ condescend in these farther particulars upon their own Principles 1. To the reformation of Deans Chapters and Cathedral dependants in this manner or the like as shall seem most adviseable to his Majesty and the Parliament 1. By annexing to every Cathedral dignity a Cure of souls in or near the Metropolis of the Diocess where the Cathedral is especially where the Legal maintenance of a Church is most inconsiderable and most of all where it is impropriate to the Cathedral use and this Cure to be discharged by the Dignitary in person except in case of necessary hinderance It being apparent that whatever footsteps of such a Collegiate Society of Deans and Chapters are to be found in Antiquity inform us that the original of them was from the convenient situation of the Neighbouring Pastors to the Episcopal seat to assist the Bishop upon all occasions without damage to their flocks when those that lived at remoter distance could not be called in as often as he needed them without inconvenience 2. By erecting a standing Presbytery consisting of such Ministers having Cure of Souls within or near the place of the Bishops residence at the choice of the generality of the Ministry of the Diocess the Dignitaries of the Cathedral not being included in the number except so chosen for the Constant asistance of the Bishop in ordinary acts of jurisdiction which require not or in such extraordinary as will not permit the delay requisite to the orderly summoning of remoter Presbyters There being no clear footstep in Antiquity for the constitution of a select society of Presbyters to assist the Bishop exclusively to the rest of their brethen who are barely entituled to that Dignity by being entituled to a revenue annexed to the Mother Church a relation which till about Constantines time at least had no being 3. By levelling all such priviledges and immunities as hinder the reformation of Cathedral dependants and rendring them obnoxious to the same inspection with the officers and members of Parochial Churches 4. By taking away pluralities of such Ecclesiastical dignities which hinder the Dignitaries from attending the Services which their original foundation had respect unto 5. By reducing the vast revenues of some Bishopricks to a more moderate proportion and assigning the surplussage of them as an addition to the maintenance of Suffragan Bishops and for the bearing of the incidental charges of such as are fain to attend the affairs of the Church upon occasionall calls far from their homes to Synods or other Church Conventions and other such uses It being apparent that till Cathedral Churches were built they could not be endowed or priviledged and by consequence that in the three last particulars to plead Primitive Antiquity against what is propounded involves a self-contradiction 2. They may also upon their own Principles condescend to a Law for the ratifying of Ordination in these late years conferred by Presbyters without exacting a Submission to re-ordination in those who Scruple it For 1. That the Bishops hands are necessary to Ordination See Cades Justification of the Church of England p. 311. otherwise then upon the account of Ecclesiastical constitution for orders sake will be hard to evidence from Scripture or pure Antiquity 2. That Ordaining of Presbyters by Presbyters by the Bishops licence as in the case of the antient Chorepiscopi and in the necessary absence or want of Bishops as Augustine and Ambrose testifie concerning the practice in Egypt and particularly at Alexandria hath been of great Antiquity in the Church and certainly if leave or absence of the Bishop render it lawful for Presbyters alone to ordain it will follow that there is a radical and fundamental power of Ordination in Presbyters for else a Bishops leave or absence might as well impower a meer Laick to give orders which was only restrained for Orders sake as was said before 3. That Arch. B. Bancroft and the rest of his Brethren who admitted the

to believe themselves concerned in that Article because they stood barely in a Collegiate Capacity 6. Nor is it a matter of Conscience to those of that judgement who are not Ordained already to submit to Episcopal Ordination whiles they admit a competent number of Presbyters to lay on hands with them Nay some of them it seems are so far satisfied in it that seeing the Law requires it of them and divers of their people Episcopally minded scruple the lawfulness of their adminstrations without it they do submit to super-induce it upon their former Ordination Nor need any one of Presbyterian Principles refuse the imposition of Episcopal hands because the Scripture seems to invest a Presbyterie with it For Bishop includes Presbyter and he being not only a Bishop but a Presbyter with his assistants make a Presbyterie 7. The want of ruling Elders which have been pleaded for as necessary Officers of the Church need not stick with their Consciences if the Church-Wardens were well chosen annually and conscientious in their offices and encouraged by the Bishops so to be For who sees not that mutato nomine a Church-Warden is a plain Lay-Elder as the Over-seer of the poor is a Scripture-Deacon at least as to one part of his office if the Episcoparian be not satisfied that that is all and annual or not annual where Scripture is silent in determining should make no difference 8. Nor need they be disturbed upon a Conscientious account if while acts of Jurisdiction run in his name with the express consent of his Clergy or Presbyterie such as meerly relate to matter of Order suppose the tacite consent of the Presbyterie and for expedition sake and ease to the Ministers assistant to him whose occasions would be too much intrenched upon if in every such matter they should be Convened run in the Bishops name only For such a power must be placed somewhere during the Intervals of Presbyterian Assemblies even where they are settled most to the mind of the Patrons of Presbyterie and comes under the rule of the Apostle that all things be done decently and in order And if any extra Consessum Presbyterorum why not in the Bishop as well as any other 9. That some under-Officers as Notaries and Messengers c. necessary for the carrying on of Government be allowed is so far from clashing with Presbyterian Principles that the only thing that they have cause to complain of herein is that they are too often not so honest as they should be and that they are not maintained out of a publick purse rather then by occasional fees which were the more likely way to make and keep them so 10. The Presbyterian Conscience picks no quarrel at the jurisdiction which the Law placeth in the Bishop and his Chancellors and other Civilians acting under him in cases of Testaments and Marriages as being meerly assumenta things annexed to and not properly parts of Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction 2 In reference to Liturgy habit of Ministers Ceremonies and Festivals Presbyterian Principles may admit as I suppose 1. The lawfulness of an imposed Form of Prayer in Thesi and the conveniency of it in reference to the essential parts of sacred administrations and in Hypothesi the lawfulness and compleatness of the Form established in this Church in reference to such Administrations with very little alteration in any thing of moment 2. That divers other parts of the Service established are very good and edifying and with liberty to forbear some passages which are offensive to their people till they be amended may be when required prevailed with to use so much of it as will declare them unwilling upon this point to break with their Brethren For they know that some forms have Scriptural warrant and therein other forms a Scriptural precedent and upon that account none unlawful farther then they contain something anti-Scriptural in their composition 3. They are sensible that it is the mind of the Holy Ghost in the Scripture that all Sacred Duties especially in Solemn Assemblies should be performed with the greatest reverence and that God must be glorified with the body as well as the spirit and therefore have only a quarrel at such Ceremonies as are only enjoyned upon the account of significancy and do not naturally as circumstances requisite to the Worship in hand emerge from the quality thereof for with such as these upon the grounds mentioned they are perfectly friends 4. They so well know that an unlimited liberty of habits gives a Temptation to Ministers to cloath themselves a la mode and so many times to conform themselves to the common extravagancies of undecent fashions and thereby lose that reputation of gravity which should adorn the Ministerial function in the eyes of the world and therefore cannot but judge it agreeable to Scripture that that liberty be restrained by the enjoyning of grave and comely garments and it is believed they forbear some of those enjoyned in the Canon it self not from a principle of faction and singularity but only because the long disuse of them hath rendred them somewhat uncouth in the eyes of their people and they are unwilling to let others who upon some accounts may do it with less offence render them more familiar by their use before they take them up only they scruple the use of vestments peculiarly appropriated to divine Service as thinking them proper to the old Law and abolished with it Lastly they may notwithstanding their perswasion that no power on earth can make any portion of time intrinsecally holy admit the observation of those eminent Festivals of the Church that tend to the keeping in remembrance the Birth Circumcision Baptism Resurrection and Ascension of our blessed Saviour and the descending of the holy Ghost as they do other Anniversary thanksgivings appointed by Publick Authority so as no obligation be declared to lie upon the Conscience to observe them from any peculiar holiness in those more then in other dayes and others abolished or left indifferently to be observed or omitted I am very confident that very few of that Party which they call Presbyterian will find themselves concerned in Conscience to dispute the lawfulness of many if any of the fore-mentioned Concessions as here stated in order to a friendly accommodation And am also so charitable to those of the soberer sort of Episcoparians as to think that upon a publike Declaration that they can yield thus far and intend not to start new scruples when these here mentioned are satisfied which I perceive is the jealousie that contributes much to the continuing our distances whiles the ruling Party are suspitious that if once they begin to abate the others for whose sake they do it will grow unreasonable in their demands and think to make use of one Concession as an Argument to prevail for another in infinitum they would advance nearer towards them And hereby unquestionably those Brethren may either expect to be gratified in their desires or render the persons that deny them before God and the world inexcuseable if they would generally agree on the Terms on which they will be satisfied and solemnly declare that upon the Concession of them they will acquiesce without disturbing the peace of the Church And indeed it seems but reasonable that this should be required of them that so their Governors may be assured that they have no reserves in ambuscado to disturb them afresh when the main body of their scruples is disbanded and dismissed the Field And I have taken this pains of purpose not to prescribe to the Reverend Fathers and Brethren of the one or the other perswasion my own conceptions as a just standard or ballance by which the Articles of Accommodation must necessarily be measured or weighed out but partly to excite them by a kind of Pattern how imperfect soever drawn out of those Notions which by Books or Discourses I have taken up concerning the main differences between them and the Principles upon which they are engaged to maintain their contrary Assertions to do something more perfect themselves of the like nature And partly with all submission and reverence to set before those in Publike Authority if the Parties themselves will not in what way they may quickly put an end to these strifes and divisions to wit by requiring them severally each side for themselves to state the utmost of their demands and desires and the utmost of the Concessions and Condescentions which they can with a safe Conscience yield each other upon those demands together with the grounds upon which they can go no farther taken from the publikely owned Rules and Principles by which they will be tryed in Concernments of this Nature and upon the whole matter make themselves Judges in the case and compound the difference so as it may offer least violence to those Principles of Conscience on either hand For certainly what Persons or Parties soever shall upon other Principles then those of Conscience or farther then those Principles by which their Conscience is governed do require keep open our wounds and obstruct a Christian and Charitable Accommodation will ipso facto declare themselves guilty of a Schismatical Design in the Church for some base and unworthy ends and justly expose themselves to the jealousie of the Magistrate as those that nurse a Principle of new disturbances to the State upon that account FINIS