Selected quad for the lemma: power_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	key_n	open_v	shut_v	4,285	5	9.4567	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69622	English Puritanisme containing the maine opinions of the rigidest sort of those that are called Puritans in the realme of England / written by William Ames ...	Bradshaw, William, 1571-1618.; Ames, William, 1576-1633.	1641 (1641)	Wing B4158; ESTC R14601	11,152	25

admitted to be Pastors and Teachers of a Congregation And if it be apparent that God who alwayes blessed his owne Ordinances doth often even in the eyes of Kings and Nobles make honourable the Ministers and Pastors of his Churches upon which he hath bestowed Spirituall gifts and graces though for birth education presence outward state and maintenance they be most base and contemptible so he will as well in the eyes of holy men make this Office which is many degrees inferiour to the other precious and honourable even for the Divine calling and Ordinance sake CHAP. V. Concerning the censures of the Church 1 THey hold that the spirituall keies of the Church are by Christ committed to the aforesaid spirituall Officers and Governours and unto none other which keyes they hold that they are not to be put to this use to locke up the crownes swotds or scepters of Princes and civill States or the civill rights prerogatives and immunities of civill subjects in the things of this life or to use them as picklocks to open withall mens treasuries coffers or as keys of prisons to shut up the bodies of men for they thinke that such a power and authority Ecclesiasticall is fit onely for the Antechrist of Rome and the consecrated governours of his Synagogues who having no Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit to defend his and their usurped jurisdiction over the Christian world doth unlawfully usurpe the lawfull civill sword and power of the Monarches and Princes of the earth thereby forcing men to subject themselves to his spirituall vassaladge and service and abusing thereby the spiritull keyes and jurisdiction of the Church 2 They hold that by vertue of these keyes they are not to make any curious Inquisitions into the secret or hidden vices or crimes of men extorting from them a confession of those faults that are concealed from themselves and others or to proceed to molest any man upon secret suggestions private suspition or uncertaine fame or for such crimes as are in question whether they be crimes or no But they are to proceed onely against evident and apparent crimes such as are either granted to be such of all civill honest men or of all true Christians or at least such as they are able by evidence of the word of God to convince to be sinnes to the conscience of the offender As also such as have beene either publickly committed or having been committed in secret are by some good means brought to light which the delinquent denying they are able by honest and sufficient testimony to prove against him 3 They hold that when he that hath commited a scandalous crime commeth before them and is convinced of the same they ought not after the manner of our Ecclesiasticall Courts scorne deride and taunt and revile him with odious and contumelious speeches eye him with big and sterne lookes procure Proctors to to make personall invectives against him make him dance attendance from Court day to Court day and from terme to terme frowning at him in presence and laughting at him behind his back but they are though he be never so obstinate and perverse to use him brotherly not giving the least personall reproaches or threats but laying open unto him the nature of his sinne by the light of Gods Word are onely by denouncing the judgements of God against him to terrifie him and so to move him to repentance 4 They hold that if the party offending be their civill superiour that then they are to use ever throughut the whole carriage of their censure all civill complements offices and reverence due unto him that they are not to presume to convent him before the but are themselves to goe in all civill and humble manner unto him to stand bare before him to bowe unto him to give him all civill titles belonging unto him And if hee bee a King and supreame ruler they are to kneele downe before him and in the humblest manner to censure his faults so that he may see apparently that they are not carried with the least spice of malice against his Person but onely with zeale of the health and salvation of his soule 5 They hold that the Ecclesiasticall Officers laying to the charge of any man any errour heresie or false opinion whatsoever do stand bound themselves first to prove that he holdeth such an errour or heresie and secondly to prove directly unto him that it is an errour by the word of God and that it deserveth such a censure before they doe proceed against him 6 They hold that the governours of the Church ought with all patience and quietnesse heare what every offender can possibly say for himself either for qualification defence apology or justification of any supposed crime or errour whatsoever and they ought not to proceed to censure the grossest offence that is untill the offender have said as much for himselfe in his defence as he possible is able And they hold it an evident character of a corrupt ecclesiasticall government where the parties convented may not have ful liberty to speak for themselves considering that the more liberty is granted to speak in a bad cause especially before those that are in authority and of judgement the more the iniquity of it will appeare and the more the Justice of their sentence will shine 7 They hold that the oath ex Officio whereby Popish and English Ecclesiasticall Governours either upon some secret informations or suggestions or private supitions goe about to binde mens consciences to accuse themselves and their friends of such crimes or imputations as cannot by any direct course of Law bee proved against them and wherby they are drawne to bee instruments of many heavy crosses upon themselves and their friends and that often for those actions that they are perswaded in their consciences are good and holy I say that they hold that such an Oath on the urgers part is most damnable and Tyrannous against the very law of Nature devised by Antichrist through the inspiration of the Devill That by meanes thereof the Professors and Practisers of the true Religion might either in their weaknesse by perjury damne their owne soules or bee drawne to reveale to the enemies of Christianity those secret Religious Acts and Deeds that being in the perswasion of their consciences for the advancement of the Gospell will be a meanes of heavy sentences of condemnation against themselves and their dearest friends 8 They hold that Ecclesiasticall Officers have no power to proceed in censure against any crime of any person after that he shall freely acknowledge the same and professe his hearty penitency for it And that they may not for any crime whatsoever lay any bodily or pecuniary mulct upon them or impose upon them any ceremoniall marke or note of shame such as is the white sheet or any such like or take fees for any cause whatsoever but are to accept of as a sufficient satisfaction a private