Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	abide_v	act_n	act_v	19	3	7.5078	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61518	A peace-offering an earnest and passionate intreaty, for peace, unity, & obedience ...	Stileman, John, d. 1685.	1662 (1662)	Wing S5554; ESTC R12102	300,783	364

Protestant ever doubted Viz. That the sins of Governours and some irregularities in Government are not sufficient to discharge the subject of his duty nor are they a plea that can justifie his disobedience It is possible some Princes may be vitious or their Government faulty yet their male-administration is no ground for the peoples rebellion They shall answer their sin to God but in the mean time we must be subject It is possible there may be vices in the persons of some Bishops for they are men there may be errors in the constitution and administration of the Government for it is in the hands of men who are not yet perfect if therefore we shall neither own them nor their authority upon the same reason we must cast off all government and authority whatsoever For what government is there so righteous what persons so holy but men who are unwilling to obey will be ready to plead the government tyrannical and the persons wicked as Korah and his Complices to Moses and Aaron (e) Num. 16.3 Ye take too much upon you all the congregation is holy wherefore lift ye up your selves Yea what government so Sacred what governours so righteous but will discover too much of error and irregularity while men are men and on this side heaven if then we may have a just plea to refuse obedience until our Governours be free from the common corruptions of men and the Government every way faultless or until we judge them so and can find nothing that can be said against either Rebellion could be no sin till we get beyond the grave nor should we ever obey any humane power in Church or State till there is no Church or State on earth to be obeyed Sect. 17 These two things being granted as they cannot be denied it is easie to see what answer to make as to those forenamed pleas viz. suppose those two charges to be true against the Bishops That they take too much upon themselves or That they will not suffer us to take our due and do all that we should which yet by the way I have not seen proved yet these are not ground enough to hinder our compliance and notwithstanding all these may a sober conscientious Christian who seriously mindeth the discharge of his own duty peaceably conform to the Laws established But let us a little examine the Particulars objected CHAP. V. The Particular exceptions against Bishops as they are said to take too much upon themselves answered Sect. 1 THe first General and Great exception taken against the Bishops is That they take too much upon themselves 1. General except That the Bishops take too ●●ch upon themselves and to this head I referre those four exceptions which the Divines of the contrary perswasion have made in their Former paper of Proposals to His Majesty concerning the Discipline and Ceremonies of the Church of England And they are these 1. The great extent of the Bishops Diocess too large for his personal inspection 2. His deputing the Administration of much of the trust to Commissaries Chancellors Officials c. secular persons 3. Some affirming Episcopacy a distinct order and assuming the sole Power of Ordination 4. Exercising an arbitrary power as in Articles of Visitation c. These are the great things charged on them Sect. 2. Answered in general and we may judge the greatest for had there been any thing of an higher nature to have been pleaded against them no doubt it would have been given in Now then suppose these things cleared and that being proved they were a real and just ground to petition and by all legal wayes to endeavour a Reformation Yet still if this desired Reformation cannot be obtained but these things must continue all this hinders not but we may lawfully obey and submit in peace Sect. 3 But to give a more full answer that may be satisfactory to every considering man I shall a little consider the particulars And because some have said more and I would gladly satisfie all scruples I shall rank the particular Exceptions in another order that I may take in and answer all that is material in the Objections There are these seven things said to prove that they take too much upon them which are the great exceptions against Episcopacy as it is with us established Sect. 4.1 Partic. ex ∣ cept 1. That they assume a power which was never instituted by God that hath no foot-steps in the New Testament and they are therefore Intruders and Vsurpers and not to be obey●d Sect. 5 Answ 1 Answ 1. But suppose they are not intruders what then becomes of this plea Sub judice lis es● it is not yet determined against them some learned and pious men who are both able to judge and willing to be convinced of the truth yet cannot be convinced of any such usurpation yea they think that they have clear foot-steps of such a government in the Apostolical practice Suppose there were something in the Apostolical Commission besides that which was extraordinary in them which made them standing constant Officers of the Church even where they were superior to other Presbyters for that they were superior is out of question and that this superiority was a part of their extraordinary Commission is not yet proved and then because they continued not in their own persons but in their successors these must be Bishops or none which is the judgement of many and of one who is instar omnium (f) See confer at Newcastle with Mr. Henderson and with the Divines at the Isle of Wight His late Majesty and some foot-steps of such a thing seem to appear in the holy Canon where the Churches still send to Paul about their affairs and St. Paul writing to Timothy and Titus directeth them in the exercise of the (g) 1 Tim. 5.19 20 21 22. Tit. 1.5 11.3.10 Acts of Jurisdiction distinct from and over Presbyters which intimates that they had such a power as to Ordination and Censures That these had such a Jurisdiction and in particular Cities as affixt to them at least at that time is evident The one being to Abide at Ephesus and for this work (h) 1 Tim. 1.3 To charge some that they do not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 teach any other or strange Doctrine and this is an act of authority over them The other (i) Tit. 1.5 left at Creet to Govern and (k) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Order the affairs of that Church this is also an act of Authority And suppose these were not as some say they were only Evangelists a general occasional and extraordinary Officer for that time but constant standing Officers in the Church for ever as some not without ground do judge for there being a constant necessity of the same works why should there not be the same Officer to do those works The change of the name Apostle Evangelist then and Bishop now proves not a change of the

of this refusal in so many letters and syllables yet that which they do assign is by implication and in effect the same for it is as much as if they had said God himself hath imposed this calling upon us and not man and therefore except we should rather obey man than God we may not forbear for opposing the obedience of God to the obedience of man they therein plead a calling from God and not from man otherwise if they had received a calling from men there had been incongruity in the answer Considering that in common sense they ought so far to obey man forbidding them to exercise a calling which they do exercise only by vertue of that calling from men else by this reason there should be no power so to depose a man from his Ministry but that notwithstanding any Commandment of the Church or State he is still to continue in the exercise of his Ministry and should be bound to give that example which the Apostles did which is not only absurd but a conceit plainly tending to manifest Sedition Sect. 29 3. We are to know That though the Apostles Prophets and Evangelists preached publickly when they were not hindred by open violence and did not nor might they leave their Ministry upon any humane authority and commandment whatsoever because they did not enter into or exercise the same upon the will and pleasure of any man whatsoever yet they never erected and planted publick Churches and Ministry in the face of the Magistrate whether he would or no or in despite of him but such in respect of the Magistrate were as private and invisible as might be 4. Sect. 30 Neither were some of the Apostles only forbidden so as others should be suffered to preach the same Gospel in their places but the utter abolishing of Christian Religion was manifestly intended in silencing them But out Churches whereof we are Ministers are no private and secret Assemblies such as hide themselves from the face of a persecuting Magistrate but are publick professing their Worship doing their Religion in the face of the Magistrate and State yea and by his countenance authority and protection And we are set over these Churches not only by a calling of our people but also by the Authority of the Magistrate who hath an armed power to hinder such publick Actions and who is also willing to permit and maintain other true Ministers of the Gospel in those places where he forbiddeth some Sect. 31 By these it appears That the case of the Apostles and Ours is not the same nor can their answer to the High Priest and Elders from whom they received no call to preach and by whom they were forbidden to preach Jesus the design of that Council being not to forbid them alone and permit others to do it but utterly to abolish Christianity with any pretence fit us that we therefore should not lawfully obey and sit down in silence and recede from the exercise of our Ministery in a particular place upon the command of those from whom we received Authority there to minister and who though they silence and exclude us yet send others to minister to the needs of the Church in the same Gospel and therefore as the said Mr. Bradshaw so we conclude 1. If after our publick calling to minister in such a known and publick Church nor by the Church only but by the Magistrate also The Magistrate shall have matter against us just or unjust as to our obedience it matters not and shall in that regard forbid us to minister to our Church and the Bishop in these censures acting according to the Laws under which he and we are it bears the same reason I see not by what warrant in Gods Word we should think our selves bound notwithstanding to exercise our Ministery still except we should think such a Law of Ministery to lie upon us that we should be bound to run upon the Swords point of the Magistrate or oppose Sword to Sword which I am sure Christianity abominates Sect. 33 2. Yea and suppose the Magistrate should do it unjustly and against the will of the Church and should therein sin yet doth not the Church in that regard cease to be a Church nor ought she therein to resist the will of the Magistrate neither doth she stand bound in regard of her affection to her Minister how great and deserved soever to deprive herself of the protection of the Magistrate by leaving her publick standing to follow her Minister in private and in the dark refusing the benefit of other publick Ministers which with the good leave and liking of the Magistrate she may enjoy Sect. 34 3. Neither do I know what warrant any ordinary Minister hath by Gods Word in such a case so to draw any such Church or people to his private Ministery that thereby they should hazard their outward state and quiet in the Commonwealth where they live when in some competent measure they may publickly with the grace and favour of the Magistrate enjoy the ordinary means of salvation by another And except he have a calling to minister in some other Church he is to be content to live as a private member until it shall please God to reconcile the Magistrate unto him and to call him again to his own Church So far this learned man though a Non-conformist Sect. 35 Now I appeal to any that dissent most if it be not all truth for the main And change but the name of Magistrate into Bishop the reason is all one we may submit to one as well as to the other Though we should deny any such Authority to the Bishop as such yet because he in this acteth under the Laws and whatsoever Autho ity he hath by vertue of his Function in the Church yet it is certain that the exercise of this Authority here is by the leave and authority of the Magistrate So that here is nothing material in this exception but it still remains out of dispute that though it should be granted that the Bishops have no such power by any authority derived from Christ which yet we say they have yet we may lawfully submit to them in the exercise of it And let us do this we do our part and we shall live in peace Sect. 36.4 Partic. Ex ∣ cept 4. Another exception laid against the Bishops is this That though it be granted that they have some authority or if they have not that yet we may lawfully obey yet They exercise an Arbitrary power and this is not to be submitted to And of this nature is that fourth exception made by the Presbyterian Divines in their first paper of Proposals to His Majesty Viz. That some of the Bishops exercised an Arbitrary power as by sending forth their Articles of Visitation inquiring unwarrantably into several things and swearing the Church-Wardens to present accordingly so by many innovations and ceremonies imposed upon Ministers and People not required by Law Sect. 37