Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	bind_v	church_n	loose_v	4,001	5	10.0884	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49890	Plain dealing, or, Nevves from New-England a short view of New-Englands present government, both ecclesiasticall and civil, compared with the anciently-received and established government of England in some materiall points : fit for the gravest consideratin in these times / by Thomas Lechford ...; Plain dealing	Lechford, Thomas, ca. 1590-1644?	1642 (1642)	Wing L810; ESTC R12846	46,269	88

PLAIN DEALING OR NEVVES FROM New-England Vivat Rex Angliae Carolus Vivat Anglia Vivantque eorum Amici omnes A short view of NEW-ENGLANDS present Government both Ecclesiasticall and Civil compared with the anciently-received and established Government of ENGLAND in some materiall points fit for the gravest consideration in these times By THOMAS LECHFORD of Clements Inne in the County of Middlesex Gent. Levis est dolor qui capere consilium potest Et clepere sese Magna non latitant mala Sen. LONDON Printed by W. E. and I. G. for Nath Butter at the signe of the pyde Bull neere S. Austins gate 1642. TO THE READER EVery man is to approve himselfe and answer to God for his actions his conscience leads him to and next to good men as much as in him lyeth I have thus presumed to enter into publique for these reasons First because it is well knowne unto many that heretofore I suffered imprisonment and a kind of banishment out of this good Land for some acts construed to oppose and as tending to subvert Episcopacie and the setled Ecclesiasticall government of England therefore now I desired to purge my self of so great a scandall and wherein I have offended to intreat all my Superiours and others to impute it rather to my ignorance for the time then any wilfull stubbornnesse Secondly seeing that since my comming home I find that multitudes are corrupted with an opinion of the unlawfulnesse of the Church-government by Diocesan Bishops which opinion I beleeve is the root of much mischiefe having now had experience of divers governments I see not how I could with faithfulnesse to God my King and Countrey be any longer silent especially considering some of these late troubles occasioned among other sins I fear much through this evill opinion Happy shall I be if any be made wiser by my harmes I wish all men to take heed how they shake hands with the Church of God upon any such heedlesse grounds as I almost had done Thirdly that I might though unworthy in a fit season acquaint the learned and pious Divines of England with these my slender observations quaeres and experiments to the end they may come the better prepared upon any publique occasion for the consideration of such matters and so at length those good things that are shaken among us may be established and truth confirmed It is enough for me being a Student or Practiser at Law faithfully to put a Case which will be this Whether the Episcopall Government by Provinciall and Diocesan Bishops in number about 26. in England being if not of absolute Divine authority yet nearest and most like thereunto and most anciently here embraced is still safest to be continued Or a Presbyterian government being as is humbly conceived but of humane authority bringing in a numerous company of above 40000. Presbyters to have chiefe rule in the keyes in England be fit to be newly set up here a thing whereof we have had no experience and which moderate wise men think to be lesse consonant to the Divine patterne and may prove more intolerable then the said Episcopacie Or an independent government of every congregationall Church ruling it selfe which introduceth not onely one absolute Bishop in every Parish but in effect so many men so many Bishops according to New-Englands rule which in England would be Anarchie confusion I would entreat those that stand for this last mentioned manner of government to be pleased to consider 1. That the very terme of leading or ruling in the Church attributed to Elders forbids it for if all are Rulers who shall be ruled 2. The maine acts of Rule consist of receiving into the Church by Baptisme or otherwise and ejection out of the Church by censure binding and loosing now these are committed to the Apostles and their successors and not to all the members of the Church 3. All have not power to baptize therefore not to receive into the Church nor to cast out of the Church My brethren be not many masters saith S. Iames 3.1 The words of the wise are as goads and as nayles fastened by the masters of assemblies which are given from one Shepheard Eccles. 12.11 And whereas some may say that this power of ruling is but ministerially in the Officers and initiatively conclusively and virtually in the people If so what power ordinarily have the people to contradict the ministeriall works and acts of their Officers Must the whole Church try all those whom their Ministers convert abroad suppose among Indians before they may baptize them How can all the Church examine and try such All have not power warrant leisure pleasure ability for and in such works nor can all speake Indian language Doubtlesse the acts of rule by the Officers is the rule of the whole Church and so to be taken ordinarily without contradiction else there would be no end of jangling And thus taken the whole Church of Corinth by S. Pauls command sc. by their Ministers were to put away that wicked person and deliver him up to Satan 1 Cor. 5.13 and restore him and forgive him 2 Cor. 2. and so all the doubt on that Text is neer I think resolved Now that the government at New-England seemeth to make so many Church-members so many Bishops will be plaine by this ensuing Discourse for you shall here find that the Churches in the Bay governe each by all their members unanimously or else by the major part wherein every one hath equall vote and superspection with their Ministers and that in their Covenant it is expressed to be the duty of all the members to watch over one another And in time their Churches will be more corrupted then now they are they cannot as there is reason to feare avoid it possibly How can any now deny this to be Anarchie and confusion Nay say some we will keep out those that have not true grace But how can they certainly discerne that true grace and what measure God requireth Besides by this course they will it is to be feared in stead of propagating the Gospel spread heathenisme in stead of gaining to the Church lose from the Church for when the major part are unbaptized as in twenty years undoubtedly they will be by such a course continued what is like to become of it but that either they may goe among their fellow-heathens the Indians or rise up against the Church and break forth into many grievous distempers among themselves which God and the King forbid I pray And that you courteous Reader may perceive I have from time to time dealt cordially in these things by declaring them impartially to my friends as I received light I shall adde in the last place certaine passages out Letters sent by me into England to that purpose and conclude And I doe not this God knoweth as delighting to lay open the infirmities of these well-affected men many of them my friends but that it is necessary at this time for

it is of Acrius it is false and it is confusion The reformed Churches and Writers that held so had little experience of mission to convert plant Churches among Infidels That reformation goes too deep that tends to pulling downe of Cathedrall Churches and Bishops houses Should not Apostolick Bishops and the chiefest Ministers have houses to dwell in and Churches to recide and officiate in whither all the Churches of their Line may send and come together in Councel or Synod and so do nothing of great moment without their Bishop a Timothy or a Titus Again Baptisme is admission and initiation into the Church to whom Baptisme is commited viz. Apostles and Apostolick Ministers they have power of admission that is of loosing and consequently of binding excommunication or expulsion Where is now the peoples power in the keyes are they all Apostles and Apostolick Ministers what confusion is this who can yeeld to it knowingly I beseech you pardon my zeale and when you have considered all pity my condition and pray for me still Well I am assured that master Prynne master Burton would never yeeld to these things especially if they had experience of them It is good for us to see our errours and acknowledge them that we may obtain peace in the day of account Boston 13. Oct. 1640. To another SOrry and grieved we are at the heart to heare of the troublous estate and condition of our native countrey wee here also meete with our troubles and distresses in outward things and some in spirituall matters also Here wants a staple commodity to maintain cloathing to the Colony And for my own particular hitherto I have beene much distressed here by reason I cannot yet so clearely understand the Church proceedings as to yeeld to them there are therein so many difficult considerations that they have sometimes bred great confusion in my thoughts Never since I saw you have I received the Sacrament of the Lords supper I have disputed in writing though to my great hinderance in regard of outward things yet blessed be the Lord to my better satisfaction at the last I never intended openly to oppose the godlyhere in any thing I thought they mistooke but I was lately taken at advantage and brought before the Magistrates before whom giving a quiet and peaceable answer I was dismissed with favour and respect promised me by some of the chiefe for the future Our chiefe difference was about the foundation of the Church and Ministery and what rigid separations may tend unto what is to be feared in case the most of the people here should remaine unbaptized considerations which may trouble the wisest among us Rigid separations never did nor can propagate the Gospell of Christ they can do no good they have done hurt It is dangerous to found Church government on dark uncertain interpretations of Propheticall or other Scriptures foundations ought to be full of evidence demonstration Blessed be the Lord now some of the chiefe leaders of the Churches here hold the Churches in England true Churches and your Ministery lawfull though divers corruptions there may be among you yea some there bee of the chiefe among us that conceive the government by godly Bishops superintendent over others to be lawfull Churches are not perfect in this world We may not for every disagreement in opinion or for slender pretended corruptions separate from the Church separate so once and no end of separation From Boston in N. E. Decem. 19. 1640. To conclude SUppose there are foure sorts of Government which are used in Church as in Common-wealth Monarchicall absolute without Lawes which is tyrannie Monarchicall bounded by Lawes Aristocraticall and Democraticall Episcopall absolute which is Popish tyrannie Episcopall regulated by just Lawes Presbyterian and Congregationall Which of these will all men like and how long Some have well compared the humour of the people in this kind to a merry relation of an old man and his sonne passing through the streets of a City with one horse betweene them First the old man rode then the people found fault with his unkindnesse in that he did not cause his son to ride with him then the young man gets up too now the people say they are both unmercifull to the beast downe comes the old man then the young man is unmannerly to ride and his father walk on foot at last downe goes the young man also and leads the horse then they were both unwise to lead the horse and neither of them to ride Well but alter the inconstant vulgar will if so God grant it be for the better But then consider stories one alteration follows another some have altered sixe times before they were setled againe and ever the people have paid for it both money and bloud Concerning Church-government what the Presbyterian way is and how sutable for Englands Monarchie I leave to the pious experienced Divines to set forth and the Church and State thereof to judge And for the Congregationall independent government whereof I have had some experience give me leave instead of a better intelligencer thus to present to my deare countrey now in a time of neede my impartiall opinion in these confused papers And in brief-thus Although it had some small colour in Scripture and a great pretence of holinesse yet no sound ground in the Scripture Again if it be neither fit nor possible long to bee continued in New-England as not I alone but many more eye and eare witnesses doe know and the learned can and will judge undoubtedly it must needes be much more unfit and impossible to be brought into England or Ireland or any other populous Nation All which upon the whole I humbly submit unto the sacred judgment and determination of holy Church his royall Majesty and his Highnesses great and honourable Councel the high Court of PARLIAMENT Imprimatur Ioh Hansley FINIS How Churches are gathered there Their Church Covenant Election of their Church Officers Their ordinations The right hand of fellowship by messengers of Churches Some differ How members are received or added to the Church there The usuall termes whereupon Matters of offence how heard in private Dilatorie proceedings in admitting members * Whether Popish Auricular confession and these publique confessions be not extremes and whether some private Pastorall or Presbyteriall collation left at liberty upon cause and in case of trouble of conscience as in the Church of England is approved be not better then those extremes I leave to he wise and learned to judge Testimonials and Recommendations Publique confessions of parties to be received Their profession of faith Officers in the Church Their duties or offices Members duties A Sermon of twelve Articles of Religion Master Knolls how admitted Right hand of fellowship given to brethren The whole Church ruleth Their enterance into Covenant Severing in the family Offences how heard in publique The whole Church ruling and usurping the keyes * Whether a grave and judicious consistorie