Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	peace_n	power_n	session_n	3,270	5	10.2826	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41439	A full survey of Sion and Babylon, and a clear vindication of the parish-churches and parochial-ministers of England ..., or, A Scripture disproof, and syllogistical conviction of M. Charles Nichols, of Kent ... delivered in three Sabbath-dayes sermons in the parish church of Deal in Kent, after a publick dispute in the same church with the said Mr. Charles Nichols, upon the 20. day of October 1653 / by Thomas Gage ...	Gage, Thomas, 1603?-1656.	1654 (1654)	Wing G111; ESTC R5895	105,515	104

by reason of their corruptions And if not lost in them then in them it still continued and if it continued in them then still in them there was by vertue of their true Ordination for substance potestas in and potestas ad a power in in themselves to preach and to pray still and a power to or towards to or towards others to communicate this power by imposition of hands to others to other Ministers and Presbyters in whom neither could Ordination for subs●ance be lost for their superstitions and corruptions could not make void null the Acts of Office belonging to them from a Root and Fountain without and Authoritatively derived to them from the first Institution of Christ and from their Ordination by imposition of hands by the former Presbyters still true for substance And if their Superstitions and corruptions could make Ordination void and null the Superstitions and corruptions of the former should also have made it void and so it must be said to decay in the first in whom it decayed not they having been rightly ordained for substance before their fall apostasie Now the Superstitions corruptions of those that succeeded the first were in kinde of the same nature and quality with those that were found in the first and so they could not being the same in kinde and nature do more then the first no● make void and null that Ordination for substance which the first corruptions in the first Apostates never made void and null So that in those Presbyters who succeeded the first back-sliders there was also potestas in and potestas ad power in themselves to preach and to pray and power to or towards others to communicate this power by imposition of hands to others And so in them neither could ordination for substance still right die or decay And so successively ordination for substance continued true notwithstanding the corruptions and evil qualities of Officers till the glorious light of Reformation began again to shine As in a wall which on● day is seen and known by the colour of a white plaistering over it but the next day is found with another colour even dawbed over with black yet still continues in the substance of the stones and other materials to be the same wall the black dawbing or any other paintings not being so destructive as to destroy the substance of the wall Even so Ordination as a strong wall to the Church of Christ though at first in the pure and Primitive times it was observed and known by the true white colour of Imposition of hands by the Presbytery with fasting and prayer without any Oyls or dawbing ointings and Chrisms by praying and preaching onely without that black corruption and Superstition of Mass-mumming or paintings of an unbloudy Sacrifice yet continues and then continued true for substance and was not quite destroyed or abolished by the colours of Rites and Superstitious Ceremonies put upon it by corrupt Bishops Presbyters who lived in England in the height of Pope y and Romish Superstition And thus as I have looked back to the beginning of Popery and there have found no nulling no destroying of true Ordination for substance nor any decay or loss of it in the succ●ssion of Presbyters following and succeeding untill the Reformation Let us now take a view of the first Reformers who were ashamed of the former corruptions and Apostasies who left off Mass-mumming and offering an unbloudy sacrifice in the Mass and let us now see whether in them continuing Preaching and praying Ordination for substance were lost and decayed so that in them there remained not still potestas in and potestas ad power in in themselves to Preach and to Pray and power to or towards others to communicate to other Presbyters by Imposition of hands the same power to pray to Preach the word and to Administer the Sacraments Object It may be Objected and said of them that they being Ordained to the Mass as well as to Preaching Praying and Admistring the Sacraments could not Ordain others to Preaching and Praying and Administring the Sacraments onely unless they Ordained them to what themselves had been Ordained to wit to Sacrifice also and to the Mass because their power reached to the latter as well as to the former And so the Ministers succeeding them and yet not truely Ordained to the same full power of Massing and Sacrificing to which they that Ordained them had been themselves Ordained but being Ordained to one part onely of their power to wit to Preaching and Praying and Administring the Sacraments and not to Sacrifice and the Mass were not truely Ordained because the first Reformers had shaken off and renounced their own full power which themselves had received by abjuring the Mass and Sacrifice to which their power reach●d and so could communicate no power to others but in that fulness of power for kinde and nature which themselves had formerly received Ans. To the which Objection I answer with this plain and easie instance of a Justice of the Peace now amongst us whose former power was onely to Administer Justice and to act by Law against Delinquents and Offenders binding them over to the Sessions or committing them to the Gaol or Prison But now to this his power is further added by an Act of Parliament another power to joyn in the State of Marriage such as shall come before him to be married and to declare them Man and Wife giving them his Certificate that they are truely and lawfully coupled together in the State of Matrimony If now a Justice of the Peace should make a scruple of doing this as some I hear already do his Conscience telling him that Marriages have for many years in all sorts of Churches yea in the best Reformed Churches alwayes belonged to the Ministery as an Ordinance of God though not as a Sacrament as Rome ●ea●eth and for that Matrimony is an honourable estate in its Relation to Christ the husband and the Church his spouse Eph. 5. Chap. and not rashly to be undertaken but with grounds reasons and Scripture to be laid up●n cleared to the Parties that are to be Wedded and that with good counsel Admonition and prayer to God for a blessing upon the Parties to be ma●●ied for the better knowing their duties each to the other better performing those duties and for the better guiding their lives in love peace and unity for the time to come If I say upon these grounds acknowledging himself unlearned in the Scriptures unfit for such good counsel instruction and Admonition having not a Spirit of prayer for such a purpose he should renounce that power given unto him to joyn Man Wi●e together and should absolutely refuse to practise it any longer as not belonging to him according to the Dictate of his Conscience Yet the other part of his Power to Administer Justice against Offenders would still continue in force his Power Authority and Commission for that