Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	christian_a	church_n	society_n	2,901	5	9.2764	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54417	Samaritanism, or, A treatise of comprehending, compounding and tolerating several religions in one church demonstrating the equity, and necessity of the act and late vote of Parliament against non-conformists, from reason, the ancient church, and the opinions and practice of papists and Puritans now plotting and pleading for toleration.	Perrinchief, Richard, 1623?-1673.	1664 (1664)	Wing P1604; ESTC R36671	69,567	82

do those things which the Jews were bound to do Hence it follows that were it so that the Jewish Church was tyed up so strictly which I do not believe that it could not act any thing circumstantiating the service of God but what was directly required yet Evangelical Liberty being as well of a far more ample as noble condition doth permit such things contrary to the superstition of late Pastors Another Mistake is concerning the proper seat or subject of Evangelical Liberty For divers there are that suppose that such Liberty we now treat of for I know there are divers other sorts of far more excellent nature but not concerning us at present belongeth immediately and entirely to each single good Christian which is far from truth and sobriety to conceive For Christ gave this Donative primarily and immediately to his Church and the Administrators thereof that they according to Christ's Charter should have liberty to institute abrogate order and dispose matters such Rites and Observances as shall seem to them most conducible to the Faith and Worship of God under the Gospel yet with such limitations both for number and nature that none be introduced contrary to the tenor thereof or Analogy of Faith or tend to the burying of any integral part or practise thereof under such rubbish yet are not presently all private Christians allowed to preside over their Superiors to the determining what is of evil consequence and what not against publick judgment For Instance To have power to determine the eating of Flesh on Friday or not is undoubtedly a Liberty Evangelical but 't is not immediately posited in every particular Christian but the Church Representative and private persons have no liberty but as it is dispensed by publick Authority When I call this a Liberty Evangelical I mean not as too many do as if such an indifferency must properly belong to Christians for it doth not For Infidels and Heathen have that liberty as fully as Christ's Church and they in Authority amongst them may as well grant or deny this Liberty as Christians and no question but such as are subject to them should offend if they perversly refused to comply with their Superiors orders Does therefore think we Christian Religion and Liberty exempt us from that kind of obedience which is naturally due For my part that I hold a double obligation rather of Christians to submit and that I can rather pitty than help such as are of the contrary Opinion is all that I shall say at this time Yet we see that too common amongst us which Calvin himself end eavoured to scoff men out of in these Words Calvin Iastitut Lib. 3. cap. 9. Videas quosdam quibus sua libertas non videtur consistere nisi per esum carnium die Veneris in ejus possessionem venerint i.e. You may see some who suppose their Liberty cannot hold unless they take Possession of it by eating Flesh on Fridays To conclude then It is directly repugnant to Christian Liberty to deny the Church hath power to appoint the use or dis●use of things Indifferent and 't is absolutly inconsistent with Evangelical Piety and the power of Godliness which consist much in denying our own Wills and Appetites to glory how easily we Contemn such Lawful Orders I had thought to have said somewhat against the bold Charge of Antichristianism laid to our Church and a reason why men that cannot Rule us must not obey it But I perceive the Feavour of our late Reformers to be somewhat abated and like men newly come out of Calentures they begin to come to their senses to see they were monstrously out though not so much to their Reason as to make satisfaction for such Phrantick Miscarriages by a sober retractation and disabusing of Men as in Conscience they are bound from that and such like Extravagancies But for Peace-sake and to prevent a Schism we ought to condescend to our Brethren who to use their own Phrase which they best know what it means can come up to us in many things But what means this great and suddain Change in these men Are not they the very same who formerly made it Criminal yea Capital to Preach Peace and propound Reconciliation Yes sure but Times not Manners are altered Surely somewhat extraordinary is at the bottom of all this They Act not according to Nature but outward necessity and such a Peace is not worth the having which can never be held any longer than men shall be able to break it or work their ends by Insinuations and fair Promises open force failing them Like as it is seen with an impure Assailant of Virginity the party being Rescued by an extraordinary Providence out of his wicked Hands he turns to her again and tempts her to his Lust by promises of Marriage but having obtained his ends despises whom he hath undone Or as the Lyon and the mans Daughter in the Apologue The Lyon sought the Fathers consent for his Daughter Very willingly said the man upon condition that you will suffer your Claws to be pared close and your Teeth taken out lest you hurt my tender Daughter The Lyons extream love caused him to do so and then demainding his Spouse was not only denied her but not being able to help himself was knock't ' o th' head for his kind Condescentions When the Church of England hath spoiled it self of its proper and natural Guards then will the fair Discipline be monstrously kind to it and the event every man sees But what at length do they intend by their aenigmatical speech of Coming up to us Will they Renounce one branch of their Covenant Will they for ever lay aside one of the Cords of their Whip with six strings I have seriously asked and urged some of them and could not get any lasting Concession any longer than they shall be enabled to exact the whole And do we admire they should until that time seem at least satisfied with part Let them name one thing that for Peace-sake for these Hundred years they would give to us more than we had before But very many Relaxations have been make already and are we awhit the nearer Or is it not then time to make a stop of Dispensations when the Dispensation for a time shall be alledged against the Law and Canon it self And it is no kindness at all in their opinions that such Mitigations and Connivance have been but Extremity Tyranny Injustice Uncharitableness to restore the Pristine force and vigour to Ecclesiastical Laws Upon these and the like Considerations I conclude with Tullie to Antonie Cic. Philip Quaeris quare pacem nolo Quia turpis Quia periculosa Quia esse non potest Would ye know why I will have no peace Because it is dishonest because it is dangerous and because it cannot be It must needs be dishonest and dishonourable because of the conditions required For they having extreamly separated themselves from us and standing at that distance

bringing a Terrour upon others Seneca makes Three Causes of inflicting Punishment First that the Punished may be amended Secondly or others corrected by their Sufferings Thirdly That the Evil being taken away the Good may be more safe Somewhat not much differing from these doth Galen likewise give Three Reasons of Punishment First lest they should mischief the Good Secondly That a few being Chastised others may be Reformed Thirdly That wicked Men proceed not too far in wickedness All which hold no less in a Religious Commonwealth than Prophane For what safety can the sound Sheep be in amongst whom the corrupt and rotten shall be permitted to Walk And what security can the Righteous and true Believer be in so long as the Infectious Doctrine and Example of Hereticks and Schismaticks 2 Tim. 2.17 which do creep and eat like a Grangrene whereby the whole Body is in great danger to be dissolved and dissipated 1 Tim. 5.20 And the Apostle adviseth Timothy to rebuke them that sin before all that others also may fear It hath been therefore the constant practice of the Church of Christ for the better conserving it self in Unity and Charity First to admonish and rebuke Litigious Dissenters and Dividers and that not taking due effect to proceed to such severe Punishment as may render such unable to Propagate their mischievous Tenets And not the Church only hath taken this necessary course but even Heathens have thought it necessary to deny a Liberty of Introducing new devices into Religion to the disturbance and Dissettlement of Others Valerius Max. li. c. 1 For Valerius Maximus sheweth how that certain Books being found in Rome making against the Established Religion the City Praetor by command of the Senate caused them to be burned And Tullie tells us of Protagoras Abderites that having wrot certain Books of dangerous consequence to Religion he was Banished by the Athenians out of their City and Countrey and his Books burnt in an open Assembly And what is so manifest as the sore Persecutions the Jews suffered under Antiochus for their Religion and How many and dreadful Persecutions Christians suffered under the Heathen Emperors for the Faith of Christ insomuch that it is observed by Polydore Vergil and others that from St. Polydorus Vergil lib. 8. ca. 1. Invent. Rer. Peter to Sylvester the First there being Thirty two Bisheps of Rome all saving Seven were Martyriz'd But when Christian Religion partly by the Invincible Fortitude of Believers and partly by the favour of some Christian Emperours became so Publick and Rooted and many were sprung up from the Loyns of Christian-Parents so that they never tasted of Gentilism it seemed reasonable to that greatest Enemy to Christians to constrain none to Gentile-Worship For thus he writeth to one of his Governours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Julian Epi. 52 We permit not that any of the Christians should be forced to our Altars But to draw nearer Nec de Vet●ri Testam profero exempla quamvis etiam Propheticis exemplis doceri illa dixisti Il la in quam nimis antiqua non profero fuerunt enim alterius dispensationis Temporis Augustin Lib. 4. Contra Crescon Grammat Exod. 22. v. 21. Deuteron 13.12 13 14 15. Deuteron 17.12 I shall with St. Austine disputing this against Cresconius wave the Instances which may be brought out of the Old-Testament because they may be said to be of a diverse Oeconomie from those of the New But most manifest it is that such as varied from the Religion in which they were Educated were to be Cut off from their People which I know is diversely understood but by All acknowledged to be a severe Punishment And besides it is undeniable that such as would not hear the Priests whom God had set over them in matters of Religion were to be put to Death Let us see what was the Practice of the Christian-Church Learned Pedro Paolo of Venice Pedro Paolo Hidorie of Inquisition pag 6. seemeth to dislike Persecution for Heresie in that treating of the Inquisition he argues against it from the Practice of the Church until Constantine the Great his time Non invo itur exemplum in Evangelicis Apostolicis Literis altquid petitum à Regibus Terrae pro Ecclesia Quis ●egat non inventri Sed non dum impleba tur illa prophetia Et nunc Reges intelligite c. Psal 2. Aug. Epist. 48. saying that until the Reign of Constantine i. e Three hundred and Twnety years after Christ no Penalties were inflicted upon Hereticks But I cannot but marvel such a judicious Person should take that to be an argument of the Churche's Opinion That Hereticks ought not to be punished when as until Constantines daies the Church was never possessed of any Civil Power and it knew well enough it was against Christian Religion to Usurp it though to the favouring and furthering of the same But scarce was Constantine rid of that Tyrant and Heathen Lycinius but as Lycinius out of Zeal persecuted the Christians which was the Ground of their quarrel how ever malicious Zozimus Fables it otherwise Constantine endeavoured the suppressing of the Idolatrous Gentile-Worship commanding as Optatus telleth us the Temple Doors of the Gentiles to be shut up Optatus Melevita lib. 2. Contra Parm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Eusebius de Vita Constant. lib. 2. ca 43 44 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socratis Hist lib. 2. ca. 6. Nicephor lib 8. ca. 25. and that the Christian Religion should be only protected and maintained Publickly And Eusebius tells us that he not only caused their Idol Temples to be shut up but prohibited Sacrifices to them And this his zeal did not end only in destroying Idolatry but extended to Heresie also For after the First Council of Nice had determined the Faith Controverted Constantine made it an Offence Capital so much as to conceal Haeretick Books as Socrates and Nicephorus relate Austine likewise in an Epistle against the Donatists sheweth Augustinus Epist 166 Donec Faelix ipse jussu c. how after the Donat●sts-Appeal to the Emperour against Faelix who ordained Caecilianus had been heard and rejected by Helianus the Proconsul and that he was declared Innocent that Constantine the First made a Decree most strict against the Donatists and that his Son after him followed therein his Steps which continued until Julians Reign who Desertor Christi inimicus supplicantibus vestris Rogatiapo Pontio libertatem perditioni Partis Donati permisit An Apostate from Christ and an Enemy to your Supplicants Rogatianus and Pontius gave Liberty to the pernicious Sect of Donatus And St. Amb●ose makes it no small matter of his praise of Gratian Ambros Epist. 26. That he brought peace and quietness to the Church and stopped the mouths of Arians Id. De Fide lib 3. cap. 3. and would to God saith he you could have shut the hearts of such wicked men and mischievous

And that this he did aswel by the Faith as his own Power And no wonder that Father should so write who saith also That Haereticks are more abominable than the very Jews that crucified Christ Histor. Eccles lib. 5. cap. 16 And Theodoret relates at large how Amphilochius Bishop of Iconium prevailes with Theodosius to exclude the Arian Conventicles out of the Cities And Bellarmin in the Life of Theodosius relateth Bellarm. in Vita Theodos pag. 285 286. that Hono●ius and Theodosius published an Imperial Edict whereby they decreed that the Pelagians should be wholly suppressed and expelled Rome and after sent their Rescript to Aurelius Bishop of Carthage in which they Commanded that they should be driven out of Africa And as Cardinal Hosius hath observed Hosius De Coucilio Oecomeu cap. 24. there is Extant amongst the Proemial Epistles to the Council of Calcedon an Epistle of Pulcheria the Empress to the Governour of Bythinia to expel out of the City and Places where that Council was to be held all Clergy-men Monks and Lay-men who would by no means be brought to the Council It is true Bilson True difference between Christian Subjection and c. pag 19 20. what Bishop Bilson hath observed concerning Gratians Toleration of all at his First entrance into the Empire That finding all places full of Arians and the Laws of Valens his Uncle making for them Fearing some general Tumult if he should presently distress so many gave leave that every Religion should have Churches and Oratories with freedom and immunitie but being once setled and joyned with Theodosius he commanded that all Haeresies should keep silence for ever And this was the Course as Beda well observeth which Ethelbert the Saxon King took who being converted to the Christian Faith himself gave order that none of his Subjects should be compelled to become Christians only he shewed them most favour Beda lib. 1. cap. 26. Hist. and kindness who embraced that Faith which he did And the reason hereof is observable in the same Author Didicerat enim à Doctoribus Autoribusque suae salutis servitum Christi voluntarium non coactitium esse debere For he learn'd from the Masters and Authors of saving Doctrine That Christs Worship ought to be Voluntarie and not Compelled But the First of our Nation That by Law destroyed Idolatry was Ecombertus in the Year 640. who also commanded that the Fast of 40. days should be observed through his whole Kingdom Quae ne facile à quopiam possint contemni dignas punitiones fieri in transgressores jussit Matthew Westmonasteriensis pag. 224. saith Matthew of Westminster And because it may be that some Hereticks will plead for favour from the carriage of Ethelbert above mentioned it is to be noted that there is a vast difference between Hereticks and Schismaticks and Heathens who never had Knowledg of the Truth as Bishop Bilson hath truly noted upon the like occasion saying Hereticks of all sects and sorts Bilson Difference between Christi-Subj c. pag. 26. may be compelled to follow truth though Infidels might not and so your Inference faileth when you say No Law forceth Jews or Pagans from their Perswasion therefore not Christians Nay rather if we grant Jews and Turks excusable for these two Reasons Lack of Knowledg and Want of Promise certainly Papists being neither void of the First nor free from the Last may yea must be compelled of Christian-Magistrates for dread of Punishment temper'd with good Instructions to forsake their Heresies and forbear their Idolatries wherewith Christ is dishonoured and his truth defaced Thus he Whereby their Plea is further made Void whereby some argue from Toleration of Heathen over whom there is no Authority the Liberty due to Christians who do owe submission as well in general by being Members of such a Society as particular by way of Promise either Implicite or Explicite which each man makes to the Body to which he is to conform in all Lawful things in themselves not measuring things Lawful by the Bent of our Consciences than which nothing can be more proudly contrived but by the straitness of some Rule superiour to them both Whence it was that Cyprian more ancient than the Nicene-Council or Constantine persecuted so far as he was able the Novatians having no secular Power on his sides and so did other Catholick-Bishops after him namely Chrysostome and Cyril of Hierusalem for which some Puritans of our daies with a fellow-feeling as it were of their brethrens sufferings and a never failing Animosity against Bishops of all Ages have not spared such speeches as these against them Chrysostome whome none can sufficiently praise Meditatio de Autipuritanismo pag. 70. Appendicis ad Laudensium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 took away many Churches from the Puritans but this same violence was thought the Principal Cause for which that most divine Person suffering such calamities as soon oppressed him died in Banishment Cyril likewise oppressed the Puritans i. e. Novatians and this man besides many other evils and adversities which he endured as well at home as abroad is branded with this note of Infamy that he was the First of all Bishops that Lorded it i. e. Introduced secular Pride and Tyranny into the Church Let them beware again and again who in these daies bear deadly emnity with Puritans lest they pull upon their heads the ancient Punishments of the Persecutors of Puritans Thus far that Frontless and Witless Patron of Puritans of the Scottish Faction if I mistake not And here before we draw down the Practise of the Catholick Church any lower because antiquity abounds with the like grievous complaints of Hereticks and Schismaticks being punished as this age doth also Let us consider a little what themselves did when ever their strength served them The Arians as we have shewed were Persecuted by the Catholicks and having secular Authority on their side did they not stir up most grievous Persecutions against the Church upon all occasions Are not all Histories full of their Impious and Bloody Prancks In so much Onuphrius in Sylvest that Onuphrius on the Life of Sylvester the First by Platina saies The Nine Persecutions being taken away by Constantine the Great the Tenth from the A rians ensued more dangerous than all the others which begining under the Emperor Constantius continued upon the Church of God in such manner for Forty years together So far Onuphrius Whose Opinion might easily be confirmed by the Authorities of Hilary of Poitiers Hierome Socrates Theodo●et and others were not that superfluous Labour in a matter confessed And were the Donatists any whit more favourable and mild when they had any though but small advantage over the Catholicks He that reads Optatus against Parmenianus the main Treatises of St. Austine against them the Conference of Carthage between the Schism of the Donatists and the Church-Catholicks shall find that the fame Faction which was ever most querulous

Opinions of the Auncient because they were against Compulsion in point of Religion which with what I have observed seeming to favour Liberty in Religion is easily answered by distinguishing of Persons educated in and subject to a Church to whom they never granted a Licenciousness of his Nature from such as were not under any Obligation of Obedience and Conformity to a Society Of these they are to be interpreted and not of them For herein they followed the Doctrine of St. Paul who saies What have I to do to judge them that are without And of these are the words of the Psalmist 1 Cor. 5.12 to be understood abused by trifling Sectaries Psal 110.13 Thy People shall be willing in the day of thy Power Which implies a freeness of consent to the Service and Faith of Christ under the Gospel in such as first received the knowledge thereof Secondly According to the Second Distinction it may be said that there being some Religions not only contrary to ours but even to the Light and commonly received Law of Nature such are not only not to be admitted into any Christian Common-wealth but it is Lawful for Christians or not Christians in vindication of Common-Laws of Nature even such which being once and lightly offered to the Consideration of such as do not observe the same do in a manner constrain Assent thereunto provided that Interest Passion and unnatural Vices have not taken away that sight which Nature had given For we know who saies That the God of this World blinds the eyes of some 2 Cor. 4.4 2 Pet. 3.5 and who saith Some things men are willfully ignorant of Therefore Actual Ignorance neither excuses nor exempts men from Punishment even of such as are not in Political Authority over them The reason whereof is Because however the World be divided into several Countries and those Countries sub-divided into several Nations and Governments absolute in themselves as to Political Administration yet are All Men of the same Flesh and Blood and kind and nature yea Common-wealth Act. 17.26 and Familie as to certain Principles of Reason and Nature which are as Laws containing men in the same Society and as to the Design that God had in placing Man upon Earth which was to live at least so Humanely as might continue the Work of Gods hands upon Earth and the Recognition of a Superior Cause of them and Power and Dominion over them which is a Deity contrary to which is that most brutish and degenerous Sin of Atheism For though Atheism be not a Religion of which we now speak yet it is to be reduced to this Subject as all Privations are there to be handled where their habits are properly treated of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Diog ●aert In Zenone Ephes 2.12 Now the Stoicks as Laertius tells us were wont to make a Two-fold Atheism Dogmatical whereby men not only know no God but would prove There is no God And Practical whereby men in general having a true but weak and obscure knowledg of God do as the Apostle saith live as without God in the World as if there were no such thing Existent But we shall rather divide Atheists into Purely Negative such as have nor ever had no knowledg of a God and Positive such as have had the knowledg and sense of a Deity and after are fallen into such open Apostasie and Defiance that they Dogmatize such Unnatural Opinions Of these Latter we hold it just and reasonable that where they live mixt with other People who do revere a Deity they should be put to Death after serious and plain Proposal made of their Abominable Errors without any laborious or Learned controverting the Point And this affirmeth Perkins Perkins Cases of Conscience Lib. 2. ca. 2. before me in these Words As for those that are commonly called Atheists which deny that there is a God they are to be punished with Death as not worthy to live in human Society and the greatest Torment that can be devised by the Wit of Man is too good for them For if they be holden for Traytors to an Earthly Prince and are most deservedly adjudged to Death c. But I suppose a greater reason than this is The certain Destruction which such Embrutiz'd men do bring to human Society it self which whoever is a direct and professed Enemy unto may be put to Death as lawfully as Wolfs Lyons and Tygers And yet not at the pleasure or Power of every one that meets them as wild Beasts may because Judgment against the most open Malefactors condemned by the Law must not be executed but by Sentence and Commission from the Supream Power For to make good one part of Justice we must not destroy another nor secure Gods Ordinance in one Point by endangering it in another But it is Gods Ordinance that the Supream Power should be respected and obeyed and it is scarce possible that any Common-wealth should be of any long continuance where private Persons take on them to administer or execute Justice upon their own presumptions And if it be as the wit of some Atheists lead them to conceive that Religion is only a trick of Policy to keep men in order and obedience to their Superiours and that they do confess that it is necessary to keep together a Civil Society do they deserve any thing less than Death who shall treacherously discover and endeavour to Null such a Mystery of State without which Human Society cannot be maintain'd And surely if Chrysostom's zeal carried him so far Matthaeus VVestmonasteriensis pag. 182. as to advise any one that met a Blasphemer of God or his Worship to smite him presently on the Face yea though he were sure to be had before the Judg for so doing it is more reasonable to bait Atheists and Persecute them the Supream Authority not gainsaying Escobar tells us the Practice of Spain to be against Blasphemers That for a Light Blasphemy he only abjures it Yet the Punishment doth answer the Sin v.g. If they Blaspheme out of suddain Anger or some other Passion they are Condemned to the Gallies or else standing bare Foot and bare Head girt with a Cord and holding a Light Torch in their Right hand they stand in some Festival day in the Church and the Service being ended they receive their Sentence with the rest of their Penances i.e. Fastings Prayers and Pecuniarie Mulcts And where Authority is Defective and Remiss in this so horrible Provocation It is observed by many dreadful Instances how God himself taketh Vengeance as amongst others Matthew of Westminster tells us How in the year of Grace 501 Olympus a most Mad Fellow while bathing he Blasphemed the Holy Trinity that he was consumed with a Fiery Thunder-bolt falling on him from Heaven Thus he And that not only Corporal but even Capital Punishment is due to such an one doth from hence appear because a man being of a Religion which asserts the Diety under