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	minister_n	ordination_n	2,890	5	10.2282	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20807	Anterōtēmata Thomæ Draks Ten counter-demaunds propounded to those of the separation, (or English Donatists) to be directly, and distinctly answered.	Draxe, Thomas, d. 1618.	1617 (1617)	STC 7186A; ESTC S105375	3,241	10

Αντεροτεματα Thomae Dra●i TEN COVNTERDEMAVNDS PROpounded to those of the Separation or English Donatists to be directly and distinctly answered 1. WHether that their rent Schisme and Separation from the Church and Congregations of England can in any probabilitie bee pleasing vnto God seeing it hath had such vnhappy beginnings the a first founder of it comming to Iudas his shamefull and fearfull ende hanging himselfe and the b second totally recanting it and reioyning himselfe to our Church as diuers of their proselites doe daily seeing also it hath had so small encreases and so many dismall and fatall euents and diuisions one side excommunicating the other some of them turning Anabaptists and c others dying and distracted by reason of irresolution 2. Whether that the quintessenced profession Religion and discipline of these Nouations and Innouators as it standeth in opposition to the Church of England and the rest of the reformed Churches can bee of God or haue any approbation from God seeing that it hath no vertue power and efficacy in it as the Gospell preached in our English assemblies by Gods blessing aboundantly hath to winne conuert and drawe vnto their partie and profession Atheists Pap●sts Heretikes rude profane and ignorant people The Apostles Euangelists and ther holy successors conuerted all sorts vnto God but these refined reformers onely seduce the sound and peruert and estrange from vs those that are otherwise well affected and of some vnderstanding and make them twofold more refractary then themselues 3. Whether that in the very separatists conscience our reformed assemblies wherein the Gospell of Christ is sincerely preached and professed and the Sacraments duly and rightly administred are worse then the Iewes Synagogues in which notwithstanding Christ his Apostles preached our Ministers worse then the Scribes and Pharisees that sat in Moses Chaire when Christ commandeth the people to heare and obserue and doe whatsoeuer according to Moses Lawe they did bid them obserue Wherefore to reason à minore ad maius if our Lord Iesus his Disciples and the people did not separate from their Synagogues and assemblies that were in faith and maners farre more defectiue then ours are much lesse ought they to separate from our Church and assemblies wherein all the grounds of Christian Religion are soundly held and professed 4. Whether that those great multitudes of people though hitherto wanting the pretended Church-constitution of the Separatists that euen fasting heard our Lord Iesus preach and professed themselues his Disciples albeit many of them were drawen not by doctrine but by miracles report with a desire to be fed can with any reason bee denied to bee members of the visible Church and whither those three thousands which blessed Peter at one Sermon conuerted for they were baptized continued in the Apostles doctrine fellowship breaking of bread and praiers were not before that Presbyters and Deacons were chosen true members of a visible Church and this cannot bee refuted and why are not our Church assemblies in England much more grounded in the truth c. a true visible Church and then with what conscience doe or can these Separatists sequester and rent themselues from them 5. Whether to ascend no higher and neerer the Apostles to me as I might that in Constantines the first Christian Emperours time and euer since vnto Mr. Iohn Caluins dayes for the space of some thirteene hundred yeares there was no Christian Churches in Asia Africke Europe because they had the same outward constitution formal State Bishops Arch-bishops Metropolitans Church-gouernment for substance and substance of doctrine that our English Church hath and retaineth And if those were true visible Churches why are not ours also 6. Whether that the reformed Churches in the lower and higher Germany in France the Church of Geneua c. that come neerer to their constitution and discipline then ours doe in England bee true visible Churches or no if they be such why then doe they not adioyne themselues to some of them but distast them as much as they doe ours And why doe they not in iudgment assent vnto any or all of those reformed Churches that with a ioynt consent as may appeare by the harmonie of Confession acknowledge the Church of England to be a true visible Church and giue vnto it the right-hand of fellowship how dare they refuse such a cloude of witnesses will these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put out all their eyes is there no Church in the world but their Platonicall Idea 7. How can the Church or Church-assemblies of England bee false Antichristian bastardized wherein the Gospell is so soundly and solemnly and substantially taught and professed and the Sacraments so rightly administred and receiued whose Bible translations specially the last English translation done by his Maiesty command are so pure that the very Separatists rest in them wherein are so many thousands yea hundred thousands of true Converts and orthodoxe Christians that hath bred and brought forth so many excellent and renowned Martyrs who haue sealed the trueth of our religion with their bloud and died members of the protestant Churches wherein so many Christian exiles are comfortably harboured wherein so many sound religious and learned Pastors Doctors Preachers as for proportion no Country in the world can afford the like and by whose doctrine writings disputes not to speake of the Magistrates sword the Romish Ierico hath bin more shaken and the second beast the Antichrist more fatally wounded then by any nationall Church whatsoeuer and which Church and the members thereof haue beene so wonderfully blessed and protected and so strangly deliuered from the rage tumults designes treasons conspiracies of the Romish Antichrist and all his adherents and in which Churches as one of the princiall Separatists I. R. in his admonition ad lectorem in his owne name and in the name of his faction lately prefixed before the third booke of M. Robert Parker de politia ecclesi pag. 368. confesseth that the grace of God by the Gospell in respect of the cheife heads of true Christian faith by diuers of the faithfull preached doth so abound that there are very many godly and holy men in these assemblies both of Reformitants and Conformitants which they acknowledge for brethren in Christ c. We haue by their owne confession sound faith and holinesse why then doe they or how dare they sunder and rent themselues from such a Church and why will they for accidents and circumstances denie and renounce the substance of a Church And if they vpon bettercōsideration estcēc vs brethren with what warrant cā they seperate from holy brethren in Christ is it not good and pleasant for to see brethren to dwell together in vnitie Did not the conuerts in S. Peters dayes continue dayly with one accord in the Temple c. And why doe not our Separatists who would be accounted conuerted Saints imitate them must wee leaue and forsake a goodly Cittie for the weaknesse of the walls 8. How can the formall state as they call it of the Prouinciall Diocesan Cathedrall Parishionall Churches of England and the regiment thereof be vnlawfull papall Antichristian And how doe or can the Lawes of the land and Ecclesiasticall Cannons confirme it seeing that the name calling office of B B whether we respect ordination of ministers or power of iurisdiction is as hath ben will be proued for substance expressed in diuers places of the new Testament seeing it hath had a continuall succession from the Apostles time to this day as all auncient Fathers and Counsells acknowledge and seeing that at least this formall estate of Diocesan Parishionall and Cathedrall Churches hath bin in vse long before Antichrist was hatched for the Pope was not Antichrist before he had gotten the Title of vniuersall Bishop nor complete vntill he had gotten into his hands both swords that is both Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall Dominion Doth not euery Bishop amongst vs euery Pastor and ecclesiasticall officer abiure the Prpes vsurped supremacie Doe not our statutes and Cannons directly make againg papistry and Idolafry What will Sathan expell Sathan and will the members of Antichrist fight against Antichrist And admitt all bee as you pretend doe we not at least kill Antichrist with his owne sword and weapons 9. Whether any new lawes can or ought to be enacted or any further reformation made without the Christian Princes or Magistrates consent or euer in a well ordered Church hath bene enacted or made and whether they haue done well to seperate with out the Kings Maiesties leaue and licence and consent of the state 10. Whether it were not the separatists best course to returne to Gods true Church and people from which vpon some concealed hard dealing they haue made an vnlawfull rent and therein to confer with the best learned and if still their consciences be somewhat tender to supplicate for some fauour and liberty or if they will not take this course whether it were not good for them for the avoiding of scandall and in expectance of some prosperous successe by the permission of our noble King and honourable Counsell to remoue into Virginia and make a plantation there in hope to conuert infidels to Christianitie FINIS Maister Bolton Maister Browne Maister Nowell of Sheldon in Warwicke-shire c. Mat. 23. v. 2. 3. Mat. 14. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. Ioh. 6. 5. 10. 11. Ioh. 6. 27. Act. 2. 37. 38. 41. Act 2. 46. Anno. 1607.