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	jurisdiction_n	synod_n	2,804	5	9.8315	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51154	An apology for the clergy of Scotland chiefly oppos'd to the censures, calumnies, and accusations of a late Presbyterian vindicator, in a letter to a friend : wherein his vanity, partiality and sophistry are modestly reproved, and the legal establishment of episcopacy in that kingdom, from the beginning of the Reformation, is made evident from history and the records of Parliament : together with a postscript, relating to a scandalous pamphlet intituled, An answer to The Scotch Presbyterian eloquence.	Monro, Alexander, d. 1715?	1693 (1693)	Wing M2437; ESTC R20155	87,009	107

former times did by his good Hand on them in the right Administration of free and lawful General Assemblies bring the Work of Reformation in Scotland unto a great Perfoction and nigh Conformity with the first Pattern so unfaithful Men minding their own things more than things of Christ and Usurping over their Brethres and the Lords Inheritance did deface the beauty thereof first by encroaching upon the Liberty and Freedom of Assemblies afterwards by taking away the very Assemblies themselves Therefore remembring and calling to mind the many Bonds and Obligations that lie upon us from the Lord and being desirous to be found faithful in this day of Tentation and to exonerate our Consciences as in his sight and to avoid the accession unto that guiltiness in which many have involved themselves And conceiving that this Meeting is not a lawful General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in regard that the Election of Commissioners to the same have been limited and prejudiced in the due Liberty thereof by a Letter and Act of their Commissioners of the last Assembly sent to Presbyteries appointing such Brethren as after Conference remained unsatisfied with and continued to oppose the Publick Resolutions to be Cited to the General Assembly And in regard the Commission of many Burghs and Presbyteries are absent as wanting free access by reason of the Motions of the Enemy and in regard that many of the Commissioners of the last General Assembly have carried on a course of defection contrary to the Trust committed to them and to the Acts and Constitutions of this Church and who in their Remonstrances and Papers have stirred up the Civil Magistrate against such who are unsatisfied in their Consciences with their Proceedings and who have prelimited the Assembly by their Letter and Act formerly mentioned are admitted to Sit and Voted as Members of the Assembly and their Moderator chosen to be Moderator of the Assembly notwithstanding timous exception was made against them that they ought not to be admitted as Members of the Assembly until their Proceedings were first tried and approven by the Assembly and in regard that his Majesty and his Majesties Commissioners by his Speech did incite too hard Courses against these who are unsatisfied in their Consciences with the Proceedings of the Commissioners before the trial and approbation of the Commission Book or any Act made by the Assembly for the approving their Proceedings we do upon these and many others important grounds and reasons to be proponed and given in time and place convenient in the name of the Church of Scotland and in our names and in the name of all Ministers Ruling Elders and Professours of this Kirk who do or shall adhere to us Protest against the Validity and Constitution of this Assembly as not being free and lawful and that they may not assume unto themselves any Authority nor exercise any Power or Jurisdiction for determining of Controversies making of Acts emitting of Declarations judging of Protestations or Appeals or Proceedings of Synods or inferior Judicatories or Censuring Persons or Papers or issuing of Commissions of whatsoever sort to any persons whatsoever and in particular Protests that they may not proceed unto the Approbation or Ratification of the Proceedings of the former Commission not only because of the want of just Power and Authority so to do but also because these Proceedings contain many things contrary to the Trust committed to their Commissioners especially their allowing and carrying on a Conjunction with the Malignant Party and bringing them into Places of Power and Trust in the Judicatories and in the Army contrary to the Word of God Solemn League and Covenant the Solemn Confession of Sins and Engagement to Duties the constant Tenor of Warnings Declarations Remonstrances Causes of Humiliations Letters Supplications Acts and Constitutions of this Kirk and the laying a Foundation for the Civil Magistrate to meddle with these things which concern Ministers their Doctrine and Exercise of Ministerial Duties before they be Cited Tried and Censured by the Judicatories of the Kirk And we Protest that whatsoever Determinations Acts Ratifications Declarations Censures or Commissions that shall be made or given by them may be Void and Null and may not be interpreted as binding to the Kirk of Scotland but that notwithstanding thereof it may be free for us and such as adhere to us to Exercise our Ministry and enjoy the due Christian Liberty of our Consciences according to the Word of God National Covenant Solemn League and Covenant the Confession of Sins and Engagements to Duties and all the Acts and Constitutions of this Kirk and that there may be liberty to chuse Commissioners and to Convene a Free and Lawful General Assembly when there shall be need and the Lord shall give opportunity and to add what further reasons shall have weight for strengthning this our Protestation and shewing the nullity of this Assembly and the unwarrantableness of the Proceedings of the Commissioners of the former Assembly and that these presents may be put upon Record in the Registers of the General Assembly to be extant ad futuram rei memoriam and that we may have a subscribed Extract under the Clerks hand Subscribed and presented at St. Andrews 20. July 1651. by Mr. A. G. Moderator of the last Assembly Mr. Samuel Rutherford Mr. James Guthery Mr. Patrick Gillespy Mr. John Meinzies Mr. Ephraim Melvin Mr. John Carstaires Mr. William Adair Mr. Thomas Wyllie Mr. John Nevoy Mr. James Simpson Mr. William Guthery Mr. Alexander Moncreif Mr. John Hamilton in Inderkip Mr. Robert Muire Mr. John Hart. Mr. Andrew Donaldson Mr. Robert Keith And ten other Ministers Right Reverend WE are constrained by many necessities and by transferring of the Assembly to be absent from your subsequent meeting and having laid to Heart what the Lord requireth of us in this day of so sad a Dispensation and so sore a Controversie against the Land We think our selves bound in Conscience to lay open to you that we are much unsatisfied with the Proceedings of the Commissioners of the late General Assembly relating to the in-bringing and in-trusting of the Malignant Party with the Consequences thereof there issuing forth one Act with a Letter to the prejudice as we conceive of the Presbyteries Election of Commissioners to this Assembly which hath need to be looked on least the Freedom of this High Court of Jesus Christ by such preparatives be infringed We wish it be your Wisdoms care that begun Evils be remedied our bleeding Wounds with tender Hands bound up and that the fierce Wrath of the Lord smoaking in our Bowels may be quenched and do in all humility and reverence of your Wisdoms and tenderness of respect to precious Men whom we much honour and love in the Lord though in this matter we most disser from them in Judgments Protest that the foresaid Proceedings be not Ratified and approven by you and that we be not involved in the Guilt and Consequences to the

it is from that Manuscript that I copy the following Account for it is apparent that the Church was never governed by a Parity of Officers but by different Orders from the beginning of the Reformation And in the entry to this Narration Let us remark says my Author That none of our Martyrs did ever impugn or oppose imparity in the Church or preach or write against it you cannot name one Testimony unless you argue from their preaching against Popish Tyranny and unwarrantable exercise of Ecclesiastical Power to infer that they were for the then unheard of Parity and all who write of those Martyrs and first Reformers omit not to praise them for their dutiful submission to their Bishops and Superiours And it is very probable these Martyrs would have pseached against Ecclesiastical Tyranny as well in a Company of Arbitrary Presbyters as they did when it was lodged in one or few and that Presbyters may be Tyrants witness the Scots History from the year 1639 to 1652. At which time Cromwel tho no Friend to Episcopacy was so wearied with the Insolencies and Confusions of Presbytery that he dismist it solemnly at Barrow-Moor Let us now come to positive Evidences The very first established Reformation in Scotland was that which on the 6th of July 1560 being the third day after the pacification at Leith was concluded on betwixt the Lords and Ministers of the Congregation assisted by the Queen of Englands General and Ambassader on the one side And the Queen Regent the popish Lords and Clergy assisted by the French Ambassador on the other side in name of Francis and Mary their Sovrreigns The Protestant Lords and Clergy did meet at Edenburgh the Protestants preached in the Churches and in their Assembly they did distribute their Preachers among the Chief Towns of the Nation and did nominate five Superintendents for the Dioceses where the Bishops were popish For there are no Superintendents named then for Galloway and Argile because the Bishops of those Dioceses were Protestants By the said Treaty a Parliament was to hold in August following wherein the Confession of Faith drawn up by the Superintendents was given in to the Lords of the Articles prepared by them and Voted in Parliament where it was carried in the Affirmative In this Parliament the Bishops did sit as the first Estate The popish Bishops voted against the Confession the Protestant Bishops viz. Galloway and Argile and three Abbots voted for it The Sederunt of this Parliament is on Record with its Acts and related by Spotswood pag. 149. In January thereafter the Scottish Protestant Clergy offer a form of Church Policy one of its Heads is for Superintendents whom they name and appoint with distinct Dioceses for them and to shew that these Reformers did not treat of Superintendents as a temporary Resolution for that time only It is there said that the Election of Superintendents in aftertimes should be stricter than the present circumstances would allow and the last Head of that Policy prescribes some Conditions to be kept in future Elections of Superintendents Spotwood pag. 150 and 160 and by the book of Policy pag. 168. it is expresly ordered that Complaints against Ministers be notified to the Superintendents And the Petition presented to the Queen related by Knox Hist pag. 337. bears as the superscription of the Superintendents Ministers of the whole Church of Scotland to the Queens Majesty c. And in the year 1563. John Knox and others elected a Superintendent for Dumfries and the Letter written from the Assembly or Convention of the Scots Church at Edenburgh on the 27. of December 1566. to the Church of England bears this Superscription The Superintendents Ministers and Commissioners of the Church within the Realm of Scotland to their Brethren the Bishops and Pastors of England And at Queen Mary's first arrival in Scotland from France the Superintendents and Ministers did meet at Edenburgh in an Assembly Knox bist pag. 318. In January 1572. the Commission of the Assembly did meet at Leith under the Regents Government and did agree on seven Articles of Policy 1. That all Bishopricks which were vacant and those were only four for where popish Bishops were alive the See's were not esteemed vacant but supplied by Protestant Superintendents should be filled out of the ablest of the Ministry Secondly That spiritual Jurisdiction should be exercis'd by Bishops in their Dioceses and the sixth Article is that Ministers should receive Ordination from the Bishops and in Dioceses where no Bishops were they should receive Ordination from the Superintendents And in August thereafter the General Assembly of the Church did meet at Perth and approved of all these Articles and accordingly Mr. John Douglas Mr. James B●yd Mr. James Paton and Mr. Andrew Graham were plac'd in the four vacant Bishopricks It was Mr. Andrew Melvil's misfortune that he was neglected and therefore in the year 1575. he stirr'd up one Mr. Dury to impugne the Episcopal Order and all Imparity This is the first time that this debate was toss'd in our Church and on it Church and State immediately divided and much Confusion Rapine Blood and other mischiefs did follow and then and since every firy Faction did lay hold on this Schism as a fund whereon to build all Rebellion and Treason In prosecution of this Schism Mr. Andrew and some Ministers led by him did in the year 1578. draw a Book of Policy stuffed so with the spirit of Mr. Andrew himself that it was rather a Proposal for the overthrow of all just Authority than an Establishment of a Religious Government and therefore it could never no not in these distracted furious times even when there was no King in our Israel obtain approbation from any Authority but was look'd on as a Rapsody of groundless Assertions and full of mischievous Novelties Indeed in the year 1580. an Assembly met at Dundee called by Mr. Andrew and his Associates without a shadow of any permission from the Civil Authority and they declared that the Office of a Bishop but with this restriction as it was then used had neither foundation nor warrant in the Word of God But let all serious Christians consider whether they will believe this famous Conventicle or the plain Scriptures the Doctrine of the Apostles the primitive Fathers and the Canons of all Oecomenick Counsels and the rule of Apostolick and primitive Practice and to help their choice let them take notice of the pious Design of this Assembly in casting off Bishops by the very next clause in their Act viz. That their next Assembly should consider how to dispose of the Patrimony and possessions of Bishops This was the primitive Invasion of the Kings Patronages and Regale of the Crown Then Presbyterian Disciples began to propagate their new Gospel very zealously The first was one Montgomery who at Sterling proposed that all such as spoke for the Order of Bishops should be censured but this zealous Saint did most basely