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	pillar_n	timothy_n	1,922	5	11.6090	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53982	A sermon, preached Sept. 28, 1692, at a primary visitation held at Chichester by the Right Reverend Father in God Robert Lord Bishop of Chichester by Edw. Pelling ...	Pelling, Edward, d. 1718.	1693 (1693)	Wing P1103; ESTC R20716	13,499	32

A SERMON Preached Sept. 28. 1692. at a Primary Visitation Held at CHICHESTER BY THE Right Reverend Father in God ROBERT Lord Bishop of CHICHESTER Published at the Bishop's Request By EDW. PELLING D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties And Rector of Petworth in Sussex LONDON Printed for Will. Crooke at the Green-Dragon without Temple-Bar 1693. Imprimatur Octob. 29. 1692. Guil. Lancaster R. P. D. Hen. Ep. Lond. a Sacris Domest To the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Chichester My Lord COnsidering the long Happiness I have had at London one While in your Neighbourhood always in your Friendship your Lordship will easily believe it is no little Comfort to me that in this part of the Kingdom my Old Acquaintance is at last my Diocesan and once again my Neighbour Your Lordship knows that were there nothing else to be considered my Affections to you are a sufficient Security for my Obedience to your Commands And for that Reason I presume it was that your Lordship hath been pleased to command me first to preach your Visitation-Sermon and now to publish it The Veneration I have for your Character and Person makes me ready to observe your Pleasure in all Particulars though I must confess that in Publishing this mean Discourse I comply with your Lordship's Will with some Regret because there are many Censorious and Ill-temper'd People in the World who are ready to interpret that as an Accusation which is only Advice and to catch at any thing which may serve them as an Handle to strike at Clergy-men though the thing be innocent in it self and be intended to quite different Purposes It is some Satisfaction to me that your Lordship is obliged in some measure to justifie me and that the Faults which shall be discover'd in these Papers you have now made your own by countenancing of them and making them appear by your own Directions What Fortune soever this Discourse shall find abroad I hope you your self will be pleased to accept it this second Time as some though a small Testimony that I am Your Lordships In all Duty and Affection Edw. Pelling Petworth Octob. 20 1692. 1 Tim. 4. 16. Take heed unto thy self and unto thy Doctrine NOT to dispute about the Time when or about the Place whence this Epistle was sent by St. Paul we may observe Three Things of the Person to whom it was directed 1. That he was intrusted with the Ministerial Office by the special Designation of the Holy Ghost himself St. Paul speaks of Prophesies which went before of him 1 Tim. 1. 18. meaning by Prophecies Divine Revelation whereby Timothy was set apart for the work of the Ministry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith St. Chrysostom Chrisost in 1 Tim. 1. 18 by the particular Call and immediate Appointment of the Holy Ghost For the conducting of Souls being so great a Work and the Ministerial Office so great a Dignity God was pleased in those Times to give special Directions by Divine Revelation who should have that weighty Trust committed unto them So St. Luke tells us Acts 13. 2. that the Holy Ghost said Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the Work whereunto I have called them And Clemens Romanus Clem. Ep. ad Cor. p. 54. tells us expresly That the Apostles constituted Bishops and Deacons by the Spirit 's Approbation and having perfect Fore-knowledge by Revelation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so I Pag. 53. conceive the place should be read they assigned to such as were Ordained their respective Cures Euseb Hist Ec. Lib. 3. cap. 23. and Charges Pastoral And Clemens Alexandrinus relates of St. John in particular That as he visited the Churches in Asia he made Clergy-men of those who were signified to him by the Holy Ghost A power of Discerning Spirits or of knowing Mens Hearts was a special Gift in the beginning of Christianity and then for the most part Men were admitted into Holy Orders by God's special Appointment which is meant by the word Prophecy and so was Timothy chosen and set apart 2. And yet Secondly it is observable that at that time Timothy was but a young man Not one of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Novice lately converted to the Faith for he had been some considerable time an Assistant to St. Paul and a Companion in his Travels but a Young Man in respect of his Age and in comparison of other Governors of the Church who were generally Venerable not only for their Holy Lives but for their Hoary Heads also and so were sometimes promiscuously called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elders not because the same Authority but because the like Gravity was common to them all For this reason St. Paul who exprest a particular Care and Tenderness for this his Son Timothy was in a special manner concern'd that no Man might despise his Youth 3. As young as Timothy was he was plac'd at Ephesus as in his Episcopal See Eusebius gives it us as a receiv'd Tradition That he was the first Bishop of that City the Fathers at the Council of Chalcedon reckon so too and indeed the two Epistles of St. Paul to him wherein he was directed to govern the Church to order Church-matters to Ordain Elders and even to Judge and Censure them do very plainly import that he was invested with the Episcopal Authority though it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to use the Expression of Ignatius the Martyr concerning Dama who was a Young Man and a Bishop too the Ordination of a Young Man Ordination granted before the usual time by reason of his singular Merits This by the way shews that in the very beginning of Christianity the Episcopal Power and Office was a distinct thing from that of Presbyters and Superiour to it For if that were true which some would make us believe that an equality of Power did originally belong to all Ministers of the Gospel and that in the first Ages the Senior Presbyter was wont of course to succeed in the Precedency over the rest and was called Bishop by the Courtesie of the College though he was no more in Power than like the Chairman of an Assembly I say if it had been anciently and originally thus it is not likely that so young a Man as Timothy would have been dignified with the Preheminence before his turn But not to digress These things my Reverend Brethren I have briefly observ'd that all may see what great Reason St. Paul had to direct Timothy how he should behave himself in the House of God which is the Church of the Living God the Pillar and Ground of Truth to uphold and Support it and to exhibit it to the World He who was called to the weighty Office of Saving Souls by the particular directions of the Holy Ghost He who was made one of the Angels of the Church and had a considerable part of the Roman Empire for his Diocess He who was to expect so much Contempt and Opposition on all