Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
heaven_n bind_v earth_n power_n 8,826 5 5.9330 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A51420 Episkopos apostolikos, or, The episcopacy of the Church of England justified to be apostolical from the authority of the antient primitive church, and from the confessions of the most famous divines of the reformed churches beyond the seas : being a full satisfaction in this cause, as well for the necessity, as for the just right thereof, as consonant to the word of God / by ... Thomas Morton ... ; before which is prefixed a preface to the reader concerning this subject, by Sir Henry Yelverton, Baronet. Morton, Thomas, 1564-1659. 1670 (1670) Wing M2838; ESTC R16296 103,691 240

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

elect them again upon an expected Repentance Lastly to one of these Prelates Christ made a royal Promise saying Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a Crown of life c. 2. v. 9. Wherein is as well implied Faithfulness in his Function as Constancy in his Christian profession especially this being written unto him even as he was President over others Which is a Faithfulness which the Spirit of God frequently mentioneth commending it in Tychicus Eph. 2.21 and in Timothy 2 Cor. 4. v. 1.2 Now let us pro●eed to shew you the Novelty SECT XXVII That the Novelty of this Opinion of a Deambulatory Prelacy evinceth the Falsity thereof HIstory hath delivered unto us the Successions of all the four Celebrious Churches Hierusalem Alexandria Antioch and Rome as also from the Asian Churches in the Revelation An Instance in one will give light to all the rest As for example The Church of Alexandria wherein succeeded next to Mark the Evangelist Anianus An. Christ. 51. Sedit An. 22. After him Abilius An. 77. Sedit An. 13. Then Cerdon Sedit An. 10. and Justus An. 12. Finally there is not any Monuments more directly manifesting the continuance of the Succession of Emperours and Kings in their Royal Thrones than there hath been for the Residence of Bishops successively in their Episcopal Seats and Functions even to their dying day Sure we are therefore that Antiquity would have exploded that conceit which Tertullian abhorred to think That one should be a Bishop to day and none to morrow The general Council of Calcedon also judging the Depression of a Bishop down to the degree of a Presbyter to be no better than Sacriledg SECT XXVIII That the Foundation of the Deambulatory Opinion was altogether groundless A Belgick Doctor noted this Opinion as void Of any warrant from the word of God or example of Ecclesiastical History or yet probable reason Whereof a Zealot for the Presbyterians hath confessed namely That the Succession of one after another in the primitive times was after the Predecessor had slept in the Lord. The result of all these premisses discovering the sensless Novelty of this Opinion sheweth that it serveth for nothing better than the betraying of a lost Cause CHAP. V. Our last Consideration is whether this Apostolical Right of Episcopacy in some sense be called Divine ALthough the proof of the Right thereof to be according to the Word of God be demonstration enough of a Divine Right Yet will it not be amiss to know how far either the Judgment of Antiquity or the Consent of learned Protestant Divines have extended their Suffrages for acknowledgment thereof But yet first we are to satisfie our Opposites Objections in censuring this to be properly Popish SECT I. That the Doctrine of the Divine Right of Episcopacy is repugnant unto Popedome and Papal Usurpation NOthing hath been more common in the mouths of many adversly affected than first hearing of the Divine Right of Episcopacy not without some horrour of mind to impute Popery unto it but yet not without ignorance of the Popes Usurpation herein which is here discovered in the Margin by the earned Professor of Divinity in Geneva grappling with the greatest Champion of the Pope even that Romish Goliah Bellarmine who in his defence of Papal Right saith That the Pope of Rome is immediately from Christ and all other Bishops from him pretending this to be patronized by Antiquity citing that most antient Father Ignatius for his Opinion but he was confuted by our judicious Author Vedelius even out of the express words of Ignatius himself teaching That as Presbyters are immediately subject to Bishops so are likewise Bishops to Christ. So doth he also from Tertullian who recounteth the like Succession in the Church of Smyrna where the first Bishop was ordained by the Apostle St. John which he doth from St. Peter in the Church of Rome But sooner may the Roman Pope unbishop himself than presume to justifie from Antiquity that other Bishops in respect of their first Original are immediately derived from him as by the manifold testimonies of the Antients alleadged expresly already hath appeared and will furthermore become more undeniable when Antiquity it self shall be heard to speak by and by in the interim we may behold the Spanish Divines standing for the Divine Right of Episcopacy as being from Christ himself and therefore denied to be present in the Council of Trent except it should be so decided The Italian Bishops contrarily withstood this in the behalf of the Pope that it might be known to be derived not immediately from Christ but mediately by the Pope himself Can any doubt what the Pope would determine in this Case He in his letters prohibited that Episcopacy should be held to be absolutely from Divine Right This being the Case who can justly attribute Popery to them who in defending a Divine Right yet renounce and abhor the derivation thereof which is from the Pope SECT II. The Judgment of Antiquity concerning the Divine Right WE begin with the most antient Ignatius and for the vindication of the credit of this our Foreman It is testified by Vedelius the Genevan Professor concerning Ignatius his Epistles alleadging withal the like testimonies of Scultetus and Rivetus That seven of them are properly his and so genuine herein as that they take no exceptions in this Case Which he furthermore proveth out of Eusebius Ruffinus and Hierome and we shall not wander out of these seven And though all these be full of Sentences abundantly asserting the Divine Right of Episcopacy yet we shall content our selves with these few wherein he exhorteth The Presbyters to obey the Bishops as the Vicars of Christ And he telleth both Presbyters and People That he that contemneth his Bishop is Atheistical and Prophane and doth set at nought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Ordinance of Christ and the like as is more fully testified in the Margin Cyprian is our next Witness who tells us That the constituting of Bishops over the Church with Authority to govern all Acts therein is done by Divine Law So he With many other expressions to the same effect for which again I refer you to the Margin We pass to Origen our next Witness who saith of the publick Governours of the Churches of Christ That they are in a very eminent place because the Lord hath set them over his Family And again which we alleadg as making against Romish Popedome That Bishops have as much interest in that saying of our Saviour Whatsoever thou bindest on Earth shall be bound in Heaven c. as St Peter himself Gregory Bishop of Nazianzum telleth his Flock of that City That the Law of Christ had made them subject to his Episcopal Power and Jurisdiction Athanasius That whosoever he be that contemns the Function of a Bishop contemneth Christ who ordained that Office Epiphanius