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truth_n apostle_n ghost_n holy_a 5,238 5 5.2266 4 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A44503 The vvay tovvards the finding of a decision of the chiefe controversie now debated concerning church government Hales, John, 1584-1656. 1641 (1641) Wing H281; ESTC R17617 20,569 46

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there is no independent parity allowed of amongst the Officers who are to discharge the same But it may perhaps be made good that these charges are in their naturall property as they stand in relation one to another repugnant to an independent parity therefore perhaps there is no independent parity allowed of amongst the Officers who are to discharge the same Fifthly the duty of the flock is in a word to be obedient unto their Rulers and to submit themselves unto them Heb. 13. 7. 17. and to provide necessary maintenance for them Gal. 6. 6. 8. 1 Cor. 9. 7 8 9 10 11 13 14. From hence I inferre that if submission and obedience is to be yeelded and if Rulers be different in charge then according to every ones degree and different place in his charge the submission ought to be differenced But the Antecedent is true and therefore also the Consequent Therefore I conceive that more respect was due unto Apostles even as they were ordinary Ministers then to their ordinary Rulers and more to the Bishops and Overseers that were made Iudges of other Elders then to the Elders that were subject to be judged and more reverence due to the Elders then to the Deacons Lastly the practice of the Apostles as chiefe Masterbuilders was this they laid the foundation which is Christ 1 Cor. 3. 10 11. they built by preaching upon the foundation gold silver and precious stones they baptised the beleevers and gathered them together in one body and ordained Elders and Officers over them to rule them and doe the work of the Ministery See Acts 13. and 14. Chapters and particulerly in Chap. 14. the verses 21 22 23. They gave orders to their followers concerning all things needfull for edification in the Churches as may be seene in 1 Cor. Chapters 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 and and 10 and 11 and 12 and 14 and 16. verse 1. and in the 2 Cor. Chap. 8 and 9. in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus throughout and elswhere as in the Acts in Chap. 6. and 15. and 20. From whence I infer that if neither in the Apostles owne practice nor in the practice of those whom they set over the Churches in their owne time there be any example of independent parity intimated or used in the way of ordinary government then such a parity may seem to be inconvenient to be admitted into the Church of God But perhaps no such example is to bee found in their practice or in the practice of those whom they appointed to bee ordinary Rulers of the Churches in their owne time Therefore an independent parity may seem inconvenient to bee admitted Thus I have briefly run over the fundamentall matters of the first question in hand not intending to determine any thing precisely but to gather some rules of determination whereby the matter of priority and superiority in government may be tried more at large in due time Only thus much I must now intimate that my doubt concerning priority and superiority of spirituall Officers in the Church is so farre resolved that it seemeth not at all repugnant to me but rather more consonant and answerable to Christs intention in the first institution of his Church then an independent parity And this is the first position wherein I receive some satisfaction to my doubts If therefore any will contradict this position to make me againe doubtfull of it I thinke he is obliged to shew that an independent parity of Rulers is not onely no lesse but as much and rather much more answerable to Christs intention and this he must shew from the same grounds which I have laid except hee can shew these to be insufficient and lay some others that are more satisfactory which if he doth then it will be also requisite that he define cleerly what that prime and independent authority is which every Ruler hath by himselfe in his particular charge As for me because I take this position as granted that Christ did institute in the first constitution of his Church a priority and superiority of spirituall Officers therefore I thinke I may safely gather that for the building up and perpetuall propagating of the same his intention was not altered which second position if any will deny I suppose he will finde himselfe obliged to shew unto me sufficient and evident causes why his intention should be altered and therefore that frame of government which was either necessary or most convenient for the first constitution and building up of his Church is inconsistent with the perpetuall propagation thereof But seeing I conceive it not likely that this can be shewne therefore I ought to proceed and come to the second question to finde out what the priority and superiority is which Christ doth allow of in the spirituall Rulers of the Church and to finde out this it will bee requisite to review againe the grounds heretofore laid from whence the position hath beene gathered that a priority and superiority of Rulers in spirituall government is answerable to Christs intention which that we may doe let us begin at the last and goe upward towards the first The last of our grounds was the practice of the Apostles which yeeldeth no example to us of any independent pa●●ty but rather of a superior priority which in the way of their ordinary government they used over others For I suppose no man doubteth of this but the Apostles were in the ordinary cou●se of their mystery above all other spirituall Officers which ordinarily ruled the Churches If then it be granted that in the ordinary course of their Ministery they were above others the next thing to be sought after will be this wherein their superiority did consist and how far it was derived or not derived unto their successors And to finde out this I conceive that in the Apostles discharge of their duty some thing was extraordinary as being usefull and requisite onely for that time wherein they lived and something ordinary and of perpetuall use which was to bee transmitted unto their successors The extraordinary discharge of their Apostolicall duty was first to lay the foundation and then to raise and settle that frame of Christs Church upon the same which was most answerable to his Kingdome And to doe this God ●●dued them with extraordinary gifts of tongues of knowledge of wisdome of prudence and of infallibility in truth and publicke government and confirmed their authority with his owne testimony bearing them witnesse as the Apostle saith Heb. 2. 4. both with signes and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the holy Ghost which by the imposition of their hands he conferred upon the beleevers as is evident by Acts 8. 17. and 19. 6. This I conceive was their extraordinary authority and discharge of their duty which should not be transmitted to any after them but should rest in their persons be for after times recorded in Scripture that thereby they should become perpetuall Apostles