Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	doctrine_n	error_n	4,723	5	7.2521	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80283	Complaints concerning corruptions and grievances in church-government. Dedicated and directed to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, the Right Honourable Lords; and the Honourable House of Commons, now assembled in Parliament. By certain peaceably affected Presbyters, of the Church of England; in the name of all the rest of their brethren. Undertaking to maintain the truth of their assertions, against whatsoever contradictors, if by publique edict of supream authority they be called forth, granting them as safe and free audience as their adversaries and judges, not preingaged, or preresolved for either side.		1660 (1660)	Wing C5626; Thomason E1047_6; ESTC R208100	8,781	15

is there constituted must be held inviolable what is a deviation from that must be accounted Apostacy and Corruption as well in Discipline as in Doctrine no Plea of Antiquity or Universality can priviledge it from that imputation what is not therein appointed must at most be held but as conducent not necessary No though it be proved to be received into the Churches in the age immediately succeeding the Apostles all after them were but of a private spirit And it is apparent that Ambition and Corruptions grew up as soon in the Government of the Church as Errors in the Doctrine thereof Suffer us therefore with your wonted Patience and Lenity which are men preingaged to no side or Faction but the free humble and meek Servants of Truth to declare our mindes concerning the First and Purest Form of the Churches Government and then as Veritas est mensura sui obliqui from that light to discover the heavy Grievances which at this day remain unremoved in our National Church 1. It is a perpetual Ordinance of Christ That there should be Pastors and Teachers in the Church for the Administration of the Word Sacraments and spiritual Discipline 2. That there should be a Society of these Pastors or Presbyters in every particular Church is an Apostolique Appointment who have also exactly prescribed what manner of men they ought to be 3. That this Company of Elders should have the Charge of the Church in which they are constituted and the power of Feeding Censuring and ordering the Flock committed to them as also of ordering Elders and Officers in the Church The work of Preaching and sacramental Administration to be done by any one of them But that of Jurisdiction and Ordination by the society as a common Act not competible to any one in particular 4. Among these and in all their Acts there ought to be Decency Order the Bond of Peace Humility Meeknesse and an ayme that the spirit of the most scandalous Offender or stubbornest Opposer may be brought to Repentance and saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 5. That the Bounds and extent of every particular Church ought to be a Town and so much of the adjacent Teritory and Villages as such a Presbytery can well by themselves watch over and take a spiritual care of 6. That the Society especially those of them which labour in the Word and Doctrine may challenge from the People whom they take spiritual care of double honour and liberal suitable Maintenance to the calling they execute 7. That every one who is consecrate to this Presbytery or Office must wait on it be instant in it and therefore reside within the confines of that Church where he hath such charge or there where he may by himself on all occasions attend on it 8. That in cases of strife and difficulty in any Church recourse must be had to the Meeting of the most able Presbyters of the Church for their determinations and every one ought to subject his Spirit to the Spirits of such Prophets yielding to the Customes of the Churches of God provided they crosse not the All-commanding evidence of Gods immutable Word either directly or by due consequence These are Rules in the Gospell either directly constituted or evidently deduced out of expresse Constitution or practice so solemn and universall that it hath in it the reason and vertue of a Constitution so that every addition which thwarteth or hindereth the due execution of these must needs be accounted a Degeneration from original Purity of Government and a corruption in sacred Polity have it never so much Antiquity or weight of humane Authority to plead for it and give countenance to it One thing more there is which on probable ground seemeth to be taken up by the practice of some Churches in the latter end of the Apostolick Age some of them yet living and that is the prostacy or Presidence of one of these Pastors Bishops or Presbyters above the rest But it cannot possibly with any colour of consequence be proved to be Authoritative being only for Order and Unity that all their common Acts should have a beginning from One as if many Deacons should appoint an Arch-Deacon or many Bishops an Arch-Bishop in common Acts to be the Mouth and Hand of the Society And this preeminence of One if the utmost of dark probability be granted appeareth to be but the meer practice of some particular Churches so that it cannot have the universal binding force of a Law from that ground much lesse of an Apostolick Constitution or Divine Right Now are we descended from the First Age and so what ever followes can be but of humane and alterable Constitution Very soon these Presidents of the Presbyters either assumed or by their Compresbyters had conferred on them authority and jurisdiction and by way of propriety the name of Bishop so that where before it was the Presbytery now it was the Bishop and his Presbyters But obsevre 1. That his Diocesse Parish or Church was no larger then He and his Presbyters could well Oversee and govern 2. That this Bishop had the Burthen as well as the Dignity and Chiefty passed over to him for He was the ordinary Preacher of that Church the Presbyters for the most part assisting in matter of Discipline and Sacramental Administration 3. That He did nothing of weight by himself but with the concurring Authority and Consent of His Presbytery Beyond this we will not proceed For these Bishops now gotten above their Brethren and making up the main body of the Councels in which all Decrees were enacted knew how to make the distance 'twixt themselvs and their once Compresbyters greater and greater by lifting up themselves and depressing those who now of Associates were become Servants and Vassals to Episcopal principality But whatever came to passe in after Ages it was but by the hand of Man established and the like hand may abolish it reduced all must be to the former Scripture and Apostolick Rules If Accessories deviate from them they are Apostacies which must be reduced if there be a through Reformation How can their maintenance be justified in a Church which hath professed to make the Scriptures her Rule and to reject all which is exalted against its Divine and absolute Soveraignty Proofs we have not annexed to the former asserted Truths to avoid over-bold prolixity in a Supplication of this nature as also because the most of them are obvious to every Mans Collection which is exercised in Gods Book But if any of them shall be opposed being called to it by Authority and having the Freedome of indifferent not preingaged Judges we will by Gods Grace with all meeknesse make good what is here asserted against all contradiction of Gainsayers Now will we proceed to an Enumeration of those Obliquities and Corruptions in our Church Government which call to your Supream Power to be rectified And we protest before the All-knowing God that We do it not out

COMPLAINTS CONCERNING CORRUPTIONS AND GRIEVANCES in CHURCH-Government Dedicated and Directed to the KINGS most excellent MAjESTY The Right Honourable LORDS and the Honourable HOUSE of COMMONS now assembled in PARLIAMENT By certain peaceably affected PRESBYTERS of the CHURCH of ENGLAND in the name of all the rest of their BRETHREN Undertaking to maintain the truth of their Assertions against whatsoever Contradictors if by publique Edict of Supream Authority they be called forth granting them as safe and free Audience as their Adversaries and Judges not preingaged or preresolved for either side Printed in the Year 1660. COMPLAINTS CONCERNING CORRUPTIONS and GRIEVANCES in CHURCH-Government IT is the Misery of Pious Undertakings especially in Matters of weight that by reason of humane frailty they cannot be perfected at once but by degrees and after much time whence it cometh to passe that they are often given over or by intervening Opposition forced to abortion and imperfect Issue Such was the case of that great Reformation begun with us as in the dayes of those Renowned Princes King EDWARD and Queen ELIZABETH and till this day remaining unaccomplished Those now Blessed Martyrs and Holy Confessours who were under those Pious Princes the first Reformers of our Church found things by that Papall Apostacy so much corrupted and disjointed that being unable at once to cope with all the diseases of the Church they did as wise Physitians set themselves first against the most deadly deferring the rest till afterwards Hence by suffering and Preaching they mightily pulled down the Babylon of Popish Doctrine and something too they did in matter of Government and Discipline But because the vitalls of the Church consist in Doctrinal Verities therefore their chief bent of indeavour was for a Reformation in them which in their time with great successe they effected leaving the reducing of Government and Discipline to it's Primitive Integrity as a work to be done by Posterity But alas as usually it falls out the Bellows of Persecution ceasing the fire of Zeal soon began to abate so that after the first heat and ●mpetus of Reformation as if they which had but begun had at one essay done more than enough the businesse went on no further even till this day Nay as some Edifice given over before it be covered it hath since rather decaied and fallen back again Such power hath pomp and ease to blunt that edge of sacred Inventions and quench the Spirit of Reformation As maladies not perfectly cured returne or turn to some other Diseases so was it with this imperfect Reformation Doctrinal Points being reduced but matter of Discipline left in its former state almost untouched hence arose amongst us even from the cradle of our Reformed Church Three several Opinions which have continued even till this time whose discord nourished by opposition of hot spirits hath encreased till now they are come to that extremity that the life and being of this sacred Body is even endangered thereby One side cries down Episcopacy for Antichristian and all the dependent Government Canons Ceremonies and Liturgy for remainders of Popery abominable and to be departed from The other Extream cries it up for sacred of Divine Apostolick institution and it 's dependent Policy for the most absolute to which all ought to be brought as to a Rule of Perfection censuring other Churches which have it not either as none or else imperfect wanting a main part of their béne esse In the midst of these two are a Remnant of sad Lookers on which have mourned in secret suffered with patience prayed for peace and preached it and Sanctification to the people while those other two one by separating the other by persecuting and both by froward disputing have screwed up their Differences to an intolerable irreconcileable height Both these sacrificing to their own conceits account all which are not with them to be against them But especially that Episcopal Faction for distinctions sake give us leave so to call it which by the indulgence of gracious Princes growing powerfull have laboured an extirpation of all which will not think say and swear to their Opinions Hence of late have all been involved as of the opposite Faction which are not of theirs and no place left for a moderate neutrality New Ceremonies Tasks Canons Oathes have been invented as nets and sives to try out all as bad fish or chaffe which have but disliked the remaining corruptions and defects which the first plunge of Reformation did not redresse No tolerating now of any thing as a burthen much lesse silent disliking of what we could in secret grieve for but not amend but approve all swear to all we must or else be thrust out as Schismatical Puritans and excrementitious burthens of the Church On this enforcement We a part of a Multitude of laborious Presbyters of the Church in the name of all the rest do now Complain because in this height of all devouring Faction our patient silence will no longer priviledg us from extirpation And sith into our hands God hath put so blessed an opportunity as to speak to the whole Kingdome Head and Members at once in one body conjoined and intent about a work of Reformation We be humbly bold and plain to lay open our Grievances hoping that the set time is come for the quenching of these coals of Dissention which have not only lived but encreased for so many years in the Church by compleating of that Reformation which in the main vital Points was long since effected and in the rest we hope and pray after more than an age of interruption is reserved as your Crown and Glory to be perfected Experience hath e're this time taught us the wofull Effects of an half done work the upshot of our Jarres now declares that scrupulous urging of Ritualls cannot stand with the wellfare of a Church Those Convulsions and renting Pains the body now feels shew us that the humours were not at first fully purged God will have a through work done If instead of redressing that which remains you think to transact all these differences by removing of Persons and not Things well you may hush our Troubles for a season but they will return again with a greater violence Now is that power actuated which alone can bring to passe this great work And if the Lord take pleasure in this his poor Church he will give the effect that it may be performed If men would rest in the sole Authority of the Scriptures most Controversies both about Points of Faith and Formes of Government would finde an easie resolution And if besides Gods Word we bring in Mens Authority we draw out the thread of contention into endlesse Disputes mens faces differ not more in feature then their mindes do in Opinion and each will dote on and propugn his own conceits their judgements dissent one from another and oft from themselves Let the divinely inspired Writings then be our guide in this point of Church-Government what