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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	deny_v	form_n	godliness_n	5,889	5	9.5542	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61101	A Protestants account of his orthodox holding in matters of religion at this present in difference in the church, and for his own and others better confirmation or rectification in the points treated on : humbly submitted to the censure of the Church of England.	Spelman, Henry, Sir, 1564?-1641.; Spelman, John, Sir, 1594-1643.	1642 (1642)	Wing S4940; ESTC R12772	24,078	35

creep in unawares that they despise dominion and speak evill of dignities that they speak evill of those things they understand not that they go the wayes of Cain and runne greedily after the errour of Balam for reward and perish in the gain saying of Core as much as to say men of unbrotherlike affections seekers of their own gain and disobedient to their Superiours further that they are murmurers complainers walking after their own lusts speaking swelling words having mens persons in admiration for advantage And lastly That they be they that seperate themselves What have we in this but an entire description of the whole practice of the spirit of errour and of adversation to Christianity which the Scripture calleth Antichrists By which sinne that through the light of the Gospel was subdued and deprived of his first and naturall Empire consisting in the viciousnesse of corrupt nature turning himself unto his Artes like the divell into an Angel of light does now with refined and mysterious falsities such as resemble Piety and true Religion renew his onsets in a warfare of a more dangerous consequence so various and in apparance so contrary often to sinne as puts the strongest Christian to the use of all his Armour of righteousnesse as well on the right hand as on the left to be able to withstand him This Antichristianisme is here represented to us in a twofold form The first an Empire of mysterious sinne A body of members well united together under one head or Soveraigne set forth one while by the names of the Man of sinne The sonne of perdition The wicked one Another while by the name of Babylon the great The mother of fornications The greatwhore c. The description of which Empire is in such Characters as marveilously sureth with the Roman Papacy The other form of mysterious wickednesse is of a quite contrary nature A loose Anarchy of singulars of men by themselves not united together in one by any common Bond of true Communion but like quicksands cast together by the working of the Sea and from time to time shifted and changed with it so they as judgements private ends or affections do concur are brought accidentally to a concurrence among themselves but without any ground or sollid principle of uniting For though they seem to put on the Yoak of Christ yet every one keeps the Bonds of the yoak in his own hands and is the Soveraign Arbiter of his own obedience Notwithstanding which contrariety of theirs to the Roman Church who abuses obedience as these do liberty they are no other then derivatives of the same spirit of errour begot by way of opposition on her that is the mother of fornications Who having against the manifest Word of God usurped a tyrannicall soveraignty both over Gods Word his Church and all the Princes of his Church and being beaten from it the divell instead of quitting the rule that he held by her Monarchall tyranny changes only his vicegerent and continues the same usurpation in a popular and Anarchall way that is by the hands of every particular man or number of men who abusing the example of rejection of her usurped authority shall invade and reject all authority how lawfully soever established in the Church Both are opposers of Christs Doctrine both usurpers of the authority of his Church both hiding their usurpation under a form of godlinesse they differ but in this Men in the one partake only of the iniquity by influence from the head but in the other every distinct member is the originall Author of it to himself We finding then such an alarme in the Scripture blown against perverse and self-led professors of Religion set forth unto us by such Characters as Wolves Foll●wers of Cain Balaam and Corah cursed children and the like Notwithstanding that they have sheeps cloathing forms of godlinesse and fained words to cover them It remains that we strictly examine what fruits or works have passed our hands which in their common and naturall acceptation are evill though brought forth for good ends and that we utterly relinquish them that we take heed of wayes of singularity that lead to false accusation trayterousnesse headynesse high-mindednesse and denying of the power of godlinesse That we take heed of the doctrines of those that draw disciples after them That creep into houses That go out from the fellowship of the Apostles and continue not with them That follow the wayes of Cains uncharitablenesse of Balaams prophesying for lucre or of Corabs disobedience That we take heed of those that despise Government Are presumptuous self-willed not afraid to speak evill of dignities that despise dominion have mens persons in admiration because of advantage That heap to themselves Teachers That separate themselves And lastly That while we justly hate Popery we do not in any thing partake of that sinne of the Popes which made him that hatefull Apostate and mysticall enemy of the Church namely That we do not by assuming into a wrong hand any power or authority which God hath by his Word committed to the Body of the Pastors of his Church onely rob him of his rightfull Jurisdiction as they that have invaded his Tythes and Offerings robbed him of his rightfull Possessions FINIS 2 Pet. 1. 20. 1 Tim. 3. 15. Matth. 28. 20. Luk. 10. 16. Ioh. 16. 13. 1 Cor. 14. 32 33. 1 Cor 11. 16. 1 Cor. 12. 12. 1 Cor. 12. 19. Acts 15. 23. Acts 16. 4 Coloss. 2. 19. Matth. 18. 17. 1 Cor. 14. 32. ● Tim. 3 2. Deut. 12. 8. Heb 5. 8. Mala. 2. 7. 1 Tim. 3. 15. 1 Cor. 1 Pet. 2 13 Gen. 17. 6. 1 Sam. 15. 23. Hos. 4. 4. Num. 16. 3 Act. 19. 14 1 Cor. 14. 32. Numb. 4. 15. 1 Cor 12. 28. Deut. 33. 11. Isa. 54. 17. Tit. 2. 15. 1 Tim. 4. 12. a Tit. 1. 5. b 1 Tim. 5. 19 c 1 Tim. 13 d Tit. 1. 11. e Tit. 1. 5. Psal. 111. 4 Isa. 5. 20. 1 Ioh 2. 22. 2 Thessal 2. 4. 1 Cor. 14. 40. Viz. Two in the Psalmes two in the old Testament two in the new and two out of the Epistles and Gospels 1 Cor. 10. 21. Psal. 23. Io. 9. 7. Isai. 8. 5. 1 Cor. 1. 11. Act. 29. 30 2 Thessal 2. 3. 1 Tim 3 2 2 Tim 3. 2. 2 Pet. 2. 10. 1 Ioh. 2. 19 Ep. Iude 4. 2 Thes. 2. 3 and 8. 1 Pet. 2. 15 Ep. Iude 11. Mal. 3. 8.

contrarily Antichristianisme or fighting against God walks in singularities partialities sects separations and the like It is too apparant that the wayes wherein men now pretend that the true exercise of Religion lyeth do very much hold the byasse of Sectarisme who sees it not in our extraordinary running after choice and affected Teachers In which though the shew of godlinesse so awes our judgements that we distrust no errour in it yet does it concern us to take heed of a deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse in it To love desire and seek the lively delivery of Gods Word is good and our duty and so is it also to love and honour the Preacher for the Words sake But there is great danger in the comparing preferring and despising of one in respect of another For while we assume the judgement and choice of our Teachers and hear and follow them according as we like their Doctrine and no otherwise We under the shew of godly longing after Gods Word and honouring the choice Preachers of it discover an hidden exaltation of our selves and of our own mindes and judgements both above the Preachers and the Word they preach On the other side toward the Ordinance of the Church and our proper Ministers we do not only unduely exalt our selves but adde unto it disobedience yea even a faulting of Gods providence we make our own Jordans too shallow brooks to cleanse our Leprosies Our Siloams that are sent too unclean pooles to help our blindnesse Yea and we refuse the waters of Shiloah for no other reason then that they runne softly We choose our selves streams to our liking which like the Rivers of Damascus must be better waters and of more approved depth and current Every one must follow his Paul his Apollo his Cephas his Christ And as our selves encline to these wayes so have we Teachers that cherish that inclination in us and finde it no small advantage to them that by applying themselves to the present affectations of men they can so draw Disciples after them For the effecting of which Though the weak in faith ought not to be received to doubtfull disputations yet they making no difference between strong and weak School and Pulpit Governours and private Men do unto their vulgar Auditories who they know have neither capacity to judge nor authority to reform frequently preach their own apprehensions concerning the Government of the Church and the right exercise of Religion not only in things apparent and agreed on but even in things which they themselves have lately questioned and drawn in doubt whether they be right or no By which means private presumption insolence self-conceipt disdain uncharitablenesse and disobedience sins most incompatible with true Religion are grown so great and generall as that they are become like an Epidemick contagion putting all men in a maze what shall be the end and consequence of them Of which when we cannot have a greater admonition then where the Spirit of God sets forth the last and perilous times of the Church It is not amisse to summe up into one entire view what it is that the Holy Ghost doth there admonish us of Our Saviour himself first warnes the Church to beware of false prophets that come saith he in sheeps cloathing but inwardly are ravening Woolves Whom that we may know he gives a rule Ye shall know them by their fruits and in another place by their works Where we must note the fruits and works are to be taken as they are in themselves and as they are naturally taken notice of in all mens understandings otherwise we make our Saviour teach ignotum per ignotius It is true that in every fruit and work that is good in it self if an evill circumstance or way or end accompany it the fruit that was good in it self may by way or end be made evill as if mercy charity zeal c. be shewed for ostentation or for a cloak of pretence c. But in evill fruits and works it is other wise for no end or circumstance whatsoever can make that work good that is evill in it self as disobedience sedition treason c. For God having no need of a wicked man and forbidding us Thou shalt not do evill that good may come thereon he takes from evill works all the help that their good end or circumstances may do them When therefore we finde a deed that in it self is evill we must not make that good for the good end or good intent of the doer but contrarily we must make him a misdoer notwithstanding the good end and intent of the action Our Saviour further reveals That many shall come in his name and shall deceive many the manner of whose coming he intimates to be by way of secret insinuation here in the Chamber or by way of seperation there in the Wildernesse In the Acts of the Apostles Saint Paul gives warning of the like false Teachers and tells the Pastours of the Church Of your own selves shall men arise preaching perverse things to draw away Disciples after them In the second of the Thessalonians he foretells of a falling away and of the revealing of the man of sinne that exalteth himself above all that is called God or worshipped whose coming he shews to be after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse Again in the first of Timothy he foretells a departing of some from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and that speak lies in hypocrisie forbidding marriage and meats In the second of Timothy he declares that in the last dayes perilous times shall come the perilousnesse of which he shews to be in this That men shall be lovers of themselves covetous boasters proud truce-breakers false-accusers incontinent fierce despisers of the good traiterous heady high minded c. having a form of godlinesse but denying the power thereof c. Of which sort are they that creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with divers lusts ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth And lastly That the time would come when they would not endure sound Doctrine but after their own lusts heap to themselves Teachers Saint Peter forewarneth also of false Teachers shewing that they should privily bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and an especiall description of whom he maketh in this that they despise Government are presumptuous self willed and not afraid to speak evil of dignities Saint John tells us That as we have heard that Antichrist shall come even now there are many Antichrists And them he deciphers by their inconformity and disobedience They went out from us saith he but are not of us for if they had been of us they would have continued with us Lastly Saint Iude in his generall Epistle warneth the universall Church of men of like singularities noted by this that they

Body from thence as the Apostle speaks by joynts and bands having nourishment and knit together may encrease with the encrease of God These same things doth our Saviour teach when giving a Rule for governing ones self in private offences betwixt his brother and him he bids him Tell it to the Church Our Saviour meant not that upon every such occasion the Church Catholique should or could be convoked but onely that the offended should complain to the Governours of the Church he lived in the doing whereof is properly to complain to the whole Church yea to the whole Church Catholique as appears by our Saviours adding that if the offender refused to hear the Church he should be as an Heathen man as much as to say That if by refusing to hear his particular Church he refused to hear the whole Chuch Catholique he should then be as an Heathen man cut off from the Communion of the whole Church for it were no just sentence to cut off one from the whole Church for disobeying the particular unlesse that disobedience to the particular were disobeying of the whole Church Every particular Church then hath so farre the authority of the Church Universall that as to her own Members her voyce is the voyce of the Catholique Church and tyes them all in conscience to submit their judgements to hers and to yeeld observance to all her Ordinances that are not against the expresse Word of God nor judgement of the Catholique Church And even in her Ordinances that minister question whether they be Orthodox and agreeable to the Word of God or no her authority is so farre binding as that even those Ordinances● are not to be rejected nor condemned upon the judgement of any of her private Members onely but either by her own review and censure by some more generall Nationall Assembly or if the consequence require it by a full and true Generall Assembly of the Church whose sentence when once it shall be obtained shall be received as the most sacred and most authentique judgement that may be had in that matter and neerest approaching to the judgement of the holy Ghost but shall not be received as infallible as if pronounced by a Judge infallible for what assistance soever God hath promised to his Church it is onely such as agrees with the condition of a Church Militant therefore he hath neither promised it to the single Ministers in every of their Preachings neither yet so to the Church it self as that in every of her Consultations and Decrees she should infallibly produce the sentence of the holy Ghost for then were the Scripture needlesse seeing the Church should be able to pronounce infallibly with authority equall to the very Text and the Church as to errour in knowledge and understanding should not be Militant but Triumphant but every judgement of every Church shall have such a potiority of credit and authority in respect of the judgement of any part or Member thereof as that it must not be rejected nor over-ruled by any other judgement than either her own revisall and censure Assembly of her proper Judges a more generall Nationall Assembly or a full generall Assembly of the Church To conclude then when for avoyding confusion in the Church God hath subjected the spirits of the particular Preachers to the concurrent judgement of all the Preachers for men under pretence of preaching Gods Word to preach their own private judgements in detraction from the authority of their Church and without submitting their opinions to the judgement of their Church this is so farre from honouring God by magnifying of his Word as that contrarily it destroyes the authority of the Scripture by confused and wrong arrogated judgement in interpreting of it it by sects and schismes subverts the peace of the Church and contrary to the Admonition that God hath given in that behalf makes God the author of confusion The assurance of our Orthodox profession depending upon the consideration of these things cannot but occasion a little further examination of them Religion a religando ex vi termini is that which whatsoever it be ought to binde the Professor but of all other Godlinesse which onely is the true Religion must not have that binding power of hers denyed and therefore will-worship as repugnant to Religion is to be rejected Ye shall not saith Moses to the people when they were to enter into the Land and be a setled Church Ye shall not saith he do as we do this day every one that which is good in his own eyes It is impossible for the Professor which followeth his own judgement or conscience onely to avoid disobedience and will-worship for private judgement and conscience are neither sure nor constant observers of Gods Law nor can a man alwayes tell whether his iudgement or his affection leads his conscience but as obedience is that which our Saviour himself learning sheweth that we all must learn so the power of Godlinesse is to constrain obedience And if there be a question what we shall obey the Scripture tells us the Priests lips should preserve knowledge and we should seek the Law at his mouth And our Saviour tells his disciples He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and bids that he that will not hear the Church be as an Heathen man And St Paul tells us The Church is the pillar and ground of the truth and against private singularities and indecencies in the service of God he obiects that their Church had no such custome neither the Churches of God We are also commanded to submit to all manner of Ordinance of man for the Lords sake And that every soul be subject to the higher power that he that resisteth the power resisteth the Ordinance of God and receiveth to himself damnation The Scripture is abundant to this purpose and among many other places Gen. 27. 6. is remarkable When Jacob or Israel was afraid in the apparell of his elder brother to seek his fathers supreme blessing lest by seeking it in a undue manner he should instead of a blessing get a curse his mother requires his obedience to her voye Israel obeyed her and by it obtained the blessing If this Allegory so much concern us as that we be the Israel the younger brother that want and seek the blessing our Saviour our elder brother in whose clothing we seek it and God our father that gives it who is our directing mother by oheying whose voyce we obtain the blessing but she that is the wife of our father the Church of God By these then and many other Scriptures it appears That in all matters of Religion wheresoever there is a doubt and consesequently use of judgement the iudgement of the Church is to be preferred So Gods Word which must be observed directs so the exigence of things requires the particular man cannot otherwise avoyd will-worship and singularity nor the