Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	admit_v	church_n	scripture_n	2,766	5	6.5715	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91248	Jus regum. Or, a vindication of the regall povver: against all spirituall authority exercised under any form of ecclesiasticall government. In a brief discourse occasioned by the observation of some passages in the Archbishop of Canterburies last speech. Published by authority.	Parker, Henry, 1604-1652.; Hunton, Philip, 1604?-1682,	1645 (1645)	Wing P404; Thomason E284_24; ESTC R200064	30,326	40

hath been judged already by the unappealable judgement of God to be an evidence of want of faith in him who commits it and doth take pleasure and delight into it which is made manifest and apparent to men by a perseverance in it onely and therefore it is the sentence of God and not of the Minister the Minister being onely Gods Herauld or messenger to declare to others the revealed will of God and for doing thereof he hath an expresse warrant from God recorded in Scripture nor must it be any part of the Ministers purpose to send any man to hell but purpose and intention of doing execution upon the offender is essentiall to authority and inseparable from it but onely to prevent what in him lieth his going thither for albeit that the Ministers sentence being rightly pronounced be ratified in heaven which is undenyable yet may it be recalled again but never at the Ministers will and pleasure which at sometimes is incident to authority but by the contrition and repentance of the obstinate party publikely promising and vowing his amendment upon which evidence the Minister may pronounce his absolution receiving him again into the bosome of the Church and admitt him againe into the Communion of Saints and this sentance is likewise ratifyed in Heaven If the parties repentance be unfained and sincere which notwithstanding may be hypocriticall and dissembled in him albeit he doth refraine and forbeare from the performance of that wherein he gave the offence and scandall and doth moreover proceede to amendment of his life not onely in that particular but doth walke unblameably and without any deserved reproofe from the judgment of men in all other howsoever upon a visible purpose of amendment the Minister not onely may but must receive him againe into the bosome of the Church and admit him againe into the holy Communion with others so that nothing is left to the will of the Minister nor to the finall judgement of the Minister but all is referred to the will and knowledge of God and where will and knowledge are excluded their Authority is wanting and though much may be effected and brought to passe by them yet whatsoever is effected deserves not the name as differing from the nature of Authority and the Ministers of Christ having no Authority in those things wherein they cannot ere so long as they follow the cleare light revealed in Scripture they can much lesse have any Authority for such things which flow from their owne Invention nor can they inforce obedience by any spirituall meanes or censures of the Church unto any thing whereof they themselves are Authors when no spirituall meanes are compulsive in regard of the Instrument that must apply them and whatsoever efficacy or vertue they have yet may they never be applyed for the inforcing of any thing whereof man is Author for then it would follow that the will of man or something proceeding from the will of man would be a rule to the Justice of God when one man must be as a Publican or Heathen and consequently uncapable of the fruits of Christs death for disobeying onely the will or something depending upon the will of another which no man dares to affirme and having no compulsive meanes to inforce obedience they can have no legislative power of making of cannons and constitutions binding to the conscience for a law without a penalty or power sufficient to inforce it is no law nor neede they have any such power for such a power is not conducible at all to that end of Religion which is committed to them to their care and paines but is destructive to the end of government for Religion hath a two fold end the one respecteth God the other man the end of religion in respect of God is to glorify God that man who was therefore created to glorify his Maker should by a true knowledge of the true God glorify him aright and the end of religion in respect of man is to bring a man from all confidence in himselfe or the creature to rely upon the Providence and goodnesse of God who is the Creator to the end he may renounce his own righteousnesse to be made partaker of the merits and Righteousnesse of the Sonne of God the Redeemer of Mankinde that by faith in him he may obtaine grace and some measure of sanctification in this life for the remission of sinnes and fruition of Glory hereafter and for this end of religion no humane lawes do contribute any thing at all for unto this the Scriptures are sufficient being compleate in themselves and the chiefe duty of the Ministers of the Gospell is to explaine and expound the true meaning of scripture to others for doing whereof they should be learned in all necessary learning and skilfull as also have a lawfull Calling by a lawfull Ordination and for which it is very fit that they be set apart from all other imployment and have a sufficient maintenance that they may the better attend that to which they are called but for the other end to glorify God humane lawes doe contribute much but they are required of Christian Kings and Magistrates and not of Christian Ministers for God did from the begining put Authority into the hands of the Magistrate and endowed them with effectuall meanes for inforcing of obedience to what should be commanded by them so did he never in the hands of the Priests and Levites under the Law nor of the Apostles under the Gospell and by consequence into the hands of no Ministers whatsoever succeeding them and God doth require of the Magistrate to improve his Authority which is the talent that God hath given him for the gaining of others by force and compulsion when no other meanes will prevaile to the performance of those dutyes that are required of them as he requires of all who are called to labour in the Ministeriall function and office to imploy their gifts and graces which are the talents bestowed upon them painfully and dilligently for the enlightning of the understanding of others whereby every exalted thought and imagination may be brought downe which the Magistrates Power and Authority can never reach for the Power of the Magistrate reacheth no further then to the outward life conversation when the operation of the Ministry subdueth the will and therefore the principall care of the Magistrate is and ought to be to enforce men to live uprightly and justly as they ought to doe for by so doing men glorify God but this is not all the glory that is to be performed by man to God for besides there must be a ready submission to the Will of God springing from a perfect love to God and grounded upon an assured confidence of Gods love to us which may be begotten and kindled in a man but can never be inforced and to this duty tendeth the Ministers paines and labour but it is and ought to be the Christian Magistrates care to provide

the Kings actions and his owne that they could not easily be distinguished that by so doing he might never be reached but by wounding the King first building thereby great hopes if not assured confidence to escape himselfe and here labouring to justifie himselfe to the People from having ever had any intention to introduce Popery he purposly makes mention of the King for whose purposes intentions he might safely take any deep Protestation as if that conduced much to clear himself in the opinion of his Auditors which was the chiefe thing he now aimed at of all practices tending to that end as a thing impossible for him to bring about without the concurrent consent of the King which was but a fancy but no solid argument necessarily concluding what he would have beleeved for the worke might be advancing without any discovery in the King that it was necessarily tending to such an end untill such time that it should be too late if not impossible to retire as a Deere may be driving into a toyle not suspecting any danger but having leisure at some times to feed by the way untill such time as seeing and apprehending his owne danger by being unawares reduced to such a straight as doth leave him no variety of choice but to place his onely safety and meanes of escape in leapping into that snare which had been prepared for him and to which much paines had been taken to drive him for it is not to be imagined that either his Majestie or any other Christian King should submit themselves to the bondage of Popery if they rightly understood what they did for to passe by the danger which it bringeth to their soules by leading them into by-pathes of errour which can never bring them to heaven it subjects all temporall authority into a vassalage and subordination to its spirituall and that not so much by any accident or contingency arising from the different dispositions of the severall persons who sit upon the severall thrones spirituall and temporall which may be turbulency and ambition in the one and infirmity and weaknes in the other as by the very principles and Fundamentall constitution of Popery by reason of the acknowledgement of and submission into a spirituall authority being once rooted and firmely fixed in the beliefe or imagination by all who embrace it and the naturall effects which doe necessarily spring from thence For when the world was blinded by ignorance as by darknesse at what time the Popes did sit as God in the Temple of God and by their spirituall authority in excommunicating and absolving whom they pleased and for what they pleased did uncontrollably oppose and exalt themselves above all that is called God that is above all Magistracy and power in earth What lamentable and sad effects did Christendome groane under and feel from such transcendent and omnipotent a Power so long as from a generall beliefe it was universally submitted unto But when mens eyes began once to be opened and by the cleer light of the truth revealed in Scripture some men did cleerly see and perceive that no such power was ever nor could be given into any one man upon earth yet the apprehension of such a power and authority that it was given unto some being sunke deeply into all mens understandings great difference did arise where the same should reside and all men acknowledging it to appertain to the Clergy onely did place it amongst them as it were by a generall consent in some one of those formes which are knowen to be best capable to preserve authority all or the most part of all concluding that it must be preserved in one of them each imbracing and submiting into that forme which was preferred and made choice of by those who bare the greatest sway or had the greatest esteem and reputation with them but none of them foreseeing into all effects and events which might follow hath bin the chief cause why so much discord contention hath risen and continued which will never be wanting so long as the cause remains that is until it be clearly understood what the pow-of the Church and of Churchmen is whether any such thing as spirituall authority doth appertain to them by what right and to what end whether or no it be conducing to Religion or be compatible with the end of government for albeit there be no such thing as spirituall authority acknowledged yet all power is not thereby taken away from the Church but the consequence will only be that the power of the Church of Church-men is no more then opperative and declarative not at all authoritative and having no authority they can have no legislative power of making Lawes and constitutions call them by what name soever they will binding to the conscience having no penalties to inforce obedience and why should any such thing as spirituall authority be admitted to be when it cannot be evidenced what execution doth follow for authority without execution ceaseth to be authority by losing its vertue for if authority say to one go he must go or to another come he must come and likewise to a third doe this he must do it but no Clergy man nor Minister of the Gospel can say enter thou into heaven and goe thou into hell all hee can say is thus beleeve and do and thou shall be saved but if otherwise you will be damned but both the doing and beleeving dependeth upon the hearers owne choice nothing is determined by the appointment of the Minister all that rests in the power of the Minister is to declare to others the effectuall meanes of their salvation from the revealed will of God to which whosoever submits by a voluntary profession testifying his beliefe and receiving of baptisme which is the seale of his beliefe but brings not forth fruit according to his Profession and walkes not according to the rules set down in Scripture and will not be convinced nor reclaimed by no admonition nor reproofe then may the Minister safely and boldly pronounce that he is still in the state and condition of an Infidell and unbeleever no more capable of any thing that may accrue unto him by the death and mediation of Christ then a heathen or pagane and therefore may debar him from admission into the holy Communion which is or ought to be the Communion of Saints or true beleevers and is Gods Sacrament to us that is to say his Covenant and seal unto us of the fruits and benefits that we hope for hereafter by vertue of Christs death and resurrection but the party offending is not presently cast into hell by that sentence and though hell fire may follow upon it hereafter yet is it not the Ministers sentence nor the debarring him from the Sacrament that doth send him thither but his want of faith which is made evident and nortorious by no single act of any declared sinne but by an obstinate perserverance in any one sin or more that

for all that can onely be introduced by force and compulsion in the Service of God wherefore the severall ends of Magistracy and of the Ministry are different but not contrary but the severall meanes by which they attaine their ends are not onely different but contrary and those meanes which are effectuall to the one are not only ineffectuall but uselesse to the other for the Magistrate can never attaine that end to which his Authority conduceth by no perswation nor information onely nor can the Minister subdue the will nor informe the understanding by any Authority from or in himselfe and both of them have their Commission immediately from God and each of them are subject to the other without any subordination of offices from the one to the other for the Magistrate is no lesse subject to the operation of the word from the mouth of the Minister then any other man whatsoever and the Minister againe is as much subject to the Authority of the Magistrate as any other Subject whatsoever and therefore though there be no subordination of offices yet is there of Persons the Person of the Minister remaining a Subject but not the function of the Ministry but there needes not two Tribunalls nor Independent Courts be erected to provide for their severall ends and dutyes required of them for the Minister can never attaine the end of his labours by no Judiciall processe nor legall proceedings whatsoever and therefore all Judiciall courts are needelesse and uselesse to his ends yet are they not so to himselfe having other ends then what are required of him for the discharge of his duty and function but it is essentiall to the Magistrate to have a tribunall and judiciall Courts for the attaining of his ends and duties required of him without which he can never discharge his dutie as he ought but whensoever the like Tribunall is erected in the Church as is necessary in the State they must be Independent one of another in regard the severall offices governing Church and State are so but all that is to be got by Independant Tribunalls is either dissention and discord which is the usuall fruite that devision of Authority beareth or by compliance to provide for one anothers Interests or particular ends differing from their publick dutyes with the manifest losse of true religion on both sides which many times drawes downe the Judgment of God upon one or both as being a third person no lesse interressed in Justice and Honour then either and many times the Justice of God is most greeveous when least apprehended as suffering men to wallow in their sins to dye in security nor is it a small Judgment to leave men to the necessary effects which division of Authority produceth for the end of all government is the preservation of humane society the meanes of doing whereof is by union and unity and Authority is the effectuall meanes of producing and propagating unity and therefore whensoever Authority is divided Vnitie may alwaies and sometimes must admit of division which destroyes it for unity and division are destructive one of another and when two Tribunalls are erected for the determining of severall and different causes and crimes both armed with a forcible Authority weilding swords of a different nature agreable to their different constitutions and without any dependency and subordination the one to the other what lasting concord and agreement can there be beweene these two they that mannage them must be juster then men are knowne to be or advantages will be taken when given by the one as no sublunary substances which are subject to change can remaine long in an equall ballance for subjecting the other and therefore it was when the Christian world did by a generall consent beleeve that the Church having a sword though invisible for the cutting off of all schismaticall and refractory Members no lesse really and truly then the State hath a visible materiall sword which for the preservation of union and unity was esteemed necessary to be put into the hands of one and therefore willingly submitted their necks under the Imaginary stroake thereof from the sentence of Popes or Bishops of Rome How easie was it for them by reason therof to subject all Christian Princes and Magistrates unto a dependency and subordination unto them and their Authority and how did they trouble the Christian world by transferring of rights and stirring up of rebellion whensoever any of those Princes did oppose them or contradict their wills by a supposed Intrenching upon their pretended Prerogatives though usurped but when the Popes right began to be questioned by some whereby his reputation did decline even amongst those who adhearing still to the doctrine of the Church of Rome as to that in which they had beene educated and bred yet did not beleeve his censures to be so dreadfull as before they apprehended them to be but the edge of his sword being thereby blunted and the edge of the temporall sword being not onely visible but sharpe the advantage returned to Princes whereby those Princes who continued in union with the Church of Rome professing subjection and obedience to the spirituall Authority thereof doe notwithstanding now reduce that power and Authority to which they professe subjection unto a subordination of them and their Authority to be directed by them which will be of no longer permanency then that Church can insnare the world againe to an apprehension and beleife of the reality of their power to beget which they continually indeavour and aspire and have no small hopes from the differences and divisions amongst Protestants for the increasing and fomenting whereof it is not to be imagined that they are idle but whatsoever their hopes and practises are their greatest strength remaineth in this that it is generally beleeved that the Church hath a spirituall Authority for the cutting off of all schismaticall Members and that this Authority is to be preserved in some one forme or other without any derivation thereof from any humane power for then it cleerely and undoubtedly followeth that whosoever by such principles of reason taken from the end of government doth incline to Monarchy and that this spirituall Authority can best be preserved by the Supremacy of one man then the Bishops of Rome having had for a long time and for a long succession and still having the possession besides other advantages of greatnesse and power which begetteth strength and reputation must and will be acknowledged by all those to be the onely spirituall Monarch in the Church armed with spirituall Authority and whosoever out of prejudice against the Church of Rome taken against her by reason of either her errours or abuses or both doth seperate themselves from the Communion of that Church and by consequence onely free themselves from her subjection but doe notwithstand adheare to and retaine the grounds of those errours and abuses by acknowledging and beleeving that the same spirituall Authority which was presupposed to have beene