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
A65328	The way of peace, or, A discourse of the dangerous principles and practices of some pretended Protestants ... being certain brief ... writings of several learned Protestant authors : with divers additions perswasive to peace / by the author, a Protestant of the Church of England.	Protestant of the Church of England.	1680 (1680)	Wing W1162; ESTC R9234	23,498	32

that the Civil were lost then I mean that while we contest with one another and with our Rulers about little things we lose the main and by the opportunity of our divisions and sub-divisions a common Enemy break in upon us And therefore unless we could be so fond as to persuade our selves we have no Enemies or so mad as to think them as supine as our selves it must be unreasonable presumption to think our selves safe in this distracted condition Now further to illustrate the dangerous principles of the Presbyterians and other Dissenters from the Church of England let us consider what King James in the Conference at Hampton Court did first declare That of all the Translations of the Bible into the English tongue that of Geneva was the worst and that the Notes upon it were partial untrue seditious and savouring too much of dangerous and tra●●erous conceits Dr. Heylin his Animadversions on the Church-History of Brittain pag. 178. his Majesty instanced in two places the one in Exod. 1.19 when disobedience to Kings is allowed of The other 2 Chron. 15.16 Where Asa is taxed for deposing his Mother and not killing her a Note whereof as the Author of the said relation speaks the Scottish Presbyterians made special use of not only deposing Mary their lawful Queen but persecuting her openly and under hand till they had taken away her life Again the Geneva notes upon Matth. 2.12 promise ought not to be kept where Gods honour and preaching of his Truth is hindered or else it ought not to be broken Now what a wide gap as the said Author further observes doth this open to the breach of all Promises Oaths Covenants Contracts and Agreements not only betwixt man and man but between Kings and their Subjects what Tumults Rebellions have been raised in all parts of Christendom in England Scotland Ireland France the Netherlands Germany under colour that Gods honour and the preaching of the Truth is hindered If this once pass for good Doctrine neither the King nor any of his good Subjects in whatsoever Realm can live in safety And as to dangerous practices it is set out by Mr. James Howel in the Life of Lewis the 13th K. of France There were thirteen Rebellions that King supprest most if not all by the Presbyterian Protestants of that Kingdom They being Enemies within doors were made use of by discontented Princes upon all occasions In the 4th lustre of his said book And to testifie what their principles were the said Historian further relates the speech of the Duke of Rohan the Head and Leader of them all to an Assembly of the chiefest of them Saying Gentlemen I pray do not ye think that since our cause is conjoyned with that of God but that I continue as strong a zeal and inclination as ever towards it Can we doubt but our defence though ☞ lawful as being for Religion and liberty of Conscience For although our Parsons cry out daily in their Chairs that we ought not to despair of Heavenly succour yet receiving every day proofs of the Wrath of the Eternal there is more appearance to expect punishment for our sins than miracles for the re-establishment of our affairs If your wisdoms find it to purpose that it be more expedient to seek our Conservation with the exercise of our Religion and liberty of Consciences within the obedience which we owe to our lawful Prince than in Resistance which though just in it self is held by the Enemies of our faith no other than Rebellion and High ☞ Treason To which may be added the Testimony of the famous Grotius who saith If we inquire into the causes of the Wars which have so long wasted Europe we shall find the flame to have been kindled principally by them that should have been the Preachers of Peace That the Civil Wars of France most of them were raised by them that stile themselves Ministers of the Gospel needs no stronger witnesses than the fresh memory of Kings Peers and People together with very many Letters both of the Duke of Bouillon and Plessis complaining thereof And also the very Comentaries which the Duke of Rohan hath written of the last Wars Yet I except Camero who was ever of another mind and fared much the worse for it if there were any more like him I would not deprive them of their due praise We have seen a prodigious thing Troops and Companies mustered Arms and Ammunition gathered under the name of the Reformed Churches Whence is this power Grotius his Vote for the Churches Peace from Heaven or from Earth For my part being one who do not only dissuade Subjects from taking Arms but intreat Kings also to make a sparing use of their Prerogatives who think them to be less miserable that are Condemned to the Galleys than such as are devoted to an everlasting War And the said Author in another place treating of some dangerous opinions speaketh thus Some opinions there be that will not permit any State longer to be safe than force is wanting Many think that there is every where a certain Contract or Covenant between God the King and the People upon such terms that if the King depart from God the people also may desert the King And the said Author instanceth in divers particulars Those first as they imagin depart from God that acknowledg the Popes primacy in the Church for in all reason they must lose that power which they have delivered up unto the Beast Those next who attempt any Reconcilement with that Church that co-heres to the Roman Church that is with the synagogue of Satan as they please to speak Lastly those who retain any of the Rites and Ceremonies ☜ used in the Roman Church such as are retained not in England only but in the Northern Kingdoms they are all Papistical and therefore Idolatrous And the same Author concludes thus These are in truth things somewhat ridiculous but of a very sad consequence And further speaking of obedience to Governours I inculcate into Subjects obedience towards them all according to the precept of Christ and his Apostles Let them desire the best give God thanks for the middle sort bear with the worst for the doctrin and example of Christ let them suffer even crafty Foxes such as Herod cruel Lyons such as Nero. And when I speak of Subjects under that name I comprehend also inferiour Magistrates ☜ who in respect of the highest power are but Subjects sent by the King as St. Peter saith I preach not Evangelium armatum an armed Gospel not Obedience only but Honour also and Reverence are due unto them even to the froward what else saith Sophocles they are Princes But St. Paul with Apostolical gravity They are Gods Ministers And if the doubtful actions even of private men are according to the rule of Charity to be interpreted on the better part how much more of Kings who are not bound to render an account of their actions to any