Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A50109
|
The spiritual house in its foundation, materials, officers, and discipline describ'd the nomothetical & coercive power of the King in ecclesiastical affairs asserted the episcopal office and dignity, together with the liturgy of the Church of England vindicated in some sermons preached at St. Clement Danes and St. Gregories neer St. Pauls, London / by Geo. Masterson.
|
Masterson, Geo. (George)
|
1661
(1661)
|
Wing M1073; ESTC R30518
|
52,267
|
136
|
forbids any thing by them Thus St. Peter requires Christians to pay their obedience unto Governours sent by him as well as to the King the Supreme Power Submit your selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as Supreme or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and for the praise of them that do well 1 Pet. 2.13 14. The Governours sent by the King in Ecclesiastical Affairs are the Reverend Bishops I take the word Bishop not in the Common and General notion as every Pastour or Presbyter is a Bishop as he doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oversee the particular Flock committed to his charge Thus the Municipal Aediles among the Romans were stiled Bishops and Cicero Campanae orae Episcopum se dicit constitutum was Bishop of the Campanian Territory But in a more proper and peculiar sence for persons who have not onely the over-sight of the Flock but even of the Pastours themselves a distinct Function and Dignity from Presbyters as the Fathers and Councels generally understand the word Bishop Now concerning these I affirm First Episcopacy that is the Prelacy or Preheminence of one Pastour among the rest is not repugnant to the Scriptures If I evince this that saying of Christ He that is not against us is on our part Mark 9.40 will contribute not a little to the confirmation of this Order And if any man shall say that this Order is repugnant to the Scripture that is if he presume to condemn the whole Christian Church for more then 1000 years after Christ of impiety or folly he must necessarily take upon him the heavy that I say not intolerable burthen of making it good There is not that I am conscious of one Text of Scripture that affords any countenance to that opinion unless that in St. Matthew Jesus called them the ten Apostles unto him and said Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise Dominion over them and they that are Great exercise Authority upon them But it shall not be so among you Mat. 20.25 26. And somewhat more to their purpose in the tenth of St. Mark 44. Whosoever of you will be chiefest shall be the servant of all To these Texts I Answer 1. The Anabaptists of old and other Fanatick spirits supposing the Antithesis here to be between the Gentiles and the Christian State have extended the Pronoun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among you to the whole Gospel-Church and all Christians in it And from thence they conclude that It is unlawfull for Christians to exercise any Rule or Authority over their Brethren So that the same Text by which some would cast Episcopacy out of the Church is made use of by others to as good purpose to thrust Magistracy out of the Christian World 2. Some Learned Interpreters weighing the expression used by Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in eas dominari they Lord it over them Id est cum quadam acerbitate Beza with bitterness and rigour understand Christ's prohibition of an unjust and Tyrannical Power onely such as the Princes of the Gentiles generally used over those that were subject to them And so Christ doth not dehort his Apostles from exercising Power and Authority over their Brethren but onely from the Tyrannical abuse of Power 3. The Presbyterians themselves in foreign Parts do generally acknowledg that this Text in St. Matt. doth not take away the Ecclesiastical Authority of Teaching Binding and Loosing according to the Gospel vel gradus Ecclesiasticorum a Christo institutes datos Ecclesiae no nor those degrees of Ecclesiastical Persons that were instituted and appointed his Church by Christ Apostles Prophets Teachers c. Paraeus he intends not by that Prohibition in St. Matt. to bring a Parity or Equality into the Church Nam sic tolleretur omnis ordo inveheretur confusio as He for so all Order would be abolished and Confusion introduced in the room of it 4. The design and intent of Christ in the forementioned Text is not to take away all Preheminence or Primacy among the Apostles or Pastours of the Church but to admonish the Apostles and ensuing Pastours of the Church that their High and Honourable Calling hath the Ministry or Service of the Church annexed to it Now this is so far from being inconsistent with Preheminence and Authority that even Kings themselves serve the Church and Kingdom in their High Calling So King Antigonus to his Son An ignoras fili mi nostrum regnum nobilem esse servitutem Art thou ignorant O my Son that our Empire is nothing else but a more noble servitude Though therefore the Apostles and their Successours are required to be Ministers and Servants to all this doth not take away their Preheminence any more then a Shepheard's serving his Flock or a Tutour's serving his Pupil or the King 's serving his Subjects takes away the Respective Authority or Preheminence of the Shepheard Tutour or King over those whom they serve 5. This Text is so far from abolishing Prelacy and Preheminence among the Apostles and Pastours that it confirms and establisheth it For when St. Matthew and St. Mark say He that will be greatest among you St. Luke saith he that is greatest and he that is chief Luk. 22.26 and you may observe that our Lord Christ propounds his own example as a pattern to them Whosoever will be Chief among you let him be your Servant even as the Son of Man came not to be Ministred unto but to Minister Mat. 20.27 28. The Duty therefore of Ministring to or serving others doth not hinder but that he who Ministers or serves may be Greater then those to whom he Ministers unless by urging this Text for a Parity among Pastours they intend to level the great Apostle Christ himself to be no more then equal to the other Apostles And one would wonder did not Prejudice and Interest draw a Film over the eye of mens Reason how any man could entertain a thought that ever Christ intended a Parity among Ecclesiastical Persons when by his own finger from Heaven he hath so evidently pointed out a disparity among them He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastours and Teachers Ephes 4.11 which are not onely distinct Functions in the Church but distinct Degrees as is evident by the Apostle in the first to the Corinthians 12.28 And God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers after that Miracles then Gifts of Healings c. The Evangelists themselves are as Hienom ad Fabiol Secundi ordinis minoris gradus but of a second Order and inferiour degree Dignitate minores Apostolis as Calvin inferiour to the Apostles in Dignity The first Assertion then namely That Episcopacy that is the Prelacy or Preheminence of one Pastour among the rest is not repugnant to the Scriptures is undeniably true Secondly The Church Catholick that is the
Passion aside whether a Noble Man or Master of a Great Family leaving this general Rule for the Government of his house that all things in it be done Decently and in Order doth he not intend and expect that his Steward should Determine what is so For either the Steward or the rest of the Servants must determine it If the Servants confusion and ataxy instead of Decency and Order must inavoidable flow in upon them For one will say this is decent and another the contrary is decent It is more decent saith one to put off our shoes then our hats in Respect and Reverence to our Lord it is more orderly to sit then to stand in his presence This must necessarily beget Partyes and Sidings that Animosity Strife and Contention and by consequence the ruine of the Family For why will one servant in the Family or one party say should not I or we judge of decency as well as you or your party So that you cannot but see that there is a necessity that the Steward should Determine And is it not thus in the Spiritual house If every Congregation or Pastor be left free to judge of what is Decent and in Order things as unreasonable as the putting off the shoes and sitting in the Masters presence will be practised by the most Because the most are not the wisest And they affect generally like Cattle fallen into a River to Swim against the Stream In things therefore of this nature namely such as are not determined by the great Master God you owe obedience to the Stewards determination especially since whatsoever is not forbidden by God hath in that very respect the force of a permission at least Because Where there is no Law there is no transgression Rom. 4.15 Now there is no Law against such or such indifferent things and therefore he who conforms sins not But there is a Law which requires Every Soul to be subject to the Higher Powers Rom. 13.1 He therefore that conforms not sins You ought therefore to be subject to the Higher Power in matters of Religion for Conscience Sake But if any man will not be subject for Conscience Sake he must be subject upon another account for God hath entrusted the Supreme Magistrate with a Coercive Power Which is the 2d thing propounded to be made good In pursuance of this 2. thing 1. There ought to be some Coercive Power in Ecclesiasticall Things or Matters of Religion For without this every man would be left free to speak or do what him lift To introduce any false or blasphemous Opinion to disturb the Peace of the Church by enormous Practices May not one deny the Divine Authority of the Scriptures Another the Divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ A third reject despise and trample under foot the Priestly Office and all the Ordinances of the Gospell And for practice might not men with the evill Servant in the Gospell eat and drink with the drunken and smite their fellow Servants with the Fist of Violence Oppressing and Persecuting all that are not of their Opinion though their Opinion be not at any agreement or consistency with the truth If there be not a Coercive Power stated somewhere who or what shall hinder these and innumerable other inconveniences and mischiefs Every Fanatick Spirit if there were no coercive power might take licence by reviving old Heresies or broaching worse new invented Opinions to ruffle the Church and reduce it to an Heap or Chaos of Confusion Without a coercive power somewhere stated all Reins of Government must necessarily be let loose and an effectuall dore set open for Atheisme Heresy Sedition and Blasphemy to enter in But this is a thing so contrary not only to the peace but even to the essence of all societies that none but the absolute Sons of Belial i. e. without a Yoke can plead for it I passe therefore from that as a thing assented unto by all that pretend to Reason That there must be a Coercive Power and come unto the 2d thing the subject of this Power or Person in whom it is And that is the King 2. Him hath God entrusted with coercive Power in Matters of Religion Spirituall Power or Power in the Church is divided generally into Ordinis and Jurisdictionis That of Order is referr'd to the preaching or the Word Administration of Sacraments Absolution Confirmation and all such Actions as a person regularly ordained performes by Virtue of his Orders That of Jurisdiction is double Internall and Externall 1. Internall Where the Spirituall guides they who have the conduct of the Soules of men by Instruction Perswasion Ghostly Councell and such like so convince the inward Consciences of Men that they become wholly obedient to their directions As Saint Peter by his Sermon wrought upon the Consciences of those Jews Who were pricked in their Heart and said Men and Brethren what shall we do Acts 2.37 2. Externall Where the Person in whom the Power is in foro exteriori as they speak compells the Christians obedience The King is not intrusted with the first and 2d of these He hath no Power of Order nor Jurisdiction over the Inner Man but in things that are for the outward Politie of the Church as that God may be truly served such as transgresse the received lawfull constitutions of the Church punished with this Power the King is intrusted Again the Actions of Men are either Internall or Externall Internall Actions abstractedly and simply considereed in themselves doe not fall under any humane Authority or Power whatsoever Errat si quis putet servitutem in totum hominem descendere pars enim melior excepta est Corpora obnoxia sunt adscripta Dominis mens sui juris est Sen. de Benef. l. 3. It is an Errour in any man to think that Servitude descends upon the whole man for the better part is alwayes excepted Our bodies indeed are Obnoxnious to Servitude and the pleasure of those who are Lords over us but our minds are free and at their own dispose And it is a known saying in the Law Cogitationis paenam nemo patitur No man suffers any thing for his bare thoughts For All Empire or Power necessarily supposeth such matter as is capable of coming under the knowledge of him that commands but the internall Actions of Men Simply and Abstractedly considered doe not come under the knowledge of any Humane Power and therefore they fall not under their Authority No power can impose upon any person that he shall think thus and not otherwise concerning any Article of Faith because he cannot know whether a man thinks so or otherwise As Lactantius l. 5. c. 13. Quis mihi imponat necessitatem vel credendi quod nolim vel quod velim non credendi Who can compell me to believe what I will not or not to believe what I list For Religio imperari non potest Religion cannot be compell'd as Cassidor l. 3. Ep. 27. and Fides