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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	apostle_n	end_n	successor_n	1,912	5	9.1854	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33134	The Churches complaint against sacriledge, or, Sacriledge truely dissected and layed open wherein is briefly shewn 1. The just collation, 2. The unjust ablation of the riches and honours of the clergy.		1643 (1643)	Wing C4273; ESTC R35594	15,292	29

as secure that while the Church prospered and they had God amongst them all was safe and in Courts of Conscience where the Lawes reached not they thought none so fit as the man of conscience and ranked Bishops and Archbishops in honour with Dukes and Barons And these things were fixt and certaine to avoid the feaver of a quotidian canvase and that in standing counsell they might the more improve themselves and profit others and the law of Christ and his Church be sure to receive no detriment and for supply of mens mortalitie they founded Colledges and Cathedrals Thus they kept up mens hopes and Imaginations making the Priesthood answerably incomprehensible with their God and the Crowne received lustre in conjunction with the Miter According to the rules of that great Architect they built Ad usum ad speciem ad firmitatem an Hierarchie for use and shew and an Hierarchie for durance as firme as lawes could make it as conscious that if the Clergie be so thin laid that the people may looke through and round about it it will soone fall into contempt and Religion be exploded Thus Christianitie grew upon the world mankind became throughly religious and the Tempter was well nigh discouraged in his businesse This was the flourishing state of Christs Church on earth which we can only hope to have amended in Heaven And herein God be thanked our Church of England had her share Nor was this meerely matter of State but a Religious Policie The ancient stile of Grants and Charters for these matters was Domino Deo nostro offerimus dicamus we give them unto God And under the Law God as he instituted them tooke them to himselfe For gifts and oblations he saith Thou shalt give them me Exod. 22.30 For Churches and Oratories My House Mat. 21.13 For Tythes Will a man rob God Malach. 3.9 For Lands Ye shall offer unto the Lord an holy portion Ezek. 4 5.1 For their persons and Honours Touch not mine Annointed nor doe my Prophets no harme Psal 105.15 And the same Law Saint Paul presseth under the Gospell 1 Cor. 9.13 14. 1. Tim. 5.17 18. Though we have some difference in the manner of Worship Sacrifice and severall Ceremonies being abolished there is the same substance for Guides in Gods worship which is the Reason of the Law as the Prophet Isaiah in the name of the Lord foretold Isaiah 66.21 And I will take of them for Priests and for Levites saith the Lord Priests hee saith not meerely Laymen nor meerely Priests but severall degrees Priests and Levites This is a principall branch of that honouring God with our Substance which is enjoyned Prov. 3.9 what we relieve the poore with is not so much our Almes as their exigence and as necessitie exacts it it quickly perisheth But these Donations as they savour of a more inward and deeper Pietie are of a more lasting substance Besides the eternall Treasures we lay up for our selves we provide for the perpetuitie of Religion unto after Ages of men and may be said to honour God not only in our selves but in all wee gaine to honour him But for the Hierarchie because that is most stuck at First wee must conceive order and decency long before riches and the favour of States in the Church It was many Ages and the Gospell had a large spread before Emperours were reclaimed to Christianitie And though wee have no speciall rule from Christ himselfe for those rounds of Order but the Originall of our Church Government through those Mists of times bee scarce perceptible If wee trace Episcopacy backwards however the favours of the World came in by degrees wee shall resolve it upon the Apostles Age and finde the like presumptions in Reason for our Priesthood as for our Sabboth As the magnificence of the Jewish Church was commanded by God himselfe the same Providence though in a secret way would seeme to have introduced our Church Discipline Our Saviour came rather to plant Pietie than Government that as absolutely necessary he provided for and left-Government for the worke of time and a Testimony of his Doctrines Approbation Though he condemn'd the Ambition of honour in his Disciples more than to glorifie God thereby and make them more beneficent and serviceable unto others never was there greater friend to order and government hee stood for Caesar and hee stood for God and would have the Scribes and Pharisees themselves in Moses Chaire observed As himselfe assum'd the Title of Lord and Master he allowed of a Maximus and a Minimus amongst his Disciples so the greatest became as the least to serve and minister to the rest At his departure hee had many things to say unto his Disciples which then they could not beare but the Holy Ghost hee promised them should abide with them and leade them into all truth And secondly bring to their remembrance whatsoever he had told them What the many things wanting our Saviour meant might be is difficult Ethicen Christianam Rules for private life hee had laid himselfe they would need only a Remembrancer for them But Politia Ecclesiastica this point of Discipline for Church government seemes a truth as then untaught and being such a maine thing and requiring time to make the World capable of it me thinks we should hold a reverend esteeme of what wee finde so setled whether by the Apostles or their successors The Holy Ghost was sufficient warrant for the Apostles and the abiding of the Holy Ghost suggests a regard to their Successors and hereunto perhaps that speech is to be referred Matth. 28.20 Lo I am with you allway even to the end of the World Popish extravagancies as they have not the like necessitie nor the like antiquitie have not the like plea with government Humilitie garnished with miracles or a miraculous humilitie which our Saviour himselfe practised was the likeliest way in reason at first for the planting of the Gospell of humilitie It was reverend in it selfe and unlike to provoke the jealousie of States honour comes kindely est of it self and shews most glorious when it is rather found than sought Yet it is Gods owne promise that he that humbleth himselfe should be exal●ed It is the honour of Christianitie that it could deserve honour while it dispised it As the people would have taken our Saviour and made him King 't is like they fastened favours upon his followers And miracles ceasing the legall asserting of some Church discipline was in reason worthy of Acceptation It cannot bee doubted but the Apostles were the Patriarchs or Grandfathers of the Church The number of twelve was not without a Mysterie and the precise supply of that number in the Election of Matt●i●s proves a precedence in them above the Seven it Disciples As they begot sons to God they adopted fellow labourers into their Ministerie such no doubt as observed their Fathers while they lived and so farre approved of the benefit of that order they found under them

we passe through not inhabit and these braveries but as vyands to refresh not luggage to hinder our journey This world is an honest Inne the inordinate Affections and dotage of the guests make a brothell of it Could our guides sustaine themselves with the hopes of the world to come it must needs put mettle into us Who would not more cheerefully follow such Leaders and could our Law-givers be exemplary herein it might excite our guides But they being of the same mold with us why should we expect it why should wee stomacke them the repast we allow our selves and looke that they should forfeite all for us It argues disproportioned mindes to affect such disproportion We must not stand on what we would have but what is just and equall Since then Religion is such a ground of happinesse and riches and honors The sin of Sacriledge now such maine props of Religion justly hath Sacriledge or the diminution hereof beene ever accounted the highest the boldest and the damnablest sin in the world Supplant Religion and we dissolve all the tyes betwixt God and men we weigh anchor and fall to Sea again the Sea of vulgar passions Other mischiefes have their limits they hurt but one or other and there is an end But this strikes at goodnes it selfe it sets the world besides its hinges sweeps our peace from off the earth God the King and all of us are thereby damnified He hath a heart of Iron a salvage and Cyclopike breast that can invade Heaven and rob God that can pull downe the Prerogative of the King and his Crowne too and spoyle mankind of their safety Heathens themselves have alwayes had more reverence to things dedicated unto their gods and to violate but the Religion of other Countryes though much more vaine than their owne looked so monstrous that it was ever accounted inauspicious and the wrongs done to a false Deity carryed an horror with it and was usually revenged by the true one Histories abound with such monuments and it was long ere this crime was knowne in Christendome Yet now though we love not to speake plainely of Church riches there are foure Colours for Sacriledge The colours for Sacriledge dispelled Revenge conscience convenience and covetousnesse which together and a part threaten havocke First for our angry Passions usually lead in these tumultuary courses men cry out upon the insolence of the Bishops that they have severall times endangered the liberty of the State and now they have them in their power they will root out them Rome the truth is Rome the place of the Imperiall seate hath given ground for such reasoning When it enjoyed all the happinesse this life is capable of it grew exorbitant That state which seem'd above forreigne casualty laboured with its owne happinesse and from its height which is the course of worldy things found way to ebbe againe The Bishops there too conscious of their own greatnesse and the influence they had upon the State not content with their Primacy abused Religion into Policie and casting off all moderation the Pope devoured the Emperour Thus the Head of the Church degenerated into a monster and drew the whole world after him In reaching at Temporall Sovereignty he broke the Spirituall unity and the wound got the obduration to become incurable hee disdaining once to come to the barre as a delinquent having power to his wickednesse I defend not Rome nor shall I excuse our owne late Bishops Liberty is our common birth-right which ought to be deare unto us next our Faith But their malice whatsoever we conceive it hath not beene so contagious I hope as to pollute all they touched so that Episcopacie the office it selfe cannot again be hallowed Though Bishops have abused their power to oppression oppression which is the proper sin of Power this world is no state of perfection other men will doe as much the abuse of things must not take away their use By that Rule we shall neither have Magistrate nor people in that all have sinned To decry an Office an office as hath been shewen rightly instituted for some men in it is an Act for mad men not for Legislators wisemen cannot be in earnest It were a course to deale with an enemy when we have him in our Power to make sure work But God and our selves are herein interest Offices are Gods though men are in them and God catcheth not advantages against us Lastly our revenge will light upon our own pates we shall pull out our own eyes and dash out our own brains We sh●ll soone find and rue the losse of such order If we feare the Tyrannie of Bishops themselves we consider not we have a Gracious King and shal have Parliaments to do Justice If we feare their drawing towards Rome we forget our Praemunire If we feare their setting up the King their will be more feare of more active Instruments Something must be left to God and the goodnes of Princes Secondly some from our Saviours words Mat. 23.8 But be not yee called Rabbi c. damne all superintendencie in men in holy orders as unlawfull and Antichristian But all the world may see it is the Pharisaicall vain-glorious Affectation to be magnified of men ver 5.6 not the Authority or the title and preheminence to God-ward is here forbidden And otherwise the Precept being given to the people and the Disciples v. 1. will serve to pull down temporall Lords and the Presbyterians too as well as Bishops Nor is there any reason the rule vos autem non sic when it is laid betwixt the Princes of the Gentiles and the Disciples alone Ch. 20.27 as here betwixt the Pharisees and the multitude should carry a harder interpretation Though the Disciples onely happened to be present when mother Zebede gave the occasion of the words they were men by nature how ever Disciples by calling and when we extend prohibitions to them beyond their persons they usually represent not Ministers alone but all Christians whatsoever vice may bee more unseemly in Clergy men but it is as unlawful in all Christians But against the power and authority of Divines in Temporall affaires they further presse the practice of the Apostles Acts 6.2 and Reason from thence That it is too much for Divines to be knowing men in busines of estate and to understand the Rules and Lawes of government But first the provision for the poore about which the question is was laid at the Apostles feete to be distributed by them Acts 4.35 Secondly though the Apostles thought not meet to leave the word of God wherewith the world as yet was not acquainted to wait on Tables which was below their ministery It shewes their understanding and authority in that they gave order for fit Stewards and Overseers Thirdly these men make Divines men of too narrow capacities and set Gods Law and mans at too great distance If States-men have soules to bee saved whereunto the Ministery may contribute