Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	apostle_n	church_n	lead_v	1,975	5	7.6771	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00283	A briefe and plaine declaration, concerning the desires of all those faithfull ministers, that haue and do seeke for the discipline and reformation of the Church of Englande which may serue for a iust apologie, against the false accusations and slaunders of their aduersaries.	Fenner, Dudley, 1558?-1587, attributed name.; Fulke, William, 1538-1589, attributed name.; Travers, Walter, 1547 or 8-1635, attributed name.	1584 (1584)	STC 10395; ESTC S111889	54,423	158

Archipresbyter Archiepiscopus Archiepoimen and suche like do properly agree For as the Apostle calleth our Sauiour Christe in this place the chiefe Pastor So in the second Chapiter the 25. vers he calleth him both the Pastor and Byshop of our soules Wherefore as he onelye is oure chiefe Pastour or Archiepoimen so is hee also our onelye Archbyshoppe And that the name of Archipresbyter or chiefe of Elders pertayneth tono mortall man may bee seene by this place where Saint Peter that excellent and high Apostle who if anye man coulde might as well as anye haue challenged that name durste not call him selfe other then Sunpresbyteros a fellowe Elder no not when hee sought authoritie to him selfe by that name to be bold to exhort the Elders of the Church But least any man shoulde thinke wee staye onely in names and tearmes which are not so greatlye materiall let him consider that Sainte Peter expresly forbiddeth the Elders to exercise Lordship ouer their seuerall congregations how much more ouer their fellowe Elders Which thing also our Sauiour Christ precisely forbiddeth when there was a contention among his Apostles about the prymacie The kings of the nations haue dominion ouer them and they that beare rule ouer them are called gratious Lordes or beneficiall but you shall not be so Also Math. 20. 25. and Mark 10. 41. vpon the ambitious request of the sonnes of Zebedy and the disdaine of the other against them The Princes of the Gentiles exercise Lordship ouer them and they that be great exercise authoritie ouer them but it shall not be so amongst you but who so will be great amongst you let him be your Minister and he that will be first among you let him be your seruaunt The same thing he taught by his example when hee washed his Apostles feet and commanded them to shew the like humilitie one towarde an other which were all brethren which he their Lord and maister shewed towards them Also Math. 23. 8. c. he forbiddeth all ambitious Titles of Rabbi Maister Father c. the reason hee addeth for you are all Brethren For these names agree properly to God Christ. For the greatest dignitie of an Ecclesiasticall person is a ministery and not a lordship S. Ioh. also in his third epistle sharply reprooueth Diotrephes because he was Philoproteuon one that desired the primacie in the Church Howbeit in this case we must take heede that we spoyle not the ministers of the church of al their lawfull authoritie For although these testimonies of scripture directly condemne the authoritie of one Pastour aboue an other yet neither do they set euery pastour at libertie by him selfe to do what they list without controlment nor yet doe take away the lawful authoritie he hath ouer his flocke but that imperious and pompeous dominion which is meet for ciuill magistrates and great Potentates to exercise in worldly affayres otherwise in respect of their lawfull authoritie they are called by the Apostle in his Epistle to the Hebrewes Guides such as are appoynted to ouersee the flocke with authority and vnto them submission and obedience is commaunded in the same Chapiter verse 17. Other names are applied to them in the Scripture but they bee for the moste parte more generall pertaining to all kinde of Teachers in the Church of GOD both in the time of the Lawe and of the Gospell as Seers Prophets VVatchmen Angelles Labourers Builders Stewardes and such like all which with many other serue to expresse some parte of their office as their knowledge their diligence their authority their faithfullnesse their discretion also the necessity of them the commoditie that commeth by them c. But concerning the names of Pastours as they are a speciall office in the Church this maye suffise But for as muche as we haue vndertaken so to describe a Pastour and and his office as all other offices of the Church may be described therewith wee must not staye onelye in the name but set foorth also the whole substaunce of the person For which intent it shall bee necessarye for vs to consider a Pastour or Bishop these two wayes in the proper function of his Ministerye and in gouernement with his Elders By which we shall vnderstande how this Ministerye ought to bee refourmed and restored amongest vs. As touching his office something hath beene sayde before generallye vnder the description of his seuerall names But now more particularlye wee must examine what belongeth to his charge The Pastor must be limitted to one onelye congregation of such competent number as he if hee be but one or if they be two may be sufficient to the instruction of all and euerye member of the same Church And first he may no more lawfully haue charge of two or three churches then he can be possibly in diuerse places No more then a sheephearde of whome he taketh his name may haue the leading of sundrie flockes in diuers places neither maye he be absent from his charge with better reason then a shepheard from his flocke As for substitutes or● hyrelinges will not bee allowed in this case for Pastors are substitutes of God and haue an office of credite committed vnto them therefore by no good reason may they make any substitutes in their place or commit their charge vnto an other The law of a man grounded vppon good reason alloweth not substitutes of substitutes nor committing ouer of an office of credite in temporall matters How shall God almighty then take it in good part when the flocke of Christe which he hath purchased with his own bloud shal be so greatly neglected to the endaungering of their euerlasting saluation Therfore the ordinaunce of God is that the Pastor should attend vnto his peculiar flocke That Elders should be ordayned in euery Citie Towne and other places Tit. 1. 5. and Act 14. 23. The Apostles ordeined Elders in ●uery Church of Derbe Lystra Iconi●m and Tichia and all the Congrega●●ons about Secondly the office of Pastors is ●ot onely to teach the same truth in ●heir seuerall flockes but also to ap●ye it to the time and persons of ●home they haue charge with ex●ortation and reprehension with ●onsolation of the afflicted threat ●ing of the obstinate c. This in ●we wordes is set foorth by S. Paule ●●eaking of the diuerse Gifts of God 〈◊〉 his Church hee saith Whether it ●●e hee that teacheth in his Doctrine 〈◊〉 hee that exhorteth in his exhortati●● The Doctour therefore teacheth ●ithout exhortation The Pastor tea●heth and exhorteth withall More 〈◊〉 larg he setteth forth the same offi●● in his exhortation vnto the Past●rs of Ephesus willing them to folow ●●s example whoe supplied that of●●ce vntill they were able to succeed 〈◊〉 his Place Also very breifly and yet fully hee describeth the same vnto Timothy shewing first that al his foundation must be out of the scriptures which were sufficient for all parts o● his charge

reade also to bee obserued by the christian kinges of Fraunce Spaine yea and of this our Brittany also in gouerning their Ecclesiastical state by the aduise of the Cleargie of their dominion But it will perhaps be sayd that for Princes to subscribe to the determination of priestes as they call them is no supremacie but a subiection We answer it is no subiection vnto men but to God his worde to doe nothing in these matters but by the faithfull aduise of thē that know his will are bounde to teach it vnto all men No more then it is to be counted a subiection for a Prince in ciuill affayres to follow the aduise of wise and faithfull Counsellers Whereby we see that if Gods ordinaunce were not plaine in the scriptures yet reason it self wold conclude that if in Temporal matters a wise prince wil doe nothing of weight without the counsell of wise men how much more in Gods busines which are of greatest importāce shold they not decree any thing with out the aduise of them that be learned in those matters And if all princes by heathen wise mens iudgments are so rulers that they are seruaunts of the laws of the cōmon wealth why should it be accounted for anye dishonour vnto princes to be obedient to the lawes of God their father and to serue to the commoditie of the church their mother It is a greater honor to be the son of God and the child of the church then to be a monarch of al the earth Of this honourable subiection to GOD and his church Esay prophesieth Chapiter 49. 23. Kinges shall be thy nursing Fathers and Queenes shall bee thy Nurses They shall worship thee with their faces towardes the earth and licke the dust of thy feete and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. The prophet meaneth that Kinges and Queenes shal be so careful for the preseruatiō of the church that they shall thinke no seruice too base for them so they maye profite the Church of Christ withal Vnto this honourable subiection the holy Ghost exhorteth princes in the second psalme after that they haue tryed that they preuayle nothing in stryuing againste the kingdome of Christ Be now therefore wise O yee Kinges be learned that iudge the earth serue the Lord with feare and reioyce vnto him with trembling Declaring that it is a ioyfull seruice to bee obedient to Christ yea to serue GOD is indeede to reigne And especiallye it is to be noted where Saint Paule commaundeth prayers and supplications to bee made for the conuersion of Kinges vnto the knowledge of the truth and their own saluation that he alleadgeeth this reason That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godlinesse and honestie vnder their protection A godly and honest life wee may liue vnder enemies of the Churche and persecutors but a peaceable and quiet life in all godlinesse and honesty only vnder a christian Prince This thing therefore the Church most humbly desireth of the prince for this end the Church continually prayeth to GOD for the Prince in this respect the Churche most obediently submitteth her self vnto the Prince as a Childe to his nurce that both prince and people may honour God in this life and after this life reigne with Christe euerlastingly Thus haue we breefely set foorth a form of reformation touching matters ecclesiastical as we are throughly perswaded agreeable to the word of God and as we are able to proue consenting with the example of the primitiue Church building only vppon the most sure foundation of the canonicall scriptures but intending more at large if occasion shall serue hereafter to set foorth the practize and consent of the Godly fathers in their Actes Counsels and writinges following the same rule interpretation of the scripture that we haue done Therfore we protest before the liuing God and his holy Angels and before the Lord Iesus Christ that shal come to iudge the quicke and the dead and before the Queenes maiestie our most gratious Soueraigne the whole assemblie of all estates of this Realme that as the whol world may plainly see we seeke hereby not our owne profite ease nor aduancement but onely the glorye of God and the profite of his Church so by this present writing wee discharge our conscience according to our dutie which is to shew vnto all men the true waye of reformation and to mooue them that haue authoritie to put it in practize and to seeke by all lawfull and ordinarye meanes that it may take place that if it may please God to giue it good successe at this time to be imbraced we maye fulfill the rest of our course with ioy But if our sinnes be the let that this or the like groūded vpon Gods worde may not now be receiued yet the present age may see iudge what is the vttermost of our desire concerning reformation which hitherto for lacke of such a publike testimoniall hath been subiect to infinite slaunders deuised by the aduersaries of Gods truth hinderance of Godly procedings vnto reformatiō And that the posterity may know that the truth in this time was not generallye vnknowen nor vntestified concerning the right regiment of the church of god nor this disordered forme of ecclesiasticall gouernement which we haue receiued for the most part of popery deliuered to our Children without contradictiō that our example shold not be preiudicial vnto them as the exāple of our Godly fathers which in this poynt neglected their duetie hath beene preiudiciall vnto vs. The Lorde graunt for Christes sake that we beeing so farre from perfection God may open al our eyes to see the same and bend our heartes earnestly to labour to attaine therevnto and in the mean time so farre as we haue attained that we may proceede al by one rule that we may be like affectioned to seeke the glory of God and to build vp the ruynes of his temple that with one hearte and with one voyce we maye praise the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christ in his holye Temple which is the congregation of saints in the holy ghost to whom be al honor Dominion for euermore Amen FINIS 1. Pet. 9. 10. Lamen 1. 2 3. 4. Ioel. 2. Act. 20. 26. Neh. 4. 2. 3. 4 Neh. 4. 7. Neh. 6. 5. 6. Neh. 10. 11. 12 Ioel. 1. 9. Amos. 8. 11. 12. 13. Act. 15. 7. 1. Cor. 14. 13. 32. 1. Cor. 2. 4. 1. Cor. 14. 33 Act. 14. 16. Iob. 32. 7. 8. Iob. 32. 21. 22. 2. Chro. 30. 1 5. 23. ver Actes 15. 23. Gal. 1. 1. Act. 11. 1. 2. 3 4. c. D. VVhitgifts booke page 389. Tim. 3. 15. The definition of the Church 2. Tim. 3. 17. VVhat ministers are appointed in the church Ephes. 4. 11. 1. Cor. 12. 28. Act. 14. 23. Titus 1. 5. Rom. 12. 6. 1. Cor. 12. 28 Ephes. 4. 11. Math. 28. 19. Mark 16. 25. Act. 1. 15. Act. 12. 2. Act. 13. 2. 1. Cor. 12. Ephes. 4. 11. Acts. 11. 28 21. 10. Acts. 20. 23 Acts. 8. 5. Act. 8. 14. Acts. 21. 8. 2. Tim. 2. 5. 5 1. Corin. 14. VVhat offices remaine in the Church Doctors Ephes. 4. 13. 1. Cor. 12. 27. Ephes. 2. 20. 2. Thes. 2. 1● Prou. 29. 18. The office of a Doctor Ephes. 4. 11. Rom. 12. 7. Rom. 12. 8. Acts. 11. 26. Acts. 18. 28. Pastors and their Titles Acts. 20. 28. 1. Pet. 5. 2. Num. 11. 16. Mala. 2. 7. Heb. 7. 12. 24 Act. 14 23. Act. 20. 17. 1. Tim. 5. 17. Tit. 1. 5. Iam. 5. 14. Pet. 5. 2. Act. 20. 17. Phillip 1. 1. 1. Tim. 3. 2. 8. Tit. 1. 5. 6. 7. 1. Pet. 5. 1. 1. Pet. 5. 1. 2. 3 4. Pet. 2. 25. Luk. 22. 25. Mat. 20 25. Mark 10. 41. Iohn 13. 13. Mat. 23. 8. 3. Iohn 9. Heb. 13. 7. 1. Pet. 5. Tit. 1. 5. Tit. 1. 5. Actes 14. 23 Rom. 12. 7. 8. Acts. 20. 2. Tim. 3. 16. 17. 2. Tim. 4. 1. 2 1. Tim. 3. 2. Tit. 2. 9. Rom. 10. 14. Math. 21. 22. Mark 11. 15. John 2. 14. Gal. 6. 6. 1. Cor. 9. 7. Gal. 6. 6. 7. Esai 56. 10. 11. 12. Eze. 34. 2. 3. 4 Zac. 15. 16. 16 1. Pet. 1. 8. Math. 15. 14. Math. 5. 13. Acts. 20. 18. 19. 20. Acts. 20. 26. Acts. 20. 31. Math. 9. 38. Actes 20. 26. 27. Rom. 4. 11. Math. 28. 19. Luke 22. 19. Heb. 3. 4. Ephes. 4. 11. 1. Cor. 4. 1. Math. 28. 19. Mark 16. 15. Luke 2● 19. 1. Cor. 24. 1. Cor. 14. 34. Tim. 2. 11. 1. Cor. 1. 17. Act. 16. 16. Acts. 6. 4. Tim. 2. 1. 1. Cor. 14. 16. 1. Cor. 14 40. 1. Cor. 14. 16 1. Cor. 14. 28. 1. Cor. 14. 15 1 Cor. 14. 15 26. 1. Cor. 11. 17. 1. Cor. 14. 23. 24. 25. 26. 31. 1. Cor. 14. 40 1. Cor. 14. 28. 1. Tim. 2. 15. Acts. 28. 29. 1. Cor. 12. 28. 1. Pet. 5. 3. Luke 23. 26. 2. Cor. 1. 14. Hierarchia Iohn 3. 27. Heb. 5. 4. Philip. 2. 6. Luke 22. 26. Math. 20. 25 Mark 10. 42. Math. 23. 8. 2. Tim. 6. 15. Math. 18. 19. Math. 18. 19. 20. 1. Cor. 28. 29 Rom. ●2 8. Acts. 14. 23. 1. Tim. 5. 7. Acts. 14. 23. ● Cor. 5. 4. Math. 18. 17. Num. 11. 6. Mat. 18. 1. Tim. 4. 14. Luke 22. 66. Acts. 20. 5. The ende of Discipline 1. Cor. 5. 2. Cor. 2. 1. Cor. 5. 11. Tit. 3. 10. 2. Tim. 2. 16. 1. Tim 1. 20. 2. Ioh. 10. 11. Math. 18. 15. 16. c. ● Thes. 3. 6. 1. Cor. ● 1. Tim. 5. 19 21. 1. Cor. 5. 4. 2. Cor. 1. 10. 1. Tim. 2. 20. 1. Tim. 2. 20. Ioh. 13. 29. Actes 6. Ioh. 12. 8. 1. Tim. 3. 8. Phil. ● 1. Rom. 12. 8. 1. Cor. 12. 28. 1. Tim. 5. 5. Act. 11. 30. 1. Tim. ● 1. Tim. 3. 13. Phillip 1. 1. Act. 6. Act. 21. 18. ●al 2. 9. 12. Act. 6. 20. 29 Genes 9. 4. Act. 15. Actes 14. 23. 1. Tim. 4. 14. Chusing of Clearkes of the Conuocatiō house Actes 15. 2. Cor. 1. 14. Actes 15. Esay 49. 23. Psal. 2. 10. 11 1. Tim. 2. 2.