Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	according_a	law_n	power_n	3,809	5	5.0020	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11655	The protestation of the noblemen, barrons, gentlemen, borrowes, ministers, and commons; subscribers of the confession of faith and covenant, lately renewed within the kingdome of Scotland, made at the Mercate Crosse of Edinburgh the 22. of September immediatly after the reading of the proclamation, dated September 9. 1638	Henderson, Alexander, 1583?-1646.; Warriston, Archibald Johnston, Lord, 1611-1663. aut	1638 (1638)	STC 21904; ESTC S100065	13,633	28

strongly established that His Maiestie declareth for the present his intention to admit no innovation therein which is more evident by the indiction of the Parliament warning all prelats to bee present as having voice and place in Parliament and by the indiction of the assemblie warning all archbishops and bishops for so are their diverse degrees and offices Ecclesiasticall here designed and supposed to bee present as having place and voice in the Assemblie contrare to the caveats acts of the Kirk and our declinator and thus a third and great limitation is put upon the generall Assemblie The Proclamation by reason of these many reall limitations and preiudices of the libertie of the Assemblie in the very points which have wrought so much woe and disturbance in this Kirk and Kingdome and wherein the libertie of the Assemblie is most usefull and necessarie at this time can neither satisfie our grievances and complaints nor remove our feares and doubts nor can not without protestation bee admitted by us his Maiesties subiects who earnestly desire that Trueth and Peace may bee established and that for the reasons following 1. TO keepe silence in any thing that may serve for the good of the Kirk whether it bee in preaching prayer or in proposing and voiceing in a lawfull Assemblie of the Kirk is against the word of God Esai 62. 6. Yee that are the Lords remembranceers keepe not silence and give him no rest till he establish and till hee make Ierusalem a praise in the earth 1 King 18. 21. Like the halting of the people betweene two opinions and their not answering a word when the LORD called them to give a testimonie Act. 20. 20. I have keeped backe nothing that was profitable unto you And againe 1 Cor. 12. 7. Math. 15. 18. Rom. 1. 18. Revel 2. 14. 20. and 3. 15 and therefore to keepe silence or not to medle with corruptions whether in doctrine sacraments worship or discipline in a generall Assemblie of the Kirk conveened for that end were the readie way to move the Lord to deny his Spirit unto us and to provoke him to wrath against our proceedings and might be imputed unto us for preiudice for collusion and for betraying our selves and the posteritie 2. This predetermination is against our supplications and protestations wherein wee have showne our selves so earnest for a free generall Assemblie contrare to every limitation of this kinde so far preiudging the libertie thereof is against the Confession of Faith registrated in the Parliament 1567. declaring that one cause of the councels of the Kirk is for good policie and order to bee observed in the Kirk and for to change such things as men have devised when they rather foster superstition then edifie the Kirk using the same and is against our late Confession wherein wee have promised to forbeare all novations till they bee tryed which obligeth us to forebeare now and to trye them in an Assembly by all lawfull meanes to labour to recover the former puriue and libertie of the Gospell to which this limitation is directly repugnant our libertie in agenerall assembly beeing the principall of all lawfull meanes serving to that end 3 This were directly contrarie to the nature and ends of a generall assembly which having authority from GOD beeing conveened according to the lawes of the Kingdome and receiving power from the whole collective bodie of the Kirk for the good of Religion and safety of the Kirke What-so-ever maye conduce for these good ends in wisedome and modestie should bee proponed examined and determined without Prelimitation either of the matters to be treated or of the libertie of the members thereof It beeing manifest that as farre as the assembly is limited in the matters to bee treated and in the members to bee used the necessarie ends of the Assembly and the supreme Law which is the safetie of the Kirk are as farre hindered and prejudged This limitation is against the Discipline of the Kirk which booke 2. chap. 7. declareth this to be one of her liberties That the Assembly hath power to abrogate and abolish all Statuts and ordinances concerning ecclesiasticall matters that are found noysome and unprofitable and agree not with the time or are abused by the people and against the acts of the generall assembly Like as the pretended Assembly 1610. declareth for the common affaires of the Kirke without exception or limitation it is necessare that there bee yearely generall Assemblies And what order can bee hoped for heere-after if this assembly indicted after so long intermission and so many grosse corruptions bee limited and that more than ever any lawfull Assembly of the Kirk was when it was yearely observed 5. It is ordained in Parl. 11. act 40. K. Iames 6. anent the necessare and lawfull forme of all Parliaments that nothing shall bee done or commanded to bee done which maye directly or indirectly prejudge the libertie of free voycing or reasoning of the Estates or any of them in time comming It is also appointed in Parl. 6 act 92. K. Iames 6. that the Lordes of Counsell and Session proceed in all civill causes intended or depending before them or to bee intended to cause execute their decrees notwithstanding any private wryting charge or command in the contrare and generally by the acts of Parliament appointing everie matter for its owne judicatorie and to all judicatories their owne freedome And therefore much more doeth this libertie belong to the supreme judicatorie ecclesiastick in matters so important as concerneth GOD'S honour and worship immediatly the salvation of the peoples Soules right constitution of the Kirk whose liberties priledges are confirmed Parl. 12. K. Iames. 6. Parl. 1. K. Charles for if it be carefully provided by diverse Acts of Parliament especially Parl. 12. act 148. K. Iames 6. That there bee no forstalling or regrating of thinges pertaining to this naturall life What shall bee thought of this spirituall forstalling and regrating which tendeth to the famishing or poysoning of the soules of the people both now and in the generations afterward 6. It were contrare to our Protestations proceedings and complaints against the late innovations And it might bee accompted an innovation and usurpation as grosse and dangerous to us and the posteritie and as prejudiciall to Religion as any complained upon by us to admitt limitations and secret or open determinations which belongeth to no person or judicatorie but to an Asembly Or to consent to and approve by our silence the same praedeterminations It were to be guiltie of that our selves which we cōdemne in others Wee maye easilye judge how the Apostles before the Counsell of Ierusalem the Fathers bee fore the Nicene Councell and our Predecessors before the assembly holden at the Reformation and afterwards would have taken such dealing That this Proclamation commandeth all his Majesties Subjects for maintenance of the Religion already established to subscribe and renew the Confession of Faith subscribed before

Confessionn of Faith registrated in the Acts of Parliament doeth by consequence containe this short confession and abjuration Yet were it not sufficient against Poperye to subscribe the one without the other how then shall wee thinke that the more generall Confession and abjuration at this time when the urging of such Popish books hath extorted from us so necessarie an application and doth still call for a testimonie to bee compleet eneugh without it 7. The Papists shall heereby bee occasioned to renew their old objection against us Annuas menstruas sides de Deo decernunt That our Faith changeth with the Moone or once in the yeere Other reformed Kirkes might justly wonder at our inconstancie in changing our Confession without any reall necessitie that in one the same yere it commeth forth larger more particulare then shorter and more generall and our Adversaries will not faile to traduce us as troublers of the peace of the Kirke and Kingdome without anye necessar cause 8. It will likewise prove a confirmation of their errour who think they maye both subscribe the Confession of Faith and receive the Service booke and Canons which is not onely a direct scandaling of them but also a readie waye to put a weapon in their hands against our selves who maintaine and professe that these and such other evills are abjured in the Confession of Faith 9. It wee should now sweare this Confession wee should bee obliged by our oath to maintaine Perth articles which are the innovations already introduced in the worship of God and to maintaine Episco pacie with the civill places and power of Kirkmen Because wee are bound to sweare this Confession by vertue of and conforme unto the Kings command signed by his sacred Majestie of the date September 9. 1638. These are the very words subjoined to the Confession and Band and prefixed to the Subscriptions and it cannot bee denyed but any oath ministred unto us must either bee refused or else taken according to the known minde professed intention and expresse command of Authoritie urging the same And it is most manifest that His Majesties minde intention and Commandement is no other but that the Confession bee sworne fot the maintenance of religion as it is alreadie or presently professed these two being coincident altogether one and the same not only in our common forme of speaking but in all His Maiesties proclamations and thus as it includeth and conteineth within the compasse thereof the foresaids novations and Episcopacie which under that name were also ratified in the first Parliament holden by his Maiestie And where it may be objected that the Counsellours have subscribed the Confession of Faith as it was professed 1580. and will not urge the Subscription in an other sense upon the Subjects We answere First the Act of Counsell containing that declaration is not as yet published by Proclamation Secondly if it were so published it behooved of necessitie either be repugnant to His Majesties declared Judgement and Command which is more not to sweare without warrand from Authoritie a fault although unjustly often objected unto us or else wee must affirme the Religion in the yeare 1580. and at this time to bee altogether one and the same and thus must acknowledge that there is no novation of Religion which were a formall contradiction to that we have sworn 3. By approving the Proclamation anent the Oath to be administred to Ministers according to the Act of Parliament which is to sweare simple obedience to the Diocesan Bishop and by warning all Archbishops and Bishops to bee present as having voice and place in the Assemblie They seeme to determine that in their Judgement the Confession of Faith as it was professed 1580. doeth consist with Episcopacie whereas Wee by our oath have referred the tryall of this or any other question of that kinde to the generall Assemblie and Parliament 10. This Subscription and oath in the minde and intention of authoritie and consequently in our swearing thereof may consist with the corruptions of the Service book and Canons which wee have abjured as other heads of Poperie For both this present proclamation and his Majesties former proclamations at Linlithgow Striveling Edinburgh The Lords of privie Counsell in their approbation of the same and the prelates and doctors who stand for the Service book and Canons Doe all speake plainly or import so much That these bookes are not repugnant to the Confession of Faith and that the introduceing of them is no novation of religion or law And therefore wee must either refuse to subscribe now or we must confesse contrarie to our late Oath and to a cleare Trueth that the Service booke and Canons are no innovations in Religion And although the present bookes bee discharged by proclamation yet if wee shall by any deed of our owne testifie that they may consist with our Confession of Faith within a very short time either the same books or some other like unto them with some small change may bee obtruded upon us who by Our abjuration if wee adhere unto it have fred both our selves and the posteritie of all such corruptions and have laide a faire foundation for the pure worship of God in all time coming 11. Although there be indeed no substantiall difference betweene that which Wee have subscribed and the Confession subscribed 1580. more then there is betweene that which is hid and that which is revealed A march stone hid in the ground and uncovered betwixt the hand closed and open betwixt a sword scheathed and drawn or betwixt the large Confession registrat in the Acts of Parliament and the short Confession or if we may with reverence ascend yet higher betweene the Old Testament and the New yet as to scheath our sword when it should bee drawne were imprudencie or at the commandment of Princes professedly popish in their dominions after the Subjects had subscribed both Confessions to subscribe the first without the second or at the will of a Jewish Magistrate openly denying the New Testament to subscribe the Old alone after that they have subscribed both were horrible impietie against God and treacherie against the Trueth Right so for Us to subscribe the former a-part as it is now urged and framed without the explanation and application thereof at this time when ours is rejected and the subscribers of the former refuse to subscribe ours as containing something substantially different and urge the former upon us as different from ours and not expressing the speciall abjuration of the evils supplicated against by us were nothing else but to deny and part from our former subscription if not formally yet interpretatively Old Eleazar who would not seeme to eat forbidden meat and the Confessors and Martyres of old who would not seeme by delivering some of their papers to render the Bible or to deny the Trueth may teach us our duetie in this case although our lives were in hazard for refusing this Subscription And who knoweth