Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	power_n	soul_n	2,506	5	5.3976	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26858	Against the revolt to a foreign jurisdiction, which would be to England its perjury, church-ruine, and slavery in two parts ... / by Richard Baxter ...	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1691 (1691)	Wing B1182; ESTC R22132	311,021	600

is so hard a work that it seldom goeth well down with any party to hear of their sins especially the most heinous because they are most frightful and odious But yet it is so necessary a work to Repent necessary to the sinners and necessary to this Land that a Dying Minister of Christ who daily lamenteth his own sin should not for fear of the anger or reviling of the impenitent omit so necessary a work while Danger and yet Hope seem to tell us that this is the time Having oft done it to the displeasing of many I will though it yet displease add this brief warning If the remembrance of the years 1643 to 1660. of all that was done in England Wales and Scotland against Order Peace Government Ministry sound Doctrine and Discipline by the Sectarian Army and the Antinomian Anabaptist and Separating Ministers and People that encouraged them and the fatal end they came to without any bloodshed to overcome them and the consequent changes I say if all this convince not the Separating Sectarian sort of professors that they have been heinously injurious to the Protestant interest and have ignorantly kept up the life of Popish hopes I know not what means can convince such men II. And if after all the Miseries of former divisions and uncharitable violence before and in the Wars those that have added the greater burdens and revengefully done what I love not so oft to mention by Laws execution and additional reproach upon Corporations Churches Universities Ministers and brought and yet keep the Land by resolved obstinacy in its divided dangerous sinful state and lock up their Church door against desired Unity and Concord and all this for nothing but to justify the revengeful changers and their own complying acts I say again and again if all this after the last thirty years experience added to all before seem to the guilty no wrong to the Protestant interest nor to the Nations Peace and Hopes nor any advantage to Popery nor any sin against Christ in his Servants the Lord take some extraordinary effectual way to convince heal and save so blind and obdurate a people for I see no hope of ordinary means The God of Peace have mercy upon an Ignorant Vnpeaceable World and prepare us by Faith Hope and Love for the World of Love and Peace Amen Postscript § 1. I Perceive some cannot digest it that a Christian Soveraign should be the Head that is the Forma informans specifica unifica of a National Church and that it is not said to be a National Sacerdotal Head either Monarchical in one primate or Aristocratical in several Metropolitanes or Diocesanes as one College Persona politica Or as Mr. Hooker Dr. Beveridge and the Republicane Politicians and most fanaticks think in the Major part of the Body ruling by their Representatives and chosen Proxies which is called a Democracy or mixt of these by natural right § 2. And if any thing with these men were strange it would seem strange that the same men that subscribe to or approve the Canons of 1640 for the Divine making or institution of Kings and that fill Pulpits and Books with Invectives against Rebels Fanaticks and the Parliaments Wars and many Writers of Politicks for holding that the King is singulis Major universis Minor and that the Power of the Head is from the Majority of the Body and that the Legislative Supremacy is in them radically as in the Majestas Realis derived to the King as the Majestas personalis should come themselves to build their Church Power on so rotten a foundation And that the poor Nonconformists long called Rebellious must now become against such Churchmen the defenders of the Soveraigns Power But such is the case of this blind giddy factious World § 3. According to my usual despised method I will distinguish the Controversie de re from that de nomine And I may say That de re all men are agreed of all these following things 1. That Civil Power in genere is of Gods institution and his Laws made their supreme Law and his Will and Glory their ultimate end 2. That as all are thus bound so Christian Soveraigns are both bound and qualified as from God and for God and therefore are sacred persons 3. That the forcing power of the Sword is only committed to Magistrates to be exercised FOR and UNDER GOD and by Christians for under Jesus Christ And therefore such Christian Princes are not to be called Civil as exclusive of Religious or Spiritual work but as exercising their power pro civibus for the good of their Kingdoms even religious 4. That God is the Author or institutor also of the Sacerdotal Office and hath specify'd it in his Word And that the Magistrate or the sacred Ministry can neither of them put down each other nor alter any part of either Office which God hath instituted 5. That it belongeth to the Sacerdotal Office or Clergy to be the official Preachers of the Gospel and to judge by the Power of the Keys who is fit or unfit for Church entrance by Baptism and for Church Communion and to Baptize and administer the Lords Supper admonish suspend and excommunicate from their communion such as deserve it and to absolve the Penitent 6. That the Priesthood or Pastors have no power to use the Sword by force on Body or Estate by Stripes or Mulcts nor yet to force or require the Magistrate to do Execution by the meer Sentence of the Clergy without trying and judging the Cause himself 7. The Pastors that the Magistrate chuseth for the care of his Soul may declare him unfit for Communion if by impenitency in gross scandal he deserve it but may not disable him from Government by a publick dishonouring Excommunication much less send such a reproach abroad in the Land or World 8. The Bishops and all the National Clergy are Subjects to the Soveraign as Physicions and Philosophers c. are And he is Governour over them in matters of Religion which belong to the determination of National Laws as well as in worldly things The Pastor as the Physicion is judge judicio privato personali how to use his own Art and Work and when and on whom But the King is Judge judicio publico of all that is to be the common Rule As that Physicions use no Poysonous Drugs take not too great Fees what Hospital he shall be over c. And so for the Ministry that they preach not Heresie or Schism and Strife that they neglect not their Work that they use a fit Translation of the Bible that they have due Maintenance Place c. 9. The Soveraign is Judge whether his Christian Kingdom shall be divided into Provinces Diocesses and of what extent they shall be or shall have one Primate or all particular Churches shall be equal or some Tolerated and Priviledged from the Diocesans 10. The King may make publick Laws for Family Religion that

Religion who value it most Dogs will fight for Bones and Carrion and Swine for Draff But Men will sooner fight for Gold and Pearls while Dogs and Swine like peaceable Creatures pass them by or tread them in the Dirt. All true Christians are agreed in all that God hath made necessary to Christianity and Salvation And no men on Earth were ever so wise as to be agreed of the meaning of every word besides in the Bible Much less in all that Usurping Universal Legislators will obtrude What a dismal noise and dangerous rupture doth the Controversie make now about Conformity in Brittain And what is our difference We are all agreed 1. That there is only one God the Governour of all the World and of his Attributes 2. That Man's Soul is immortal and that he hath another life after this to live and Heaven or Hell must be his end 3. That Jesus Christ God and Man is the only Saviour and Lord of all 4. That the Law of God is the chief indispensible Rule of our Faith and Life by which we must be judged 5. That we must live soberly righteously and godly loving God above all and our neighbours as our selves and doing as we would be done by superiours Ruling for God and inferiours obeying them under God but none having power above him or against him 6. That God only is the final Infallible Universal Judge of Controversies That Magistrates are Judges who shall be punished or protected by the Sword And Pastors are Judges who is fit for Communion in the Churches under their over-sight And every man a discerning rational Judge of his own duty 7. That without holiness righteousness and temperance or mortifying the lusts of the flesh by the Spirit no man can be saved 8. That no man should sin wilfully for any price or to avoid any danger even of death 9. That the Soul should be more cared for than the Body 10. That no man can love God and Holiness too much nor obey him too faithfully 11. That we should delight in the Law of the Lord and his Gospel and meditate in it day and night 12. That serious servent and faithful prayer is our daily ordinary duty 13. That we should live as we would be judged and daily prepare for death that we may be found ready 14. That we should use all worldly temporal things for spiritual everlasting ends knowing that else they are but vanity vexation and dangerous snares 15. That we should fetch our joy from the hopes of Heaven more than from all the possessions pleasures and hopes on Earth These and abundance more we are commonly as to Profession agreed on And though this in sincerity will serve for our acceptance with God and our Salvation it will not serve for our acceptance or toleration with some men nor to avoid the cry of scandalous intolerable Schism Disobedience Obstinacy and what men mind to charge upon us Yea though we are agreed that Rulers in their several places must be obeyed in all things that are not against the Law of God in Nature or Scripture But what now is the difference I will add that if every Conformist and Nonconformist in England were of so unattainable perfect knowledge as to be agreed of the sence of every Syllable in the Bible it would not serve to end our Differences nor keep us from Prisons Silencing and the present heavy Accusations Wonder not at it It 's an evident Truth Our Difference is 1. About the meaning of some Oaths Declarations and subscribed Professions and Promises imposed by Acts of Parliament 2. About the meaning of several Rubricks and other Words in the Liturgy and Book of Ordination 3. About the meaning and practice of several Canons Gods Law hath agreed us all that Lying deliberately is a sin and so is Perjury especially of thousands and so is the wilful depraving of Baptism and other Ordinances of God and so is the unjust Excommunicating of the Faithful and denying them Baptism and the Lords Supper and so is Sacriledge and Renouncing the Sacred Ministry when we are Vowed to it and so is Schismatical Dividing Christs Church by needless and unlawful Snares and Engines All these we are agreed are heinous sins not to be done for any Price But we are utterly disagreed whether to Conform would make us guilty of these sins But what Are Learned men such miserable Casuists as not to know what Lying Perjury Sacriledge Profaning Baptism Sinful Excommunicating c. are We differ about the sence of the Words Imposed and of the Law and Canons And then how should we know who is the Sinner But Qu. Who is it that wresteth them from their usual signification And who is it that dare not do it But the Sacred part of the Imposers cry up the necessity of a Judge of Controversies yea an Universal Judge some of them to Expound the Scriptures when men differ about the sence and will not they procure you an Exposition of a few controverted sentences in the Laws or endeavour it if that be necessary to understand or end your Differences Ans. No whatever cometh of it to Bodies or Souls to Church or Kingdom these Expositors of Scripture and Enders of Controversies will not so much as Petition the Law-makers to explain their words Yea though the Conformists are much disagreed about it among themselves Judges will decide particular Causes by the Law But to know the sence of the Law antecedently as our Rule which is required in one that Sweareth and Subscribeth to it can be by no ones Exposition but the makers of the Law Else the Judges were the only Law-makers For the sence is the Law And he maketh the Law that maketh the sence and not they that make the words alone which other men must put the sence on And if Popes or Councils Prelates or Priests could on pretence of a Judicial Expository Authority be Judges to all the Earth in what sence every word of Scripture must be understood it is they and not God that make the Law For God made but the words if this be true and the Bishops make the sence by pretence of judging of it To give an Universal Antecedent Obligatory Exposition is an Act of Legislation and none but the Law-maker himself can do it But to judge by this Law who shall be received and who shut out of their several Churches the Pastors must do that X. Another great deceit is by confounding Communion and Concord with Government and Subjection And arguing that because all Christians must have Concord and Communion therefore they must be under one Supreme Humane Government As if Christian Princes were not as much bound to Concord as any men on Earth Or as if that Concord must be kept by one Supreme Universal Senate or Monarch and mutual Consultation and voluntary Agreement would not serve Obj. But if God bind us to do all things in Concord and General Councils and Patriarchs determine the matter of