Selected quad for the lemma: king_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
king_n	abbot_n	bishop_n	church_n	2,392	4	3.4875	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26703	Cheirothesia tou presbyteriou, or, A letter to a friend tending to prove I. that valid ordination ought not to be repeated, II. that ordination by presbyters is valid : with an appendix in which some brief animadversions are made upon a lately published discourse of M. John Humfrey, concerning re-ordination / by R.A., a lover of truth and peace.	R. A. (Richard Alleine), 1611-1681.; Humfrey, John, 1621-1719. Question of re-ordination.	1661 (1661)	Wing A984; ESTC R3821	66,750	87

out of him upon the 12 of Luke 14. These are his words Si quis expendat quantum sit negotii sermonem divinum recte dispensare quod ut facerent ipsi Apostoli tanto instructi spiritu curam Pauperum aliis delegavere facile intelliget quosvis alios potius adhibendos componendis privatorum controversiis quam eos quos docendi munus occupat Est quidem horum imo horum praecipue discordias praecidere sed si in brevi admonitione fieri possit quomodo Onesimum Philemoni reconciliat Paulus non si causae ambages discutiendae magno temporis dispendio constabit res paucorum 3. Nor can it be thought that it is of divine right that Bishops should delegate their power of Jurisdiction to Chancellors Commissaries and other Lay-Officers Rather again 't is questionable whether this be not flatly against the Law of Christ To be sure 't is contrary to the practise Primitive as is acknowledged even by B. Downam one of the greatest sticklers for Episcopacy See his Defence of his Sermon L. 1. I believe therefore it will be said that only the substance of our Episcopacy is of Divine Right Well what is that One W. C. at the end of that Discourse Printed at Oxom called Confessions and Proofs of Protestant Divines that Episco c. hath these words If we abstract from Episcopal Government all accidentals we shall find it no more but this an appointment of one man of eminent sanctity and sufficiency to have the care of all the Churches within a certain Precinct or Diocess Then belike if one be not of eminent sanctity and sufficiency he is no Bishop cui non convenit definitio c. But to let this pass one man 't is said must have the care of all the Churches within a certain Precinct or Diocess Well but how big must this Precinct or Diocess be Must it be the whole Christian world as the Pope saith or will it suffice that it consist of 2 or 3 Parish-Churches For this I am told by Mr. Sandcroft p. 21. That the Apostles preached the Gospel not only in Cities but in the Countries adjoyning yet planted Churches in Cities still and setled single persons their Successors there to govern both the cities Regions round about from whence a City a Church come to be equipollent terms even in the Apostolical Writings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 14.23 the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tit. 1.5 And yet further that they left the Churches of inferiour Cities and their Bishops in dependance upon the Metropolis which were the cheife according to the civill division and that the only true ground of the Superiority of one Church above another hath been rendred as manifest as any thing almost in Ecclesiastical Antiquity against all Adversaries both those of the hils and those of the Lake too by the Learned and well placed Labours of those excellent persons in both pages of the Dipticks whom I shall not need to name since their own works praise them in the gate And p. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the standing Rule and failes nor a City and a Bishop generally adequate one to another For as on the one side an Universal Bishop with the whole world for his Jurisdiction is a proud pretence too vast for Humanity to grasp so on the other side Rural Bishops too is a poor and mean design and not only retrives the Italian Episcopelli so scorned at Trent but worse p. 2.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non in vicis aut villis aut modica Civitate No Bishops there lest they grow contemptible so run the Canons of the Ancient Church both Greek and Latine and therefore the Twelfth Council of Toledo unmitred one Convildus formerly an Abbot in a little Village and dissolved the Bishoprick which Bamba the Gothick King had violently procured to be erected there and that by this Rule of the Church and the very 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of my Text which they actually plead in the Front of their Decree to justifie their Proceedings But with reverence to so Learned a man be it spoken much of this seems to be delivered with more Confidence then Truth And indeed before we can gather the Divine Right of any particular Form of Government from Apostolical Practise we must first prove the Universality of that Practise We must evince that not some few but all the Apostles did so practise Now I think it huge difficult if not impossible from any credible Records to make out what Order and Method was observed by all the Apostles in their planting of Churches it being but very little if any thing that is said by Historians concerning some of them 2. If we could prove universality of Practise we must also prove that such universal practise was not upon some grounds proper and peculiar to those Times in which the Apostles lived Well I for my part will take no advantage from either of these two Considerations but yet will give you my Reasons why I cannot look upon the Platform by him laid down as Apostolical 1. It savours strongly of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both which were undoubtedly far from any one of Apostolical Spirit For seeing the Gospel was preached in Towns as well as Cities let us imagine that by preaching of the Gospel five hundred were converted in a Town but one hundred in a City would it not be a sinful accepting of persons to appoint the hundred Citizens a Bishop and to leave the five hundred without a Bishop It matters not whether this case did ever actually happen 't is plain it might have happened and we may argue a possibili And let any rational man say whether it be probable that this is an Apostolical Institution that Peterborough and Ely should have a Bishop resident in them Northampton Leicester Cambridge none 2. This model is destructive to Episcopacy it self for if this be an Apostolical Institution that there should be no Bishops but in Cities then if it should seem meet to any Christian Magistrate to have no Cities in all his Territories we must have no Bishops if he should see meet to make all Cities equal we must have no Archbishops or Metropolitanes We know that lately a certain thing that called it self the Supreme Authority of England did uncity Chester suppose this had been done by a lawful Authority so as that it could not have been recalled the Church of England would have been loath to have lost a Bishop yet she must if this be true that no City no Bishop Or what if our King by the advice of his Councel should make every market Town in England and Wales a City must our Bishops presently be multiplied according to that proportion 3. 'T is plain that in one City there was more Bishops then one plain from Scripture for S. Paul writes Phil. 1.1 To all the Saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi with