Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	believe_v	faith_n	implicit_a	7,064	5	13.7153	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59953	A few vvords concerning conscience what it is; and what estate it was in before transgression. And how it became darkened, defiled and corrupted; and how again it may be enlightened, cleansed, purified and set at liberty, as it was before sin entred. Intermixt with a few words concerning persecution among the diverse sects in Christendom (and upon the face of all the earth); shewing, that they all arise for want of true liberty of conscience; and what that liberty is. William Shewen.	Shewen, William, 1631?-1695.	1675 (1675)	Wing S3421; ESTC R221163	20,764	49

Conscience and dark selfish Opinion is most ravenous this Wolf in Sheeps Cloathing hath sharp Teeth and cruel Clawes and a wilde untamed devouring Spirit notwithstanding his pretence of Zeal and Conscience for the Christian Religion 't is the Spirit of Cain Saul Blind Zeal a defiled Conscience private selfish dark Opinions the Ground of divers Massacries and much Blood shed in Christendom that Murderer and Persecutor about Sacrifice and Worship which will be rising up against his Brother and Neighbour as it hath been so it is at this Day he that is born of the Flesh will persecute him that is born of the Spirit c. But whosoever is led by his religious or rather irreligious Opinions to endeavour the Hurt and Ruin of his Brother or Neighbour about matters of Religion and Conscience if he accomplish and effect the fame he is an Evil Doer and ought to suffer as an Evil-Doer and he that hoth Good-will to all and seeks the good of all and hurts no man though he be of a contrary Mind and Judgment to him and of a defiled Conscience and erronious Opinions he is the Well-Door And the Laws of God and all good Men who are appointed to Rule for God are a Terror to the One and a Praise and Encouragement to the Other And such brutish unnatural Opinionists whose Consciences are not only darkned defiled and corrupted but feared as with a hot Iron who under the Profession of Christianity dare entertain and assert such Cruel Impious Tenets or Opinions as that it is lawful to Destroy the Property Liberty and Life of Men about the Christian Religion to account all that conform not to his Form and Fashion of Religion Tradition and Invention no better then Weeds and Vermine Corrupt and Cankered Members fit to be pulled up cut off burnt and destroyed where this Ravenons Beast is prevalent as in some Countries beyond the Seas it destroyes every Green Thing this Spirit and Bloody Opinion is hated of God and all Good Men and is as a Monster risen out of the Bottomless Pit and as the great Apollyon or Destroyer to be chained and shut up therein again Oh God! hasten the Time thereof is the Breathing of the Righteous Oh! how Lamentable is it to consider what Work and Havock this Spirit hath made under a Corrupt Blind Mis guided Conscience and Ignorant Zeal especially in this Part of the World called Christendom about Church Religion and Worship the Mind and Conscience the best and noblest Capacity of Man being in its primitive Estate when darkned defiled corrupted hardned and seared becomes the worst even a Habitation for Devils formed and transformed like unto an Angel of Light so that those that are not deceived and ruled by the One may be the Other The Greatest and Strongest Poyson of Souls Bodies Lives c. of Men is in the Whore's Golden Cup and all that drink freely thereof or are compelled thereto are deeply infected therewith And the Nations reel with the Wine of her Fornications But in all Ages the * transformed Devil who assumeth the Form of Religion and Profession of Godliness hath proved the greatest Deceiver and the most Cruel as might be evidenced at large by his Work in this present Age and throughout the Records of many Generations But all that come to return in their Minds to the Light and Glory of God The Way out of all Selfish and Private Opinions and Cruelty about them into perfect Freedom and Liberty of Conscience which at first shined in the Heart Conscience of Mankind made it a fit Receptacle or Dwelling-place for himself believes walks abides in the same shall again come to know live in the same Estate man enjoyed before his Conscience was defiled before the Vail came over his Heart and Understanding before the Image of God was lost before any Place or Credit was given to the Serpent's Lyes where true Liberty of Conscience was lived in and the Light of God's Countenance enjoyed the Serpent ruled over and the Earth subdued in the Paradise of God The Light that now shineth out of Darkness in the Hearts of Thousands and Ten Thousands leads not only into these things but farther into the Life State of the second Adam against whom the Serpent never could nor shall prevail And the God of Heaven and Earth who hath caused or commanded it to shine hath the Praise and Glory thereof both now and for evermore Postscript SUch Opinions in Religion which bind man's Conscience to seek and endeavour the Hurt of his Brother or Neighbour in his Name Person Liberty Estate or Life because he doth not believe and practise the same Manner and Form of Worship as he doth are very Cruel Unnatural and Unreasonable First Because many times People come by their Opinions as Heirs come by their Estates Hereditarily if their Parents or Tutors were of this or that Sect of the Jews or Mahumetans their Children commonly are trained up and educated in the same if of one of the Sects among the Christians so called then commonly the Child is trained and catechised in the same and many Parents take as much Care to leave their Children possessed of their Religious Opinions as they do of their Estates as might be shewed at large both among Jews Turks and Christians And in Christendom the greatest Proof many have to prove themselves Christians is that their Parents and Tutors were so called and accounted and they have received and walked in their Traditions and conformed to the Orders and Discipline of Holy Church so called and they believe as the Church believes and 't is their Opinion this is Christianity enough to carry them to Heaven many being bound in their Consciences by a traditional implicite Faith to their Hereditary Christianity or the Traditions of their Fore-Fathers that they never Question their Way nor Title therein they never knew no other nor better nor dare not for Fear seek further their Consciences being bound under their private traditional Opinions and Ceremonies Now that such should have their Bodies hurt and their Lives destroyed and their Estates rent from them and their Posterity because they will not change and renounce their Opinions they have been bred up and educated in and conform to that Opinion and Form of Worship that hath the Sword in its Hand and is become National in the Country where he lives is both Cruel Unnatural and Unreasonable whether he be Jew Mahumetan Christian Papist or Protestant 2dly Because no man is able to change his Own Mind in Religion when he pleaseth or when commanded nor break those Chains of Tradition he hath been educated in from his Childhood neither is he able to shake off those Bolts and Fetters of Opinion and change his Faith and Belief when he pleaseth For when man's Conscience is defiled with Erroneous Opinions and his Mind and Understanding darkened and bound under the Chains thereof he is not