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	word_n	4,342	5	4.2796	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91881	John the Baptist, forerunner of Christ Iesvs: or, A necessity for liberty of conscience, as the only meanes under heaven to strengthen children weake in faith; to convince hereticks mis-led in faith; to discover the gospel to all such as yet never heard thereof; and establish peace betweene all states and people throughout the world; according unto which, were both our Saviours commission, and the apostles practice for the propagation of it peaceably: as appeares most evidently by sundry Scriptures digested into chapters, with some observations at the end of every one; most humbly devoted to the use and benefit of all such as are zealously inquisitive after truth; piously disposed to imbrace it, and constantly resolved to practice it in their lives and conversations; to the honour of God, the edifying of their brethren, and their owne salvation unto eternity. The contents of the chapters follow in the next leaf. This is licenced, but not permitted to be entred according to order.	Robinson, Henry, 1605?-1664?	1644 (1644)	Wing R1673; Thomason E9_13; ESTC R15393	119,971	135

dye in Popery were it not for that execrable tyranny and dominion which by force of the Civill sword they practise upon the consciences of men We know what Peter said to Simon Magus because he thought the Holy Ghost could be purchased with money Act. 8.20 and may we not justly thinke their sinne to be greater who conceive that faith may be beat into men with blowes surely if Simon had been of this beleefe he would have chose to save his money and rather have beaten the Apostles to death unlesse they had given him the Holy Ghost The Presbyterians seem to pretend no other then spirituall jurisdiction and the utmost bounds thereof to be excommunication disclaiming all coercive power which they leave unto the Civill Magistrate a goodly office indeed as some would have it to be executioners of such as the Presbytery shall point at as designed for the correction or slaughter-house But doe the Papists persecute or put Gods Saints to death in any other manner surely they are altogether as choice and dainty not to foule their owne singers therewith and as politicke in deluding ignorant people lest they should seeme to be men of blood but will this excuse them thinke we in the dreadfull day of judgement or shall that servant be ever a whit the more approved because he promised to keep his masters hests and did not Nay did not the Jewes say It is not lawfull for us to put any man to death Joh. 18.31 but yet because they sought to take hold of our Saviours words and so deliver him to the power and authority of the Governour Luke 20.20 the Blessed Spirit by Steven tells them that they were betrayers and murderers of Christ and Peter sayes they had crucified and slaine him Act. 2.23 c. 7.52 Deare Brethren of the Presbytery bethinke your selves a little I beseech you in the love of God nay judge your selves that you be not judged 1 Cor. 11.31 can your proceedings according to the orders and government which you acknowledge justifie you for that which you condemne in Papists or will they make you lesse accessory to the perplexing fining imprisoning banishing and murdering Christians then the Papist who manage their Inquisition in the selfe same manner then the very Jewes who confessed they had no Law for it they might not put any man to death but proceeded and dealt with the Civill Magistrate just as you doe in crucifying of our Saviour and his Saints Act. 25.24 Pilate you know washed his hands Mat. 27.24 and said hee found no fault in Jesus Luke 23.4 bidding the Jewes judge him according to their Law Joh. 18.31 yet they though the chiefe Priests and Pharisces would willingly have killed him but that they feared the people Luke 22.2 doe now in policie refuse this hatefull office and deliver him up to the power and authority of the governour Luke 20.20 But you 'l say perhaps you doe not deliver men up unto the Powers the Civill Magistrate to be corporally punished and put to death to which I answer That such a Civill Magistrate must either doe such justice according to the judgement of the Presbytery and so be your executioners only or else be able to judge of good doctrine and heresie better then the Presbytery and have power when they see cause to judge and doe execution in point of heresie or the like upon the Presbyters themselves which yet claime to be the only competent judge thereof or last of all if the Civill Magistrate cannot better judge of heresies then the Presbytery then are they no fit judges thereof being expedient that such only should be judges thereof that are best qualified for such a charge But may it not be feared the Civill Magistrate is so observant to comply with the Presbytery in this respect that every little notice or advertisement may possibly prove too powerfull a temptation to them to punish and put men to death sometimes against their consciences when their judgements doe not concur therein but only in observance to the Presbytery as Pilate did in passing sentence against our Saviour because he would be thought a friend to Caesar and gratifie the J●wes Joh. 19.12.13.16 and unlesse our Brethren of the Presbytery have the Spirit of infallibility how can they be more certaine then the Papists or Jewes in crucifying againe our Saviour in his Saints But lest such as offend against the Civill Magistrate should hence assume encouragement let them take notice that we have not only expresse warrant for punishing and putting Civill offenders to death but are directed by God Himselfe how we should proceed therein The Law sayes at the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death but at the mouth of one witnesse he shall not be put to death Deut. 17.6 yet this was matter of fact and though the witnesses should prove false yet were the Magistrates cleere in the sight of God because it is his owne Ordinance But if a man should say he is of this or that hereticall opinion where finde we that two witnesses shall condemne him or that the Magistrate can be cleare for passing sentence if the witnesses were corrupt or if a man acknowledge that he were of such an opinion and conceived he were bound to be so upon perill of his damnation talk to others thereof with their consent out of the abundance of his owne heart Mat. 12.34 where finde we commission for tormenting of his body for his conscience sake or because he discoursed with his neighbour with such harmlesse words and matter as his owne heart was able to furnish him withall as not having power of other mens Oh! let us be wary of claiming such coercive power which doth not only tempt but necessarily engage us to the offending of Christs little ones otherwise as our Saviour threatned the Jews therewith we must inevitably become accessory and guilty not only of all the blood shed from righteous Abel to Zacharias the son of Barachias but of all the Saints which have been or shall be martyred from the beginning of the world unto the end because it was and will be still shed by no other principles then what we our selves approve of and practise Matth. 23.34.35 Luke 11.48 John in his Revelation directs himselfe unto the 7 Churches of Asia Rev. 1.4 and though he takes occasion to finde fault rebuke and threaten them with severest judgements yet he layes not the blame upon any Metropolitan or other Churches which might have had superiority over them but taxes every one in particular which would have been a great error unlesse the whole blame had lain upon themselves or that they had not the sole power under Christ of redressing such errors as are there mentioned and yet if such subordination of Churches had beene necessary nay if it had beene but expedient or any waies conducing to the edifying of those Saints in particular or building up the whole mysticall

whom the way of truth shall be evill spoken of 1. Joh. 4.1 Many false prophets are gone out into the World Gal. 1.7 There be some that trouble you and would pervert the Gospel of Christ 2 Tim. 4.3.4 The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their owne lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching eares and they shall turns away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables 1 Cor. 11.19 It is necessary there should be heresies that they which are approved might be made manifest 1 Tim. 4.1.6 In the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of divels if thou put the Brethren in remembrance of these things thou shalt be a good Minister of Jesus Christ Jude 17. to 23. Remember how the Apostles told you that in the last 〈◊〉 there should be makers of sects but keepe your selves in the love of God of some have compassion making difference and other save with feare pulling them out of the fire 2 Thes 2.7.8 The mystery of iniquity doth already worke only be who now letteth will let untill he be taken out of the way and then shall that wicked one be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightnesse of his comming 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished 1 Tit. 10.11.13 There are many unruly and vain talkers deceivers especially they of the circumcision whose mouthes must be 2 stopped who subvert whole houses teaching things which they ought not for filthy ●ucre sake wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be found in the faith 2 Tim. 4.2.5 But watch thou in all things endure asslictions doe the worke of an Evangelist make full proofe of thy Ministry reprove rebuke with all long suffering and doctrine Rom. 16.17 Marke them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them Tit. 2.15 These things speake and exhort with all authority let no man despise thee 2 Thes 3.14 If any man obey not our words by this Epistle note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother Rom. 15.1 If a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one with the spirit of meeknesse considering thy selfe lest thou also be temped Tit. 3.10 A man that is a hereticke after the first and second admonition reject 1 Cor. 5.5 Deliver such a one a fornicator unto Sathan for destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus 2 Thes 3.6 We command you brethren in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you withdraw your selves from every brother that walketh disorderly Matth. 18.15,16,17 If thy brother shall trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother but if he will not heare thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of one or two witnesses every word may be established and if he shall neglect to heare them tell it unto the Church and if he neglect to heare the Church let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a Publican Joh. 16.2 The time commeth that whosoever killeth you shall thinke he doth God good service Rom. 10.2 I bear them record they have a zeale of God but not according to knowledge Gal. 1.14 Phil. 3.6 I Paul profited in the Jewes Religion above many of my equals in mine owne Religion being more exceedingly zealous of the 3 traditions of my Fathers I persecuted the Church Acts 26.9 I Paul verily thought with my selfe that I ought to doe many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of Nazareth Gal. 4.17,18 They zealously affect you but not well but it is good to be zealously affected alwayes in a good thing Phil. 1.9 I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in judgement Observations upon CHAP. XI 1 THese breaking in of wolves upon the flocke of God and dayly multiplying of new heresies is granted to be understood of our times as well as of the Apostles or any other and yet we have here no other order then Take heed and watch nor in any other passage of the Gospel then exhort reprove rebuke with the like spirituall proceedings this is all the Ministers of the Gospel have warrant for if it be too little our Saviour and his Apostles must excuse us at the throne of God for leaving us no larger and if we exceed it we shall doubtlesse be found guilty of adding to the Word of God and must expect that God will adde unto us the plagues which are threatned in the Revelation● c. 22.18 ● neither doe I apprehend how Civill Magistrates can interpose otherwise then Ministers of the Gospel their most glorious title being but nursing fathers and nursing mothers unto the Church of God Esa 49.23 and all of us are or ought to be Ministers in or for the Gospel though one may have a more excellent calling then an other according as God hath given him more excellent faculties and gifts But if any Christian goe beyond his calling beyond his gift he is blameable and if the disturbance be only Ecclesiasticall the censure is to be the like if a breach of peace the Civill powers ought to redresse 1 Tim. 2.1.2 but for the Magistrate to interpose in matters meerly Ecclesiasticall otherwise then Spiritually and as a Minister of the Gospel I finde no warrant for it in all the Gospel 2 This stopping of mouthes was not silencing as has beene used of late and appeares so in that the Apostle afterwards v. 12.18 having proved them to be guilty by the confession of one of themselves explaines himselfe prescribing them to be punished by a sharpe rebuke so that by stopping of their mouthes can be signified nothing else but convincing them by instruction and reproofe in demonstration of the Spirit and as the same Paul saith v. 8. by sound doctrine that their owne fond fancies being overcome and satisfied might not have further matter to suggest or their mouthes words to utter wherewithall to gainsay the truth Rom. 3.19 3 Here we see that Pauls adhering so much unto traditions was the cause his knowledge could not keep company with his zeal which in that respect seduced him to persecute the Church of God would not the inraged zelots of our times oh it grieves me to use the word zeale or ze lot to its least disparagement or blemish if they had heard Paul say he found himselfe bound in conscience to oppose the Name of Iesus and hale his servants up and downe the streets from one Magistrate unto another at last