Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n
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A48828
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Seasonable advice to all Protestant people of England heartily recommended by a lover of his countrey.; Seasonable discourse shewing the necessity of maintaining the established religion in opposition to popery.
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Lloyd, William, 1627-1717.; Fell, John, 1625-1686.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing L2692A; ESTC R13209
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23,584
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39
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patience faith c. delights in Alarms of War Therefore though the Devil carries on many great actions as an Angel of light hiding sin under the gilt of religious pretences as revenge under colours of Justice cruelty under zeal rebellion for propagation of the Gospel and ruining of Families and Countries for the Glory of God yet nothing is a greater dishonour to God reproach to Christians or hindrance to the Gospel nothing makes more Atheists infidels and loose professors than for the strictest pretenders and mighty zealots who would be thought the only Christians to act contrary to the very nature and design of the Gospel as this is one To kill instead of loving one another To resist instead of submitting to the powers To contemn and act in despight of instead of submitting to every Ordinance of man To make Songs Libels and invent all manner of evil on and against instead of not speaking evil of our Rulers It was anciently observed that the glory of God was more advanced the Gospel more propagated and the number of believers more increased by sufferings than Arms whence that ancient and common saying The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church It was three hundred years after Christ before the Christians used any Armes unless in the service of the Emperour who was throughout those three Centuries a Gentile unless charity will allow a plea for Philip. But all that while the Sword of the Lord was not in the hand of Gideon but in the mouths of his Prophets and yet then the Church enlarged herself and gained upon the Gentile World in such wonderful measures that some persecutions were raised purposely to stop its farther progress lest of a suddain the whole World should become Christian But when the Spaniards cut a way for the Gospel into America with the sword and seeking to conquer Soul and body at once taught them by the mouth both of their Priest and the Cannon though they boast of the numbers baptized yet I fear scarce one became Christian any farther than in name since they presently flew off and would endure neither the persons that acted nor the Religion that suffered such slaughters amongst them The soft breathings and whispers of the Spirit are soon drowned by the thundrings of Drums Later ages have experienced the same truth for the patient sufferings of the Protestants under Queen Mary increased the number of Protestants and God soon removed the rod and rewarded the Faith and patience of the Church with more outward prosperity and greater glory of the Gospel than ever was in this Nation before or since But when in the time of K. Charles the I. men made the Pike and Musquet the weapons of their warfare instead of the Sword of the Spirit and the Shield of Faith when they pleaded they had more wit than to burn in Smithfield calling the Martyrs Fools as some have done Abraham because when called of God he left his own Country not knowing whither he went the Protestant Religion immediately suffered her decayes and that glorious body which drew the eyes of all Christendom upon it hath ever since been in the wane till now it is almost lost in the Fogs and mist of opinion and disputes And the Protestant Church of England is become like another Babel wherein there be almost as many Tongues as men who instead of brick and Lime to raise the work bring axes and hammers to beat it down Which together with mens falling from one error to another and dancing all the rounds of opinion and sinking at last into levelling principles to own no governour but King Jesus that dominion is founded in grace and that therefore the Sts. shall rule the earth and take to themselves the spoils of the wicked which are tenents destructive of all Government both in Church and State we may judge a curse upon the new methods that men have taken whereby to secure Religion amongst them The Pope was the first that ever preached this doctrine of non-allegiance of Subjects it was therefore from Rome that some Protestants took these measures and consequently this is more truly Popery than a Cross in Baptism and such other things that have not like the other any intrinsick evil in them and were in the Church long before the Bishop of Rome claimed the title of Vniversal We may therefore say of such while they damn the Papists for plots and evil intendments on Governours and Government as St. Paul Rom. 2.3 Thinkest thou this O man that judgest those that do such things and doest the same that thou shalt escape the judgment of God Search into all Religions in the World and perhaps you shall find no other but the Alchoran that seeks its propagation by the Sword For which very thing as well as others it hath been condemned by all honest and judicious men And doubtless without being censorious we may say it is self and not the things of God that is sought in such wayes Now if interest cannot perswade nor the Gospel teach I am sure our Laws cannot allow such a resistance which is the 3. Thing some may think to justifie such practices by For our Laws make all resistance a capital crime without any limits or exception if it be not so let anyone produce but any one single Act or any clause therein that allows such proceedings And whereas some plead we ought to be governed in such and such wayes that Kings are not absolute by the constitution of our Government these pleas do not reach the point For in case Governours do not rule according to Law but beside or against them Governours are accountable to God only but not to their Subjects who are taught only to obey or suffer And I presume that no man is so daring and wicked in his argumentation as to undertake to make out that in the first constitution Subjects have any power of resistance upon any account whatsoever And I doubt not but that the wisdom and loyalty of Parliaments will evidence the same sentiments themselves I would fain know whether such reachings and disputes of restless and unbridled Nature do not drive at the same thing that our Saviour charged as a very heinous sin upon the Pharisees Mark 7.13 that they made the commands of God of none effect by their traditions The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifies to weaken or spoil of its authority or obligatory power which is done by pleading any humane constitution tradition or custom against the Laws and Commands of God by which means the matter is brought to this point Whom shall we obey God or man The thing is clear in the instance our Saviour gives The Pharisees by their Corban which was an Invention and Doctrine of subtile and covetous Hypocrites absolved children from honouring their indigent Parents with necessary supplies of food and sustenance so such men by such pleadings of our Laws would acquit subjects from the great
expressed in the Gospel no precept or example of any one Infant baptized And certainly a precept or example is at least as necessary in this case as in the other Therefore since there is none by parity of reason a resistance upon the same grounds ought to be rejected too For the matter comes to this point viz. either Infants must be received to Baptism though the Gospel affords no precept nor example that way or else such resistance must be rejected because the Gospel gives no precept nor example this way Else men are humorsome and do not square their opinions and judgements by Scripture but bend that sacred Rule to the obliquities of their own humours or at least use or not use it according as it may serve or not serve their own perswasions or resolves 3. The Gospel abounds in precepts of obedience to Governours simply as Governours and not as such and therefore to all Governours whether good or bad And whatever distinctions are made use of to restrain obedience only to such or to some Governours are 1. Groundless and unwarrantable for God saith Let every soul be subject to the higher powers and that there be no powers but what are ordained of God What warrant then have any to gainsay the Spirit and plead that some are not ordained of God and that some you ought not to be subject to God saith Whosoever resists shall receive to himself damnation what reason then have any to affirm that some resisters shall not receive damnation We ought not to bring restrictions and limitations unless truth or the nature of the thing so require and if it doth so in this case where have you that truth where is it written produce your warrant that we may see and be instructed by it 2. Such distinctions or limitations are as serviceable to the Papist as the Protestant For because there is no Text that saith we may resist much less any that set forth for what causes or reasons men may do it and that consequently this Doctrine is gathered only from illogical inferences sound of words and misapplication of Phrases therefore there is no Text that ever was or may be pleaded for such resistance by one party and for one reason but it may as well be so pleaded by any other party and for any other reason For instance why may not a Curse ye Meroz because they help not the Lord against the mighty be pleaded by a Papist as well as any other Since each may as indeed each do speak themselves the people of God and their cause the cause of the Lord and those they oppose the mighty and then full cry Curse all that do not help them against ' em The very reason indeed of such distinctions and limitations must be fetched from humor interest or ambition which make every party willing to be a Rebel it self but denyes that freedom to any other 4. All the behaviour of Christ and his Apostles toward Governours are but fair lessons of obedience for us to learn and practise Christ taught us to give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars he paid Tribute and Customes himself he was obedient before the Consistory of the Jews before an Heathen Herod and Pilate and that even unto death The Apostles taught obedience not only by precept but example too Paul appealed to Caesar whereby he owned that power though Heathen and persecuting too they were persecuted almost in all places scourged imprisoned and killed and yet never medled with Civil Governours or Government never spoke evil of Authority nor did any thing that tended to the working in men low and cheap thoughts of them But contrariwise taught us to honour the King and to be subject not only for wrath or fear but even for Conscience sake Therefore all the arguments for resistance drawn from the Glory of God and propagation of the Gospel are false and unchristian For 1. Practices contrary to the commands of God and example of Christ and his Apostles cannot be for the glory of God Nor can sins against the Gospel tend to the propagation of the Gospel But they that teach such things are like those in Rom. 2.23 who make their boast of the Law but through breaking the Law dishonour God 2. Such things are against the very nature of Christian Religion which is peaceable and quiet therefore the Prophet Esa 7.6 7 8 9. tells us that under the Gospel the Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard lye down with the Kid the Cow and the Bear shall feed and the Lyon eat straw like an Ox they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain By which is meant all the bestial qualities of men whereby they devour and destroy one another should be changed into meek and gentle tempers Therefore those that are not thus transformed from evil to good from rough and cruel to kind and gentle are no true subjects of Christ Kingdom here they are nominal but no real Christians Therefore Lactantius observed that while all the precepts of Philosophy had but little influence on the minds of men wherever the Gospel was really received by any it made such visible alterations as of lustful it made them chast and continent of covetous kind and liberal c. that they were hardly known to be the same persons This is to become indeed a new Creature and where men are not so but remain quarrelsome ungovernable and upon distaste and cross Providences fly to the Pike and Musquet it is plain that the Gospel of peace hath not had its work and effect upon them And we find our Saviour taught us rather to suffer wrong than to right our selves by much noise and disturbance Matt. 5.39 40 41. Resist not evil but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek turn to him the other also If any man sue thee at the Law and take away thy coat let him have thy cloak also And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile go with him twain And John 13.35 By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another These were the ancient marks of Christianity and not Drums and weapons of War Christians then gave one another a kiss of charity and not reproofs on the point of the Sword It was said by the Gentiles in the time of Tertullian See how the Christians love one another Not as in these dayes Behold how they slaughter and destroy Therefore though our Saviour's rules and precepts are so admirably suited to the prophecies of the Gospel State yet the Jews seeing so much of division enmity evil speaking censoriousness unruliness oppositions wars and murders among them that are called Christians are mightily prejudiced and hardned in their unbelief looking for a Messias who shall bring into the World such times of peace and love that Swords shall be beaten into Plow-shares and Spears into pruning hooks Nor will considerate Christians believe that the spirit of meekness