Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	christian_a	force_n	great_a	397	4	2.1341	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80283	Complaints concerning corruptions and grievances in church-government. Dedicated and directed to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, the Right Honourable Lords; and the Honourable House of Commons, now assembled in Parliament. By certain peaceably affected Presbyters, of the Church of England; in the name of all the rest of their brethren. Undertaking to maintain the truth of their assertions, against whatsoever contradictors, if by publique edict of supream authority they be called forth, granting them as safe and free audience as their adversaries and judges, not preingaged, or preresolved for either side.		1660 (1660)	Wing C5626; Thomason E1047_6; ESTC R208100	8,781	15

of envy of any mans Greatnesse or Ambitious Affectation to be medling in State Affairs things too high for us but from the powerfull command of Conscience from unfained love to the Gospel of Christ whose Efficacy is much impeached by the following Corruptions and from filiall Commiseration of our wounded and torn Mother Whose Breaches we verily apprehend cannot be made up but by reducing of her Discipline to a pure Concordance with those Original Divine Prescriptions We complain then 1. That the Power of Jurisdiction and Ordination is claimed and exercised by Bishops as their sole Right in a distinction from Presbyters This we affirm to be an Exorbitance from the second of those right original and Apostolick Ordinances for Church Government And as it is a departure from the Rule so it is a main corruption of evil consequence in the Church For it is First an Usurpation and undue appropriation of a Legacy which Christ bestowed in Common to reside in the Consessus or whole Presbytery and to be exercised by their common suffrage It not being in the Presbyters power to strip themselves and cast on man that which was bestowed and by the Donor intended to the whole Community of their Society Secondly a severing of the Word and the Keyes which cannot without detriment to either be sundred To Feed and Rule are the two parts of Pastorship where both are there is a Pastor So that with us while it is Ones work to govern which seldome Feedeth and the work of the rest to Feed which must not meddle with Government there is no full Pastor But the Office is destroyed by being divided and the Word in the mouths of a disarmed Presbytery is weak edglesse and contemptible Thirdly The ordaining of a Number of Presbyters at large whereby the Church is filled with needy Ministers loose from any settled employment fit at low rates to be hired by fat Pluralists Non-Residents and Lazie Voluptuaries which else would be to seek of Mercenary supplies or be driven in a penury to give higher Wages But hereby the Sacred Office is exposed to Contempt and the Ordination to the Office and Institution into a Charge are made several Acts A Divorce unheard of in that Primitive Policy Which grosse Abuse could no be if Ordination were the common on Act of the whole Presbyterie of a Church Fourthly intromission to the Oversight of Congregations of Men Simoniacall scandalous and unapt to teach which can easily steal into Office by the connivence or corruption of One but if the Power were in a Multitude it could not soon be effected 2. The excessive Provincial extent of Diocesan Churches is an evident departure not only from the fift of those pure original Constitutions but also from the manner of after Ages till Bishops in their Synods provided better for their own Greatnesse then the Churches wellfare Then they degraded the Chorepiscopi and made Orders that Bishops should be placed only in the greater and more frequented Cities This is as a departure from the first pure manner so much for the worse for hence arise these Grievances Neglect of Reformation both in disordered Ministers and people Remotenesse of the Bishops Seat Expences of Travailing Difficulty of proving and tedious Expectation of the Issue of Suits where crimes must be tryed before Judges who are meer strangers to the Persons and causes coming before them deterre almost all men from so troublesome an undertaking And thus the Churches are pester'd with infamous Offenders which could not be if the bounds of a Church were so appointed that all its members might be under the eye of the Governours 2. Deputation of Authority and Jurisdiction to others a most grosse degeneration from that Primitive Discipline which never heard of such a thing as the deputing of any part of Pastoral Office which is committed to Men for their Personal Abilities and cannot without abuse be committed to those who are oft Lay men and neither of Pastoral parts or Calling Hence that numerous frie and subordination of Officers with the multitude of Fees which must needs be where the Churches are whole Countries so large that it is impossible that one Pastor should dispatch all by himself 3. The Non-residence of men having Pastoral Charge is a grosse violation of the seventh of those Apostolick constitutions and is an unexcusable corruption unfit to be tolerated in any well governed Church 4. A Plurality of Pastoral Charges undertaken by one Man is also a gross Exorbitancy brought in with the former after Church Government was at the worst Two Evills which are the shame of our Church not fit to be named in a Reformed Church brought in and continued meerly to nourish Ambition Pompe Voluptuousnesse and Avarice in Clergie-men These two usually go together this last necessitating the former and are seminary Evils First inducing a necessity of deputing Pastoral Charge which every one before God undertakes to performe in his own Person Secondly Church Robbery by transporting the sacred Allowance paid and intended for the maintennace of a vigilant painfull Pastor over the soules of the People which afford it to another Place and Person which hath only the Title and Charge but doth not the work of a Pastor 3. Thirdly Impiety in placing a Mercenary unable for the Charge or Injustice if He substitute one able and fully discharging the Office allowing him the least part of that maintenance which was originally intended and in no other Plea can be challenged of the People for performing the Office 5. Imposing and rigorous urging on great undoing extirpating Penalties ceremonies Tasks and Oaths meerly ad placitum and for their own ends contrary to the Fourth of those prime Scripture Canons whereby Christian liberty in Indifferents is much impaired Many worthy Men of great abilities pains and successe of Ministry in their Charges but of tender and strict consciences have been thrust out Schisms and Dissentions in the bowels of the Church for the space now of more then fourscore years nourished to the prejudice of our Ecclesiastical Peace which we apprehend can never be fully attained till Liberty of conscience in Indifferencies and points of small consequence but great controversie be granted If Severity of censures and force could have brought forth Unity it had in this time been effected This Remedy hath been long applied and yet sad Experience now tells us that the Disease hath grown worse and worse 6. The carriage and constitution of our Convocations or if they may be so called our National Synods is such that it is impossible to proceed to a Reformation in any of these Ecclesiastical distortions by that way What are they for the main but Meetings of the one Party consisting of Bishops Deans Arch-Deacons and other Dependers on Episcopacy and preingaged Persons So that there is as little hope for us of Reformation in points of Government from them as was for the Protestants side of a fair decision of their controversies in the Councel of

COMPLAINTS CONCERNING CORRUPTIONS AND GRIEVANCES in CHURCH-Government Dedicated and Directed to the KINGS most excellent MAjESTY The Right Honourable LORDS and the Honourable HOUSE of COMMONS now assembled in PARLIAMENT By certain peaceably affected PRESBYTERS of the CHURCH of ENGLAND in the name of all the rest of their BRETHREN Undertaking to maintain the truth of their Assertions against whatsoever Contradictors if by publique Edict of Supream Authority they be called forth granting them as safe and free Audience as their Adversaries and Judges not preingaged or preresolved for either side Printed in the Year 1660. COMPLAINTS CONCERNING CORRUPTIONS and GRIEVANCES in CHURCH-Government IT is the Misery of Pious Undertakings especially in Matters of weight that by reason of humane frailty they cannot be perfected at once but by degrees and after much time whence it cometh to passe that they are often given over or by intervening Opposition forced to abortion and imperfect Issue Such was the case of that great Reformation begun with us as in the dayes of those Renowned Princes King EDWARD and Queen ELIZABETH and till this day remaining unaccomplished Those now Blessed Martyrs and Holy Confessours who were under those Pious Princes the first Reformers of our Church found things by that Papall Apostacy so much corrupted and disjointed that being unable at once to cope with all the diseases of the Church they did as wise Physitians set themselves first against the most deadly deferring the rest till afterwards Hence by suffering and Preaching they mightily pulled down the Babylon of Popish Doctrine and something too they did in matter of Government and Discipline But because the vitalls of the Church consist in Doctrinal Verities therefore their chief bent of indeavour was for a Reformation in them which in their time with great successe they effected leaving the reducing of Government and Discipline to it's Primitive Integrity as a work to be done by Posterity But alas as usually it falls out the Bellows of Persecution ceasing the fire of Zeal soon began to abate so that after the first heat and ●mpetus of Reformation as if they which had but begun had at one essay done more than enough the businesse went on no further even till this day Nay as some Edifice given over before it be covered it hath since rather decaied and fallen back again Such power hath pomp and ease to blunt that edge of sacred Inventions and quench the Spirit of Reformation As maladies not perfectly cured returne or turn to some other Diseases so was it with this imperfect Reformation Doctrinal Points being reduced but matter of Discipline left in its former state almost untouched hence arose amongst us even from the cradle of our Reformed Church Three several Opinions which have continued even till this time whose discord nourished by opposition of hot spirits hath encreased till now they are come to that extremity that the life and being of this sacred Body is even endangered thereby One side cries down Episcopacy for Antichristian and all the dependent Government Canons Ceremonies and Liturgy for remainders of Popery abominable and to be departed from The other Extream cries it up for sacred of Divine Apostolick institution and it 's dependent Policy for the most absolute to which all ought to be brought as to a Rule of Perfection censuring other Churches which have it not either as none or else imperfect wanting a main part of their béne esse In the midst of these two are a Remnant of sad Lookers on which have mourned in secret suffered with patience prayed for peace and preached it and Sanctification to the people while those other two one by separating the other by persecuting and both by froward disputing have screwed up their Differences to an intolerable irreconcileable height Both these sacrificing to their own conceits account all which are not with them to be against them But especially that Episcopal Faction for distinctions sake give us leave so to call it which by the indulgence of gracious Princes growing powerfull have laboured an extirpation of all which will not think say and swear to their Opinions Hence of late have all been involved as of the opposite Faction which are not of theirs and no place left for a moderate neutrality New Ceremonies Tasks Canons Oathes have been invented as nets and sives to try out all as bad fish or chaffe which have but disliked the remaining corruptions and defects which the first plunge of Reformation did not redresse No tolerating now of any thing as a burthen much lesse silent disliking of what we could in secret grieve for but not amend but approve all swear to all we must or else be thrust out as Schismatical Puritans and excrementitious burthens of the Church On this enforcement We a part of a Multitude of laborious Presbyters of the Church in the name of all the rest do now Complain because in this height of all devouring Faction our patient silence will no longer priviledg us from extirpation And sith into our hands God hath put so blessed an opportunity as to speak to the whole Kingdome Head and Members at once in one body conjoined and intent about a work of Reformation We be humbly bold and plain to lay open our Grievances hoping that the set time is come for the quenching of these coals of Dissention which have not only lived but encreased for so many years in the Church by compleating of that Reformation which in the main vital Points was long since effected and in the rest we hope and pray after more than an age of interruption is reserved as your Crown and Glory to be perfected Experience hath e're this time taught us the wofull Effects of an half done work the upshot of our Jarres now declares that scrupulous urging of Ritualls cannot stand with the wellfare of a Church Those Convulsions and renting Pains the body now feels shew us that the humours were not at first fully purged God will have a through work done If instead of redressing that which remains you think to transact all these differences by removing of Persons and not Things well you may hush our Troubles for a season but they will return again with a greater violence Now is that power actuated which alone can bring to passe this great work And if the Lord take pleasure in this his poor Church he will give the effect that it may be performed If men would rest in the sole Authority of the Scriptures most Controversies both about Points of Faith and Formes of Government would finde an easie resolution And if besides Gods Word we bring in Mens Authority we draw out the thread of contention into endlesse Disputes mens faces differ not more in feature then their mindes do in Opinion and each will dote on and propugn his own conceits their judgements dissent one from another and oft from themselves Let the divinely inspired Writings then be our guide in this point of Church-Government what