Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	great_a	king_n	people_n	5,724	5	4.8029	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66588	The spirit of delusion reproved, or, The Quakers cause fairly heard and justly condemned being an answer to William Penn, George Fox, George Whitehead, George Keith, Edward Burroughs, and several other the most leading men amongst them : wherein their horrid perversion and false and dangerous interpretations of above 50 distinct texts of Holy Scriptures are plainly evinced / by Thomas Wilson, rector of Arrow in Warwick-shire.	Wilson, Thomas, 17th cent.	1678 (1678)	Wing W2938; ESTC R33673	83,618	179

be called of men Rabbi Rabbi But be not ye called Rabbi for one is your Master 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ductor Guide Preceptor even Christ and all ye are Brethren Neither be ye called Masters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ductors for one is your Master even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant and whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased These latter words confirm my interpretation One part of which viz. that which concerns secular dominion I have also taken from our Saviour's words cap. 10.21.26 Grant that these my two Sons may sit the one on thy Right hand and the other on thy left in thy Kingdom And note ye that there was a strife among the Apostles which of them should be counted greatest Luk. 22.24 and moreover they expected Christ would rule as a secular King Luk. 19.11 24.21 Act. 1.6 But Jesus said ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise Dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority upon them but it shall not be so among you But whosoever will be great among you let him be your Minister The other part of my interpretation which concerns Mastership over the faith of people I have from St. Paul's words 1 Cor. 3.4 5. While one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos are ye not Carnal who then is Paul and who is Apollos but Ministers by whom ye believed even as the Lord gave to every Man The faith is not ours but the Lords we only Minister it in his Name and as we have received it we did not make it ver 9. VVe are Labourers together with God only such ye are God's building not ours 2 Cor. 4.5 VVe preach not our selves but Christ Jesus the Lord and our selves your servants for Jesus sake chap. 1.24 VVe have not dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy 2 Another thing here forbidden is that as the Preachers should not assume this Authority so neither should the people give it them not look upon them as their Masters but only as God's Servants ministring to them not set them in the place of God and Christ not profess themselves their disciples nor their subjects servants and children vers 9. And call no man your Father upon earth And this interpretation I have likewise from St. Paul 1 Cor. 1.12.13 Every one of you saith I am of Paul and I of Apollos and I of Cephas and I of Christ. VVas Paul Crucified for you or were you Baptised into the Name of Paul Which is to say you are not to profess your selves any mans-disciples but his only who was Crucified for you and into whose name ye were Baptised that is Christ's c. 2.21 Let no man glory in Men whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas all are yours Ye are Christ's They are only appointed of God to Minister to you Christ is only your Master Father Head chap. 11.3 7.23 Heb. 3.6 Again chap. 4.1 Let a man account of us as the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God No more than such v. 6. And these things I have in a figure transferred to my self and Apollos for your sakes that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which hath been written viz. That we are Ministers of Christ and dispensers of God's Mysteries and no more not your Masters nor Teachers of our own Doctrine Thus you may see how far wide of the true sense you have erred whilst you expound our Saviour's words as forbidding to call or to be called Master or Sir in civil respect And you may discern that they which would have their doctrine pass for Oracles without examination and their commands for Edicts without contradiction and they that yield up themselves to such are the offenders though they neither give nor receive this title I cannot but admonish you here to look into your Bibles and consider how the Texts stand which you cite and not to conclude every portion of Scripture which cometh into your mind to be infused by the Holy Ghost for you to make use of to the purpose which you intend and therefore not daring to examin it for the right sense lest you should disobey that Holy One and the work should smell a little of human study and care For certainly you have erred even where the words have no obscurity at all And if you will not make use of your eies to see and your understanding to consider and will take no more pains than to speak and write it is just that God suffer you to fall into mistakes that may justly shame you that you may be more vigilant G. Fox's Catechism p. 26. We have held up such Teachers as bear rule by their means which Jeremy saith was an horrible and filthy thing And such as seek for their gain from their Quarter G. F. Truth and Deceit p. 7. Jeremy cried against the Priests that bore rule for their mony Nayl Love to Lost. p. 74. The Ministers of Christ never sought to the people for means nor bore rule by it The words of Jeremy are these c. 5.31 The Prophets prophesie falsly and the Priests bare rule by their means I cannot but wonder that all of you should so grosly mistake as to understand by Means Tithes and Riches and that of the Priests for nothing is plainer than that the Priests bearing rule by means of the Prophets is spoken of and that that signifieth by their help power and authoriy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by their hand In which signification you find the word 1 King 10.29 2 Chron. 1.17 Mal. 1.9 G. F. Catechism p. 124 125. They tell me that Hebrew Greek and Latin is the Original by which I may know the Scriptures A. The Beast which killed the Saints had power over Tongues and the great Whore sits upon Tongues Rev. 17.15 13.7 G. F. Message to Parliam p. 7. The Teachers say Hebrew Greek and Latin are the Original Now with the light of Christ Jesus this Doctrine is seen to be contrary to the Scripture They that keep in many Languages keep from Christ for he redeems out of Languages Tongues Kindreds Nations and People All who are in Christ are one and all who are in Tongues Kindreds Nations Languages are in confusion Thus also Smith in his Lamentation p. 8. And 1 why not as well All that are in people are in confusion The palpable grosness of the absurdity would not permit this And yet it might as well have been so said as the other people signifying in the Text the same as Tongues Kindreds and Nations and Languages do 2 Who told you Latin is the Original You might with as much Truth have told the world the Teachers say the Scriptures were first written in English or Dutch Write next time Chaldee Hebrew and Greek 3 The Great Whore sits upon Tongues say you Upon Hebrew Greek and Latin you mean And I ask what this

in esteem the Worthiest not the Tallest For such they had also at Feasts which surely were not as high above the common Table as a Pulpit is from the Ground and others that sat lower than they yet sat as high in the Air and indeed all of them sat if not lay down upon the very Ground or Floor or not two yards above it For the words of the Text are these They love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first places at Feasts and the first seats in the Synagogues So again Mar. 12.1.39 Luk. 11.43 and Chap. 20.46 from whence I question not but your mistake arose because our Translation says they love the highest seats in the Synagogues which is the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifies no otherwise high than high signifies Chief or upermost as our Translation renders it in the other places and the like word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here But you should have observed that our Text Mat. 6. doth not mention the Pharisees but speaks of Hypocrites in general And certainly such there were besides that sect and moreover all of that sect that were such were not Doctors and Rulers and therefore all that Prayed Hypocritically in the Synagogues had not high places in your Sense And further I cannot think you condemn of hypocrisie all that Pray in our Galleries And yet you may do it with as much reason as condemn our Ministers of hypocrisie for Praying in Pulpits both being equally high places And now that you may understand the Text better note that it is hypocritical Praying that is there condemned As is plain enough from the words themselves When thou prayest thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the Synagogues and in the Corners of the Streets that they may be seen of Men. And sure enough their praying in the Synagogues was such as their praying in Corners of Streets with which it is joined a sure indication of hypocrisy Which all praying or standing praying is not And particularly it was this Going to the Synagogues commonly to make their privat Prayers As the opposition sheweth But when thou Prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy door Pray c. And thus to do must argue hypocrisie For to what end should they go to a publick place to make their privat Prayers unless it were to be seen of Men But be sure our Saviour knew that they did it for this end and it was not Religion and Devotion that acted them and therefore condemned them And the very same would it have been if they had gone to these Synagogues to read in their Bibles which might as well be done at home as to any edification if that were the thing they sought And yet the Law was read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day without fault The same would it be if you should go commonly to your Meeting-houses to Pray when you have no publick Service there or if you should Pray even in your Closet your door being left open or but half shut that others may look in and see you And yet in both these places you pray and condemn not your selves So that you see our publick Service in our Churches is quite another thing than the praying of the hypocrititical Jews in the Synagogues And I put it to your consciences whether you believe our Ministers ascend the Pulpits for ostentation I do not say to be seen of Men lest you should quibble or whether they ascend them for this end any more than yours that stand upon a Stool or raised Planks Whether again our people sit in Galleries out of hypocrisie Whether again they come to our Churches to be seen of men any more than yours come to your Meeting-houses upon the same account And if your Conscience will suffer you to affirm it I then require you to shew some sign of hypocrisie in our doing Your other accusation from Mat. 23.6 c. is that the Teachers of the world have the Chief-places of the Assemblies and are called of men Master 1 You have left out the principal Verb for the Text says They love Chief-places and to be called Master Which omission signifies no good mind since in all the places of the Gospels where this matter is mentioned it is so expressed As besides the present Text in Mar. 12.38 Luk. 11.43 20.46 And know you that Christ no otherwise condemns here Chief-places than he doth borders of Garments and salutations it being likewise said of him here They enlarge the borders of their garments and love greetings in the Markets Which greetings himself and his servants approved and used Mat. 5.47 10.12 Luk. 10.4.5 Joh. 20.26 1 Cor. 16.20 And which borders were used at this time by virtue of the Law Numb 15.38 The thing condemned is plainly expressed viz. The Love of Chief-places the chosing of them out of pride As we again learn from our Saviour Luk. 14.7 He put forth a parable to them that were bidden when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms saying c. Now can you say our Ministers choose the Pulpit when they are appointed there to officiate Or do they thrust forward before others for the place when no one offers to take it from them Or do they covet the Chief-places at Feasts or strive with any about them 2 Nor is the Title Rabbi simply forbidden Which being interpreted is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a guide governour ruler or teacher or doctor a Master in that sense As you find v. 8.10 Joh. 1.38 31. 20.16 For God himself hath taught us to call his Ministers so Eph. 4.11 1 Cor. 12.28 Heb. 13.7.17 1 Thes. 5.12 Nor is this the common title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Master Sir which in civil respect is given to all sorts of people but it is that which is peculiar to literate persons Scribes and Teachers of Religion As every one a little skilled in the Language and Customs of the Jews knows and you may learn from the title Father in this place it being of the same importance vers 9. Call no Man your Father upon Earth For it is as absurd to call a Laic or Secular person suppose a Gentleman or Farmer or Tradesman Rabbi as it is to call him Father And to call such an one Master in the sense here intended and according to the signification of the word is to call him Father Rabbi Doctor Teacher or Guide which is absurd enough and just so absurd is your interpretation But that which is forbidden here is 1 That the Teachers be not ambitious affecting great Titles nor usurp authority over the people ruling as Lords their persons and their faith setting themselves in the place of Christ as if the Doctrine were their own and they were the Masters to be obeyed and the people were their subjects and their disciples vers 7.8 10 11 12. The Scribes and Pharisees love to

which did enter into the Hearts of the Wicked and cut down the Sin But say I the Sword which the Text produced speaks of is the Carnal which Kills the Creatures and not the Spiritual which cuts down Sin that which Kills the Body the Bodies of Christ's Disciples and not that which enters the Hearts of the Wicked that which the Wicked use against the Righteous and not that which Christ useth against the Wicked Or which is all one it is Persecution Hatred Reproach Variance and as the Sword strictly taken doth signifie it is Death it self the Killing of the Body For it follows For I am come to set a man at Variance against his Father and the Daughter against her Mother and a mans foes shall be they of his own house And such foes they are that Kill the Body as we find a little after this in these Words He that loseth his Life for my sake shall find it And as appears by those a little before our Text vers 28. Fear not them that Kill the Body And vers 21. Brother shall deliver up Brother to Death The whole discourse is of Persecutions which should arise by reason of the word of Christ which his Disciples were to Preach and profess openly of evil which they should suffer upon the account of their Religion Wherefore when our Saviour says he sends this Sword he only means that it will come upon his account And whereas he expected tranquillity and great earthly prosperity from him he being the King that was to Rule whose Kingdom also they thought should be like other Princes with external pomp and dominion Chap 18.1 Act. 1.6 he faithfully tells them afore hand the contrary that they shall meet with many troubles to the end they might be armed against them And for the Exposition of his sending a Sword I give his own words vers 12. Ye shall be hated of all men for my sake Joh. 16.33 In the World ye shall have Tribulation Mat. 13.21 Tribulation or Persecution ariseth because of the Word Reb. Trevers Testimony p. 21. Had I not come into the World ye had had no Sin But now your Sin remains because ye believe not on him whom God hath sent for I am come a light into the World This his coming thou wouldest have only at that time at Jerusalem as if he had not come before nor since I would enquire of thee was there no Sin till Christ was manifest at Jerusalem The cause of all Sin was and is the not coming to him which saves from Sin who was and is and is to come and so he that was the Light says I am come a Light into the World Yes this his coming this spoken of in the Text was only at Jerusalem that in his Body among the Jews As will appear from the words Joh. 15.22.24 if I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had Sin but now have they no Cloak for their Sin If I had not done among them the works which none other man did they had not had Sin For when did Christ speak unto those Jews then Living and do those works among them but since his Birth of the Virgin Mary Means he not by that which he spake unto them that which he spake with his Carnal Mouth and they heard with their Carnal Ears his Preaching in their Cities Synagogues and Temple Means he not by his Works those that he did in Corazin Bethsaida Capernaum which they saw with their Carnal Eyes as the healing of Diseases the expulsion of Devils c and for the contempt of which he pronounced woes against them so sure is it that his coming here spoken of is only that at Jerusalem in his Flesh. And how is it possible to understand any other coming than this by those other words which you cite God hath sent me I am come a Light into the World As well may you understand these words also of God's sending him and his coming into the world before his incarnation God sent his Son in the likeness of Sinful Flesh. In the fulness of time God sent forth his Son made of a Woman I am come forth from the Father and am come into the World To this end was I Born and for this end came I into the World For thus lie the words speaking plainly of a sending and coming lately into the World and such a sending and coming as that he had a Mouth to speak with to Mens Ears Joh. 12.44 He that believeth on me believeth not on me but on him that sent me I am come a Light into the World that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness And if any man hear my words and believe not I judge him not for I came not to judge the World but to save the World And when was this The word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day For I have not spoken of my self but the Father which sent me he gave me a commandment what I should say 2 This coming of Christ at Jerusalem being only spoken of in respect of this alone must he therefore be understood when he saith in the same place If I had not come they had had no Sin And to your enquiry was there no Sin before I answer there was But if you put the question as you ought to do had not these Jews had Sin if Christ had not come in his Body and so spoken unto them and done his works among them the Text would have answered you they had not Which is not to be taken absolutly as you take it saying if Christ had not come a Light into the World before in the hearts of men then indeed there had been no Sin at all Which is another false interpretation of yours but comparatively They those Jews that heard Christ's Doctrine and saw his Miracles and yet believed not nor repented had not had Sin in comparison of what now they have their Sin had been less they had been more excusable Which sense is manifest from those Words in the Text But now have they no Cloak for their Sin For if they will not see when they have the clearest Light nor believe when they have multitude of miracles nor repent when they have the best instruction what can they plead for themselves And in like manner we had not had Sin if the Gospel had not come unto us our Sin would not have had those aggravations which now it hath it being now the abuse of far greater Grace G. W. Authority of Ministry p. 2. Baptizing people in outward Baptism doth not Baptize Men into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost p. 7. That Baptism which Christ commanded Mat. 28. and Mark 16. is of necessity unto Salvation For by it they were to Baptize men into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Now without being Baptized into this name a man cannot be saved For by no other name under