Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	scripture_n	spirit_n	word_n	3,756	5	4.5234	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94087	A vindication of that prudent and honourable knight, Sir Henry Vane, from the lyes and calumnies of Mr. Richard Baxter, minister of Kidderminster. In a monitory letter to the said Mr. Baxter. By a true friend and servant of the Commonwealth of England, &c.	Stubbe, Henry, 1632-1676.	1659 (1659)	Wing S6068; Thomason E985_21; ESTC R203679	15,324	23

the Mediatory Kingdome of Christ is a mee●Usurper and may be lawfully deposed and so whilst you seem to attribute much to the Christian Magistrate you destroy Magistracy in most Nations and Countries in the world where neither Magistrate nor people acknowledge the Lord Jesus Concerning this point of Toleration let it be considered 1. That Christ commands that both the tares and the wheat should remain together in the world and not be plucked up till the day of harvest which is the end of the world Matth. 13. 30 38. 2. He reproved his Disciples who would have had fire come down from heaven to destroy the Samar●tans that would not entertain him in these words You know not what spirit you are of for the Son of man came not to destroy mens lives but to save them Luk. 9. 54 55. 3. The Apostle Paul would not have the servant of God to strive but to be gentle towards all men in meekness in●tructing those that are contrary minded if peradventure God will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth 2 ●im 2 ●4 25. and it is prophesied of Gospel times Isa. 11. 9. that none sha●l hurt or destroy in the mountain of Gods holiness i. e. in his Churches and the assemblies of his people 4. The weapons wherewith the Ministers of the Gospel should fight are not carnal 2 Cor. 10. 4. And Christs Disciples shou●d be so far from persecuting those that are not of their Religion that when they themselves are persecuted they should pray when they are cursed they should bless Mat. 5. 44. outward violence and rigor is so far from being the Character of the Christian Church that it is the undoubted mark of the An●ichristian Synagogue 5. They who now are tares may hereafter become wheat they that are now blinde may hereafter see they that are now Blasphemers may obtain mercie as Paul did 1 Tim. 1. 13. Some there are that come not in till the eleventh hour Mat. 20. 6. if you destroy them that come not in till the last hour because they come not at the first then they are never like to come 6. We know that God is not pleased with hypocritical unwilling worshippers forced thereunto by outward violence nor are Christian Societies bettered no nor the persons themselves by such outw●rd force but the plain contrary God alone being Lord over the conscience for as Solomon saith There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit Eccles. 8. 8. 7. 'T is hard for the most judicious and learned men to give a right Judgement of many points now in Controversie and yet not withstanding many ingaged persons are ready to force dissenters in such Controversies by the coercive power of the Magistrate if the Magistrate were as forward to execute as they are to propose 8. Persecution for Religion hath caused or at least occasioned most of the Wars Devastations and Bloodshed in Christendome whilst Princes would force their Subjects to be of their Religion against the light of their own consciences witness the VVars in G●rmany the Low-Countries France Poland England Scotland c. nor doth it agree well with a Free-State or Common-wealth to exercise outward force in matters of Religion there being various apprehensions and diversity of opinions among all sorts and ranks of men and perhaps if Mr. Baxter were called to consult about the weighty affairs of the State as you may be in due time for you pretend to some skill in the Politicks as appears by your most judicious censure on the Commonwealth of Oceana and its Author in your political Epistle to the Nobility and Gentry of England you may after some grave debates be more for Toleration then now you are 'T is far more easie for you to write Syllogisms in your study sutable to your own private and narrow apprehensions then to ke●p three Nations in peace and hinder godly men of different Judgements from supplanting one another by force and violence and putting an opportunity into the hand of the common Enemy to destroy them all 9. Outward violence in the cause of Religion is condemned by divers antient and modern VVriters of the best note No man is forced by the Christians against his will saith Lactantius seeing he that wants faith and devotion is unserviceable to God and God not being contentious would not be worshipped of the unwilling Tertullian saith g That it is of humane right and of natural liberty that every man worship God uncompelled and believe what he will Nor doth it beseem any Religion to compel another to be of their Religion which willingly and freely should be embraced and not by constraint forasmuch as God requires a free-will offering The Christian Church saith Hillary h doth not persecute but is persecuted 'T is lamentable to see the great folly of these times in that men think by humane ayde to help God and by worldly pomp and power to defend the Christian Church And Hi●rom saith i That heresie must be cut off by the sword of the spirit and that we should strike all misled hereticks thorough with the sharp arrows of the Spirit that is with the T●stimonies of the Scriptures the slaughter of hereticks being by the word of God Luther in his book of the civil Magistrate saith That the Laws of the civil Magistrate extend no farther then the body and go●ds and that which is external for over the conscience God alone ruleth therefore whosoever undertakes to give Laws to the conscience he usurpeth the Government that appertains onely to God In the building of the Temple saith he there was no sound of Iron heard to signifie that Christ will have in his Church a free and willing people not compelled by humane Laws and Statutes And upon Luk. 22. It is not the true Catholique Chur●h which is defended by the secular arm or humane power but the false and fa●ned Church And again upon Psal. 17. he saith That the true Church of Christ knoweth not Brachium Seculare which the Bishops now adayes chiefly use And in his other books k he saith Let no Christian be commanded but exhorted for he that willingly will will not do that whereunto he is friendly exhorted is no Christian wherefore they that compel those that are not willing shew thereby that they are not Christian preachers but worldly beadles If the Civil Magistrate shall command me thus and thus saith he I would answer him after this manner Sir look you to your worldly or civil government your power extends not so far as to command any thing in Gods Kingdom therefore herein I may not hear you for if you cannot bear it that any should usurp authority where you are to command how should you think that God will suffer you to usurp that government that belongs to him I might here mention the sayings of Brentius and other for●aign Writers upon this subject and also divers of our English