Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	believe_v	church_n	father_n	2,359	5	5.4153	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91187	A fresh discovery of some prodigious new wandring-blasing-stars, & firebrands, stiling themselves nevv-lights, firing our church and state into new combustions. Divided into ten sections, comprising severall most libellous, scandalous, seditious, insolent, uncharitable, (and some blasphemous) passages; published in late unlicensed printed pamphlets, against the ecclesiasticall jurisdiction and power of parliaments, councels, synods, Christian kings and magistrates, in generall; the ordinances and proceedings of this present Parliament, in speciall: the national covenant, assembly, directory, our brethren of Scotland, Presbyterian government; the Church of England, with her ministers, worship; the opposers of independent novelties; ... Whereunto some letters and papers lately sent from the Sommer-Islands, are subjoyned, relating the schismaticall, illegal, tyrannical proceedings of some Independents there, in gathering their new-churches, to the great distraction and prejudice of that plantation. / Published for the common good by William Prynne of Lincolnes Inne, Esquire.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1645 (1645)	Wing P3963; Thomason E261_5; ESTC R212456	96,461	90

I call the God of heaven to witnesse would it quench their thirst and be a ransome for our posterity I would freely offer it to the Common good● and as for the P●●testant Religion hath it not beene lock'd up in the breasts of the Assembly hath not your faith beene pin'd upon their sleeve your estates spent and your blood shed for the result of their mindes right or wrong and so have fough● for you know not what But it may be you 'l say you have engaged for the suppression of Prelacy High-Commission c. you have indeed beat the bush but the Presbyters have caught th●● Hare instead of one High-commission in the whole kingdome you shall have one in every Parish under the name of a Parochiall Sessions besides the generall High-commission call'd the Common Councell of Presbyters Now have you not to shu● the smoke skippt into the fire is the matter any thing amended sure you have got a worthy Reformation But it may be you have a better esteem of these new Courts then of the old High-commission Let me aske you do you thinke that they 'l be better then their patterne c. Thus you may see what you are to rely upon if in conscience you cannot submit to any thing they command you know your wages you must be banished and doe not our Presbyters not onely labour for the banishment but for the lives of the Contrary minded to them And is not this thinke you as evill measure as ever was measured out of the High-commission Wherfore I beseech you Friends consider what you do consider the frait of your bodies into what slavery you are fit to inthrall them I know you would be loath your Children after you should be deprived of trading or living in the Kingdome though they should differ a litle in opinion from others I beseech you therfore save your selves from this wicked Generation who have spent your estates your blood and all and you are now worse then ever you were hitherto all hath beene in their disposing and you are betrayd and daiely delivered as a prey to the Enemy The Lord Deliver us Amen Whether this be not another Sheba a Trumpeter to blow up popular sedition and Rebellion against the Parliament Synod and their proceedings deserving Sheba's punishment and whether it be not more then time for the Honorable Court of Parliament to proceed severely against such Scismaticall Libellous and Seditious Mutiniers as these forementioned let all wise men judge If our foolish pitty and indulgence towards them according to the proverbe destroy our Citty our Church our Religion our Parliament our Realmes let those superior Powers answer it who have authority to prevent it I can with a good conscience professe and say Liberavi animam meam what ever censures reproaches Scandals Libels I suffer for my good intentions from this Libellous Generation of unreasonable men who have litle faith and lesse Charity Certain Queres propounded to Independent Ministers and their Members convincing them in many things to be meer Papists and swervers from the Word of God 1. WHether Independent Ministers prescribing and Members submitting to a New-forme of Church-Government not yet fully knowne to or agreed on among themselves nor reduced unto certainty by any of their Sect but fluctuating and swimming in their Ministers giddy braines with a reserve of altering adding or diminishing at their pleasure be not a meere Popish blind obedience a receiving of a Church-Government with an implicit Popish faith to believe as their Minister or Church believes without knowing certainly and determinately what they do dogmatically believe and a plaine worshipping of they know not what their Independent way and Government being yet not fully delineated nor 〈◊〉 in writing by any of their party though frequently pressed to it 2. Whether Independent Ministers Members Churches denying the lawfull legislative directive coercive Authority Jurisdiction of Parliaments Councels Synods Kings and Temporall Magistrates in all Ecclesiasticall affaires or matters of Religion appropriating this power wholy to themselves and their Independent conventicles Their pleading of an exemption of themselues and Members from all secular Powers in Church matters as being immediately subject herein to none but Christ Their usurping Authority to erect and gather New Independent Churches not onely without but against the command of Parliaments and Princes Their dayly practise of admitting rejecting Church-members excluding godly Christians not onely from their Churches but even from the Sacraments and their children from baptisme in case they submit not to their New-fangled way Their denying the liberty and benefit of Appeales from themselves to any superior Tribunall be it a Classis Synod or Parliament by way of ●urisdiction but onely of advice Their proclaimeing their owne Independent Churches to be the onely true Churches of Christ and allothers f●lse erronious Antichristian from which all must sever under paine of damnation Their imposing New O●thes and Covenants under pain of exclusion from Church-communion on all their new members and binding them wholy to their wayes Edicts Their stilling themselves supreame heads of the Church next under Christ and exalting themselves above all that is called God or worshipped above all other Ministers or Christians whatsoever as the ONLY Lights of the world and tying the Scriptures to their owne new-fangled expositions be not an erecting of a meere arbitrary tyrannicall Pap●ll Antichristian Jurisdiction in every Independent congregation both over the soules consciences bodies of Christians and a setting up of as many Petty Popes as there are Independent Ministers or congregations 3. Whether Independents admitting Women not onely to vote as members but sometimes to preach expound and speake publikely as Predicants in their Convent●cles be not directly contrary to the Apostles Doctrine and practise 1 Cor. 14. 34. 35. 1. Tim. 2. 11. 12. and a meer politick invention to engage that Sex to their par●y Whether their pretended Liberty of conscience for every man to bleeve professe and practise what Religion he pleaseth be it Paganisme Judaisme Turcisme Popery without co●rtion or punishment by the magistrate be not a like wicked Policy contradictory to Scripture and Religion which proclaimes a licen●iousnesse to practise any sinne with impunity and warrants Popes Papists Iesuits to murther Protestant Princes blow up Parliaments Massacre Heretiques absolve subjects from their allegiance Equivocate worship Images Saints Reliques and their Breaden-god and commit any wickednesse for the advancement of the Catholique cause because their Religion and Consciences hold them lawful And how then can we justly punish any Traytor Rebell Murder Adulterer Swearer Drunkard Polyganist Theef in case he be really perswaded in his conscience what he doth is lawfull 4. Whether the Independent Ministers in the Assembly will undertake to bind either themselves or all others of their party for the future without any reserve of altering or changing their opinions and practise to that Independent way of Church Government which Mr. Thomas

written or preached against their seditious wayes and Libels 10. Seditious Queres Passages and Practises to excite mutinies and popular commotions against the Parliament and disobedience to its commands Section I. Containing divers seditious scandalous libellous passages against the authority and jurisdiction of Parliaments Synods and temporall Magistrates in generall in Ecclesiasticall affaires in the late writings of several Independent New-lights and Firebrands I Shall begin with a Copy of a Letter written by John Lilburne Lieu Colonell the Ringleader of this Regiment of New-Firebrands to William Prynne Esq upon the comming out of his last book intituled Truth triumphing over Falsehood Antiquity over●Novelty Of which Letter there have bin three Impressions made by him without license contrary to the Ordinance of both Houses restraining the printing or dispersing of unlicensed libellous seditious Pamphlets whre he p. 4. writes thus Sir in your last book that you put out you spend a great deale of paines in citing old rusty Authors to prove that Kings Councels Synods and States have for so many hundred yeares medled with matters of Religion I grant you they have but I demand of you by what right or by what authority out of the Word of God they have so done Hath God the Father or Jesus Christ his Sonne given them any allowance in this Or have they not hereby rather fulfilled the prophesies of the Scripture which saith Rev. 17. 17. That the Kings of the Earth shall give their power unto the Beast till the Word of God be fulfilled which they have done in assisting the Popes to joyne the Ecclesiasticall and Civill State together making the Golden Lawes of Christ to depend upon the Leaden Lawes of Man yea upon such Lawes as was just suitable to their tyrannicall lusts and which might the most advance their wicked ends and designes and in the doing of this they have set up a perfect Antichrist against GOD'S CHRIST yea England is not free from this And to hold that Kings Parliaments Synods States have any thing to do in matters of Religion and Church-Government he concludes pag. 5. to be a setting of the Potentates of the earth together by the eares with Christ who is to rule all Nations Rev. 12. 5. to pluck his Crown from his head his Scepter out of his hand and his person out of his throne and State that his Father hath given him to raign gloriously in Which is thus backed by Henry Robinson the supposed Author of the Answer to Mr. William Prynnes 12. Questions concerning Church-Government pag. 6. Particular Churches members of a Kingdome and Nation are not obliged in point of Conscience and Christianity to submit unto whatsoever publike Church Government Rites and Discipline a Nationall Councell Synod and Parliament shall conceive most consonant to Gods Word unlesse it prove so in the whole Kingdomes Nations and those very particular Churches Judgement pag. 8. The grounds of Independent Government attribute nothing to the Magistrate in Church affaires further then the Magistrate is a member of their Churches and Assemblies pag. 12. You can no more Justifie a Nationall Church of Christians shall likewise go up to the Temple of Jerusalem from whence by the same Prophesie they are also to receive the Word of God and not from Parliament Pope Synod or Presbytery Mr. Henry Burton in his Vindication of Churches commonly called Independent c. p. 49 50 51 c The Church is a spirituall kingdome whose only King is Christ and not Man It is a spirituall Re-publick whose only Law-giver is Christ and not Man No man nor power on earth hath a Kingly power over this kingdome No earthly Lawgiver may give lawes for the government of this Republick No man can or ought to undertake the government of this communion of Saints No humane power or law may intermeddle to prescribe rules for the government or form of this spirituall house NOT COUNCELS NOT SENATES This is Christs Royall Prerogative which is uncommunicable to ANY TO ALL THE POWERS ON EARTH c. he adds p. 60 61. We challenge you to shew us any Parliament Councell Synod ever since the Apostles that could or can say thus It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and us to determine controversies of Religion to make and impose Canons to binde all men c. Shew this to us at this time and we will obey But if you cannot as you never can never let any man presse upon us that Scripture that Synod which hath no parallell in the whole world and so is no precedent or patterne for any Councell Synod Parliaments A short Answer to Adam Stewarts second part of his over-grown Duply to the Two Brethren with certaine difficults questions easily answered printed without license 1644. supposed to be written by Mr. Iohn Goodwin p. 13 17. But perhaps you 'l say there is an Act of Parliament a Civill law declaring heresie or any different from the State opinions such as for the present are in fashion to be censurable by the civill power I answer not without all due respect unto the lawes and such as made them that if there be any distinction between a Church-state and a civill-state which all Christians hitherto acknowledge the enacting civill lawes to punish spirituall offences is not only a solecisme or impropriety in state but an incroaching on the Churches power a profaning of the Keyes and injurious to the offender who by this meanes is punished both beyond the degree and nature of his offence If the blessed Spirit should at any time bear witnesse unto your spirit or unto the spirit of a whole Parliament and Synod what were this to the spirits of other men must not they wait with patience untill the blessed Spirit be pleased to visit their spirits likewise before they can joyne with yours or the Assemblies spirit But if the Synods determination of this or that controversie should seem good unto the holy Ghost as the Churches decrees of Jerusalem did must they therefore be imposed upon the Countrey the whole world Is not this to equallize your Synodall Canons with those decrees of the Apostolicall Church of Jerusalem and to make Scripture of yours as well as theirs is not this to adde to Scripture nay to alter it p. 28. But if King and Parliament may not force a new Religion or Sect suppose Presbyterian upon the kingdome much lesse can the Synod which neither has not yet pretends as is alleaged to use the materiall sword And if for matters of religion all power originally is in Christ as you sometimes acknowledge How can King Parliament or Synod wrest it from him Nay what think you is it not secondarily in the people as well as civill power which you affirme in the same page and so doubtlesse is spirituall power unlesse you will make God to have provided mankinde better of a safegard or liberty to defend their bodies than their soules If then the spirituall power be so inherently in