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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53265	New-England pleaded with, and pressed to consider the things which concern her peace at least in this her day, or, A seasonable and serious word of faithful advice to the churches and people of God, primarily those in the Massachusets Colony, musingly to ponder, and bethink themselves, what is the tendency, and what will cetainly be the sad issue, of sundry unchristian and crooked wayes which too too [sic] many have been turning aside unto, if persisted and gone on in delivered in a sermon preached at Boston in New-England, May 7, 1673, being the day of election there / by Urian Oakes ...	Oakes, Urian, 1631-1681.	1673 (1673)	Wing O21; ESTC W23179	65,078	72

great Assertors of the liberties of the Church that make such tragical complaints of the Presbyterian Vsurpations and Encroachments of their painful faithful Officers that oppose them in their Government and bind their hands that they cannot act according to their Commission from Jesus Christ under pretence and colour of securing the Churches power and priviledge and liberty It is but that they may grasp all the power in their own Hands and in effect Lord it over Gods Heritage and that the Church may in truth and reality be governed by three or four F●ling you may call them if you please Presbyterian Brethren rather then by the Officers that the Holy Ghost hath made Overseers and Rulers This is the goddly way whereby our Brethren are wont to provide for their own Liberties Do but open your eyes and look about you and mark it in any Church where the Authority of the Elders is disowned and opposed and tell me whether it be not so indeed that a few Pragmatical and Loquacious Men Concionales Hommes as Livy calls some of the Turbulent Tribunes that opposed the Consular Authority with that specious pretence of the Peoples liberty do boldly usurp and inva●● the Church power and Authority and Rule their Brethren and their Rulers also They must w●nk hard that do not see this And just it is that those that will not obey them in the Lord that have the rule over them should be thus enslaved to the imperious and uncertain Humours of these and those usurping Brethren And it is to be feared that many of our Brethren such is their weakness and the power of prejudice will never come humbly and kindly to submit themselves in the Lord to the Government ●f Jesus Christ in his Church till they have been soundly scratch'd with this Bramble Government of some aspiring and domi●eering Brethren But I beseech you Observe the mischief of this practise It is a staple Principle of our ablest Congregational-men that as there is a liberty and priviledge appertaining to the Brethren so the Rule and Government properly so called is appropriated to the Elders by the appointment of Jesus Christ. Now the Promise and Blessing goes with the Institution So that where the Elders are in effect set by and three or four heady Brethren lead the Church and rule all They are in such Administrations under the wing and shadow of no promise or blessing which to a gracious heart is a dreadful consideration Again the loud Out-cry of some is for Liberty of Conscience that they may hold and practise what they will in Religion This is the Diana of some men and great is the Diana of● the Libertines of this age I remember Iulian the Apostate that malicious and implacable Enemy to Christianity have observed that the Christian Religion prospered the more for the severe persecution in Dioclesian's Time and that the Christians grew up thicker and faster for being Mowed down with the Sythe of Bloody Enemies He did for a while abstain from severities against the Christians and suffered all men to use what Religion they would And Austin saith of it Libertatem perditionis permisit He gave men liberty to destroy themselves Such is that liberty of Conscience even a liberty of Perdition that some men are so unconscionably Clamorous for But remember that as long as you have liberty to walk in the Faith and Order of the Gospel and may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all Godliness and Honesty you have as much liberty of Conscience as Paul desired under any Government 1 Tim. 2.1 ● He that is allowed without molestation to walk with God and serve him with all good Conscience hath liberty enough Never complain when that is your condition that you may be as good as you will Oh take heed in all Societies and in all Respects of an inordinate and undue Affectation of Liberty The latter end of it will be Bondage and Slavery 10. Consider what will be the latter end of a Licentious Toleration of all Opinions and Religions among us I profess I am heartily for all due moderation I have a real compassion towards the Infirmities of the minds of men the Ignorance and weakness and Errours of their understandings as well as the passions and other distempers of their Wills and Affections I know many men are very weak and injudicious and want Natural Logick and have Cor bonum an honest Heart are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apopostle speaks Rom. 16.18 simple and no ill meaning men that want Caput Regul●t●●m a judicious and well regulated Head Many a man hath a good Heart and Affections under the bad conduct and ill steeridge of a very weak Head Yea many ingenious and witty men are yet very injudicious I am far from the Barbarous Spirit and Humour of that Giant and Robber Procrus●es that was wont cruelly to cut shorter such as were too long and stretch out those that were too short for his Bed A tender consid●ration of the weakness of men and due moderation in this case is the Duty of those that cannot but be conscious to themselves of their own infirmities Nevertheless I must adde as I have great reason that I look upon an unbounded Toleration as the first born of all Abominations If this should be once born and brought forth among us you may call it God and give the same Reason that she did of the Name of her Son Gen. 30.11 Behold a Troop cometh even a Troop of all man●er of Abominations This would be not only to open the Wicket but to ●ling open the great Gate for the ready Admission and Reception of all Abominable Heresies It is excellently determined by that Judicious and Blessed Man Mr. Norton That Vnity in ●udgement is to be endeavoured because Truth is one and indivisible yet some Difference touching the Truth must be endured because of the weakness of men To tolerate every Thing and to tolerate nothing are both intolerable A toleration is not an approbation Those Distinctions between mixtures in Religion and Errours in those that profess the same Religion between Fundamentals and Non-Fundamentals between Errours held sorth by an Erroneous Conscience and a contumacious Will between persons peaceable in Israel and Disturbers of the State between points that are clear or orderly decided with due time for conviction and such as are disputable and of depending disquisition being prudently applied may be of special use Thus that excellent Man in his excellent Preface to his Treatise of the sufferings of Christ. I doubt not but it is the duty of the Civil Magistrate to tolerate what is tolerable and that some Errors are tolerable as to the practice of them For the Conscient●ous pers●●si●n about them is not immediately under the Magistrates Cognizance He 〈◊〉 neither be said to tolerate or prosecute men for the Errors of Conscience that are no way manifested And yet no Errour is tolerable mee●●y 〈◊〉 Cons●ience sake or because

of Godliness when the Kingdom of Heaven suffered violence and Religion was the great buisiness and All in a manner of such as had given up their Names to God and subscribed with their hands unto the Lord cannot but easily discern a sad alteration of the state of things among Professors that much of our silver is become dross and our wine mixed with water and that the Daughter of Sion hath contracted filth that had need be purged away Oh where is that Sense of the evil of sin that Dread of the Majesty and Terrour of the Lord that Fear of the wrath to come that care and vigorous endeavour to secure an happy condition in the next World where are those fervent Prayers unutterable groans invincible wrestlings with God that serious and frequent meditation that trembling at the Word making hast and not delaying to keep the Commandments of God are not the wise as well as foolish Virgins slumbring and sleeping As the Spouse saith I sleep but my heart wak●th Cant 5.2 They are in a great measure opprest and overborn with security And others fast asleep their eyes closed and hearts asleep too Hence so many Dreaming Professors among us Do not men too generally turn Religion into a Formality and keep up a gaudy pageant of Religion in a course of Profession that hath no life nor soul in it Professors do not walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with that accurateness and circumspection that they were wont to do● but are grown careless and sleepy because the Bridegroom tarrieth and wax weary of well-doing and suffer their love to grow cold and stumble at such stones as are commonly laid in the way of a long profession do not some of them begin to eat with the gluttonious and drink with the drunken and smite their fellow servants because their Lord delayes his coming verily the hearts of men generally are not lift up in the wayes of the Lord 2 Chron. 17.6 nor engaged throughly to seek after him but they walk at all adventures with him Levit. 26.21 And there are a Generation of heedless Professors among us that take no heed to walk in the Law of the Lord with all their heart●● which was the Character and Brand of Iehu for all his high profession of Zeal for the Lord of Hosts 2 King 10 31. what settling and thickning upon the lees of security and sensuality sloth and ease doth the Lord Jesus observe among us that searcheth Ierusalem with Candles Zeph. 1.12 what a deal of Dross cleaving to men doth He take notice of whose fire is in Sion and furnace in Ierusalem Here is much precious Wheat but what a deal of Chaffe will be found when Christ comes to sift and win now and purge his floor throughly When the Apostle gives us the Character of those last and perilous times that should overtake the Church of God he reckons up sundry evils that too many Professors in those dayes should be addicted to And I wish his prediction were not verified among us in all the particulars of it Men saith he shall be lovers of themselves pursuing their own interest with th●● neglect of the good of others Covetous or Lovers of Money Po●sters insolent and vain glorious Proud supercilious vaunting or flaunting Profession Blasphemers scu●●ilous and abusive revisers of others Disobedient to Parents that is Despisers of the lawfull Authority not only of natural Parents but of Civil and Ecclesiastical Rulers and of superiours in all Societies Families Churches Common-wealth Vnthankful that are not to be won by any kindnesses but are ungrateful to men of worth and usefulness that have obliged them by all manner of Civilities and Services Vnholy or Prophane spirited men without natural Affection Truce-breakers or Perfidious that mak● no Conscience of words and covenants but violate their promises and engagements False Accusers Devils the Original word is or Make bates and Calumniators Incontinent or intemperate that are buri●d in flesh and drowned in sensuality Fierce men of savage and bruitish dispositions that will admit o● no moderation Despisers of those that are good such as cannot love good men but despise them be they Magistrates or Ministers men of Piety and great Worth Traitors perfidious to the cause and interest of Christ to their best friends that repose confidence in them Heady violent men that are not to be check'd and restrain'd by Reason or Conscience within any bounds of sobriety but are precipitately carried on as their blind affections and passions hurry them High-minded they are Lords and Reign as Kings and have an high Opinion of themselves an over-weening conceit of their own excellencies Lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God preferring their own carnal pleasures before the holy will of God And the Close of all is Having a Form a shew appearance or vizor of Godliness but denying the power thereof I need say nothing more by way of Application only mind that the Apostles Exhortation is from such turn away 1 Tim. 3.1.6 And therefore we may well conclude that Jesus Christ will turn away from them and have no pleasure in them This this is the sad Apostacy that many in New-England are guilty of A visible decay of and declension from the practise of piety and power of Godliness seizing upon a very considerable part of the professing party of these Plantations as to personal holiness and zeal for the precious interest of Jesus Christ among us An Hour of Temptation is come upon us the desperate effects and issues whereof are plainly seen in the Decay of Love the subversion of the Faith and partial or total Apostacy of many persons Our vain janglings and contentions and strifes and debates those Sucker● that draw away all the nourishment from the substantial parts of godliness are an evidence that we are grown carnal that once were a spiritual people 1 Cor. 3.3 We have many fearful instances tremendous Examples of backsliding so that the goodly profession of many persons expires in sad revolt from the Truth to vile Opini●ns or from the power of godliness to loose and licentious courses I have against thee much against thee may Christ say to New-England as he said to Ephesus Rev. 2.4 because thou hast left thy first love And what will be the Latter end of this but the removing of our Candlesticks the loss of the presence and ●avour of Christ the departure of the Glory of the Lord from us the casting away of the Salt that hath lost its savour 2. Consider what ●ill be the latter end of the great contempt of and unfruitfulness under the Dispe●sation of the Word and Ordinances among us Do not your own Consciences tell you that the Market and Price of Ordinances is very low at this day Houses and Lands Lots and Farms and outward accomodations are of more value with many people then the Gospel and Gospel ordinances When the Ark of God was taken it was the sad lamentation of that good Woman the Glory