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	whole_a	2,196	5	5.5864	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87016	Considerations of present use concerning the danger resulting from the change of our church-government. By H.H. D.D.	Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660.	1646 (1646)	Wing H527; Thomason E344_17; ESTC R200971	9,929	18

great fruits of Government and if it may be agreed that it is very expedient and will be taken in good part that Governours hereafter be more severe as well as more diligent more couragious as well as more laborious in using the Weapons of their warfare to cut off or to cure without any respect of persons wheresoever there is need of them I shall hope this objection will then be throughly answered if as yet it be not A second consideration apportioned to the former head will be this whether supposing Government of the Church to be a considerable part of Religion the change of it from established Episcopacy to any other namely to that of Presbytery by many without any Superiour over them or as that is opposite to Episcopacy be not a sinne against Religion That it is or will be so I shall endeavour to convince the gainsayer by these steps or degrees of proof which though perhaps not each single yet all being put together will I beleeve where prejudice doth not hinder be sufficient to doe it 1. Because this Government by Bishops superiour to Presbyters is of Apostolicall institution But this being an affirmation as demonstrable by Ecclesiasticall Records as any thing can be or as the Canon of Scripture which we receive is demonstrated to be the Canon of Scripture and in regard it hath by others been sufficiently proved I shall therefore wholly spare the repeating of that trouble and adde unto it 2. That it hath the example though not the distinct precept of Christ who with his twelve Apostles and the many other Disciples in time of his residence upon Earth superiour one to the other are the copy of which the Bishops Presbyters and Deacons in the following age were a transcript who are therfore by S. Ignatius S. Iohns Contemporary allowed to receive honour the Bishops as Christ the Presbyters as the Apostles the Deacons as the Seventy 3. That as farre as concernes superiority of one order to the other which is sufficient to eject the Presbytery which supposes an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or equality of all it is authorized by sacred Scripture-practice where it appeares that when Judas fell Acts 1. from his orbe of motion the dignity of being one of the twelve is by the direction of the Spirit and by lot bestowed upon Matthias who though before a Disciple of Christ was not till then assumed to that dignity Fourthly that supposing it to be in this manner Apostolicall there is little colour of reason to doubt but that the preserving of it is of as great moment as many doctrines of Christianity not onely because many doctrines were not so explicitely delivered by Christ but that they needed farther explicating by the Apostles and are therefore by the Church grounded not in any words of the Gospell but in the Epistles of the Apostles but also because it was in Gods providence thought fit that Government should be setled not by Christ personally but by the Apostles that is mediately by Christ as doctrine was by Christ immediately Christ in his life time gives them the ground of a Church divine truth the word of his Father the acknowledgement of which is the rocke on which his Church is built on this the Apostles are to build and gather members and to settle the whole edifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or ordinately and that they may not erre in that worke the Holy Ghost is promised to descend upon them and Christ by that power of his to be with them in eminent manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the end of the world And Government being necessarie to this setling was undoubtedly thus referred and left to them by CHRIST and so their Authority in instituting that which they instituted as evidently deduced from CHRIST as their power of Preaching what they preached or baptizing whom they baptized And having gone thus farre I cannot but resume my consideration thus farre made more considerable and appeale to any sober conscience whether it be not some irreligion thus to displace or remove that which the Apostles to whom only by Christ it was intrusted according to Christs owne Samplar and Scripture-grounds thought fit to settle in the Church supposing it to be a matter of Religion which is spoken of as before we proved nay whether if an Angell from Heaven were to be anathematized for teaching any other Doctrine then what one Apostle had taught it would not be matter of just terrour to any that should have any part in the guilt of instituting any other Government then that which the Apostles had instituted especially when the acts of Councells tell us that what S. Paul denounces against the heterodox Angell the Church did practise against Aerius anathematized him for impugning this Government which now we speake of And if still the Authority of all this be blemisht by this one exception that this institution of the Apostles is not affirmed in Scripture or there commanded to posterity to continue and retain for ever To this I answer by saying that which may be a fourth Argument to prove the irreligiousnesse of such change That there is as much or more to be said in both those respects both for mention of this institution in Scripture and for Apostolicall precept for continuing of it for this Government as for some other things whose change would be acknowledged very irreligious I will onely instance in one the institution of the Lords day of which there is nothing can be said to the setting up the Authority and immutability of it which will not be said of Episcopacy A ground of it there was in nature some Time to be set apart to the speciall publique service of God and the like ground there is in nature for this that some Persons should be designed to and rewarded for the speciall publique service of God A patterne of that there was among the Jewes one day in the seven defined for Gods Quotum or portion the like patterne there is among the Jewes for this a Government by High-priests Priests and Levites That was an institution not of Christ in his life time immediately but of his Apostles after his departure invested with such power the like institution there is of this by the same Apostles after Christs ascension directed and assisted by the holy Ghost The occasion of pitching on the first day of the weeke was a solemne action of Christ his Resurection on that day the occasion of this the severall distinct orders in the Church in Christs time Christ Apostles Disciples and the manifest superiority of him before all of them who affirmes himselfe their Lord even when he speakes of his office ministerialll his coming to Minister to them and of the Apostles before the Disciples as even now was shewed The mention of that was found once in the Revelation distinctly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lords day and twice or thrice more in equipollent termes the first day of the week