Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	church_n	faith_n	necessary_a	1,742	5	6.7179	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10190	Lord bishops, none of the Lords bishops. Or A short discourse, wherin is proved that prelaticall jurisdiction, is not of divine institution, but forbidden by Christ himselfe, as heathenish, and branded by his apostles for antichristian wherin also sundry notable passages of the Arch-Prelate of Canterbury in his late booke, intituled, A relation of a conference, &c. are by the way met withall.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1640 (1640)	STC 20467; ESTC S115311	76,101	90

Apostles to afflict persecute and oppresse all true Religion with all the true Preachers and Professors therof and so prove themselves to be of those of whom Christ foretold his Disciples saying * They shall put you out of the Synagogues yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will thinke that be doth God Service And surely the Prelates grounding their usurped Authority upon Christ which they so exercise in afflicting and oppressiing Christs Ministers and people must needs consequently conclude that this their persecution is a speciall part of Gods service to conclude then the Parable as these Prelates have their good things here and nothing is left them but a ‡ fearefull expectation of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devoure the Adversaries so as they shall not find a drop of mercy in Hell who would not shew a crumme of mercy here but contrariwise shal be tormented with more scorching flames then Dives by how much their wickednesse here exceeded his So Gods faithfull Ministers as they receive their evill things here and especially at the hands of Antichristian Prelates whose malice and cruelty against them exceedeth all other in the world so they shal be sure to receive a most glorious and unfading ‡ Crown of Glory which the Lord the Chiefe Shepheard the righteous Iudge shall give unto them at that day nor to them onely but to all those that love his Appearing CHAP. VII Wherein is shewed that the Prelates are no lesse contrary to the Practise of the Apostles whose Successors notwithstanding they pretend to be then they are to their Doctrines as hath been proved FOr the more cleare demonstration hereof we will consider the Practise of the Apostles in a twofold notion 1. the Practise of their Ministry 2. the Practise of their life and conversation First for their Ministry that also we consider in a double respect 1. of Doctrine 2. of Discipline Of these being to speake we will first consider the Apostles two wayes 1. as they were Apostles and 2. as they were Ministers First as they were Apostles to speake in a strict and proper sence they left no Successors behind them For as Apostles 1. they had their immediate Calling from Christ 2. they did * see Christ with their bodily eyes 3. they were inspired immediately from Christ with Apostolicall Gifts and Graces of the Holy Ghost ‡ which led them into all truth so as their judgement was infallible they could not erre 4. they were made the Pen-men of the Scripture 5. They had a power given them to appoint Euangelists to attend their Apostleship in the Gospell to settle and water where the Apostles had planted and where they appointed them 6. They had ‡ immediate direction from the Holy Ghost where to preach at such or such a time 7 They had their § Commision immediately from Ch●●st which was to preach the Gospell throughout the world though the † Holy Ghost did more particularly dispose of them to severall Countries Now in all these respects the Apostles as Apostles left no Successors behind them For after the decease of Apostles and so also of the Euangelists some whereof writ the Gospell and some preached the Gospell and did other things at the Apostles appointment whereof we shall have occasion to speake more anon their Office of Apostles and Euangelists ceased So as never since they lived have there beene any Apostles or Euangelists properly so called Though in a generall notion all true Preachers of the Gospell in asmuch as they have a Calling from God being sent of him though mediately by the Church may be called Apostoli that is sent as the Apostle called Epaphroditus ‡ A'póstolon the Philippìans Apostle which our English translates a Messenger because they had sent him to him as they are called in the selfe same respect Aggeloi * Angels or Messengers and they may be called also for the same reason Euangelists because they are Preachers of the Gospell But I say strictly and properly the Apostles onely were called Apostles and the Euangelists Euangelists for the reasons aforesaid So as after their decease the ordinary Ministers of the Word which God appointed to succeed them in their Ministry were called Pastors and Teachers as Eph. 4. 11. and somtimes Presbyters or Elders and Overseers or Episcopi set over their severall Congregations respectively as aforesaid and somtimes ‡ u●pereta or díakoni Ministers of the Word as the Apostle often styles himselfe So as in the Second place we come to speake of the practise of the Apostles as they were Ministers of the Gospel whose examample all true Ministers imitating are said to be their true Successors But before we speake thereof one Objection crosseth us in our way which is this We noted before that one peculiar priviledge and badge of an Apostle● properly so called was that he had the Holy Ghost immediately inspired into him by Christ so as it led him into all truth that he could not erre in his preaching or writing of the word of God Now it is Objected that the promise of * Christs Spirituall presence and so of the Holy Ghost is made to the Apostles but to all the succeeding generations of all their true Successors to the end of the world Upon which promise but most falsely applyed the Pope doth build his Imaginary Infallibility of a power of not erring in the faith For Answere hereunto briefly First neither the Pope nor any Prelate have any thing to doe with this promise For they have no Calling from Christ as hath been proved and they are Antichrists and so led by another spirit to wit of him of whom they have their Calling and tha● is of the great red Dragon as remaines yet further to be cleared Secondly concerning this promise made immediately by Christ to his Apostles that he would be with them to the end of the world and that the Holy Ghost should lead them into all truth we must distinguish between the Apos●les and all Succeeding true Ministers First this promise was actua●ly fullfilled to the Apostles so as they neither erred in their preaching nor in their writing of the word of God and the substance of all their preaching so farre as it is necessary for the salvation of Gods Chruch to the end of the world is by them left in writing to be a rule of our faith and the ground of all holy and saving knowledge Now then all true Ministers succeeding the Apostles in all ages and also all true Beleevers though they neither receive the Holy Ghost inmiediately from Christ as the Apostles did nor are any to expect to receive it in that extraordinary way yet all true beleeving both Ministers and People doe receive the Holy Ghost But how By what meanes The Apostle tells us ‡ By the hearing of Faith preached that is by hearing the Gospell which is the ground of Faith preached we receive both faith

discourse then this of mine will admit Againe he saith ‡ If there be a jealousie or doubt of the Sense of the Scripture we must repaire to the Exposition of the Primitive Church and submit to that or call and submit to a Generall Councel c. Now if he shall quarrell this Scripture and those words of Christ forementioned as being either jealous or doubtfull of the sense thereof and so send me to the Primitive Church or call me to a Generall Councel for the determination of this point what shall we say For in no case can he yeeld the Scripture the honour to be sole Judge of controversies in faith And for the Primitive Church which he meanes namely that which came after Christ and his Apostles that he will say had Bishops or Prelates And for a Generall Councel that by his own verdict must consist of Prelates and so then shal be Judges in their own cause Therefore herein I must tell him plainly that first for the Primitive Church which was that of the Apostles never any one of them was a Prelate or Diocesan Bishop as we shall see more anon Secondly the next ages of the Church succeeding that of the Apostles knew no such Lord Bishops or Prelates as are now adayes with their Traines and Courts And when they began to get Prelacies old Hierome reprooved them and so did others Thirdly never any Generall Councel yet concluded that Prelates were jure divino Fourthly For a Generall Councel now to be called for the determining of this controversie which must consist onely of Prelates I deny them to be competent Iudges in this Case For by the Prelates own Confession * No man ought to be both party and Iudge in his own Cause And again the ‡ Prelate is too strict and Canonicall in tying all men to the decision of a Generall Councel and to yeeld obedience unto it yea although it determine a matter erronious in the Faith Now then if a Generall Councel of Prelates should determine that Prelates are jure divino although it be erronious yet according to the Prelates Rule all must yeeld obedience and submit thereunto And then we are gone if we commit this matter to a Generall Councel But we will passe by these and come to some other of his passages for his Prelacy He saith ‡ I beleeve Christ thought it fitter to governe the Church Aristocratically by Diverse rather then by one Vice-Roy A●d those Diverse he makes to be Prelates or Hierarchs or rather Archprelates Now except he verily beleeve that Prelates are the best men in the world how can he beleeve that Christ thought is fittest to governe his Church by them For Aristocracie is a Government of the best men Aristoi Optimi and therefore called Optimates most honourable for their vertues But are Prelates so Doth their extreme pride ambition covetousnesse voluptuousnesse idlenesse hatred and suppressing of Gods word persecution of Gods Ministers oppression of Gods people even all that professe godlinesse and extreme both injustice and cruelty without all Law or Conscience in Censuring poore innocent soules that come before them doe these their vertues make them to be the best men for Christ to thinke the fittest by whom to governe his Church unlesse in this respect Christ might thinke it fittest that seeing he thought it fittest to keep his true Church his little sto●ke alwayes under manifold tryalls of afflictions and persecutions as being the exercises of all that will live godly in Christ Iesus and the way through which they must goe into the Kingdome of God therefore for this very cause he might thinke it fittest to suffer Satan to set up Anticr●ist in the Temple of God with his Traine of Prelates who should prove the most vengable Instruments of persecuting and oppressing Gods true children of all other men in the world And this I beleeve to be true And againe I beleeve this to be true also that Christ thought it fittest to governe his true Church Aristocratically that is by the best men because he hath so expressed himselfe in his word Why Where and who be those best men Let my Lord Prelate have patience and I will shew him a cleare ground of this my faith such as he can never shew for his blind faith Those best men that Christ thought is fittest to governe his Church by are the severall Ministerss rightly qualified and lawfully placed over their Severall Congregations respectively And they are called both Presbyteri and Episcopi Presbyters or Elders and Overseers or as Prelates falsely style themselves Bishops But how are these o i aristoi the best men Because Christ requires such to have the qualities of the best men What be those First such a Bishop or Overseer must be blamelesse the husband of one wife not therfore one tyed from Marriage which is for Antichrists Priests vigilant sober of good behaviour given to hospitality apt to teach not given to wine no strik●r not greedy of filthy l●●re but patient not a brawler not covetous c. And in Titus Not selfe-willed not soon angry a lover of good men● sober just holy temperate holding fast the faithfull word that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainesayers Such therefore as call themselves the onely Bishops to exercise Lordship over many Ministers and Congregations and are proud heady high minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God cruell strikers with their High-Commission-weapons soone angry and never appeased againe not lovers but persecuters of good men not such as hold fast the wholesome word but suppresse it all they can forbidding others to convince the gainesayers as those of the Arminian party and the like and cutting off the Eares of those Ministers that should dare to reprove the Prelates notorious practises and attempts in setting up a false Idolatrous and Anchristian Religion for Christs Religion and such like such I say how can the Prelate beleeve to be of those diverse whom Christ thought it fittest to governe his Church by Againe another passage of his is this * She the Church of England beleeves That our Saviour Christ hath left in his Church besides his Law-booke the Scripture visible Magistrates and Iudges that is Arch-bishops and Bishops under a gracious King to governe both for Truth and Peace according to the Scripture and her owne Canons and Constitutions as also chose of the Catholick Church which crosse not the Scripture and the just Laws of the Realme So the Prelate In the next passage before the Prelate makes profession of his own Faith concerning Christs thought for Prelaticall Government and here he tells us what is the Faith of the Church of England about the same new Article of his beliefe●● And not unlikely it is ● that the Prelaticall Church of England is of the saine beliefe with her learned Champion and great Metropolitan But the faith both of the Prelate and his Church