Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	church_n	elder_n	pastor_n	2,080	5	9.0862	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69202	Generall demands concerning the late covenant propounded by the ministers and professors of divinitie in Aberdene, to some reverend brethren, who came thither to recommend the late covenant to them, and to those who are committed to their charge. Together with the answers of those reverend brethren to the said demands. As also the replyes of the foresaid ministers and professors to their answers.	Henderson, Alexander, 1583?-1646.; Forbes, John, 1593-1648.; Hamilton, James Hamilton, Duke of, 1606-1649.	1638 (1638)	STC 66; ESTC S100396	26,442	56

record is on high That Lord who only seeth the secrets of hearts knoweth that we love his truth and are ready so soon as it shall be shown unto us to embrace and professe it before the world Next we appeal to the consciences of all impartiall readers who shall have occasion to weigh and consider maturely the weight of our arguments and of these answeres which it hath pleased you to give us wishing them yea most humbly and earnestly intreating them to judge both of your writings and ours without prejudice or any partiall respect Yea we are confident that ye also of whose love to the truth of GOD we are perswaded will after better advisement and more mature consideration of the matters debated acknowledge that we are not against the truth but for it The Lord open your eyes that you may clearly see that truth for which we stand WE objected to you Reverend Brethren that you had not a calling to urge us to the subscription of the late Covenant from any acknowledged authoritie or lawfull Judicatorie established in this Church or Kingdome to which objection ye answere not here particularly as we expected And whereas you say That you are come to exhort us and our people in all humility to joyn with you How is it that without our consent and against our will not having lawfull authority which you seem here not to acclaime to your selves you have publickly preached to our people within our Congregation which is a thing repugnant to those places of Scripture in the which the Spirit of God recommendeth to Elders or Pastors the care of those flocks over which the holy Ghost hath made them over-seers Acts 20.28 1 Pet. 5.2 as also telleth us That the Pastors whom the flock must know and to whom they must submit themselves do watch over the souls of that flock and must give account for them 1. Thessal 5.12 Hebr. 13.17 It is also contrarie to the laws of the Christian Church in all ages For by the ancient Canons Pastors are commanded to containe themselves within the limits of their own charge and not to presume to exercise Pastorall office in another Pastors Diocesse or Parioch without leave As also they forbid Pastors to receive to divine service any man of another Parioch that commeth in contempt of his own Pastor Concil Nicen. 1. Oecum 1. Can. 16 Concil 2. Oecum Constantinop Can. 2. Concil Carthag 2 Can. 11. Concil Carthag 3. Can. 20. Concil Chalced. Oecum 4. Can. 13. Concil Nicen. 2. Can. 10. Concil Tribur Can. 28. Concil Nannet Cap. 1. 2. ¶ 2. We did not without reason say That you and others of your confederation enforce your interpretation of the Negative confession upon others seeing we hear that some Pastors and Prelates are forced to flee to forraigne countreys for fear of their lives because they have refused the said interpretation and those who have stayed in the countrey dare scarcely appear in the high wayes or streets and are threatned That their stipends shall not be payed unto them untill they subscribe your Covenant ¶ 3. Whereas you do in brotherly love exhort and entreat us to contribute our best endeavours for extinguishing the common combustion we praising God for your pious zeal and for the lovingnesse and modesty of your speeches wherein by Gods help we shall labour to keep correspondence with you that both we and you may shew our selves to have learned of Christ Meeknesse and lowlinesse of heart we most willingly promise to do so by all means which our consciences will permit us to use as also to joyn our most humble and hearty prayers with yours That it may please God in this dangerous exigent To do good in his good pleasure to our Sion and to build up the wals of our Ierusalem ¶ 4. We may justly say That this new Covenant is substantially different from the old which was made Anno 1581. in respect it not only containeth that old covenant or confession which was allowed by two generall assemblies but also your interpretation of it which as yet hath no such authority or approbation ¶ 5. No band of mutuall defence against all persons whatsoever is expressed in the Covenant made 1581. And although it were yet the case is very unlike For subjects may make such a Covenant of mutuall defence by armes with the consent of the King who only under God hath the power of armes or of the sword in this kingdome But they who made this late Covenant had not his consent as that former or old Covenant had which is a thing so evident that no man can call it in question ¶ 6. As for that which you affirm here That my Lord Commissioner his Grace was well satisfied with your declaration it becommeth not us to pry narrowly into his Graces doings but truly we have more than reason to pry most narrowly into the words of a Covenant which is offered unto us to be sworn and subscribed left we abuse and prophane the sacred name of God and tye our selves to the doing of any thing which is displeasing unto him Last of all whereas ye desire us to joyn our selves to you and to the rest of your confederacie who are as you affirm almost the whole Church and Kingdome Truly we cannot but reverence such a multitude of our reverend brethren and dear countrey-men and are ready to be followers of them in so far as they are followers of Christ But neither can we do any thing against the truth neither can we attribute so much authoritie to their multitude as otherwise we would in respect there hath been so much dealing for subscriptions in all quarters of this Kingdome and so many have been threatned to give their consent as we are most credibly informed THE II. DEMAND WHether or no we ought to subscribe the foresaid covenant seeing all covenants of mutuall defence by force of armes made amongst subjects of any degree upon whatsoever colour or pretence without the Kings Majestie or his Successours privitie and consent are expresly forbidden by King JAMES of blessed memorie and the three Estates of this Kingdome in the parliament holden at Linlithgow Anno. 1585 ANSVVER THe act of Parliament forbiddeth in the first part leagues and bands of maintenance privily made such as are called bands of Manrent as the act in Queen Maries time to which it hath relation doth bear And in the second part only such as tend to the publick disturbance of the peace of the Realme by moving sedition But no act of Parliament doth discharge nor can any just law forbid Conventions or Covenants in the generall or such Covenants in speciall as are made with God and amongst our selves not for any mans particular but for the common benefit of all not to move sedition but to perserve peace to prevent trouble which by all probability had been to many before this time too sensible if this course had not been taken Conventions and

his Majesty use a faire and legall way of bringing them into this Church especially such a way as may give satisfaction to all his subjects in all appearance we need not to fear the in bringing of them THE XII DEMAND WHereas we heare of diverse disorders and violent miscarriages of those who have subscribed the Covenant against our brethren of the holy Ministerie who continue in their obedience to the laws of the Church and Kingdome which miscarriages being done without all forme of justice or legall proceeding are an exercising of revenge by private authoritie and consequently are forbidden in the sixt commandment which is one of the reasons which moveth us not to joyn our selves unto their society We would gladly therefore know of our reverent brethren who have come hither to recommend the late Covenant unto us First Whether or no they do allow these disorders 2. If they allow them what reason have they so to do And if they allow them not how is it that these disorders and miscarriages are not publickly by them and other Pastours of their confederacy condemned and sharply rebuked in their pulpits Why are the actours of them not tryed and censured And why do they delay to give out some publick declaration either in print or writ to this effect being long since exhorted to do so ANSVVER 1. HArdly can a zealous people assembled in a Kirk for the worship of God be kept from tumult when books and a worship which they either know or conceive to be popish are suddenly and imperiously obtruded upon them by the Leaders how far the keeping of the materiall kirks from the pollution of worship belongeth to the people and community of the faithful should be considered 2. Violence done in other places and upon other occasions we no more allow than we doe approve the aspersions of perjurie rebellion c. which some men do put upon us REPLY IT belongeth not to the people or communitie of the faithfull to contemne Authoritie and the Lords Service done in his owne House on his own day so farre as to put violent hands on Prelates and Pastours in time of Divine worship while they are practising those things which are enjoyned by the King and his Councell Such disorders and contemptuous carriages doe not beseeme those whom Christ inviteth to come to him and to learn of him meeknesse and lowlinesse of heart chiefly seeing there are many other wayes whereby people may testifie their aversation of those books and worship which they conceive to be Popish If it be a sinne in parents to provoke their children to wrath much more is it a sinne in children to provoke their parents especially Patrem Patriae the common father of the countrey so to wrath 2. The keeping of Gods house from the pollution of worship belongeth to those who are cloathed with lawfull authority 3. We not onely asked of you Whether or no ye did allow the miscarriages towards our brethren of the holy Ministerie mentioned in our Demand but also supposing that ye do not allow them we asked How is it that those disorders and miscarriages are not publickly by you condemned and rebuked Why are the actours of them not tryed and censured And why do ye not give some publick document to the world of your aversation of such miscarriages chiefly seeing they are as we have shown a manifest transgression of the sixt Commandement We cannot sufficiently marvell that ye have kept up your mindes in this matter and not answered to so important and necessary a Demand As for your complaint of perjurie and rebellion c. if ye mean the warning late written to the subjects in Scotland ye shall know that the Author thereof himself is much displeased with any offensive asperitie which hath been found in some written Copies thereof and hath already done that for removing of that offence which we hope shall give full satisfaction to all men THE XIII DEMAND HOw can we subscribe that Covenant without incurring many grievous scandals as first the scandall of dissenting from other Reformed Churches and famous Divines the chief instruments of the Reformation of the Church in Europe who did hold these rites which are abjured in this late Covenant as meerly unlawfull popish and idolatrous to be in their own nature lawfull Secondly the scandall of dissenting from antiquitie and vilipending it altogether in matters of the externall policie of the Church which we know and have found by frequent experience to be a thing that maketh many Papists more averse from our profession than other wayes they would be Thirdly the scandall of perjurie which some of us cannot escape who did swear obedience to the articles of Pearth and to our Ordinarie at our admission to the Ministerie ANSWER THat threefold scandall causeth upon the right interpretation of the clause of the forbearance of the novations already introduced REPLY WE have shown your interpretation of the clause of forbearance not to be right and have refuted it we think by the very words of your Covenant so that none of these three scandals can be eschewed by us if we subscribe to your foresaid Covenant 2. Suppose the other two might be eschewed by that interpretation of the clause of forbearance yet the third cannot be eschewed seeing at our admission we have sworn obedience to the articles of Pearth and to our Ordinarie Wherefore ye must either prove the Articles of Pearth and Episcopacie to be unlawfull or else we cannot without violation of our oath made at our admission forbear the practise of the foresaid Articles against the will of our Ordinary and other our lawfull Superiours THE XIIII DEMAND LAst of all We pray these reverend and worthy brethren to consider impartially and charitably seeing we have all these scruples in our minds concerning their Covenant as also seeing we are yet most confident and assured of the lawfulnesse of the articles of Pearth together with the lawfulnesse and venerable antiquity of Episcopall government how we can with a safe conscience give our consent that they should preach in our pulpits who come professedly to withdraw our people from that which we in the inmost thoughts of our souls do embrace as lawfull and from that obedience which they do owe to their gracious and pious Soveraigne therein whose last Proclamation hath given full satisfaction to us all and much rejoyced our hearts in respect he hath there in most solemnly and by his oath declared not only his sincerity in professing the truth but also his pious resolution to continue therein and maintain it constantly to his lives end most graciously and wisely removing these things which have occasioned the late perturbation of our Church We wish them likewise to consider how they can require this of us seeing they would not we appeal to their own consciences be content that they should be so dealt with themselves we mean that any should go up to their pulpits and condemn their doctrine

are also abjured in this your late Covenant The first proposition is evident For in your late Covenant speaking of the oath contained in that old Covenant which was made Anno 1581. you professe That the present and succeeding generations in this land are bound to keep the foresaid nationall oath as you call it and subscription unviolable The second proposition also cannot be denied by you For these twenty years by-past you have accused those who conformed themselves to the ordinances of Pearth of perjurie and that because they had violated the oath made Anno 1581. in the which those articles as you alledge were abjured But perhaps you will say to us That we think those things not to be abjured in that oath made Anno 1581. and therefore we may swear and subscribe your late Covenant and notwithstanding of our oath and subscription be tied only to the forbearance of the practice of Pearth articles for a time We answer first The words of an oath should be clear and plain or if they be any wayes ambiguous the true sense of them should be so declared and manifested that all may know it 2 An oath is to be given according to the minde and judgement of him that requireth it And therefore seeing you who require this oath of us think the rites or ceremonies concluded at Pearth to be abjured in that oath made Anno 1581. how can we swear and subscribe your Covenant which reneweth the foresaid oath and bindeth us to it 3 If we should swear and subscribe the negative confession as it is included in your covenant then ye who think the articles of Pearth to be abjured and condemned in the negative confession will think us tied by our own personall oath to condemn the articles of Pearth 4 Seeing this covenant was penned by you who have hitherto not conformed your selves to Pearth assembly and have opposed Episcopacie and seeing you all condemn Episcopacie as if it were that popish or wicked Hierarchie mentioned in the negative confession as also esteem the things concluded in Pearth assembly to be idolatrous or superstitious how can we think that you in your solemn vow made to God for reformation of this Church and resisting in times to come the novations and corruptions of it have passed by these things which are the only novations already introduced by authority and from which as you affirm the Church hath so great need to be purged chiefly seeing ye think them as popish superstitious and idolatrous as ye do these other novations which are not as yet introduced 5 If in all your supplications plaints and protestations ye have only sought the removing and discharging of the Service book Book of canons and the new high commission not complaining of any other novations and seeing his Majestie hath discharged the first two and hath promised to rectifie the third or last of them Then what reason have ye to think that his Majestie hath not satisfied your supplications For all the novations upon which you complained are removed by his Majestie and ye have his princely promise That no further shall be urged upon us but by such a fair and legall way as may satisfie all his subjects 6 As for that which your Covenant by your own confession requireth of us to wit The forbearance and abstinence for a time from the practising the articles of Pearth We professe sincerely and in the sight of God That our c●nscience will not suffer us to subscribe that part of your Covenant and that because laws being standing for them and our lawfull superiours requiring obedience from us by practising them to swear forbearance of the practise of them is to swear disobedience and to wrong their authority 7 How can we with a good Conscience abstaine presently from private baptisme and private communion being required thereunto by sick persons and those parents whose children cannot be carried to the Church commodiously with their lives seeing we think it a thing very unlawfull in such cases to refuse to administrate those Sacraments in private houses Not that we think that God hath tyed himself or his grace to the Sacraments but because he hath tyed us unto them by his precept and not to use the means appointed by God when our people or their children stand in need of them is a contempt of the means and a tempting of God THE V. DEMAND WHether or no we can sincerely and with a good conscience subscribe the negative confession as it is expounded and interpreted by the contrivers or authors of the late Covenant seeing it maketh a perpetuall law concerning the externall rites of the Church which God hath not made as if these rites were unchangeable And how they who both swear the positive confession and the negative thus interpreted can eschew contradiction seeing the positive confession Chap. 21. evidently declareth That these rites are changeable according to the exigencie of time and consequently that no perpetuall law may or ought to be made concerning them Likewise we would know how it can stand with truth to abjure all these rites as Popish which are used in the Church without divine institution expressed in Gods word seeing even these who urge the Covenant practise some ceremonies which are not mentioned in Gods word as the celebration of marriage before the Church in the beginning or at the end of divine service with all the particulars of it and the stipulation of Fathers and God-fathers for the childe in baptisme which are not meer circumstances as they use to distinguish but also ceremonies properly so called ANSWER THe late Covenant maketh not a perpetuall law concerning the externall rites of the kirke as if they were unchangeable but as we have said before onely bindeth us for a time to forbear the practise of innovations already introduced and doth not determine whether they ought to be changed or not 2. According to this true interpretation all appearance of contradiction betwixt the confession of faith insert in the act of Parliament and the latter confession is removed beside that the article 21. of the confession of faith giveth power to the Kirke in matters of externall policie and order of the worship of God is expounded in the first booke of Discipline distinguishing between things necessary to be observed in every Kirke and things variable in particular congregations 3. We declare again That the Covenant doth not abjure Pearth articles as Popish and thinketh not time now to dispute of significant ceremonies or other holy rites and whether the two particulars named be ceremonies or not since the confession condescended upon on both sides abjureth rites which are added without the word of God REPLY FIrst VVe have already told you That we cannot subscribe your oath of forbearance of the practise of the articles already introduced without violation of authority and of wronging our own consciences who think private baptisme and communion not to be indifferent but also necessary in