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	error_n	fundamental_a	2,119	5	10.4051	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35632	The case of pluralities & non-residence rightly stated in a letter to the author of a book called, A defence of pluralities, &c. shewing the false reasonings and evil doctrines therein contained / by an impartial hand, and a hearty well-wisher to the Church of England.	Impartial hand and a hearty well-wisher to the Church of England.	1694 (1694)	Wing C966; ESTC R16560	28,436	93

Ministry of Priesthood And I need only set them down to shew that they do not at all concern the present Controversie And 't is the only instance of modesty which you have given us in your whole Book that you have not so much as mentioned this Argument as some miscall it But Further another plea whereby you endeavour to wash off the Clergy-mans obligation to labour among his People and which seems to be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fundamental Error of your whole Book is that Ministers are not ordained to one Diocese or Parish but to the Catholick Church Pag. 43. passim Tho' you acknowledge so much of the truth viz. That good order and discipline do require that the exercise of their Office be confined to some certain limits and place as will determine every good man against the Conclusion you would draw from it For if he who sits not down on his Cures and will not confine the exercise of his Office to the Church or Churches intrusted with him do break discipline and good order 't is plain that he is guilty of a great crime But I shall further shew that this Notion of a Minister's being ordained not to this or that Parish or Diocese but to the Universal Church is false Not but that upon occasion he may exercise his Function in any part of the Church and upon whatever shore he is cast he ought not to be re-ordained but that when he enters into Orders he is design'd for the service of some particular Church or Diocese more than of the whole As for the Church of England she ordains none except in one or two special Cases which cannot break a rule fine certo Titulo And in the Office for ordering of Priests Can. 33. among other questions asked by the Bishop this is one Will you maintain and set forward Quietness Peace and Love amongst all Christian people and especially among them that are or shall be committed to your charge And your self I presume have made answer to it in the words of the Office I will do so the Lord being my Helper Now in this question other Christian People are contradistinguished to those of your Cure and in the answer you oblige your self to prosecute your duty more especially amongst the latter But you that would be called the true Sons of the Church of England write and act as if you were so much her fondlings as that you had a particular priviledge of contradicting her You can be very severe upon your Brethren of the Clergy who mutilate or disuse her Ceremonies but think it no fault in your selves almost or altogether to lay aside the exercise of your Functions at least in such places as the Canons and Constitutions of the Church do peculiarly require your labours I know no labouring Clergy of our Church who do mutilate or disuse her Ceremonies but if I did I should think them more excusable who do something of their duty than they who wholly neglect it And Sir 'T is such as these that betray her Cause that open the mouths of her Adversaries and give just occasion of scandal And let me tell you That you are partaker of these mens sins by pretending to justify them And take my word for it the Church is very little beholden to you for your doing so especially since you have made bold with her for a little arguments sake so far as to contradict her Offices and Canons But alas Canons and Rubricks and such like things were not made for Authors and Grand Pluralists They are so far from being obliged to obey them that one would think they never read or at least remembred them Otherwise how could any one who did not think himself above Canons confidently assert That Priests are not ordained to this or that Parish but to serve the Church of God in general when the Church has solemnly decreed That they are or ought to be ordained to some particular Cure and obliges them there more especially to prosecute their Office And even in the Primitive and Apostolical Churches Men were not ordained so much for the service of the whole as of one particular Diocese The Apostles themselves were indeed Catholick Bishops in the largest sence and had a Commission to teach all Nations and had every one of them the care of all the Churches But tho' they did not themselves sit down and take up their Residence in any particular Diocese yet they constituted distinct and setled Governours for every Church as soon as it was raised Thus St. Timothy was created Bishop of Ephesus Titus of Crete Linus or Cletus or both of Rome even during the Apostles lives And as Bishops were then design'd for every particular Diocese so as the Number of the Christians grew 't was absolutely necessary that they should have Presbyters subservient to them And 't is evident that those Presbyters did not only live in subjection to the Bishops of those distinct Dioceses to which they were ordained so long as themselves thought fit but were obliged not to leave them without the consent of the Diocesan And when the Levity of some prompted them to break this standing Custome of the Church there were Canons made to confine all Bishops and Presbyters to the Service of that Diocese to which they were first ordained And there is only this difference between the Primitive Platform and our own viz. That in the former Presbyters were ordained not for the Service of one particular Congregation but of the whole Diocese to serve the Bishop in the more full and perfect discharge of his Office to be sent to such parts of the Diocese and for such a time as the Bishop thought fit whereas by our Constitution every Presbyter has his particular Allotment and his distinct Dividend in the endowments and labours of the Church But they were no more designed for the Service of the Church at large in those days than they are now If we enquire why every particular Presbyter had not his distinct Cure allotted him in the primitive Church we must needs allow it to be its infant and unsetled State So that when the Empire came into the Church and Christianity began to be the Religion of Rome and Greece all Churches soon fell into a Parochial Division And that so early that at the Council of Chalcedon it seems to have been a general Establishment for there it is provided that No one shall be ordained a Priest or Deacon at large 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be at his own Liberty but should be assigned particularly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to some Church either in the City or in a Village Can. 6. or Martyrdome or Monastery I know you are not willing to allow Parish-Priests or Churches to have been generally constituted at this time but I think this is a better Authority for it than you can produce against it It could not indeed be so early in our Church which was