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	receive_v	tradition_n	2,537	5	8.9791	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63706	Clerus Domini, or, A discourse of the divine institution, necessity, sacredness, and separation of the office ministerial together with the nature and manner of its power and operation : written by the special command of King Charles the First / by Jer. Taylor.	Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.; Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667. Rules and advices to the clergy of the diocesse of Down and Connor.; Rust, George, d. 1670. Funeral sermon preached at the obsequies of the Right Reverend Father in God Jeremy Lord Bishop of Down.	1672 (1672)	Wing T299; ESTC R13445	91,915	82

have been a consecration in genere orationis called by S. Paul benediction or the bread of blessing and therefore S. Austin expounding those words of S. Paul Let prayers and supplications and intercessions and giving of thanks be made saith Eligo in his verbis hoc intelligere quod omnis vel paene omnis frequentat ecclesia ut precationes accipiamus dictas quas fecimus in celebratione sacramentorum antequam illud quod est in Donini mensâ accipiat benedici orationes cum benedicitur ad distribuendum comminuitur quam totam orationem paene omnis ecclesia Dominicâ oratione concludit The words and form of consecration he calls by the name of orationes supplications the prayers before the consecration preces and all the whole action oratio and this is according to the stile and practice and sence of the whole Church or very near the whole And S. Basil saith that there is more necessary to consecration than the words recited by the Apostles and by the Evangelists The words of Invocation in the shewing the bread of the Eucharist and the cup of blessing Who of all the Saints have left to us For we are not content with those which the Apostle and the Evangelists mention but before and after we say other words having great power towards the mystery 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we have received by tradition These words set down in Scripture they retained as a part of the mystery co-operating to the solemnity manifesting the signification of the rite the glory of the change the operation of the Spirit the death of Christ and the memory of the sacrifice but this great work which all Christians knew to be done by the Holy Ghost the Priest did obtain by prayer and solemn invocation according to the saying of Proclus of C. P. speaking of the tradition of certain prayers used in the mysteries and indited by the Apostles as it was said but especially in S. Iames his Liturgy By these prayers saith he they expected the coming of the holy Ghost that his divine presence might make the bread and the wine mixt with water to become the body and blood of our blessed Saviour And S. Iustin Martyr very often calls the Eucharist food made Sacramental and Eucharistical by prayer and Origen We eat the bread holy and made the body of Christ by prayer Verbo Dei per obsecrationem sanctificatus bread sanctified by the word of God and by prayer viz. the prayer of consecration Prece mystica is S. Austins expression of it Corpus Christi sanguinem dicimus illud tantum quod ex fructibus terrae acceptum prece mystica consecratum ritè sumimus That only we call the body and blood of Christ which we receive of the fruits of the earth and being consecrated by the mystical prayer we take according to the rite And S. Hierom chides the insolency of some Deacons towards Priests upon this ground Who can suffer that the ministers of widdows and tables should advance themselves above those at whose prayers the body and blood of Christ are exhibited or made presential I add only the words of Damascen The bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ supernaturally by invocation and coming of the Holy Ghost Now whether this consecration by prayer did mean to reduce the words of institution to the sence and signification of a prayer or that they mean the consecration was made by the other prayers annexed to the narrative of the institution according to the several sences of the Greek and Latin Church yet still the ministery of the Priest whether in the words of consecration or in the annexed prayers is still by way of prayer Nay further yet the whole mystery it self is operative in the way of prayer saith Cassander in behalf of the School and of all the Roman Church and indeed S. Ambrose and others of the Fathers in behalf of the Church Catholick Nunc Christus offertur sed offertur quasi homo quasi recipiens passionem offert seipsum quasi Sacerdos ut peccata nostra dimittat hic in imagine ibi in veritate ubi apud Patrem quasi advocatus intervenit So that what the Priest does here being an imitation of what Christ does in Heaven is by the sacrifice of a solemn prayer and by the representing the action and passion of Christ which is effectual in the way of prayer and by the exhibiting it to God by a solemn prayer and advocation in imitation of and union with Christ. All the whole office is an office of intercession as it passes from the Priest to God and from the people to God And then for that great mysteriousness which is the sacramental change which is that which passes from God unto the people by the Priest that also is obtained and effected by way of prayer For since the holy Ghost is the consecrator either he is called down by the force of a certain number of syllables which that he will verifie himself hath no where described and that he means not to do it he hath fairly intimated in setting down the Institution in words of great vicinity to express the sence of the mystery but yet of so much difference and variety as will shew this great change is not wrought by such certain and determined words The blood of the New Testament so it is in Saint Matthew and S. Mark The new Testament in my blood so S. Paul and S. Luke My body which is broken My body which is given c. and to think otherwise is so near the Gentile Rites and the mysteries of Zoroastes and the secret operations of the Enthei and Heathen Priests that unless God had declared expresly such a power to be affixed to the recitation of such certain words it is not with too much forwardness to be supposed true in the spirituality of the Gospel But if the spirit descends not by the force of syllables it follows He is called down by the prayers of the Church presented by the Priests which indeed is much to the honour of God and of Religion an endearment of our duty is according to the analogy of the Gospel and a proper action or part of spiritual sacrifice that great excellency of Evangelical Religion For what can be more apt and reasonable to bring any great blessing from God than prayer which acknowledges him the fountain of blessing and yet puts us into a capacity of receiving it by way of moral predisposition that holy graces may descend into holy vessels by holy ministeries and conveyances and none are more fit for the employment than prayers whereby we bless God and bless the symbols and ask that God may bless us and by which every thing is sanctified viz. by the word of God and Prayer that is by God's benediction and our impetration according to the use of the word in the saying

the first part of his sanctification is a separation of the person to the power of intercession for the people and a ministerial mediation by the ministration of such rites and solemn invocations which God hath appointed or designed And now this sanctification which is so evident in Scripture tradition and reason taken from proportion and analogy to Religion is so far from making the power of the holy man less than is supposed that it shews the greatness of it by a true representment and preserves the sacredness of it so within its own cancels that it will be the greatest sacriledge in the world to invade it for whoever will boldly enter within this vail nisi qui vocatur sicut Aaron unless he be sanctified as is the Priest who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nazianzen calls him a Minister co-operating with Christ he does without leave call himself a man of God a Mediator between God and the people under Christ he boldly thrusts himself into the participation of that glorious mediation which Christ officiates in Heaven all which things as they are great honours to the person rightly called to such vicinity and endearments with God so they depend wholly upon divine dignation of the grace and vocation of the person 2. Now for the other part of spiritual emanation or descent of graces in sanctification of the Clergy that is in order to the performance of the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 's the sence of it that God who is the lover of souls may grant a pure and unblameable Priesthood and certainly they who are honoured with so great a grace as to be called to officiate in holy and useful Ministeries have need also of other graces to make them persons holy in habit and disposition as well as holy in Calling and therefore God hath sent his Spirit to furnish his Emissaries with excellencies proportionable to their need and the usefulness of the Church At the beginning of Christianity God gave gifts extraordinary as boldness of spirit fearless courage freedom of discourse excellent understanding discerning of spirits deep judgment innocence and prudence of deportment the gift of tongues these were so necessary at the institution of the Christian Church that if we had not had testimony of the matter of fact the reasonableness of the thing would prove the actual dispensation of the Spirit because God never fails in necessaries But afterward when all the extraordinary needs were served the extraordinary stock was spent and God retracted those issues into their fountains and then the graces that were necessary for the well discharging the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Priestly function were such as make the person of more benefit to the people not only by being exemplary to them but gracious and loved by God and those are spiritual graces of sanctification And therefore Ordination is a collation of holy graces of sanctification of a more excellent Faith of fervent Charity of Providence and paternal care Gifts which now descend not by way of miracle as upon the Apostles are to be acquired by humane industry by study and good letters and therefore are presupposed in the person to be ordained to which purpose the Church now examines the abilities of the man before she lays on hands and therefore the Church does not suppose that the Spirit in Ordination descends in gifts and in the infusion of habits and perfect abilities though then also it is reasonable to believe that God will assist the pious and careful endeavours of holy Priests and bless them with special aids and co-operation because a more extraordinary ability is needful for persons so designed But the proper and great aid which the Spirit of Ordination gives is such instances of assistance which make the person more holy And this is so certainly true that even when the Apostle had ordained Timothy to be Bishop of Ephesus he calls upon him to stir up the gift of God which was in him by the putting on of his hands and that gift is a Rosary of graces what graces they are he enumerates in the following words God hath not given us the spirit of Fear but of Power of Love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of a modest and sober mind and these words are made part of the form of collating the Episcopal order in the Church of England Here is all that descends from the Spirit in Ordination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Power that is to officiate and intercede with God in the parts of ministery and the rest are such as imply duty such as make him fit to be a Ruler in paternal and sweet government Modesty Sobriety Love And therefore in the forms of Ordination of the Greek Church which are therefore highly to be valued because they are most ancient have suffered the least change and been polluted with fewer interests the mystical prayer of Ordination names graces in order to holiness We pray thee that the grace of the ever holy Spirit may descend upon him Fill him full of all faith and love and power and sanctification by the illumination of thy holy and life-giving Spirit and the reason why these things are desir'd and given is in order to the right performing his holy offices That he may be worthy to stand without blame at thy Altar to preach the Gospel of thy Kingdom to minister the words of thy truth to bring to Thee gifts and spiritual Sacrifices to renew the people with the Laver of Regeneration And therefore S. Cyril says that Christ's saying Receive ye the Holy Ghost signifies grace given by Christ to the Apostles whereby they were sanctified that by the holy Ghost they might be absolved from their sins saith Haymo and S. Austin says that many persons that were snatched violently to be made Priests or Bishops who had in their former purposes determined to marry and live a secular life have in their Ordination received the gift of continency And therefore there was reason for the greatness of the solemnities used in all ages in separation of Priests from the world insomuch that whatsoever was used in any sort of sanctification of solemn benediction by Moses law all that was used in Consecration of the Priest who was to receive the greatest measure of sanctification Eadem item vis etiam Sacerdotem augustum honorandum facit novitate benedictionis à communitate vulgi segregatum Cum enim heri unus è plebe esset repente redditur praeceptor praeses Doctor pietatis mysteriorum latentium Praesul c. Invisibili quadam vi ac gratia invisibilem animam in melius transformatam gerens that is improved in all spiritual graces which is highly expressed by Martyrius who said to Nectarius Tu ô beate recens baptizatus purificatus mox insuper sacerdotio auctus es utraque autem haec peccatorum expiatoria esse Deus constituit which are not to be expounded as if Ordination did

if all the Clergy may then all the People may and you may as well poison the Sea as poison all the Springs and it is more likely all the Ideots and the ordinary persons in the world should be couzened out of their Religion than that all the wise men and Antistites the Teachers Doctors and publick Ministers of Religion should And when all men turn Mariners or Apothecaries or that all men will live single lives and turn Monks and so endanger the species of mankind to perish for there is a great fear of that too that is when all the world chuse one thing for if two men do two thousand may do it if they will and so may all upon this ground then also we may fear that all the Governours of the Church may fail because some do and more have and all may till then there will be no need of an extraordinary Commission but the Church shall go on upon the stock of the first calling and designation which was extraordinary The Spirit issued out at first miraculously and hath continued running still in the first channels by ordinary conduct and in the same conveyances it must run still or it cannot without a miracle derive upon us who stand at infinite distance from the fountain Since then there is now no more expectation of an extraordinary calling and to do so were an extraordinary vanity it remains that the derivation of the ministerial power be by an ordinary conveyance The Spirit of God in Scripture hath drawn a line and chalked out the path that himself meant to tread in giving the graces of Evangelical ministrations At first after that Christ had named twelve one whereof was lost they not having an express command for the manner of Ordination took such course as Reason and Religion taught them They named two persons and prayed God to chuse one and to manifest it by Lot which was a way less than the first designation of the other eleven and yet had more of the extraordinary in it than could be reasonably continued in an ordinary succession The Apostles themselves had not as yet received skill enough how to officiate in their ordinary ministery because the Holy Ghost was not as yet descended But when the Holy Ghost descended then the work was to begin the Apostles wanted no power necessary for the main work of the Gospel but now also they received Commissions to dispense the Spirit to all such purposes to which He was intended They before had the office in themselves but it was not communicable to others till the Spirit the Anointing from above ran over the Fringes of the Priest's garments they had it but in imperfection and unactive faculties so saith Theophylact He breathed not now giving to them the perfect gift of the Holy Ghost for that he intended to give at Pentecost but he prepared them for the fuller reception of it They had the gift before but not the perfect consummation of it that was reserved for the great day and because the power of Consecration is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or perfection of Priestly order it was the proper emanation of this days glory then was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the perfection of what power Christ had formerly consigned For of all faculties that is not perfect which produces perfect and excellent actions in a direct line actions of a particular sort but that which produces the actions and enables others to do so too for then the perfection is inherent not only formally but virtually and eminently and that 's the crown of habits and natural faculties Now besides the reasonableness of the thing this is also verified by a certainty that will not easily fail us by Experience and ex post facto For as we do not find the Apostles had before Pentecost a productive power which made them call for a Miracle or a special providence by Lots so we are sure that immediately after Pentecost they had it for they speedily began to put it in execution and it is remarkable that the Apostles did not lay hands upon Matthias he being made Apostle before the descent of the Holy Ghost they had no power to do it they were not yet made Ministers of the Spirit which because afterwards presently they did concludes fairly that at Pentecost they were amongst other graces made the ordinary Ministers of Ordination This I say is certain that the Holy Ghost descending at Pentecost they instantly did officiate in their ministerial offices they preached they baptized they confirmed and gave the holy Spirit of obsignation and took persons into the Lot of their Ministery doing of it by an external rite and solemn invocation and now the extraordinary way did cease God was the fountain of the power but man conveyed it by an external rite and of this Saint Paul who was the only exception from the common way takes notice calling himself an Apostle not of man nor by man but by Iesus Christ implying that he had a special honour done to be chosen an Apostle in an extraordinary way therefore others might be Apostles and yet not so as he was for else his expression had been all one as if one should say Titus the son of a man not begotten of an Angel or Spirit nor produced by the Sun or Stars but begotten by a Man of a Woman the discourse had been ridiculous for no man is born otherwise and yet also he had something of the ordinary too for in an extraordinary manner he was sent to be ordained in an ordinary Ministery And yet because the ordinary Ministery was setled S. Paul was called to an account for so much of it as was extraordiry and was tied to do that which every man now is bound to do that shall pretend a calling extraordinary viz. to give an extraordinary proof of his extraordinary calling which when he had done in the College of Ierusalem the Apostles gave him the right hand of fellowship and approved his vocation which also shews that now the way of Ordination was fixed and declared to be by humane ministery of which I need no other proof but the instances of Ordinations recorded in Scripture and the no instances to the contrary but of S. Paul whose designation was as immediate as that of the 11. Apostles though his Ordination was not I end this with the saying of Iob the Monk Concerning the order of Priesthood it is supernatural and unspeakable He that yesterday and the day before was in the form of Ideots and private persons to day by the power of the Holy Ghost and the voice of the chief Priest and laying on of hands receives so great an improvement and alteration that he handles and can consecrate the divine mysteries of the holy Church and becomes under Christ a Mediator Ministerial between God and man and exalted to hallow himself and sanctifie others The same almost with the words of Gregory Nyssen in his book De