Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	bishop_n	presbyter_n	3,386	5	10.4987	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29209	The serpent salve, or, A remedie for the biting of an aspe wherein the observators grounds are discussed and plainly discovered to be unsound, seditious, not warranted by the laws of God, of nature, or of nations, and most repugnant to the known laws and customs of this realm : for the reducing of such of His Majesties well-meaning subjects into the right way who have been mis-led by that ignis fatuus.	Bramhall, John, 1594-1663.	1643 (1643)	Wing B4236; ESTC R12620	148,697	268

gives the People the last Judgement of necessity and upon this Judgement a power to rise in Arms. If any Divine have unwittingly slipped into any such errours in not distinguishing between an absolute and respective Soveraignty which I can hardly beleeve yet the Observer might have held his peace for shame The one is so intent upon the Law of God the other upon the Law of Nature that they both forget the known Laws of the Land Especially he shews his spleen against Bishop sometimes calling them Popish Bishops If Popery were as ancient as Episcopacy the Observer might shake his Eares at it to small purpose Sometimes he stiles them the Praelaticall Faction If that be a Faction which is established by the Fundamentall Law of the Land and hath ever been a radicated Order of the Kingdom What may a man think of hi●… Rev●…rend Co●…hmen and Bu●…ton makers and the rest of that diversified Schismaticall ●…ie Sometimes he makes Levi and Sim●…n Hierarchists and Papists the heads of the maine Malignants I ●…ope the Observer will allow some Government in the Church either of Councells or Synods or Assemblyes or Consistoryes or Senates or Presbyteryes either 〈◊〉 as it is at Genevah or Parochiall as it is in the Low-Countries either of Presidents or Moderators or Visiters Pastors Doctors Curate or not Curate Elders perpetuall or Annuall Deacons Widow●… or some of them for they are not yet well agreed about any of these In one place Elders are Commissioners to the Seigniory are placed and displaced by the Magistrate take an Oath of Obedience to the Magistrate in other places the King hath not so much as the place of a Lay-Elder except he be chosen Or perhaps the Observer is for none of all these wayes but as errant an Independent in the Church as he desires to be in the Common-wealth Here are many things very considerable in this businesse First That in doubtfull cases Melior est conditio vossident is Possession is a strong plea especially if it be of long continuance as this of Episcop●…cy is ever since Christianity was planted in this Kingdome This is certain Brittish Bishops have been of Note in Forrein Councells since the second Councell of Arles which is above thirteen hundred yeares to say nothing of Aristobulus mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans whom some good Authors make a Bishop in this Island They that shall goe about to shake in pieces such an ancient Institution which was brought into the Church either by the Authority or at least by the approbation of the Apostles had need to bring cleare proofes not blind conjectures about which they themselves cannot agree one with another Bishops flourished long in this Kingdom even when the Brittish Church enjoyed the Cyprian privilege and acknowledged no subjection to any forrein See whatsoever Secondly That which the Observer saith of Monarchy that our Laws are locked and Cabinetted in it in such manner that the wounding of the one is the bleeding of the other though he forget it throughout his Discourse is likewise true of Episcopacy that it is woven and riveted into the body of our Law Heare a Witnesse beyond exception For the Government of Bishops I for my part not prejudging the presidents of other Reformed Churches doe hold it warranted by the Word of God and by the practise of the ancient Church in the better times and much more convenient for Kingdoms then parity of Ministers or Government by Synods And presently after It is worth noting that the Scripture saith Translato Sacerdotio necesse est ut legis fiat Translatio It is not possible in respect of the great and neere sympathy between the State Civill and the State Ecclesiasticall to make so maine an alteration in the Church but it would have a perillous operation upon the Kingdome And therefore it is fit that Controversie be in Peace and Silence It would not be forgotten what was cited before out of Cartwright That as the hangings must be shaped according to the House so must the Civill Government be conformed to the Government of the Church The Anabaptis●…●…egan with Bishops but at length the Emperour was ●…ith them but Carolus a Gandavo Charles of Gant 〈◊〉 leave it to others to Judge by what fate or fortune it ●…omes to p●…sse beyond the Sea That wheresoever any ●…ther Regiment of the Church takes place if the fa●…ourers of it be the Major part and have power in their ●…ands it either finds or makes a popular State every ●…ans own imagin●…ion will supply him with instances And this may be the reason why Calvin a wise man 〈◊〉 an Epistle to the King of Polonia doth represent ●…ot the Disciplinarian but Episcopall Government as ●…tter for Monarchyes Having shewed the Regiment ●…f the Primitive Church by Patriarkes Primates and ●…ishops he proceeds thus As if at this Day one Arch-●…ishop should be over the illustrious Kingdom of Polonia ●…t to domineere over the rest or arrogate their right unto ●…imselfe but for orders cause c. And further there ●…ould be a Bishop in each Citty or Province to attend pe●…uliarly to the preservation of Order marke his Rea●…on even as Nature it selfe doth dictate to us that in ●…very College one ought to be chosen upon whom the prin●…ipall care of the College should rest Thirdly Episcopacy is not onely ancient and ce●…ented into our Laws but also was universally re●…eived without any opposition or so much as a que●…tion throughout the whole Christian World among ●…ll sorts of Christians of what Communion or ●…rofession soever they were Graecian Latin Rus●…an Armenian Abissine c yea even among those ●…ho by reason of the great distance and remotenesse ●…f their Countryes never heard of the Pope nor of the name of Rome ever since the Apostles did tread upon the face of the Earth untill this last Century of Yeares so farre is it from being a Relick of Popery And the Observer is challenged to name but one Church or so much as one poor Village throughout the whole World from the Dayes of the Apostles till the year of Christ 1500 that ever was governed without a Bishop I except the Acep●…ali or such disordered Persons that had no Governmen●… at all or to name but one Lay-Elder or one Ambulatory Bishop that governed by turne or course in th●… Primitive times in the whole Catholike Church before the year 1536 when Calvine came to Geneuah We find the proper and particular names of Apostles Evangelists Bishop Presbiters and Deacons in the Scriptures in Councells in Ecclesiastical Historyes in the Fathers if he and all his Friend●… be not able out of all these Authorities to name on●… particular Lay-Elder or ambulatory Bishop th●… reason must be because there never was such a Creature in rerum natura And his Elders in Saint Ambrose and Saint Ierome are much mistaken ho●… should they be otherwise the one Authour being 〈◊〉 Bishop himselfe and the other