Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	bishop_n	law_n	power_n	3,346	5	4.9385	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44783	The beast that was, & is not, & yet is, looked upon: or, The bo-peeping beast pointed at: or, He that hideth himself hunted because of whom truth complaineth, and is spoken to by Pope and Prelate, by Presbyter, by Independent, by Quaker, by Baptist: together with her several answers to them all. Also one description of the beast. Also the coming forth and progress of the beast hitherto. Also an epistle to magistrates and law-givers, likewise, to take off prejudice if any be. Two epistles, one to the reader, and another to the Christian reader. VVith a true reproof to W.S. a Quaker, who in his book called The lying spirit in the mouth of the false prophet, wherein he endeavours to make men believe that he had answered H.H. his book, called The doctrine of the light within the natural man leading to eternal life, examined by Scripture-light.	Howet, Enoch.	1659 (1659)	Wing H3151; ESTC R215400	46,109	67

THE BEAST That was is not yet is looked upon OR The Bo-peeping Beast POINTED AT OR He that hideth himself hunted because of whom Truth complaineth and is spoken to by Pope and Prelate by Presbyter by Independent by Quaker by Baptist TOGETHER With her several Answers to them all ALSO One DESCRIPTION of the BEAST ALSO The coming forth and progress of the BEAST hitherto ALSO An Epistle to Magistrates and Law-givers likewise to take off Prejudice if any be Two Epistles one to the Reader and another to the Christian Reader VVITH A true Reproof to W. S. a Quaker who in his Book called The Lying Spirit in the Mouth of the False Prophet wherein he endeavours to make Men believe that he had answered H. H. his Book called The Doctrine of the Light within the Natural Man leading to Eternal Life examined by Scripture-Light London Printed for Daniel White at the seven Stars in Paul's Church-Yard 1659. Truth speaketh I Have been despis'd banish'd from one place to another in the world ever since Adam entertained a lye for self-exaltation sake and so fell from me his covering unto Fig-leaves and brought his posterity under Excuses and May-bees for their souls food and comfort so that a Tabernacle hath been ever since more proper for me then a settled condition When the true One the sent One was upon the earth under scorn and sufferings he did exalt me and gave Apostles and Prophets for Master-builders of me upon the chief Corner-stone viz. Himself his Death his Burial Resurrection Ascension sending down his Spirit which formerly inspired Scripture-Writers and Believers to joyn his in one Spirit by which he is present in the heart by faith keeping life eternal in them and hiding it in God for them Col. 3.3 He I say and his Apostles left my Testimony in Scripture-writ under a terrible charge that none should add to it nor take from it But as Christ and his Apostles did so to this day all that will have me without mixture of mans inventions must be sure to suffer for whosoever will closely walk in my ways he shall lose friend after friend as he attaineth to more and knowledge of me if he be a way faring man and follow his knowledge heartily and sincerely the harder he presseth after the mark Phil. 3.14 the more he encreaseth in knowledge to the loss of all or most of his friends whom he dearly loveth to the rending of his soul so that he who encreaseth knowledge encreaseth sorrow Eccles 1.18 Yet notwithstanding this sorrow could not stop the love of Christ in the hearts of multitudes from keeping his commandments for some hundreds of years together after his Ascention Joh. 14.15 though few or none now dare look at me because there is so many of mine enemies that have put upon themselves a dead image of me under forms of godliness And also another sort of mine enemies have received the spirit of Satan as an Angel of Light to cry down forms of Godliness with so that I cannot appear beautiful in form and power joyntly as I did in the time of Christ and his Apostles and for hundreds of years after The one of these sorts being offended at my life because they think to enjoy me coldly carelesly easily onely in form and when that is obtained they think they may sleep under the covering of May-be and other excuses without disturbance of self-exaltation or lusts The other exalting a spirit of deceit to the outing of all yea the very form of godliness in which the distinct order and commands are That Christ and his Apostles taught practised and recorded in holy writ for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come 1 Cor. 10.11 that there may be As it is written to reprove sin and Satan with and all reproveable spirits and things with to comfort the distressed with to reprove ruleless walkers with This form and record being cryed down this spirit of deceit may rule without examination or reproof and whatsoever he dictates in the children of disobedience for disobedience is a denying of Gods order he may call it the moving of Gods spirit At the first before the depths of Satan was known there was no other grief upon the sincere ones for Christs sake but the worlds sore persecution but now this is the worlds wo they can no sooner look towards me for conversion but one of the two foresaid stumbling-blocks or offences puts themselves in the way Mat. 18.7 Now followeth the speech that may be aptly spoken by Pope or Prelate Truth I hope you will not out me of my honourable order that hath continued about thirteen hundred years and hath been settled by the approbation of so many learned and reverend Bishops and Doctors who have gone on to chuse an universal Bishop as Christs Vicegerent resembling the high Priest under the Law and being Peters successour and have settled an attendance of eminent Cardinals that are all Princes and are able by Authority of our holy Father to controul Kings and Kingdoms That hath converted divers Counsels and in every Counsel hath brought forth some holy Law or Ceremony or more that maketh for the honour of the Church and fast binding her together in strength and riches so that now she is become greater and stronger then any Prince yea then all the Princes in this part of the world called Christendom And she hath invented such Inquisitions Racks Fires Tortures c. and hath so absolute a power that both the greatness of Kingship and Nobility and also the baseness of Whores and Harlots and all lustful people yea the very Thieves in Jayl and Bawdes in Bridewel have love to my Order yea and great reason they have for I can for money or love if they be obedient to their Mother holy Church grant pardons that will quiet their consciences if they will believe me of all their sins past present and to come so that safely be it spoken saving the honour of the Church they have a petty licence to vaunting pride and youthful lusts being but venial sins and all this honour and greatness is the fruits of learning and study which as Mr. Baxter writeth is very laborious * It is not the sweat of the brows that God appointed man to get his living by By my wisdom I have provided away for younger Brothers of Noble-men and Knights to creep under my wings for honour and greatness therefore all the greatness in this part of the world will hold me up and help me to jerk any saucy fellow that shall hold an Argument though never so true against me yea and if we were cruel as I hope you will not say we are I have made such provision of candor to lust honour and greatness in me that all the honour strength and multitudes are at my command to tear the limbs as with their talents and to bill out the brains as with my Peak of all contradictors insomuch

to prince and people in the land of my nativity as is proved in the 106. Psalme the 29. Vers and Psalm 99.8 Isa 66.5 and many other Scriptures And from declining the exact rule of Christ and his Apostles laid down in the bookes of the New Testament only under which grace we are and not under the Law of terror Heb 12 21. This poor Supplyant of yours to whom God hath given grace to be faithful is willing I hope amongst many others to stand in the Gap by shewing to you and all England and praying to God for you and it Ezek. 22.30 compared with the 28. Verse the very way by which an end must be put to the proceedings of the resisters of the truth 2. Tim. 3 9 Viz. by the discovering their folly to all men to which purpose this poor-servant of Christ Jesus hath written this treatise against this first Beast that ariseth out of the Sea viz. the Church that hath his power maintained and his worship exercised by the second Lamb-like horned beast that is more like a Lamb then the first and ariseth out of the eatrh viz the world and yet he holdeth up the first beasts power and worship by Magistrate sword the place that the first arose out of yeeldeth no such power his Lamb-like horns being the strength that prevaileth with the Magistrate to uphold him viz a repute of holyness and innocency in which he exceedeth therefore as a Lamb or as one in sheeps cloathing and in the pretended name of the Lamb Christ he taketh power by the Magistrate to constrain rich and poor small and great bound and free to worship c. Revelations 15. therefore where there is a constraint upon all into one worship we may well suspect that it is the power of that beast who is the very powerful life-giver to the bare Image of the first beast which Image if it had not the Magistrates power to constrain it it were life-less and therefore called the Image because it hath neither Scriptures authority to provoke nor power to constrain so that this beast is but a D●agon at the best that cannot stand without mans art or power to uphold it and shall certainly fall when Gods arke of testimony is brought to it and this is the last beast that shal be at enmity with my Master Christ Jesus and this is the same spirit with the first who is the old Serpent and Satan whose whole body consisting of beast whore and false Prophet as head body and taile shal in the end perish together Revelations 19.20 The beast was once wounded by my Masters providence and power when he died upon the Cross where he spoiled principalities and powers and made show of it openly Col. 2.15 the vertue whereof is his deadly wound to this day and no Salve that the beasts healing flatterers hath though for a time it giveth ease to the blind sleepy conscience can make this deadly wound unmortal viz. those Prophets spoken of in Ezek 13.9 But when triumphant truth the beasts mortal foe shal appear to make manifest what this wounded beast is that can never look upon Gods word to examine his own standing but he so much feeleth there the soarness of his mind as that he dare not in it prosecute his examination he shall be dead by that act and taken out of the way 2. Thes 2.7 and by how much truth looketh forth by so much this beast is sick of his wound ask your selves when truth appears where is lyes are they not all dead and gone then impudencie and out-faceing of lyes must needs cease when God shall destroy the face of the covering of all people and the vail that is spread over all nations Ezek. 25.7 the very discovery of him is his wounding therefore let those of the Clergie that loves to be Masters of all people upon the account of godliness contrary to Christs counsel Math. 23.10 look about them for Christ Jesus woundeth the head out of the house of the wicked by discovering the foundation to the neck Selah Hab. 3.13 for then their standing will appear whether it be of God or no then their begging for liberty to persecute those that dare not feed them and honour them will be at an end when Gods out-casts are visibly provided for and the oppressor ceaseth Esa 16.4 then those that made lyes their refuge vvhen they fled from the written word to mens invented may bees will be utterly undone when the patient Heb. 10.36 not hast-making beleivers Esa 28.16 is upon their sure foundation then the Hail shall sweep away all the refuge of lyes and the water shall overflow the hiding places Esa 28.17 So that it must needs follow that the weapons of our war-fare are not carnal 2 Cor. 10.4 5. but mighty through God so that the sword of the Magistrate hath no such strength against this beast as mighty truth hath therefore be wise O ye Kings and Rulers of the earth as it followes in the second Psalme 10.11.12 Verses take heed of persecuting any for Gods sake although they be presented to you as deceivers Mat. 27.36 and seditious Acts 24.5 For was not Christ and his Apostles so presented to their persecutors it is better to take Christs counsel viz. let both grow together till Harvest then that the blood or distress of any one persecuted Saint should lie at your door Christ disclaimed any intrest in your kingdom in the dayes of his flesh and set an example of obedience to God in being under your authority and his Apostles commanded submission to you and to pray for you and we are yours subjected to you in all civil obedience so do you refuse to have authority in Christs Kingdom and be you there subjected to him and as he saith My Kingdome is not of this world so say you that your Kingdome is not over his Church and let his Laws be in your eys as they are in truth so wholly by which he governeth his Church that man cannot add to them or amend them it is possible to help forward a delusion by persecution making the erronious presume that they are martyrs for Christ when they perish in prison upon religious accounts and then if you do that to them for Christs sake or for Religions sake for which you have no rule in Gods Word it will be then if God give you not repentance till the day of Judgement that hee will come to say to you Who hath required this at your hands but never to provoke them to love the truth or make them willing by mans but by Gods power Psal 110. Yet if you go about to drive them that Christ is a wooing and beseeching them by the mouth of his Apostles 2 Cor. 5.20 you may come at the trouble of your conscience in the hour of death too too late to repent but we as our duty is do pray indeavor that no such thing may fal upon you And in the words of

hunt him out If they do not rather compell by the Magistrates sword into conformity then convince by sound doctrine the gain-sayers T●tus 1.9 2 Tim. 2.25 and not desire them to be rooted out of their dwellings to be cast into prison to have their goods spoiled for want of conformity to them if they be content not to be chief of all that come forth in the name of God viz. not to give Laws to all so that none may preach without their authority and let Gods authority without mans serve the turn if they can be content that any man cast out Devils Mark 9.39 if they can be quiet in mind to see others preach Christ that have not authority from them and rejoyce in it though he be preached of envy Phil. 1.15 if they be without all the forenamed instruments and acts of cruelty nor have no heart to desire nor sue for power to force conformity to them by the Magistrates sword then they are no members of the Beast that this book pointeth at Hovvsoever none can deny but that some Presbyterians and Independants are held in their forms upon account of riches and honour or for some self-engagements sake although most or all may not be so vvhich I am afraid are there is novv so much light abroad according to Daniels Prophesie Dan. 12.4 that if there vvere such a povver upon them as could make their hearts manifest as one day there shal be some of them must needs ovvn some part of the speeches that are spoken in this book to be the very thoughts of their hearts that they take comfort and have their standings maintained from the causes inserted there and other-some the rest and some all hovvever I am excuseable because the spirit of God out of the mouth of Jesus Christ my master in the undvidiing expression said Wo to you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites although some of them proved believers they were then the guides though blind ones teachers of Jsrael a people that God loved somtime as wel as ever he did England also Christ reproving Lawyers spake wo to them in general Luke 11.46 though some of them proved good men as Ioseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus c. then it is possible that England may be as blind led as Israel then was for the Pharisees and Lawyers was as learned then as ours now are therefore Reader take heed that thou let not thy heart rise against this book by unconsiderate prejudice read it ponder it to this purpose 1. Take heed of retaining that spirit that thinks himself wise enough to controul plain commands of Christ in Scripture 2. Also if the plaines and simplicity be that that offended thee in Christs Lawes read Mat. 11.6 and seriously consider whether the practise of the Apostles and Disciples for 300. years after Christ be not a good expositer of the Law and that thou need not go to spirits or Angels for a higher exposition against their plain practises 3. Consider in thy mind whether any Statute recorded in the Scripture can be repealed but by a Statute there also recorded and then take heed of changing Christs Laws upon mans authority 4. Do not believe because the falling away is great that therefore the Law of baptising beleivers is cancelled for if the command were not yet in force there could be no falling from it 2. Pet. 2.21 5. Understand that whosoever falleth away yet are religious must needs have some inventions of man by Satans inward working either that the Rule is not exact enough then meditate Eccles 7.16 or that it is too strait then carry thy meditations to the written Word Isa 8.28 and there pitch down thy Standard for truth 6. If truth of God stir thy mind to trouble and the Word carry a sharp edge rightly applyable to thee take heed that Satan work thee not into the rage of revengeful persecution Psal 76.10 and then thou may come to approve thy self to be a Christian Reader which is the desire of the servant of Christ who is a well-wisher to the whole Creation H. H. A true Reproof of W. S. SIR HAving known your discretion in other things I cannot but wonder that you should seem to suppose that you have any thing like an Answer to H. H. in your Book but much more should I marvel that you should say It is hard to draw Wine out of thy Lees Which is as much as to say It is hard to answer that which you go about to answer And though you see your self blundered in what you are about to answer that you would go on viz to heal those that Truth woundeth but that I consider that when once your heart cometh to engage in error then wilful ignorance tempts God and hardens your hearts against evident truth of God then yours ceaseth to be an outward single disobedience but it is an inward heart working God-tempting though ignorant Error which is not charged in this place of Heb. 3.8 9 10 11 12. with ignorance of God but of his Wayes and in this appeareth a heart of unbelief in departing from the living God when men are wilfully ignorant and have a heart set against his Wayes Wherefore herein you prove your selves to be of the shameless generation spoken of in Ier. 6.10 your spirit is not ashamed to take the Name and Title of God and you are not ashamed to say you are moved by God when indeed you are moved by the Evil One you giving and he taking the Name of God or rather the using your lips to exalt himself above God with 2. Thess 2. and also in that he maketh you his voice by his own Authority to proclaim null the Laws that God made by Jesus Christ and without any Warrant from Christ or his Apostles crying down that vvhich they taught and practised either they or you must needs be of Satan being that the Scripture saith If we or an Angel from heaven teach unto you another Gospel then what we have preached to you let him be accursed Gal 1.8 You say in your Book I deny I am made to stand a witness against thee in the power of the Lord vvhilst I hold up that Gospel What self-exaltation is here What proof is here of your matter Here is great swelling Words do you think your Spirits Authority enough so that he need not to use Scripture to prove his matter by when he is questioned Then he seems in this as in other things to be above Christ by his own exaltation for Christ when he met vvith your spirit in temptation though he be the Son of God yet used Scripture saying It is written and in his Word by the mouth of John appealeth to Record saying There are three that bear record on earth the Spirit Water and Blood and these three agree in one but your Spirit is so far from agreeing that it opposeth two of them wherefore it cannot be the Spirit of God your Spirit cometh forth in