Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	bishop_n	minister_n	presbyter_n	3,360	5	10.2331	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52048	The power of the civil magistrate in matters of religion vindicated the extent of his power determined in a sermon preached before the first Parliament on a monthly fast day / by ... Mr. Stephen Marshall ... / published by G. Firmin ... with notes upon the sermon.	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.; Firmin, Giles, 1614-1697.	1657 (1657)	Wing M769; ESTC R31209	38,128	52

no words about that the Magistracy hath sufficiently declared against that The Bishops before allowed the Ministers power to suspend from the Lords Supper which is Excommunicatio minor in the esteem of many That the Bishop would Monopolize the power of Excommunication as if Presbyters might not doe such an Act is more then any Bishop dare undertake to prove Hierom could tell us in his time when Corruptions had overgrown the Church Excepting Ordination what doth a Bishop that a Presbyter doth not It seems then Presbyters did excommunicate I thought to have added something more but reading of Anselm the Archbishop of Canterbury upon the first Chap. of Titus he giveth such strong grounds to convince me that such Bishops were never of Divine Institution that I trouble my selfe no further For the other two if any suppose the Congregationall Government not to be Presbyterial they mistake It should be so I am sure or else there must be no government at all to find government where there are not Governors and governed will be very hard but who are governed if the people be Governors Let learned Mr. Norton one of the strongest Congregational Divines be heard he speaks to the purpose I appeal to any competently judicious and sober-minded man if the denial of Rule in the Presbytery of a decisive voice in the Synod and of the power of the Magistrate in matters of Religion doth not in this point translate the Papal power unto the Brotherhood of every Congregation thou that abhorrest Episcopacy dost thou commit Popery Alas alas is there no medium between Boniface and Morellius between Papacy and Anarchy if there be a mystery of iniquity in the one is there not an university of iniquity in the other The Historians indignation that the East was overcome by a drunken Commander with a drunken Army is now become a matter of astonishment when so drunken a Tenet in an Age of such learning piety action suffering and successe should threaten the hopes of so glorious a reformation come unto the very birth By this you may see the judgement of this solid Divine and his fears and what sober man doth not fear the like The businesse then is not whether the government be Presbyterial we all agree in that but whether Classical c. That which troubleth us here is that the Churches mentioned in the Scripture were in Cities and populous places where there were many Elders and so there is no question about them but how they carried on their government in small Villages we read not of any in such places to my remembrance such as ours are we have no example Yet let us see how much we differ as now we stand the Congregational Divines though they deny a Pastour to have Authoritative power over any Church but his own yet in matters of weight and so in Excommunication they judge that a Council of Elders ought to be called which they look upon as an Ordinance of God thus in N. E. one Church going about to excommunicate a person a neighbour-Minister sent word he conceived the Church ought not to doe it some of the Church came to him to know his reasons he bad them call a Council and in the Council he would give his reasons but not else the Church would not hearken to him but cast the person out This bred division Thus most of the miscarriages have come from this when people have been head-strong and would not call Councils But now there the most learned wise and solid Divines doe call for Councils in all weighty acts I see here amongst us our Congregational Brethren doe the like The case is judged and determined by the Council but it is executed by the Officer of the Congregation Let us keep close to this and many miscarriages will be prevented Come to the Classical government though these Divines suppose they have Authoritative power over other Churches yet this I suppose look where the fact is committed there the case is to be heard This was the old practice when the Classis have determined what ought to be done as suppose a person is to be excommunicated yet if the Classis allow that the officer or officers of the Church where the fact is committed shall execute the sentence with the consent of the Church then though there be difference in our judgements yet none appears in our practices If we ask further concerning the power of Synods what they may doe to Heretical Congregations The Congregational men say A Synod is a solemn Ordinance of Christ that the Synod doth admonish men or Churches in the name of Christ authoritatively as there shall be cause the Synod declares men or Churches to be subverters of the faith or otherwise according to the nature of the offence to shame them before all the Churches in the name of Christ refuse communion with them also declare in the name of Christ that these erring people or Churches are not to be received into fellowship with any the Churches of Christ nor to have communion one with another in the Ordinances of Christ And thus they practice keeping such from Communion what is this but excommunication in effect The Classical adde one step more a formal and juridical delivering such to Satan but that produceth no more effects Look into the Congregational Churches you see the same and as many effects as in the Classical upon their formal delivering c. Here is but a poor difference no man can see any difference whence I wonder that there is such complaints against the Ministers for differing about Forms For other power of Synods see Mr. Cotton Keys c. p. 25 53 54 Our Divines in their Preface to his Book say they have a Ministerial power and Authority to determine declare and enjoyn such things as may tend to reduce such Congregations to right order and peace The summe is this the Congregational men goe so far that men who have any conscience will fear to oppose and crosse them and for those who have no conscience they will little regard the Synods formal delivering to Satan but then we hope the Magistrate will not tolerate such as have no conscience nor suffer such heretical persons to vent their Heresies when the Synod hath proceeded to Excommunion or Non-communion our Author saith he must not doe so Then he helps both the Classical and Congregational Churches Yet a few more words to see if I can make things plain 1. Every Pastour of a Church hath the power of government he is a Ruler in the Church he depends on no man for this he hath it from Christ immediately annexed to his office inseparably As soon deny a Magistrate to have power of ruling in a Commonwealth as a pastor in the Church The title implies as much with divers others in Scripture They are Ministers true so is the Magistrate Rom. 13.4 Minister of God And these are called Ministers of God 2 Cor. 6.4 and