Selected quad for the lemma: prince_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prince_n	great_a	king_n	noble_n	2,602	5	9.8143	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94862	Triple episcopacie or, a three-fold order of bishops : one of God, another of men, and another of the divell; the two later must be pluckt up, the former only must continue, and the reasons why. With a declaration of certaine other weighty points concerning the discipline and government of the church		1641 (1641)	Wing T2287; Thomason E178_1; ESTC R212674	11,795	16

the true Religion it is a question whether there may be such an assembly without the consent or commandement of the Prince Whether the Ministers alone may meet as often as they will Last of all whether the Nobles and other godly men and Elders which are yeerly chosen with us out of the people nobility together may lawfully or expediently come without the commandement of the King to such assemblies Which assembly of the nobles and people seemeth to some altogether needlesse under a godly Prince either because it hath not long since beene received by a mere custome without any Law and that under a Prince who then resisted the Religion whereby such assemblies might have the greater authority or else because it may seeme dangerous if so many nobles assemble so often without the consent of the King they may sometimes consult of something else besides Religion Others thinke that this assembly is in no case to be refused but rather that it is very needfull that the Nobles and other Religious men be present as helpers to their Ministers in the assembly bearing witnesse of their life and the peoples behaviour otherwise it wil after come to passe that if an impious Prince raigne afterward that neither Ministers may safely assemble neither can the determination be put in execution without the consent helpe and aide of the nobles To the second Question Councels are necessary in the Church for many causes both to the retaining of agreement and also to the seeking of remedies by common advice for the dangers which fall out And last of all to take order for those that rest not in the judgement of particular seigniories if they thinke they have any injurie done them And these Councels are either of a whole nation or of some one Region or Province or Diocesse as they have begun to speake after the description of the Provinces of Rome divided into many Seigniories It is necessary that the Councels of the Provinces be divided for many causes and except there be other urgent causes they would be appointed rather every halse yeere then quarterly lest in discoursing of matters they spend the time in vaine And it will be best for the avoiding of Ambition that the Councell be not alwayes assembled in the same place of every Province but as soone as one halfe yeeres Synode is discussed it may be determined by common consent where shall be the place of the next following It will be very well that two of every seigniory of the Province chosen by common voyces and sent with some commission be present at these Councels one a Pastor and the other an Elder or a Deacon Neither would we have any strife about sitting who should sit first or last but every one to sit as it shall fall out without any contention and the judgement to be given as any one shall sit Now hee that shall governe the whole action who was chosen for this one thing by common consent of voyce the chiefe Pastor of the place being in the beginning President which office shall end when the Councell shall be ended There are no matters in question to be propounded to these Councels to take knowledge of but such as are more spirituall and belong to that Province where they are to be decided without appeale by the Word of God and the rules there set downe without any brabling or disturbance of the company Yet if any great private controversie shall fall out in the Provinciall Synode where some may think that he hath cause to complaine of injurie done unto him hee may put up his complaint to be decided in a generall Councell when it shall be thought good to assemble it Furthermore it is chiefely required that if all the Lawes of the Church be established of the Kings Christian Majestie It followeth that the Councels are to be assembled by his commandement and direction and not otherwise Neither yet is there a new commission every time to be sought for of the King for that purpose seeing his Majestie hath once established a Law touching the set times of ordinary Synods But yet if there arise just cause of suspition of handling in these meetings other matters besides meere Ecclesiasticall it shall be safe for the Kings Majesty to send one of his Subjects whom he will to grace by his presence the meeting of the Synodes where yet he is not to be as a Judge except some thing fall out where it is necessary that the authority of the civill Magistrate be put betweene A generall Councell of the Land is not to be assembled but upon great causes which seeing they agree not with set times it followeth that they are not to be standing neither but as often as something shall seeme to fall out of so great weight either in doctrine or in government of the Church as cannot well be decided but in a generall meeting that Province is to be careful to put other Provinces in mind concerning that matter in these halfe yeeres Synodes that with the consent of all or the greater part they goe unto the Kings Majesty who as being a Christian Prince is to desire nothing more than the peace of the Churches ought without any stay or doubting at the suit of the Churches to appoint a place and time for a generall meeting as the need of the Churches shall require And the same order may seem to be kept in the general councels which is in the Provinciall whether before the Kings Majesty himselfe as in some generall Councels the Emperours of Rome have been present or before the honourable Lords of the Kings Majesty And last of all whatsoever shall be allowed by the common consent of the Synode shall be confirmed by the Kings Maiesties expresse authority after the example of the godly Emperours FINIS

governing by some few had been in their former force againe But besides that the state of the world being quite changed experience of so many ages doth teach us too well that unlesse this root also be pluckt up it will come to passe that the same fruit will sprout and bud forth againe Finally seeing the Lord hath so often decided this controversie of superiority among his own Disciples that he shut it clean out seeing the rule both for doctrine good order of the Church is to be sought for out of the very writings of the Apostles and it is manifested the Churches then prospered when all this authority of one man over the rest yet was not but as that grew up so all things fell to decay Finally seeing where the rem nants of this government by a few are not cleane taken away the worke of the Lord is openly hindred Our judgement is that after the chasing away of this device of man the Churches shall be well provided for if they may be repaired according to the writings of the Apostles And the reformation as it seemeth to us consisteth herein that first the whole kingdome is to be divided into regions Againe the regions into parishes either of cities or country townes that in places most fit and of greatest assembly be placed Pastors being lawfully propounded by the company of their owne Elders to the Kings Christian Majestie or the deputies thereof and allowed of all Lastly being received of their owne people over whom they are to be set they be placed promulgation having gone befo●● and that in every parish the Pastor may have with him sit men to assist him who also may being watchfull salve up the offences not so weighty leaving the other of greater importance to the whole Eldership Also that Eldership made of the Pastors of parishes both of City and countrey and a sufficient number of men approved for their godlinesse wisedome lawfully also chosen as is aforesaid be placed in most fit places who assembling at a certain time and place may determine of the Church affaires of their owne government according to the prescript lawes first set downe in a generall Councell and afterward confirmed by the authoritie of the soveraigne Majestie In this company let there be chosen by comon voyces one first in order not superiour in authority who shall be thought most fit and that without making choyce of any certain place and but for a certaine time After the expiring wherof either let another be chosen or else the same man is to be established again for another time by a new consent whose office is to make report of the common affaires to the company to demand their judgements and to give sentence by the judgement of the Eldership having no authority given him over his fellowes to whom rather he is most subject In this assembly let nothing be debated of besides matters of conscience that by the Word of God and the lawes of Church discipline established drawne out of the Word of God not one whit medling with the authority of the civill Magistrate And let the soveraigne Majesty and the lawfull Magistrate thereby appointed be keepers of this order and the punisher of those that seditiously rage against it But if any shall imagin that this sudden abolishing of both these Bishops will minister occasion of new stirs although wee see not with what conscience the Bishops may so challenge to themselves the goods of the Church or else call themselves Bishops and live like Princes of this world yet for to keepe the common peace the soveraigne Majesty may leave unto them which are now Bishops their revenues whole for their life time so they trouble not the well made order of the Church with providing there be none chosen into their place when they be dead As for the frowardnesse of the people it may be kept downe better a great deale by other reynes than by the authority of a false named Bishop as by preaching of the Word of God by censures of the Church and the authority of the Magistrate of the country against the open troubles of the publike state either Ecclesiasticall or civill The Churches may very well be visited at set times without any great cost and Bishoplike pride by them whom every Eldership hath chosen under the Kings Majesties authority which will not be alwaies necessary if the Elders doe rightly execute their office This sitting of the Bishops with the authority of the voyce in the publike estates of the kingdome came in with a manifest abuse contrary to the Word and therefore in our minde is to be utterly abolished For the Bishop hath nothing to do in ordering of mere civill affaires yet forasmuch as in such assemblies especially some things many times happen belonging to the establishing of the estate and order of the Churches the keepers wherof the godly Magistrates ought to be and not the over-turners as we are taught by the example of holy Kings It is very necessary that as often as the meetings of the land are proclaimed intelligence thereof be given to the chiefe Elders who may be present in the behalfe of their seigniories yet not sitting as Judges but dealing about matters of the Church onely with the estates of the land as their Elderships have given them in charge except the states thinke good upon extraordinary occasion that they aske counsell of God about some other affaires also If also the Kings Majestie thinke good to admit into counsell amongst the Pastors or Elders one who shall be thought to be wise and experienced in things he may admt him though not as a Pastor or Elder yet as a citizen And it were injurious to remove from their office in the Church the Pastors and much lesse the Elders and Deacons otherwise Lay-men from that degree which they hold as Citizens either in the common wealth or in the assemblies But the Kings Majestie and all the Princes and Lords are to be exceeding wary that they make not courtlike governours of their Pastors to the great indamaging of the Church as we have a faire example in Eusebius of Nicomedia in the Court of Constantine As for the right of the patronage lest some man should say that it was gotten for himselfe Our judgement is that it may be concealed but not without some conditions namely that he which shall be chosen by the free voyces of the Eldership should be offered by the Patron to the Kings Majesty being also to set upon his charge after the consenting of his flock The second Question After that religion is reformed it hath beene a received custome that the Bishops and of the Ministers Pastors and Elders so many as should be sent of the Bishops should assemble themselves that they together with the chiefe Barons and Nobles which professe the true Religion might make enquirie after the doctrine and manners of every one But seeing the Prince himselfe is a lover of