Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	church_n	hand_n	imposition_n	2,100	5	10.5630	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02486	The auncient ecclesiasticall practise of confirmation Confirmed by arguments drawne from Scripture, reason, councels, Fathers, and later writers. VVritten, vpon occasion of the confirmation of the Prince his Highnesse, performed on Munday in Easter-weeke, 1613. in the chappell at White-hall, by the right Reuerend Father in God, the Bishop of Bath and Wels, Deane of his Maiesties Chappell. By George Hakevvill, Doctor of Diuinitie, his Highnesse chaplaine in ordinarie. Published by authoritie.	Hakewill, George, 1578-1649.	1613 (1613)	STC 12614; ESTC S103566	14,283	32

THE AVNCIENT Ecclesiasticall Practise OF CONFIRMATION Confirmed by Arguments drawne from Scripture Reason Councels Fathers and later Writers VVritten Vpon occasion of the Confirmation of the Prince his Highnesse performed on Munday in Easter-weeke 1613. in the Chappell at White-hall by the right Reuerend Father in God the Bishop of Bath and Wels Deane of his Maiesties CHAPPELL BY GEORGE HAKEVVILL Doctor of Diuinitie his Highnesse Chaplaine in ordinarie Published by Authoritie LONDON Printed by THOMAS SNODHAM for Mathew Lownes and are to be solde at his Shop at the Signe of the Bishops-head in Pauls Church-yard 1613. TO THE PRINCE HIS HIGHNESSE MY GRATIOVS LORD AND MASTER HAuing beene an Eare-witnesse of that full satisfaction which vpon strict and long Examination your Highnesse yeelded my Lords Grace of Canterburie and my Lord of Bath and VVels in the Grounds and Principles of Christian Religion I was encouraged to adde forme and life to these ensuing Obseruations lately collected touching Confirmation that from thence your Highnesse might not onely be informed how iustly the Church of England together with many other godly and vsefull Ceremonies retayneth this laudable and auncient Custome but farther be induced to the receiuing of it with the greater cheerefulnesse in your owne Person assuring my selfe that your Highnesse Example will serue to draw on many Inferiours eyther to take it more commonly and willingly themselues or at the least to esteeme it more reuerently in others Now the God of Heauen who hath planted that Grace in you which to the great content and comfort of my Soule I perceiue to encrease daily confirme it in you and you in it to the glory of his Name the good of his Church and the Saluation of your owne Soule Your Highnesse Chaplaine and Seruant in all humble dutie to be commanded George Hakewill THE AVNCIENT ECCLESIASTICALL PRACTISE OF Confirmation CHAP. I. Of the Nature and diuers Vses of Confirmation 1 CONFIRMATION is an auncient Custome of the Church vsed after Baptisme consisting in Examination and Imposition of hands with effectuall Prayer for the illumination of Gods most holy Spirit to confirme and perfect that which the grace of the same Spirit hath already begunne in Baptisme 2 The benefits of this Confirmation are diuers whereof the first is that men expecting Examination and tryall from their Spir●tuall Fathers they might more willingly acquaint and carefully season thems●lues with the grounds of Christian Religion before Malice and corrupt Exa●ples depraued their mindes as namely with the Articles of our Creede vvhich teach vs all wee are to beleeue the Tenne Commandements which teach vs all wee are to doe the Lords Prayer which teacheth vs all wee are to aske together with the nature and vse of the two great Sacraments of the Gospell Baptisme alreadie receiued and the Eucharist to be receiued afterwards 3 Secondly it serues that vvhen they come to yeeres of discretion they should publiquely make confession of that Faith themselues which others had promised for them in Baptisme to the discharge of their Sureties and the good example of others 4 Thirdly that by such Confession they might make profession of difference from all Iewes Turkes and Infidels out of the Church Heretikes Schismati●es and prophane persons in the Church 5 Fourthly that then specially vvhen they first come to the vse of reason beginning to fall into sundry kindes of sinne and being least able to resist for want of experience by Imposition of Hands and Prayer they might receiue strength and defence against the temptations of the World the Flesh and the Diuell 6 Fiftly that the Prelates and chiefe Guides of Gods Familie to vvhom the Cure of their Soules belongeth finding vpon Examination some part of their owne heauie burden discharged might from thence reape comfort in beholding those faire foundations already laid and glorifie God whose praise they sound in the mouthes of Infants 7 This kinde of Confirmation vvere there no authoritie to countenance it is in my iudgement so vsefull in the Church of God that vpon good reason it might be entertained among Christians but for farther confirmation of it vve are compassed with a cloud of VVitnesses and that so plentifully out of all Antiquitie as it may seeme a kinde of ambition or lost labour to quote their Names wherefore I vvill onely alledge the soundest of those vvho since the Reformation of Religion and clearer light of the Gospell in their seuerall VVritings haue approued and highly commended this auncient Custome 8 I will beginne with Martin Luther who in his Booke of the Captiuitie of Babylon by which hee vnderstandeth the Captiuitie of the true Church vnder the Romish yoake though hee allow not CONFIRMATION as a Sacrament yet hee thinketh it passable as an Ecclesiasticall Ceremonie or Sacramentall complement 9 Philip Melancthon yoake-fellow to Luther in his Confession of the Churches of Germanie but specially of Saxonie written in the yeere 1551. to be exhibited to the Councill of Trent holds it to be very profitable for informing of men ●n the principles of Christian Faith and holding them in the true knowledge of God 10 Zuinglius in his Booke of true and false Religion confesseth the vse of it to haue beene as auncient as the Custome of baptizing infants Chemnitius in his examination of the Tridentine Councill thinkes that the vnprofitable and superstitious Traditions which as Rust haue crept vpon it being skoured off it may be religiously vsed and be very auaileable to the instruction of youth and the edification of the whole Church and hauing set downe diuers good and godly vses of it to proue them all from Scripture the practise of the Apostles and the Canons of Councils as namely that of Laodicea and Arles 11 Iohn Caluin in his fourth Booke of Institutions in the vpshot of the Chapter of Confirmation not onely commendeth the auncient vse of it but the abuse being remoued heartily wisheth it restored And because his authoritie is not without desert of great waight I will set downe his very words as I finde them Would to God saith hee wee retained that Custome which I haue already declared to haue beene in vse among the auncient before that abortiue vizard of a Sacrament was put vpon it And a little after If this part of Discipline were now●adayes in force the slacknesse of many Parents would be much quickned who passe ouer the institution or instruction of their Children as a businesse nothing pertayning to them which then without some publike disgrace they could not omit besides there would be lesse ignorance and more concord in Articles of Faith among Christian people 12 Peter Martyr as appeareth in his Common places is of opinion that Confirmation which inioyneth children to a publique allowance and profession of that which without their consent or knowledge was done vnto them in Baptisme is to very good purpose to like effect speaketh Brentius in his Confession of Wirtenberge and Beza

In the third the Bishops and Fathers of the Church so that by vertue of this Succession the power of the Keyes and Imposition of Hands properly belongeth to them Now that the Apostles alone imposed hands not onely in Ordination but in Confirmation appeares out of the 8. of the Acts where when Phillip had baptised the Samaritanes it is said that the Apostles Peter and Iohn came downe from Ierusalem to confirme them with Prayer and Imposition of hands Vpon which place Saint Chrysostome directly concludes the administration of that Ceremonie to belong to Bishops And Augustine affirmes the Church in his time to haue obserued it in suis praepositis as hee speaketh in her Gouernours the like doth Saint Cyprian witnesse of his times and Saint Ambrose being himselfe a Bishop as also the former three giueth a reason for so doing ad Confirmationem vnitatis I take his meaning to be that the Bishops by approuing in Confirmation that which the inferiour Ministers had performed in Baptisme thereby established the peace of the Church as well by declaring their vnitie among themselues I meane of the Bishops with the inferiour Ministers as also by exacting of such as vvere confirmed an vniformitie or harmonie of Confessions To this reason of Saint Ambrose Saint Hierome in his Dialogue against the Luciferians addes another of no lesse moment vvhich is that the safetie of the Church depending vpon the authoritie of Bishops for the shunning of Schismes it was requisite some eminent specialties of power should be reserued and annexed to that place as namely Imposition of hands which hee there affirmeth was the custome of the Church for the Bishop to performe passing by the Country Parishes thereby blessing those vvhom the Presbyters and Deacons had baptized To these reasons of the holy Doctors and Fathers may be added the vvaight of Councels The first Canon of the Councell of Aurenge in France and the 20. of the first Councell held at Toledo in Spaine to which the Schoole-men and Canonists generally agree Nay Caluin himselfe in his Institutions confesseth in expresse tearmes that the Minister of it was aunciently a Bishop And Bucer in his Commentaries vpon the Fourth to the Ephesians Farther thinkes it to haue beene grounded vpon good reason And Doctor Raynolds in the second dayes Conference at Hampton-Court being challenged by the Lord Bishop of Winchester where euer he had read that CONFIRMATION was aunciently vsed by any other then Bishops by not encountring the challenge seemed to giue way vnto it I will close vp this Chapter also vvith those memorable wordes of Mr. Hooker in the place before alledged To pray for others is to blesse them for whom wee pray because prayer procureth the blessing of God vpon them especially the prayer of such as God eyther most respecteth for their pietie and zeale that way or else regardeth for that their Place and Calling bindeth them aboue others vnto this dutie as it doth both naturall and spirituall Fathers Indiuiduae Trinitati sit Gloria a Cap. de Confirm Quare satis est pro ritu quodam Ecclesiastico seu Ceremonia sacramentali Confirmationem habere b Cap. de Confirm In ritu Confirmationis fiebat exploratio doctrinae in quae singuli recitabāt summam doctrinae palā profitebantur se improbare ●urores Ethnicos Haereticos velle se esse manere verae Ecclesiae membra non discessur●s à vera sententia quam tū profitebantur Hic mos erat vtilis ad e●udiendos homines retinendus in vera agnitione dei c Cap. de rel Sacram. Confirmatio tum sumpsit exordi●̄ quum vulgo caep●tum est infante● tingi d Lib. 2. pag. 72 Talis ritus Confirmati●nis valde multum vtilitatis ad aedification●m iuuentutis totius Ecclesiae conferrat esset etiam consentaneus Scripturae priori Antiquitati Et paulo post Haec in Colloquio Ratisponensi Anno 1541. proposita fuerunt e Cap. 19. Para. 13. Vtinam vero m●rem retin remus quem apud vete●es fuisse admo● nui priusquam abor●●● haec sacramenti larua nasceretur Et paulo post Haec disciplin● si hodi● valeret pro●fecto parentum quorundam igna●ia acueretur qui liberorum institutionem quasi rem nihil● ad se pertinentem securè negligunt quam tum sine publico dedecore ●mittere non possent maior esset in populo Christiano fidei consensus nec tanta multorum inscitia ruditas non adèo temerè quidem nouis peregrinis dogmatibus ab●●perentur f Cl●s 4. Cap. 7. Sect. 4. Nec d●splicet vt ea Confirmatio habeatur qua pueri adul●iores ●ogantur fidem suam in Ecclesia confiteri in externa prof●ssione comprobare quod in Baptismo illis non sentientibus factū est ita tamen ne ex eiusmodi actione fabricemur Sacramentum g Cap. de Confirm Non est nobis dubium qui● Apostoli initio confirmati in die Pentecostes c●ntulerint impositione manuum admirandum donum spiritus sancti credentibus in Christum vt varijs linguis loguer●ntur se●timus vtilissimum vt pueri adolescentes ●a Pastoribus Ecclesi●e suae in Catechismo ex●mmentur siquidem pi● rectè fuerint eruditi approbentur sin ●ra●è emendentur h Cap. 70. Quo● igi●ur in ista inquisitione comperieb●nt ita pro●ecisse vt digni viderentur qui reliquo coetu● adiu●gerentur eos in fide confirmatos impositis man●bus publicè sui● precibus De● Ecclesiae commendabant i In vers 2. Cap. 6. Heb. Imposition of hands vvith Prayer vvhich vvas the olde and p●re Ceremonie of Confirmation vve doe not speake against k Et 8. Act. vers 14. The Primitiue Church had nothing in their Cat●chisme or inst●uction that vvas taught by vvord of mouth but that vvhich vvas contain●d in the holy Scripture as all the Articles of the Creed the doctrine of Repentance before Baptisme the manner and vse of Baptisme Confirmation by imposition of hands and such like Page 794. Page 197. See the 25. Article and Rogers vpon it a Liu. dec 1. lib. 1. b 2 King 5. 11. Gen. 48. 14. Numb 27. 18 Matth. 9. 18. Marc. 5. 23. Mat. 19. 13. c Hyperius in 6. ad Heb. Bulling ibidem Atq●● vtinam haec postliminio ad nos redeat manuum impositio ritus sanctissimus iuxta● v●il●ss●mus d Manuum imposition●m cum baptismo coniungit quia vt du● erant Catechumenorum ordines itaduplex erat Cer●monia nam qui eran● extran●i non ante perueniebant ad Baptismum quam ed●ta ●ide● professione in illis ergo Catechesis Baptismum precedere sole●at at liberi fidelium quoniam ab vtero adoptati erant iure promissionis pertinebant ad Corpus Ecclesiae Infantes bap●izibantur transacta verò infantia postquam instituti erant in fide se quoque ad Catechesin offerebant quae in illis

beene very aunciently vsed not onely in Ordination of Ministers but in Confirmation of such vvho in the Congregation publikely professed the doctrine of their Catechisme And the first of them affirmeth it to haue beene in vse in his time in the C●urch of Wirtenberge and such as depended on that 8 Now I the rather presse these testimonies of later VVriters because I know there are some whose iudgements not without reason are much swayed with their Authoritie and for the generall Concurrence of antiquitie I thinke among the learned there is little question 9 The most auncient Councils of Eliberis in Spaine and Arles in France deliuer as much vpon record not onely commending but commanding the vse of this Ceremonie in their seuerall Acts. And Tertullian in his Booke of the resurrection of the flesh doth not so much aduise what should be done in this case as witnesse what the Catholike Church did in his time The Flesh saith hee is ouer-shadowed by the imposition of Hands that the Soule may be enlightened with the Spirit of Grace VVhich vvords of his seeming to ascribe too much to imposition of Hands giue mee leaue to interprete as Caluin doth Leo Bishop of Rome vnderstanding by the conferring of the holy Spirit Inuocation by earnest and heartie Prayer that it may be conferred where it is not and the Gifts and effectuall Operation of it increased where it is alreadie 10 Thus doth Saint Augustine himselfe whom Caluin seldome leaues expound the giuing of the holy Ghost by Imposition of Hands Hee saith hee speaking of Christ both receiued the holy Ghost and dispensed it receiued it as man dispensed it as God but we receiue it indeede but dispense i● not howbeit wee call vpon him for the dispensing and pouring of it forth on those on whom wee lay our hands And in another place shewes what is meant by pouring out the Holy Ghost since the ceasing of Miracles For now-a dayes saith hee the holy Ghost is not giuen through Imposition of Hands for the working of outward and sensible Miracles as heretofore it was that so the strangenesse of the Faith professed might the sooner be entertayned and the narrow bounds of the Church further enlarged for who now expecteth that they on whom hands are laid for the receiuing of the holy Ghost should presently beginne to speake with strange tongues but inuisibly the Loue of God is poured into their hearts by the secret working of the Holy Ghost To vvhich accordeth that of Bullinger on the 8. of the Acts borrowed as it seemes out of Amalarius By the outward Ceremony of the Imposition of Hands is meant that the Holy Ghost is not giuen by any strength of ours but by the hand that is the Power of God 11 I vvill conclude this Chapter with the vvords of Mr. Hooker in his fift Booke of Ecclesiasticall Policie with Prayers of Spirituall and personall Benediction the manner hath beene in all ages to vse Imposition of Hands as a Ceremonie betokening our restrayned desires to the partie vvhom vvee present vnto GOD by Prayer CHAP. III. Of the restrayning of Confirmation to the Order of Bishops 1 THat there should be an Order consisting in distinct degrees and a subordination of Offices as well in Ecclesiasticall as Ciuill Gouernment the common Practise of all Nations Iewish Heathenish Christian and the voyce of Nature and Reason seeme to proclaime that disparitie which ariseth betweene the Superiour and the Inferiour being the chiefest meanes of lincking and vniting the seuerall parcels of the whole Societie in a mutuall correspondence and reciprocall proportion of Loue and Dutie To this purpose that Bishops were superiour to other Ministers all Antiquitie with one consent if you except Aiërius who for dissenting in this poynt vvas accounted an Heretique by Epiphanius and Augustine doth acknowledge distinguishing three degrees of Ministers Bishops Presbyters Deacons answerable to the High Priest Priests and Leuites among the Iewes Ignatius who liued in the Apostles times often mentioneth this distinction as namely in his Epistle 〈◊〉 the S●yrnians Let the Lay-men saith hee be subiect to the Deacons the Deacons to the Presbyters the Presbyters to the Bishop the Bishop to Christ. And Saint Hierome notwithstanding by reason of his Controuersie with the Bishop of Ierusalem hee were held an aduersarie to the state of Bishops in his Epistle to Euagrius calleth it an Apostolicall Tradition That wee may know saith hee that the Apostolicall Traditions are taken out of the olde Testament looke what Aaron and his Sonnes and the Leuites were in the Temple the same let the Bishops Presbyters and Deacons challenge in the Church Now then as among the Iewes Aarons Sonnes iustly challenged many prerogatiues aboue the Leuites and againe Aaron himselfe aboue his Sonnes so among Christians doe the Presbyters aboue the Deacons and the Bishops aboue the Presbyters specially considering that as the distinction of Presbyters and Bishops was shadowed vnder the Law in Aaron and his Sonnes so vnder the Gospell is it established by referring their seuerall Succession the one to the Apostles the other to the 70. Disciples For that Bishops succeeded in the roome of the Apostles besides many other testimonies the Councill of Neocaesarea witnesseth Irenaeus in his third Booke and 3. Chapter Ambrose in his Commentaries vpon the 4. Chapter to the Ephesians Augustine vpon those vvordes of the 45. Psalme Instead of thy Fathers shall thy Children be And lastly S. Hierome vpon the same words and againe in his Epistle to Marcella touching the errours of Montanus But lest I be here mistaken as also for the opening of a clearer passage to my present purpose giue mee leaue to vnfolde my meaning in vvhat sence Byshops most properly are said to succeede the Apostles For the better vnderstanding of which Position vvee must obserue that the Apostles transcendently comprehended in their persons the vvhole Hierarchie of the Church as now it is and some-what aboue them all for first they were members of the Church as being Christians secondly they were Presbyters as being to preach the Gospell and administer the Sacraments thirdly they vvere Bishops for iurisdiction and imposition of Hands fourthly they vvere Apostles for the large circuit of their Commission for being called immediately by Christ himselfe for being furnished with the infallible assurance of his truth and visible assistance of his Spirit ●n speaking diuers tongues curing diseases working Miracles knowing secrets and lastly not onely for receiuing the Holy Ghost themselues in miraculous manner and measure but also for imparting it to others In this last regard I meane for their Apostolique charge they left none to succeede them this calling being extraordinary and to endure but for a time but the other three were all ordinary and consequently capable of succession In the first roome succeeded them all that professe the Gospell In the second all the Ministers of the Gospell