Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	apostle_n	church_n	minister_n	2,916	5	6.7721	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47283	Ichabod: or, Five groans of the church: Prudently foreseeing, and passionately bewailing her second fall: Threatened by these five dangerous, though undiscerned, miscarriages that caused her first: Viz. [bracket] 1. Undue ordination, 2. Loose prophaness, 3. Unconscionable symony, 4. Careless non-residence, 5. Encroaching pluralities. Humbly presented to her supreme head and governour, the kings most excellent majesty, and his great council, the Parliament of England.; Ichabod.	Ken, Thomas, 1637-1711.	1663 (1663)	Wing K264A; ESTC R22531	49,473	66

Constitution for many happy years or if you will believe all men in England who have by oaths and Subscriptions by Vows and Protestations resolved to maintain the Protestant Religion as it was established in the Church of England who despair any where to find the way of truth and peace of holiness and happiness but in the use of those holy means and in the exercise of those divine graces which accompany salvation within me pro●essed and enjoyed I know nothing excellent in any Church for outward policy inward tranquillity and eternal felicity nothing that was pious or peaceable moral or vertuous ritual or spiritual orderly or comely or any way conducing to truth and holiness to grace or vertue to the souls edification and comfort which was not by me entertained with competent Maintenance noble Encouragements ingenious Honours peac●able Serenity and munificent plenty In which I flourished so many years by Gods gooduesse and mans indulgence Alas whatever I have done in the settlements of the Rites Circumstances and Decencies of Religion I have observed that modesty wisdom and humility that became a Church of Christ in discreetly and ingeniously comp●ying with sober primitive and venerable An●iq●ity in the Church as far as it observed the Rules of Gods Word and went not beyond the liberty allowed it in point of Order and Decency O you are too knowing to be ignorant and too ingenious to be insensible of your duty to God and your respect to me who was hereto●ore so much loved by my Children applauded by my Friends reverenced by my Neighbours feared and envyed by mine Enemies for those spiritual Gifts Ministerial Devotional and Practical which were evidently seen in me those heavely influences which people received from me those gr●cious examples and frequent good works set ●orth by me the blessed experiences men enjoyed within me the charitable simplicities exercised by my members the numerous Assemblies the frequent Devotions the reverent Attentions the unanimous Communions the well-grounded hopes and unspeakable comforts which thousands enjoyed both living and dying in obedience to and communion with me which to impartial men were most impregnant evidences and valid demonstrations of true Religion and a true Church setled by the joynt consent and publick piety of a Christian Nation He was a wise holy and reverend Son of my bosome who said That in the greatest maturity of his Iudgment and integrity of his Conscience when most redeemed from juvenile Fervours popular Fallacies vulgar Partialities and secular Flatteries be declared to the present Age and Posterity that since be was capable to move in so serious a search and weighty a disquisition as that of Religion is as his greatest design was through Gods grace to find out and persevere in such a profession of Christian Religion as hath most of truth and order of power and peace of holiness and solemnity of divine verity and Catholi●k antiquity of true charity and holy constancy So he could not apart from all prejudices and prepossessions find in any other Church or Church-way ancient or modern either more of the good he desired or less of the evil he would avoid then he had a long time disc●rned and upon a stricter scrutiny more and more in the frame and ●or● in the Constitution and Dispensation of the Church of England No where saith he diviner Mysteries no where sounder Doctrinals bolier Morals warmer Devotionals apter Rituals or comlier Ceremonials All which together by a meet and happy concurrence of piety and prudence brought forth such Spirituals and Graces both in their Habits Exercises and Comforts as are the Quintessence and Life the Soul and Seal of true Religion those more immediate and special Influences of Gods holy Spirit upon the Soul those joynt Operations of the blessed Trinity for the Iustification Sanctification and Salvation of a Sinner 1. Can you blame my Government that ancient and Catholick Government of godly Bishops which is so agreeable to Right Reason so suitable to the Principles of due Order and Policy among men so consonant to Scripture-wisdome both in Rules and Patterns so conforme to the Catholick and Primitive way of all Christian Churches throughout all Ages and in all places of the world Would you have me against all charity modesty humility or equity to fall away from the Apostolical way of all Famous Churches and religious Christians to cast off the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nec concili●s in titutum sed semper retentum non nist authoritate Apo●tolica institutum the Apostolici seminis traduces Episcopos that universam sucessionem Episcoporum those successiones ab initis decurrentium Episcoporum that ordinem Episcoporum qui in Iohannem stat Authorem that toto orbe de●retum Shall I not enquire of the former Age and prepare my self to the search of my Fathers for I am but of yesterday and nothing Shall not they teach me and tell me and utter words out of their hearts Shall not I stand in the way and ask for the old way which is the good way and walk therein Would you have me give offence to the whole Christian world which either is or wo●ld be governmed by Bishops as the most Apostolick Primitive and Universal Way Would you have me disown the right succession of the power Ministerial conferred by Episcopal hands unto this day Shall the Jewish Church have the Heads of their Tribes as Bishops and Rulers over their Brethren the Priests and Levites and the Christian Church in imitation of them as in other particulars so in this have their Ap stles Evangelists their Pastors and Teachers without reproach and may no●● O it is certai● e●that what is once well done in a regular publick way is ever after done as to the permanency of that vertue that is alwayes in a great and good example ple shall I lay aside Primitive right Episcopacy which hath s●ch grounds from Scripture both as to the divine wisdom so ordering his ●hurch among the Jews as also by the examPrecept and Direction evident from 〈◊〉 Lord Jesus Christ and the holy Ap●stles in the New Testament who preferred worthy pe●sons for their Piety Zeal and holy Gravity to exercise a christian authority over Ministers and people for their souls good which might consist with charity and humility for the pres●rvation of the Churches peace and purity in the best and primitive times ● such grave persons as for their Age were Fathers for their innocency Saints for industry Labourers for constancy Confessors for zeal Martyrs for charity Brethren for their light Angels and venerable for all Excellencies And I own no other Bishops but such in whom are remarkable the vertues of the most ancient and imitable Bishops the industry of St Austin the Courage of St. Ambrose t●e Devotion of St. Greg●ry the Learning of Nazianzen the Eloq●ence of St. Chryso●tome the Mildness of St. Cyprian the Love of St. Ignatius the Constancy of St. Polycarp the

lngenuitie in want to despair their fortunes and to envie yours How readilie doe they now hopeless of any regular fa●our applie thems●lves to popular applause that their compliance may gaine that among the people which their merit could not among you Doe not you see how the people forsake you as Self-Seekers how the Gentry censure you as Unconscionable how the Clergie abhor you as Invaders of their places and preferments Do you not see that the Law can hardlie secure you that authoritie can scarcelie defend you from all the affronts and baffles that Malice and Furie do suggest to an incensed people the adversaries triumph the manie Friends I have weep the Sober and Serious are amazed to see fourscore or an hundred odious men filling up a whole Church Do you amagiane those manie active men will rest in a dispirited poor mendicant decaied dejected and vexatious condition Doe not you fear their melancholie thought their retrived contrivance their forlorn meetings You know there are none so dangerous as the discontented Scholars Monopolie is the Ruine of the State Pluralities are the ruine of the Church the one necessitates the indigent Subject to dangerous courses and practises the other the poor Scholar to as dangerous discourses and thoughts Is it not enough that mens late malice and insolencie against the Ministrie reduced them to want and contempt but that to my shame who am blessed of God with abundance and honour one small part of the Ministrie should reduce the other to small Contributions poor Dependencies so uncertain and so base that men of ingenious spirits and learning must detest them who cannot endure when they do their work to beg for their wages not without fordid compliances and flatteries with vile men in their vilest humours Oh look upon the poor Curates and their Families what is their portion of the prosperity we now enjoy Alas they live by Gods mercy and mens charitie How despicable is their Calling How little their Authoritie how inconsiderable their Instructions how successl●sse their Doctrine how uncreditable their Lives Doe not you see that your fellow-fellow-Ministers under these necessities will not long be able to assert the honour of their Calling and that no after Generation will succeed to inherit their poverty and pains unless such as will further debase the Dignitie of the Function What must all the ingenious Ministers be Stipendaries The Factio● threatned no more Must they have onely their allowances Anarchie could have done no more Are you restored to reduce your fellow-servants to that penurie by a Law which Fanaticks would have brought them to without Law They wanted only this misery to be undone by their Brethren and perish by them of their own profession Object These poor men you will say are provided for answerable to their Parts Answ. Have they Parts for the Calling of Ministers and have they not Parts for the Maintenance of Ministers Can they preach the Gospel and can they not live by the Gospel Are they worthie to discharge your Cures and are they not worthie to enjoy them 5. Do you desire the advantage of so many Benefices or do you desire the charge if the advantage then the poor Separatist was in the right when he called you Hirelings then indeed you make merchandise of souls then you are the greatest Juglers and Deceivers in the world and you laugh among your selves as the ●huscan Sooth-sayers and confer Notes as that Pope with his Cardinal saying How much gain doth this Fable of Christ bring us and poor soul● should avoid you as the shadow of death What shall I hear him whose godlinesse in gain whose God is his bellie whose faith is advantage whose hope is onely in this world His watchmen are blind they are ignorant they are all dumb dogs they cannot bark sleeping lying down loving to slumber yea they are greedie doggs which can Never have enough and they are shepherds that cannot understand they all look for their own way every one for his gain from his quarter Come ye say thee I will fetch wine and we will fill our selves with strong drink and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant●ie Esay 56. 9 10 11 12. If the Charge do you know what you do do you know that you must watch over the Congregation as they that must give an account so many Benifices so many more hundreds of souls that you must answer for Do you know what it is to answer the great God for an immortal soul do you know what is to give an account of the purchase of Christs blood do you know what is the work what is the charge of a Minister Oh poor souls you consider not whether some have not accused you to God whom you never saw● whether souls under your charge are not daily going to another world with doleful complaints against you whom you never knew whether any in Hell do not cry out against you whom you never saw thousands have appeared before the Judgement-seat of God excusing themselves with your faults though you lay it not to heart alleadging that they saw no more Religion in the world then Interest and Gain they knew not what to do to be saved Alas you are not sensible that there may be hundreds in Hell that you looked not after cursing the day that ever you were born that ever you were sent into the world that there should be so many Wretches that lived only to damn men If it be a Charge you desire why doe you not attend unto that flock over which the holy Ghost made you overseers Why doe you not in that calling wherein you are called abide with God Is it possible for you to serve two Cures you will hold to the one and despise or neglect the other and is it possible for you to be saved Lord what if you gained the world at the rate of undoing souls Do you consider that the bread you eat is the price of souls How can you eat with comfort and think Oh some of my charge may be now going to Eternity and I prepared them not How can you sleep securely and think Some of my charge may awake to morrow in another world whether of wo or weal I know not How can you die peaceably and think Where shall we meet the many souls that have gone before us out of our Congregations Oh where are ye O immortal souls with God or for ever departed from the pefence of the Lord Oh did you ever read that of St. Bernard Qui non unus sed plures in beneficiis non unus sed plures in supplic●is If you pity not me once againe by these courses decaying if you pity not poor souls by this means perishing Oh pity your selves and have mercy upon your own souls Alas that men should be educated chargeably should study diligently should be ordained solemnlie to delude souls to mock God to deceive the world and undo men for two or three or