Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	bishop_n	church_n	presbyter_n	1,153	5	10.3687	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51420	Episkopos apostolikos, or, The episcopacy of the Church of England justified to be apostolical from the authority of the antient primitive church, and from the confessions of the most famous divines of the reformed churches beyond the seas : being a full satisfaction in this cause, as well for the necessity, as for the just right thereof, as consonant to the word of God / by ... Thomas Morton ... ; before which is prefixed a preface to the reader concerning this subject, by Sir Henry Yelverton, Baronet.	Morton, Thomas, 1564-1659.	1670 (1670)	Wing M2838; ESTC R16296	103,691	240

our selves much but may be contented with the Testimonies of our Opposites choice Advocate and against Bishops as vehement an Adversary as could be Yet he in his Commentaries upon the Verses concerning the foresaid Bishops instiled Angels in the two first Chapters of the Apocalypse from Point to Point sheweth notwithstanding how those Bishops in these Churches were reprehended by Christ for not executing Spiritual Discipline upon certain as well Clergy as People A second for too much Indulgence to the Wicked A third for suffering the Woman Jezabel and such as had been seduced by her and not handling her according to her Deserts Doctor Fulke saith as much in effect A fourth For forbearing to use Discipline against a Balaamatical Seducer Mr. Perkins likewise fetcheth his ground of Excommunication from the foresaid Texts concerning the Angel of the Church of Pergamus whom he was inclined to think was a Prelate over Presbyters as Marlorate also but even now told us That the same Angel was therefore reprehended by Christ because being President there he did not put in practice his Authority of Correction which he had over Clergy and People Let us now proceed to a Rule of Proportion to try how our Opposites Comparison can stand between an Apocalyptical Prelate and either Speaker in Parliament or Proloquutor in an Assembly or as any other for Time or Place together with some other circumstances allotted by Ordinance of Parliament But tell us have any of these Authority to take an Accusation of any Criminal Offence which haply may be committed or of controlling any one Vote be it never so exorbitant much less any Corrective Power of any one Member of the House Nor doth this differ from the Confession of Mr. Calvin first in his Collection out of the Epistle of St. Paul to Titus viz. That at that time one was set over the rest of Presbyters to govern them both in Authority and Counsel in Authority Why I confess saith he as the Conditions of Men are now a days no Order can be kept amongst Ministers except one be over the rest And how often have they acknowledged the Prelacy of one over the rest of the Clergy to be a Presidency And so their thrice Learned Advocate will resolve them saying They dream not of any Presidency void of Authority seeing that every Child knoweth that there cannot be any Presidency without Authority SECT XXV That Episcopal Government exercised in the Primitive Church was Authoritative WE dare and do protest That hereby we plead not for an irregular Prelacy No for according to the State of the Church even at this time Bishops themselves are under Canons and are as liable to Censures as others if they shall transgress Besides the Obedience enjoyned upon Presbyters hath ever been constituted by their own Consents either express or implicit and accordingly ratified by Parliaments But we are to inquire into the Judgment of Antiquity that we may the better continue in their Footsteps The most Antient Father Ignatius in those Epistles which are allowed for genuine by the most exact and industrious Authors Vedelius Scultetus and Rivetus is most frequent in this Argument for submission of Presbyters to their Bishops giving them always a Negative Voice and allowing nothing to be done without them As did also Clemens both of them being Disciples of the Apostles Cyprian not long after a Martyr of Christ professed to do nothing without the Consent of his Clergy yet held it necessary for the Church that all Acts should be managed by Bishops Tertullian though himself a Presbyter denied that Presbyters we speak of the Exercise had the right so much as of Baptizing without the Consent of the Bishop Origen a Presbyter likewise thinketh That his Accompt to God will be less than if he had been a Bishop because saith he the Bishop possessing the chief place in the Church is accomptable to God for the whole Church Ambrose noteth such a Man be he Presbyter or Lay to be a strayer from the Truth who doth not obey his Bishop We pass by Epiphanius Chrysostome and other eminent Fathers to Hierome whose Patronage our Opposites pretend to have yet in this Particular he is as much against them as any The Safety of the Church saith he doth depend upon the Dignity of the Bishop so that unless an extraordinary and eminent Power be given unto him there will be as many Schisms in the Church as Ministers And again which we wish the Presbyterial Advocates duely to mark he saith not only that Bishops are a Law unto themselves but unto Presbyters also Hitherto of the Jurisdiction it self The next Point concerneth the Continuance of it in the Person of the Bishop SECT XXVI That the personal continuance of Episcopacy was during life against the most novel Figments to the contrary FIrst The Angels or Supreme Ministers in the Revelation to whom the Epistles according to the Scriptures were written seeing that they were always chargeable to inform the Presbyters with the Contents therefore they must be supposed to be in Office before they could discharge any such Function Because Timothy Titus and all the other Apostles continued their functions until their bodily dissolution Secondly In the narrative parts of every of the said Epistles Christ giveth every of the Prelates to know That he knew their works and that he had them in estimation according to their works namely works done long before insomuch that he chargeth one To do his former works c. 2. v. 3. and commendeth another because His last works were better than his former c. 3. v. 19. Noting as well the works of his Function as of his Conversation and therefore was far from the conceipt of a Deambulatory Hebdomatical or peradventure Ephemeral Office either of the foresaid Speaker Proloquutor or Moderato Who by reason of their not continuance in their Office could not be capable of their Charge either of doing their former work nor commended for his better after work in his said Office Thirdly Besides some were questioned for not executing their Offices against the Heretical Nicolaitans and Idolatrous Balaamites and Jesabel as well out of the Convocation of Presbyters as with their consent when they were met Which proveth that in the interim between Convents and not Convents the Prelates office was permanent Whereas the Deambulatory Actors use to have their Quietus est and to forgo their Imployments for want of Continuance more or less Fourthly If we look forwards to the time to come Christ is found threatning the Prelates that were obnoxious One to be removed if he did not repent c. 2. v. 3. And denouncing against another To come against him if he should not repent and do his former works c. 2. v. 14. But useth this to be the process of Deambulatory Officers if they have offended grievously in one Parliament and Convocation to

witness Adding That St. Augustine in his Epistle to Hierome was of the same judgment upon this ground That it was a City whereof the Apostle there spake and therefore it cannot saith he be understood of meer Presbyters but of Bishops who are set over Cities Thus far Luther concerning the Episcopacy of Titus And he is seconded by a learned Doctor of the same Classis Gerard by name who doth not only confess Titus to have been made Bishop of Crete by the Apostles but also Timothy of Ephesus Crescens of Galatia Linus of Rome Dionysius of Athens c. And Beza himself confesseth the same directly of Timothy saying that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Presbytery of Ephesus That is saith he Antistes or Prelate as Justin Martyr useth the word Mr. Moulin joyneth both Timothy and Titus together saying That howsoever we term them Bishops or Evangelists it is evident they had Bishops for their Successors who after them had the like preeminence in the Church We shall conclude this Section with the determination of their Learned Judicious Scultetus telling us That though at first Timothy and Titus were Evangelists yet afterwards Timothy was made Bishop of Ephesus and Titus of Crete Which thing saith he the Writings of antient Fathers do abundantly confirm So these famous Divines besides those who have been formerly alleadged by us in answer to the contrary Objections in three full Sections After this our first Evidence out of Scripture there followeth SECT VIII The second Evidence from Scripture for proof of Episcopal Prela●y is out of Christ's Epistles To the Angels of the seven Churches of Asia To the Angel of the Church of Ephesus write c. Cap. 2.1 The state of the Question THe main Question is Whether the word Angel in every Epistle do signifie collectively either The whole Church or the whole Company or Colledge of Presbyters or else singularly an Individual person Our Opposites are distracted into the two former Opinions We shall pursue them in Order confuting their first Exposition first and then the other that their mist being dispelled we may see more clearly to prove our own which is that the word Angel of every Church is to be understood of a singular Person having preeminence over other Pastors in the same Church SECT IX That the first Exposition of our Opposites by Angel understanding the whole Church is flatly repugnant to the Context IN the Book of Revelation Cap. 2. Christ by his Angel properly so called wrote unto the seven Churches of Asia vers 2. telling St. John mystically of seven gold●n Candlesticks vers 13. signifying the seven Churches and of seven Stars signifying the Angels of the seven Churches vers 20. After more particularly and distinctly Cap. 2. 3. To the Angel of the Church of Ephesus To the Angel of the Church of Smyrna In which Epistles to ease our Opposites of a trouble we confess that although the Epistles be directed to the Angel of each Church yet the knowledge of them concerned also others because of the common Epiphonema in every one thus He that hathan car to hear let him hear But to the matter The first Exposition of our Opposites is set down by Walo Messalinus a destinate Adversary to Episcopacy as in other points so in this For let it be held for a firm and fixed truth saith he That by the Angels of every City St. John intended nothing else but the Churches themselves So he But if we consult with the Context Cap. 1.20 Where first the Angels are expressly called Stars and the Churches are named Candlesticks we must therefore tell this great Clerk that he must first turn Stars into Candlesticks before he can make Angels to signifie the Churches Secondly in the Text it self Cap. 2.1 It is said Write unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus here again if the word Angel must betoken the whole Church and Congregation then must this be the construction of the words Write to the Church of the Church of Ephesus But we know that Christ the author of these speeches was the Fountain of Divine Wisdom and could not mean absurdly Enough of our Opposites first Exposition SECT X. That the second Exposition is in interpreting the word Angel to signifie the Order of Presbyters in the Church The state of which Question is set down by our Opposites THis indeed is with our Opposites their common Exposition The Epistles saith Mr. Brightman are not sent to any one but that I may so say to the Colledge of Pastors So he Who notwithstanding will be found to contradict himself in the next Section Yea and after him out Smectymnians By Angel is not meant say they any singular person but the whole Company of Presbyters So they Wherefore we are to prove SECT XI That the Objections made for this Exposition are confuted by their own best approved Protestant Authors The Confutation of their first Reason OUr first Argument say they is drawn from the Epistle to Thyatira Rev. 2.24 where after he had said to the Angel I have something against thee added in the plural I say unto you and the rest in Thyatira Here is a plain distinction say they between the Governors and Governed which apparently proves that the Angel is collective So they Our first Answer must be by a genuine Interpretation to wit That after the word Thou the addition of the words you and the rest is a familiar figurative speech called Apostrophe which is an aversion of speech from one thing or person to another As any Lord writing to his Chief Steward of matters concerning him and any Subordinate Officers and whole Family saying I would have Thee to look to thy Charge and that You forbear to go to the Market and the Rest to apply their business at home But we promised that their own dearest Doctors and Divines should be their Confuters First Beza upon the very words objected Against thee that is saith he the President and unto you that is his Colleagues meaning the Presbyters and to the rest that is ●o the whole Flock So he in the exposition of this Text. Mr. Brightman albeit the man who but even now interpreted the word Angel not to signifie any particular person but a whole multitude of Pastors or Presbyters collectively yet here being convinced by the light of the Text he as it were sups up his own breath and of this objected Text Paraphraseth saying To thee that is to the Angel And to you meaning Pastors and Colleagues of Thyatira and to the rest that is to say the People as Theodore Beza hath excellently expounded it So he Such we see is the force of truth in despight of Opposition to exact from him a Confutation of himself Which form of speech may be parallelled with the like example in the Chronicles where there is Him the King and They