Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	command_n	command_v	lawful_a	2,968	5	9.4987	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34668	A censure of that reverend and learned man of God, Mr. John Cotton, lately of New-England, upon the way of Mr. Henden of Bennenden in Kent, expressed in some animadversions of his upon a letter of Mr. Henden's sometimes sent to Mr. Elmeston (2) a brief and solid exercitation concerning the coercive power of the magistrate in matters of religion, by a reverend and learned minister, Mr. Geo[r]ge Petter ... (3) Mr. Henden's animadversions on Mr. Elmestons's epistle revised and chastized.	Elmeston, John.; Cotton, John, 1584-1652. Censure ... upon the way of Mr. Henden.; Petter, George. Brief and solid exercitation concerning the coercive power of the magistrate in matters of religion.	1656 (1656)	Wing C6415; ESTC R20949	43,719	60

down their Idolatry and bring them to Gods worship But this is to be taken in by the way That meer force is not to be used but instruction and teaching to informe in the truth and to perswade the will ought to go along with power that they be not driven as Beasts but led fairly along as men of reason and understanding 3. For such Subjects as have been baptized into the faith of Christ and so have given themselves to the profession of it the Magistrate may and ought to provide against their renouncing of the Faith and falling to Heresie and Idolatry and for their submitting to meanes of being further taught and built up in it and holding forth the profession of it as otherwise so especially in frequenting the worsh●p of God Last The Magistrate may and ought by his Authority not onely give way to the profession of the true Religion and some way to countenance it but is bound to provide that Gods Word be preached by faithfull and able Ministers that they be encouraged and well maintained and to command the practice of Gods worship in all points by Gods people Now your Scriptures make not against this Assertion thus explained For they chiefly intend the inward conversion and work of Grace in the heart which is onely the work of the Spirit and to which the civil power cannot reach nor doe we allow him to meddle with it as if by his Lawes he could work it They concern not these outward actions mentioned which may be reached and regulated by the civill Power And though inward Conversion be the sole work of the Spirit yet doth it not exclude the use of outward meanes which do either more directly conduce or occasionally make some way for that work 1. It doth not exclude the preaching hearing or other use of Gods Word by which the Spirit worketh Faith and other saving Graces in men Nor 2. Doth it exclude the exercise of Church-censures which availe to keep men in the Faith and an holy Conversation Nor 3. The command of the M●gistrate so far as hath been said to restraine men from Idolatry and Heresie which cannot but hinder the work of true Conversion and to command the attendance on the Word preached and other meanes of instruction whereby men may be brought under the shadow of the holy Ghost that he may work on them But to touch upon your Scriptures more particularly for that of Zeeharie I shall desire the Reader to wait for the clearing of it untill I come to a passage in your Book following where it is againe alledged and will be more fitly examined To that of Rev. 6. 2. it is but your single conceit as you affect to be an odde man by your selfe that by the white Horse whereon Christ is said there to ride forth conquering or the Bow in his hand is meant of the Spirit It is an expression not to be parallel'd and sense not well sounding to say That Christ doth ride on the Spirit or carry the Spirit in his hand It is the more generall and genuine sense to understand it of the preaching of the Gospel according to that of Psal 45. where Christ it bid to ride forth verse 4. as on an horse which is there expounded his truth and furnished with sharp arrows verse 5. to pierce the heart of his enemies Now the preaching of the Word doth carry forth Christ as it were on Horseback in the view of men and out of it as a Bow in his hand doth he shoot his divine Doctrine Promises and Threats which pierce to the heart of men and by it he did and doth conquer the world The preaching of the Gospel hath its ●fficacy indeed from the Spirit going forth with it which conquering power of the preaching of the Gospel and of the Spirit the command of the Magistrate as above declared doth no way hinder but promote rather as tending to bring men within the rode of that white Horse that they may be conquered by his Rider and brought to his Obedience and within the reach of his Bow that his Arrowes may pierch their hearts with godly sorrow for sin and make them fall downe unto Christ Subordinata non pugnant saith the Logician Things subordinate fight not one with another but are subservient one to the other For the Stone cut out of the Mountain without hands Dan. 2. 34. it doth indeed typifie Christ and the Church his Kingdome And as he concerning his humane nature was framed in the Womb of the Virgin Mary without any procreation from man and set up as King of the Church by God alone without mans concurrence so his Church and Kingdome was first set up by Gods onely power and authority and not by that of Man but so that outward means were and are a●so used by him and all is not done by the immediate power of God without any use of meanes as at first the world was created by him For there are Ministers employed to preach the Gospell Magistrates set on work to countenance and defend it and by their authority to set it up in their Countreys Professours raised up to hold it forth in their lives to suffer for it bu● these means are so used by the Lord that the whole work and successe of it appears to be from Gods power and blessing alone not at all from man as hereafter I shall more largely shew and so is cut out as it were without hands It is manifest that in the overthrow of those mighty Monarchies figured and set out Dan. 2. the Lord did use the power of the Sword and Armies and I believe that you think that Christ this Stone doth so now and will doe the like in dashing to pieces all the mighty Opposers of his Kingdome And therefore all things that are done toward the advancement of this Kingdome are not wholly done without hands or externall meanes And why then may not Christ also use some hands or externall meanes in some things that more directly tend to the setting up and maintaining his Church and Kingdom whose successe and efficacy yet is not from themselves but wholly from Christs power and spirit and so effected as it were without hands For Psal. 110. 3. and 47. 9. which say That Gods people must be a willing people and 2 Cor. 5. 14. That they act not nobly unlesse out of love How doth the command of the Magistrate as it is above laid downe hinder them in Gods service to be a willing people or to act out of love For if they command good and lawfull things the command doth not hinder their willingnesse in the doing of them but encourage them in it as knowing that they shall do them with praise and approbation If they restraine them by their command from evill things men ought not at any time to be willing to doe evill but rather should willingly be restrained from it And it is better that against their will they be