Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	body_n	church_n	head_n	2,189	5	6.7060	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47280	The sober conformists answer to a rigid conformists reasons why in this juncture no alteration should be made in the government of the Church of Scotland.	Ker, William.	1689 (1689)	Wing K346; ESTC R8036	26,163	32

Homogenious and therefore also the mos t sutable and excellent Order of the Church making the Government of particular Churches and of the Vniversal Visible Church to agree together with an excellent Harmony and most orderly Decency I am Naturally of such an ingenuous Temper that I had not the confidence to reply that the Members of the Oecumenick Cnuncils were Diocesan Bishops because I not only knew that presbyters have been admi●…ed Members and voted as well as Bishops and that presbyterian as well as Episcopal Churches must be allowed their Delegates in case of an Oecumenick Council without any other power than that of the Representatives of the Church that sends them Repre senting their Brethren and not having power over them lodged in their single person But I perceive the strength of the Argument did not at all consist in the Quality of the Members of a General Council whether Bishops or Presbyters but its Frame and the Method of its Acting and Exerting its Authority And finally I have been greatly ashamed and quite confounded when they asked Whether an Erastian head an Episcopal Body and a Presbyterian Tail would orderly agree together to make an intire Church Government and laughing at the monstruous Fabrick of our Government by such a mix● ure told me that we At●ribute an Ecclesiastical Sup●emacy to the King to unite him to our interest that we may abuse and pro●…itute his Power and Authority in prosecuting and promoving it And that we make use of Parochial Sessions from the Example of Presbytry though Lay Elders be contrary to our principles for amusing the Consciences of Ignorant People into the more willing subjection to us as nothing differing from Presbyterian Ministers But that Episcopal preeminencies and benefices are the chief Design of all to satisfie the Ambition Avarice of the leading men amongst us to be a shelter and incouragement to the ignorance idleness and profanity of the r●st of us Thus ye see how they have treated me in this point who though I come short in point of obstinate Confidence yet I understand the Controversie betwixt Presbyterians and us better then many of my Brethren and have had greater advantages so to do then the most part of them And I nothing doubt but ye will meet with the like usage from your Adversaries to your publick shame and affronting our cause if ye prevent it not The next thing is that Episcopacy is the best Adapted for preservation of peace Presbyterians will acknowledge that it is a very calm gentle and peaceable Government to scandalous Sinners and in this has the Advantage of being more acceptable then the Presbyterian to such not knowing that favour to their Sins is cruelty to their Souls And yet I have heard some of our own Perswasion say that the Presbyterian Government amidst all its severity was more favourable then the Episcopal because though they were greedy of Folks repentance yet they were not greedy of their Purses But ye may assure your self it will be accounted the height of impudence so much as to have mentioned peace as the native effect of Episcopacy and all the World will be app● aled unto whether our Bishops have not been the chief troublers of Israel and whether the connivence to say no more of the Episcopal Government a●… Popery and profanity which are the only peaceable Effects it can pretend to in Scotland doth Counterballance its Rigour and cruelty against Non-conformity even when accompanied with Exemplary Sobriety Piety and Loyalty or whether it doth not exceedingly aggredge the same and render it the more odious to all that compare its favour to th●se with its severity to this And ingenuously whatever be in their imputing to Episcopacy Tyranny over Mens Consciences as its native effect yet it is so sadly evident that it hath Extremly degenerated thereunto in this Church and Kingdom that we cannot doubt but it will meet with an eas ie belief from most part of the Nation in spite of all your confident Assertions to the contrary they will grant that Presbytery hath been so unfortunate as not only to be rendred unacceptable to our Kings being at a distance in another Nation by the cunning Misinformations of Self-seeking Courtiers the Calumnious Instigations of English Bishops ignorant of the Genious of Scotland and the Pragnatick Influence of Jesuits whose greatest Eye sore it is But also to be made a Mask to the Politick Design of Incendiaries and Vsurpers tho they retained it no longer then their Designs behoved to be kept close and by this means to be miscontrued as the chief cause of War and Blood s hed by these who understand not the Intrigues of Affairs but after they grant you all this nothing they will confidently accuse Episcopacy that it hath been both so cruel and shameless as even of choise to turn the most Serene peace solid Happiness that ever this Nation was blessed with at the Restauration of K. Charles the 2d into a perpetual Tragedy of Persecution Oppression and of Arbitrary Government manifestly of design to Introduce and Establish it self without the Conjunction of any other Malign influence imaginable Though perhaps a popish party stroke in to an After Game finding Episcopals as foreward as they could wish to ruine presbyterians though to the weakning of the Protestant Interest hoping that if they should not be ruined by us yet they should be so weakned and Exasperaced as to be easily gulled by their pretended Moderation to a concurrence with them for the razing down the securities of the Reformed Religion by the Penal Laws against Papists which by a total desuetude we had rendred contemptible to shelter themselves from our Rigorous and severe Laws against them that so at Length popery might swallow us up both And no Thanks to us that the papists were disappointed of their Design by the presbyterians greater zeal against popery then Resentment at our greater Severity to them then to Papists which when I consider I have a strong Apprehension that the Lord is about to reward their Faithfulness to their Principles as Protestants with a Legal establishment of their Government in its integrity under a Presbyterian King according to their wishes So that you see what ever else you ascribe to Episcopacy your was folly to maintain peace In the last place you say That Episcopal Government is found by Experience to be the best Adapted for preservation of Unity And why not say they the Papal Government for Unity amongst Bishops as well as the Episcopal for Uni●y amongst Presbyters But they will speak more home and accuse us of Schism in re●…ding from the unrepealed Acts and Constitutions of the Church And s● Father the Schism on Episcopacy intruded into the Church by meer Civil Laws and violently pressed upon all by the Sword of Persecution Without any due pains or proper methods used for preparing the Nation for its reception And albeit that the present divisions amongst Presbyterians