Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	power_n	spiritual_a	temporal_a	1,927	5	9.8031	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17576	The pastor and the prelate, or reformation and conformitie shortly compared by the word of God, by antiquity and the proceedings of the ancient Kirk, by the nature and use of things indifferent, by the proceedings of our ovvne Kirk, by the vveill of the Kirk and of the peoples soules, and by the good of the commonvvealth and of our outvvard estate with the answer of the common & chiefest objections against everie part: shewing vvhether of the tvvo is to be follovved by the true Christian and countrieman.	Calderwood, David, 1575-1650.	1628 (1628)	STC 4359; ESTC S107402	71,807	74

He beareth with men of every religion providing they be not Antiepiscopall He urgeth Ceremonies which he himselfe otherwise careth nothing for that they may be a band of obedience to the slavish and a buckler of Episcopacie against the opposites he suffereth papistrie to prevaile and new heresies to arise and giveth connivence to the Teachers of them that there may be some other matter of disputation amongst learned men then about his myter If all would follow his arte and example Antichrist Machiavel would be our chiefest Maisters and every Scottish man of spirit would proue another Caesar Borgia or Ludovieus Sfortia 3. The PASTOR according to the nature of things distinguisheth betwixt the things of God and the things of Caesar betwixt the soveraigntie of Christ and the souveraigntie of man betwixt the dignitie of the Statesman and honour of the Elder that labours in the word and doctrine betwixt the palace of the Prince and the Ministers manse the revenues of the Noble-man and the Ministers stipend and according to the grounds of policie holdeth that many offices should be conferred upon one man except rarely by the speciall favour of Princes upon some that are eminent as miracles for engine for wisedome and dexteritie by reason of mans infirmitie the weight of authoritie the order of the policie and the peace of the people that as everie thing in nature doeth the owne part the ●●nne shyneth and the wind bloweth the water moysteneth so every man should be set to his owne taske that one man cannot both be Aeneas and Hector Cato and Scipio farre lesse can one and the same person be sufficient for the greatest affaires both of Kirk and policie And therefore the Pastor keepeth himselfe within the bounds of his owne place and calling and neyther medleth with civill causes nor taketh upon him civill offices nor seeketh after civill honour The PRELATE maketh no distinction but confoundeth all as compatible ynough if he be the agent And albeit for any good parts to be no miracle but neighbourlike yet he findeth himself sufficient for everything in Kirk and Common-wealth and telleth all for fish that commeth in his nette whether Civill offices Civill Honours civill causes or civill punishments Like a Prince he hath his castle his Lordship his Regalitie Vassalry c. He hath power to confyne imprison c. and taketh it hardly when he is not preferred to Offices of estate as to be Chancellor President c. which his predecessors had of old And thus against all ground of good policie he stands in pompe as a mightie Gyant with one Foote in the Kirk upon the necks of the Ministers and with another in the state upon the heads of the Nobilitie and Gentrie 4. The PASTOR assisteth the Civill Magistrate in planting of virtue and rooting out of vice partly by powerfull preaching home to the Consciences of sinners partly by censuring lesser offences which the Magistrate punisheth not as lying uncomelie jesting rash and common swearing rotten talking brauling drunckennesse c. Wherethrough the passages to murther adulterie and other great offences are stopped the people prevented in many mischiefs and great enormities and the Magistrate many waies eased and partly in censuring of greater sinnes and purging the Kingdome of foule offences for he joyneth the Censures and the spirituall sword of the Kirk with the sword of the Magistrate so unpartially that none are spared with such expedition and diligence that sinne is censured and not forgotten with such authoritie that the most ob●tin●●e haue confessed that the Kirk had power to binde and loose with such sharpnesse and severitie that Malefactors haue beene affraide and so universally that as there is no crime censurable by the Kirk but the same is punishable by temporall Iurisdiction so he holdeth no sinne punishable by Civill Authoritie but the same is allo censurable by Spirituall power the one punishing the offender in his bodye or goods the other drawing him unto repentance and to remoue the scandall The PRELATE is unprofitable to the Civill Magistrate in planting of virtue and rooting out of vice for where his government hath place preaching hath more demonstration of Arte for the praise of the speaker then of the Spirit for the censuring of sinne and conversion of the sinner He passeth small offences without any censure thereby openeth the way to the greatest sins of murther adulterie c. and giveth the Magistrate his hands full He vendicates to his court and jurisdiction some crimes as proper for his censure which yet he passeth lightly The censures of the Kirk and sword of excommunication in his hand serue for small use against greater sins For eyther they are not used at all or so partially that the greatest sinners escape uncensured or so superficially that they are rather a matter of mocking and boldnesse in sinne then of repentance to the sinner or of removing the offence 5. The PASTOR is chargeable to no man beside his sober and necessarie maintenance allotted unto him for his necessarie service which the people can no more want then they may want religion it selfe or their owne temporall and eternall happines The PRELATE contrarie to the rules of policie against the multiplying and mainteyning of idle officebearers hath for one office serving for no good use neither to King nor Kirk nor Countrey allowance of a large rent is a great burthen and is many waies chargeable to the Commonwealth and to particular persons by his great lands and Lordship by actions of improbation reductions of feiffes declarator of esheits entresses nonentresses c. by selling of commissariats c. by raysing and rigorously exacting the Quots of Testaments by sommes of money giuen unto them their sonnes or theyr servants for presentations collations testimonials of ordination or admission sometimes by people who would be at a good Minister and ordinarily by the cannie friends of the intrant who can finde no entrie but by a golden port 6. The PASTOR would haue learning to growe considering that Schooles and Colledges are both the seminarie of the Commonwealth the Lebanon of God for building the Temple desyreth earnestly that there might be a Schoole in every congregation that the people might be more civill and might more easily learne the groundes of Religion he would haue the best ingynes chosen provided to the students places in universities the worthyest best men to the places of Teachers who might faythfully keepe the Arts and Sciences from corruption and especially the trueth of Religion as the holy fire that came down from heauen was kept by the Levites He desireth the rewards of learning to be giuen to the worthyest and after they haue received them that they be faythfull in their places least by loytering and lazinesse they become both unprofitable and unlearned The PRELATE is not so desirous of learning in himselfe as of ignorance in others

Ceremonie no Bishop and in practise is more earnest in urging of Ceremonies then of obedience to the greatest things of the Law by the Canons aboute matters which they themselues call indifferent doth viole●● eyther to the bodies or consciences of the people that thinke otherwayes maketh them to serue as roddes to scourge and whippe out of the Kirk and ministerie whom and when they thinke good 3. The PASTOR considering that he is called to feede the f●ock of Christ and to care for the peoples soules in his entrie to the ministerie will be loath to undertake a greater charg● then he can in some measure overtake and the lesse his charg● is the greater is his contentment not that he desireth to be 〈◊〉 but to be faythfull when he is entered he hath the work of the ministerie in singular regarde as the most honourable and laborious worke that he can be employed aboute whereof the best man is not worthy and unto which the wole man is not sufficient and therefore is resident among the people serveth not by deputies and Suffraganes but in his owne person and is altogether taken up with the Pastors dueties of preaching praying catechising visiting exhorting rebuking comforting c. but labours most diligently in the word and doctrine because fayth commeth by the Word preached The PRELATE intending nothing but to feede himselfe at his entrie to his prelacie he regards not so much the number of soules he should feede as the number of chalders the large revenues and the great dignities he is to feede upon and the larger his Diocie the better for him Hence is it that he ascends from a Diocesan to an Archbishop and a Primate After he is entred he disdayneth the worke of the Ministerie as base and unworthy of bis grace and great Lordship he serveth by his deputies and Suffraganes and thinks it a more honourable and necessarie imployment to attend and reside at Court or at the places of civill judgment as Councell Session Exchequor and howsoever he appropriates to himselfe the reward of double honour due to them who labour in the word doctrine yet he thinkes that he is not bounde to take the paines of that worke unto which the double honour is annexed So the Pastor must labour in the worke and the Prelate must reape the reward and which is more prejudiciall to the peoples soules he maintayneth that learned qualified preachers are not so necessarie in congregations as Curats and Readers that there is too much preaching and too litle reading and praying meaning nothing els but their confused Leitourgie 4. The PASTOR dare not do harme to the peoples soules because he is subject both in calling and conversation to the discipline of the Kirk which stryketh upon the Pastor as well as upon the people and to bring the transgressers to repentance he sitteth with his brethren in session presbyterie assembly administring the holy discipline holily that is in sinceritie faythfulnesse without prejudice or partiality and never ceasing till the scandall be removed the Kirk be purged and the offender if it be possible be wonne unto God and all this as being Christs owne worke he doeth with Christs owne weapons that is with the spirituall sword of the word which is mightie through God to subdue every thing exalting it selfe against God and to bring sinners to repentance The PRELATE may doe what harme he will for his owne tyrannicall custome and prastise but not by any law eyther of Kirk or state he exempteth himselfe in respect of his Episcopall administration and as he is a Prelate from all censure and scorneth to submitte himselfe to any Ecclesiasticall judicature albeit the chiefe Apostles submitted themselues unto the Kirk and albeit there be no subject in a Kingdome of whatsoever qualitie or condition but in every respect he is under the controulement of some judicature in the Land where he liveth And as he is thus singularly lawlesse of himselfe so pretending the sole power of proceeding to belong to him by vertue of his place and office he sweyeth the course of discipline as best pleaseth his Lordship processes begu●ne for trying of slanders if the partie never so wicked haue Argument of weight for my Lord or his Receaver are incontinently by the Word of his Monarchicall authoritie stricken dead Hereby it commeth to passe that where prelates rule sinne reigneth and the nearer the Bishops wings the greater libertie for sinne as is seene in their owne houses and traynes And for this reason is it that both Atheists and Papists like the Episcopall discipline better then the pastorall which they call straytelaced because it troubleth their corruption whereas the other layeth the reynes upon their neck And if the Prelate happen to proceede against offenders his discipline consists not so much in spirituall censure as in worldly power and civill punishment as fining confining imprisoning c. which haue no power to worke upon the consciences of sinners to bring them to repentance which is most proper for the preachers of the Gospell and the chiefe ende of Kirk discipline 5. The PASTOR for the good of the Kirk is desirous that the assemblies of the Kirk provinciall and nationall be often holden and well kept knowing how necessarie they are for redressing things amisse for fulfilling things omitted and for preventing evils that are like to ensue and when the assemblie is convened he carrieth himselfe toward his brethren as toward the servants of Christ and collegues of equall authoritie none presuming to any place or preheminence though of order onely and not of power without the calling and consent of his fellow brethren There every one hath libertie to utter his minde every one is ready with the gift that God hath giuen him as the diverse members of one body for the good of the whole Kirk meeke Moses and burning Elias Esay with his trumpet and Aaron with his belles Bonaerges and Barionah the sonne of thunder and the sonne of the doue all moved by one spirit with mutuall respect reverence and brotherly loue joyne together in one conclusion and if at any time they be of different judgements they are not suddaine and summar in concluding things of importance that concerne the whole but that all may be done with uniforme consent after the example of the Apostles Acts 15 the conclusion is delayed till all objections be satisfyed and God giue greater light to such as are otherwise minded and so to the greate good of the Kirk both peace and trueth are preserved The PRELATE is as averse from a free assembly as the Pope is from a free Generall councall and therefore will eyther haue none at all or will haue them so slavish as if they were but his ecclesiasticall courts convened under him and in his name When this Assemblie is convened at his owne hand without calling or election he taketh upon him to preside moderate There no man