Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	age_n	church_n	time_n	2,142	5	3.6322	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59284	The interest of Scotland in three essays ...	Seton, William, Sir, d. 1744.	1700 (1700)	Wing S2650; ESTC R15555	38,798	124

A Bishop was Elected both by the Clergy Laity of his Parish as we learn from the Death of Bishop Anterus in whose place Falianus was Elected at Rome for fayeth Eusebius lib. 6. c. 28. All the People met together in the Church to chuse a Successor proposing several illustrious and eminent Personages as fit for Office whilst not one so much as thought on Falianus then present till a Dove miraculously came and sat upon his head in the same manner as the Holy Ghost formerly descended on our Saviour and then all the People guided as it were with one Divine Spirit cryed out with one Mind and Soul that Falianus was most worthy of the Bishoprick and so straightways taking him they placed him in the Episcopal Throne At present we know Bishops are chosen only by the Clergy contrary to the Practice of the Church of Rome as we have seen in the Example of Falianus The People had power to depose their own Bishops as the People of Spain did Martiales and Basilides and who had their Proceedings ratified by an African Council assembled in the Year 258. Cyprian Epist 68. But in what Cases People could depose a Bishop is not determined by Antiquity In the Primitive times every Christian was considered both as a Member of the Universal Church and as one of that particular Church where he lived if therefore he erred in any Article of Faith he was judged guilty of Heresie And if he was at Variance with his Bishop he was guilty only of Schism and consequently deserved either the Name of Heretick or Schismatick Yet it 's clear that at present one may be at Variance with his Bishop without being reputed Schismatick For Example if a particular Man in the Diocess of Tork should have a personal prejudice against his Bishop and would not Communicat with him altho in the time of Cyprian he would have been guilty of Schism had he been at Variance with his Bishop From this short account and what more could be collected about the Practice of the Fathers from their Writings in Church Government we can learn nothing but Titles Names and some general Rules observed in the Exercise of the Governments of particular Churches which made up the Universal Church therefore it must be an Error to assert that either the Episcopal Government in England or the Presbyterian in Scotland as they are now constitute was in fashion in the Primitive Ages What then in Reason ought to be affirmed for Truth about Church-Government appears to be That the Apostles and those they appointed to preach the Law of their Master living in times when they had no Civil Government to protect them were persecuted and harrassed from place to place having most of the Magistrats and Philosophers to be their declared Enemies therefore it was their greatest business only to preach a Crucified Saviour who was risen from Death and ascended up into Heaven to be Mediator betwixt his Father and all People that would follow the Laws of his Gospel which Laws they taught to all their Proselyts which made up the Catholick Church And that the Members of it might be the better instructed in the Mysteries of their Religion it was necessary to have them erected into particular Churches or Societies as the Circumstances of the Times would allow Which accordingly they did and regulated their outward Forms that all things might be done in Order and Decency Hence arose the necessity of Church-Officers to keep all things right and to put the Divine Laws in Execution The Bishop was the first Presbyter in Honour for his Apostolick Qualities amongst other Presbyters who were so many new Apostles to be sent abroad to convert the Pagans and to constitute new Churches as they found Believers after what forms were most convenient And by such means were Churches erected at Jerusalem Alexandria Rome Carthage c. Which Churches so long as they wanted the Protection of Civil Magistrats so long did they keep a good Correspondence amongst themselves having frequent Meetings to suppress all Heresies which Meetings were called Councils Now may we be of Opinion That our Saviour did forsee that the Christian World would be divided into distinct secular Governments and that each Government would have the order kept amongst the Men set apart for Divine Service which was agreeable to it's Constitution For tho particular Churches might have different Governments yet the Universal Church is no more dismemb'red than if a King who had different Countreys in Subjection could be denyed to be Master of them all because that his Laws were put in Execution in one of them by a Viceroy in another by a few Noble Men and in the Third by a parcel of Commons To strengthen this Opinion we know That no sooner the Roman Emperours and their Subjects become Christians but there was an Analogy betwixt their Civil and Ecclesiastical Governments For the whole Empire being divided into Fourteen Diocesses each of them comprehending several Provinces and every province several Cities Every City as it had a temporal Magistrat for executing Justice so was there also a Bishop for Spiritual Order and Government Every Province as it had a Proconsul whose Seat was usually at the Metropolis So there was in the same City an Arch-Bishop or Metropolitan In every Diocess there was a Vicarius who dwelt in the principal City of the Diocess where all Imperial Edicts were published There was also a Primat to equal him and to whom the Determination of all differences of the Clergy did belong And lastly as the Fourteen Diocesses were ruled by four Praetorian Prefects in civil Matters so were they governed in Church Affairs by Patriarchs who were superiour to Primats by reason of the Dignity of these Cities where they had their Sees fixed as at Rome Constantinople Alexandria Antioch and Jerusalem But to what hight Church-men can improve their Power may be learned from the Patriarchs of Rome who had once almost enslaved the whole Christian world by their Supremacy Purgatory Indulgences and Pardons auricular Confessions and Caelibacy of the Clergy As there is a necessity of some Church-Government to be in every Common-Wealth that by its Discipline its Members may be keep'd in duty both to God and to their fellow Subjects So every Church-Government ought to sympathize with that Civil Government it meets with to make up one Christian Society But to shew what Church and Civil Governments agree best together let us take a short view of all them which are in use at present in the Christian world Tho Man hath a Natural Inclination to Society yet that which constitutes a Body Politick is Confederation and a Consent of Governours and Governed from which we have the different kinds of Civil Government Monarchy Aristocracy and Democracy And paralel to these are three kinds of Church-Government Hierarchy Superintendency and Presbytrie Monarchy is a Government that 's vested in one single Person who is absolute and hath a Right of