Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	end_n	spiritual_a	temporal_a	6,697	5	9.5296	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85444	The right of the Church asserted, against the povver usurped over it. By J. Gailhard, A.M. & D.	Gailhard, J. (Jean)	1660 (1660)	Wing G127; Thomason E1046_7; ESTC R208052	21,398	25

doth protect and preserve it providing it with all necessary Graces This is the end of his giving some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists c. for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ Eph. 4. This is a Song proper to the Church to say I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine Cant. 6.3 So that to find her other Lords is to make her an Adultresse I am jealous over you with a godly Jealousie saith Paul to the Corinthians for I will present you as a chast Virgin to Christ for I have spoused you to one Husband 2 Cor. 11. Let therefore no man no not the Angels themselves pretend any Power and Superiority over the Church of Christ for the Lord Jesus hath purchased his Church a Freedom from all other powers but from his own And to speak more exactly to this No man in civil or ecclesiastical Office ought to pretend any Right and Authority over the Church 1. No civil Magistrate for as we render to Caesar the things that are Caesars so we must render to God the things that are Gods It is ordinary in Scriptures to make a difference between civil and Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions Christ's Kingdom is described Psal 45. His Government spoken of Isaiah 9.6 7. It is seen in a Dream by the Stone cut out without hands which broke the Image of all other Dominions Dan. 2.34 Christ doth profess His Kingdom is not of this world and he makes a clear difference between civil powers and that of his Church when he said to his Disciples The Princes of the Gentiles exercise Dominion over them but it shall not be so among you Matth. 20.25 In such a case therefore let every one abide in that whereunto he is called There is indeed a gracious Promise made of God that Kings should be nursing Fathers to the Church which began to be fulfilled in the time of Christian Emperors It is now continued and I believe it will be to the end of the world but there is never a Promise to any Prince Except to the Prince of Peace Isaiah 9.6 to receive any power or Dominion over the Church It is one of the greatest points of the Popes Usurpation that he will confound these two Jurisdictions and assume not only S. Peters Keyes but also S. Pauls Sword as they call it so that which the one cannot open the other shall cut it In a word He will undertake the Ecclesiastical and Civil Government since he boasteth to have power in spiritual and temporal things But thus much here is not approved of by the Word of God As the Pope is a temporal Prince so let him govern his Subjects as he is a Bishop let him use tyranny as he doth over his Church But every Christian Reformed Prince ought to be careful not to Administer the Goverment of State and Church together But besides the not preaching of the Word there are two things specially which the civil Magistrate may not do The First He may not ordain Ministers because he hath not Commission to that effect it belongs to those that have already been ordain'd themselves and this would be to destroy Ministry by way of office in the Church this was the practise in the Primitive Church that Bishops or Pastors were chosen by other Bishops and the people that is the Representatives of the people without any civil Monarch or any one pretending Monarchy in the Church as it will at large be found written by Cyprian who lived 250. in his Epist 55. and 68. But the Second thing that the Civil Magistrate must abstain from is The Administration of Ecclesiastical Discipline For though his Office be about the Church yet it is not in the Church Although some Magistrate may be an Officer and Ruler in the Church but not as he is a Civil Magistrate for under that notion it doth not belong to them It is indeed the Right of Kings to call COUNCELLS to see the Church Reformed for he is the Keeper of both Tables yet in this they must make use of Church Officers He also must protect the Church from the power of her Enemies for to that effect he is called the Servant of God Rom. 13. So it becometh Princes to protect Ministers from the Power usurped by their Fellow-Servants as it is Observed of the Duke of Lancaster who to his great commendation secured Wickliffe from the malice and power of his enemies that were Bishops as is observed by FOX in his Book of Martyrs Fol. 413. But we have briefly yet clearly spoken to this Power of the Civil Magistrate in the Churches affairs in a Latine EPISTLE as an Answer to a Letter from a Learned Friend only I do adde this If the Civil Magistrate doth not pretend any Power over the Church this is so far from tending to his Prejudice dishonour and discredit as that it is the greatest glory to abstain from that which doth belong to him yet it will be their highest prasie to submit to the Church Rules as they are Members of the Church It is well known how Ambrosius used this Right with Theodosius and the words of Chrysostome shewing the Power of the Church in administring Discpline in relation to any one are very notable If any wicked man saith he come to the Table of the Lord give him not the Body or Blood of Christ but if he will not desist tell it me and I will rather shed my bloud than to admit such a one And as it is the right of the Church not to be subject to the power and dominion of any Civil Magistrate so Christ hath not purchased this freedom that it should be subject to any Officers and Ministers in it but this liberty will be encroached upon if any Monarchy or Hierarchy be setled in the Church which do follow one another For when there is a Prince and a Soveraign there will be Lords and persons of a quality superiour to the common people Now I say any tittle signifying Monarchy in the Church is tyrannical such as the Prince of the Church or the Supream head thereof and it is necessary for any Christian to abstain from such a Title For 1. It is known out of Scriptures that Christ Jesus is the only Head of his Church One Text will serve for all it is Eph. 1.22 So that to talk of any other Head under the notion of ministerial or subordinate it is to form a monstrous body with two heads for in the same place v. 23. The Church is said to be the Body any one that doth aspire to the title of Head of the Church must have these three qualifications 1. Excellency above the members in power and dignity 2. Perfection in himself greater than any of the members have 3. Infusion of all things which the body hath need of But these three qualities are to be found in Christ Jesus alone who being God and man a

have already said how I look upon this Episcopal supremacy as an Effect of that Cause and as a Fruit of that Tree they and we do condemn the same thing though in different persons and perhaps in a different degree Those of Carthage would not make their appeal to Rome What reason is it for the Pastors of Warwick Worcester c. to make their appeals before the Archbishop of Canterbury observe that Rome and Carthage were then under the same Emperor Bernard reproveth Eugenius for affecting the Title of Lord Why shall not also those that are called here Lords be in the same condemnation Wickliff who lived in the year 1379 opposed this usurped Preeminency and superiority for which doing and other things he was condemned as an Heretick his bones taken from his Grave and burnt against him one Woodfort exhibited a Charge the 18th Article whereof was this There be saith Wickliffe Twelve Disciples of Antichrist Popes Cardinals Archbishops Bishops by way of Prelacy Arch-Deacons Officials Deans Canons c. And for the testimony of this truth as of others John Hus Jerom of Prague obtained Martyrdom and had their bloud shed because they asserted it In the Council of Constance in the year 1414 certain Articles were exhibited against them specially John Hus the 4th Article runs thus He erreth touching the Church in that he saith all Priests are of like power and therefore he assirmeth that consecration of Bishops was invented only for covetousnesse Hence doth appear how God did formerly stir up men to oppose this usurpation which was not known amongst the Waldenses who professed the true Doctrine since the Apostles times till now as I have demonstrated in a Latine Epistle to a Learned man Howsoever I know that there are some who would not have Bishops altogether so high as to be Lords but nevertheless they would have them as Presidents over one or two Counties and to direct his Presbyters but this is a Branch of the former unwarrantable from the word of God as that such persons should be at all times in all places and during their life Presidents over all Ministers of so many shires which cannot be denied to be a kind of superiority which in any kind being introduc'd into the Church we disclaim against The Adversaries being not able to hold this kind of Bishops out of Scripture which they refuse to be judged by in this case they are forced to have a refuge to humane Right saying it is a benefit and gratuity from Princes But alas Princes may not alter the Government setled by Christ in his Church for the Church receiveth no rule in necessary things as this is but from Gods Word It was a Christian saying of the Lord Cobham strongly persecuted who as it is quoted by Fox Book of Martyrs Fol. 515. said to his Judges The Precepts of God ought to be obeyed If any Prelate of the Church doth require more or else any other kind of obedience to be used he contemneth Christ exalting himself above God and so becometh an open Antichrist In such a case therefore we say that in the Church no voice but that of Christ is to be heard and to any that shall go about to perswade or force us to it we must with Peter answer to the Pharisees judge your selves whether it be just to obey men more than God when it seems it was not much that they were required not to forsake Christ or to preach against him but only not to preach in his name Herein therefore lies the first grievance of the Church of Christ that those who are appointed to be her Pastors do usurp a Dominion over the Flock and a superiority over their Fellow-Ministers But a second grievance depending from the former is from spiritual Courts so called and the exceeding corruption and irregularity of the same whereby Ministers are made Cyphers as to the administration of Discipline in their respective Congregations and the Church is deprived of the right it hath in matter of Government Is it not more conformable to the will of God and better in reason to have every Minister with his Elders to rule in his Parish and when things come to be decided in it to refer it to a Claffis or Synod than to have a Bishop Dean and Arch-Deacon to rule all the Parishes of two or three Counties and not seldom their Servants being bribed they are earnest Sollicitors with their Masters for Causes howsoever unjust they be and sure I am that these few persons are more easily bribed than many these Courts are grounded upon humane invention and contrary to the form of Government by Christ setled in his Church whence followeth that it being not a way of Gods appointment there are grosse and many abuses committed therein which being well known I will observe only one of the chief and this is Fines it is very strange that they should practise that in the Church for which they have no pattern in Scriptures or Primitive Church it is ridiculous that men should pay money for their offences in the Church it is sacrilegious to make any trafique in the Church and it is a great impiety to turn Church-censures into Fines these practises are good for Rome where all things are sold we are not the first that condemn it Wickliffe lived long ago and in the 17th Article exhibited against him he is charged to have written that Christs Ministers have no power by any civil and lesse spiritual coaction to exact temporal things by their censures this godly man as he disclaimed much against the pride and so the usurped superiority of the Clergy so he much inveighed against their covetousnesse and their spiritual Courts which word is odious in the Church and although the abuse now adaies committed be not so exceeding as then yet it is as bad and as much to be condemned because of the greater light we have now And that which makes it the worse is that these Fines are exacted from those who do well if a Minister doth preach within the Diocesse of a Bishop without his license he shall be fined for it Is not this to hinder the preaching of the Gospel and to restrain the liberty of it We may hear what Wickliffe whom God extraordinarily raised to oppose those abuses in his daies saith to it in one of his Articles which in a Convocation held 1382. were condemned as erroneous this is one It is lawful for any Priest or Minister to preach the Word of God as without any license from the Apostolick Sea or Rome so of any of her Catholick Bishops Further a third grievance is the pressing of a Canonical Oath so called for no man shall be admitted to any place or have his Institution and induction into any Living except he hath sworn obedience to his Bishop and pretended Superiors and a conformity to the Canons of the Church that is to the Traditions as they are called in the 39 Articles a thing very