Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	bishop_n	church_n	great_a	1,993	5	2.9406	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94862	Triple episcopacie or, a three-fold order of bishops : one of God, another of men, and another of the divell; the two later must be pluckt up, the former only must continue, and the reasons why. With a declaration of certaine other weighty points concerning the discipline and government of the church		1641 (1641)	Wing T2287; Thomason E178_1; ESTC R212674	11,795	16

by his Apostolicall authority but by the authority of the whole Eldership neither doth Peter doubt to call himselfe fellow Elder Nay this is so farre off from being any good remedy from staying of schismes that contrariwise there was never more bitter contention in the Church than about this Primacy which had never come to passe if this preheminence above their fellows had been forbidden or rather if men had never brought it in Whereupon we conclude that this kinde of Bishop which is not of order but of superiority was brought in of man and as Hierome saith Tit. 1. by little and little and that so as he is indeed thought that the plants of dissention might be thereby plucked up all the care was committed to one man And whereas hee saith in the same place that it was decreed throughout all the world Wee are to understand it no otherwise than of a privie custome brought in by little and little And whatsoever is found in Ignatius or other antient Writers when the Bishop of Satan was not yet found out touching the authority of the Bishops or Over-seers as Justin speaketh is to be understood of this kinde of Bishop The Bishop of the Divell THus also we describe the Bishop of the Divell that even as that kind of Bishop ordained of God degenerated by little and little into an humane ordinance whereof wee intreated in the second place so this of the Divell against which we now labour is sprouted forth of the corruption of the Bishop brought in by man Of this intollerable corruption there are foule most manifest and undoubted markes Some of this kind of Bishops have wholy singled themselves from the Elderships so that they have nothing to doe with them Some have wholly abolished them And that they have challenged unto themselves and I know not to what Officials the whole guidance of the Church and chiefly the authority to elect to depose and to excommunicate so as they not onely are above others but as it were alone doe exercise Lordship over Gods inheritance contrary to the expresse inhibition of Peter That also they have invaded upon temporall dominions contrary to the flat commandement of Christ And that they will not only be present but also president in causes of this life and affaires of the Common-wealth the commandement of the Apostle to the contrary notwithstanding 2 Tim. 2. 1. Cor. 6. yea and that of Christ himselfe Luke 13. 14. That also they waste in riot and statelinesse against conscience and all shame the goods consecrated to holy uses That also they have tyed the Spirit of God to certaine places and persons as though the Bishop of the more noble place must needs haue necessary gifts above the rest or as though he who now is most fit must needs be so alwayes And last of all that they are the Image of that beast which is described Apoc 13. as Pope Anacletus himselfe witnesseth Epist 2. in as much as they are distinguished among themselves by those their thrones and degrees according to the patern of the Roman Empire The Apostle Act. 20. 19. foretold of this Hierarchie as they terme it of the false Bishop which in time became an Antichristian primacy And in the 3. John 9. it is most manifest that Satan begun even then to lay the foundation of this mysterie Now out of the History of the Nicene Councel which otherwise touching doctrine was every where received it is cleare how foule dissentions were even then of ordering the bonds betweene the Bishops the fountaines whereof they were so farre from damming up that pretending ancient customes they confirmed the Patriarchship and made a way for the horrible Papacie of Rome then sliding on and underlaid the seat for the Harlot that sitteth upon seven mountaines But far be it off that these things although they have their ancient great authority should be prejudiciall to the divine and Apostolicall writings according to the rule wherof there is no wise man wil doubt that the councels themselves are to be squared And to what purpose should I confute that agreement between the Priesthood of the Levites and of Christ which some old writers alledge to prove this divellish oligarchy and at the length even plaine tyranny Indeed it is evident that the high Priest was a figure of Christ himselfe whose second Image if wee grant that the Bishops are it will follow that there are as many images of Christ as there be Bishops in as much as there is none above him But contrariwise no Bishop hath been the Image of Christ Besides Bishops are not heads of the universal Church but of their own particular Nay no heads at all in as much as the Bishops are under Archbish the Archbishops under the Patriarchs they again under the Pope that is not under the true figure but the counter seit figure of Christ Now seeing that our only head is taken up into heaven a successor for whom living for ever we are not to seeke who seeth not that the Elders ordained by the Law of God come in theroome of the Priests of the Law and the Deacons to answer to the Levites The first Question Seeing that there are ordained in severall Churches severall Pastors and Ministers and the authority of all Christs Ministers in the Church seeme to be equall Whether the office of the Bishops be necessary in the Church to procure meetings when occasion ser●●●● 〈…〉 on just causes or whether all the Ministers having equall authority and not under the authority of any superiour Bishop ought to chuse fit men with the consent of the Patron who enjoyeth the benefice and the people themselves as also to correct and remove from the charge And the manners of the people themselves who can hardly or not at all be kept in obedience without the bridle of the Bishops authority which may runne through in visiting of the Churches of the Province may put us in minde to retaine such Bishops Againe so often as there shall be dealing in matters touching the safety of the common wealth in the solemne assemblies of the Land according to the Lawes which the kingdome hath of a long use and custome received there can be nothing established without the Bishops who have the third roome and place in the kingdome which to take away or wholly to put downe would be very dangerous to the Common-wealth The Answer to the first Question Whereas Satans Bishop hath been the overthrow of the Church and all the Christian kingdomes whose head is the Romane Antichrist it is to be looked unto of all hands especially of all godly Princes that they at once abolish it if they mind the reformation of the Church and their owne safety As for the Bishop ordained by man and brought into the Church by little and little whereby Satan made him a way for greater things it had beene tolerable so that with all the ancient good Lawes providing for the resisting of the

governing by some few had been in their former force againe But besides that the state of the world being quite changed experience of so many ages doth teach us too well that unlesse this root also be pluckt up it will come to passe that the same fruit will sprout and bud forth againe Finally seeing the Lord hath so often decided this controversie of superiority among his own Disciples that he shut it clean out seeing the rule both for doctrine good order of the Church is to be sought for out of the very writings of the Apostles and it is manifested the Churches then prospered when all this authority of one man over the rest yet was not but as that grew up so all things fell to decay Finally seeing where the rem nants of this government by a few are not cleane taken away the worke of the Lord is openly hindred Our judgement is that after the chasing away of this device of man the Churches shall be well provided for if they may be repaired according to the writings of the Apostles And the reformation as it seemeth to us consisteth herein that first the whole kingdome is to be divided into regions Againe the regions into parishes either of cities or country townes that in places most fit and of greatest assembly be placed Pastors being lawfully propounded by the company of their owne Elders to the Kings Christian Majestie or the deputies thereof and allowed of all Lastly being received of their owne people over whom they are to be set they be placed promulgation having gone befo●● and that in every parish the Pastor may have with him sit men to assist him who also may being watchfull salve up the offences not so weighty leaving the other of greater importance to the whole Eldership Also that Eldership made of the Pastors of parishes both of City and countrey and a sufficient number of men approved for their godlinesse wisedome lawfully also chosen as is aforesaid be placed in most fit places who assembling at a certain time and place may determine of the Church affaires of their owne government according to the prescript lawes first set downe in a generall Councell and afterward confirmed by the authoritie of the soveraigne Majestie In this company let there be chosen by comon voyces one first in order not superiour in authority who shall be thought most fit and that without making choyce of any certain place and but for a certaine time After the expiring wherof either let another be chosen or else the same man is to be established again for another time by a new consent whose office is to make report of the common affaires to the company to demand their judgements and to give sentence by the judgement of the Eldership having no authority given him over his fellowes to whom rather he is most subject In this assembly let nothing be debated of besides matters of conscience that by the Word of God and the lawes of Church discipline established drawne out of the Word of God not one whit medling with the authority of the civill Magistrate And let the soveraigne Majesty and the lawfull Magistrate thereby appointed be keepers of this order and the punisher of those that seditiously rage against it But if any shall imagin that this sudden abolishing of both these Bishops will minister occasion of new stirs although wee see not with what conscience the Bishops may so challenge to themselves the goods of the Church or else call themselves Bishops and live like Princes of this world yet for to keepe the common peace the soveraigne Majesty may leave unto them which are now Bishops their revenues whole for their life time so they trouble not the well made order of the Church with providing there be none chosen into their place when they be dead As for the frowardnesse of the people it may be kept downe better a great deale by other reynes than by the authority of a false named Bishop as by preaching of the Word of God by censures of the Church and the authority of the Magistrate of the country against the open troubles of the publike state either Ecclesiasticall or civill The Churches may very well be visited at set times without any great cost and Bishoplike pride by them whom every Eldership hath chosen under the Kings Majesties authority which will not be alwaies necessary if the Elders doe rightly execute their office This sitting of the Bishops with the authority of the voyce in the publike estates of the kingdome came in with a manifest abuse contrary to the Word and therefore in our minde is to be utterly abolished For the Bishop hath nothing to do in ordering of mere civill affaires yet forasmuch as in such assemblies especially some things many times happen belonging to the establishing of the estate and order of the Churches the keepers wherof the godly Magistrates ought to be and not the over-turners as we are taught by the example of holy Kings It is very necessary that as often as the meetings of the land are proclaimed intelligence thereof be given to the chiefe Elders who may be present in the behalfe of their seigniories yet not sitting as Judges but dealing about matters of the Church onely with the estates of the land as their Elderships have given them in charge except the states thinke good upon extraordinary occasion that they aske counsell of God about some other affaires also If also the Kings Majestie thinke good to admit into counsell amongst the Pastors or Elders one who shall be thought to be wise and experienced in things he may admt him though not as a Pastor or Elder yet as a citizen And it were injurious to remove from their office in the Church the Pastors and much lesse the Elders and Deacons otherwise Lay-men from that degree which they hold as Citizens either in the common wealth or in the assemblies But the Kings Majestie and all the Princes and Lords are to be exceeding wary that they make not courtlike governours of their Pastors to the great indamaging of the Church as we have a faire example in Eusebius of Nicomedia in the Court of Constantine As for the right of the patronage lest some man should say that it was gotten for himselfe Our judgement is that it may be concealed but not without some conditions namely that he which shall be chosen by the free voyces of the Eldership should be offered by the Patron to the Kings Majesty being also to set upon his charge after the consenting of his flock The second Question After that religion is reformed it hath beene a received custome that the Bishops and of the Ministers Pastors and Elders so many as should be sent of the Bishops should assemble themselves that they together with the chiefe Barons and Nobles which professe the true Religion might make enquirie after the doctrine and manners of every one But seeing the Prince himselfe is a lover of