Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A50109
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The spiritual house in its foundation, materials, officers, and discipline describ'd the nomothetical & coercive power of the King in ecclesiastical affairs asserted the episcopal office and dignity, together with the liturgy of the Church of England vindicated in some sermons preached at St. Clement Danes and St. Gregories neer St. Pauls, London / by Geo. Masterson.
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Masterson, Geo. (George)
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1661
(1661)
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Wing M1073; ESTC R30518
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52,267
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136
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forrest and all the stones dig'd out of the same quarry This might not probably conduce more to the union of the house then if the timber and stones were cut and dig'd out of divers forrests and quarryes But sure I am it conduceth not a little to the union of the spiritual house that the timber and stones be cut and hewen out of the same forrest and pit For when one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos and a third I am of Cephas this genders to envy strife and division as the Apostle l Cor. 3.3 4. There are two things that tend much to the preservation of this union 1. A Spirit of Contentation with that estate and condition in which God hath plac'd every Member of the Church For as it tends to Schism in the natural body if the foot shall envy the hand or the ear the eye or any of the members the head If the foot shall say why should I bear the burthen of the whole and not be supported as well as the head is or the hand say why should I be employed as the instrument of action and not partake with the eye in its more honourable and easy imployment of speculation So in the spiritual body if one member emulate or envy another the Subject the Prince the Presbyter the Bishop it must necessarily cause a cleft or schism in the building which may ruin the whole For as in material buildings all openings are weaknings and therefore skilful builders advise that dores and windows be as few in number and as moderate in dimension as may be A spirit of contentation therefore is of a primary necessity to the preservation of union 2. A Mutual Communication of particular faculties for the good of the whole For as the foot in the natural body can't refuse to walk the hand to work or the eye to see without the apparent prejudice of the whole No more can any member in the spiritual fabrick withhold his particular ability from the rest without their detriment and suffering losse by it As when the members in the fable conspired to withhold nourishment from the belly they conspired but their own ruine in weakning it And as they observe in Architecture it is a notorious soloecism to weaken that part which must strengthen all the rest But when every member communicates its particular faculty the feet walk the hands work the eyes see the ear hears the tongue speaks this tends to the union of the whole with the advantage of welfare to the particular members And thus I have considered the Christian Church as a spiritual house Whence this inference naturally may be drawn viz. There is a Master of this house by whom the family ought to be ruled and Governed It was an equitable and natural law that King Ahasuerus made upon his Queen Vashti's disobedience That every man should bear Rule in his own house Hester i. ult It is much more reasonable that God the Master of this Spiritual House should bear Rule in it Our very being in Gods house doth necessarily oblige us to Subjection and Obedience to him When the Holy Ghost saith such or such persons were in such or such an house he intends subjection by it Numb 30.3 ult Thus when the Israelites are said to be in Pharoahs house the meaning is they were subject to him Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy Father when they were in Egypt in Pharaohs house 1 Sam. 2.27 Let us therefore give up our selves conscionably and sincerely to the Government of our great Lord and Master In things fundamental and essential to be believed and practised we are to receive our direction from his lips only as he spake by the mouths or pens of those holy men Prophets and Apostles who were inspir'd by the Holy Ghost Thus the Apostle expresly Though we or an Angel from Heaven Preach any other Gospel unto you then that which we have Preached unto you let him he accursed As we said before so say I now again if any man Preach any other Gospel unto you then that ye have received let him be accursed Gal. 1.8 9. where you have the Divine inviolable authority of the holy Scripture asserted and a very dreadful sentence thundred against any person of what rank or quality soever that shall presume to innovate or introduce any Doctrine contrary to the Doctrine of those holy Men who spake as they were inspir'd by the Holy Ghost Though we i. e. Paul himself and the Brethren that were with him in whose name he salutes the Churches of Galatia ver 2. or though we i. e. as Vincent Lirinens etiamsi Petrus etiamsi Andreas etiamsi Joannes etiamsi omnis Apostolorum chorus Evangelizet vobis praeterquam quod Evangelizavimus Anathema sit l. 1. c. 12. praescript advers profan haeresium novitates Though Peter Andrew John though the whole company of the Apostles should Preach to you any other Gospel then that which we have preached let him be Anathema Tremenda districtio a dreadful sentence saith he yet parum est this is but little in respect of that which followes Though an Angel from Heaven should Preach any other Gospel unto you let him be accursed Audite populi tribus linguae viri mulieres pueri senes tota gens Christianorum Sancta as Damas Orat. 2. de imagin give ear O ye people tribes and tongues men women children all the holy company that is called Christians in all the world Licet Angelus licet Rex Evangelizet vobis praeter id quod accepiâ—â—is aures occludite Though a King or Angel Preach any other Gospel to you then that ye have received you are to stop your ears and be as deaf unto his Doctrine But here you must take heed of wresting or misunderstanding the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praeter id or praeterquam quod then that which we have preached for this doth not confine the dispensers of the word to a strict observation of those expressions and syllables only in their Administration which the Apostles used they may notwithstanding this commination use expressions of their own or borrow them from other professions in explicating illustrating or confirming the Truths of the Scripture But the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is either to be interpreted contra contrary to as it is frequently used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Aristot praeter i. e. contra naturam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praeter i.e. contra legem beside that is contrary to nature And beside the Law that is contrary to it Thus the preposition praeter is used likewise by Terence in Andria praeter civium morem atque legem beside that is contrary to the Law and Custom of Citizens So St. August explicates this Text. Non ait plusquam accepistis sed praeterquam quod accepistis Tract 99. in Joan. he saith not more than you received but other then or beside that which you have received for saith the Father
Angel of the Church to whom he directs those things which he would have the rest to learn from him Again the most antient Greek Manuscripts of the New Testament in the concluson of the second Epistle to Timothy have these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The second Epistle to Timothy erdained the first Bishop of the Church of the Ephesians c. And in the end of the Epistle to Titus we translate from the same Manuscripts It was written to Titus ordained the first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians And St. Ignatius tells us that Evedius his Predecessour was ordained Bishop of the Ephesians by the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will add onely to this that God himself who gave Laws in mediately to the people of the Jews constituted and appointed an High-Priest upon whom he conferred Prelacy and Preheminence over the rest of the Priests And if any man object that the High-Priest was a Type of Christ I acknowledg it is true But the entire Institution of his Office was not for that end onely his Eminence was conferred upon him for Order sake in the Church As Kingly Government was in a sort Typical of Christ but because it was not onely Typical of Christ but Instituted likewise for the great ends of Government it may and ought to be retained and so Prelacy among Pastours conducing so much as it doth to Order in the Church ought not to be abolished though it were Typical in the High-Priest Thus you have an account of these Governours in the Church the Reverend Bishops sent by the King I mean in respect of the External and Accidental things of Religion they have another Mission even from the Holy Ghost in respect of the Internal Preaching and Administring Sacraments Ordaining Binding and Loosing and such like Since then Prelacy is not contrary to the Scriptures since the Church Catholick hath received and embraced it since it is of very Reverend Antiquity and approved of by Divine Right this one would think should be enough to prepare a room for it in the heart of any pious and sober Christian enough to beget in us a reverent esteem of the calling of Bishops to work in us a chearfull submission to and ready compliance with the Rites and Ceremonies in the Worship of God commended to and required of us by such persons delegated to that end by the Prince whose Authority in matters of Religion hath sufficiently been asserted I will yet add for the better reconciling this Order to the affections of some men two words I. The Conveniency and Expediency that I say not Necessity of Conformity and Agreement between the Ecclesiastical and Civil Government There is such an affinity between these two that in Common-Wealths where the Government is by many they always commend the Affairs of the Church to the Clergy or Presbytery and not to a Bishop but where the Government is Monarchical in the State Episcopacy in the Church is onely conformable to it Presbytery no way comporting with Monarthy Hence that Preverbial saying No Bishop No King A saying that may be easily derided but not so easily refuted Our late sad Experiences have engraven it in such Capital Characters upon the understandings of all sober and unprejudiced persons than it will not easily be defaced II. The Utility and Advantages that redound to the Church by Episcopacy I might entertain you upon this Head with the unanimous consent of all Historians but I select his Testimony onely who of all the Antients had the least affection for Bishops St. Jerom ad Tit. c. 1. Toto orbe decretum est ut ad tollenda schismata dissidia unus de Presbyteris electus superponeretur caeteris It is universally decreed that for the prevention of Schisms and differences one chosen out of the Presbyters be set over the rest And again Ecclesiae salus in summi sacerdotis id est Episcopi dignitate consistit The safety of the Church consists in the Dignity of the High-Priest that is the Bishop to whom if there be not a Peculiar Power distinct from all others annexed Tot in Ecclesia efficientur schismata quot sacerdotes advers Lucif There will be as many Schisms as Priests in the Church Our own Chronicles tell us that King Edward the Elder by Constituting five new Bishops stopped an Inundation of Paganism ready to break in on the West for want of Pastours If any man question or doubt of the Utility of this Reverend Order let him look back upon the Torrent of Confusion Heresy and Blasphemy that brake in upon us while these Banks were by violent hands thrown down Hoc Ithacus velit c. The Extirpation of Episcopacy in these Kingdoms is the first-born of the Pope's desires That which his Soul longs for as for the first-ripe fruit you know the Apologue how the Wolves would make peace with the Sheep upon the condition they would hang up all their dogs Let but Episcopacy and the Liturgy be abolished and the Papists assure you shall promise you peace upon any terms There is nothing that I know of objected against this Order but that great Bug-bear the Covenant Have we not lifted up our hands to the God of Heaven and sworn the Extirpation of Prelacy How then can we admit of Bishops or submit to them being restored To this I Answer An unlawfull Oath obligeth to nothing but repentance An unjust Oath voluntarily taken or imposed by an unlawfull Authority is not binding to any man's Conscience You have Covenanted and sworn the Extirpation of Prelacy so did Herod binde himself with an oath to Herodias Daughter that he would give her whatsoever she should ask Matthew xiv 7. so did certain Jews binde themselves with an Oath of Execration that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul Acts xxiii 12. Had those men done well in killing Paul because they had bound themselves by a curse or did Herod well in giving John Baprist's Head to the Damsel for his Oath 's sake you will I presume say No. Why No would you not have them keep their Oath I but it was an unjust Oath So was yours and will be found defective in the Properties required in a just Oath Truth Judgment and Righteousness Jer. iv 2. And we may soberly suppose that many men Covenanted against the Bishops for their Land's sake onely As the Earl of Kildare being Arraigned for burning a Church in Ireland said He would never have set fire to the Church if he had not thought the Bishop had been in it Bur if any man can say He took the Covenant in Truth Judgment and Righteousness he might lie under some temptation or keeping it had it not wanted that which is essentially necessary to render an Oath obliging a lawfull Authority to impose it But seeing it wanted this which it were Treason to deny no man's Conscience is obliged by it and he who will persist in it because he hath