Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	church_n	elder_n	rule_n	1,073	5	8.7292	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61501	Trias sacra, a second ternary of sermons preached being the last (and best) monuments that are likely to be made publique of that most learned, pious and eminent Dr. Richard Stuart ...	Steward, Richard, 1593?-1651.	1659 (1659)	Wing S5528; ESTC R34608	46,631	180

includes a Priesthood and bids him not to rule only but to pray for his People Consult the Pagan Antiquities and you will find strange variety of Honour conferred upon the Ministers of their supposed Deities Romulus stiled them Kings as if he meant to have enlarged their power unto the height of his own Authority And when afterwards the name of a King became as odious at Rome as the real oppression of a Tyrant was to other Cities yet was she still content that the chief Master of her religious Ceremonies should retain the old Title and be styled Rex Sacerdotum or the Priestly King I might acquaint you with the large Immunities and Privileges which they enjoyed with the strange Complements of Honour wherewith they were little lesse than adored did they not contain as great an excess of Superstition as they did aboundance of Reverences This will be sufficient to prove that they were both fear'd and observ'd that in succeeding ages the Caesars themselves became ambitious of the Priesthood as Sueto●…ius hath observed in Iulius Caesar and Augustus and Tacitus witnesseth the same in the third of his History of Vitellius The Relations even of our modern times are not without some parallel examples likewise Henry the Archbishop of Ebora becomes King of Portugal as you may find in the late Spanish History and Possevine the Jesuite relates this of the Russian Monarch otherwise called the great Duke of Muscovie Rex Sacrorura simul et Imperator videri velit he doth as much affect to be thought chief in their holy Ceremonies as to be held chief in his Empire And therefore his Robes are Copes his Crown a Miter and in stead of a●… imperial Scepter he arms his left hand with a Crosiers staff Neither did the purer years of the Christian Church shew themselves any whit negligent in the performance of so Religious a duty being no way ignorant of that Doctrine which St. Paul had imparted unto his Timothy Let the Elders saith he that rule well be had in double honour especially those which labour in the word and doctrine 1 Tim. 5. 17. Indeed for those former Titles of Soveraignty as I read them not offer'd so neither could they have been accepted by the Ministers of the Gospel they having received prohibition against it from their Masters own mouth vos autem non sic The Kings of the Gentiles reign over them and they that bear rule among them are called Benefactours But you shall not be so Luke the 22. Yet if we enquire into the cariage of those Elder Christians we shall easily find that what was wanting in those swelling Titles of Eminency was supplied in the Truth of sincere affection So the Apostle himself witnesseth of his Galathians in the 4th chap. of his Epistle to them Yee received me as an Angle of God yea as Christ Iesus nay I bear you record that if it had been possible you would have plu●…kt out your own eyes and have given them unto me Happy Galatia who wert become the Mother of such aff●…ctionate Children If you expect fear and reverence they receive the Apostle as an Angel of God If love and affection they could have spared even their own eyes to have supplyed his necessities But is the practice of our present times answerable doth it equal the se precedents of the Apostolique age do you fear and observe nay do you not rather scorn and neglect our profession else what 's the cause that the most liberal and ingenuous dispositions are fearful to undertake this worthy calling what hinders them but only the publike contempt and much ignominy which in these times they see openly attends the Ministry For doubtlesse if a mans reputation be his second life you may now justly call Orders a kind of Martyrdom because I am sure he hazards his account in the world much for Christs sake whosoever in our dayes puts himself apart to serve the Tabernacle How are we contemn'd by the greatest and injured by those of meaner rank do not the scorners deride us and the Drunkards make songs upon us nay is not our very Function become a Proverb of contempt even in their mouths whose education hath ever been as servile as their birth was base There are perhaps of our Masters in Israel that can with Nicodemus be content to afford us countenance by candle light I mean in private and during the absence of those high-bred Spirits who count it basenesse to entertain discourse with people of so mean Quality as we are in their esteem But are the times so strangely altered are we now thought unworthy to accompany them whom Antiquity held us fit to govern 'T was his Majesties late observation before a most honourable and judicious Assembly that the Clergy was never grown into such contempt as now and in his opinion 't was one of those great offences which argued the near approach of the latter day There he enjoyned his Judges to countenance us exhorted his People to reverence and respect us God continue so gracious a Prince that reigns even in these dayes to become a Preacher and let all those that wish well to the house of Aaron say Amen Amen For should not Iudah I mean the Scepter it self stand firm to Levi the other Tribes would be as ready to prey upon us as they are now to scorn us Yet could the practice of former ages work any alteration upon these latter times I should not doubt but to leave this Auditory as carefull of our Estimation here on earth as we professe to be and in some measure I hope are of your Welfare in Heaven My speech hath already laid open the examples of the Patriarks and purer Church to instruct you of the Pagans and Infidels to stir up and enflame your affections But if through hardnesse of heart you remain still unmoveable yet quake and tremble to think how this Herod in my Text shall one day rise up in Judgement against you and shall condemn you for he fear'd and observ'd the Baptist and I say unto you it may be spoken of the meanest Minister of the Gospel of Christ A greater than Iohn is here Speak I this of my self saith not the Scripture the same also in the eleventh of Matthew at the eleventh verse Amongst them which are begotten of women arose there not a greater than Iohn the Baptist yet the least in the Kingdome of Heaven is greater than hee Where our Savio●… makes comparison between Iohn and us not in respect of any personal eminency for therein if in modesty we would not Truth it self would enforce us to yield Iohn the precedency but in respect of our Office and in that regard as Iohn was greater than the former Prophets because he taught Christ after a more clearer manner than they so are we to be prefer'd before Iohn himself because our preaching of Christ is yet more manifest than his was for which reason the Christian Church is ther likewise honoured