Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	church_n	member_n	visible_a	3,063	5	9.7114	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64353	The creed of Mr. Hobbes examined in a feigned conference between him and a student in divinity.	Tenison, Thomas, 1636-1715.	1670 (1670)	Wing T691; ESTC R22090	155,031	274

hand we ought to turn when there is before us a Natural and a Moral evil the Natural being the least is therefore to be chosen thus Socrates was obliged to prefer Death before the acknowledgement of Polytheism and by such choice we in truth preserve our selves and most effectually obey that dictate of Nature for we part with a short and unpleasant for an happy and endless life and our health is eternally secured to us by the effusion of the blood of Martyrdom and indeed it hath been the sence of almost all mankind derived from the fear of a God or the excellent Nature of virtue that the honest good is to be prefer'd before either the profitable or the pleasant and that in such cases the powers on Earth are not to be obeyed though upon the refusal of their pleasure they will glut their malice with the blood of men The three Children menaced with the Furnace chose rather to suffer the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar then to do his will in worshiping the golden Image and God Almighty declar'd his acceptance of such a refusal whilst by Miracle he delivered them And the fact of those Parents who saved Moses not being afraid of the commandment of Phara●h who design'd all the Males of Israel for slaugh●er is deliver'd down unto posteritie with honour and applause by the Author to the Hebrews and in that little book of Martyrs we read of some who scorn'd to accept of a temporal deliverance when it was offer'd to them upon the unworthie terms of Apostacie or recantation they having in their eye a greater reward And it is recorded rather to the same then reproach of the Eastern Magi that in returning to their Countrie they passed by Herod who had with evil intent commanded them to bring him word concerning the birth of the King of the Jews If a Prince said Tatianus commands me to deny my God I will rather dye at his foot then live to exercise his pleasure and the holy Bishop Felix Africanus and his Associates men of great Integritie and constancie of mind would r●ther give up their own lives then the copies of the new Testament which Dioclesian intended so to destroy that it might not be found at all in the Annals of the World that ever there was such a doctrine as Christianitie The very Grecians whose manner was to use prostration only in the Rites of their Religion refused what peril soever was imminent to worship in that fashion the King of Persia and the Christians who somtimes payed a civil respect before the Images of the Emperours chose rather to expose themselves to the crueltie of their Enemies then to humble themselves as in former daies when Iulian added to them the Images of false Gods and such refusals are not destructive of Government and Societie because the true Christian doth not in these cases fill the World with clamours or endeavour to raise tumults but is led in imitation of his Saviour like an innocent and weak Lamb unto the slaughter Mr. Hobbes For an unlearned man that is in the power of an idolatrous King or State if commanded on pain of death to worship before an Idol he detesteth the Idol in his heart he doth well though if he had the fortitude to suffer death rather then to worship it he should do better Stud. The most obscure and illiterate person doing outward worship to false Gods though he sinneth not with such scandal as the wise and the renowned who are apt to draw a multitude in●o the like snare yet he is not to be acquitted as an innocent man For by such means the Idolators who affright this man out of his Religion do triumph over the honour of the true God the procuring of whose dishonour is against Reason which teacheth man apart to adore his Soveraign Lord and in Societie to be publick in his adoration and not to conceal it under the Vizour of an ill-instructed Pagan who serveth Devils Reason you know directeth not only to worship God in secret but also and especially in publick and in the sight of men for without that that which in honour is most acceptable the procuring others to honour him is lost But to come to somwhat peculiar in Christianitie what if a King or a Senate or other Soveraign Person forbid us to believe in Christ Mr. Hobbes To this I answer that such forbiding is of no ef●ect because belief and unbelief never follow mens commands Faith is a gift of God which man can neither give nor take away by promise of rewards or menaces of torture Stud. But what if we be commanded by our lawful Prince to say with our tongue we believe not must we obey such command Mr. Hobbes Profession with the tongue is but an external thing and no more then any other gesture whereby we signifie our obedience and wherein a Christian who holdeth firmly in his heart the faith of Christ hath the same Liberty which the Prophet Elisha allowed to Naaman the Syrian Naaman believed in his heart but by bowing before the Idol Rimmon he denyed the true God in effect as much as if he had done it with his lips Stud. In both these answers you miss-understand the Faith of the Gospel which is not complete unless the outward profession answereth to the inward act of assent for the Church is a visible societie professing the Christian faith which men entered into by a visible sign in which are Officers of divers ranks in which there is a communion of visible symbols and he that chooseth only to have faith in his heart renounceth his title of Member in this spiritual Societie our Saviour commanded his Disciples that their light should shine before men And St. Iohn upbraideth many of the chief Rulers who believed on Christ but because of the Pharisees did not confess him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue because they loved the praise of men more then the praise of God Hear also what St. Paul saith unto the Romans If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation For Naaman who was a Gentile amongst Gentiles he had promised to sacrifice for the future to none but the God of Israel and his incurvation was his civil Office towards the King for which notwithstanding he begg'd especial License If this be not an answer I refer you to Episcopius who will not send you away unsatisfied But what can you answer to our Saviours saying Whosoever denyeth me before men I will deny him before my Father which is in Heaven Mr. Hobbes This we may say that whatsoever a subject as Naaman was is compelled to in obedience to his Soveraign and doth it not in order