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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	apostle_n	church_n	word_n	1,664	5	4.2322	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29318	Brethren in iniquity, or, The confederacy of Papists with sectaries, for the destroying of the true religion, as by law establish'd, plainly detected wherein is shewed a farther account of the Romish snares and intrigues for the destroying the true reformed religion, as professed in the Church of England, and established by law, and for the introducing of popery or atheism among us : clearly shewing from very authentick writers and testimonies, that the principal ways and methods whereby the papists have sought the ruine of our religion and church, from the beginning of our Reformation, to the present times, and by which they are still in hopes of compassing it, are by promoting of toleration, or pretended liberty of conscience, and that for above these sixscore years the papists have so craftily influenced our dissenters, as to make them the unhappy instruments of effecting their most pernicious designs, which they contrived for, the subverting our church and state.		1690 (1690)	Wing B4382; ESTC R6507	50,245	71

Lord Viscount Stafford That they designed to bring in Popery by Toleration as may be seen in his Trial. And now let any impartial Person judge who did most effectually serve the Papist Designs those who kept to the Communion of the Church of England or those who fell into a course of Separation I will allow what Mr. Baxter saith That they might use their Endeavours to exasperate the several Parties against each other and might sometimes press the more rigorous Execution of Laws against them but then it was to set them at a greater distance from us and to make them more pliable to a General Toleration And they sometimes complained That those who were most averse to this found themselves under the Severity of the Law when more Tractable Men escaped which they have weakly imputed to the Bishops when they might easily understand the true causo of such a Discrimination But from the whole it appears That the grand Design of the Papists for many Years was to break in pieces the Constitution of the Church of England which being done they flattered themselves with the hopes of great Accessions to their Strength and Party and in order to this they inflamed the Differences among us to the utmost height on purpise to make all the dissenting Parties to join with them for a General Toleration which they did not question would destroy this Church and advance their Interest And it is a most unfortunate Condition our Church is in That those who design to bring in Popery and the Dissenters who made so great bustles in the late King's Reign to keep it out should now both conspire towards the Destruction of our Church and use all their Art and Industry to undermine and blow up this strongest Bullwork of the Protestant Religion This Reverend and most Learned Person hath also well observ'd how subtilly the Romanists have managed our indiscreet Dissenters Zeal against the Church of England under a pretence of opposing Popery to be one of the more likely ways to bring it in Many Instruments and Engines they made use of in this Design many ways and times they set about it and although they met with several Disappointments yet they never gave it over And is it not very strange that when they can scarce appear for themselves others out of meer Zeal against Popery should carry on their Work for them This seems to be a great Paradox to unthinking People who are carried away with meer Noise and Pretences and hope those will secure them most against the fears of Popery who talk with most Passion and least Understanding against it whereas no persons do really give them greater Advantages than these do For where they meet with intemperate Railings and gross Understandings of the State of the Controversies between them and us the more subtle Romanists will let such alone to spend their Rage and Fury and when the heat is over they will calmly endeavour to let them see how grosly they have been deceived in some things and so will the more easily make them believe they are as much deceived in all the rest And thus the East and West may meet at last and the most furious Dissenters who would be looked upon as the greatest Adversaries to Popery become the easiest Converts This I do really fear will be the case of many Thousands amongst us who now pass for the most zealous Protestants if ever which God forbid that Religion should come to be uppermost in England It is therefore of mighty Consequence for preventing the return of Popery that people rightly understand what it is for when they are as much afraid of an innocent Ceremony as of real Idolatry and think they can Worship and Adore the Host on the same grounds that they may use the Sign of the Cross or Kneel at the Communion when they are brought to see their mistake in one Case they will suspect themselves deceived in the other also For they who took that to be Popery which is not will be apt to think Popery it self not so bad as it was represented and so for want of right Vnderstanding the Differences between us may be carried from one extream to the other For when they find the undoubted Practices of the Ancient Church condemned as Popish and Antichristian by their Teachers they must conclude Popery to be of much greater Antiquity than really it is and when they can trace it so very near the Apostles times they will soon believe it setled by the Apostles themselves For it will be very hard to perswade any considering Men that the Christian Church should degenerate so soon so universally as it must do if Epsscopal Government and the use of some significant Ceremonies were any parts of that Apostacy Will it not seem strange to them that when some humane Polities have preserved their first Constitution so long without any considerable alteration that the Government instituted by Christ and settled by his Apostles should so soon after be changed into another kind and that so easily so insensibly that all the Christian Churches believed they had still the very same Government which the Apostles left them Which is a matter so incredible that those who can believe such a part of Popery could prevail so soon in the Christian Church may be brought upon the like Grounds to belives that many others did so mighty a prejudice doth the Principles of our Church's Enemies bring upon the Cause of the Reformation And those who forego the Testimony of Antiquity as all the Opposers of the Church of England must do must unavoidably run with the Papists which the Principles of our Church do lead us through For we can justly charge Popery as an unreasonable innovation when we allow the undoubted Practices and Government of the Church for many Ages after Christ And the Excellent Learned and most pious Prelate Bishop Saunderson hath observ'd That those who reject the usages of our Church as Popish and Antichristian when assaulted by Papists will be apt to conclude Popery the old Religion which in the purest and primitive Times was professed in all Christian Churches throughout the World whereas the sober Church of England Protestant is able by the Grace of God with clear Evidence of Truth to justifie the Church of England from all imputation of Heresie or Schism and the Religion thereof as it stood by Law established from the like imputation of Novelty And in this he professes to lay open the inmost thoughts of his Heart in this sad Business before God and the World And he further saith The Dissenting Brethren were great promoters of the Roman Interest among us in the late Times of Usurpation by putting their helping hand to the pulling down of Episcopacy And saith he 't is very well known to many what rejoicing that Vote brought to the Romish Party how even in Rome it self they sung their Io-Paeans upon the tidings thereof and said triumphantly Now the Day

Protestant Religion and touching the Evils of Toleration how pernitious it is to the true Religion DOctor Cornelius Burgess in a Sermon before the Commons Nov. 5. 1641. p. 63 c. thus Preach'd I beseech you in the Name of the Great God whom you serve to resume and pursue your first thoughts of setting up God and his Ordinances as becomes you in a regular way that our Church and the Government thereof may be no longer laid waste and exposed to Confusion under the plansible pretence Of not forcing Mens Consciences To put all Men into a course of Order and Uniformity in God's way is not to force the Conscience but to set up God is his due place and to bring all his People into the path of Righteousness and Life Also in a Sermon before the Commons at a publick Fast March 30. 1642. p. 35. he thus speaks his mind Be there none of you that foresee the fatal Mischief of leaving all Men to their Liberties in the things of God and yet want Hearts to use your Skill and Interest to make haste to settle Matters of Religion lest you come too late with a Remedy when the Disease is grown incurable and the Kingdom grown to that pass as the grave Historian Livy noted of Rome that it cannot bear the Malady nor endure the Cure p. 46. Do you not see or hear daily of the Disorders Sects Rents and Schisms that every where bud forth already and threaten all Order Unity and Government Give the Water but a passage without speedy making up the Banks and you know how soon whole Seas will break in upon us and render all irrecoverable and incurable If one difficulty occurr to day it will be doubled yea multiplied to morrow There is no Hydra so fertile of heads as Errour and Schism grown to some strength and maturity It will ask but a short time of Connivence afterwards there will be no curbing nor shaming of it Nothing is so confident as Ignorance impudent as Falshood and catching as Errour In another Sermon before the Commons at a Publick Fast April 30. 1645. pag. 51 52. he exhorts them thus Take heed of those spirits of Errour who with fair specious words make Merchandice of you beguiling unstable Souls Beware of those Compliances with and Indulgences to all sorts of Sects and Schisms now pleaded for both by word and writing as if it were part of Christ's Legacy and his peoples Liberty to be of what Religion they will To be tolerated in any Opinions never so erroneous and pernicious untill farther light that it is the Magistrates duty to protect them in that Liberty and that the contrary thereunto is to persecute Christ Hath God inserted this as one main branch of his grand Covenant with his people under the Gospel I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever Jer. 32.39 that is That they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent Zeph. 3.9 Did Christ ascend up on high and give Gifts unto men and gave some Apostles and some Prophets some Evangelists and some Teachers for the perfecting of Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come into the unity of the Faith and is it Persecution and Antichristianism to engage all to Unity and Uniformity Doth Paul bid the Philippians to beware of the Concision Phil. 3.2 Doth he beseech the Romans to mark those which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which they had received and avoid them and that upon this ground that they who are such serve not the Lord Jesus but their own bellies however by good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16.17 18. Doth he writing to the Galatians wish I would they were cut off that trouble you Gal. 5.12 And is it such an hanious Offence now for the faithfull Servants of Christ to advise you to the same course O Heavens be astonish'd at this and blush for the Ignorance of some and Ignorance of others that dare so boldly press for such a Toleration which none but vain destructive Thoughts of Carnal men can look upon without indignation and horrour Beware how you hearken to these Empyricks and Syrens who seek to charm the World into a deep sleep by presenting their Considence of a Necessity of compliance with all sorts of Sectaries yea of trusting the sword in their hands for fear of losing the godly Party as too many proudly stile themselves by way of difference from all that are not of their Opinions and Ways What is this but to teach God a new Form of Politicks to proclaim that it is not always safe to hold out the Truth of the Gospel and to command all men to embrace it but much safer to halt between two Opinions Belike King Josiah went beyond his bounds when after himself had sworn a solemn Covenant to the Lord He made all Judah and Benjamin to stand to it and made all that were present in Israel to serve the Lord their God 2 Chron. 34.32 33. And Asa much more when he drew all the people into a Covenant That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death whether small or great man or woman 2 Chron. 15.13 But the ample and transcendant Commendations which the Lord gives unto these pious Kings especially in reference to their Sincerity and Zeal of reforming and setling of Religion in one uniform way may sufficiently warrant and encourage all Religious Magistrates to take care That all under their Goverment should serve the Lord with one shoulder this being not a Tyranny over men but the Privilege of the Gospel Settle this in your hearts God's truth the true Worship and Discipline of Christ set up and established in one uniform way never prejudic'd any Nation or State where it had free passage in any the least degree but hath ever been their Safety Happiness and Honour It is errour how much soever cried up not Truth how much soever cried down and blasphemed that makes and foments Factions and Rents Let people enjoy their just Privileges and Liberties wherewith Christ hath made them free not such Licentiousness as is abused for a cloak of Naughtiness Dr. William Good in a Sermon before the Commons March 26. 1645 declares his mind thus I doubt not but your Souls abhorr that bloody tenet to the Souls of men That it is the duty of the Magistrate to tolerate all Religions What is it that shall be unlawful if this be lawful for every Man to make a Law and Religion for himself Such allowance would prove destructive to Holiness both Personal and Domestical Omnis Religio nulla Religio a Toleration of all Religions would soon dwindle into no Religion Much more to this purpose may be seen in this Sermon Mr. Thomas Case in his Sermon before the Commons May. 26. 1647. pag.