Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	church_n	emperor_n	king_n	2,169	5	3.7645	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89754	Considerations tending to remove the present differences, and to settle vnity, peace, and piety for the present and future. Written from the Sommer Islands by R. Norvvood. And sent over to further the reconciliation of his native country.	Norwood, Richard, 1590?-1675.	1646 (1646)	Wing N1378; Thomason E366_5; ESTC R201257	8,470	12

CONSIDERATIONS tending To remove the present Differences AND To settle Vnity Peace and Piety for the present and future Written from the Sommer Islands By R. NORVVOOD And sent over to further the Reconciliation of his Native COUNTRY LONDON Printed by J. M. for M. Spark and are to be sold at the sign of the Blue Bible in Green Arbour 1646. CONSIDERATIONS tending To remove the present differences AND To settle Vnity Peace and Piety For the present and future THE great distractions and dissentions in our dear Native Country and other places thereon depending must needs be very grievous to every Christian heart And if it please the Lord to discover to any man a likely way of reconcilement by just and good means he may not through slothfulness or timerousness conceal it lest he incur that heavy sentence pronounced against the unprofitable servant that hid his masters talent in the ground 2. The ground and cause of the present dissentions and troubles seems to be this That men have been accustomed and do conceive that Magisterial rule and Government in a Christian Commonwealth is of two kinds or sorts namely Civil and Ecclesiastical the one not subordinate to the other or how subordinate to the other and how not And this seems to have been a principal ground and cause of discord in the Church in all ages since Christ 3. This pretended Ecclesiastical Magistracy as it differs from Christian Magistracy called Civil hath in all ages been assumed by the Clergy in some degree And its like it began to work and shew it self even in the Apostles times in the opinions and practices of men in some measure because the Apostle saith the mystery of iniquity doth already work yet it appeared more evidently and eminent when whole Kingdomes and Commonweales embraced the Christian Faith especially when the whole Empire embraced it For then Princes Kings and Emperors and their Republiques out of a pious ignorance or rather an ignorant piousness did condescent to grant this to the Clergy in some large measure which they claimed by divine right to belong unto them and its like they used it moderately at first but afterwards did by it subjugate all other Magistracy and such is the nature of it 4. Now that this pretended Ecclesiastical Magistracy assumed by the Clergy was the thing which the Apostle speaks of 2 Thes 27. when he saith The mystery of iniquity doth already work only he which now withholdeth shal let til he be taken out of the way may appear because he intimates that the Emperor and Magistracy did hinder that mystery of iniquity from taking place For they would doubtlesse have been no hinderers of the Apostacy Idolatry and other Errors accompanying this mystery from taking place therefore it must be this which they were hinderers of And then it will follow that this is it which the Apostle cals the mystery of iniquity 5. And this Ecclesiastical Magistracy assumed by the Clergy remains the same in substance though the subject or persons wherein it is be altered As it was the same in kind in the Apostles time in those persons in whom it was as it was afterwards when it was in the universal Bishop or Pope For the Apostle in his own time cals it the mystery of iniquity and so it was afterwards So that though it may differ in degrees or in respect of the persons in whom it is yet it remains the same in kind 6. Now according to the subject or persons in whom it may be this Ecclesiastical Magistracy assumed by the Clergy seems to be principally of four sorts For either it is 1 In the Pope or universal Bishop and his officers Or 2 In a company or number of Bishops and their officers Or 3 In a company of Ministers and their officers Or 4 In every particular Minister and his officers The first and last of these seem to differ but in this that the first is universal and the last particular the other two also differ in names and degrees not much indeed 7. A Magistrate doth exercise a coercive power by rewards and punishments so that he can say do this good and I will protect and defend thee c. Or if thou do this evil I wil inflict these and these punishments on thee And such a power the four sorts of Clergymen before mentioned have assumed and exercised that is a power of Magistracy 8. Neither doth the differences of the rewards or punishments inflicted by the Ecclesiastical Magistrates cause them to be no Magistrates For amongst those which are granted by all to bee Magistrates there be several forms of proceeding and censuring yet all Magistrates 9. Objection The Ecclesiastical punishment is Excommunication or something of that kind concerning which a promise is made That what is bound on earth shal be bound in heaven So that it may seem to be a spiritual or divine punishment and the release upon repentance a spiritual release Answer So doubtlesse is the sentence of the Civil Magistrate which he gives on earth ratified in heaven else it were in vain for him to sit in judgment Even the sentence of Pilate againstour Saviaur Christ Therefore they are said to be in the place of God and their sentence the sentence of God even as the sentence of Excommunication is and the Malefactor justly sentenced by the Civil Magistrate is so to apprehend it as the sentence of God in heaven extending not to his body only but to his soul also or the whole man and that eternally without repentance 10. So that Excommunication seems principally to be ordained as a supplement or in the defect of Christian Magistracy so as though it seem to be approved by Moses and it may be was in use among the Patriarks from Adams time yet throughout the Old Testament whil'st the ordinary course of Magistracy was in force though we find sundry other punishments inflicted we scarce find any mention of Excommunication or any person Excommunicate In the New Testament we find it was in use among the Jews but then the Jewish Magistracy was disannulled they being under the power and Magistracy of the Romans Our Saviour also allows of it to his Disciples and the Apostle Paul appoints it in the Churches of the Gentiles But stil this was in the defect of Christian Magistracy For every Church is a Society and no Society can wel stand without Magistracy that is without some punishment of evil doers and encouragement for those that do wel Such a cours of Magistracy as is usuall they might not set up lest they shovld seem Rebels to those States and Kingdoms whereof they were subjects It remaineth then that for any great offence obstinatly persisted in especially scandalous they might use this Magisterial sword of Excommunication for this might be done without any the least appearance of Rebellion or offending the Laws or Magistracy of those Estates or Kingdoms under which they lived whether they were Heathen or Jewish but

in Christian States it is otherwise 11. And here by the way we may observe the great Wisdom and Providence of God who is not the Author of dissention and confusion but of peace and order and his Ordinances do not thwart or hinder one another but rather help and perfect one another as in ordaining this Magisterial power of Excommunication to supply the defect of an ordinary cours of Magistracy he doth it so as that it should no ways thwart interfere or hinder it nor give any the least just offence against it or against Magistrates And the like care for peace and order ought Christians always to observe that when there is no necessity of both or that both cannot wel stand together the one namely Excommunication must be laid aside and give place to the ordinary cours of Magistracy But whil'st some would perswade that God hath set up two kinds of Magistracy not subordinate one to the other and so two kinds of Magistrates as Princes and their officers for the one and Clergymen and their officers for the other they have given occasion of infinite troubles and discords in the Church from time to time and this seems to be the principal ground and occasion of the continuance of our present troubles and dangers 12. Besides if this power of Excommunication were necessarily to be continued in its full vigor yet it no where appears to belong to Clergymen For as all Magisterial power ariseth Originally from the multitude or people over which it is set and until Magistrates be set up it remaineth in the people so this power of Excommunication is attributed or given to the multitude or whole congregation under the name of the Church and so it was most apt for those times and occasions for which it was ordained and if it were to be confined into the hands of a few surely then it ought to be confined into the hands of the Magistrates not of the Ministers or Clergy because it is as we have shewed a Magisterial power 13. Thus then I say that when there was no Christian Magistrates nor ordinary Magisterial power was or could be in the Church our Saviour and his Apostles did ordain Excomunication to be instead thereof giving that power to each Church to excomunicate gross and scandalous offenders especially when admonition reproof ebuke private and publick would not reclaim them which might sufficiently for the time supply the want of an ordinary Magisterial power Not intending thereby to abolish the ordinary Magisterial power in government nor to subjugate it to this extraordinary nor to set up two Magisterial powers in the Church for Magistracy or Magisterial power as the Law inclines to bondage the Church is not to be most in bondage of alother societies but rather more free but rather to supply the want of ordinary Magisterial power until it might take place whe whole nations should embrace the Christian faith and submit themselves to be ruled by christian Laws Magistrates and then the ordinary Magisterial power being more generally effectual for peace and unity and the conservation of great societies as whole Kingdoms c. should take ful place Neither then it may be was Excommunication to be wholy abolished but to be exercised with fit limitations upon some special and extraordinary occasions for example sake c. but no ways to the prejudice of the civil government no more then it was in the first institution as we have before observed 14. Yet we deny not that God hath ordained in the world and in his Church especially a twofold rule or power or authority or government and so also two kinds of Rulers or Governors Even as the means of grace is twofold namely Legal and Evangelical and the Legal helps to fit and prepare a man for the Evangelical So in the Church there is a twofold Rule or Government namely Magisterial and Prophetical and the Magisterial helps to fit and prepare a man for the Prophetical I say againe as the nature of man is twofold namely spirituall and corporall or of soul and body or of the outward or inward man So GOD hath ordained in nature but especially in his Church a twofold rule or government suitable to each of those namely Prophetical and Magisterial both jointly serve for regulating and perfecting the whole man but the Prophetical especially for the inner man and the Magisterial for the outer The actions of the inner man as to understand to wil to beleeve c. cannot be wrought by a Magisterial power therefore the Lord hath ordained Instruction for the Understanding but especially in the Church the preaching of the Word to enlighten the understanding to beget faith through the operation of his Spirit and so to work a free conformity or obedience of the whole man from inward principles Again the outward man cannot directly and immediately be wrought upon by the preaching of the Word therefore the Lord hath ordained a Magisterial power which by outward principles as by rewards and punishments may work it at least to an outward conformity or obedience And to one of these all rule and government and all Rulers and Governors are referred namely as they are either Propherical or Magisterial And these do no ways interfere thwart on prejudice the one the other even when they are both extended to the utmost And both these in a Church or Christian Commonwealth are to be exercised for the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ in the settling and propagation of true Christian Religion as their principal scope and end 15. So that Ministers are Rulers or Governors in the Church as well as Magistrates yea they seem to have the more excellent Rule and Government as more immediately in a more excellent subject yet their power is not coercive as that of the Magistrates but perswasive Prophetical suitable to the subject upon which they work and so it is the most eminent work that is done amongst the sons of men working from inward principles through the operation of the Spirit of God a free and voluntary subjection and obedience to God The Rule of Magistrates also tends to work subjection and obedience to God but not so immediately nor cannot of it self effect so much 16. Yet it follows not that Ministers are to be preferred in honor before all Magistrates whose power may extend much further namely over a greater number of men then that of the Ministers which extends only to that Congregation over which he is whereas the Magistrates may be over a whole City or a whole Kingdom It is said also God hath given honor to that part which wanted namely more external honor to the Magistracy but if that also be added to the honor of the Ministry it wil soon overtop all other honor among men So that whereas the Apostle saith The Elders that rule well are worthy of double honor especially those that labor in the Word Doctrine It seems to be understood That