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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	good_a	law_n	moral_a	1,338	5	9.0849	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42763	CXI propositions concerning the ministerie and government of the Church	Gillespie, George, 1613-1648.	1647 (1647)	Wing G752; ESTC R21587	30,033	52

Ministers and Schools and supplieth the temporall necessities of Gods Servants by his command assembleth Synodes when there is need of them and summoneth calleth out and drawes to triall the unwilling which without the Magistrates strength and authority cannot be done as hath been alreadie said he maketh Synodes also safe and secure and in a civill way presideth or moderateth in them if it so seem good to him either by himself or by a substitute Commissioner In all which the power of the Magistrate though occupied about spirituall things is not for all that spirituall but civill 66. Fourthly they differ in the end The immediate nearest end of civill power is that the good of the Commonwealth may bee provided for and procured whether it be in time of Peace according to the rules of Law and counsell of Judges or in time of Warre according to the rules of Militarie prudence and so the temporall safety of the Subjects may bee procured and that externall Peace and civill Liberty may bee preserved and being lost may be againe restored 67. But the chiefest and last end of civill Government is the glory of God the Creator namely that those which do evil being by a superiour Power restrained or punished those which doe good getting praise of the same the Subjects so much the more may shun impiety and injustice and that Vertue Justice and the Morall Law of God as touching those eternall dueties of both Tables unto which all the posterity of Adam are oblieged may remain in strength and flourish 68. But whereas the Christian Magistrate doth wholly devote himself to the promoting of the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ and doth direct and bend all the might and strength of his authority to that end This proceedeth not from the nature of his office or function which is common to him with an Infidell Magistrate but from the influence of his common Christian calling into his particular vocation 69. For every member of the Church and so also the faithfull and godly Magistrate ought to referre and order his particular vocation faculty ability power and honour to this end that the Kingdome of Christ may bee propagated and promoted and the true Religion bee cherished and defended So that the advancement of the Gospel and of all the Ordinances of the Gospel is indeed the end of the Godly Magistrate not of a Magistrate simply or if yee will rather t is not the end of the office it self but of him who doth execute the same piously 70. But the end of Ecclesiasticall power yea the end as well of the Ministery it self as of the Godly Minister is that the Kingdome of Christ may bee set forward that the pathes of the Lord bee made straight that his holy mysteries may bee kept pure that stumbling-blocks may bee removed out of the Church lest a little leaven leaven the whole lump or lest one sick or scabbed sheep infect the whole flock that the faithfull may so walk as it becometh the Gospel of Christ and that the wandering sheep of Christ may be converted and brought back to the sheepfold 71. And seeing this power is given of the Lord not to destruction but to edification Therefore this same scope is propounded in Excommunication which is the greatest and last of Ecclesiasticall censures namely that the soul of an offending brother may be gained to Christ and that being stricken with fear and the stubborne sinner filled with shame may by the grace of God be humbled and may as a brand plucked out of the fire bee snatched out of the snare of the devill and may repent unto salvation at least the rest may turne away from those which are branded with such a censure lest the soul infection do creep and spread further 72. Fifthly they are distinguished by the effect The effect of civill power is either proper or by way of redundance The proper effect is the safety temporall of the Common-wealth externall tranquillity the fruition of civill Liberty and of all things which are necessary to the civill Society of men The effect by way of redundance is the good of the Church to wit in so far as by execution of Justice and good Lawes some impediments that usually hinder and disturbe the course of the Gospel are avoided or taken away 73. For by how much the more faithfully the Magistrate executeth his office in punishing the wicked and cherishing and encouraging good men taking away those things which withstand the Gospel and punishing or driving away the troublers and subverters of the Church so much the more the orthodox Faith and Godlinesse are reverenced and had in estimation sinnes are hated and feared Finally all the subjects contained as much as concerneth the outward man within the lists of Gods Law whence also by consequence it happeneth by Gods blessing that the Church is defiled with fewer scandals and doth obtaine the more freedome and Peace 74. But the proper effect of the Ecclesiasticall power or keyes of the Kingdome of heaven is wholly spirituall for the act of binding and loosing of retaining and remitting sins doth reach to the soul and conscience it self which cannot be said of the act of the civill power And as unjust Excommunication is void So Ecclesiasticall censure being inflicted by the Ministers of Christ and his Stewards according to his will is ratified in heaven Matth. 18. 18. and therefore ought to be esteemed and acknowledged in like manner as inflicted by Christ himself 75. Sixthly they are also differenced in respect of the subject The politick power is committed sometimes to one sometimes to more sometime by right of election sometime by right of succession But the Ecclesiasticall power is competent to none under the New Testament by the right of succession but he who hath it must be called by God and the Church to it neither was it given by Christ to one either Pastor or Elder much lesse to a Prelate but to the Church that is to the consistory of Presbyters T is confessed indeed and who can bee ignorant of it that the power as they call it of order doth belong to particular Ministers and is by each of them apart lawfully exercised But that power which is commonly called of jurisdiction is committed not to one but to the unity that is to a consistory therefore Ecclesiasticall censure ought not to be inflicted but by many 2 Cor. 2. 6. 76. Seventhly they differ as touching the correlative God hath commanded that unto the civill power every soul or all Members of the Commonwealth of what condition and estate soever be subject for what have wee to doe with the Papists who will have them whom they call the Clergy or Ecclesiasticall persons to bee free from the yoke of the civill Magistrate The Ecclesiasticall power extends it self to none other subjects then unto those which are called Brethren or Members of the Church 77. Eighthly there remaineth another difference in respect of the distinct and

there is controversie in the Church Yet is hee questionlesse judge of his own civill act about spirituall things namely of defending them in his own Dominions and of approving or tolerating the same and if in this businesse hee judge and determine according to the wisdome of the flesh and not according to the wisedome which is from above he is to render an account thereof before the supream Tribunall 98. However the Ecclesiasticall Discipline according as it is ordained by Christ whether it bee established and ratified by civill authority or not ought to be retained and exercised in the Society of the faithfull as long as it is free and safe for them to come together in holy Assemblies for the want of civill authority is unto the Church like a ceasing gaine but not like damage or losse ensuing as it superaddeth nothing more so it takes nothing away 99. If it further happen which God forbid that the Magistrate do so farre abuse his authority that hee doth straitly forbid what Christ hath ordained yet the constant and faithfull servants of Christ will resolve and determine with themselves that any extremities are rather to be undergone then that they should obey such things and that wee ought to obey God rather then men yea they will not leave off to performe all the parts of their office being ready in the mean time to render a reason of their practise to every one that demandeth it but specially unto the Magistrate as was said before 100. These things are not to that end and purpose proposed that these functions should be opposed one against another in a hostile posture or in termes of enmity then which nothing is more hurtfull to the Church and Commonwealth nothing more execrable to them who are truely and sincerely zealous for the house of God for they have not so learned Christ but the aime is First and above all that unto the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus Christ the onely Monarch of the Church his own prerogative Royall of which also himself in the World was accused and for his witnessing a good confession thereof before Pontius Pilate was unjustly condemned to death may be fully maintained and defended 101. Next this debate tendeth also to this end that the power as well of Ecclesiasticall censu●e as of the civill sword being in force the licentiousnesse of carnall men which desire that there be too slack Ecclesiasticall Discipline or none at all may be bridled and so men may sin lesse and may live more agreeably to the Gospel Another thing here intended is that errours on both sides being overthrowen as well the errour of those who under a fair pretence of maintaining and defending the rights of Magistracie do leave to the Church either no power or that which is too weak as the errour of others who under the vaile of a certaine suppositious and imaginary Christian liberty do turne off the yoke of the Magistrate both powers may enjoy their owne Priviledges adde hereto that both powers being circumscribed with their distinct borders and bounds and also the one underpropped and strengthned by the help of the other a holy concord betweene them may be nourished and they may mutually and friendly imbrace one another 102. Last of all seeing there are not wanting some unhappy men who cease not to pervert the right wayes of the Lord and with all diligence goe about to shake off the yoke of the Ecclesiasticall Discipline where now t is about to bee introduced yea also where it hath been long agoe established and as yet happily remaineth in force it was necessary to obviate their most wicked purposes Which things being so let all which hath been said passe with the good leave and liking of those orthodoxe Churches in which the Discipline of Excommunication is not as yet in use neither can any offence easily arise to them from hence yea if the best conjecture doe not deceive they cannot but rejoyce and congratulate at the defence and vindication of this Discipline 103. For those Churches doe not deny but acknowledge and teach that the Discipline of Excommunication is most agreeable to the Word of God as also that it ought to bee restored and exercised Which also heretofore the most learned Zachary Vrsine in the declaration of his judgement concerning Excommunication exhibited to Prince Frederick the third Count Elector Palatine the title whereof is Judicium de Disciplina Ecclesiastica c. Excommunicatione c. 104. For thus he In other Churches where either no Excommunication is in use or t is not lawfully administred and neverthelesse without all controversie it is confessed and openly taught that it ought justly to bee received and bee of force in the Church and a little after Lest also your Highnesse by this new opinion doe sever your self and your Churches from all other Churches as well those which have not Excommunication as those which have it Forasmuch as all of them doe unanimously confesse and alwayes confessed that there is reason why it ought to bee in use 105. To the same purpose it tendeth which the highly esteemed Philip Melancthon in his Common places chap. of civill Magistrates doth affirme Before sayeth he I warned that civill Places and Powers are to bee distinguished from the adhering confusions which arise from other causes partly from the malice of the devill partly from the malice of men partly from the common infirmity of men as it cometh to passe in other kindes of life and Government ordained of God No man doubteth that Ecclesiasticall Government is ordained of God and yet how many and great disorders grow in it from other causes Where he mentioneth a Church Government distinct from the civill and that jure divino as a thing uncontroverted 106. Neither were the wishes of the chief Divines of Zurick and Berne wanting for the recalling and restoring of the discipline of Excommunication So Bullinger upon 1 Cor. 5. And hitherto faith he of the of the Ecclesiasticall chastising of wickednesse but here I would have the brethren diligently warned that they watch and with all diligence take care that this wholesome medicine thrown out of the true Church by occasion of the Popes avarice may be reduced that is that scandalous sins bee punished for this is the very end of Excommunication that mens manners may be well ordered and the Saints flourish the prophane being restrained lest wicked men by their impudencie and impiety increase and undoe all It is our part ô brethren with greatest diligence to take care of these things for we see that Paul in this place doth stirre up those that were negligent in this businesse 107. Aretius agreeth hereunto Problem Theolog. loc. 33. Magistrates doe not admit the yoke they are afraid for their honours they love licentiousnesse c. The common people is too dissolute the greatest part is most corrupt c. In the mean while I willingly confesse that wee are not to despaire but