Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	church_n	doctrine_n	reform_a	3,865	5	10.2412	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49256	Short and plaine animadversions on some passages in Mr. Dels sermon first preached before the Honourable House of Commons on Novemb. 25. 1646. But since printed without their order Setting forth the many dangerous and destructive assertions therein both to church and state, the covenant, and the reformation so much desired. Together, with an answer to an unlicensed pamphlet annext to the sermon, entituled, A reply to Master Loves contradictions. By Christopher Love minister of Anne Aldersgate, London. The second edition. Imprimatur Ja. Cranford. Decemb. 17. 1646.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.	1647 (1647)	Wing L3175; ESTC R220429	46,782	54

Moses But what hath Master Dell to alleadge against the compelling of men to the duties of the outward worship of God I am sure there is much to be said for it this Iehosophat Hezekiah Asa and Iosiah did els Magistrates are to behold men as indifferent spectator● not caring what Religion the people be of in speaking of the Magistrates coactive power I would be cautiously understood 1. Tha● the coactive power of a Magistrate is not Gods way of planting the Gospell in a heathen nation which never heard of the Gospell before Procopius in Arc● histor. saith that Iustinian was blamed because hee compelled the Samaritans to embrace the Christian faith All the Jewes a nation professing the true God were compelled to the duties of the outward worship of God but the heathens about them were not so 2. You must know that there is a great deale of difference twixt an affirmative compulsion to say I le make you bee of my minde and a negative compulsion which saith you shall not spread propagate this Heresie and Blasphemy thus the Magistrate may compell 3. The Magistrate may compell to the meanes and externall acts of worship but cannot compell to internall acts of faith love and such like as having no power over the conscience I shall have occasion to treate of the Magistrates power more largely upon some other passages of Master Dels Sermon But Master Dell goes on and saies that during the time of Moses his law there was no true Reformation pag. 3.33 and that the people were without any true Reformation before God till Christ who was God in the flesh come page 4.8 By this Mr. Dell discovers himselfe a downe-right Socinian hee saith there was no true reformation the Socinians sa● so too in effect that they who lived before Christs time had onely temporall and earthly blessings in their knowledge and affections holding resolutely that Christ and eternall things though they were promised in the Old Testament yet they were not enjoyed by any till under the New whereupon they say that Grace and Salvation was not till Christ came as if there had beene no eternall life nor any thing of the spirit till Christ came in the flesh and doth not Mr. Dell say so much in effect when he saith til this time of Reformation the faithfull were without true Reformation before God what a heavy charge is this that all the Patriarks before the law and all the elect of God under the law were without this true Reformation before God what is this but to deny that they are not justified their sins not pardoned their soules not saved for this is a certain truth that none are justified pardoned or saved but such as have this Go●spell Reformation which he describes to a bee mortifying and destroying of sinne if there was no such a Reformation as this how could any before Christs coming in the flesh be sav●d Master Dell having described what this Gospell Reformation is to be a mortifying and destroying of sin c. he now layes down an exclusive conclusion in these words This is true Gospell Reformation and besides this I know no other but as he preacht it was thus this is true Gospell Reformation and besides this the New Testament knowes no other He sayes it in expresse termes also Pag. 12. l. 22. the taking away of transgression for us and from us is the onely Reformation of the New Testament If it bee read as t is Printed that Master Del● knowes no other Gospell Reformation besides heart Reformation this bewrayes his ignorance if it be read as t was preacht that the New Testament knowes no other Reformation besides this herein he shewes his errour to bee for the Erastian way I must needs say our dissenting brethren who are of the independent judgement have little reason to thank Master Dell for this assertion it strikes at the foundation of the Independent Reformation and Government as well as at the Presbyteriall Besides if no Reformation besides an heart Reformation surely it will follow that both Kingdomes were greatly mistaken in the first Article of our Covenant wherein wee stand bound to endeavour the Reformation of Religion in the Kingdomes of England and Ireland in doctrine worship discipline and government according to the word of God and the example of the best Reformed Churches Surely both Kingdomes did not take this upon them as if they could reforme the hearts of men this they know is Christ work not theirs but another kinde of Reformation in Ecclesiasticall discipline which hath been corrupted by the Prelates So that if Mr. Dels doctrine passe for currant that there is no other Reformation under the Gospell but a heart Reformation the first Article of the Covenant must stand either for a nullity or falsity And therefore you see how grosly they are mistaken who take Gospell Reformation onely to consist in the making so t was preacht to bee the making of certaine lawes and constitutions by the sacred power or clergy for externall conformity in outward duties of outward worship and government and to have these confirmed by civill sanction and inforced upon men by secular power Master Dell himselfe and others of his minde not any body else that I know of are mistaken for none of a Presbyterian judgement holds that the making of certaine lawes for conformity in dutyes of outward worship backed by the civill sanction of the Christian Magistrate to be heart-Reformation but they say onely this that a visible Church is then in a good readinesse for reformation when there is an externall conformity in duties of outward worship and government when confirmed by civill sanction Indeed Master Dell saies much but d●oves nothing about this And to rectifie Master Dels mistake I shall endeavour to prove that t is so farre from being a capitall crime that it ●s a laudable and warrantable practice in the civill Magistrate to con●●rme by civill sanction and enjoyne by externall penalties externall conformity in outward duties of outward worship and government which I shall evince by Scripture and reason 1. By Scripture did not Darius make a law for externall conformity in matters of Religion Dan. 6.26 27. I make a decree that in every dominion of my Kingdome men tremble and feare before the God of Daniell Nehemiah made a law and that under penalty to bring men in conformity to the observing and Sanctifying of the Sabbath Nehem. 13.21 22. yea Josiah made all that were present in Judah and Benjamin to stand to the Covenant and made all that were present in Israell to serve even to serve the Lord their God 2 Chron. 34.32 33. And King As● made a law commanding Iudah to seeke the Lord God of their fathers and to do the law and Commandements 2 Chron. 14.4 many instances more of the like nature might be brought The reasons which evince the warrantablenesse of Magistrates practice to enjoyne externall conformity

in Isaiah 42.2 Hee shall not cry nor lift up nor cause his voyce to bee heard in the streets which Calvin expounds indeed to bee a Prophecy of Christ but farre from what Mr. Dell intends signifying that Christ comming in the flesh should bee without pompe and worldly glory that hee should not bee received as the Princes of this world for when they come through some populous City they are received in great state and with loud acclamations from the people And Musculus saith to the same effect also that Christ delighteth not in pompe and vaine glory as the Princes of the world doe but would live and lead an obscure life in the world This I onely urge to shew his grosse mi●takes and ●olly in adding that clause to Isaiahs Prophecy which overthrows the Prophets intendment in it As the Disciples shooke off the dust of their feet as a witnesse against them that received not their Doctrine this is all that Ministers of the Gospel can doe to any that refuse their Doctrine and not goe to the Secular Magistrate to ask p●wer to punish them or imprison them c. 'T is one thing for a man not to receive the Word and another thing to vent blasphemies and errours against the Word I grant that Ministers must not goe to the Secular Magistrate to have men punisht who doe not beleeve or receive their Doctrine nor are any punisht for this yet Ministers must go to the Civill Magistrate to have Heretiques and Blasphemers punisht by his hand else guilt lyes upon them Now because I perceive the thing which Mr. Dell drives at is to deny this as appeares by a following passage pag. 25. line 32. avoid an Heretique but not imprison him or kill him or banish him I shall therefore make this good that 't is no such new or unheard of thing that Ministers should call to the Civill Magistrate to have Heretiques punisht I may make it evident from the most ancient and generall Councell The Nicene Councell after they had cast out Arius the Heretique out of the Church of Alexandria made their addresses unto Constantine the Great that hee might bee punisht so did the Ephesian Councell with Nestorius that grand Heretique desire Theodosius and Valeminian to banish him which was done accordingly Thus did the Constantinopolitan Councell with that grosse Heretique Macedonius and the Calcedon Councell with the Eutichean Heretiques yea not onely the generall Councells but the Reformed Churches they doe the like yea in new-New-England also the Churches did call to the Civill Magistrate to imprison some and banish others who were the broachers of damnable Heresies and Errours and 't is to bee observed that Gerrard who did much differ both from Lutherans and Calvinists in this controversie about punishing any Heretiques with death yet hee grants this that I urge Quod Magistratus ad fidem Christi conversi auxilium contra Haereticos Orthodoxi implorare possint libenter concedimus that is That the Orthodox may lawfully beg the power and help of the Christian Magistrate against Heretiques But it may bee objected why the Apostles and the Church in the Primitive times did not goe to the Civill Magistrate to have Heretiques punisht Sol. 'T was not as if they thought they might not warrantably goe to the Civill Magistrate but 't was because they knew the Magistrate was not then Christian nor converted to the Faith so that if they had gone to have him punish others for being Heretiques they had bin punisht themselves for being Christians this was the true reason of their forbearance and yet Historians tell us that the Primitive Christians did sometimes desire the Heathen Emperours aide against Heretiques in particular the Christians petitioned Aurelian●● the Emperor to punish Samosatenus that grosse Heretique which accordingly hee did Vide Euseb Hist. Eccl. lib. 7. c. 29. If men bee wicked is it not misery enough for them to refuse eternall life except also they inflict on them a temporall death Then hee brings in a saying of Luthers Quando non invocat brachium seculare Et morte u●raque terreat mundum 1. Take notice that Mr. Dell makes the misery of wicked men which they may endure hereafter to bee an Argument to exemp● them from all corporall punishments here as if because it is misery enough to be thrust to Hell for Murder Treason Theft therefore the Magistrate must not inflict on them temporall punishment for any of those offences 2. Take notice that the quotation of Luthers speech doth not serve his purpose to prove that Magistrates must not punish Heretiques but Luthers speech tends to this that the Popish Clergy did call for the Secular powers to terrifie Protestants under the notion of Heretiques with both kinde of deaths Now is this a good consequence because the Popish Clergy did call for the Secular powers against Protestants under the notion of Heretiques who were not so therefore godly Ministers must not desire the Secular power against Heretiques who are so They that doe these things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God but not one word of outward and corporall punishment in all the Gospel Here still hee harps upon the same string as if because a man shall not inherit the Kingdome of God therefore must have no corporall punishment Those that shall not inherit the Kingdome of God are mentioned by the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.9 10. to bee Fornicators Idolaters Adulterers Effeminate abusers of themselves with mankinde Theeves Covetous Drunkards Revilers Extortioners and such like shall not inherit the Kingdome of God and because of this by Mr. Dells assertion they must be exempted from corporall punishment certainly all the Libertines in the Land would gratifie Master Dell could hee but justifie this Doctrine Christ reproveth his Disciples for discovering such a spirit of Tyranny as to punish men for not receiving him Luke 9. when the Apostles of a Prelaticall and Antichristian spirit in that particular desired fire to come downe from heaven upon them that would not receive him Christ did severely rebuke them then afterwards saith They were of the spirit of Satan and of Antichrist and that this was Antichrist Triumphant You need not wonder that Master Dell should call the Reverend Assembly the last prop of Antichrist and other godly Ministers the Toes of Antichrist hee that cannot affoord the Apostles a good word what can others of inferiour indowments expect from him Oh what a censorious tongue hath this man to asperse the Apostles for every infirmity with the foule blot of Antichristianity 'T is true the desire of the Apostles was inconsiderate and vindicative and shall this mole-hill bee made a mountaine to bee called in them a spirit of Tyranny a Prelaticall and Antichristian spirit yea to charge it upon Christ as if hee should say They were not of his Spirit but of Satans and of Antichrists and this to bee Antichrist Triumphant Oh what a