Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	apostle_n	church_n	primitive_a	4,139	5	9.1134	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52048	The power of the civil magistrate in matters of religion vindicated the extent of his power determined in a sermon preached before the first Parliament on a monthly fast day / by ... Mr. Stephen Marshall ... / published by G. Firmin ... with notes upon the sermon.	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.; Firmin, Giles, 1614-1697.	1657 (1657)	Wing M769; ESTC R31209	38,128	52

can but when there is an Act of Toleration for them who takes care to heale them Secondly When States will make Acts for Toleration in matters of Religion they had need have another Act go first i. e. to declare what they will NOT Tolerate they had need make good fences about the Vitals of Religion or else we shall have errors arise that will threaten them also have we not experince of it now Thirdly Rules for Toleration must not be taken from Persons that appear to be godly that is because such persons are looked upon as godly therefore what Opinions they hold shall be tolerated Because David a godly man falls into adultery therefore tolerate that sin May not a man that is godly at least seems to be so fall into such an errour of judgement as neither Church nor State must tolerate I know no such warrant to secure us but when professors grow wanton God may leave them to such errors in judgement as he hath left to errors in practise Also may not godly men be true and blamable causes of great Schisme but yet because godly they must not be indulged Fourthly If because Arguments can be brought to prove an Opinion therefore such an Opinion must be tolerated then what Heresie must not be tolerated If a man will listen to his own Atheistical heart and carnal reason there are those who could bring arguments very strong against the Scriptures Christs Divinity his satisfaction such things as we call Fundamentals if there be any I doubt not but there may be stronger arguments brought against these then there are for some things wherein men cry for Indulgence though they break the peace of the Churches and have brought us into this Confusion But if therefore those Heresies should be tolerated then let Churches and Religion go whither they will Fifthly Such Doctrines and practises as the Churches of Christ since the Apostles daies have constantly condemned Churches where soundness of doctrine and holinesse in conversation have met together having also libertie to search the mind of God and to reform what these have constantly condemned I humbly conceive that a State had need be cautious in making Acts to Tolerate such doctrines and practises and I am sure there are too many such now Tolerated Sixthly It had been much better for the Churches to have yielded each to other so far as they might and studied an Accommodation rather then put the Civil power to make an Act for Toleration which wanton spirits look at but as an Invitation to vent their own frothy and erroneous conceptions being they have a law to back them I am not to this day satisfied what sufficient reasons can be given why the Congregational and Classical brethren might not have joyned together and strengthned each other but that through their division the Nation should be as it is at this day If the letting of a godly Minister enjoy his own people without taking them from him would have healed the breach what an easie Medicine had this been for so great a wound The text which our Author hath pitched upon saith in All Godliness A good Magistrate will look that this people may live in All Honesty One part wil not serve the turn and if he could cause them to live in All godlinesse also it would be well for that people Seventhly To displease Thousands of godly and sound Christians for the sake of pleasing a few Christians in doctrines and practises corrupt I conceive is no safe policie whose spirits have shown themselves more Turbulent then those for whom Toleration hath been pleaded We have now had experience what it is to live under Episcopal Persecutions and an Armies Toleration which of these two have proved the most destructive to the power of godlinesse I need not say This onely I would say and that not without some sense of grief on my spirit it is sad that those who lay claim to New-England principles should so Act their part that men should not say and our posterity hereafter believe it That Independency ruined the Church of England Then our Author comes to his Positive rules and his second general rule is that the Magistrate takes care that all the Lords Institutions be observed The word in the Original which we translate godliness signifieth firstly the worship of God A godly man {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a good worshipper qui probè c●lit veneratur Deum Godly Kings did show their godlinesse in this point very much putting down false worship and setting up the true worship of God while the Ordinances of God are maintained as they ought to be God is known in the world and much godliness is shown in a due worshipping of God If we look back to the beginnings of our troubles and recall what it was the Professors of England would have had let them speak when you were fain to get into houses privately to keep Fasts together afraid that any should see you lest the Bishops should know it why did you Fast why did you utter such sad Complaints to God why did your tears drop so what was your burden Oh this Hierarchy did so Tyrannize over Gods faithful Ministers suspending imprisoning c. they did so mix their humane Inventions with Gods Institutions that we could not have the worship of God according to the pattern but must wound our consciences if pertake of the Ordinances what do you desire of God why that he would root up these persecuting Bishops and all the rabble that belongs to them that we may have none but Christs own Officers Ordinances pure without this mixture no Railes Surplice Crosse c. this was the businesse why men thus prayed and fasted and for these things the old solid Puritan prayed many yeers since though died before these times well what those deceased Christians prayed for and these living God hath given this generation Surely now those Ordinances and Officers shall be highly prized c. But what are more despised the Officers are but Anti-christian Blackcoats any gifted brother is as good as these Priests and for the Ordinances Church-Discipline singing of Psalms Infant-Baptisme these are none of Christs Institutions and for elder persons water-baptisme is a needless thing if have the inward so the Supper if have the thing signified c. that thus all are thrown off would any man have believed such horrid Apostasie should ever have been heard of principally from those things where their Prayers Fasts and tears together with the old Christians went so strongly What in these points Apostatize what do these things presage All Christs Institutions saith our Author the Magistrate must take care for So indeed said the Persian Emperour Ezra 7.23 whatsoever is Commanded by the God of Heaven let it be diligently done c. But it seems the Lord hath No Institutions now they are all disputed out Church-Discipline hath gone unquestionably for an Institution of Christ grounded

Hog and will he now have all the posterity of Abraham cast out of the Church and reckoned amongst the unclean without giving us a word as clear for repealing the Institution as he hath done for that law against a Hog for my part I will never believe it I wonder that such an Opinion that hath been constantly condemned by all the Churches where truth and holiness have flourished since the Apostles times and an Opinion which hath been accompanied with other Heresies Arianisme Pelagianisme Socinianisme c. should now be swallowed down so readily amongst some whom otherwise we would esteem to be godly It being an Opinion that hath been searched into studied when Churches have had their liberty I remember in N. England an officer of a Church was arguing with one of his members who was snared in this errour and asked the man what comfort he could have of his babe if God should take it away in the Infancy more then George Sagamore an Indian could have of his the man being an honest plain man answered yes he had more then the Indian the Covenant of God with him and his seed It seems Abrahams children are solicitous about their seed and though some doe in their practise ranck them among the Indians yet they would fain have something to lay hold upon as this poor man and so confuted his practise for if the seed be in Covenant then give it the signe and seal Though I do not passe that censure upon all these Anabaptists which I hear Mr. Sidrach Simpson did yet surely it is an errour of more consequence then men doe esteem of and grounded upon such principles that will necessarily infer more errours then this Certainly such had need give strong testimony by their whole conversation that they are very consciencious men if they do plead conscience in this if they can find so much Toleration as to have Communion with Churches being indeed consciencious men to live peaceably in a Nation upon this condition that they divulge not their errours it is as much as can fairly be yielded by Churches or State unlesse all the Scripture grounds which are brought to prove the Interest of Abrahams seed in the Church with the constant practise of all Churches Orthodox and holy since the Apostles times are of no more worth then to be thrown at mens heels So much for our Authors general rule For his particular rules If the first be true as I am sure it is then who shall answer for all those ignorant erroneous Scripture-abusing I will not say preachers but praters that have gone forth into Wales the Northern and other parts of England sowing such seeds of errors as will not be plucked up in hast occasioning so many to turn Papists making the pretended reformation to be so much despised and the English Ministery to become a scorn These are far from those qualifications which our Author hath set down and from the example of Jehoshaphat he did not take up Taylors Shoomakers and such kind of fellows and send them to preach but Priests and Levits orderly called to the work brought up to it If you say he sent Princes also This is well answered by Mr. Rutherford but if it were so as some understand such were in more likelihood fit for the work and more honour to the work then Jeroboams practise was Do these answer the Apostles description in his Epistles to Titus and Timothy now it is who is Not sufficient for these things Besides our Author faith it must be according to Gods Order But is this the Order of Christ to send out Ministers without Ordination these fellows had no election from the people nor no Ordination What is all Order thrown down Ordination hath been looked at as an Institution of Christ till the Socinians and some others objected but the Orthodox have constantly maintained it both Episcopal Classical and Congregational and if Scripture authority be worth any thing no doubt but we can bring good warrant still to prove it There is more ground to bring in Bishops to Ordain then to leave out Ordination 2. For his second rule If Schools and Universities be needful then our Author must needs condemn those against whom I spake before Julian knew what he did when he forbad the children of Christians the use of Schools the Christians also knew what he did with very sad hearts and I know they doe but act what Julian intended who ever looks at Schools and Universities as uselesse and so are hinderances to them I have heard it reported though I can scarce believe it that one of the Masters of our Colledges should in his Sermon declare that he thought Universities were good to train up youth to Civilitie but not to Divinitie If this should be a true report I wish he would read over Zanchy his Oration concerning the necessity of Schools in the Church and tell us how a man can open the Scriptures without the knowledge of the Original Tongues the three general Arts and History Besides other special arts and as for the other Oriental Tongues what helps they are to understanding of Scripture those who are a little versed in them know already But the man might have another end in this to satisfie country Ministers why they have stood sweating so many years in the Commencement house but could never hear him either Opponent or Respondent Those who must be so able to Convince others had need be trained up in the way to it What Cause have the Church to bless God for those brave lights which have shined in our Universities 3. Our Authors reason is strong to prove the Magistrate may cause his people to attend upon the Ministry of the Word onely provided the Ministers be such as in his first he described If this course had been taken it would have prevented much of that evil that is now come by separation from the publike Ministery As for the objection they make they cannot believe these Ministers be true Ministers neither doth the Magistrate compel them to believe so he compels them to attend upon those which he looks at as true being sound qualified orderly sent forth but he troubles not the people with this that they must believe the standing as they call it of the Ministers to be right let them attend to the Doctrine Obj. But they are unsound Answ. 1. So will the Heretick say of the soundest Minister that is 2. It lieth upon the Magistrate to look to that 3 If you can prove their doctrine to be unsound you have libertie to reject their doctrine what the evill is for want of the Magistrates performing this part of his duty England knowes at this day Why by the same rule the Magistrate may not compel the people to be Catechized I know not to be sure Catechizing was an Ordinance great in use in the primitive times and woful experience hath taught us how people may set under