Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	bishop_n	call_v	presbyter_n	3,421	5	11.0026	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86198	The vnlavvfulnes and danger of limited prelacie, or Perpetuall precidencie in the Church, briefly discovered.	Henderson, Alexander, 1583?-1646.	1641 (1641)	Wing H1444; Thomason E206_5; ESTC R212599	12,364	23

THE VNLAWFVLNES AND DANGER OF LIMITED PRELACIE OR PERPETVALL PRECIDENCIE IN THE CHVRCH Briefly discovered 3 Iohn 9. Diotrephes who loveth to have the preeminence receiveth us not Ambitio non patitur quemquam in ea mensura honorum conquiescere quae quondam fuit ejus impudens votum Seneca de beneficiis Lib. 2. Ambition suffereth no man to rest in that measure of honours which sometimes was his impudent wish Printed in the yeare 1641. To the READER THE causes which to this day have hindred the determination of this unhappy controversie about Church government in the Reformed Churches are no other But first The Iudgement of God punishing the unthankfulnesse of this Age for the incomparable benefit of the Gospell and in great wisdome and loving kindnesse trying and exerciseing his Church that they who are approved may be made manifest And secondly The corruption of the heart of man loving preeminence and preferring himselfe to his Brethren which maketh him although but a Bramble in comparison of the Olive-tree the Figge-tree and the Vine to say and to make others to speake in the eares of men Whether is better for you either that all the Sons of Jerubbaal which are threescore and ten persons reigne over you or that one reigne over you and upon this followeth the blindnesse and error of the minde in depending more upon the prejudice of custome and constitutions of men then upon the judgement of Scripture to be beleeved for it selfe Yet hath the Lord his owne appointed time for ending of Controversies and if the period of this debate be now approaching as it appeareth to him who looketh with observation to the working of God the insolencie of the Prelates and the Prayers and desires of the people a few of the many considerations pressed in former times will by the blessing of God prove sufficient and effectuall for determination They who are acquainted with the Reformation here and in other Nations will not much mervell when the Winter is past and the spring time commeth That with the sweet breathings of Zephyrus at sometimes there be whirlewinds and contrary blasts and when the Flowers appeare upon the earth that the weeds also set up their heads But the diligent hand of the faithfull Labourers will purge the Vine-yard of these noysome Herbs which have taken rooting in the time of Prelacy That this Prelacy may be removed root and branch and the Ministery of Christ be established in purity and power is the purpose of this paper and the Prayer of the writer for the welfare of Sion THE VNLAVVFVLNESSE AND DANGER OF A LIMIted PRELACIE Or perpetuall presidencie in the Church briefely discovered IN the Church of Christ Offices in this Church which are of men supposed to be unlawfull It may and ought to be taken for a Supposition and as a principle undeniable that all the Offices and Vocations in the House of God must be of God and not of Men and that such as are of Men and not of God are unlawfull for this was presupposed by Christ himselfe in his dispute with the Pharisees the Baptisme of Iohn whence was it from heaven or of men Matth. 21.25 Marke 11.17 Luke 20.1 By the Pharisees themselves in the same places By the Apostle Gallat 1.1 Not of men neither by men but by Iesus Christ and God the Father Againe Hebr. 5.5 No man taketh this honour unto himselfe but he that is called of God as was Aaron And by these who are our adversaries in this cause both while they disput against the universall Episcopacy of the Pope and use the words of Tertullian which may be throwne backe upon themselves Quiestis quomodo et unde venistis quid in meo agitis nomine and while they dispute against us for the Diocesan Bishop and will prove Episcopacy by divine right knowing that the assertion of the princiall Office and Calling in the Church meerly upon humane right were a challenge of the Scriptures that they are not perfect and an exalting of the wisdome of Men above the wisdome of Christ although Man can no more make the Office nor hee can give the Grace and from Christ both the Institution of the Office and the blessing of the Officers must come It is therefore supposed to be no lesse unlawfull to adde an Office to divine Institutions then it is unlawfull to take away an Office warranted by divine Institution the one making it maymed We are forbidden praecepto negativo to presume to governe the Church by humane wisdome Wee are commanded Praecepto affirmativo to follow the rule of divine wisdome And we are warranted praecepto comparativo rather to follow Christ them Antichrist for so must we speak because it cannot be denyed by any but such as deny the Pope to be Antichrist This then being for a principle presupposed if we will not shut our eyes against the light and involve our selves in subtilties which the wit of Man set on worke by his owne ambition and the love of preeminence hath invented against the plaine truth of Scripture obvious to every one who desireth to know The Office of a Bishop as he is conceived to be a Pastor above other Pastors whether in power or in degree and dignitie with be found in it selfe and not onely in respect of the abuse of his power or of his degree and dignity to be unlawfull The Office of a Prelate is not found in Scripture Because the Scripture intending to expresse the Offices and Officers of the Church and speaking so often of them and of their Gifts and Duties and that not upon occation but of set purpose as Rom. 12.2 Cor. 12. Eph. 4 doth neither expresse nor imply any such Bishop Shall we suffer our selves to thinke that the Apostles so well acquainted with the will of Christ (a) Acts 1.3 so fully taught of things pertaining to the Kingdome of God and so faithfull in the delivering his Commandements that the Officers may know how to behave themselves in the House of God and keep themselves pure (b) 1 Tim. 3.15 and in charging them in the sight of God to keepe his Commandements without spot (c) 1. Tim. 5.21 1 Tim. 6.13.14 would not in some one place or other distinctly and positively speake of the office gifts priority or power of such a Bishop Have they been so carefull in expressing the office gifts and duty of the meanest Officers (d) Act. 6. and did they speake nothing of the greatest would they have neglected the weightyer matters of the Law of Christ no surely these they would have done and not have left the other undone All the Officers of the New Testament both ordinary and extraordinary No difference in Scripture betweene a Pastor and a Bishop are designed and distinguished by their names or Compellations as Apostles Evangelists Presbyters Deacons The extraordinary and superiour have upon good reason the names of the ordinary and inferiour common unto them as the Apostles

are called (e) 1. Pet. 5.1 Elders But this is not reciprocall for the ordinary and inferiour are never called by the names of the extraordinary and superiour the Deacon is not called an Elder nor the Pastor by the name of the Apostle or Evangelist It is true that Barnabas is called an Apostle (f) Acts 14.4 and 14. because he was an Apostle of Christ as Paul was Titus and others (g) 2 Co. 8 13. and Epaphroditus (h) Phil. 8.23 are onely called Apostles or Messengers of the Church Whence it must follow that the Office of a Bishop is not an Office superiour to the Office of a Pastor since the name Bishop is common to the Pastor and that the Office of a Bishop and the Office of a Pastor are not different but one and the same office Since the names are altogether common in all the places of the New Testament (i) Acts 20.28 Phil 1.1 1 Tim. 3.2 1 Pet. 5.1 And the Syriacke Interpreter hath translated the one by the other (k) Tit. 1.7 What reason can there be while the Officers are distinguished by their names and the names of Bishop and Pastor are common but that the Office of the Bishop and Elder is one and the same Office the one name signifying sapientiae maturitatem and the other Industriam curae Pastoralis saith Beda No Bishop of Bishops or of Pastors in Scripture We finde that in the Ministery of the New Testament there is a comely beautifull and Divine Order one kinde of Ministers both ordinary and extraordinary being placed in degree and dignity before another as the Apostles before all other Ministers the Pastor before the Elder and Deacon But we doe not finde in Ministers of the same kind that one hath majority of power over others or priority of degree and dignity before others except upon the morall respect of age zeale gifts c. No Apostle is in degree above other Apostles no Evangelist above other Evangelists nor Elder above other Elders no Deacon above other Deacons upon what ground then from Scripture can wee beleeve or conceive that one Pastor is in degree superiour to other Pastors or that in all other sorts of Ministers ordinary and extraordinary there 's all be a parity in their owne kind and onely in the Office of Pastors an inequality The whole power and all the parts of the Ministrie which commonly are expressed Every Pastor hath power of ordination and Jurisdiction by the power of Order and Jurisdiction are in Scripture made common to the Pastor and the Bishop for the Pastor hath power to Preach the Word and minister the Sacraments As one of the Presbyterie hee hath power to lay on hands and ordaine Ministers (l) 1 Tim. 4.14 and hath not onely the Keyes of the inward and private Court of Conscience but hath also committed unto him and his fellow Presbyters the Keyes of the outward and publique Court of Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction and censure and both wayes to bind and loose in when the Apostles first planted the Christian Churches and when they were to depart and were neare unto death they recommended the care of these duties in all the Chruches unto the particular Pastors or Bishops (m) Act. 15.6 Act. 16.4 Act. 20 28 ●9 1 Cor. 5. 1 Cor 14.32 40. 1 Th● 5.12 Tit. 1.9 1. Tim. 5.12 Heb. 13.17 And therefore the Pastor and Bishop are in Scripture one and the same in power and degree neither hath the Bishop any degree or power order or Jurisdiction but that which hee arrogateth to himselfe for the honour of his Priesthood and for setting up his Monarchicall power against the word of God nor ought any such power bee given him A point which is strongly proved by our Divines against Papists and Prelates Ecclesiasticall power was not committed by Christ to any one but to many Power ecclesiasticall not given to one but to many It is not said tell the Bishop or any one of the Church but tell the Church (n) Mat. 18.17 nor was it exercised and acted by any one of the Apostles alone for Paul not a lone but with a Presbyterie laid hands upon (o) 1 Tim. 4.14 Timothy and the Apostles not alone but joyning with the Elders (p) Act. 15. did determine controversies and discerne censures the same also was the practice of the Apostolicke Churches at Corinth Thessalonica and in Asia In all which the Discipline of the Church was exercised by many and not by any one And therefore to exalt a Bishop to any part of his power or any degree of Eminence above his Brethren for exercising this power is against the Institution of Christ and contrary to the practice and patterne of the Apostles and Apostolicke Churches All majority forbidden the Officers All majority and preheminence in this kinde is expresly forbidden by Christ the Kings of the Nationas c. (q) Luke 22 25. according to this the Apostle Peter disclaimeth not pride in majority but majority it selfe (r) 1 Pet. 5.1 Non est dictum sola humilitate sed veritate saith Bernard Non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prohibet Christus non modum rei sed rem ipsam say others Other wayes that which Tacitus writeth of Otho might have beene applied to them Omnia servilit●r pro dominatione and the temptation of the Disciples was not tyranny but superiority Christ speaketh to them sometimes of Thrones of glory in the Church Triumphant never of any throne of Dignity in the Church Militant If any such throne whether of Ecclesiasticall authority or perpetuall presidence had beene lawfull would hee not at sometimes have taught them what it was and with what cautions and Limitations they were to possesse it as that you shall have precedency of degree Precepts in the Gospell to be interpreted according to the rules of the Precepts of the law but not of power of dignity but not of authority These and the like argments Militant not onely against the exorbitancy of Prelates but against the Prelacy of the Ministers of Iesus Christs and if wee will as indeed must understand the commandements of Christ in the Gospell (ſs) Mat. 5.19 〈◊〉 27 33 43. according to the rules agreed upon in the interpretation of the precepts of the Law we must confesse that not onely the Tyranny the Pride the Pompe the Priority and power of Lord Bishops but all the parts all the degrees meanes causes Incentives occasions provocations beginnings and appearances of these evils are forbidden and that we are commanded to stop the way with thornes (t) Hos 2.6 least they returne to their former lovers and to hide all their earerings that they be not found againe (u) Gen. 35.4 Rule of reformation from the prime times If the reformation of Episcopacy be intended we must not take our rule and patterne from ancient and Primitive times but