Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	believer_n	church_n	key_n	3,113	5	10.5671	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02928	The vvay of lyfe A Christian, and catholique institution comprehending principal poincts of Christian religion, which are necessary to bee knowne of all men, to the atteyning of saluation. First delyuered, in the Danish language for the instruction of those people, by Doctor Nicolas Hemmingius, preacher of the Gospell, and professor of diuinitie, for the Kynge of Denmarcke, in his Uniuersitie of Hafnia: and about three yeares past, (for the commoditie of others) translated into Latine, by Andrew Seurinus Velleius: and now first, and newly Englished, for the commodity of English readers: by N. Denham, this yeare of our redemption. 1578.; Via vitae. English	Hemmingsen, Niels, 1513-1600.; Denham, Nicholas.	1578 (1578)	STC 13067; ESTC S103963	117,088	234

a one yet notwithstanding dare require absolution of the Minister of the worde to him forasmuch as hee is before God a lyer and before the Minister of God and hypocrite the absolution turneth vnto damnation For this outwarde absolution answereth to the faith and purpose of the innermoste heart The Priest is the minister of God therefore let him behaue himselfe according to the commaundement of his Lord neither let him arrogate greater power vnto himselfe then hee hath receiued of the Lorde He hath power to shew foorth aswell remission of sinnes to all the beleeuers as also euerlasting condempnation to those whiche turne not themselues vnto God These are the keyes of the Church of Christe so that if any Minister of the Gospel should goe beyond these bounds he shall not cary this rashnes vnpunished of God What is then to be thought of priuate confession and outwarde absolution There be many and weightie causes why the holy fathers did institute this talke or Colloquie whiche is had betweene the partie confessing and the Minister of the woorde The first that the rude and ignoraunt might be the more profitably instructed beeing demanded of euery principle of the Christian Religion For when as many doe many yeeres heare the holy preachings yet doe very little or nothing at all profit such verely shal with greater profit talke together with the learned and godlye minister of the woorde whiche may inquire of what matters they stande in doubte and may teache them those thinges whereof they bee ignoraunt Secondly That in this talking together the profiting of the youth and younge persons might bee tryed For it is the parte of a good Pastour not onely to teach openly but also accordinge to the example of Paule to make a tryall at home how farre euery one of his hearers haue gone forwarde in the course of godlynesse Thirdly that a reason of the fayth might be required of those of whose Fayth and Religion iust doubte might be had and that vnto such as in any heresie were stubbernely obstinate the Supper of the Lord should be prohibited Fourthly that in this Colloquie the doubtful consciences and such as for the scruple of their sinnes were vnquieted might by doctrine counsaile and consolation be releeued Fifthly that in this priuate talke they might heare the voyce of the Gospell pronouncing forgiuenes of sinnes to those which beleeue in Christe For in asmuch as Christe sayth Hee that heareth you heareth mee it is much auayleable to heare the Minister of the worde in the name of Christ according to his cōmandement shewing foorth the remission of sinnnes ¶ Priuate Absolution may be made in this manner Because my Brother thou doost not only confesse thy selfe to be a sinner and guiltie in the sight of God And art sory that thou haste offended God but also beleeuest the promise of the Gospel concerning forgiuenesse of sinnes namely That vnto the beleeuer is giuen eternall life I declare vnto thee in the name of Christe the forgiuenesse of thyne offences In the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghoste Amen Goe in peace and sinne no more Hetherto we haue heard of the last thing which I propounded was to bee considered in the Messiah our Lorde IESV CHRISTE namely How we are made partakers of his benefites But because there be many founde whiche protract repentance vnto the last breath of lyfe I will yet ad hereunto and declare two things First touching the causes whiche should inuite vs to the ripening or hastening of Repentaunce The other by what meane a Christian may perseuer vnto the ende that hee loose not faith and the benefites of Christe VVhat then shall inuite vs to the hastening of Repentaunce Albeit there bee many and moste weightie causes which should mooue vs that we should not delay repentance which alas for sorowe many doe at these dayes with great securitie yet notwithstanding I will at this season bring foorth tenne Argumentes at the leaste wherby euery man may woorthyly bee moued betymes to repent The first is The vncertaine end of this life For no man knoweth in what hower in what moment or in what manner he shall departe from hence This vncertaintie shoulde woorthyly mooue vs to hasten repentaunce Christe going about to exhorte his disciples to watchfulnesse taketh an Argument hereof when he sayeth VVatch and pray because yee knowe neither the day nor the howre And in Luke the 12. the Lorde propoundeth a Parable of a rich man beeing carelesse and delaying Repentance The ground saith he of a certaine rich man brought forth plentiful fruites therfore he thought with himselfe saying what shall I doe because I haue not rowme wherein to gather my fruites together and he sayde thus will I doe I will destroy my Barnes and builde greater and thither will I gather together my fruites and my goods and I will say vnto my soule Soule thou haste much goodes layde vp in store for many yeeres take thine ease eate drincke and be mery But God sayd vnto him Thou foole this night will they require againe thy soule from thee whose then shall those thinges bee which thou hast prepared So is it with him that hoordeth vp riches to himselfe and is not riche towards GOD. Heereof afterwarde the Lord inferreth this But rather seeke yee the kingdome of GOD and the righteousnesse thereof and afterwards all other things shall be giuen vnto you Item In such an hower as ye think not will the Sonne of man come And Augustine saith God giueth thee a space of amendement but thou more louest delayment than amendement Thou drawest the time a long and of the mercy of GOD thou promisest vnto thy selfe many things as though he whiche hath promised thee saluation through repentaunce had also promised thee long lyfe How knowest thou what the morrowe day will bringe foorth Thou sayest well in thine heart when I shal amende me God wil forgiue me all mine offences VVe cannot deny but that vnto the amended and conuerted God hath promised fauour But in what Prophet readest thou that because God hath promised fauoure to the amended doost thou also reade that he hath promised thee long lyfe This vncertaintie therefore of the tearme of this life should admonish vs of the ripening or hastening of repentance leaste sooner then wee thinke we fall vpon the darcke mountaines as Ieremie speaketh and so be ouerwhelmed with the iuste Iudgement of GOD. There haue been many which hoped that they might continewe foorth their life vnto olde age but in the middle flower of their age they haue fallen downe flat Many haue looked for a quiet ende of life but haue perished in exile Many haue purposed to haue the comforts of their freendes and acquayntaunce in the agonie of death but they haue miserablye perished amonge enemyes Many haue promised to themselues a time in which lying in their bed they would mourne repent but they haue beene soudainly taken foorth

them and shew them selues very carefull of their saluation But wherof commeth this so fyery and insatiable hatred of the Pharises towarde Christe CHRIST reprehended their great manifolde sinnes namely Arrogancie Hypocrisie Couetousnes erronious Doctrine wherby they led awry both them selues others Arrogant and proude people are of such malice of minde that they take it greeuously that they should be admonished do with great contention persecute those which dare be so bold as once to minish or hinder their false conceiued opinion of the great estimation of thēselues Wherfore it is the lesse to be meruailed that these so proude arrogant Pharisies doe with hatred persecute Christe which euery where and continually tolde them to their teeth and condempning them obiected vnto them this their filthy pride especially whē as they in the meane time considered not that this was doone of Christe for their profit and saluation But forasmuch as these are Hypocrites which repute thēselues to be righteous before God and man albeit they bee inwardly filled with all filthynesse and malice yea altogether like vnto dead mennes graues whiche although they shewe outwardly whited and garnished yet inwardly they abounde with poysoned and abhominable filthynesse therfore they doe not gladly suffer those whiche reprehende and condemne them of sinne And for this cause these Hypocrites will not graunt vnto Iesus Christ this glory That he alone is righteous and that whosoeuer wil be made righteous doe obtaine the same by this our onely Lorde Iesus Christe Therefore in the 21. of S. Matthew Christe saith vnto them Publicanes and sinners shall enter into the kingdome of God before you Moreouer if you inquire why these things be so the cause is in a redynesse for Hypocrites doe presume that they are without all sinne and trust to their owne righteousnesse whiche they haue not but Publicanes and sinners doe knowe and confesse them selues to haue sinned and to haue no righteousnesse of their owne wherby beeing vpholden they may make their boast When they therefore doe heare sinne reprooued they doe foorthwith very easily in comparison of the Hypocrites acknowledge their sinnes and imbracing with ioy the preaching of grace doe repent forsake the conuersation of their former life conuert them selues vnto God by faith in Iesus Christe bring foorth fruites of faith An example of this thing is to be seene in Luke Chap. 18. in the Publicane the Pharisie of the which two the Publicane standing in the Churche afarre of prayed the Pharisie with great pride boasted of his owne righteousnesse Likewise Luke 7. In Simeon that hooste of Christe and in that sinfull woman whiche there hauing washed the feete of Christe with her teares wiped them with the heary lockes of her head This waywardnesse is moreouer very like vnto couetousnesse for that it suffereth it selfe to be reprehended of no body but indeuoureth to couer it selfe with the cloke of wisdome sedulitie and sparefulnesse when as notwithstanding it is in very deed as Paul teacheth meere Idolatrie for the couetous man reposeth more hope in these momentanie goods of the world than in the liuing God Therefore it is not to be meruailed that the Pharisies hated Christe and with all their power persecuted him which iustly reproued their wicked couetousnesse and execrable Idolatrie That Christe also did in like manner reprehende their errours about the heauenly doctrine neither did they take y t with quiet mindes For they dreamed that the keyes of wisdome were in their powers alone wherewith euery of them supposed that he might open and shut vp heauen at his pleasure wheras they notwithstandinge were in the meane time voyde both of the true vnderstandinge of the Lawe and of the true knowledge of the Messias this their blindenesse they could at no hand suffer to bee reprooued of Christe LASTLY The Pharises toke this thinge also greeuously in Christ that hee not onely reprooued them of their owne wandringe out of the way but that they also through their erronious Doctrine did leade other awrye from the true shepheard and way of Saluation Of these so great offences Christ accused the Pharises that either amending themselues they might bee saued or els continuing in their sinnes they should looke for both here in this worlde the iuste punishmentes of God as also after this life euerlastinge dampnation But howe did the Pharises take these thinges of Christe Euen altogeather after the same manner as a madde man is affected agaynst him which goeth about to delyuer him from his disease and madnesse For euen as a man distraught of minde doth with feete nayles and byting enemylike assayle him which laboureth to laye medicinable handes vpon him so the Pharises with handes and feete applye to this thinge that they maye sclaunder Christe and take him out of the waye and therfore they solempnely sent their messengers thrise vnto him the tuesday next beefore they crucifyed him In the first Embassage were the Pharises with the Herodians which demaunded whether it were lawfull to giue tribute to Caesar or not And that thing they doe with this intent that if Christe did affirme the question propounded the common people might forsake him and so it might be easily lawful to deliuer him to death but if he did deny it he might fal into the hands of Herodes seruaunts who hauing taken him might kill him as a seditious man But in vaine doth the craftinesse of man wery it selfe against the wisdome of God Christe answereth neither affirmatiuely nor negatiuely but the coyne being shewed by them he saith whose Image and inscription is this They answered him Caesars And hee said vnto them Giue vnto Caesar the things which are Caesars and vnto GOD those things whiche are Gods so that of this answere of Christe neither y e Herodians nor the common people found why they might iustly be offended THE SECOND Embassage was of the Saduces which deny the resurrectiō of the dead These men thought that out of the doctrine of Christe teaching that all people should rise againe in the last day they might inferre some absurditie in this maner There were say they with vs seuen bretheren and the firste hauing maryed a wife deceased and hauing no seede left his wife vnto his brother likewise the second and the thirde vnto the seuenth laste of all the woman also dyed In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the seuen They supposed now that Christe would appointe her either to one of them or to al of them together whiche if hee had doone they would haue cryed out that y e coulde not be conuenient for the coutentions hatreds and abhominable filthynesses that would followe therof By this way they hoped that they should confute the doctrine of Christe to deliuer Christ to iudgement as gilty of vntruth to be punished Let vs heare what Christ answereth vnto them Ye erre saith he not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God and are ignorant

regenerated so wee beeing cleansed and regenerated are spiritually fed and nourished by the benefite of the body and blood of Christ rightly vsing the Supper of the Lord according to his owne institution Fourthly the Supper of the Lord is a testimonie of the new Testamente that is to say of A NEVV COVENANT betweene God and man touching remission of sinnes wherby God testifyeth that hee will receiue into fauour and forgiue sinners for the merite of the death passion of Christ to All which beleeue in HIM Therfore he himselfe sayth This Cup is the new Testament in my blood that is This Cuppe is a firme and vnmoueable seale of the moste ample promise of god cōcerning y e forgiuenes of sinnes Whosoeuer therefore with a true and liuely faith vseth this Sacrament receiueth the testimonie of God himselfe whereby he testifyeth that he hath deliuered his sonne shedding his blood vpon the Altar of the Crosse for the remission of sinnes that through him as many as beleeue in him may obtaine saluation Fiftly The Supper of the Lord admonisheth vs of the secret and spirituall communion whereby we whiche doe partake this Sacrament together are vnited as it were into one body Of which thing Paule saith Because wee beeing many are one bread and ONE BODY inasmuch as we are all partakers of one breade This knitting of the Christians into one body dependeth heereon that we all as it is already said are vnited to the body of Christe by the partaking of his body and blood Sixtly The Supper of the Lord requireth mutuall loue betweene the Communicantes whereby the misticall members of the same body as we haue said shoulde with heart word and worke performe duetyes one towardes the other This Loue of Christian people which from the head CHRISTE floweth into the rest of the members that is to say the Citizens of his Church doth not take away the degrees of persons but rather confirmeth the diuersities of callings in the Congregation of all whiche there is one marke namely The Glory of God and the commoditie of thy neighbour Whosoeuer feeleth not in his heart the sparckle of this mutiall dilection and without a purpose of well dooing to his member that is to say to his neighbour commeth to the Supper of the Lorde it were better for him to abstaine vtterly from the Sacrament For who would not affirme that manne to bee mad and out of his minde whiche would set his owne members at strife one with another amongest themselues so that the handes might plucke out the eyes or cut of the feete I woulde to GOD that Christians could after the same manner marke their owne madnesse whiche they doe manifestly betray and showe forth whilste through mutuall hatreds and contentions of minde they set themselues one against another Seuenthly The Supper of the Lord is a pledge and signification of our resurrection life and eternall saluation and that by the power of Christe risen againe from the dead For whatsoeuer hath beene hetherto spoken of the Supper of the Lord are al to be referred to this principall end that they may bee vnto vs in steade of a pledge sealing of life euerlasting through Christe whose members we are made And so that is fulfilled which Christ saith He which eateth my flesh and drincketh my blood hath eternall life and I will rayse him vp in the last day By these Articles which we haue brought abroade out of the holy Scripture to the declaring of this doctrine of the supper of the Lorde euery man may easily vnderstand how needeful it is with a hygh godlynesse of minde and reuerence to approch to this supper to proue him selfe before he eate of this bread or drinke of the Cup of the Lorde For as Paule saith He which eateth and drincketh vnworthyly eateth and drincketh his owne damnation because he discerneth not the Lords body Christ affirmeth the same thing of the Gospell Hee which beleeueth not sayth he shalbe condemned And Augustine sayth of Baptisme Euen as he whiche vnworthyly eateth the body of the Lorde and drinketh his blood eateth and drincketh his omne damnation so he which receiueth Baptisme vnwoorthily which thing many Iewes doe at this day receiueth to himself damnatiō not saluation Furthermore Least any man shoulde communicate the Supper of the Lord vnworthyly let him followe the counsayle of Paule 1. Corinth 11. Let a man proue himselfe and so let him eate of that Bread and drinke of that Cuppe for he which eateth and drinketh vnworthyly eateth and drinketh damnation to himself not descerning the Lords body that is to say hee calleth vnto himselfe the punishment and Iudgement of GOD. What therefore is the true manner of prouing himselfe The same Paule prescrybeth 2. Cor. 13. when he saith Try your selues whether ye be in faith or no proue your owne selues Knowe yee not your selues that Iesus Christe is in you Heereby it appeareth that the true tryall of proouing consisteth in this that a liuely faith bee truely felt and the presence of Christe in vs by the vertue of his spirit stirring vs vp to the study of godlynesse Breifely he is truely prooued which reuerently in the feare of GOD in true repentance in true confidence and with an holy purpose commeth to this Supper And contrarywise he which is without the true feare of God and earnest repentance and wanteth liuely fayth and an holy purpose the same eateth and drinketh iudgement to himselfe bothe temporall and eternall vnlesse he be againe by faith in Iesus Christe conuerted And I nothing doubt but the greatest parte of moste heauy calamities euery where reigning in many places is therefore sente because they bee so common which participate the supper of the Lord without true and earnest repentance Paule writeth that the Corinthyans were plagued because they touched vnreuerently the holy Supper For this cause sayth he many are feeble and weake among you and many are fallen a sleep For if wee had iudged our selues wee should not haue beene iudged but when we are iudged of the Lorde we are instructed that we should not bee damned with the worlde I would to God that many at this day would not builde vpon a feeble foundation and be much deceiued with their owne opinion which then suppose themselues to come woorthyly to the Supper of Christ when they haue confessed their sinnes before the preist and obtayned absolution of him He which beleeueth him God absolueth for the death and passion of Iesus Christe For he which beleeueth saith Iohn hath eternall life If therefore the beleeuer hath eternall life hee is also without all doubt absolued from all his sinnes For Absolution is no other thing than a deliuerance from sin which is in the power of GOD alone Therefore the Ministers of the woord cannot absolue him which is without the feare of God a liuely faith and a purpose of good liuing from the least offence And he which is such