Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	bishop_n	peter_n	succession_n	1,339	5	9.9497	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30646	The protestation protested, or, A short remonstrance shewing what is principally required of all those that have or doe take the last Parliamentary protestation	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1641 (1641)	Wing B6171; ESTC R22769	12,519	23

Curates consideration I refer it whether they be able truely out of good premises to conclude themselves to be the Ministers of Christ lawfully called whom all of them doe immediately derive their Ministry from the Antichristian Hierarchy or Papall Prelacie as the sole foundation thereof But this suffice briefly to prove the government of the Church of England by Arch-Bishops and Bishops c. False and usurped Titles to be a top-branch of Popery If here it be objected that the Government of Arch-Bishops and Diocesan Bishops was before Popery came up or Antichrist was mounted on his throne I answer first that the Government of Arch-Bishops and Diocesan Bishops was anciently much different from the Papall Hierarchicall Government afterwards whose Courts and sole Prelaticall Jurisdictions were not known in the Primitive Ages long after the Apostles Secondly the Government of Arch-Bishops and Diocesan Bishops at the very best and when they first sprung up was even from the wel-head corrupted as being an humā device and the first spring of the Mistery of iniquity which the further it run the more corrupt it grew till it had its ●ull confluence in muddy Tiber the See of Rome by whose innundation Antichrist having boysed up his maine sailes could easily compasse in the whole 〈…〉 World Thirdly the Hierarchicall Government in England as a maine arme of that sea so 〈◊〉 hath altered nothing of its former property when it was a limb of the Papacy Saving that before the Reformation they held immediately from the Pope and now especially of later dayes they hold by the same false pretended title which the Pope himselfe holds by namely from Christ and by divine Authority Witnesse Dr. Hals sweatty discourses And Dr. ●oclington shewes us a briefe Pedigree of the present titular Arch-Bishop of Canterbury saying Mis●rable men were wee if he that now sitteth Arch Bishop of Canterbury could not derive his succession from Saint Augustine St. Augustine from St. Gregory St. Gregory from St. Peter So he Only here he failes and so becomes miserable that though he can prove Canterburies succession from Rome yet never Rome's from Peter And so a severall misery followes upon it that our Hierarchicall Goverment being a limb of the Papall and so a top-branch of Popery it is now universally of all good Christians in England protested against as worthy to be cut off and cast out as a fruitlesse withering branch and to be plucked up by the rootes as a tree twice dead and as a plant not of Gods planting Ob. But if it be thus that for the reasons aforesaid the whole Government of the Church of England ought to be irradicated together with the Liturgie Discipline and Ceremonies in stead thereof I answere briefly First understanding the Church of England to be none other then a nationall Church it will be very difficult if not rather impossible to constitute it so as is agreeable in all points to a true and visible Congregation of Christ For a particular Church or congregation rightly collected and constituted consists of none but such as are visible living members of Christ the head and visible Saints under him the one and onely King of Saints but so is it not with a Nationall Church all the members thereof are not visible Saints or visible living members when the greatest part of a Nation commonly is found to consist of persons either ignorant or profane * For as the Scripture saith Though the Children of Israel bee as the sand of the Sea yet but a remnant shall be saved And yet that was a Nationall Church without parallel so as in the Reformation of such a nationall Church as this which hath been so universally overspread with profanenesse and darknesse so long beslaved under the yoke of Prelaticall tyranny under Egyptian Task-masters under manifold Romish Superstitions formall service wil-worship universall false and loose Discipline innumerable either false or unprofitable or idle Teachers Non-residents * dumb doggs so as whole Counties for want of good Ministers who have beene every where cast out and whole Countries yea the whole Land in comparison are overgrowne with Papists or Atheists or those that know not what true Religion meanes where shall wee begin to reforme Alas in comparison of the true Religion indeed which stands not in abare professiō but in power not in a bare name of Christianity but in the nature of it not in the mixture of mens inventions but in the purity of Christs owne Ordinances the Religion in England is very farre degenerate and but a while agoe was almost wholly slidden back into the very puddle of Popery yet not all but as it was said of the Church of Sardis Thou hast a name that thou livest but thou art dead yet in it were a few names which had not defiled their garments Even so in England there are a few yea I trust many thousands of Saints though in comparison of the whole Land but a few names a remnant whose hearts are perfect before God Where then shall the Reformation begin now in England surely in the new forming of a Church such as God requireth in his word Christs voyce must first be heard to call forth his sheep and to gather them into their flocks and folds For {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Church is properly a congregation of beleevers called out from the rest of the world For so saith the Lord * Come out from among them and be ye separate and touch not the uncleane thing and I will receive you A strange speech And be ye separate Surely Gods people must bee seperatists from the world and from false Churches to become a pure and holy people unto the Lord And hee saith to the Prophet Ieremy * If thou take forth the precious from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth let them returne unto thee but returne not thou unto them And surely in a corrupt Church as this is and a long time hath beene by reason of the great Aposta●●● and especially the wickednesse of the Prelates we 〈…〉 doe as the Apostles did when they came to plant 〈…〉 in a Country where the Gospell had not been 〈…〉 First they taught the people and 〈…〉 heard and beleeved were form●d 〈…〉 be God many people already fitted to make up holy assemblies or Churches Well then let it be the first degree of Reformation to begin and call forth all those into severall Congregations who are fitted and who desire to draw neere unto Christ in a holy Communion with him in the purity of his Ordinances And thus let Gods word run and have a free passage in calling in such as God shall draw unto him in what place soever they shall be found Nor can we think at the first especially that every assembly of people collected in their severall Parishes is fit to make up a Congregation and so qualified as Christ requireth For how many Parishes in England will be found where