Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	ceremony_n	church_n	rite_n	2,845	5	10.3412	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12700	A brotherly persvvasion to vnitie, and vniformitie in iudgement, and practise touching the receiued, and present ecclesiasticall gouernment, and the authorised rites and ceremonies of the Church of England. VVritten by Thomas Sparke Doctor in Diuinitie. And seene, allowed, and commended by publike authoritie to be printed	Sparke, Thomas, 1548-1616.	1607 (1607)	STC 23019.5; ESTC S102433	84,881	104

to build such an erronious and superstitious vse of this signe as they that thereupon now take occasion more to dislike it then before perswade themselues they iustly may then these reuerend and learned fathers and brethren of ours should most absurdly contrarie themselues euen in the Canon it selfe for growing towards the end therof as before they had confessed that alwayes our Church since the abolishing of poperie hath vsed it with such sufficient cautions and exceptions against all popish superstition and error as in like cases are fit and conuenient so they conclude that by this their declaration and explanation of the vse thereof they haue not onely purged it from all superstition and errour but reduced it also in the Church of England to the primarie institution of it vpon those true rules of doctrine concerning things indifferent and according to the iudgement of all the ancient fathers With what probabilitie therefore can any man thinke that so many and such men could in their foresayd words haue any such hard meaning as thereby not only to make the signe of the crosse of it selfe to serue to the very same ende that the Supper of the Lord doth as to keepe in our remembrance his death and passion but also so plainly to encroach vpon a principall vse of the other Sacrament as to be the meanes whereby the child is substantially and effectually dedicated to Christ and his seruice Surely whatsoeuer other men say or thinke in this respect christian charitie neither will nor shall euer I hope suffer me to admit of so absurd a conceit of all or of any of their meanings that either were the penners makers or allowers of that Canon yea the same charity and the dutifull and reuerend estimation I haue of them all leades yea enforces me euen by the consideration of their owne words vsed within the same Canon to be fully resolued that that was neuer their meaning but that indeed their meaning plainly and simply was onely by the former to signifie as the name of the crosse in the phrase of the Apostle did comprehend or represent the death of Christ vvith all the fruits and effects thereof so the signe thereof with the helpe of our intention and meditation in the vsing thereof might be as a token or signe admonitorie to put vs in remembrance thereof for by the name of the crosse they say expresly the Apostle in his speech comprehended as much and that by that name or word was represented all the benefits of Christs death and so that thereupon the making of the signe thereof was shortly after taken vp and vsed thereby to make shew and profession of their faith in him that died on a crosse which they could not doe without taking occasion thereby in some sort which is not vnlawfull to remember his deaths and by the latter doubtlesse they meant only as these words immediatly in the latter place added shew as by the words vsed in the booke of common prayer it may appeare such a dedication of the child by that badge to the seruice of Christ as formerly the booke onely meant and intended which was no otherwise then I haue shewed before that is a publike admittance thereof with the conferring of that signe into the congregation of Christs flocke and so into his seruice by confession of faith in him and manfully fighting vnder his banner against all the spirituall enemies for immediatly before the act of the baptizing of it the minister prayeth that whosoeuer there shall bee dedicated vnto God by his office and ministerie meaning in baptizing them may bee endued with heauenly vertues and euerlastingly rewarded through his mercie and then hauing baptized it or them in faith and hope that this prayer is heard and so that they are by and in baptisme substantially and effectually dedicated vnto God Amen is sayd after followes the ministers and peoples admittance of them and signing of them as aforesayd which is nothing but an approouing of the former dedication as much as lies in them and a declaring of their hope and expectation by that which they do that in time they will shew and manifest themselues to be dedicated to his seruice indeede in faithfully seruing of him both in beleefe and life so that euen the words and order of the booke whereunto they haue expresse conference in that Canon plainely shew that by them is meant no other dedication of the baptized by that badge then an approbation by them of the former dedication of them in and by baptisme and so their declaration thereof by that and the admittance of the baptized as the booke appointeth Appobatiuè therefore and declaratiué and non effectiuè are they and the Canon to be vnderstood wherein there is no such daunger or alteration of the former good meaning that might be of this signe 2. Now therefore these new obiections thus answered let vs go on to weigh what further either of olde or else of late is obiected against this signe of the Crosse in answering whereof I shall I hope yet more lay foorth the weaknesse of these ●t is still and long hath beene alledged against it that it is made by vs as it is vsed significatiue and that when wee haue made the best construction thereof wee can of that which is sufficiently signified by baptisme before and that therefore in the vrged vse it is not indifferent and so not to be yeelded vnto To this argument it is aunswered first that it is grounded of that which will not nor neede not bee graunted namely that it is not within the power and libertie of the Church of Christ to ordaine rites and ceremonies with signification of spirituall things especially of any thing signified alreadie by either of the Sacraments for that were say they to obscure them and as it were to bring in new kinde of Sacraments without expresse warrant from Christ which is vnlawfull For where finde they in the word any warrant to debarre the Church of this freedome and libertie to ordaine rites with any such spirituall signification Sure I am Peter Martyr a verie godly learned man in an Epistle of his to Hooper plainely shewes that he had neuer found any such for there hee saith how shall we debar the Church of God of this libertie that it cannot signifie some good thing in setting forth her rites ceremonies especially being so done that no maner of Gods honor is attributed vnto them and that they be in sight comly and in number few and that christian people be not with them ouerburthened and matters of greater importance be not omitted But indeed though this and the rest of ours be otherwise thus qualified as Martir would haue all such to be and are not darke and dumbe ceremonies as the Popish ceremonies abolished were but are so set forth as is said in the tract of ceremonies prefixed before our Communion booke that euery man may vnderstand what they meane and to what vse

for a sufficient excuse or reason in any of vs before the great Iudge of quick dead and the chiefe Bishop of our soules of and for our surceasing therefrom to say and plead we could not be suffered to continue and to go on therin vnlesse we conformed our selues in these thinges as this our Church requireth now at our hands And therefore also howsoeuer otherwise weake brethren were not wilfully and needlesly in such things to be offended by vs yet if after so many yeares instruction they would be so weake still as that they would rather wish vs to leaue our ministery what mischiefe or inconuenience soeuer therby should grow eyther to them or to our selues and ours and to the whole Church by our so doing then to yeald to the vse of these things I could neuer yet perswade my selfe that we were bound to preuent the not offending of such by suffering our selues to be run vpon these so daungerous rocks But indeed I alwaies rather thought that that was to redeeme the not offending of them in such things at a farre higher and costlier rate and price then eyther wee were bound to giue for it or it were worth and therefore that in this case the onely thing that remained for vs to doe was holding on still our ministery better to instruct them and to pray for them that God would make them wiser and stronger and so to leaue them to him And the rather haue I beene confirmed in this my opinion because I plainly find that Maister Cartwright himselfe as desirous as he was otherwise that they that are in authoritie would haue rather beene pleased to remoue sundrie of thē was yet in this case of the very same iudgment as any man may see he was in his secōd part of his secōd reply chap. the last Then secondly though when I haue beene called by lawfull authoritie to some conference about these matters as sometimes I haue beene and by the same had leaue then freely to say my mind touching these things I haue not refused in dutifull manner to lay downe my reasons why they that were in authoritie hauing questionlesse thereby power as well to remooue or alter such rites and ceremonies as to continue them as that plainely is confest they haue both in our Common Booke it selfe and in the booke of Articles might well be pleased for the better encouraging of many both to enter into the ministerie and the quieter to continue therein as also thereby the sooner to breed peace vnitie and loue amongst our selues and to remooue offence from the weake and tender consciences of many to vse their power and authoritie rather to remooue or alter certaine of them then to continue and vrge them as they were yet euen then also as it is well knowne as occasion was offered I sundrie times plainely protested that for my owne part those reasons notwithstanding I thought it not fitt if authoritie would not yeelde therefore so to do but for other reasons seeming of more force thereunto should chuse rather to continue and so to vrge them still that any man therefore eyther should shunne the ministerie or suffer himselfe to be depriued thereof For I neuer thought them but waied and vnderstood as they are with vs eyther of themselues simply vnlawfull or any way so inconuenient that any should therefore runne vpon eyther of these rocks Much more therefore I haue wondred at those men and greatly alwaies in my minde haue I misliked them who for things of no other nature then these about which our domesticall controuersies haue beene haue yet euen therefore growne vnto such a mislike of the state of our Church as that they both in pulpit and print haue thought they might not onely most bitterly seeke the disgrace both of it and the gouernours thereof but also make as they haue too to many of them a plaine and open schisme therin yea and an vtter rent breach therfrom And I praise God for it the feare thereof from the beginning and the falling of it out so when it did together with the serious consideration of the nature of the questions themselues haue so alwaies kept me in loue and liking of the present gouernement and the orders thereof that hitherto euer peaceably and quietly I haue liued vnder and in the practise thereof and neuer yet could be brought how well soeuer I haue liked of some that haue seemed zealous forward in wishing as they counted it reformation of and in certaine things for their painfulnesse in their places and fruitfulnesse of their labours otherwise in their ministery eyther to be present at any of their meetings and consultations to that end or to yeald them my hand at any time to any thing concluded therein by them yea alwaies as I haue said I haue not onely misliked to the disturbance and disquiet of so famous a Church of Christ as this of ours is all those their exceptions against it notwithstanding that any should seeke eyther in Pulpit or Print to deface it and disgrace it as I sawe too many did but also what credite soeuer at any time God hath giuen mee with any especially of any great place I haue vsed it to the best of my skill and credite with them to breede and to nourish in them a good liking of our present Church-gouernment and so in time and place to bee as they might Patrons for it rather then any way to suffer themselues to bee drawne to ioyne with them that sought the subuersion thereof and to bring in an other Insomuch that thirdly I may with a safe and good conscience both before GOD and man proteste that I neuer yet coulde bee brought by any thing that I haue euer heard or read to that purpose these foure and thirtie yeares that I haue beene in the Ministerie and yet I thinke I haue read most if not all that hath beene since written to that ende eyther to thinke that forme and plott of Church gouernement so much admired and magnifyed as the perpetuall and onely fit gouernement for Christes Church by a paritie of Ministers and their Presbiteries eyther fitting for such a Monarchye as this is or any way in deede so aunswerable or conformable to the perpetuall gouernement vsed by GOD for and in his Church eyther since Moses or Christ during the Storie eyther of Newe Testament or Olde as this by Archbishopps Bishoppes and Pastors of ours is And heereupon it hath beene that being a great part of my time Bishoppe Coopers Chaplaine to my good liking and contentment I haue not onely alwaies euer since I was Minister liued as an ordinarie Pastour euer also discharging the office of such an one in my own person in and vnder this gouernment without being at any time once eyther presented or conuented for the omission or transgression of any of the orders thereof but also for sundrie yeares was I by the said Bishoppes gifte Archdeacon of Stow in Lincolnshire and so