Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	holy_a	jerusalem_n	temple_n	4,467	4	7.9697	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84229	The examiner defended, in a fair and sober answer to the two and twenty questions which lately examined the author of Zeal examined, in this answer are (not unseasonably) touched, Christ's interest in this and all nations. Christ's interest, and the Commonweals, as to the present affairs. The true nature of all civil states. The nature of all civil magistracie, and of the civil sword. The title of Christian magistrate. National churches and covenants. The world of religions ... The permission due to conscience ... Idolatry, and the kindes of it. The spiritual and civil sword, ... The forms of worship. The causes of destruction in nations. The violence to the souls of men; ... The dangerous consequence of such violences, ... Christ Jesus himself, ... The crying guilt of soul-rapes ... The light of nature in spirituals. The acts of Asa, Artaxerxes, &c. The fast of Nineveh. The conscientious differences ... The justice and prudence of state-provision against all uncivilities both of popish and protestant ranters.		1652 (1652)	Wing E3732; Thomason E675_2; ESTC R206745	60,783	103

whether to offer to this work one peny or not as appeares both by the Decrees of Cyrus in the first Chapter of Darius in the sixth and of Artaxerxes in the seventh Secondly he decreed bountitiful Assistance out of his owne Treasury toward the building of the Temple the Sacrifices c. Thirdly a Decree against any that should oppose or hinder the building of this House and therefore accordingly whosoever would not do the Law of God and of the King judgement must be executed speedily c. And chap. 6.11 whosoever should alter Darius his decree Timber should be pull'd downe from his house and being set up he must be hanged thereon and his house made a dunghil If any shall say The command of God and the King here mentioned was a command and Law in Spirituals c. I ask What Law was the Law of Artaxerxes the King The Law of Artaxerxes was an absolute Law of Toleration of the Iews Conscience vastly differing from and opposite to his was it of commanding the Iewes to his Worship and Conscience in an Uniformity of Worship to the Nation wherein they were captive Yea was it a commanding of the Iewes to their owne Religion or onely on his part a Law of Toleration and Freedome to practise their owne Religion Conscience and Worship and that with favourable Incouragement from himself For as before if the force were removed although Artaxerxes should have given them no Countenance nor Incouragement Yet I ask whether as Iewes Gods people and subjects they ought not of themselves to have departed from Babylor and from all parts of the World and to have ascended to Ierusalem as the Iews literally dream to their holy City and there have built the Temple and presented their Sacrifices c. Further The literal and Spiritual Iew. I ask As Artaxerxes made not one Law either how or when the Iewes should pray or fast c. but left them free to their owne Conscience to go up or not to go up to Ierusalem so when these Kings did makes Lawes in Spirituals as concerning prayer whether Daniel did not well in refusing to cease praying or by shutting of his window to give appearance of obedience though to the extream ruine of life c. And consequently Whether as the Iewes refused to be subject to any Judicature but Gods alone revealed by Moses So whether Christian Israel and Iews ought to acknowledge any Tribunal but Gods Thirdly I ask Whether the plain English of not tolerating the Idolater and Heretick hath not been in all Ages since Christ Iesus the not tolerating indeed of Christ Iesus God manifested in flesh and both in his owne Person and in his Followers the hunting or persecuting of him out of the world Was there ever any of the Prophets esteemed so great an Heretick from the Iewish Religion Christ Iesus accounted and hanged as the greatest Blasphemer and Heretick that was as Christ Iesus was was there ever such a Blasphemer of God as the High Priest esteemed him as the blessed Son of God God himself Christ Iesus And doth not the many Books of Martyrs in our owne and other Languages set forth that under this Hood and Vizard the Devil hath cast the Saints into Prison Rev. 2. He hath watched to devour the Man-child Rev. 12. and hunted the Woman the Spouse of Christ Jesus and her seed And the great Whore pretending that she drinks the blood of Hereticks c. hath been drunk with the blood of the Saints and Witnesses of Iesus Rev. 17. Hence will not Reason suspect a Murtherous snare in the Law pretended against Thieves Robbers True grounds of suspition in Spirituals Whores c. and yet most commonly falling upon none but honest and faithful chast and modest Persons Are not these Engines worthily to be questioned which pretending to take none but Birds of prey and Wolves c. and yet ordinarily catch nothing but harmeless Doves the Sheep and Lambs c. If it be said Idolatry Heresie c. are the chiefest Enemies in Religion c. I ask First If those very famous Religions which have pretended themselves the truest in the World have not been found the greatest Idols c. Secondly Christ Iesus his Spiritual provision against Spiritual Adversaries Grant them to be the greatest Enemies yet since Enemies are of two sorts Spiritual and Corporal I ask Whether as Corporal weapon are proper against Corporal so whether Spiritual weapons are not only proper against meerly Spiritual Adversaries Thirdly Could Christ Iesus so forget himselfe as not to take sufficient order for Spiritual weapons against all his Spiritual enemies In a Battel or Fight by Sea or Land how apt are men to charge Generals and Commanders if Ammunition be wanting c. Yea in that case how justly may men complain as in 88 that Powder was said to be wanting in our own Ships at our owne doores And shall i● be imagined that the Last Will and Testament of the Son of God his whole Life his 40 daies after his Resurrection and those Gifts which upon his Triumph in Heaven he sent upon men should leave his Army his Family his Kingdome his Wife unprovided c. so that in the very day of the Battel they must be forced to the Forge of the Philistims to borrow Swords Halberts Guns Pikes Prisons Halters against Idolaters Hereticks c. Fourthly I may end and ask in the Proposers owne words whether he be not neer a Curse that would change the two-edged Sword of Gods Spirit the word of God for a Sword of steel in the hand of Civil Officers and the Arme of the eternal Spirit of God for an arme of Flesh c. And if blessed are Christs peace-makers Christs Cursings and Blessings and Christs persecuted Matth. 5. how neer to a curse doth he come that brings not Buckets to quench but Bellowes to kindle the Fire of Gods Jealousie against State Inventions the Fires of persecutions and hunting of Christs Saints the Fires of devouring Wars amongst the Nations for their respective Religions and Consciences How neer to a curse doth he come who under a Cloak of Christian Magistrate True Religion Zeal against Idolaters Hereticks c. shall conceal a Dagger which yet I hope this Proposer knowingly doth not stabbing at the heart of God his Christ his Spirit his Saints his pure Worship yea and at the Heart of all Civil peace and Civil Magistracie and Civility it self throughout the whole World And therefore lastly I ask Whether these two Examining Worthies shall not be wrapt up in the everlasting Armes of Blessedness it self while they improve their Talents uprightly and impartially in the further Examination of this Fire of Zeal in question Yea and whether not onely these two honourable Senatours but the most renowned Senate of the world the Parliament it self shall not be truly crowned with the Lawrells of true Nobility as the Bereans were while they Candidly and Impartially Examine whether these things are so or no FINIS

and holding fast to the Death what he believes he hath received from the Father of Lights And yet better sit still then still rise and fall Have all the Spirit the Calling the Gifts the Life and the presence of God with them as those first Messengers the Apostles whose Successours Men yet pretend to be Were it not better for us to acknowledge The danger of our own Inventions in heavenly matters how poor how naked how blind how miserable we are and to listen to the holy Counsel of Christ Jesus c. to buy of him that blessed Gold and Eye-salve that white Rayment and fine Linnen that we may truely see and be truely rich and be truely glorious and beautiful then boasting of our Knowledge and Abundance and want of nothing we prove so grievous to the stomach of Christ Jesus that he vomit us with loathing out of his mouth Lastly I ask In case we had for unquestionable Fundamentals a Creed composed by the twelve Apostles of the Lamb That a Synod of heavenly Angels assembled and concluded of Fundamentals of Forms of Worship External force in Spirituals can onely pierce the outside Ordinations Ministeries Maintenance c. and all without the reach of a Curse for another Gospel Gal. 1. Yet I ask what rule can be produced from the Testament of Christ Iesus that these Forms these Prescripts must be imposed and beaten into not the Braines and Hearts of men which is impossible but into the outsides and knees of men with Swords and Staves that as Christ Jesus said of the Samaritans they might worship they know not what What reason of Christianity or Civility that the Talmud of the Iewes the Alcaron of the Turks and the Canons of all sorts of Popes must not be questioned What Scripture or Reason shall force a man to be a Scholar to a Teacher and force him to pay for his Teaching To trust his Ship with a Pilot and to pay him for his Piloting to trust himself with a Guide and to pay him for his Conduct when he believes that Teacher that Pilot are dangerously ignorant that Guide is blind c. The mystery and and tyranny of persecuting Teachers Yea further from whom he must receive all upon Trust and not dare in the very place and time of Teaching to propose his Doubt his Question his Objection or desire Explanation And I add What Christianity is that which commands that no Churches be gathered no Ministers chosen no Doctrine preached but what the civil Sword shall say is true and Orthodox Nay no Magistrate himself chosen nor any Civil Officer except he be of our Church our Way and Conscience as some say is the Mystery and Tyranny of New-Englands practice The two and twentieth Question If God was to be blessed for putting it into the Heart of a Heathen Magistrate to make Lawes for Religion Isa 7.27 Whether he comes not neer to a curse Quest 22 that would take out of the heart of a Christian Magistrate the advancement of true Religion and perswade him to give a Toleraration to the chiese Enemies of Religion Idolatry and Heresie Sure the Proposer highly esteems this Example of Erra 7. for Answ not content to mention it in the seventh Question he attempts to win it by Force and Storming indeed in a very stormy Language in this last Question To many Branches of the same hath been spoken As to the nature of Civil Magistracie essentially Civil all the world over As to the power of the Magistrates or Officers designed unto them by the people as but their Deputies either Legislative or Executive As to the perfection of Civil Magistracie in its self and in its kind not capable of Diminution or Addition by the Magistrates change of Religion to or from Christianity or any other Religion in the world As to Artaxerxes his fact Artaxerxes his favour to the Iewes not being moved out of any heart to the true Religion for neither did he or his people forsake their owne but out of a Conquering Terrour of God he shews just mercy to his captives and people he feares wrath to himself and his Sons from that God whose love and acquaintance he cared not for But I shall add with Christs help these few Queries First Whether this Supposition of making Laws to advance Religion and especially in a National way doth not overthrow and Evacuate one great end of the comming of the Lord Jesus which was to fulfil all those former shadowes of Temple Altar Priests Sacrifice c. to tear the veil to break downe the partition Wall and with the two edged Sword of his Spirit his Word to conquer poor sinners in a way of love National holiness and shadows c. abolished by Christ Iesus the body and substance For if Ezra's pattern of carrying Lawes and Authority from this King to force men to keep the Law of God in this Iewish Religion Iewish Nation be a president for all Nations where is the abolishing of the holy Nation holy Cities holy Temples Altars Priests c. Or ought we not if Christ Iesus be not come to have the Officers commanded by the King to be Tole free verse 24. the Priests the Levites the Singers the Porters the Nethinims or Ministers of the house of God If it be said The Morality of such a Law remaineth I ask Whether according to Heb. 7. there being a necessity of the change of the Priesthood there is not a necessity of the change of the Law also of that Law of Shadows the holy Land holy Temples holy Priests holy Swords c. I further ask If that people of God the figure of Gods Israel in after-Ages to arise in all Nations of the world if they had not been Captivated but had been in their owne Land and not restrained by force whether they ought not to have builded the Altar and Temple without the Kings command yea and against it Yea it is expresly said chap. 4. Gods people in Spirituals know no Caesar but himself and dear Son they were made to cease the building by power and Force yet they went on chap. 5. to build again at the instigation of Haggai and Zachary notwithstanding the prohibition of the King yet lying in force against them And lastly I ask If these things were not Examples 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 10. or Types figuring out the freedomes of Gods people who if not hindred by actual Force and Power ought onely to regard in Spirituals the Scepter and Sword and Crown of the Lord Iesus Christ Secondly I ask What Lawes this Artaxerxes made for the advancement of Religion Is not the first of absolute Freedome and Toleration to these poor captive Iewes Was there any Babylonian or Persian command to go up to Ierusalem any commanded to pay or to offer a peny toward this Expedition Yea were not the Iewes themselves absolutely free whether to go up to Ierusalem or stay in Babel