Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	ceremony_n	church_n	ordain_v	3,759	5	9.3766	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62249	The dew of Hermon which fell upon the hill of Sion, or, An answer to a book entituled, Sions groans for her distressed, &c. offered to the King's Majesty, Parliament, and people wherein is pretended to be proved by Scripture, reason, and authority of fifteen ancients, that equal protection under different perswasions, is the undoubted right of Christian liberty : but hereby confuted, wherein the power and proceedings of the Kings Majesty and the church are vindicated.	H. S. (Henry Savage), 1604?-1672.	1663 (1663)	Wing S760; ESTC R34021	70,693	96

God Ans That their Rulers enjoyned them not to preach Christ and therein they did well to disobey for otherwise they had not feared God in as much as though their Rulers were above them God was above them both Yet had they not obeyed passively as contented to suffer reproach for the name of Christ they had erred against the fifth commandment of Honour thy father and mother which is equivalent to that in the New Testament so Honour the King which is clean contrary to rebelling or resisting him These things are so plain that I wonder any should stumble at them but that they are so blinded with passion and self interest that they cannot apprehend them 4. They say in the fourth place That all Emperours before Constantine were Heathens and that therefore those texts of Scripture that call for obedience to Magistrates cannot intend obedience in matters of faith Ans Do they think that the New Testament whereof these texts of Scripture are a part belonged only to those that then lived and not to us also if not then this text of Scripture viz. ye believe in God believe in me also belonged not unto us but to them only that lived then As we have oportunity let us do good unto all men especially to them that are of the houshold of faith Gal. 6. 10. with all the rest of the New Testament belonged not to us but to them only They would have the Old Testament cashier'd and if they reject the New what Canon shall be left to walk by no faith no hope no charity would be then necessary this would be a liberty indeed here would be room enough for an Enthusiast to wander in But stay a little Those texts of Scripture belonged not to them alone who lived in those daies but to us also as does all the rest of the New Testament who live under Christian Magistrates and therefore they must intend obedience in matters of faith and that because they are words indefinitely spoken which we are not to restrain to our own sense but rather to enlarge them into an universal proposition Let every soul be subject to the higher power wherein In all things for 't is in materia necessaria and consequently equivalent to an universal 2. I answer that albeit all Magistrates were now Heathens yet it would comprehensively intend obedience to them in matters of faith either active or passive as to competent judges of them Felix was a Heathen Act. 24. yet he being the Deputy of the Roman Emperour St. Paul is accused before him by Tertullus whereupon saies St. Paul I am judged concerning the Resurrection from the dead h. e. concerning a principal Article of faith The same controversie came shortly after before Festus wherein St. Paul himself acknowledged his right of judging Here sayes he I ought to be judged Again fearing the injustice of the Judge He appealed unto Caesar who of right was the supreme Judge and a Heathen too Other examples might be alledged out of primitive Authors but in vain against men who will deny the Sun shines unless proved by expresse words of the New Testament But this being the very Argument of Champnaeus the Sorbonist page 580. I leave it further to be answered if need be by Francis Mason de Minist Angl. l. 3. c. 4. 5. Fifthly They say That if Magistrates as such have power from God in the dayes of the Gospel to command in spiritual matters and to punish them that obey not then must Christians surely be actually obedient not only for wrath but for conscience sake Answ I deny this Argument for in commanding any thing contrary to the Word and Will of God they abuse their power either through ignorance or wilfulnesse and in that case meerly passive obedience is to be yielded for all things of practice are either absolutely unlawful and in such the Magistrate is not to be obeyed and that for conscience sake because God or Nature which is the voice of God is to be obeyed before men or else absolutely necessary and in such no man can make a question whether Magistrates be to be obeyed or not or indifferent which stand in Equilibrio between good and evil the grains of the Magistrates authority gives weight to that side it is put into which must therefore incline us to obedience for conscience sake not that humane Laws can be properly said to bind the conscience by the sole authority of the Law-givers but they do it partly by the equity of the Laws every man being obliged to promote that which conduceth to a publick good and especially by Divine Authority which commandeth every soul to be subject to the higher powers for his conscience sake and not prudentially only The Question sayes the now Lord Primate of Ireland Bramhall against Militiere is soon decided Just Laws of lawful Superiours either Civil or Ecclesiastical have authority to bind the conscience in themselves not for themselves But it is answered say they that all Magistrates suppose whatever they impose But the Questian is who is to determine for if the Magistrate or any other man or men have power from God to judge and determine what is lawful for men to obey then no room is left to them to dispute any of his commands and so the crosse of Christ ceases c. Answ The twentieth Article of our Church tells us who is to determine how and what The CHURCH hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies and authority in controversies of faith and yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to Gods word neither may it so expound one place of Scripture that it be repugnant to another wherefore although the Church be a witness and keeper of holy Writ yet as it ought not to decree any thing against the same so besides the same ought it not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of salvation All things contained in this Article are either indifferent such are Rites or Ceremonies or necessary such are matters of faith In the first it hath the power of ordaining and yet it is not lawful to ordain any thing contrary to Gods Word In the second it has the power of explanation and therefore it is a witnesse and keeper of holy Writ yet it ought not so to expound one place of Scripture that it be repugnant to another nor enforce any thing besides the same to be believed as necessary to salvation Now in case they should decree any Ceremonies contrary to the Word of God or impose any thing to be believed besides the same and so stir up the Magistrate to punish the contempt hereof and the contemners be punished accordingly How is the Cross of Christ made void in this case Truly not at all no more then Peter and John did make void the Crosse of Christ in refusing to obey the Rulers of the Jews forbidding them to speak any more in the name of Jesus Acts 4. On