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
A66445	The blovdy tenent, of persecution, for cause of conscience, discussed, in a conference betweene trvth and peace vvho, in all tender affection, present to the high court of Parliament, as the result of their discourse, these, amongst other passages, of highest consideration.	Williams, Roger, 1604?-1683.; Cotton, John, 1584-1652.	1644 (1644)	Wing W2758; ESTC R2405	232,471	275

I heartily subscribe and know the God the Spirit the Prince the Angels and all the true awaked Sons of Peace will call thee blessed Truth How sweet and precious are these contemplations but oh how sweet the actions and fruitions Peace Thy lips drop as the Honey-combe Honey and Milke are under thy Tongue oh that these drops these streames might flow without a stop or interruption Truth The glorious white Troopers Rev. 19. shall in time be mounted and he that is the most High Prince of Princes and Lord Generall of Generalls mounted upon the Word of Truth and Meeknesse Psal 45. shall triumph gloriously and renew our meetings But harke what noise is this Peace These are the dolefull drums and shrill sounding trumpets the roaring murthering Canons the shouts of Conquerours the grones of wounded dying slaughtered righteous with the wicked Deare Truth how long how long these dreadfull sounds and direfull sights how long before my glad returne and restitution Truth Sweet Peace who will beleeve my true report yet true it is if I were once beleev'd blest Truth and Peace should not so soone be parted Peace Deare Truth what welcome hast thou found of late beyond thy former times or present expectations Truth Alas my welcome changes as the times and strongest swords and armes prevaile were I beleeved in this that Christ is not delighted with the blood of men but shed his owne for his bloodiest enemies that by the word of Christ no man for gainsaying Christ or joyning with his enemy Antichrist should bee molested with the civill sword Were this foundation laid as the Magna Charta of highest liberties and good security given on all hands for the preservation of it how soone should every brow and house be stucke with Olive Branches Peace This heavenly invitation makes mee bold once more to crave thy patient eare and holy tongue Errour●s impatient and soon tyred but thou art Light and like the Father of Lights unwearied in thy shinings Loe here what once againe I present to thy impartiall censure A MODEL of CHURCH and CIVIL Power Composed by Mr. COTTON and the MINISTERS of NEW-ENGLAND And sent to the CHURCH at SALEM as a further Confirmation of the bloody Doctrine of PERSECUTION for cause of CONSCIENCE Examined and Answered CHAP. LXXXII Truth VVHat hast thou there Peace Here is a combination of thine owne Children against thy very life and mine H●re is a Modell framed by many able learned and godly hands of such a Church and Common-weale as wakens Moses from his unknown Grave and denies Iesus yet to have seene the Earth Truth Begin sweet Peace read and propound My hand shall not be tyred with holding the ballances of the Sanctuarie doe thou put in and I shall weigh as in the presence of Him whose pure eyes cannot behold iniquitie Peace Thus then speakes the Preface or Entrance Seeing God hath given a distinct power to Church and Common-weale the one Spirituall called the Power of the Keyes the other Civill called the Power of the Sword and hath made the members of both Societies subject to both Authorities so that every soule in the Church is subject to the higher powers in the Commonweale and every member of the Commonweale being a member of the Church is subject to the Lawes of Christs Kingdome and in him to the censures of the Church the Question is how the Civill State and the Church may dispence their severall Governments without infringement and impeachment of the power and honour of the One or of the Other and what bounds and limits the Lord hath set betweene both the Administrations Truth From that conclusion deare Peace that every mem● of the Commonweale being a member of the Church is subject to the Lawes of Christs Kingdome and in Him to the censure of the Church I observe that they grant the Church of Christ in Spirituall causes to be superiour and over the highest Magistrates in the World if members of the Church Hence therefore I infer may she refuse to receive and may also cast forth any yea even the highest if obstinate in Sin cut of her Spirituall society Hence in this Spirituall society that soule who hath most of Christ most of His Spirit is most spiritually honourable according to the Scriptures quoted Acts 15. 20. Isa. 49. 23. Gal. 3. 28. And if so how can this stand with their common tenent that the Civill Magistrate must keep the first Table set up reforme the Church and be Iudge and Governour in all Ecclesiasticall as well as Civill causes Secondly I observe the lamentable wresting of this one Scripture Sometimes this Scripture must prove the Power of the Civill Magistrates Kings and Governours over the Church in Spirituall causes c. Yet here this Scripture is produced to prove Kings and Magistrates in Spirituall causes to be censured and corrected by the same Church ●Tis true in severall respects he that is a Governour may be a subject but in one and the same spirituall respect to judge and to be judged to sit on the Bench and stand at the Bar of Christ Iesus is as impossible as to reconcile the East and West together CHAP. LXXXII The first head That both Iurisdictions may stand together Peace VVHereas divers affecting transcending power to themselves over the Church have perswaded the Princes of the World that the Kingdome of Christ in His Church cannot rise or stand without the falls of those Common-weales wherein it is set up we do beleeve and professe the contrary to this suggestion the government of the one being of this World the other not the Church helping forward the prosperity of the Commonweale by meanes only Ecclesiasticall and Spirituall the Commonweale helping forward her owne and the Churches felicity by meanes politicall or temporall the falls of Commonweales being knowne to arise from their scattering and diminishing the power of the Church and the flourishing of Commonweales with the well ordering of the people even in morall and civill virtues being observed to arise from the vigilant administration of the holy Discipline of the Church as Bodin a man not partiall to Church Discipline plainely testifieth The vices in the free estate of Geneva quae legibus nusquam vindicantur by meanes of Church Discipline sine vi tumultu coercentur the Christian liberty not freeing us from subjection to Authority but from inthrallment and bondage unto sinne Truth Ans. From this confession that the Church or Kingdome of Christ may be set up without prejudice of the Commonweale according to Iohn 18. 36. My Kingdome is not of this World c. I observe that although the Kingdome of Christ the Church and the Civill Kingdome or Government be not inconsistent but that both may stand together yet that they are independent according to that Scripture and that therefore there may be as formerly I have proved flourishing Commonweales and Societies of men● where no

forth to preach by his supreme power and the Magistrate by his power subordinate to gather Churches CHAP. CIV Peace YOu have taken great paines to shew the irreconciliablenesse of those their two assertions viz. First there is now no Ministry as they say but what is mediat from the Church and yet secondly Christ Jesus sends Preachers forth by his supreme power to gather the Church I now wait to heare how as they say the Magistrate may send forth by his power subordinate to gather Churches enforcing the people to heare c. Truth If there be a Ministry sent forth by Christs supreme power and a Ministry sent forth by the Magistrates subordinate power to gather Churches I aske what is the difference between these two Is there any gathering of Churches but by that commission Mat. 28. Teach and baptize And is the civill Magistrate intrusted with a power from Christ as his Deputy to give this commission and so to send out Ministers to preach and baptize As there is nothing in the Testament of Christ concerning such a delegation or assignment of such power of Christ to the civill Magistrate So I also ask since in every free State civill Magistrates have no more power but what the people 's of those States Lands and Countries betrust them with whether or no by this meanes it must not follow that Christ Iesus hath left with the Peoples and Nations of the World his Spirituall Kingly power to grant commissions and send out Ministers to themselves to preach convert and baptize themselves How inevitably this followes upon their conclusion of power in Magistrates to send c. and what unchristian and unreasonable consequences must flow from hence let all consider in the feare of God Iehosaphats sending forth the Levites to teach in Iudah c. as they alledge it not so elsewhere it shall more fully appeare to be a type and figure of Christ Iesus the only King of his Church providing for the feeding of his Church and People by his true Christian Priests and Levites viz. The Ministry which in the Gospel he hath appointed CHAP. CV Peace VVE have examined the Ministry be pleased deare Truth to speake to the second branch of this head viz. the maintenance of it They affirme that the Magistrate may force out the Ministers maintenance from all that are taught by them and that after the patterne of Israel and the argument from 1 Cor. 9. Gal. 6. 6. Truth This theame viz. concerning the maintenance of the Priests and Ministers of worship is indeed the Apple of the Eye the Dianah of the Dianah c. yet all that love Christ Jesus in sincerity and soules in and from him will readily professe to abhorre filthy lucre Tit. 1. and the wages of Balaam both more common and frequent then easily is discernable To that Scripture Gal. 6. 6. Let him that is taught in the Word make him that teacheth partaker of all his goods I answer That teaching was of persons converted beleevers entred into the Schoole and Family of Christ the Church which Church being rightly gathered is also rightly invested with the power of the Lord Iesus to force every soule therein by spirituall weapons and penalties to doe its duty But this forcing of the Magistrate is intended and practised to all sorts of persons without as well as within the Church unconverted naturall and dead in sinne as well as those that live and feeding enjoy the benefit of spirituall food Now for those sorts of persons to whom Christ Iesus sends his Word out of Church estate Iewes or Gentiles according to the Parable of Math. 13. high-way hearers stony ground and thorny ground hearers wee never finde title of any maintenance to bee expected least of all to bee forced and exacted from them By civill power they cannot be forced for it is no civill payment or businesse no matter of Caesar but concerning God nor by spirituall power which hath nothing to doe with those which are without 1. Cor. 5. It is reasonable to expect and demand of such as live within the state a civill maintenance of their civill officers and to force it where it is denyed It is reasonable for a Schoole-master to demand his recompence for his labour in his Schoole but it is not reasonable to expect or force it from stranges enemies rebels to that City from such as come not within or else would not bee received into the Schoole What is the Church of Christ Iesus but the City the School● and Family of Christ the Officers of this City Schoole Family may reasonably expect maintenance from such they minister unto but not from strangers enemies c. Peace It is most true that sinne goes in a linke for that tenent that all the men of the world may bee compelled to heare Christ preach and enjoy the labours of the Teacher as well as the Church it selfe forceth on another also as evill viz. that they should also be compelled to pay as being most equall and reasonable to pay for their conversion Truth Some use to urge that Text of Luc. 14. Compell them to come in Compell them to Masse say the Papists compell them to Church and Common prayer say the Protestants Compell them to the Meeting say the New English In all these compulsions they disagree amongst themselves but in this viz. Compell them to pay in this they all agree There is a double violence which both Errour and Falshood use to the soules of men First morall and perswasive such was the perswasion first used to Ioseph by his Mistris such was the perswasions of Tamar from Ammon such was the compelling of the young man by the Harlot Prov. 7. shee caught him by her much faire speech and kisses And thus is the whole world compelled to the worship of the Golden Image Dan. 3. The second Compulsion is civill such as Iosephs Mistris began to practise upon Ioseph to attaine her whorish desires Such as Ammon practised on Tamar to satisfie his brutish lust And such was Nabuchadnezzars second compulsion his fiery Furnace Dan. 3. and mysticall Nabuchadnezzars killing all that receive not his marke Rev. 13. The first sort of these violences to wit by powerfull argument and perswasion the Ministers of the Gospel also use Hence all those powerfull perswasions of Wisedomes Maidens Pro. 9. Hence saith Paul knowing the terrour of the Lord we perswade men 2 Cor. 5. and pull some out of the fire saith Iud● such must that compulsion be Luc. 14. viz. the powerfull perswasions of the word being that two-edged sword comming out of the mouth of Christ Iesus in his true Ministers sent forth to invite poore sinners to partake of the Feast of the Lambe of God The civill Ministers of the Commonweale cannot be sent upon this businesse with their civill weapons and compulsions but the spirituall Minister of the Gospel with his spirituall sword of

raised concerning those famous acts of Asa Hezekiah Iehosaphat Iosiah What thinke you of the Fast proclaimed by Iehosaphat 2 Chron. 20. 3. Truth I finde it to be the duty of Kings and all in authority to incourage Christs Messengers of Truth proclaiming Repentance c. But under the Gospel to enforce all naturall and unregenerate people to acts of worship what president hath Christ Iesus given us First t is true Iehosaphat proclaimed a Fast c. but was he not in matters spirituall a type of Christ the true King of Israel Secondly Iehosaphat calls the members of the true Church to Church service and worship of God But consider if civill Powers now may judge of and determine the actions of worship proper to the Saints I● they may appoint the time of the Churches worship Fasting and Prayer c. why may they not as wel forbid those times which a Church of Christ shall make choice of seeing it is a branch of the same Root to forbid what lik●th not as well as to injoyne what pleaseth And if in those most solemne duties and exercises why not also in other ordinary meetings and worships And if so where is the power of the Lord Jesus bequeathed to his Ministers and Churches of which the power of those Kings was but a shadow CHAP. CXVIII Peace THe liberty of the Subject sounds most sweet London and Oxford both professe to fight for it How much infinitly more sweet is that true soule liberty according to Christ Iesus I know you would not take from Caesar ought although it were to give to God And what is Gods and his peoples I wish that Caesar may not take Yet for the satisfaction of some be pleased to glance upon Iosiah his famous Acts in the Church of God concerning the worship of God the Priests Levites and their Services compelling the people to keepe the Passeover making himselfe a covenant before the Lord and compelling all that were found in Ierusalem and Benjamin to stand to it Truth To these famous practices of Iosiah I shall parallell the practices of Englands Kings and first de jure a word or two of their right then de facto discusse what hath been done First de jure Iosiah was a precious branch of that Royall Root King David who was immediately designed by God and when the golden linkes of the Royall chaine broke in the usurpations of the Romane Conquerour it pleased the most wise God to send a Sonne of David a Sonne of God to beginne againe that Royall Line to sit upon the Throne of his Father David Luc. 1. 32. Acts 2. 30. It is not so with the Gentile Princes Rulers and Magistrates whether Monarchicall Aristrocraticall or Democraticall who though government in generall be from God yet receive their callings power and authority both Kings and Parliaments mediately from the people Secondly Iosiah and those Kings were Kings and Governours over the then true and onely Church of God Nationall brought into the Covenant of God in Abraham and so downward and they might well be forced to stand to that Covenant into which with such immediate signes and miracles they had beene brought But what Commission from Christ Iesus had Henry the eight Edward the 6. or any Iosiah like to force the many hundred thousands of English men and women without such immediate signes and miracles that Israel had to enter into an holy and spirituall Covenant with the invisible God the Father of Spirits or upon paine of death as in Iosia●s time to stand to that which they never made nor before Evangelicall Repentance are possibly capable of Now secondly de facto let it be well remembred concerning the Kings of England professing Reformation The foundation of all was laid in Henry the 8. The Pope chalengeth to be the Vicar of Christ Iesus here upon earth to have power of reforming the Church redressing abuses c. Henry 8. falls out with the Pope and chalengeth that very power to himself of which he had despoiled the Pope as appeares by that Act of Parliament establishing Henry 8 the supreme Head and Governour in all cases Ecclesiasticall c. It pleased the most High God to plague the Pope by Henry the 8. his means but neither Pope nor King can ever prove such power from Christ derived to either of them Secondly as before intimated let us view the Workes and Acts of Englands imitation of Iosiahs practice Henry the 7. leaves England under the slavish bondage of the Popes yoake Henry the 8. reformes all England to a new fashion halfe Papist halfe Protestant King Edward the 6. turnes about the Wheele of the State and workes the whole Land to absolute Protestanisme Queene Mary succeeding to the Helme steeres a direct contrary course breakes in peeces all that Edward wrought and brings forth an old edition of Englands Reformation all Popish Mary not living out halfe her dayes as the Prophet speakes of bloudy persons Elizabeth like Ioseph advanced from the Prison to the Palace and from the irons to the Crowne she pluckes up all her sister Maries plants and sounds a Trumpet all Protestant What sober man stands not amazed at these Revolutions and yet like Mother like Daughter and how zealous are we their off-spring for another impression and better edition of a Nationall Canaan in imitation of Iudah and Iosiah which if attained who knowes how soone succeeding Kings or Parliaments will quite pull downe and abrogate Thirdly in all these formings and reformings a Nationall Church of naturall unregenerate men was like wax the subject matter of all these formes and changes whether Popish or Protestant concerning which Nationall State the time is yet to come when ever the Lord Jesus hath given a word of institution and appointment CHAP. CXIX Peace YOu bring to minde deare Truth a plea of some wiser Papists for the Popes supremacy viz. that it was no such exorbitant or unheard of power and jurisdiction which the Pope chalenged but the very same which a Woman Queene Elizabeth her selfe chalenged stiling her Papissa or she Pope withall pleading that in point of Reason it was far more suitable that the Lord Jesus would delegate his power rather to a Clergie man then a Lay man as Henry the 8. or a woman as his daughter Elizabeth Truth I beleeve that neither one nor t'other hit the white yet I beleeve the Papists arrowes fall the nearest to it in this particular viz. That the government of the Church of Christ should rather belong to such as professe a Ministry or Office Spirituall then to such as are meerly Temporall and Civill So that in conclusion the whole controversi● concerning the government of Christ Kingdome or Church will be found to lye between the true and false Ministry both chalenging the true commission power and keyes from Christ. Peace This all glorious diadem of the Kingly power of the Lord Iesus