Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	catholic_n	church_n	society_n	1,852	5	9.5659	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91879	The falsehood of Mr. VVilliam Pryn's Truth triumphing, in the antiquity of popish princes and Parliaments. To which, he attributes a sole, sovereigne, legislative, coercive power in all matters of religion; discovered to be full of absurdities, contradictions, sacriledge, and to make more in favour of Rome and Antichrist, than all the bookes and pamphlets which were ever published, whether by papall or episcopall prelates, or parisites, since the reformation. With twelve queries, eight whereof visit Mr. Pryn the second time, because they could not be satisfied at the first.	Robinson, Henry, 1605?-1664?	1645 (1645)	Wing R1672; Thomason E273_16; Thomason E282_11; ESTC R200048	28,156	36

to the universall griefe is so mortally divided These are hard questions I confesse but Mr. Pryn will get the more glory when hee knowes how to answer them If the Arminians upon the improving of their studies about their other controversies or the Civill Magistrates bad imploying a power ascribed but not due to them saw their errour and amended must they be upbrayded I would be loath that Mr. Pryn should want of such encouragements of providence and mercy lest it might hinder his repentance of what I feare mee he is too highly guilty God is contented to tole us to him and to his truth even with variety of inticements and provocations fraile mankinde is dull and stupid no lesse than Gods infinite wisdome together with his unmeasurable bounty will serve to animate and raise us up to new discoveries of knowledge and obedience Take this then for your learning that whosoever attributes to any man or Magistrate a power of imposing any thing upon the consciences of others in matters of Religion doe justifie them in whatsoever they impose though it be erroneous so they impose according to their owne judgements and understandings condemning the other for not submitting though it be unto erroneous impositions for if the one may impose his owne reason must teach him what he may impose And if he have just authority to impose the other is obliged in conscience to obey and so by consequence should be engaged to submit implicitly to whatsoever superstitious ceremonies and worship were put upon him In your Epistle to the Reader you say the Independents may upon the same grounds deny the Catholicke Church an article of the Creed upon which they deny a Nationall Church as though so many more particular Churches might not as well make one Catholick as severall but yet so many fewer Nationall Churches or as though particular Christians who lived stragling in Turky or any Pagan Countries where they could not possibly be members of a Nationall Church could not possibly be members of the Catholique Church You accuse the Independents as beleeving most things with a reserve according to their present light with a liberty of changing as new light shall bee discovered to them But did ever any man so overshoot himselfe Certainly this is so high a character of the Independents compleatest posture ensuring or growing stature in the Schoole of Christ as could be applyed unto them wherein they glory not a little and place it as the only ground-worke and foundation without which they cannot grow in grace from one degree of faith unto another untill they become perfect Men perfect Saints unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Eph. 4. 12 13. and yet your Law-Divinity knowes no better than to say this is in truth to bring a Skepticisme into Religion And whereas you say their principles dissolve all relations all subordinations and humane society it self I answer that this is even as if you should affirme a Turke not to be a man unlesse he will bee a Christian unlesse he will be a member of some Nationall Church nay of every Nationall Church since his not being of any one is all alike prejudiciall or damageable But they are the Presbyteriall and such other Prelaticall tenets which destroy and expressely murder all humane society in avouching as William Pryn with his ense recidendum and A. Stewart does that sayes whosoever is cut off or cast out of the Church must likewise be cast out and cut off from the Civill state p. 166. in 2. part of his Duply c. Sir I confesse I have spent more time and paper about your Epistles than I intended which if you and the Reader will but excuse I shall endeavour to make you amends in part by troubling you the lesse with your rusty musty rubbish of Popish times and presidents Page 1. Your first proposition is That the calling of Synods or Assemblies about Church matters belongs not to Bishops Ministers nor private or particular Congregations but to Princes or supreme temporall Magistrates and Powers So that if the Magistrate be Turkish under whose jurisdiction live many Protestant Greekes I meane such as disavow the Pope with the greatest part of his unsound doctrine If he be Popish as the Emperour of Germany with the Kings of France and Polonia in whose territories inhabit millions of Protestants all which Protestants must never meet together in Synods and Assemblies about Church affaires because those Emperours and Kings are never likely to summon Synods for them or put them in minde to doe it themselves You still quote multitudes of texts to prove your Propositions with in hopes perhaps that if one faile you another may doe the deed but you happen to be so successelesse therin as if you used still to presse the Scriptures which came first to hand ranking them in your margent whether they would or no which 't is true has stood you in stead no more than a forc't Militia does the King or Parliament yet doubtles that God with whom the Word was from the beginning and who is the very Word Joh. 1. 1. will not approve that his blessed Word should be made use 〈◊〉 and imployed so vainly impertinently preposterously rashly and irreverently Wherefore I would gladly advise Mr. Pryn for the future to insert the very words themselves of every text hee quotes in hopes that if he doe but once read them over by himselfe he will finde they make nothing to the purpose and so have ingenuity enough to leave them out After you have done belying sacred Scripture you flye for assistance unto prophane and from thence tell us by whose authority the first Generall Councells were convocated which proves nothing else but that whether it be King or Parliament that have the strongest sword or shall prevaile and get the better over the other in this Civill War the Assembly of Divines now at Westminster must sit no longer not any of their coat ever meet againe above two in company unlesse the present ruling party please lest they be tearmed a Conventicle and fall into a Pramunire But by what authority tro did the pretended Synod of Jerusalem assemble Act. 15. What Kings or Parliaments Writs or Letters-patents had they for so doing What Court countenance did they procure to second their proceedings for my part I had rather follow such a president and erre with them if you will needs esteem it such than degenerate with the weaker Christians of after ages in supplicating of Powers and Princes in such a manner whereby they should be moved to thinke I granted them such a power as God never gave them or confirmed them in supposing they had a just liberty of denying what through want perhaps of Christian courage only or the Civill powers protection I durst not put in practice without their order and commission Page 4. I am glad to finde you acknowledging a passage of the Bishops letters wherein they return