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 scripture_n word_n 22,553 5 5.1394 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A33931 The decision & clearing of the great point now in controversie about the interest of Christ and the civill magistrate in the rule of government in this world stated according to the word of truth and presented to the Parliament of this Common-wealth and to all other powers in the world where it may come, or to any that desire satisfaction in this matter / written by T. Collier. Collier, Thomas, fl. 1691. 1659 (1659) Wing C5276; ESTC R29644 12,984 20

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

Power to rule over men i. e. To rule over the Bodies and Estates of men for good and no other And 2. That which he hath reserved to himself lieth especially in these four things 1. The Power of a secret and invisible ordering and disposing of all Governments to carry on and bring about his own design for his own glory and his Churches good Hence he is said to be Head over all things to the Church 2. He hath reserved the Povver of pulling down and setting up of whom he will Dan. 4. 17. Hence it is that he maketh changes in the Worldly Governments to the end they might know that the Lord doth rule and that they do rule by him and should rule for him 3. He hath reserved to himself the Power of calling all Magistrates to account at the great day of Account in which they must be judged according to their discharge of that Authority and Trust committed to them and reposed in them These I suppose every one that hath any awe or fear of God will acknowlege But 4ly Christ hath reserved all spiritual causes relating to matters of Faith and Worship to himself and hath betrusted no Civil Magistrate or Power in Earth vvith this the proving of vvhich will prove the first Assertion i. e. That the Trust committed to Magistrates is over the Bodies and Estates of men and no otherwise Therefore to prove it I shall present several convincing grounds 1. There is no New-Testament Scripture presents us with the Lords giving up of Authority to Worldly Magistrates in matters Ecclesiastical i. e. Things in and relating to matters of Worship that clearly relate to conscience if so Hence I reason That Authority which Christ hath no where given to Magistrates he hath reserved to himself but this of ruling of and over the conscience is to where committed by Christ to man i. e. to Civil Magistrates therefore he hath reserved it to himself Q. May we not suppose that the Scripture intends Spiritual ●●d Ecclesiastical Concernments as well as Civil when it saith ●●a● we should be subject to every Ordinance of man for the 〈◊〉 sak● c. A. It is without question to be understood in civil things ●nely there being no Magistrates then but such as were either Jews or Heathens if subjection in Divine things had ●●ep intended the Apostle in that saying and in all others ●●at calls for subjecting to Magistrates must necessarily ●●ve taught them either to be Jews or Heathens in point of Worship for the Command of the Jewish Magistrates would be to the Old Testament-Ceremonies and of the Gentiles to their Idoll Temples if to any thing in Worship so that it 's questionless That it was in civil things that subjection is required 2. Ground In that Christs Kingdom is not of this world i. e. of the Worldly Government that he hath committed to men then certainly it must be some where i. e. in the consciences of his People there is Christs reign and doubtless to deny this i. e. The Rule of Christ by his Word and Spirit in the hearts of his people and over them in matters of Worship is a tenet very near of kin to Atheism 3. In that he hath left in Scripture clear and absolute Rules for his people to walk by in point of Faith Worship unto which it is their duty to take heed until his second coming Matth. 28. 18 19. John 14. 15. chap. 15. 14. From whence I reason thus That if Christ hath left Commands and Rules to his People as to matters of Faith and Practice then he hath reserved Authority from the Magistrate in this matter But that he hath left Commands and Rules to his people in this matter is clear in which it is their duty to obey him therefore he hath not committed this Authority to the Magistrate for the Magistrate may and that probably too contradict Christs Commands therefore Christ hath prevented that extremity in reserving to himself Authority and Rule in Divine things Hence it is that when Christs Law and the Magistrates Will hath come in Competition the Answer is stated for us Acts 5. 39. Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more then God judge ye 4. This truth appears in that Jesus Christ will judge his people in the day of Account according to his Word that being the Rule by which they are to walk and by which it is they must be judged John 12. 48. And in the keeping therof there shall be great reward Psal 19. 11. Rev. 22. 14. Therefore he hath not committed this Authority to Magistrates lest they should turn them aside from the righteous Rule And indeed it seems to me to be ridiculous and unreasonable for any one to suppose that the Lord hath given up his people to the Wills of men in matters of Worship and yet will judge them for not walking according to his Will in his Word this were indeed to make him a hard Master and to lay impossibility upon his people 5. As we do not find that Christ hath any where resigned his Authority to the Magistrate so neither do we find at any time or in any case the Lord to direct his people to the Magistrate for counsel or advice in determining Divine things but the contrary i. e. to the Scripture Isay 8. 20. Job 5. 39. 2 ●im 3. 15. to his Ministers with the church A●● 15 6. If Authority in Divine things were committed to the Magistrate it must be necessary to know to what Magistrate it is committed whether to all Magistrates in all Nations alike if so then these two impieties will follow 1. That the Lord hath subjected his word and will to the Judgements of Heathen and profane Magistrates Or 2ly his people to their wills in point of VVorship Or 2ly If it be to some Magistrates and not to all i. e. to Christian Magistrates then the doubt will be to whom of them it is there being many supposing themselves to be Christian Magistrates and all think themselves to be in the truth and most of them think themselves concerned to make provision for VVorship and to exercise their Power in these things and indeed the Lord having committed no such thing to any Magistrate there is as much ground for one to claim it as the other The Papist supposes all truth to be there and persecutes the Protestant under the notion of Hereticks The Protestant supposes the Papist to be out and himself to be in the right and persecutes the Papist and thus this very principle throws the World into confusion every one that can get into Power is ready to make or at least to think himself an absolute god in and over all causes as well Ecclesiastical as Civil and doubtless it concerns that Magistrate that is most enlightened in Divine Truth to be first in rejecting and renouncing this authority in Divine things for doubtless the most enlightened and reformed
Protestant-Magistrate walking by this Rule i. e. Authority in Divine things c. doth justifie all others in their practices there being as much rule for the one as the other and so it is the ready way for Magistrates to be contracting the sin and guilt of all the civil Magistrates and of all the blood that hath been shed on this account 7. If Authority in divine things were committed to the Magistrates this would without all controversie put an end to the sufferings of the Saints for if this power were given to men then it would be the Saints duty to submit unto them then whence and to what purpose are all those sayings of Christ in Scripture to strengthen his people against and to comfort them in persecution Matt. 5. Luk. 6. Ioh. 16. If it were true indeed that Magistrates had received this power from above then they do well in exercising of it sutable to their understanding and in punishing those that will not submit and the Lords people do ill and are justly persecuted for not performing their duty how then shall they be blessed in their suffering So then that Principle and Practice that justifieth Magistrates in a way of persecution and condemneth Saints under the notion of Hereticks for their suffering for Christ cannot be of God c. So that from these grounds I undoubtedly conclude That Jesus Christ hath reserved to himself the power of governing and ruling in and over his people in all Divine and Religious concernments and hath not resigned it to any Magisterial power on earth 3. And finally we find it clearly stated in the Scripture that Christ hath committed his Authority in matters relating to VVorship to his Church and not to the Magistrate Hence Christ having stated his own power Matt. 28. 18. He promiseth his presence with his Church to the end of the world ver 20. therefore in case of offence he directs his to tell it to the Church Matt. 18. 17. there being no higher appeal on Earth for Believers in divine things and as the Church so is its Government distinct from the world and the worldly Government so that that Magistrate that assumes this Authority to himself robs the Church of that authority her Lord hath given her and the authority Christ hath left in his church is spiritually to be exercised all church-censures reacheth in the utmost extent to reject and cast out to the world and to Satan from whence they came not to inflict bodily punishments but to endeavour in all the saving of the soul that the flesh might be destroyed and the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus And in as much as the Lord knows that his church might err in matter of judgement and censure about divine things therefore he hath communicated a power of judgement to the church to be exercised according to their light faith in divine Record yet hath reserved to himself the power of judging and that even of all the churches judgements and actions to be made manifest in the day of Christ Obj. God having once committed the power of judging and executing of his Divine will in point of worship to the Magistracy of the Jews in the Old-Testament-Ministration why may we not conclude it remains a duty under the gospel in as much as we find no repeal of that Authority Ans God owning them as they were the natural seed of Abraham to be a National church he made that Church State one which is not nor cannot be so in the Gospel because he now owns the spiritual seed in the Gospel Church and Covenant And further as he made that Church and State one so he gave the Judicial and Political Law clear to them and clearly stated the Magistrates duty on that behalf but no such thing under the Gospel 2. The authority of the Magistrate under that Ministration was typical and presented Christ the great Lord and Law-giver in the Gospel-ministration for the annointed Office of Priest and King lead to Christ the annointed one so that when Christ was come and had suffered and conquered in and by his suffering he put an end to that Ministration and repealed Priesthood-government and that whole ministration so that whoever pleads Magistrates authority in Eccclesiastical causes from the Jewish constitution doth consequently deny Christ to be come in the flesh and takes his Government from him so that we rightly understanding the Government of the Old Testament-Magistrates should rightly be informed to whom the Right of Rule in Divine things and Ecclesiastical concernments do now belong namely to Christ into whom the magisterial power of the Old Testament is naturally and properly dissolv'd as the type into the substance q. Is it not the Magistrates duty to see to and take care of the performance of the first table and to see that the will of Christ contained therein be done by the people A. Doubtless it is not any part of his charge or work and that from the Reasons already minded and further I might truly say That as man is a reasonable creature so Gods way of working to Divine undertakings is by the illuminating of his understanding through his Word and Spirit that so he might be able to give a reason of his hope and serve in Divine things in the liberty of the Gospel not having his understanding captivated to the will of another q. Whence should arise this great mistake as doubtless if it be a mistake it is a great and dangerous one A. Ignorance and Pride ushered in this mistake and that is it which still endeavours to keep it on foot 1. Ignorance this ordinarily is the mother of all sin and lyeth at the bottom of all mischiefs Christ was put to death through Ignorance 1 Cor. 2. 8. and it is through Ignorance men put him to death in his Authority and put to death those that own him in his Authority John 16. 2 3. It is saith Christ because they have not known the Father nor me 2. Pride flowing from Ignorance and a desire of self-exaltation Pride of Magistrates and pride of Ministers accompanied sometimes with mistaken zeal and sometimes with enmity and desire of revenge on those who submit not to their wills witness the truth of this That Person or people whoever that concludes it the Magistrates duty to compel to Religion think withall its meet they should be uppermost to be prescribing Laws for others This proclaims it to be a proud selfish principle men while under will not like it but when over will exercise it this is pride and a desire of domination for all sorts of people in the world dislikes with and complaines of a coercive power in matters Spiritual and Divine unless it be when themselves have the ruling power and are gotten uppermost Protestants complain or Papists and Papists of Protestants where they are under and Non-Conformists of both but him that is uppermost will rule q. But what is the evil and