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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	ghost_n	holy_a	word_n	6,811	5	4.3810	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58188	A sermon preached at the primary visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, John, Lord Bishop of Norwich June, 20th. 1692 / by George Raymond ...	Raymond, George, A.M.	1692 (1692)	Wing R413; ESTC R12214	14,670	32

That they are his Embassadors set by him in the Church and that the Holy Ghost hath made them Overseers of the Flock 4thly The words lead us to reflect upon the grand importance and singular utility of the Sacred Ministry which Christ hath appointed in his Church as an instance of his tender care over it and for the edifying and consummating thereof Upon this Usefulness of our Function rather than upon the conceited Dignity of any indelible Character may we justly value our selves and for this ought the people to esteem their ministers very highly in love for their works sake 1 Thess 5.13 The important Usefulness of the Office may appear from the Character the Holy Scripture gives of those who are invested with it and from the Instances of their Duty which it declares The persons to whom this trust is committed are by reason thereof stiled not only Pastors and Teachers but the Servants of the Lord 2 Tim. 2.24 and that in a transcendent sense beyond the rest of Christians [l.] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 4.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 15.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 4.1 Luke 12.42 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 3.9 yea Stewards of God and of his Mysteries Rulers over his Houshold to give them their portion of meat in due season They are also called Builders of that House Presidents and Guides in and over it Embassadors of Christ and workers together with God for the conversion of Sinners the edification of Saints and salvation of Souls And the particulars of their Duty are answerable to these Characters of their Persons and Function For 1st Their duty it is to hold Assemblies for Religious Worship and to see that all things there in be orderly performed and for Edification that so Christians [m] Heb. 10.24 25. Coloss 2 2-19 may be provoked to good works and knit together in love and glorifying God with one mind and one mouth may be edified in love and increase with the increase of God So the Scripture declareth this instance of our Ministry together with the admirable fruits and benefits of it Again 2dly How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel bringing glad tidings of good things Rom. 10.15 Now unto this we are ordained and this is what we have solemnly vowed viz. to feed the Flock with sound Doctrine diligently to teach and instruct out of the Holy Scriptures the People committed to our charge [n] See the Interrogatories in the Ordination of Priests Thus the Loving-kindness of our Blessed Saviour foreseeing the perpetual need of his Family hath provided for their constant relief That the heavenly Doctrine that Bread which nourisheth to Eternal Life should constantly be set before and broken amongst them That the study and labour of those who give themselves to this very thing may be profitable to such who are encumbred with variety of Secular Affairs That saving Knowledge may be so advantagiously inculcated as to render gross ignorance next to impossible and spiritual wisdom easily attainable That by a particular application of general Truths good thoughts may be instill'd and good purposes from time to time excited in the hearts of the People That the cogitations of mens hearts may be met withal their prejudices detected their Consciences awakened and press'd upon duty That the Understanding of the Weak may be assisted and the reigning Vices and Errors of every Age and Place corrected by men skilful to apply the Sacred Truths and to press such portions of them as are most apt and seasonable especially that those practical Truths which men sufficiently know but are willing to forget and averse to consider by being frequently inculcated pathetically urged and set in a proper and commanding light may make their genuine impressions upon and produce their salutary fruits in the hearts and lives of Christians That they may be frequently reminded of their solemn Obligations and made sensible of the connexion between Faith and Holiness between the avowed Principles of their Creed and the bounden Duties of a Christian Life The benefits of this Ministration are so many and great that 't is hard to number or weigh them And the Ignorance Barbarity and Wickedness of those places where Preaching is quite omitted or triflingly performed is a demonstration of the necessity and usefulness thereof A Consideration sufficient of it self to engage Ministers unto a serious and faithful discharge of this part of their Office and Vow and the People to a thankful and conscientious attendance on this Ministry and to stop the mouths of those who think Preaching to be the least if any part of our Office and very little of that sufficient [*] In Religionibus suscipiendis caput est interpretari quae voluntas deorum immortalium esse videatur Cicer. Orat. ad Pontif. It is certainly because such mens Consciences cannot bear the light of wise and good Instruction that they are so willing to part with it But of that more under the next Head Farther 3dly We have the Office of private Guides as well as publick Teachers We watch for souls as those that must give an account Heb. 13.17 We must feed the flock taking the oversight thereof 1 Pet. 5.2 We vowed at our Ordination [o] Ordinat Office Interrog 4. With all faithful diligence to use both publick and private Admonitions and Exhortations as well to the sick as to the whole within our Cures as need shall require and occasion be given Many and great are the benefits of this work of the Ministry faithfully discharged on our part and duly complied with by the People By this means may we resolve their particular Doubts and Scruples rectify their Errors and Prejudices help them to judge impartially in their own case inculcate good Thoughts animate good Purposes regulate their Zeal fortify them against their most powerful Temptations comfort them in their Sorrows and confirm their Hopes and by some one private Conference more advance their spiritual Estate than by many publick Sermons And for these purposes ought we to be acquaint with our People watching for opportunities to do them what good we can and giving them occasion and encouragement to use us as Guides and Helpers though not Masters of their Faith Would to God men would duly consider that the Sacred Ministry may be profitably used beyond the publick Exercises of it and that if they steer amiss through contempt of the Pilot's skill they are guilty of their own ruine obnoxious to God for the neglect of his gracious Provision and perish in their Pride or Presumption 4thly The benefit of great and good Examples is readily owned and such in a singular manner the Ministers of Christ are designed to be They must be Ensamples to the Flock 1 Pet. 5.3 shewing themselves in all things patterns of good works We must carefully look that there be a good agreement between our Doctrine and our Practice lest we teach our

their Subsistence for the Lord hath ordained that they who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.14 both the Preachers and their Maintenance are his Ordinance The same Light of Nature that taught Heathens to hold Assemblies for Religious Worship directed (d) Cum multa Divinitus Pontifices à majoribus nostris inventa atque iustituta sunt tum nihil praeclarius quam quod Vos eosdem Religionibus Deorum immortalium summa Reip. Praeesse voluerunt Cicer Orat. ad Pont. them to have also a distinct Order of Men to officiate and preside in them And if such an Order be necessary then must there be some known and regular way of separating Persons to and investing them with the Sacred Office otherwise the Office it self fails by being laid in common Justice cannot be administred but by select Persons commission'd thereunto nor is it sufficient to make one a Magistrate that he hath the Gifts and Spirit of Government unless also he be legally Authorized and Appointed thereunto So there can be no orderly Administration of Sacred things no Work of the Ministry unless there be a legal way of separating and ordaining Persons to that Work And if such Ordinations (e) Acts 14.23 Tit. 1.5 in the Apostolical times were judged necessary whenas Persons were designed to this Sacred Ministry by the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost how much more needful are they now when men must fit themselves for the Ministry by diligent Study and vertuous Conversation Upon which account 't is now absolutely necessary that there should be a power to judge of the Abilities of Candidates and to provide for the Church-Ministers duly qualified to officiate therein which Power can't be executed nor this provision made without maintaining a distinct Order In whose hands this Power of Ordaining is lodged hath been the Subject of a pernicious Controversy managed by the Authors and Abettors thereof with more of the Will and Passion than of the Understanding Some contend that the Peoples Call and others that the Presbyters Hands are a sufficient designation of any Person to the sacred Office To which not designing Enlargement nor Controversy I briefly answer That we have no such Custom nor the Churches of God before us for from the beginning it was not so [f] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Ep. ad Magnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id. ad Trull Inde Sc. Christi dispositione per temporum Successionum vices Episcoporum Ordinatio Ecclesiae ratio decurrit ut Ecclesia super Episcopos constituatur omnis actus Ecclesiae per eosdem prapositos gubernetur Cypr. Epist 27. as hath been abundantly demonstrated by many Learned Writers The Power of Ordination was from the beginning lodged in the hands of the Bishops and this Order universally received as conformable to Apostolical Practice and the mind of Christ (g) Nec Episcopus computari potest qui Evangelica Apostolica traditione contemptâ● nemini succedens à seipso ortus est Cypr. Ep. 76. Constat id esse ab Apostolis Traditum quod apud Ecclesias Apostolicas fuerit sacrofanctum Tertul. adv Marc. 4.5 Habemus annumerare eos qui ab Apostolis instituti sunt Episcopi in Ecclesiis successores eorum usque ad nos Iren. l. 3.3 When I shall see all the Fables in the Metamorphosis acted and prove Stories when I shall see all the Democracies and Aristocracies in the World lie down and Sleep and awake into Monarchies then will I begin to believe that Presbyterial Government having continued in the Church during the Apostles times should presently after against the Apostles Doctrine and the Will of Christ be whirl'd about like a Scene in a Masque and transformed into Episcopacy In the mean time Episcopacy being confessed to be so Ancient and Catholick must be granted also to be Apostolick Chillingw p. 324. Both the Antiquity and Universality of this practice is confessed by the most learned of our Dissenting Brethren as might be easily shewed and certainly the Controversie with respect to present practice would soon be decided would but our said Brethren fairly and impartially consider these two or three things viz. That the usage of our Church in this matter is conform to the Primitive and Constant Practice of the Churches of Christ and that the Laws only require Obedience to this good Order but do not exact any Declaration of their Opinion concerning it That Episcopal Ordination doth not exclude but comprehends the Peoples Suffrage and the Presbyters hands [h] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ignat. Ep. ad Ephes A primordio Episcopatus mei statuerim nihil sine consilio vestro sine consensu plebis ●ae privatâ sententiâ gerere Cypr. Ep. 6. In ordinationibus Clericis fratres Charissimi Sc. Clerus Plebs solemus vos ante consulere mores ac merita singulorum communi consilio ponderare Cypr. Ep. 33. Ordinationes sacerdotales non nisi sub populi assistentis conscientiâ fiant Ib. Ep. 68. That they do not alledge much less prove the Bishops presiding in this matter to be sinful therefore a Separation from the National Church upon that account must be causeless and sinful That to oppose establish'd Order which is not unreasonable and to assume and execute an Office in contempt of such publick Discipline and Constitution is to walk disorderly and work Confusion which is not to be Followers of God and Christ (i) Quid enim non periculum metuere debemus quando aliqui de Presbyteris nec Evangelii nec loci sui memores neque futurum domini judicium cogitantes quod nunquam antecessoribus factum est cum contumeliâ contemptu praepositi totum sibi vendicant Cypr. Ep. 10. I will not say as some do that God hath tack'd the Efficacy of Sacraments and of his Grace and consequently the Salvation of Men to the Punctilio's of Ordination so that there is no work of the Ministry done but all the Flock lost and undone if the Minister doth not derive his Orders from some one of the Apostles by an uninterrupted Succession The Consequences of this rash Opinion are dishonourable to God and prejudicial to Piety and the practice of the Church of England needs no such defence (k) See the Preface to the Office for Ordination But certainly this may be said and ought to be considered That the Usurpers of an Office and Invaders of well-establish'd Order and Discipline can very little expect a Blessing from the God of Peace and Order nor can be Ministers unto sound and orderly Christians They therefore who according to the publick good Order of the Church are appointed to the Sacred Office with the Suffrage of the People the Approbation of the Bishop by the Imposition of his Hands together with those of the Presbytery being regularly called and ordained may say with the first Ministers of Jesus Christ though not in the same plenitude of sence