Selected quad for the lemma: parliament_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
parliament_n	act_n	authority_n	majesty_n	3,840	5	6.2854	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16643	A plaine confutation of a treatise of Brovvnisme, published by some of that faction, entituled: A description of the visible Church In the confutation wherof, is shewed, that the author hath neither described a true gouerment of the Church, nor yet proued, that outward discipline is the life of the Church. Whereunto is annexed an ansvvere vnto two other pamphlets, by the said factioners latelie dispersed, of certaine conferences had with some of them in prison. Wherein is made knowen the inconstancie of this sect, what the articles are which they still maintaine: as also a short confutation of them. There is also added a short ansvvere vnto such argumentes as they haue vsed to proue the Church of England not to be the Church of God.	Alison, Richard, controversialist.	1590 (1590)	STC 355; ESTC S100153	67,007	148

entrance vnto the Crowne as the visible Church in all ages from the beginning hath afforded Brownist They are not gathered in the name of Christ but in the name of Antichrist vvhom they obey as shall aftervvard appeare Therefore c. Ansvvere The Argument is this The true church is gathered in the name of Christ but the church of England is not c. Therefore not the true church The proposition is granted the Assumption is denied in asmuch as we do renounce the doctrine gouernment worship of Antichrist as shalbe shewed in the places where they labor to proue the contrary Brownist They vvorship not God truely but after a false and idolatrus manner as vvitnesseth their Popish liturgie their stinted booke of common praiers Therefore c. The Argument standeth this The true church worshipeth God truely but the church of England doth not Therefore it is no true church I grant the proposition yet with this caueat that not euery mēber of the visible church performeth this dutie and that the true worship of God offered vnto him by man thorough the frailtie of man is not without great wants The matter of the assumption hath bene dealt in pag. 21. And they receiue not nor obey not Christ as their king priest and prophet Therefore c. This argument is diuided into three seuerall parts in this manner Not as their king reiecting his gouernement and receiuing and standing vnder the antichristian yoke of their Popish gruernment Therefore c. The force of the reason is this The true church obeyeth Christ as her king and reteineth his gouernement but the church of England doth not Therefore no true church We are to remember that the question is of outward gouernment which hath bene shewed pag. 25. not to be the life of the church but the word onely Herevnto we ad their own confession that the true church may be vvithout sacraments which we hold as necessarie as outward gouernment But we are here charged with a double crime viz. with the casting of Christs gouernment and with the receiuing the yoke of Antichrist To the first whereof I answere that if pastors Doctors and Elders and Deacons be the gouernement of Christ we haue it in as much as the matter required in all these offices is retained with vs if these be abused by men it is not sufficient to proue that we haue them not at all if strife be about the changing of the names wise men will condemne it for follie To the second I answere that her maiestie is supreame gouernesse ouer vs in all causes both ecclesiasticall and ciuill and therefore hath authoritie to appoint such gouernors to confirme that gouernment which being not contrarie vnto Gods word shall seeme meete vnto hir Nowe this gouernement which we haue else where is shewed to haue bene for the preseruation of discipline and auoiding confusion before the time that Antichrist bare sway in the church I grant that afterward he abused it so did he many other matters and yet they are not to be counted Antichristian hauing not their beginning of him when they are restored vnto their first vse But this one calumniation bringeth foorth these fruites First in teaching that euery priuat man hath authority in the election of ecclesiasticall gouernors or else the gouernement is Antichristian the priuat man is taught to intrude into her highnesse right to whome this matter was granted by Act of Parlement 1. Eliz. 1. Againe in disswading from the obedience of this authority the cōmandement of God is made no commandement Ro. 13. 1. which willeth that euery soule be subiect vnto the higher powers And as Absolon with Dauid so do these men deale with her maiesty in seeking to alienate the harts of good subiects from her by crying out against her gouernment promising better things if they be harkned vnto that mē might be brought to ioyne in their rebellions We shun the Iesuites who from house to house do labour to draw the people into a loathing of their present estate this natiue schisme is so muche the more to bee looked vnto as it commeth with a greater shew of godlinesse and yet indeuoreth to worke confusion by these Iesuiticall proceedings Brownist Not as their Priest sacrilegiously prophaning his name vvith their idolatrie prostituting his blood and making him a Priest and sacrifice to infidels and the most vvicked offenders Ansvvere The Argument is thus The true church receiueth Christ as their Priest but the church of England doth not because it prophaneth his name c. Therefore no true church The assumtion is false for the doctrin of our church is that Christ is the onely Priest who by his owne blood entred in once into the holy place and obtained eternall redemption for vs and therefore that men should walke worthy of so holy a calling as Christ hath vouchsafed to set them in neither in their worshipping of God prophaning his name not by their vngodlinesse abusing his sacraments wherein the practise by our church commanded is that prophane vngodly men be repelled from the same It is not therfore a matter to be generally laid vnto the charge of the whole church that they prophane his name c. I grant indeed that the Pastor may thorow ignorance negligence or some other euill occasion deliuer the sactament to an vnworthy man which as it is a sinne in the receiuer so may it be as great a sinne in the deliuerer yet will this be a weake reason to conuince the whole church of prostituting the blood of Christ denying his priesthood prophaning his name c. seing that Iudas was partaker of the supper of the Lord and yet the whole companie were not polluted thereby Brownist Not as their prophet giuing no obedience to his vvord vsing it as a mantell to couer their sinne rather then as a rule vvherby to direct their liues not seeking a true ministerie but maintaining a false of vvhich sort the vvhole ministererie of the land is vvhich are permitted to teach in their publike places to vvhom they giue eare Ansvvere The Argument is this The true church receiueth Christ as her prophet but the church of England doth not c. Therefore c. The assumption of which argument they proue thus First because the church of England giueth no obedience to his word Secondly because they vse it as a mantle to couer their sinne and thirdlie because they seeke not a true ministerie but maintaine a false It hath heretofore bene granted that the best churches haue had some bad members in them whereof some in Athiesme despised the word others in hipocrisie made it a cloake to couer their vngodlinesse wherein the church of England goeth not scotfree but for the wickednes of some to condeme the whole were verie hard and so sharpely to censure all were intollerable Yet these men do it when they affirme that no obedience is giuen to the word as if all from the

the corruptiō of their harts Thirdly that our ministery is antichristian a matter handled pag. 125. the scurrilitie in calling them hirelings mercenary preachers c. deserueth no answer the names of parson vicar c. doth not make a difference in the ministery but in their maintenance Fourthly we are subiect to the popish courtes as high commission c. wherunto I answer that al these courts haue their authority from her maiesty though some of thē more directly then the other In consideration wherof to call the lest antichristian is arrogant but to ioine thē all in one sentence to disswade her maiesties subiects frō yeelding obedience vnto any of thē it will be found an act of no good subiect yet for mine owne parte I purpose not to giue iudgement in the matter I leaue it to such as are acquainted with the law onely I will propound the case which is this The high court of Parlement hath agreed that the queene her hignes successors kings queenes of this realme shall haue full power by letters pattents vnder the great seale to name and authorise when as often and for so long time as her highnes her heires or successors shall thinke meete such person or persons as she or they shal thinke meet to execute vnder her c. all manner iurisdictions priuileges and preheminences in any wise concerning any spirituall iurisdiction within England and Ireland c. 1. Eliz. 1. Now her maiestie by the authoritie aforesaid hath graunted her letters pattentes vnder the great seale for the two courts of high commission and delegates And by the said authority first from the Parlement and then from her maiestie these two courtes doe stande and not by any other right or authoritie whatsoeuer yet these two courts of high commission and of delegates are here tearmed popishe and antichristian courts and the people are condemned to be antichristian which yeelde obedience vnto them This therefore is the case Whether it toucheth her maiesty or not that libels railing vpon and calling her highnes authority which is warranted by her broad seale popish antichristian c. Brownist These assemblies are not ruled by the old and new testament but by the canons iniunctions and decrees of those antichristian and popish courts therefore c. Ansvvere The Argument is this The true church is ruled by the old and new testament but the church of Englande is not c. Therefore c. If Christ hath in his last will set down a perfect gouernment for his church as they say he hath there is little vse of the olde Testament for direction of discipline vnder the Gospell But this Argument being in effect the same with the former needeth no other answere then it had Brownist These people stand not in for their Christian libertie but all of them remaine in bondage to these Aegyptian and Babylonishe yoakes yeelding obedience vnto these courts and their canons Therefore c. Ansvvere The Argument is this All and euerie of the true Church stand in and for their christian libertie to practise whatsoeuer God hath commanded them c. But in the church of England they stande not for their christian libertie Therefore c. Ansvvere We haue seene pag. 49. 50. that the priuate man doth passe the bondes of his calling in presuming to deale with publike reformation Againe it was sayde pag. 45. that in the visible church it doth not alwaies fall out that euerie member hath that freedom which is requisite in the performance of their christian dueties of his calling The proposition therefore is false As for the assumption in differing nothing from the three former it doth commend the greate facilitie of the author who in resoning in so smal varietie of matter is able to frame so greate a change of argumentes which yet being considered of doe appeare all one in effect Brownist These assemblies haue not the povver vvhich Christ hath giuen vnto his church vnto the vvorlds end al the povvers of earth and hell cannot take from them viz. to binde and loose and to reforme things that are amisse but are driuen to the Commissarie courtes Therefore c. Ansvvere The Argument is this The true church hath power to execute the censures of the church but the church of Englande hath not Therefore c. The proposition faileth for the true church is sometimes without outward gouernement whereof read pag. 25. and so consequently without the power which this man speaketh off for I know he will not restraine this power of binding and loosing though he might vnto the ministerie of the word whereof notwithstanding Christ speaketh Ioh. 20. 23. saying Whose sinnes soeuer ye remit they are remitted and whose sinnes ye retaine they are retained As for the assumption it is most vntrue for we haue not onely the power of Gods word which he hath giuen vnto his ministerie to bind and to loose therby but also the censures of the church in respect of outward gouernement I grant that euerie seuerall congregation hath not this power and I dare affirme that in no age it can be proued that euery seuerall congregation had this authoritie but euen in those churches which had an Eldership the same was not in euery assemblie but diuerse congregations were ordered by one senyorie therefore to say that because euerie priuate congregation hath not this power therefore it is not at all in the church is a childish kind of reasoning Brownist These assemblies cast out sathan by the power of sathan namely by these Imps of Antichrist the Bishops commissaries and priests Therfore they are not and for all their reasons seuerall and ioyned cannot be held in any Christian iudgement the true church of Christ. Answere In this last Argument is granted vnto vs that which before was denied viz. that our church hath power of casting out but it faileth in the manner for if they say true this power is not from Christ but from the imps of Antichrist c. vnto which accusation I answere the end wherefore men are cast out from amongst vs by the doctrine of our church should be that the offender by being depriued of the seales of the couenant might be brought vnto repentance Now for the ordering hereof the people are not in the weightie matters of the church to haue their voice pag. 47. c. And a presbyterie in euery congregation cannot be had pag. ●8 therfore neither election ordination excommunication nor other censures of the Church are to be committed to euerie particular congregation As for this vnchristian dealing in condemning for Antichristian whatsoeuer is not according to their humour it hath bene often answered Some defectes there are in our gouernment we challenge no perfection some corruption there is oftentimes in such as haue the ordering of it I defend not all But in this I would be resolued if wee by the power of Satan cast out Satan by what power do they cast out