Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	church_n	congregation_n	elder_n	2,807	5	10.1144	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43818	An olive branch of peace and accommodation budding in a sermon preached at Basingshaw Church, to the Lord Mayor Alderman Atkin, together with the representative city, Anno Dom. 1645, on a day of humiliation, appointed on purpose to seek the Lord for the repairing of breaches, and the preventing of further differences growing in the city / by Thomas Hill ...	Hill, Thomas, d. 1653.	1648 (1648)	Wing H2025; ESTC R25713	39,441	50

Sun of righteousness arises there is a great deal of liberty many take to themselves and many wanton and wicked Opinions there are abroad there are in Gods garden many unsavoury weeds The Lord who knows it remove them What should we do Oh! let us improve our utmost how we may bring things to a happy Union And for the Church I have but two things to say to compose all the Differences 1. You have heard already many seasonable hints concerning Unity and the commendation of it it is a work like God himself to be a Reconciler God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself And I desire heartily that Ministers and Citizens and that all ranks and sorts of people now were Reconcilers There are too many Incendiaries and I fear not any one plot of the Jesuits against the City more then this and I am confident if you have Jesuits among you you have their Plots and Designs to raise up Divisions about Church-government A great deal of talk there is about Differences between those you call Presbyterians and Independents and men use all their wits to heighten the Difference to the utmost and if there were but half the pains to lessen as there is to greaten them I should hope we might joyn heads and hearts and all without any such formidable breach as some think What do people think Surely one party must be absolutely broken if God gives us the wisdom and sobriety that is from above first pure and then peaceable I hope there may be a Reconciliation of both without the Destruction of either Certainly though there are I believe extremities on both sides yet both too good to be confounded Now I would have this considered many drive on this Design and God knows there is a great deal of animosity in it some Presbyterians I doubt would be willing to destroy the Independents though they ruine the Publique in it and I fear some Independents would do so for them Doubtless there is too much rigor at least in divers of both parties There is no such difference for ought I know between the sober Independent and moderate Presbyterian but if things were wisely managed both might be reconciled and by the happy union of them both together the Church of England might be a glorious Church and that without persecuting banishing or any such thing which some monthes are too full of I confess it is most desireable that Confusion that many people fear by Independency might be prevented And it is likewise desireable that the Severity that some others fear by their rigour of Presbytery might be hindred Therefore let us labor for a prudent Love and study to advance an happy Accommodation Give me leave to say two or three words to this purpose Is it not a sad thing that when learned and godly men for so you will allow them to be on both sides I say First When they shall agree in the Doctrinal part in the Confession of Faith I hope you will hear of little or no difference there 2. When they shall agree likewise in the Practical part of Worship for that you see by the Directory all have in a maner agreed there 3. When they shall agree likewise in the Destructive part as for the ruine of Episcopacy and removing of the Ceremonies and all that trash Here are Three wonderful steps and I believe five years ago here is not a man in this Congregation did expect so much as God hath already granted us At the beginning of the Parliament our hopes were but low and modest in regard of what we have and yet because all things come not upon a sudden we wrangle and quarrel with this man and that man yea and with Divine Providence but let us look back and see what a Sea we have got over Your Common Prayer book is gone and your Ceremonies and Episcopacy hath its deadly blow 4. Nay further Another step is taken and if any thing reconcile disputing Brethren this is a very probable means and it hath past the Assembly a long time since and the House of Lords a great while ago and now hath almost the House of Commons the Vote of it as I hear is past namely An Ordinance taking care for removing of Offences in Congregations of ignorant and scandalous persons who sad the souls of the Saints by their Divisions that do pollute the things of God and that there shall be an intrinsecal power in every Congregation to keep away such What would you have more if this be granted set aside the word Independency for who will own it it is a word neither fit for Creatures nor for Churches we must be all dependent an absolute Independency is no where to be allowed but call it Classical and Congregational Let us begin in the right method Every Congregation shall have its power there shall be a Pastor and Elders with him and they shall have a power put into their hands to enquire who are Scandalous and Ignorant in every Congregation and they shall be kept from joyning with them at the Lords Table till they have exprest Repentance and got competent knowledge and given satisfaction for their scandal And this is the thing the Independents contest for and the Presbyterians concur in and if this be granted is not this a good step towards our Agreement But this is not all 5. Here is somewhat more to gratifie the Presbyterians When there are six Congregations more or less though every one hath an intrinsecal power within themselves to order things that are proper and peculiar to them yet they may at least advise with a Presbytery and things of difficulty and consequence and common concernment may be transacted with Common Councel As suppose a Congregation have Excommunicated a person it may be he findes himself agrieved he will complain to the Consociation of those neighbor Churches in that Classis Those Ministers will require the Pastor and Elders of that Congregation to give them an account why they did Excommunicate such a man they will hear it and when they have heard it they will finde they did well or ill and if well they will confirm it by an accumulative power and say You have done nothing but what we would have done and according to the word of God and here this confirmation comes to strengthen what the Congregation hath done or if they finde they did in rashly and incogitantly and out of a spirit of Revenge they will say You are bound to reverse this and you had no ground to Excommunicate him you must recal the Sentence otherwise we cannot maintain fellowship with you Will not here be a sweet communion together and blessed conjunction and I hope in time a mutual satisfaction and certainly it were the best complexion and would shew a great deal of real love I wish I had such a temper as not to be so far obliged to an Independent as to close with him in any