Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	believe_v	church_n	tell_v	2,230	5	6.0616	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61175	A sermon preached at the anniversary meeting the Sons of Clergy-men in the Church of St. Mary-le-Bow, Nov. vii, 1678 / by Thomas Sprat ...	Sprat, Thomas, 1635-1713.; Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy (London, England)	1678 (1678)	Wing S5055; ESTC R16678	19,762	52

Cicero brings in Cato reproving the Levity of the Greeks for calling their Festival meetings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from their drinking then together and rather commends the Gravity of the Romans who nam'd such meetings Convivia from their Living and Conversing then together But we Christians have another manner of example to follow from our first Predecessors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which the very word may teach us our duty in them For these took their Name not from the Mirth not from the Conversation but only from the Charity of the Guests That indeed is the only thing that can season all our Mirth that can sanctify all our freedom on such times That indeed is the only true Christian life I come in the Third place to examine what ought to be the proper object of a Christians doing good It must be done to all but especially to the Houshold of Faith which is the last particular in my Text. 'T is manifest throughout the Bible that besides the whole compass of Heaven and Earth in which God is pleas'd to reside therefore calling the one his Throne the other his Foot-stool though both are far from containing his Immensity but besides that more ample Habitation of his Power he has always condescended to take to himself amongst the Sons of men a peculiar Houshold of his Love which in all times he has cherish'd as a Father by his special Providence and Affection and govern'd as a Master by a private Oeconomy of his own This is the proper Houshold of Faith And in the first Ages of the World 't was sometimes literally no more than a single Houshold or some few Families Before the Fall of our first Parents it could be no otherwise and after it too 't was so for several Generations whilest the Mysteries and Worship of the true Religion were almost confined to the Succession of one beloved Race and the rest of Mankind left to be what they had made themselves Aliens and Strangers Nor ought any to repine on this account at the unsearchable Judgements of God that so many were at once excluded out of his Family Ought not all rather we especially to admire and adore his apparent Mercy that any were still permitted to have a right in it since none could merit all had forfeited that right But in process of time when this chosen Family was multiplyed into a Nation that Nation too became the Houshold of Faith a greater but still a Houshold Limited in its Members almost to one People in its public Worship almost to one House But still a Houshold of Faith a Faith that was true though obscure a Faith that had then the hope of things not seen though it was not as afterwards under the Gospel the Evidence of such things Under the Gospel indeed the next and the greatest increase of this Houshold of Faith has been made when by the Universal administration of Grace begun by our blessed Saviour enlarged by his Apostles carried on by their immediate Successors and to be compleated by the rest to the Worlds end all Types that darken'd this Faith are enlighten'd all Veils that hid it are rent and taken away all Walls of partition broken down all confinement to Families or People all narrowness of Opinions removed all Nations under Heaven invited some of all received into this Houshold which therefore has taken to it self as it deserves the most August Name of Catholic that without it no other House nor Religion nor Empire could ever justly claim nor within it can any one Church above others rightly pretend to it but only all together united in the same Faith the same Hope the same Charity Such have been the different extents of this Houshold of Faith through all its successions And what all along were the different ranks what the distinct Offices what degrees of Privilege and Command maintain'd amongst all its members None at all Yes certainly very much of all In so divine a Houshold so united in one Faith were there no other Means of Order or Methods of Union no Superiority of some no submission of others no reverence towards any How could it then be a Houshold A Herd of wild Beasts on the Mountains a salvage Drove of men in Caves might be so order'd or rather so disorder'd But never a Family a City a People a peculiar People all which the Houshold of Faith is often called for to all these Obedience and Subordination Government and Subjection are most necessary for their well-being for their being in a Civil State certainly therefore as necessary to a Spiritual Family and City and People Can there be any reason imaginable why the Houshold of God alone should throw off all that Rule and Discipline that orderly Dependence and Duty and Service by which all other Houses in the world are best govern'd Nay by which they can only be well govern'd No. So far is an indistinction of all persons or equality of all Orders and by consequence an Anarchy of all things so far from being agreeable to the Will of God declared in the Beautiful and Harmonious frame of his great Houshold the World and especially in all the Ministeries of proper Houshold the Church that there was never yet any time since the Church was a considerable Number I believe since it was a Number when some of its Members were not more Sacred than others when some were not appointed Spiritual Rulers some Temporal Governours some both over others The Patriarchs were indubitably invested with both these Authorities In Moses and Aaron they were divided in persons but still united as in Brethren In the Iewish State of which every part was of Gods own prescribing 't is needless to tell how great was the Preeminence of the Priestly Office how Sacred their Degrees how Separate how Plentiful their Maintenance Or if that Example be not Spiritual be not Christian enough What can be more Christian more Spiritual than our blessed Saviours making the like distinctions between his own Evangelical Ministers His sending not all his Disciples equally but first his Apostles and them chiefly and his impowering them to send others with the like differences as is plain from their practice And of those very Apostles for I see not why as we pass we may not plead our own cause too of those Apostles some even the greatest Married men of their successors many Married Men all endued with indelible power from above to Feed to Govern this Houshold to Create to continue a Succession in it to Consecrate to ordain Pastors and Stewards of it to the worlds end all worthy of Livelyhood some of Honour and if we will believe S t Paul even in the times of greatest purity and simplicity some worthy of double honour We have now discover'd what is the true Houshold of Faith In general the whole Company of the Faithful divided in times and places joyn'd in one