Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	according_a	open_v	work_n	3,235	5	5.8581	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60294	Sions groans for her distressed, or Sober endeavours to prevent innocent blood, and to stablish the nation in the best of settlements Grounded upon scripture, reason, and authority. Proving it the undoubted right of Christian liberty under different perswasions, in matters spiritual, to have equal protection as to their civil peace. Unto which is added the testimony of fifteen antients. Humbly offered to the Kings Majesty, Parliament and people, and left unto their serious view. By Tho. Monck, Joseph Wright, Fran. Stanley, &c.; Sions groans for her distressed.	Monck, Thomas. aut; Wright, Joseph, 1623-1703. aut; Stanley, Fr. (Francis), d. 1696. aut; Hanson, Geo. aut; Reynolds, William, 1625-1698. aut; Jeffery, William, 1616-1693. aut	1661 (1661)	Wing S3870; ESTC R220545	19,156	24

Magistrate power to remove those out of the World that God would have permitted to live How soon may a Magistrate if guided by such Doctrine bring the blood of the Innocent upon himselfe and Nation and innocent blood the Lord will not pardon 2 King 24.4 It therefore highly concernes all Magistrates before they persecute any for matters of Faith or Worship to see they have a better warrant for so doing than the word of men which will not secure them at that day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to the Gospel which will bee found to be the Book that shall be opened when the dead both small and great shall stand before God to be judged by what is written therein according to their works as the Lord Jesus saith The Word that I have spoken the same shall judge you at the last day and this is his word to Let both Tares and Wheat grow together in the Field of the World until the Harvest 4 It can in no wise be safe for Magistrates in the dayes of the Gospel to persecute and destroy those that are contrary minded in Religious matters because of their fallibility and that is the very reason why the Lord Jesus in the fore-mentioned Parable forbids gathering up the Tares lest the Wheat be rooted up along with them That Magistrates may erre in Spiritual and Religious matters woful experience hath taught the world in all ages the Lord of Life himself was put to death for supposed blasphemy and wickedness and accused for being an enemy unto Cesar which great mistake was committed through ignorance as Peter saith And now Brethren I not that through ignorance ye did it as also did your Rulers And at this day what mistakes are continued in Magistrates about Religion some being Calvinists as in Holland and Geneva more Lutherans but the greatest part Papists and each of these condemneth and many times persecuteth the other for Heresie or Superstition unavoydably therefore it follows that some of these must erre but we need not go far for the proof of this in one and the same person who receives that at one time for truth which at another time must be persecuted for error this appeared notably in King Henry the Eighth who persecuted the Protestants to death and writes against Luther for which the Pope gives him the Title of Defender of the Faith and yet a while after receives some of Luthers Doctrine and rejects the Supremacy and Authority of the Pope and serves the Papists as he did the Protestants nor will Magistrates be the more free from mistakes by relying on the Authority of Synods Popes or General Councils because such eminent contradictions and oppositions have appeared amongst each of them that nothing is more uncertain than their conclusions As for General Councils whose Authority is in the greatest estimation of the three it is plain they are so far from being infallible that their Decrees have been not only directly opposite to plain Texts of Scripture and the practice of the Primitive Church but also against each other which appeared first in the Council of Constantine the Thirteenth Session where it was Decreed that the Lords Supper should be given but in one kinde when nothing is more plaine than that the Lord Jesus instituted it the Apostle Paul afterwards delivered it to the Corinths and the Primitive Church received it with both the Bread and the Cup. So for the Council of Trent to Decree that the Service in the Church should be performed in Latine how contrary is it to the Doctrine of Paul who said in the Church He had rather speak five words with understanding that he might teach others than ten thousand words in an unknown Tongue So also have they clashed one with another the Council of Trent allowing Picturing of God the Father the Councel of Nice altogether disallowing of it and in the great Arrian Controversie which was no circumstantial business how many Councils and Conventions were both for and against it As little reliance can be put on any supposed infalibility the 〈◊〉 may have there having been two or three at one time each rageing against the other with their censures and decrees and notorious it is what descention there was amongst the Popes and Cardinals about Pope Formosus who being first Bishop of Pontiniake was degraded by Pope Iohn the 8 th and made to take an oath to lead a secular life al his daies yet by Pope Martin that succeeded Iohn was Formosus released from his Oath restored to his Bishoprick and afterwards came to be Pope so continued 5. years making several Decrees but Stephen the 6 th coming to the Popedome abrogates the decrees of Formosus takes up his body cuts off two of his fingers throws them into the river Tiber then buries him in a laymans Sepulchre Next to Stephen succeeded Romanus who on the other hand repeals the Acts and Decrees of his Predecessor Stephen against Formosus Pope Iohn the 10 th in a Synode at Ravena ratifies all the decrees and doings of Formosus yet after all this comes Pope Sergins digs up again Formosus cuts off his Head and 3 more of his fingers and throws his body into Tiber likewise deposed all such as had been consecrated by him Al which Schismes and discensions makes it plain to the World that there is nothing of infallibility in the Popes And for National Conventions and Synods they are so far from any shew of infallibility that the same complexion and temper the Nation is of wherein they are called and have their promotions you shall be sure to find them of because they have their dependency on the Authority that calls them together So that although the last National Synod in this Nation would have established Presbytery because that then was most like to take yet it is very questionable if now a Convention be called whether it will be much talked of amongst them Then this must be concluded from all that seeing Magistrates themselves General Councils Popes or National Synods may erre in judging and determining the most weighty Controversies in Religion there can therefore be no security for a Magistrate that he doth well in persecuting or putting to Death the contrary minded in religious matters seeing thorow mistake he may as soon persecute or put to death the true followers of the Lord Jesus or any other yea in likelihood much sooner because they in conscience towards God cannot receive the inventions and traditions of men in the Worship of God but must be a witness for the eternal God against them for which they are accounted as the Saints of old pestilent fellows movers of sedition turners of the World upside down enemies to Cesar and upon this account persecuted when the greatest part of men being unregenerate and have no other Spirit in them but what is of this World there is