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
A81501	The Discipline and order of particular churches, no novelty. Proved from Scripture, reason, autiquity, and the most eminent modern divines. Or, A discourse of the church, in a scripture notion, with her extent, power and practice, tending to moderate the minds of men, toward dissenters in matters ecclesiastical, and to acquit such from the charge of innovation, faction, separation, schism, and breach of union and peace in the church, who cannot conform in many things to the rules, canons, and practices of others. / By a Lover of truth, peace, unity, and order.	Lover of truth, peace, unity, and order.	1675 (1675)	Wing D1558A; ESTC R174652	61,995	98

still then the Power will be absolute again for to be sure saith he what ever they Command they will say it is Lawful either in it self or as they Command it If every private person must be judge what is lawful and what not which is Commanded then he is bound no further to obey than he judgeth the thing to be lawful which is commanded And he there affirms See the Bishop of Glou. Apol. p. 41. as we have before set down that every man will be his own judge in this Case and that the plea of an erroneous Conscience takes not off the Obligation to follow the dictates of it Again let men saith he turn and wind themselves which way they will by the same Arguments any will prove separation from the Church of Rome Lawful because she requires unlawful things as Conditions of her Communion It will be proved Lawful not to conform to any suspected or unlawful practise required by any Church Governours upon the same Terms if the things so required be upon serious and sober enquiry judged unwarrantable by a mans own Conscience And again in p. 120. 121. he quotes Mr. Hales of Schism p. 8. for this That where any thing unnecessary suspected and by many held unlawful is imposed it is duty to separate See this more at large transcribed there in Mr. Stillingfleet who there Commends Hales for as Learned and Judicious a Divine as this Nation bred And Mr. Stillingfleet there adds these words If we saith he would take away all unnecessary things suspected by many and judged unlawful by some and make nothing the bounds of our Communion but what Christ hath done c. allowing a liberty for matters of indifferency and bearing with the weakness of those who cannot bear things which others account lawful We might saith he indeed be restored to a true Primitive lustre All which things of Mr. Stillingfleets may as forceably be turned against the Magistrates imposing these things by Law as against the Church Governors determining them to be imposed for if one were not absolute in their Power to determine of one indifferent thing above another for others to practise sure neither the other to impose such things Tertul fo Scapula for what ever may not lawfully be determined for or required of may not be imposed upon others and they compelled to obedience That which Christ hath left indifferent about these things should be so used and no man should presume to take away their indifferency by imposing them by force of Law since God hath not given to every man alike apprehensions of the same things So Mr. Hooker his Eccles Pol●●y in the Peface asserts that whatever we doe if our own secret judgment consent not unto it as fit and good to be done the doing of it is sin to us a though the thing it f●lf be allowable Rom. 14 5. See al●o his second B●ok p 58 as the Apostle saith one esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike And again I know that nothing is unclean of it self but to him that esteemeth any thing unclean to him it is unclean All things are pure but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence therefore he directs here that every manshould be fully perswaded in his own mind Rom. 14.5.14.20 and chap. 15.1 That the strong should bear with the infirmities of the weak And again 1 Cor. 8.4.7 he saith we know an Idol is nothing c. howbeit there is not in every man this knowledge where he also in the latter end of the same chapter exhorteth those who do know to have respect to those who do not know and rather than offend them not to use their own liberty in such things which were indifferent in their own Nature Thus we see the Apostle though he could infallibly resolve the lawfulness of the things in themselves yet would he be so far from determining these things to be done by others who had other apprehensions that he would not use the things themselves nor would he have others to use them where their use proved offensive to weak ones and would have every one perswaded in his own mind and this he knew was Gods prerogative only Such who offend their brethren by the contrary sin against Christ How then is it possible to justifie an imposition of such things by Laws which say they bind Conscience to obedience because the Magistrate commands upon such who doubt of the lawfullness of the things themselves See Doctor Moor in his Book intit mystery of Godliness Book 10. c. 10. p. 515 516 c treating of liberty of Conscience and of the Duty of Christian Magistrates in matters of Religion See also de Eccles l. 4. c. 14. maintains liberty in Religion by many Arguments See Hookers Polity p. 159 160 161. of his fourth Book or as they are circumstantiated for this is to put such upon a necessity of sinning either they must do the thing injoyned and so sin or if they do it not they sin in not obeying the Magistrate if the Magistrate commands makes it necessary sure we are that in the Primitive Churches they thought so for neither Governours of Churches nor Emperours when Christian did for some ages determine for or impose upon many Churches in these things or if any did tamper this way the Churches did not take themselves at all bound to regard it for in those dayes so may Churches or Congregations so many several usages or forms in these things as each Church thought best and most convenient for them Thus the Magdeburgh Divines agree Cent. 2. Cap. 7. Col. 134.135 That every Church had a like Power to exercise the Ceremonies received from the Apostles or to make new ones for edification so also saith Socrates of his dayes in his 5th Book 21. chap. English transl p. 351. c. That in those days there were diversity of observations and Rites in several Churches without any forcing of any but every Church as it seemed good to them c. That it is plain that the Apostles left every man free without Fear Compulsion or Constraint to adict himself to that which seemeth to him to be good and Commendable That hardly could two Churches be found that observed the same Rites and Ceremonies that in the observation of Easter and other holy dayes every man did as he thought good c. see this at large So that from all that hath been said in this matter we cannot think that upon a sober discourse Those that call themselves the Governours of the Church will ever arrogate to themselves by prepretence of Divine Authority any special right to determine of any indifferent thing above another to be that which is every way lawful and inoffensive and that which is most for edification decency and order unity and peace in the Church Or that they have any special skill of judging in this case above other learned and Godly men in the