Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	church_n	true_a	7,658	5	5.2374	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79851	A second voyce from the temple to the higher povvers. Wherein is proved that the decrees and institutions of popes and popish counsels, which have been established by the law of the land, and have been continued and confirmed throughout divers ages, by several acts of Parliament, against Jesus Christ, in the way and order of the Gospel (the same yet standing) ought by the present supream authority of this nation to be taken away. Moreover; here is shewed, some particular decrees of popes, which have beeen established by several acts of Parliament, viz. A nationall ministry, tythes, prohibiting men from publick preaching of the Gospel, unlesse elected and ordained after a popish manner, &c. All which as they are the institutions of popes, formerly confirmed by the law of the land, so now, to be abrogated. By John Canne.	Canne, John, d. 1667?	1653 (1653)	Wing C442A; Thomason E710_19; ESTC R207195	25,656	36

to this day her whorish attire And this I understand as one speciall and choise work of the Magistrate To make the whore desolate and naked It is that no Act or Law doe stand in force which doth yeeld any relief or help to her 3. If we must pray for Kings and all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty as 1 Tim. 2.2 Then it must needs follow that as it is our duty to pray that those Decrees and Institutions of Popes and Popish Counsels which have been established by the Law of the Land against Christ may be taken away so it is the Magistrates part and duty likewise to repeal them for otherwise the Church and people of God cannot lead a quiet and peaceable life c. but either must live unquiet or ungodly or both 4. If the Civil Magistrate be at all concern'd in taking vengeance on Babylon as to set himselfe in array against her bend his bow fan her and empty her If the pouring out of the later viols doe any way belong unto him this then is most proper to him as acting within his own sphear to null all Statutes and Lawes which idolatrous Princes have made when they gave their power to the Beast whereby the Antichristian Kingdome ever since hath stood and been supported 5. How are the Kings and Judges of the Earth wise and instructed how doe they serve the Lord in fear and kisse the Son as they are commanded Psa 2.10 11 12. If people under their Government are required and commanded by any Law in force though enacted before their time to practice false worship or any act of Idolatry and Superstition or to suffer in their person or estate in case they refuse 6. So long as Rulers permit old Lawes and Statutes in force whereby superstition and false worship is continued and established they are a terror to good works and not to evil They are not in this respect the Ministers of God to us for good which is quite contrary to Pauls doctrine Rom. 13.3 4. 7. Such Lawes and Statutes as were made at first by Idolaters against the wayes and truths of the Gospel so long as they are not repealed all succeeding Governours which allow and command the practice of them doe wrap themselves in the sin and guilt of that power by which they were first enacted and stand no lesse guilty before the Lord then the authors and contrivers of them and so much is clear by the words of the Prophet For the Statutes of Omri are kept and all the works of the house of Ahab and yee walk in their Counsels That I should make thee a desolation and the inhabitants thereof a hissing therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people Mic. 6.16 Omri and Ahab were both deceased long before but some unjust Statutes of theirs remained for which the Lord hath a Controversie with the mountaines of Israel in regard they had not repealed such wicked acts It is true the Prophet in the place doth not expresly say what those Statutes and works were neverthelesse by the History of the Kings of Israel it may easily be conceived They had devised a false worship and ordained Priests for the high Places and for the Devils and for the Calves which they had made Now this being done no question but it was by the States of Israel afterwards Enacted 1. That those Priests should be acknowledged to be true and lawful Ministers and that none should separate from them but communicate in all their publick Acts of Idolatry 2. That the people should pay Tythes to these Priests of the high-places 3. That no man unlesse ordained after the manner and form of these Priests should presume to open and expound the Law publickly to the people I shall say no more concerning the proof of this Assertion only my desire and prayer to God is that those who are in Authority may well consider how much it doth concerne them to inquire after the Decrees of Popes and Popish Councels which have been by the Law of the Land established against the Gospel and are to this day unrepealed In regard if the same be stil allowed by them how they wrapt themselves as was said before in the guilt and sin of those men who first made such irreligious Laws And therefore the Magistrate hath need to take heed what Law he makes or being made before doth allow in matters appertaining to Religion and the worship of God as binding men to the obedience and practice thereof I come now to the next particular that is to shew what Decrees of Popes established by the Lawes of the Land against Jesus Christ yet in force ought to be repealed 1. The Nationall Ministry commonly called the Ministry of the Church of England That this is a plant which the heavenly Father never planted and therefore to be pluckt up by the roots howsoever established by Law I shall make it good by many plain demonstrations But by the way least I should be mis-understood and the matter applied further and otherwise then is intended this I have thought good to declare that I doe believe there are in this Nation many faithful and true Ministers of Christ elected and ordained according to the Gospel some I know whom I love and honour so that it is a Ministry or more truly a Priesthood taken and derived from the Sea of Rome which I here speak of this I call the Nationall Ministry because to say the truth I know no ecclesiasticall person properly so called which the Law of the Land allowes as lawful but he whose Ministry is essentially derived from the Pope But to proceed 1. The Nationall Ministry is so carnal and earthly as that such as hold and maintain the same they have not a piece of Scripture precept nor example to justifie their opinion Insomuch as the learnedst of them and those who are true to their owne Principles doe ingeniously confesse the very thing which we said before namely that the Ministry of the Church of England that which is established by the Law of the Land is derived from the Pope Thus Francis Mason of Consecration published by Authority proves at large by undenyable Reasons So Mr Yates we are Ministers from Rome though not of Rome and gives this as a bone for the Brownish to pick. Model of Divinity page 257. 2. This being so that their office and calling is essentially derived from Rome and the Pope it must needs follow that such men as have not renounced that Ministry but stand formally and actually in the condition they were at first whither Bishops Priests or Deacons have dangerously run themselves upon a point of Treason and Fellony and might be legally executed for treason and fellony if the State were not pleased to interpret the Statute contrary as I conceive to the very letter and forme of it The words of the Statute are these Eliz. 27.2 It

Priests that would not teach the people unlesse they had great and large revenues But I wonder how any man unlesse a Prelate would mention this of Julian considering it was the revenues of Archbishops and Bishops c. which he tooke away nothing from the Parish Priest for as yet there was no set maintenance for him nor such a humane creature in the world But why is this story of Julian so often repeated in their Pamphlets It must be for one of these two Reasons either to render the Parliament irreligious and contemptible to the world if they take tythes away or else that they cannot take care for Religion and Christianitie unlesse they support a carnall Ministerie by tythes For the plea which they make of the Patrons Interest in the Donation of Parsonages and Vicarages The thing is so unjust as the Non-conformists in their writings against the Bishops usually cald them Latrons Theeves and professe their places to be unlawfull and wicked and give many Reasons for it If some one in a Parish had entailed to him and to his heires for ever the power of appointing husbands and wives to all the people therein the slaverie were unsufferable although in a matter of a Civil nature But how much more then unsufferably great is their sinne which loose a spirituall freedome and greater those Patrons which keepe it and greatest such Time-servers who labour what they can to maintain so corrupt and vile a thing I come now to the last General head which is that the Gospel may have a free passage amongst us and all such men libertie publickly every where to preach the same whom the Lord hath fitted enabled for that work though not in office and all restraints and prohibitions to the contrary both former and later removed and taken away Our Reasons are 1. That none should preach unlesse ordain'd this as the Nationall Ministerie and Tythes came likewise from the sea of Rome For Gregorie 9. in the yeare 1227. made a Decree that no lay man should preach Here began the abomination that maketh desolate Now the occasion was to suppresse the truth which at that time began most gloriously to breake forth by the Waldenses so that no higher can they bring this practise then to the yeare 1227. Neither have they any other Author to father and fasten it on then Satan and Antichrist For howsoever before this time many fowl abuses and corruptions were crept into the Church yet it was so many yeares after Christ before this Decree of the Pope came forth viz. That no lay man should preach But how sinfull and unlawfull that Decree of the Pope was will appeare by this Position or Conclusion which I shall here lay down and prove namely That faithfull men able to speak to edification exhortation and comfort though not Ministers or in any office may open and apply the holy Scriptures to the profit and benefit of others Or thus Preaching of the Gospel whether in publick or private is not tied to any office function calling ministerie but those out of office have right power libertie to make knowne the truths of the Gospel wheresoever they are or come 1. This was a practice both allowed and observed in the Jewish Church For howsoever Christ and his Apostles were more then private men viz. extraordinarily cald of God yet were they not by the Jewes acknowledged as Prophets and Apostles or men in office either ordinarie or extraordinarie but as gifted men and able to teach so they were permitted according to the laudable custome of the Church Luk. 2.46 47. 4.17 18. Act. 4.4 Act. 13 14 15 15. And there remaines among the Jewes the foot steps of this practise to this day as I have often seen in their Synagogues 2. Whether the Primitive Churches took up this practise as from the Jewes I shall not determine But that the brethren not in office might publickly preach it cannot be denyed You may all prophesie one by one saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.31 That he speakes not of any Church Officer or Minister the words vers 34. make it cleare Let your women keepe silence in the Churches for it is not permitted unto them to speake This is brought in to answer an objection as thus If all may speake in the Churches then women likewise No saith the Apostle it is not allowed them for severall Reasons Besides if none might speake to the edification of the Church but Ministers then the Apostles words forbidding women to speake would be vaine and absurd For what use was there that he should mention a restraint or prohibition of women if none might speake no not men unlesse Pastors or Teachers 3. As this was practised both in the Jewish and Christian Church so we finde it a dutie prest upon the people of God and earnestly cald upon not to quench the Spirit But as every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God 1 Pet 4.11 Againe Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us whether prophesie let us prophesie according to the proportion of faith Or ministerie let us wait on our ministering or he that teacheth on teaching or he that Exhorteth on Exhortation c. Rom. 12.6 7 8. He that well observes the words here may plainly see how the Apostle distinctly sets downe the Exercise of prophesie from what is to be don ministerially and by the officers of the Church 4. If men out of office may not open and apply the holy Scriptures observe what absurdities would follow 1. In case the Church have no Minister as it may often fall out by sicknesse persecution c. then she must want Teaching and so Vision ceasing the people perish Pro. 27.9 2. Multitudes in darknesse and the shadow of death are hereby left to perish in their bloud and sinne For to deny preaching to them by men out of offices is to leave them without the arme of God for their conversion gathering and bringing in to the Lord Jesus 3. Should there be no preaching till there are Ministers then necessarily after the General Apostacie of Antichrist there could never be raysed up either Churches or Officers For it is so absurd and ridiculous to imagine Officers before Churches and therefore we well know by the preaching of men out of office people were first called out from Babylon and being seperated from the world they covenanted together to walke in the faith and order of the Gospel and they become the true Churches of Christ electing and ordaining afterward their own Ministers according to the Apostolicall Institution 5. The benefits are great and pretious which not onely Saints but sinners too may receive by the private and publique teaching of men out of office For 1. what doth more speake out the glory of Christ in his Saints then to see the gifts and graces which he hath bestowed upon them shining