Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	catholic_n	church_n	universal_a	1,773	5	9.0565	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44334	The works of Mr. Richard Hooker (that learned and judicious divine), in eight books of ecclesiastical polity compleated out of his own manuscripts, never before published : with an account of his life and death ...; Ecclesiastical polity	Hooker, Richard, 1553 or 4-1600.; Gauden, John, 1605-1662.; Walton, Izaak, 1593-1683.; Travers, Walter, 1547 or 8-1635. Supplication made to the councel.	1666 (1666)	Wing H2631; ESTC R11910	1,163,865	672

preservation of Christianity there is not any thing more needful then that such as are of the Visible Church have mutual Fellowship and Society one with another In which consideration as the main Body of the Sea being one yet within divers Precincts hath divers names so the Catholick Church is in like sort divided into a number of distinct Societies every of which is termed a Church within it self In this sense the Church is always a Visible Society of Men not an Assembly but a Society For although the name of the Church be given unto Christian Assemblies although any number of Christian men congregated may be termed by the name of a Church yet Assemblies properly are rather things that belong to a Church Men are assembled for performance of Publick Actions which Actions being ended the Assembly dissolveth it self and is no longer in being whereas the Church which was assembled doth no less continue afterwards then before Where but three are and they of the Laity also saith Tertullian yet there is a Church that is to say a Christian Assembly But a Church as now we are to understand it is a Society that is a number of men belonging unto some Christian Fellowship the place and limits whereof are certain That wherein they have communion is the Publick Exercise of such duties as those mentioned in the Apostles Acts Instruction Breaking of Bread and Prayer As therefore they that are of the Mystical Body of Christ have those inward Graces and Vertues whereby they differ from all others which are not of the same Body Again whosoever appertain to the Visible Body of the Church they have also the notes of External Profession whereby the World knoweth what they are After the same manner even the several Societies of Christian men unto every of which the name of a Church is given with addition betokening severally as the Church of Rome Corinth Ephesus England and so the rest must be endued with correspondent general properties belonging unto them as they are Publick Christian Societies And of such properties common unto all Societies Christian it may not be denied that one of the very cheifest is Ecclesiastical Polity Which word I therefore the rather use because the name of Government as commonly men understand it in ordinary speech doth not comprise the largeness of that whereunto in this question it is applied For when we speak of Government what doth the greatest part conceive thereby but onely the exercise of Superiority peculiar unto Rulers and Guides of others To our purpose therefore the name of Church-Polity will better serve because it containeth both Government and also whatsoever besides belongeth to the ordering of the Church in publick Neither is any thing in this degree more necessary then Church-Polity which is a Form of ordering the Publick Spiritual Affairs of the Church of God 2. But we must note that he which affirmeth speech to be necessary amongst all men throughout the World doth not thereby import that all men must necessarily speak one kinde of Language even so the necessity of Polity and Regiment in all Churches may be held without holding any one certain form to be necessary in them all nor is it possible that any Form of Polity much less of Polity Ecclesiastical should be good unless God himself be Author of it Those things that are not of God saith Tertullian they can have no other then Gods Adversary for their Author Be it whatsoever in the Church of God if it be not of God we hate it Of God it must be either as those things sometimes were which God supernaturally revealed and so delivered them unto Moses for Government of the Commonwealth of Israel or else as those things which men finde out by help of that light which God hath given them unto that end The very Law of Nature it self which no man can deny but God hath instituted is not of God unless that be of God whereof God is the Author as well this latter way as the former But forasmuch as no form of Church-Polity is thought by them to be lawful or to be of God unless God be so the Author of it that it be also set down in Scripture they should tell us plainly whether their meaning be that it must be there set down in whole or in part For if wholly let them shew what one form of Polity ever was so Their own to be so taken out of Scripture they will not affirm neither deny they that in part even this which they so much oppugn is also from thence taken Again they should tell us whether onely that be taken out of Scripture which is actually and particularly there set down or else that also which the general Principles and Rules of Scripture potentially contain The one way they cannot so much as pretend that all the parts of their own Discipline are in Scripture and the other way their mouths are stopped when they would plead against all other Forms besides their own seeing the general Principles are such as do not particularly prescribe any one but sundry may equally be consonant unto the general Axioms of the Scripture But to give them some larger scope and not to close them up in these streights Let their Allegations be considered wherewith they earnestly bend themselves against all which deny it necessary that any one compleat Form of Church-Polity should be in Scripture First therefore whereas it hath been told them that matters of Faith and in general matters necessary unto Salvation are of a different nature from Ceremonies Order and the kinde of Church Government and that the one is necessary to be expresly contained in the Word of God or else manifestly collected out of the same the other not so that it is necessary not to receive the one unless there be something in Scripture for them the other free if nothing against them may thence be alledged Although there do not appear any just or reasonable cause to reject or dislike of this nevertheless as it is not easie to speak to the contentation of mindes exulcerated in themselves but that somewhat there will be always which displeaseth so herein for two things we are reproved The first is Misdistinguishing because matters of Discipline and Church-Government are as they say matters necessary to Salvation and of Faith whereas we put a difference betwixt the one and the other Our second fault is Injurious dealing with the Scripture of God as if it contained onely the Principal Points of Religion some rude and unfashioned matter of Building the Church but had lest out that which belongeth unto the form and fashion of it as if there were in the Scripture no more then onely to cover the Churches nakedness and not Chains Bracelets Rings Jewels to adorn her sufficient to quench her thirst to kill her hunger but not to minister a more liberal and as it were a more delicous and dainty diet In which

Successors of such Goods and to convey the same unto men of secular callings now extream Sacrilegious Injustice I. I Have heard that a famous Kingdom in the world being sollicited to reform such disorders as all men saw the Church exceedingly burthened with when of each degree great multitudes thereunto inclined and the number of them did every day so encrease that this intended work was likely to take no other effect then all good men did wish and labour for A Principal actor herein for zeal and boldness of Spirit thought it good to shew them betimes what it was which must be effected or else that there could be no work of perfect Reformation accomplished To this purpose in a solemn Sermon and in a great Assembly he described unto them the present quality of their publick Estate by the parable of a tree huge and goodly to look upon but without that fruit which it should and might bring forth affirming that the only way of redress was a full and perfect establishment of Christs Discipline for so their manner is to entitle a thing hammered out upon the forge of their own invention and that to make way of entrance for it there must be three great limbs cut off from the body of that stately tree of the Kingdom Those three limbs were three sorts of men Nobles whose high Estate would make them otherwise disdain to put their necks under that yoke Lawyers whose Courts being not pulled down the new Church Consistories were not like to flourish Finally Prelates whose ancient Dignity and the simplicity of their intended Church-Discipline could not possibly stand together The proposition of which device being plausible to active spirits restless through desire of innovation whom commonly nothing doth more offend then a change which goeth fearfully on by slow and suspicious paces the heavier and more experienced sort began presently thereat to pull back their feet again and exceedingly to fear the stratagem of Reformation for ever after Whereupon ensued those extream conflicts of the one part with the other which continuing and encreasing to this very day have now made the state of that flourishing Kingdom even such as whereunto we may most fitly apply those words of the Prophet Ieremiah Thy breach is great like the Sea who can heal thee Whether this were done in truth according to the constant affirmation of some avouching the same I take not upon me to examine That which I note therein is How with us that policie hath been corrected For to the Authors of pretended Reformation with us it hath not seemed expedient to offer the edge of the axe unto all three boughs at once but rather to single them and strike at the weakest first making show that the lop of that one shall draw the more abundance of sap to the other two that they may thereby the better prosper All prosperity felicity and peace we wish multiplied on each Estate as far as their own hearts desire is But let men know that there is a God whose eye beholdeth them in all their ways a God the usual and ordinary course of whose justice is to return upon the head of malice the same devices which it contriveth against others The foul practices which have been used for the overthrow of Bishops may perhaps wax bold in process of time to give the like assault even there from whence at this present they are most seconded Nor let it over-dismay them who suffer such things at the hands of this most unkind world to see that heavenly estate and dignity thus conculcated in regard whereof so many their Predecessors were no less esteemed then if they had not been men but Angels amongst men With former Bishops it was as with Iob in the days of that prosperity which at large he describeth saying Unto me men gave ea● they waited and held their tongue at my counsel after my words they replied not I appointed out their way and did sit as chief I dwelt as it had been a King in an Army At this day the case is otherwise with them and yet no otherwise then with the self same Iob at what time the alteration of his estate wrested these contrary speeches from him But now they that are younger then I mock at me the children of fools and off-spring of slaves creatures more base then the earth they tread on such as if they did show their heads young and old would shout at them and chase them through the streets with a cry their song I am I am a theam for them to talk on An injury less grievous if it were not offered by them whom Satan hath through his fraud and subtilty so far beguiled as to make them imagine herein they do unto God a part of most faithful service Whereas the lord in truth whom they serve herein is as St. Cyprian telleth them like not Christ for he it is that doth appoint and protect bishops but rather Christs adversary and enemy of his Church A thousand five hundred years and upward the Church of Christ hath now continued under the sacred Regiment of Bishops Neither for so long hath Christianity been ever planted in any Kingdom throughout the world but with this kind of government alone which to have been ordained of God I am for mine own part even as resolutely perswaded as that any other kind of Government in the world whatsoever is of God In this Realm of England before Normans yea before Saxons there being Christians the chief Pastors of their souls were Bishops This order from about the first establishment of Christian Religion which was publiquely begun through the vertuous disposition of King Lucius not fully two hundred years after Christ continued till the coming in of the Saxons By whom Paganism being every where else replanted only one part of the Island whereinto the ancient natural inhabitants the Britains were driven retained constantly the faith of Christ together with the same form of spiritual Regiment which their Fathers had before received Wherefore in the Histories of the Church we find very ancient mention made of our own Bishops At the Council of Ariminum about the year 359 Britain had three of her Bishops present At the arrival of Augustine the Monk whom Gregory sent hither to reclaim the Saxons from Gentility about six hundred years after Christ the Britains he found observers still of the self same Government by Bishops over the rest of the Clergy under this form Christianity took root again where it had been exiled Under the self same form it remained till the days of the Norman Conqueror By him and his successors thereunto sworn it hath from that time till now by the space of above five hundred years more been upheld O Nation utterly without knowledge without sense We are not through error of mind deceived but some wicked thing hath undoubtedly bewitched us if we forsake that Government the use whereof universal experience hath