Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	authority_n	church_n	person_n	1,479	5	5.0691	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44141	A correct copy of some letters written to J.M., a nonconformist teacher concerning the gift and forms of prayer by Matthew Hole ...	Hole, Matthew, 1639 or 40-1730.; J. M. (John Moore), 1641 or 2-1717.	1698 (1698)	Wing H2408; ESTC R19302	77,888	204

Ecclesiis The Apostles did set in order in the Church such things as had relation unto Order as Forms of Prayer and the like Dyonysius the Areopagite Eccl Hier. p. 77 who was Cotemporary with the Apostles testifies that there were then Forms of Prayer to which all the People said Amen And tho' some doubt hath been made whether the Book in which this is recorded be his yet 't is by all granted to be exceeding Ancient In the next Age to the Apostles Epist ad Trajan Pliny in his Letter to Trajan makes mention of set Forms of Hymns and Praises us'd by Christians at that time Soliti sunt saith he Carmen Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem And both Ignatius and Justin Martyr speak of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Common Prayer that was used among them In the second and third Centuries we find Origen in his Book against Celsus Origen contra cels lib. 1.8 speaking of Christians using 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Appointed Prayers And in one of his Homilies citing a piece of Liturgy then in use Homil 11. Frequenter in Oratione dicimus Da Omnipotens da nobis partem cum Prophetis i.e. We often say in our Prayers give Almighty God O give us a Part with the Prophets St. Cyprian makes frequent mention of a Liturgy in the Church of Carthage telling us of the Ministers saying in the beginning of it Sursum Corda Lift up your Hearts and the People answering Habemus ad Dominum We lift them up unto the Lord. And the same is derived down and used in our Liturgy to this Day And Tertullian mentions the same Form of Abrenunciation that is still used in our Office of Baptism and withal adds That they had set Hymns for particular Times and Occasions Eusebius in the life of Constantine tells us that besides the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the established Prayers he ordered Forms of Prayer to be composed for the use of the Soldiers Euseb in Vit. Constant lib. 9. 〈◊〉 9 c. Which plainly shews his Approbation and Use of them If we go forward to the fourth and following Centuries we shall find our selves compass'd about with a whole Cloud of Witnesses St. Crysostome St. Ambrose St. Basil St. Austine with many others some whereof were Framers of Liturgies Besides many Counsils that decreed and established the use of them As Consil Laod. Can. 18. Carthag Can. 23. Milev Can. 12. If we come down to the Times of the Reformation we shall find all the Lutheran and Foreign Churches using Forms of Prayer for Publick Worship Yea if we come to Geneva and consult your beloved John Calvin the Father of Presbytery we shall find him using a constant Form of Prayer in his Publick Ministration And likewise composing Forms of Prayer for the use of Geneva which were approved of and established by the Authority of that City And for his Judgment of the use of Forms you may take it from himself who in his Letter to the Lord Protector thus declares himself Calv. Epist 87. For so much as concerns Forms of Prayer and Ecclesiastical Rites Valde probo c. I much approve that they be determined so that it may not be lawful for Ministers in their Administrations to vary from them By which you may see how far you do degenerate from the Principles and are gone off from the Practices of the first Founder of your Sect. Yea 't is well known that those who were styled Puritans or Presbyterians before the great Rebellion Conscientiously used and frequented the Publick Liturgy and inveigh'd bitterly against all separation from it Thus you see the Christian Church ever since the days of Inspiration hath every where Celebrated Publick Worship by Liturgies or Composed Forms of Prayer So that Extempore or Free Prayer was a thing unknown to the primitive and purer Ages of the Church and plainly appears to be a late Invention By whom it was brought in and for what End I shall accquaint you very shortly In the mean time what can it be ascribed to but to your Ignorance or Pride thus to set up your Self against the Judgment and Practice of the whole Christian Church in all Ages 2. But you ask Secondly Who are those Uninspired Persons that have a Commission to compose these Prayers and likewise who are they that have Authority from God to impose them For the composing these Publick Prayers that undoubtedly lies in the Power of the Church which from the beginning of Christianity hath ever exercised it For Christ sent forth his Apostles not only to teach but to Rule and Govern his Church That all things in it may be done Decently and in Order and to the use of Edifying And Beza as was before observed tells us that Forms of Prayer were one of those things that related to Order and were settled by them 1 Tim. 3. ● 2. St. Paul directs Timothy to take care that Publick Prayers be made or composed for the use of the Church of Ephesus of which he was made an Over-seeer Now this being a matter of standing use and benefit to the Church is derived down to their Successours with whom Christ promised to be to the end of the World And therefore we find that the Rulers and Pastors of the Church meeting in Synods and Convocations have upon Mature Advice and Deliberation framed these Publick Liturgies ever since Mile Concil Can. 12.23 The Milevitan Council forbids the admitting any other Prayers in the Church for the Publick Worship of God than those that are so made and so approved lest thro' Ignorance or want of Care something might slip in that was contrary to the Faith But who are they say you that have Authority to impose them upon all Ministers who residing with are presumed best to know the Necessities of the People The Composing of Prayers we see is in the Church the Imposing them lyes in the Chief Magistrate who is Supreme in his Realm in all Causes Ecclesiastical as well as Civil For the Church being incorporated into the State neither of them can be well govern'd unless the Prince be Supreme in both And therefore a great Man hath hath told us That the Church directing and the Sovereign Enacting have ever had this Power since the State became Christian Neither can we see how things can be better ordered than that what is well considered and tendered by the Church should be ratified by the Sanction and Authority of the Prince But you it seems think your self wiser than both and can order these things better by your present Conceptions than they upon all their Deliberation and that because you residing with can better know the Necessities of the People When Sir will you be so modest as to think the Rulers in Church and State better Judges of the general Necessities of the People than you or any private Person Is there any thing in the

the Praise of the whole Earth you would do well to remove into that blessed Countrey where there is no Liturgy to dull your Devotion but Free Prayer enough to serve for all Emergencies and nothing but the Voice of Joy Peace and Unity can sound in your Ears But you would have me Petition our Governours for removing the Occasions of our Divisions which you say are Declarations and Subscriptions that you may continue here with much more comfort Sir I have learnt more Manners than to direct and prescribe to my Governours who have a further prospect and deeper Insight into these matters than 't is fit for me to pretend to But it s a piece of your wonted Modesty to set up your vain Opinion above the Wisdom and Authority of your Superiours And you are resolv'd to be out of humour if they order matters otherwise than you would have them If you would but root out this piece of spiritual Pride and learn so much Humility as to suspect your own Judgment which God knows and any Wise Man may see is weak enough you would soon find there were no need or occasion for such a Petition But you have one Fetch more against enjoining of Forms that must not be past by and that is this viz. The Magistrate thinks these things to be but indifferent whereas many of us judge them to be Unlawful And therefore we are to be born with and his Judgment to be laid aside An excellent way indeed to set up your selves above your Superiours and to obey only what you please for 't is but for you to say or think any thing they Command to be Unlawful and then you have an Excuse or Dispensation from all Obedience to it Is not this an easier way than that of Corban to evacuate the Law and make void the Commandments both of God and Man But how come any among you to judge Forms of Prayer Unlawful which have ever been used in the Church from the beginning of Christianity to this Day If you have led any into this Mistake your Duty is to undeceive them and lead them out of it and not to desire that such weak or rather wilful persons should be humoured in such Fooleries As for things plainly forbidden by the Law of God I hope we may so far trust to the Care and Integrity of our Governours as not to fear the enjoining of them Or if they should you have a good Dispensation from obeying them But for Matters judged to be good and profitable to the Publick as the use of Forms against which some may have a few Scruples and Prejudices here I hope the Wisdom and Authority of Government may turn the Scale and the certain Duty of Obedience ought to weigh down an uncertain Scruple Sir I have no time or room left to consider your fine Similies of the Spectacles and Crutches at present but you shall not fail of it in my next I am SIR Your affectionate Friend and Servant M. H. April 29. 1697. LETTER XI To J. M. SIR I Observ'd in my last that tho' you can pretty well digest Forms of Prayer yet 't is the Injunction of them that sticks in your Stomach But I hope what I farther observ'd concerning the Just Authority of Superiours to command and the necessary Duty of Subjects to obey in a matter so lawful and expedient too may help to make it go down a little better However against the Imposing of them you go on to tell me that Forms of Prayer were at first brought in and intended only as Helps of Impotence and Insufficiency and to confine Men still to them is to necessitate them to a continual Impotence You own them to be excellent and useful Things in the Times of Ignorance and Darkness but now there is such a Meridiam Light that shines about us there can be no other use of them than to send us back again or keep us in the former Darkness for Christ and his Apostles say you never enjoyned these things and to Impose them now under the Gospel is no better than to force Spectacles upon good Eyes and Crutches upon able Legs Now to set these things in their true Light I shall readily grant you 1. that Forms of Prayer are Helps of Impotence and Insufficiency but they are such Helps as have been necessary ever since the days of Inspiration and will be so to the end of the World For there is a natural Impotence in all Men as to the Great Duties of Religion and more especially to this of Prayer And therefore all possible Helps are to be used to aid and assist us in the due performance of it Under the old Testament God Almighty appointed many Forms of Prayer Praises and Blessing the People and the Jewish Service consisted of these together with the Psalms of David and other Occasional Prayers composed by their Learned Doctors And these were the Helps for their Impotence under the Legal Dispensation Under the Gospel we find Forms of Prayers compos'd and prescrib'd to help the Impotence of Christians under that Dispensation St. John the Baptist the first Gospel Preacher taught his Disciples to Pray Luk. 11.1 2. which could not be Praying by the Spirit for none but the Holy Ghost could teach that but he composed and taught them a Form of Prayer After which the Disciples of Christ came to him and beg'd him to teach them to Pray as John taught his Disciples and he instantly gave them a Form of Prayer and this was done to help the Impotence and Insufficiency of both for we find the Apostles acknowledging that they knew not what to Pray for as they ought and that they were not sufficient of themselves to think a good thought And because the whole Oeconomy of the Jewish Worship was then to be abolished and a more Spiritual and Christian way of Worship to be set up in its room there was granted to them for a while an extraordinary Gift of Praying by Inspiration for the setling and propagating of it And when that was done this extraordinary Gift ceased and Publick Prayers were compos'd according to it And this hath continued in the Christian Church ever since So that as Necessity at first brought in Forms of Prayer to help Mens natural Impotence and Insufficiency for this Duty so there now is and ever will be the same necessity to continue them 2. But Secondly 'T is a Mistake Sir to affirm that they were brought in and intended only for Helps of Insufficiency for there were other wise and great Ends in it namely when Christianity multipyed to preserve Order and Unity and to prevent Schisms and Divisions in the Church And likewise that all Men may be acquainted with what they offer up unto God in Publick Worship without which they cannot agree in their Petitions nor Pray as we are bid with one Heart and one Consent But Christ and his Apostles say you never enjoyned Forms of Prayer I would not have