Selected quad for the lemma: church_n
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A80419
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Religion and reason united. By A lover of his country.
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Coole, Benjamin, d. 1717.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing C6047A; ESTC R171515
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17,768
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61
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Civil Magistrate to make that the Creed of all Perswasions which all Perswasions agree is Sacred and of Divine Authority to wit the Holy Scriptures And where any Difference shall arise about the Interpretation thereof the Civil Authority should Interpose to Oblige all Parties to Vnite in Interest viz. the Peace and Prosperity of the Nation if he could not Oblige them to Unite in Charity the Christian and Religious Bottom The First the Magistrate hath Power to command The Latter if we are true Christians cannot be denied But where either Party which is uppermost for the Wheel goes round shall exercise their Power first to exalt themselves in Honour and Wealth upon the Credit of Religion and secondly abuse that Power to make Traps for their Neighbours by cramming Creeds down their Throats which cannot be understood by them and which the others have no Authority from Holy Scripture to impose Most certain it is As it is to turn Persecutors for Religion when Religion it self forbids it and is in it self both Unreasonable and Irreligious so it is of that Provoking Nature that will inevitably draw down God's Righteous Judgments to the Desolation of that Kingdom or Common-Wealth where such Methods are taken and finally prove the overthrow of that Church which promotes such a Work But without looking for a Stroke from the Hand of Heaven 't is no good Policy since 't is the first Foundation to Schism For had not the Church of Rome imposed more than she had Authority from Holy Scripture for the Protestants could have had no reasonable Colour for their Revolt but the first is true and so is the last Again had the Church of England imposed no more than the Holy Scripture had warranted Her in Matters of Faith nor any Discipline but what might reasonably be Collected from them Nor any other Practices by her Clergy than what was Honest Just and of Good Report as becomes Ministers of Jesus Christ the Dissenters Separation had been a Ridiculous Thing Whereas it appears now to be so Grounded that the Strength of the Church is not able to Convince nor Confute them In short if the 39 Articles were not half so many as they are and more clear than some of them appear to be And if the Creed commonly called Athanasius's were reduced to that of the Apostle's or nicene-Nicene-Creed which as they are less Perplexing so they are as Substantial and would engage more to unite in the Truth thereof who are now too often rather Stumbled than Excited to be Religious It would tend more to Peace if not Unity Again if the Presbyterians Assembly of Divinity had not made such a horrid Blunder in their Westminster Confession of Faith as they did by Asserting such and such Principles for Orthodox with pretended Authority from Holy Scripture which upon Examination no more answered their design than the first of Job proves the Divinity of Christ they might at that time have enlarged their Dominion and like the Jews made Proselytes of the Covenant in abundance But wherâ— People see first an Arbitrary Power to impose and secondly so much weakness in their Proofs no marvel if they were left also as they left others Nor had the Synod of Dort any better success especially in Holland where the Remedy prov'd worse than the Disease Nor was England free from the dire Effects thereof But as W. P's Address to Protestants pag. 62 and 63. saith The mournfullest part of that History is the ill Usage the Bishop oâ— Landaff and others had who werâ— acknowledged to be sound in the Faith of those Times viz. the Calvenist yet if at any time they appeared Moderate in Behaviour and Gentle in their Words desiring rather an Accommodation with the Remonstrators than to encrease the Difference to the Prejudice of Religion in general Gomarus and his Followers not observing the Rules of Debate in so grave an Assembly fell foul of the Bishop c. Reproaching their Tenderness and insinuating the Charge of Treachery c. against those more Vertuous but less Bitter and Stingy Persons than themselves But without Raking in the Ruins of time 't is evident that the several Councils Convocations Synods c. that have been called to settle Articles of Faith have rarely avoided Exercising such a Dogmatical Power to the straining the Principles of Religion beyond not only the Line of Holy Scripture but the Staple of Reason and common Sense And therefore no wonder if the World be filled with Schisms In days of old the Ancient Land-Marks were not to be removed without a severe Penalty and most certain it is neither wider nor streighteâ— must we set them than the Holy Meâ— of old did unless by the same Authority they had And how that was thâ— Holy Scripture plainly demonstrates And until That be our general Creeâ— without far-fetch'd Consequences wâ— cannot reasonably expect to be freâ— from the trouble that attends whaâ— is called Schism and where that is Persecution commonly follows foâ— Non-conformity though it be but tâ— an Image and not the true God Anâ— what a Prejudice that is to the State to be torn in pieces by Factions woful Experience hath taught us This with the Immorality and Ambition oâ— the Clergy in King James the First Time laid the Foundation for thâ— Ruin of his Son and with him Threâ— Kingdoms according to F. O. in hâ— Observations on K. J's Reign Ouâ— Divines saith he for the generality did Sacrifice more to Bacchus than Minerva Again nor did the notorious Debauchery of the Episcopal Clergy add a little to the Rent made by those called Puritans Nor did the sudden Translations of Bishops from less to greater Fees give time to visit sufficiently their respective Charges being more intent upon the Receipt of such Taxes as a long abused Custom had Estated them in than upon Reformation For from the Pulpit came all our future Miseries God not being served there as he ought c. I take the more notice of this because himself was no favourer of Puritanism but of the other side For the Security therefore of the Government Ease of the Magistrate and Peace of the People Creeds not to be found in Holy Scripture and an Ambitious and Immoral Clergy by the common Voice of Mankind should be totally Rejected Which leads me to my Fourth Proposition viz. That Liberty of Conscience is every Man's Birth-right 4thly By Liberty of Conscience is not meant a Liberty to Licentiousness for no Man that is Compos Mentis will pretend Matter of Conscience to commit Wickedness But by Liberty of Conscience I mean for every Man to go to what place he please to worship God in that way he is persuaded is the Right Way and to hear that Preacher that he likes best As for Instance I cannot see any Prejudice to the State to Indulge the Jews in the Exercise of their Religion which of all Perswasions has the least Reason to desire or expect it yet we find our
in the way of it and is nevertheless as hungry and ill-favoured at last as at first That Kingdom or Common-Wealth that is infected with store of this sort of Cattle shall never be at rest long unless they have the liberty to Gore those themselves have voted Heterodox and to furnish them with Tools to do it Cum Privilegio Nothing like Interweaving themselves with the State So that the Civil Magistrate shall be made believe 't is his Duty and Interest always either to confer more Honours and Profits on them or else to suppress their more vertuous Neighbours under the Notion of their being Hereticks which is not the least Prejudice to Religion in general as well as it is not seldom the like to the State since the common People are more inclinable to favour and unite with the Sufferer than joyn with the Persecutor Suffering generally speaking rather making Proselytes than answering the end of the Persecutor especially where the Sufferer has the answer of a better Conscience than the Persecutor which not seldom is the privilege of Dissent But if Vertuous Living under a Dissent from a National Church Liturgy be interpreted Irreligious and renders the Professors Obnoxions to the Laws whilst Immorality goes unpunished How is it possible that the Interest of Religion can be advanced since the Sufferings that attend a vertuous Man is greater than what falls upon the Irreligious and Profane Which shews that whatever Pretences are made for Religion the Practice is unreasonable and therefore is no longer held for Truth than whilst the Rod obligeth the Fearful and Cowardly to say Amen contrary to the Perswasion of their own Minds But three things are the design of the Ambitious Clergy-Men viz. Wealth Honour and Power all which renders Religion the more doubtful and unreasonable Since neither was the mark that the best Example that ever was in the World aim'd at but his Doctrine and Practice the reverse to it all And that they can be his Followers and Disciples and thus apparently contradict both his Doctrine and Practice is unreasonable to believe And therefore that Church that will indulge Ambition in her Clergy is as remote from the Basis of true Religion as she that Connives at Immorality and both the reasonable part of Mankind must conclude to be a great way off from Truth and consequently Irreligious and Unreasonable Nor can it be thought reasonable that ever the Civil Magistrate should be able to allay those evil Spirits that such Ambitious Men are able to raise from the contrary Winds of Doctrine that will inevitably blow in a National Church which will make more work for the Magistrate to reconcile than he is capable of performing as many Instances might be brought for Proof Besides till they all speak one and the same thing at home 't is unreasonable to think that Dissenters should return to that Church which is not in Unity with it self But again an Ambitious Clergy cannot bear contradiction And therefore when what they have stamp'd with the Seal of Orthodox meets with a Non-reception the Sword of the Magistrate must be imployed to force its entrance which is so much the more Irreligious for that it is so unreasonable Since 't is reasonable Arguments and not Blows that must Convince the Understanding and till the Clergy can furnish themselves therewith they are never like to be free from Dissenters But if their Ambition will admit of no Competitor as most certain it will not nothing but Persecution can follow their Venemous Doctrine where the Magistrate is become more a Party than the common Father of the People Which that he may not is the humble Request of all his Dissenting Children that though he hath an Eldest Son he may not to Gratifie his Ambition destroy the rest from enjoying their Natural Birth-right In short to make an Image and then by the help of the Civil Magistrate oblige every body to fall down and Worship upon pain of Corporal and Pecuniary Punishment is what hath produced so much Irreligion c. in the World and frustrated the design of Religion in general as well as been a Stumbling Block in the way of those Seekers that would extreamly rejoyce to find the way that leads to Everlasting Blessedness obscured by the Dust the Immoral and Ambitious Clergy have raised which tho' they viz. the common People know but little yet know so much that Immorality and Ambition is never the way to it These things being premised the following Considerations are Candidly Offered to the Serious Thoughts of the Impartial for Cure of our present Maladies that the just and reasonable design of Religion may be answered that God may be glorified our Consciences eased and Souls saved That the Government may be freed from unnecessary Trouble and the People enjoy perfect Tranquility First That it 's not Opinion but Holiness is the design of Religion Secondly That the Principles that lead to it are few reasonable and plain Thirdly That making of Creeds not to be found in Holy Scripture is at best but Imaginary and therefore not to be bowed unto Fourthly That Liberty of Conscience is every Man's Birth-right and that it cannot be invaded without violating the Laws of the Land Fifthly That Morality may be encouraged since it is so great a part of Religion that without it none can be Religious 1st That it is not Opinion but Holiness is the design of Religion It was the Condition of the great Charter granted to him that was the Patriarch of the Church before the Law on Tables of Stone was given to his numerous Posterity see Gen. 15.1 compare with Gen. 17.1 Walk thou before me and be thou Perfect c. No written Law now consequently no Creeds yet the Law written in the Heart was Abraham's Rule by which he was to walk before God to Perfection Again If without Holiness no Man can see God Heb. 12.14 without Holiness no Man can walk with him But the first is true therefore the last For want of it the old World was destroyed because of it and not untelligible Creeds Noah was saved Gen. 6.9 The Tenor of the Covenant in Horeb centered in it viz. to Implant Love and Fear in the People to God-ward that thereby they might be kept from Sin Exod. 20.20 compare with Deut. 30. but what that Dispensation began the Gospel finisheth what that pointed out in Types and Shadows the Gospel Substantially and Radically compleateth Which is to give Power to do as well as Light to know what the good and acceptable Will of God is Since on the knowing and doing thereof our present and future Happiness depends and this is as it must be the only design of true Religion Again Let us consider what the Institutor of the Christian Religion saith hereupon Mat. 7.21 It is not every one that saith Lord Lord but he that doth the Will of my Father that shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven From which we are to