Selected quad for the lemma: rest_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
rest_n	bishop_n	church_n	presbyter_n	2,348	5	10.4986	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75749	A remonstrance, against presbitery. Exhibited by divers of the nobilitie, gentrie, ministers and inhabitants of the county palatine. of Chester with the motives of that remonstrance. Together with a short survey of the Presbyterian discipline. Shewing the inconveniences of it; and the inconsistency thereof with the constitution of this state, being in its principles destructive to the laws and liberties of the people. With a briefe review of the institution, succession, iurisdiction of the ancient and venerable order of bishops. Found to bee instituted by the Apostles, continued ever since, grounded on the lawes of God, and most agreeable to the law of the land. / By Sir Thomas Aston baronet.	Aston, Thomas, Sir, 1600-1645.	1641 (1641)	Wing A4078; Thomason E163_1; Thomason E163_2; ESTC R212696	75,691	128

of an imaginary good they many times covet their owne ruine These sugred baits of parity and libertie infus'd into vulgar apprehensions under the pretext of pietie and reformation are such popular poysons as will soon o're spread the body of the Common-wealth and corrupt or dissolve the Nerves Ligaments of Government conformity to Lawes if not early prevented by those precious Antidotes against Confusion Loyalty and Constancy SECT 5. A Discussion whether they seek to pull downe or advance the Clergie LEt us then ere wee imbrace the thoughts of such a totall subversion of the Fabrick of a Church and State examine whether such Reformers aime at our liberty or their owne advancement whether such bitternesse of Spirit proceed from zeale to truth or emulation of the order c What a Monopoly is this to take away the title wherein the office of all true Pastors is comprehended and to transferre it to one alone among many Christs Throne fol 43. Is it to clip the wings of the Clergie that they soare not too high that these men crie out against Episcopall jurisdiction or rather is it not to Imp out their broken Feathers that they may mount above the reach of all Lawes Is it to regulate any exorbitant power in them or rather is it not to make their power as indefinite This Monopoly is a mysterie of mischiefes view Prelat Church fol. 3. as their numbers are infinite Is it not really to pull downe 26. Bishops and set up 9324. potentiall Popes when in effect the Pastor of every parish Church must be such The consequences these men promise to themselves in their petition seconded by the writing of their fellow-laborers promise no lesse which are First to quit themselves from the circumscription of any Ecclesiasticall Authoritie either in discipline or doctrine d Their petition note 16. View of the Prelaticall Church fol. 16. They pray that the revealed will of God contained in the books of the old and new Testament may be the rule that wee should follow As if certainly this whole State and Church had all this while followed a wrong Guide e Their petition note 17. d That the morall doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles may bee old Englands Canons of which themselves must be Expositors as if all Canonicall obedience were a meere intrusion upon Gods word and had no foundation in Scripture Doe wee not know that Timothy and Titus were by Saint Paul set over the Churches of Ephesus and Crete and in the stile of both the Epistles by the interpretation of the Fathers appeare to have beene Bishops and to have Canonicall power committed to them f 1 Timoth. 1.3 To suppresse false doctrines g 2 Chap. 1.8 To direct time and place for prayer and supplications h 9. To prescribe formes of apparrell i 11. To impose silence upon women k 1 Timoth. 3.2 12. To institute Bishops and Deacons l 1 Timoth. 5.19 To receive accusations and to punish Elders m Ibid. 22. To ordaine Ministers n Titus 3.10 To admonish and reject obstinate Heretiques * 1 Timoth. 1.20 To excommunicate such as blaspheme And these things not transmitted to them as doctrines but as part of their jurisdiction o 1 Timoth. 4 11. These things command and teach and rebuke with all authoritie * Titus 2.15 And let no man despise thee So that here wee may see a foundation of Ecclesiasticall Government laid even by the Apostles themselves and to us enjoyned obedience And though in the infancie of the Gospell when q Matth. 8.20 Luke 9.58 The Son of man had not where to lay his head when his Disciples all past thorow the fire of Martyrdome and no free State scarce any whole Village had received the Gospell even Rome it selfe was for many ages after the seat of the Heathen Emperours r Fox his Martyrs fol. 39. under whose terrible persecutions the Church was scattered into corners and deserts where they could best hide themselves It could not then I say be expected that so exact a platforme of Discipline should be laid down to governe handfuls as was after necessarie to be extended to sway the converted Christian world Yet then did Paul see the necessity both of instituting rules of government putting the execution into the hands of some supreme power To which purpose as Erasmus observes ſ Eras tom 6. fol. 343. Timotheum Paulus in ministerium adoptarat probae indolis juvenem sacris literis eruditum Quoniam autem huic Ecclesiarum curam delegarat sicut Tito instituit eum in sunctione Episcopali Hee elected Timothy a hopefull young man and learned in holy writ into the ministerie and that hee might commit to him the care of the Churches instituted him as also Titus in the office of a Bishop And Saint Hierome t Hieronymus Dialogo adversus Luciferianos Ecclesiae satus in summi Sacerd●ti● dignitate pendet cuis●●on exors quaedam ob omnibus e●●inens detur potest as tot in Ecclesiis efficientur Schismata quot Sacerdotes gives the reason of the necessitie of such superintendencie in the Church for sayes he The safetie of the Church depends upon the dignitie of the chiefe Priest to whom if some extraordinarie power above the rest bee not given there would bee as many schismes in the Church as there are Pastors If then the Institution of Ecclesiasticall Government were Apostolicall the administration committed by Saint Paul himselfe to prime Presbyters or as all ancient Fathers agree to Bishops Let us next see whether such Ecclesiasticall Lawes have beene deduced downe to our fore-fathers in a continued current from the fountaine head the Apostles or are but as these charitable men stile them The Reliques of Romish Tyranny SECT 6. The Ecclesiasticall Lawes agreeable to Gods word I Have in the Epistle formerly set forth the first plantation of the Gospell in England in the time of Lucius u Fox his Martyrs fol. 34. Archbishop Vsher De primord Eccles fol. 54 59. about the yeare 169. when as Elutherius then Bishop of Rome shewes from what principles wee derive our Ecclesiasticall Lawes In his lettet to Lucius King of Britaine he writes thus Fox Martyrs fol. 108. Vsher De Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Primordiis fol 102. Yee require the Roman Lawes and the Emperors to be sent over to you The Roman Lawes and Emperours we may ever reprove but the Law of God we may not w Esutherii rescriptum ad Lucium Britanniae Regem Petistis a nobis Leges Romanas Caesaris vobis transmitti quibus in Regno Britanniae uti voluistis c. Habetis penes vos in regno utramque paginam ex illis Dei gratia per Consilium regni vestri sume legem per illam Dei patientia vestrum rege Britanniae regnum Yee have received of late through Gods mercie in the Realme of Britaine the

truth which yet I must avow The Cheshire Remonstrance improperly called A Petition Secondly abused by an absolute untruth the spurious issue of some brain-sick Anabaptist injuriously fathered upon that County and stiled The answer to that Petition therein disavowing me yet I must give him more thanks that printed the latter then the first That exposed me to censure This invites me to justifie my self to vindicate my Countrey The first starting out naked without the papers to which it relates appears like a shadow without a substance or a Comment without a Text yeelds every man discourse few men satisfaction To explain this Riddle I have inserted that Petition those posititions which were annext and were the occasion of our Remonstrance Thou that art doubtfull or hast censured Ex parte take in evidence the whole truth then give thy verdict The latter hath nothing in it worth my answer nor thy note but that it is meerly fictitious false In toto in qualibet parte Never any such Petition seen in Cheshire never presented to the house noe such persons ever signed it For thy better satisfaction know we have but five Noblemen in Cheshire four of which signed the first Petition of Knights Baronets Knights and Esquires I know not above two in the whole County that do desire the abolition of the Episcopall order we have not in all so many Divines as are said to have underwrit and fourscore and ten of those have signed the Remonstrance most of the rest were never asked And for the Gentry and inhabitants I do confidently beleeve not one of either but will protest against that Libell not one of a hundred but that question being singlely stated whether they desire the continuance of Bishops or to submit to a Presbytery will with their hands witnesse their hearts affections to the preservation of that order established by our Laws the observation of which Laws must preserve the continuation of our liberties But thou wilt lesse admire his boldnesse to traduce a Countrey when thou shalt finde him so impudent as to belie the Gospel To delude the ignorant or negligent Reader he stuffs his Margin full of Texts of which thou shalt not finde one for his purpose He takes upon him to prove that the Apostles alwayes ordained sundry Bishops in every particular Congregation and those of equall power and authority for proofe whereof he quotes Act 11.30 Acts 11. verse 27 28 29 30. C. a lapide Acts 11.31 but take the precedent verses with it and see what thou canst conclude thence a. And in those days came Prophets from Hierusalem to Antioch and there stood up one of them named Agabus and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth thorowout all the world which came to passe in the dayes of Claudius Caesar Then the Disciples every man aecording to his ability determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Iudea which also they did and sent it to the Elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul By which it is very probable as is the opinion of C. a Lapide and others was chiefly meant the Deacons (b) Nec alia tunc fuit Diaconorum ratio quam sub Apostolis oblationes enim fidelium quotidianas et anuos Ecclesiae proventus recipiebant ut conferent in veros usus id est partim Ministris partim pauperibus alendis distribuerent Episcopi tamen arbitrio cui oeconomiae suae rationes quotidianas reddebant Calvin Institut lib 4. cap. 4. sect 5. whose office was to collect and treasure up the benevolences for the reliefe of the Presbyters and of the poor as is agreed by all Writers Now he would apply the word Elders which is in the Latine Presbyteri onely to the Bishops whereas that word did usually imply all the Ministers of the Church As it is explained by that vast learned Lyra and the harmony of all the Fathers upon that place of Acts 14. (c) Lyra cap. 14. Acts Tom. 6. fol. 1144. Et cum instituissent illis per singulas Ecclesias Presbyteros c. dicit nomine presbyterorum intelliguntur etiam alii Ecclesiae Ministri ut Episcopi Diaconi huiusmodi Vid. Chrysostome upon the Epist to Titus fol. 1700. And when they had ordained them Elders in every Church c. He sayes by the name of Elders is also to be understood all other Ministers of the Church as Bishops and Deacons and such like All the rest of his quotations are but meere citing of Texts out of a Concordance where ever he findes the word Elder quoting it for a Bishop never observing whether it be for him or against him As to prove them of equall authority he cites 1 Tim. 5.17 Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour 't is a strange conclusion ergo equall in authority (d) Chrysost 1. cap. ad Titum Paulus Tito multorum Episcopor iudicium commisit Likewise to prove that one Bishop is not set over many Churches he quotes Titus who as it appears by the subscription of that Epistle was ordained the first Bishop of the Cretians Saint Chrysostome upon that Chapter sayes Paul committed to Titus the judgement of many Bishops And Lyra (e) Lyra paulus instituit Titum Archi Episcopum Cretensium upon the same Chapter that Paul instituted Titus Archbishop of the Cretians with whom agree our late Writers amongst which Erasmus more fully in his Argument on the Epistle to Titus observes (f) Erasmus tom 6. fol. 354. Titum discipulum suum ob eximias dotes Insulae nobilissimoe Cretae praefecerat Apostolus illic abiens Archiepiscopum consecrarat monet autem quod ipse apud Cretenses per singulas civitates episcopos instituat quos presbyteros vocat idoneum episcopi formam praescribens c. that Paul set Titus his Disciple for his excellent gifts over the Cretians and departing thence consecrated him Archbishop admonishing him to institute Bishops which he also calls Presbyters in every Citty prescribing him the fit endowments of a Bishop With like liberty doth he abuse History unworthily assuming the name of that reverend Patriot Archbishop Vsher Vsher de britannie● ecclesiae primord to patronize his fictions who onely historically recites the severall opinions of Authors concerning the first induceing of the Christian faith into England whether by Iames the son of Zebedec Simon Zelotes Simon Peter or Ioseph of Arimathea ann 63. after Christ (g) Vsher ibid. fol 7. si quidem Metaphrastae credimus apud quem legimus petrum in britann longo tempore fuisse moratum c. ecclesias constituisset episcopos presbyteros diaconos ordinasset 12. Caesaris Neronis rursus Romam reversum esse or others which if all admitted for truths conclude nothing to the governing of the land withou Bishops for some hundred yeers from the first plantation of the Gospel but rather the cleer contrary I shal give thee Reader that