Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
christian_n	church_n	particular_a	society_n	2,472	5	9.5378	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54142	Good advice to the Church of England, Roman Catholick and Protestant dissenter, in which it is endeavoured to be made appear that it is their duty, principle & interest to abolish the penal laws and tests	Penn, William, 1644-1718.	1687 (1687)	Wing P1296; ESTC R203148	42,315	65

in the middle betwixt God and the will of Man as that which is usually and truly spoken of Kings and Emperors may as truly be verified of the Consciences of every man Solo Deo minores esse nec aliquam in Terris superiorem ag noscere They are less than God only and on Earth do acknowledge no Superior That Speech of the Emperor Maximilian the first is very memorable Consciencij Dominari velle est Arcem Coeli invadere To exercise a Domination over Consciences is to invade the Tower of Heaven He is a Plunderer of the Glory of God and a nefarious Invader of the Power that is due unto him whosoever he is that shall claim a right to the Consciences of men or practice an Usurpation over them ibid. Sect. 11. pag. 115. And yet this is the sad consequence of imposing Religion upon Conscience and punishing Non-conformity with worldly Penalties Let us now hear what the late Bishop of Down says in his Lib. of Prophesie to our Point I am very much displeased that so many Opinions and new Doctrines are commenced amongst us but more troubled that every man that hath an Opinion thinks his own and other mens Salvation is concerned in its maintenance but most of all that men should be Persecuted and Afflicted for disagreeing in such Opinions which they cannot with sufficient grounds obtrude upon others necessarily because they cannot propound them Infallibly and because they have no warrant from Scripture so to do for if I shall tye other men to believe my Opinion because I think I have a place of Scripture which seems to warrant it to my understanding why may he not serve up another dish to me in the same Dress and exact the same task of me to believe the contradictory Liberty of Prophesie Epist Dedic pag. 8 9. The Experience which Christendom hath had in this last Age is Argument enough that Toleration of differing Opinions is so far from disturbing the Publick Peace or destroying the Interest of Princes and Common-wealths that it does advantage to the Publick it secures Peace because there is not so much as the pretence of Religion left to such Persons to contend for it being already indulged to them ibid. p. 21. It is a proverbial saying Quod nimia familiaritas servorum est conspiratio adversus Dominum and they who for their security run in Grots and Cellers and Retirements think that they being upon the defensive those Princes and those Laws that drive them to it are their Enemies and therefore they cannot be secure unless the Power of the one and the Obligation of the other be lessened and rescinded and then the being restrained and made miserable indears the discontented Persons mutually and makes more hearty and dangerous Confederations ibid. pag. 23. No man speaks more unreasonably than he that denies to men the use of their Reason in choice of their Religion ibid. pag. 169. No Christian is to be put to Death Dis-membred or otherwise directly Persecuted for his Opinion which does not teach Impiety or Blasphemy ibid. pag. 190. There is a popular Pity that follows all Persons in Misery and that Compassion breeds likeness of Affections and that very often produces likeness of Perswasion and so much the rather because there arises a Jealousie and pregnant Suspition that they who Persecute an Opinion are destitute of sufficient Arguments to confute it and that the Hangman is the best Disputant ibid. pag. 197 198. If a man cannot change his Opinion when he lists nor ever does heartily or resolutely but when he cannot do otherwise then to use Force may make him a Hypocrite but never to be a right Believer and so instead of erecting a Trophee to God and true Religion we build a Monument for the Devil ibid. pag. 200. The Trick of giving Persons differing in Opinion over to the secular Power at the best is no better than Hypocrisie removing Envy from themselves and laying it upon others a refusing to do that in external Act which they do in Council and Approbation ibid. pag. 209. Thus far Bishop Tayl●r and one of the most Learned Men of the Church of England in his time Let me add another Bishop held learn'd by all and in great Reputation with the men of his Communion and among them the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parlioment assembled who have sufficiently declared against this persecuting Spirit on the account of Religion by their full approbation of and thanks returned to the Bishop of St Asaph for his Sermon preached before them November the 5 th 1680. and their desire that he would Print and Publish that Sermon The Bishop says that They who are most given to hate and destroy others especially those others who differ from them in Religion they are not the Church of God or at least they are so far corrupt in that particular pag. 8. Again he says That of Societies of Men Christians of all others are most averse from ways of Violence and Blood especially from using any such ways upon the account of Religion And among Christian Churches where they differ among themselves if either of them use those ways upon the account of Religion they give a strong Presumption against themselves that they are not truly Christians ibid. pag. 9. There is reason for this because we know that Christ gave Love for the Caracter by which his Disciples were to be known John 13.35 By this shall all Men know that you are my Disciples if you have Love to one another And least men should unchristen others first that they may hate them and Destroy them afterwards Christ enlarged his Precept of Love and extended it even to Enemies and not only to ours but to the Enemies of our Religion Matt. 5.43 44. ibid. pag. 9. As our holy Religion excels all others in this admirable temper so by this we may usually judge who they are that excel among Christian Churches when there happens any difference between them whether touching the Faith or the terms of Communion They that were the more Fierce they generally had the worst Cause ibid. pag. 12 13. The Council of Nice suppressed the Arians by no other Force but putting Arians out of their Bishopricks they could not think Hereticks fit to be trusted with cure of Souls but otherwise as to Temporal things I do not find that they inflicted any kind of Punishment but when the Arians came to have the Power in their Hands when theirs was come to be the Imperial Religion then Depriving was nothing Banishment was the least that they inflicted ibid. pag. 14. Neither our Religion nor our Church is of a persecuting Spirit I know not how it may be in particular Persons but I say again it is not in the Genius of our Church She hath no Doctrine that teacheth Persecution ibid. pag. 20. I would have no man punished for his Religion no not them that destroy men for Religion ibid. pag. 37. Dr Stillingfleet comes short

of none of them on this Subject Our Saviour says he never pressed Followers as men do Souldiers but said If any man will come after me let him take up his Cross not his Sword and follow me His was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his very Commands shewed his Meekness his Laws were sweet and gentle Laws not like Draco's that were writ in Blood unless it were his own that gave them His design was to ease men of their former Burdens and not lay on more the Duties he required were no other but such as were necessary and withal very just and reasonable He that came to take away the insupportable Yoke of Jewish Ceremonies certainly did never intend to gall the Necks of his Disciples with another instead of it And it would be strange the Church should require more than Christ himsel● did and make other conditions of her Communion than our Saviour did of Discipleship What possible reason can be assigned or given why such things should not be sufficient for Communion with a Church which are sufficient for eternal Salvation And certainly those things are sufficient for that which are laid down as necessary Duties for Christianity by our Lord and Saviour in his Word What ground can there be why Christians should not stand upon the same terms now which they did in the time of Christ and his Apostles Was not Religion sufficiently guarded and fenced in ●hem Was there ever more true and cordial Reverence in the Worship of God What Charter hath Christ given the Church to bind men up to more than himself hath done Or to exclude those from her Society who may be admitted into Heaven Will Christ ever thank Men at the great day for keeping such out from Communion with his Church when he will vouchsafe not only Crowns of Glory to but it may be Aureolae too if there be any such things there The Grand Commission the Apostles were sent out with was only to teach what Christ had commanded them Not the least Intimation of any Power given them to impose or require any thing beyond what himself had spoken to them or they were directed to by the immediate Guidance of the Spirit of God. Without all Controversie the main Inlet of all the Distractions Confusions and Divisions of the Christian World hath been by adding other Conditions of Church Communion than Christ hath done There is nothing the Primitive Church deserves greater imitation by us in than in that admirable Temper Moderation and Condesention which was used in it towards all the Members of it This admirable Temper in the Primitive Church might be largely cleared from that Liberty they allowed freely to Dissenters from them in matters of Practice and Opinion as might be cleared from Cyprian Austin Jerome and others Leaving the Men to be won by observing the true decency and order of Churches whereby those who act upon a true Principle of Christian Ingenuity may be sooner drawn to a Compliance in all lawful things than by Force and rigorous Impositions which make men suspect the weight of the thing it self when such Force is used to make it enter in Preface The same is in effect declared by the House of Commons when they returned their Thanks to Dr. T●llotson Dean of Canterbury for his Sermon preached before them November the 5 th 1678. desiring him to Print that Sermon where he says upon our Saviours Words Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of Ye own your selves to be my Disciples but do you consider what Spirit now Acts and Governs you not that surely which my Doctrine designes to mould and fashion you into which is not a Furious and Persecuting and Destructive Spirit but Mild and Gentle and Saving tender of the Lives and Interests of Men even of those who are our greatest Enemies pag. 6 7. No difference of Religion no pretence of Zeal for God and Christ can warrant and justifie this Passionate and Fierce this Vindictive and Exterminating Spirit ibid. pag. 7. He i. e. Christ came to introduce a Religion which consults not only the Eternal Salvation of mens Souls but their Temporal Peace and Security their Comfort and Happiness in this World ibid pag. 8. In seemed good to the Author of this Institution to compel no man to it by Temporal Punishment ibid. pag. 13. To seperate Goodness and Mercy from God Compassion and Charity from Religion is to make the two best things in the World God and Religion good for nothing idid pag. 19. True Christianity is not noly the best but the best natured Institution in the World and so far as any Church is departed from good Nature and become Cruel and Barbarous so far it is degenerated from Christianity idid pag. 30. Thus far Dr Tillotson who to be sure deserves not to be thought the least Eminent in the present Church of England Let us hear what Doctor Burnet says to it Men are not Masters of their own Perswasions and cannot change their thoughts as they please he that believes any thing concerning Religion cannot turn as the Prince commands him or accomodate himself to the Law or his persent Interests unless he arrive at that pitch of Atheism as to look on Religion only as a matter of Policy and an Engine for civil Government Dr Burnet's History of the Rights of Princes c. in his Preface pag. 49. 'T is to this Doctor 's pains she ows the very History of her Reformation and as by it he has perpetuated his Name with hers certainly he must have Credit with her or we can deserve none with any body else for no man could well go further to oblige her Let me here bring in a lay Member of the Church of England Sir Robert Pointz in his vindication of Monarchy who yeilds us an excellent Testimony to the matter in hand The Sword availeth little with the Souls of Men unless to destroy them together with their Bodies and to make men desperate or dissemblers in Religion and when they find oppertunity to fall into Rebellion as there are many Examples p. 27. In the Ancient Times of Christianity such means were not used as might make Hereticks and Schismaticks more obstinate than docible through the preposterous proceedings of the Magistrates and Ministers of Justice in the Execution of Penal Laws used rather as Snares for gaining of Money and Pecuniary Mulcts impos'd rather as Prices set upon Offences than as Punishments for the Reformation of Manners ibid. pag. 28. The Ancient Christians were forbidden by the Imperial Law as also by the Laws of other Christian Nations under a great Penalty to meddle with the Goods of the Jews or Pagans living peaceably ibid. pag. 29. For the Goods of the Jews although Enemies to the Christian Religion cannot for the cause of Religion come by Escheat unto Christian Princes under whom they live ibid. pag. 29. It is truly said that Peace a Messenger whereof an Angel hath been chosen to