Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	law_n	power_n	time_n	3,535	5	3.5329	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78018	Conformitie's deformity. In a dialogue between conformity, and conscience. Wherein the main head of all the controversies in these times, concerning church-government, is asserted and maintained; as without which, all reformation is headlesse, and all reconciliation hopelesse. Dedicated by Henry Burton, to the honour of Jesus Christ, as the first-fruits of his late recovery from death to life; as a testimony of his humble and thankfull acknowledgement of so great a mercy: and published for the service of all those, that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity ...	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1646 (1646)	Wing B6160; Thomason E358_20; ESTC R201164	26,532	40

no such danger by allowing such a power to men as you pretend Consc Although the present State be Protestant yet you are not sure it will be alwayes so What if a Marian reign come about again with a Popish Parliament and Convocation And if it be true that Christ hath left such a power to any State as afore without limitation then it is left as well to a Popish State as to a Protestant In this respect there is no difference And then it must follow that a Popish power making a law for the setting up of the Masse as Qu. Mary with her Parliament and Clergy did and for which they want not pretext of Scripture and Iure Divino if bold words and false glosses will do it then al the subjects of England must either conforme or else to the stake So as the very admitting and crying up of such a power left to men as it is most false and groundlesse and as before a Grandmother Horesic and introducer of the most direfull tyranny over soul and all so far is it from ever proving to be Iure Divino as being Ludibrium Synodorum so it is the next way and much more in this present juncture of time as things now stand to make us as miserable a Nation as both the ten Tribes and the Jews And as we touched before if the wisdom of God would not entrust his servant Moses nor David nor the Apostles with a power in setting up what forms of worship frames of government they pleased though they were both wise and faithfull and free from all private interests in seeking themselves to become Lords Paramount Car we finde in any age of the world trow you either a Parliament or Synod whereof all the Members yea or the greater part are such as Moses David and the Apostles were so as to be entrusted with such a power And in case this State should assume to it self such a power as we speak of so as to enact a law to binde all to conformity either you must produce some Scripture authority for it that the Parliament may be satisfied quo jure and that it is Iure Divino as they require of you and which you have promised but have not performed it Or in the mean time give me leave to put it unto you or to the soundest judgements how you can clear your self from falling under that marvellous judgement of God which we finde in Esay 29. The matter was v. 13. That their fear towards God was taught by the precept of men They had set up a worship of God according to the precept of men This was all And is this in your judgement nothing But what They were they that did this Surely the Prophets Rulers and Seers What the Guides and Leaders of the People How came it to passe The Lord saith there as a matter of wonder and to be proclaimed by a lowd cry that they were drunken but not with wine and staggered but not with strong drink and that the Lord had closed their eyes and poured upon them the spirit of deep sleep v. 9 10. So as neither the learned nor unlearned could understand the vision v. 11 12. And all their religion is turned into hypocrisie v. 23. Forasmuch as their fear towards God was taught by the precept of men For a religion of humane institution is hypocrisie while pretending to worship and fear God they fear and worship men which is both hypocrisie and idolatry And what 's the issue of all this v. 14. Therefore behold saith the Lord I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people even a marvellous work and a wonder For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid Conf. And what of all this Consc What think you of it Mr. Conformity Is here nothing that concerns you Conf. Nothing that I see Consc See ye nothing of all this And are you not then in the number of those whose eyes are closed and on whom the Lord hath powred the spirit of deep sleep Conf. But do ye not know that this was a Prophesie fulfilled many hundred years agoe even in Esay's time by those of Jerusalem How then can you apply it to these times Consc Though it was then fulfilled yet it is written for our learning and to admonish us upon whom the ends of the world are come And the same Prophesies may have sundry fulfillings upon the like occasions And for application of it I only made it a Quere how you could acquit your self from having it verified of you in these times Conf. But the Prophesie making mention of the Prophets Rulers Seers of Jerusalem as drunken and blinde all that I can apprehend hereof is that you thereby mean the Prophits Rulers Seers of this famous City and perhaps also to speak more plainly the Parliament Synod Sion-Colledge the Common-counsel c. For who are the Prophets or Rulers or Seers or who are the learned and wise men but these Therefore Mr. Conscience deale ingenuously with us and speak no more in the clouds Consc What Mr. Conformity would you have me to doe here as you do with your Parish people when vou mingle all together at your Sacrament What good and bad those of the Militant and others of the Malignant hurch together I would have you to know that I put a difference between the Parliament on the one side and the synod Sion-Colledge Common-counsel on the other And Secondly among all these I put no small odds between the truly wise and prudent that truly fear God and those that are self-wise or worldly-wise And thirdly I put a difference between Sion-Colledge and Common counsell as between Seers and not Seers between the leaders and the led Nor fourthly do I apply the foresaid Scripture to any one in particular but my desire is that every one in all these Companies would by due examination of himself make the application For it is a mater of high concernment And for their better direction herein First Let all those that by Letters Petitions Remonstrances Compliances Confederacies Counsels secret and open nocturnall and diurnall do wring blood out of the late Covenant by pressing importuning and plotting the setting up and establishing by a law such a form of Church-government Worship Discipline as not only is the highest affront and dishonour to Christ but necessarily tends not only to the enslaving of the peoples consciences but to the undoing of this whole English Nation by vassallizing it to vilest of men apply it Secondly Let all those who would have our victorious Army in all the haste disbanded before our peace be well setled and our land cleared from the one end to the other of all those dangers which do threaten it by the treacheries of so many malignant enemies who carry two faces under one hood and do but watch for such an opportunity to wreck their envie and malice upon

instance we need not go beyond the seas or over our English bounds to fetch it What if the generality of the Ministers and people in England be found to be wrapped in such a destructive Heresie I call it destructive using the * Apostles word where he saith That there shall be false teachers among Gods people who shall cunningly bring in destr●ying Heresies And what are these Even denying the Lord that bought them bringing upon themselves * swift destruction And many shall follow their destructive wayes or their destructions by whom the way of truth shall be * evill spoken of or blas●hemed A Prophesie by the way which if well weighed and rightly applyed may be found to be in a great measure fulfilled in these our times For here is first a destructive or as our common Translation damnable Heresie Secondly this Heresie * is in deaying the Lord Jesus Christ Thirdly here is a many followers Fourthly among this many there be some at least who have their mouthes open in Pulpits Streets Tables and their Quils in Presses in Pamphlets blaspheming speaking all manner of evill against the way of truth even that way of truth which holdeth forth confesseth professeth maintaineth against all the worlds reproaches Jesus Christ in that very particular wherein he is at this day so mightily decried and denied by false Teachers and their followers Nor can any Age as touching this one particular be paralleld with this of ours for Pens and Tongues of blasphemy lashing out and running over all the bounds and banks not only of Christianity but even of common modesty and humanity as men bereaft of their wits and all this against the assertors and maintainers of the Kingly Office of Jesus Christ And lastly a destructive Heresie in that not only it destroyes soules but is in a precipice to destroy Kingdoms to such a height of rage it is now grown Conf. But Mr. Conscience what means all this What In that your generality do you charge as all Synod Sion City Countrey as lying under the guilt of such an Heresie What All denying the Lord Jesus Christ Consc Mr. Conformity cannot a man speak of a generality but he must needs name particulars And you know that generals have their exceptions And when a generality is mentioned let all particulars look to it But what if there be a generality and that of Protestants so called in the land which will be found to overthrow Christs Kingly Office Conf. What if say you what if the sky fall Nay I dare say yea and swear too that not any one of this generality you mean doth or dare deny Christs Kingly office and prerogative I have often heard them in publick to give Christ the title of King and to speak of his kingdom and they every where confesse and professe him to be King of his Church So as such a charge would argue as much malice as untruth Consc And I have heard them say as much as you say But is saying sufficient Yea I have heard them say That all Church-members must be Saints that all Churches be equal none have jurisdiction over other that Gods Word is the only rule of Reformation and many such principles about Churches they confesse in words So Christ to be King But if this be all it may prove little better then the Jews putting a purple robe upon Christ with a crown of thorns on his head and a reed for a scepter in his hand with Hail King of the Jewes but for all this crucified him so that you confesse Christ to be King and crucifie his true subjects Again you know the Pharisees said many things well but they did them not And doth not the Scripture speak of such as * professe they know God but in works deny him Whence we observe a twofold deniall of God one in words another in deeds Now I do not say that the generality doth in words deny Christs Kingly office but this I affirm that in works they deny him Conf. Sir how do you prove that or how doth that Scripture reach to those you speak of Consc A question opportunely put And therefore if you turn to the 14 15 verses immediately foregoing you may observe what manner of persons those were whom the Apostle there speaks of and upon what occasion For that Chapter being to set forth the office of a Bishop or Pastor of a particular Church or Congregation and how he should be qualified and gifted and the Church governed the Apostle willeth Titus to warn the Christians Not to give heed to Iewish fables and commandements of men that turn from the truth Where he ranks the commandements of men in Church-matters manners and government with Iewish fables as which do turn men away from the truth and so from Christ as he also sheweth at large Col. 2 8. 20. 22. and throughout the whole Chapter So as to set up the Commandements of men in formes of worship or of Church-government being Christs spirituall kingdom is to separate men from Christ Col. 2. 19. and to make them unbelieving Tit. 1. 14. and impure in minde and conscience V. 15. yea abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate Vers 16. All which I commend to your more sad and serious consideration Master Conformity Conf. I confesse this is a terrible Scripture to those that lye under the condemnation of it But I hope those whom you mean are no such men for first you confesse they deny not in words Christs Kingly office and for any deniall in works you have not yet proved nor I hope can Consc I have nothing to do with your hope But whereas you would make it my confession that they deny not in words Christs Kingly office neither doe I absolutely confesse so much For though I confesse I have heard them upon occasion being put to it in words to confesse Christ to be King of his Church yet I have heard them again say and have read it in their books and they maintain it tooth and nail that Christ hath left the forms of worship and Church government unto men to be so framed as is most suitable to the conditions of the people or the laws of each State binding all the subjects thereof and that under severe penalties to an universall conformity or uniformity Conf. Why sir hath not Christ left that power and liberty to those that are in authority as Synods to frame and compose forms of worship and Church-government such as they judge fittest having an eye to the Scripture and the civill Magistrate to confirm the same by law Consc The Pope indeed arrogating to himself all power in Heaven and Earth over Churches and Kingdoms makes his claim from Scripture As * Thou art Peter c. Therefore his successor the Pope is the Rock whereon the Church is built So here are two swords therefore the Pope hath power of both the swords So