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	power_n	scripture_n	7,777	5	6.2723	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85427	An apologeticall narration, humbly submitted to the Honourable Houses of Parliament. By Tho: Goodwin, Philip Nye, Sidrach Simpson, Jer: Burroughes, William Bridge.	Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1643 (1643)	Wing G1225; Thomason E80_7	16,409	36

at least in each congregation whom we were subject to yet not clayming to our selves an independent power in every congregation to give account or be subject to none others but onely a ful and entire power compleat within our selves until we should be challenged to erre grosly such as Corporations enjoy who have the power and priviledge to passe sentence for life death within themselves and yet are accountable to the State they live in But that it should be the institution of Christ or his Apostles that the combination of the Elders of many Churches should be the first compleat and entire seat of Church power over each congregation so combined or that they could challenge and assume that authority over those Churches they feed and teach not ordinarily by virtue of those fore-mentioned Apostolicall precepts was to us a question and judged to be an additament unto the other which therefore rested on those that allowed us what we practised over and above to make evident and demonstrate and certainly of all other the challenge of all spiritual power from Christ had need have a cleare pattent to shew for it Yea wee appeale further unto them that have read bookes whether untill those latter wrytings of the two reverend and learned Divines of Scotland set forth after our return nor much more then two yeeres since and others of no elder date from Holland and one of our own Divines more lately written with much learning and ingenuity there hath been much settly and directly or with strength insisted on to prove that governement and although assert and inculcate it they do as their opinions yet the full strength and streame of our Non-conformists wrytings and others are spent rather in arguments against for the overthrowing the Episcopall government and the corruptions that cleave to our worship and in maintayning those severall Officers in Churches which Christ hath instituted in stead thereof in which we fully agree with them then in the proofe of a combined classicall Presbyteriall government as it is authoritatively practised in the most reformed Churches And whereas the common prejudice and exception laid into all mens thoughts against us and our opinions is that in such a congregationall governement thus entire within it self there is no allowed sufficient remedy for miscarriages though never so grosse no reliefe for wrongful sentences or persons injured thereby no roome for complaints no powerful or effectual means to reduce a Church or Churches that fal into heresie schisme c. but every one is left and may take liberty without controule to do what is good in their own eyes we have through the good providence of God upon us from the avowed declarations of our judgements among our Churches mutually during our exile and that also confirmed by the most solemne instance of our practice wherewith to vindicate our selves and way in this particular which upon no other occasion we should ever have made thus publique God so ordered it that a scandall and offence fell out between those very Churches whilst living in this banishment whereof we our selves that write these things were then the Ministers one of our Churches having unhappily deposed one of their Ministers the other judged it not onely as too suddaine an act having proceeded in a matter of so great moment without consulting their sister Churches as was publiquely professed we should have done in such cases of concernement but also in the proceedings thereof as too severe and not managed according to the rules laid down in the word In this case our Churches did mutually and universally acknowledge and submit to this as a sacred and undoubted principle and supreame law to be observed among all Churches that as by virtue of that Apostolical command Churches as wel as particular men are bound to give no offence neither to Iew nor Gentile nor the Churches of God they live amongst So that in all cases of such offence or difference by the obligation of the cōmon law of cōmunion of Churches for the vindication of the glory of Christ which in cōmon they hold forth the church or churches chalenged to offend or differ are to submit themselves upon the challenge of the offence or complaint of the person wronged to the most full open tryall examination by other neighbour Churches offended there at of what ever hath given the offence And further that by the virtue of the same and like law of not partaking in other mens sins the Churches offended may ought upon the impenitency of those Churches persisting in their errour and miscarriage to pronounce that heavy sentence against them of with-drawing and renouncing all Christian communion with them until they do repent And further to declare and protest this with the causes thereof to all other Churches of Christ that they may do the like And what further authority or proceedings purely Ecclesiasticall of one or many sister Churches towards another whole Church or Churches offending either the Scriptures doe hold forth or can rationally be put in execution without the Magistrates interposing a power of another nature unto which we upon his particular cognisance and examination of such causes professe ever to submit and also to be most vvilling to have recourse unto for our parts vve savv not then nor do yet see And likewise we did then suppose and doe yet that this principle of submission of Churches that miscarry unto other Churches offended together with this other that it is a command from Christ enjoyned to Churches that are finally offended to denounce such a sentence of Non-communion and withdrawing from them whilst impenitent as unworthy to hold forth the name of Christ these principles being received and generally acknowledged by the Churches of Christ to be a mutuall duty as strictly enjoyned them by Christ as any other that these would be as effectuall means through the blessing of Christ to awe and preserve Churches and their Elders in their duties as that other of claime to an authoritative power Ecclesiastical to Excommunicate other Churches or their Elders offending For if the one be compared with the other in a meere Ecclesiastial notion That of Excommunication pretended hath but this more in it That it is a delivering of whole Churches and their Elders offending unto Satan for which we know no warrant in the Scriptures that Churches should have such a power over other Churches And then as for the binding obligation both of the one way the other it can be supposed to lye but in these 2. things First in a warrant and injunction given by Christ to his Churches to put either the one or the other into execution and 2. that mens consciences be accordingly taken therewith so as to subject themselves whether unto the one way or the other For suppose that other principle of an authoritative power in the greater part of Churches combined to excommunicate other Churches c. to be the ordinance of God yet

father Abraham out of his own countrey and his seed after him a transplanting themselves many thousand miles distance and that by sea into a Wildernes meerly to worship God more purely whither to allure them there could be no other invitement And yet we still stood as unengaged spectators free to examine and consider what truth is to be found in and amongst all these all which we look upon as Reformed Churches and this nakedly according to the word We resolved not to take up our Religion by or from any partie and yet to approve and hold fast whatsoever is good in any though never so much differing from us yea opposite unto us And for our own congregations we meane of England in which thorough the grace of Christ we were converted and exercised our Ministeries long to the conversion of many others We have this sincere profession to make before God and all the world that all that conscience of the defilements we conceived to cleave to the true worship of God in them or of the unwarranted power in Church Governours exercised therein did never work in any of us any other thought much lesse opinion but that multitudes of the assemblies and parochiall congregations thereof were the true Churches and Body of Christ and the Ministery thereof a true Ministery Much lesse did it ever enter into our hearts to judge them Antichristian we saw and cannot but see that by the same reason the Churches abroad in Scotland Holland c. though more reformed yet for their mixture must be in like manner judged no Churches also which to imagine or conceive is and hath ever been an horrour to our thoughts Yea we alwayes have professed that in these times when the Churches of England were the most either actually overspread with defilements or in the greatest danger thereof and when our selves had least yea no hopes of ever so much as visiting our own land again in peace and safety to our persons that we both did and would hold a communion with them as the Churches of Christ And besides this profession as a reall testimony thereof some of us after we actually were in this way of communion baptized our children in Parishionall congregations and as we had occasion did offer to receive into the communion of the Lords Supper with us some whom we knew godly that come to visit us when we were in our exile upon that relation fellowship and commembership they held in their parish Churches in England they professing themselves to be members thereof and belonging thereunto What we have since our returne publiquely and avowedly made declaration of to this purpose many hundreds can witnesse and some of our brethren in their printed bookes candidly do testify for us And as we alwayes held this respect unto our own Churches in this Kingdome so we received and were entertained with the like from those reformed Churches abroad among whom we were cast to live we both mutually gave and received the right hand of fellowship which they on their parts abundantly manifested by the very same characters and testimonies of difference which are proper to their own Orthodoxe Churches and whereby they use to distinguish them from all those sects which they tollerate but not own and all the assemblies of them which yet now we are here some would needs ranke us with granting to some of us their own Churches or publique places for worship to assemble in where themselves met for the worship of God at differing houres the same day As likewise the priviledge of ringing a publique Bell to call unto our meetings which we mention because it is amongst them made the great signall of difference between their own allowed Churches and all other assemblies unto whom it is strictly prohibited and forbidden as Guiciardine hath long since observed And others of us found such acceptance with them that in testimony thereof they allowed a full and liberall maintenance annually for our Ministers yea and constantly also Wine for our Communions And then we again on our parts not onely held all brotherly correspondency with their Divines but received also some of the members of their Churches who desired to communicate with us unto communion in the Sacraments and other ordinances by virtue of their relation of membership retained in those Churches Now for the way practices of our Churches we give this briefe and generall account Our publique worship was made up of no other parts then the worship of all other reformed Churches doth consist of As publique and solemne prayers for Kings and all in authority c. the reading the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament Exposition of them as occasion was and constant preaching of the word the administration of the two Sacraments Baptisme to infants and the Lords Supper singing of Psalmes collections for the poor c. every Lords day For Officers and publique Rulers in the Church we set up no other but the very same which the reformed Churches judge necessary and sufficient and as instituted by Christ and his Apostles for the perpetuall government of his Church that is Pastors Teachers Ruling Elders with us not lay but Ecclesiastique persons separated to that service and Deacons And for the matter of government and censures of the Church we had nor executed any other but what all acknowledge namely Admonition and Excommunication upon obstinacie and impenitencie which we blesse God we never exercised This latter we judged should be put in execution for no other kind of sins then may evidently be presumed to be perpetrated against the parties known light as whether it be a sin in manners and conversation such as is committed against the light of nature or the common received practices of Christianity professed in all the Churches of Christ or if in opinions then such as are likewise contrary to the received principles of Christianity and the power of godlinesse professed by the party himselfe and universally acknowledged in all the rest of the churches and no other sins to be the subject of that dreadful sentence And for our directions in these or what ever else requisite to the manage of them we had these three Principles more especially in our eye to guide and steere our practice by First the supreame rule without us was the Primitive patterne and example of the churches erected by the Apostles Our consciences were possessed with that reverence and adoration of the fulnesse of the Scriptures that there is therein a compleat sufficiencie as to make the man of God perfect so also to make the Churches of God perfect meere circumstances we except or what rules the law of nature doth in common dictate if the directions and examples therein delivered were fully known and followed And although we cannot professe that sufficiency of knowledge as to be able to lay forth all those rules therein which may meet with all cases and emergencies that may or sometimes did fal out amongst

unlesse it doe take hold of mens consciences and be received amongst all Churches the offending Churches will sleight all such Excommunications as much as they may be supposed to doe our way of protestation and sentence of Non-communion On the other side let this way of ours be but as strongly entertained as that which is the way and command of Christ and upon all occasions be heedfully put in execution it will awe mens consciences as much and produce the same effects And if the Magistrates power to which we give as much and as we think more then the principles of the Presbiteriall government will suffer them to yeeld doe but assist and back the sentence of other Churches denouncing this Non-communion against Churches miscarrying according to the nature of the crime as they judge meet and as they would the sentence of Churches excommunicating other Churches in such cases upon their own particular judgement of the cause then without all controversie this our way of Church proceeding wil be every way as effectuall as their other can be supposed to be and we are sure more brotherly and more suited to that liberty and equality Christ hath endowed his Churches with But without the Magistrates interposing their authority their way of proceeding will be as ineffectuall as ours and more lyable to contempt by how much it is pretended to be more authoritative and to inflict a more dreadful punishment which carnall spirits are seldome sensible of This for our judgements And for a reall evidence and demonstration both that this was then our judgements as likewise for an instance of the effectuall successe of such a course held by Churches in such cases our own practice and the blessing of God thereon may plead and testifie for us to all the world The manage of this transaction in briefe was this That Church which with others was most scandalized did by letters declare their offence requiring of the Church supposed to be offending in the name and for the vindication of the honour of Christ and the releeving the party wronged to yeeld a full and publique hearing before all the Churches of our Nation or any other whomsoever offended of what they could give in charge against their proceedings in that deposition of their Minister and to subject themselves to an open tryall and review of all those forepassed carriages that concerned that particular which they most cheerfully and readily according to the fore-mentioned principles submitted unto in a place and state where no outward violence or any other externall authority either civil or ecclesiasticall would have enforced them thereunto And accordingly the Ministers of the Church offended with other two Gentlemen of much worth wisdom and piety members thereof were sent as Messengers from that Church and at the introduction and entrance into that solemne assembly the solemnity of which hath left as deep an impression upon our hearts of Christs dreadfull presence as ever any we have been present at it was openly and publiquely professed in a speech that was the preface to that discussion to this effect That it was the most to be abhorred maxime that any Religion hath ever made profession of and therefore of all other the most contradictory and dishonourable unto that of Christianity that a single and particular society of men professing the name of Christ and pretending to be endowed with a power from Christ to judge them that are of the same body and society within themselves should further arrogate unto themselves an exemption from giving account or being censurable by any other either Christian Magistrate above them or neighbour Churches about them So far were our judgements from that independent liberty that is imputed to us then when we had least dependency on this kingdom or so much as hopes ever to abide therein in peace And for the issue and successe of this agitation after there had been for many dayes as judiciary and full a charge tryall and deposition of witnesses openly afore all commers of all sorts as can be expected in any Court where Authority enjoyns it that Church which had offended did as publiquely acknowledge their sinfull aberration in it restored their Minister to his place again and ordered a solemn day of fasting to humble themselves afore God and men for their sinfull carriage in it and the party also which had been deposed did acknowledge to that Church wherein he had likewise sinned Thus we have rendred some smal account of those the saddest days of our pilgrimage on earth wherein although we enjoyed God yet besides many other miseries the companions of banishment we lost some friends and companions our fellow labourers in the Gospel as precious men as this earth beares any through the distemper of the place and our selves came hardly off that service with our healths yea lives When it pleased God to bring us his poor Exiles back again in these revolutions of the times as also of the condition of this kingdom into our own land the pouring forth of manifold prayers and teares for the prosperity whereof had been no small part of that publique worship we offered up to God in a strange land we found the judgement of many of our godly learned brethren in the Ministery that desired a general reformation to differ from ours in some things wherein we do professedly judge the Calvinian Reformed Churches of the first reformation from out of Popery to stand in need of a further reformation themselves And it may without prejudice to them or the imputation of Schisme in us from them be thought that they comming new out of Popery as well as England and the founders of that reformation not having Apostolique infallibility might not be fully perfect the first day Yea and it may hopefully be conceived that God in his secret yet wise and gratious dispensation had left England more unreformed as touching the outward form both of worship Church government then the neighbour Churches were having yet powerfully continued a constant conflict and contention for a further Reformation for these fourescore yeers during which time he had likewise in stead thereof blessed them with the spiritual light and that encreasing of the power of Religion in the Practique part of it shining brighter and clearer then in the neighbour Churches as having in his infinke mercy on purpose reserved and provided some better thing for this Nation when it should come to be reformed that the other Churches might not be made perfect without it as the Apostle speaks We found also which was as great an affliction to us as our former troubles and banishment our opinions and wayes wherein we might seem to differ environed about with a cloud of mistakes and misapprehensions and our persons with reproaches Besides other calumnies as of schisme c. which yet must either relate to a differing from the former Ecclesiastical Government of this Church established and then who is not involved in it as well

publique view our Tenets if false and counterfet together with our own folly and weaknesse We would much rather have chosen to have been venting them to the multitude apt to be seduced which we have had these three yeers opportunity to have done But in a conscientious regard had to the orderly and peaceable way of searching out truths and reforming the Churches of Christ we have adventured our selves upon this way of God wisely assumed by the prudence of the State And therein also upon all sorts of disadvantages which we could not but foresee both of number abilities of learning Authority the streame of publique interest Trusting God both with our selves and his own truth as he shall be pleased to manage it by us Moreover if in all matters of Doctrine we were not as Orthodoxe in our judgements as our brethren themselves we would never have exposed our selves to this tryall and hazard of discovery in this Assembly the mixture of whose spirits the quicksightednes of whose judgements intent enough upon us and variety of debates about all sorts of controversies afoot in these times of contradiction are such as would be sure soon to find us out if we nourished any monsters or Serpents of opinions lurking in our bosomes And if we had carryed it so as that hitherto such errours were not aforehand open to the view and judgement of all yet sitting here unlesse we would be silent which we have not been we could not long be hid But it is sufficiently known that in all points of doctrine which hitherto in the review and examination of the Articles of our Church or upon other occasions have been gone thorough our judgements have still concurred with the greatest part of our brethren neither do we know wherein we have dissented And in matters of Discipline we are so farre from holding up the differences that occur or making the breaches greater or wider that we endeavour upon all such occasions to grant and yeeld as all may see and cannot but testifie for us to the utmost latitude of our light and consciences professing it to be as high a point of Religion and conscience readily to own yea fall down before whatsoever is truth in the hands of those that differ yea though they should be enemies unto us as much as earnestly to contend for hold fast those truths wherein we should be found dissenting from them and this as in relation to peace so also as a just due to truth and goodnes even to approve it acknowledge it to the utmost graine of it though mingled with what is opposite unto us And further when matters by discussion are brought to the smallest dissent that may be we have hitherto been found to be no backward urgers unto a temper not onely in things that have concerned our own consciences but when of others also such as may suit and tend to union as well as searching out of truth judging this to be as great and usefull an end of Synods and Assemblies as a curious and exact discussion of all sorts of lesser differences with binding Determinations of truth one way And thus we have nakedly and with all simplicity rendred a cleare and true account of our wayes and spirits hitherto Which we made choice of now at first to make our selves known by rather then by a more exact and Scholastique relation of our judgements in the points of difference about Church government reserving that unto the more proper season and opportunity of this Assembly and that liberty given by both Honourable Houses in matters of dissent or as necessity shall after require to a more publique way of stating and asserting of them In the meane time from this briefe historicall relation of our practices there may a true estimate be taken of our opinions in difference which being instanced in and set out by practices is the most reall and least collusive way and carries its own evidence with it All which we have taken the boldnes together with our selves humbly to lay at the feet of your wisdom and piety Beseeching you to look upon us under no other Notion or character then as those who if we cannot assume to have been no way furtherers of that reformation you intend yet who have been no way hinderers thereof or disturbers of the publique peace and who in our judgements about the present work of this age the reformation of worship and discipline do differ as little from the Reformed Churches and our Brethren yea far lesse then they do from what themselves were three yeers past or then the generallity of this kingdom from it self of late And withall to consider us as those who in these former times for many yeers suffered even to exile for what the kingdom it self now suffers in the endeavour to cast out and who in these present times and since the change of them have endured that which to our spirits is no lesse grievous the opposition and reproach of good men even to the threatning of another banishment and have been through the grace of God upon us the same men in both in the midst of these varieties And finally as those that do pursue no other interest or designe but a subsistance be it the poorest and meanest in our own land where we have and may do further service which is our birth-right as we are men with the enjoyment of the ordinances of Christ which are our portion as we are Christians with the allowance of a latitude to some lesser differences with peaceablenesse as not knowing where else with safety health and livelyhood to set our feet on earth Tho Goodwin Philip Nye Sidrach Simpson Jer Burroughes William Bridge FINIS Mr. Cheynett Rise growth of Socinianisme