Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	church_n	reason_n	2,125	5	5.7482	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

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

that concerns the eternal Salvation of the Soul wherein to erre cannot but be most dangerous and destructive Diversity of Religion disjoints and distracts the minds of Men and is the seminary of perpetual Hatreds Jealousies Seditions Wars if any thing in the World be and in a little time either a Schism in the State begets a Schism in the Church or a Schism in the Church begets a Schism in the State that is either Religion and the Church is prejudiced by civil Contentions or Church Controversies and Disputes about Opinions break out into Civil Wars Men will at last take up Swords and Spears instead of Pens and defend by Arms what they cannot do by Arguments Once for all It is the preservation of Religion and Reformation of it which you have covenanted to endeavour and not a Liberty of Opinion that will consist with neither It is the Extirpation of Heresie and Schism that you have covenanted which if it be connived at why doth the Apostle reprove the Corinthians for their Schism so much and why doth the Lord Jesus commend the Angel of the Church of Ephesus for trying those which said they were Apostles and were not And why is the Angel of the Church of Thyatira reproved for suffering that Woman jezebel who called her self a Prophetess to teach and seduce If once we come to this that any Man be suffered to teach what he pleaseth to seduce whom he list to be of what Faith or Religion seems good in his own Eyes farewel Covenant farewel reformed Religion farewel the Peace and Glory of England if that day once come It is not usual nay it is not possible that they which love God sincerely should desire to cherish differing Religions For it is most certain He that admits contrary Religions believes neither of them In another Sermon at Paul's Feb. 8. 1645. p. 12. Mr. Newcomen saith If it be lawful for every Man to entertain and hold what Opinion he pleaseth how differing soever from the Opinion and Judgment of the rest of the Church yet because this is his Opinion and his Judgment is perswaded of it he must follow his own Judgment and that this Liberty of practising his Judgment be as some say Liberty of Conscience part of the Liberty purchased by Jesus and to restrain it is in their Language Persecution Tyranny c. If this were true surely Paul did very ill to charge the Corinthians with so much Authority to be of the same mind and of the same Judgment 2 Cor. 13.11 Might not some among the Corinthians have said to Paul This is a hard usage this is to rack a low Man to the same length with a taller and to cut a tall Man to the stature of one that is low as Procrustes did by his Guests to suit his Bed What the same Judgment and the same Mind Will not Paul allow difference of Lights and Sights Might not some one among the Corinthians have said What if I am of Opinion that there is no Resurrection what hath Paul or any Man to do with that It is my Conscience and it is my Liberty what hath any Man to do with my Conscience more than I with his Might not Hymeneus have said What if it be my Opinion That the Resurrection is past already 2 Tim. 2.18 what hath Paul to doe with that Yes saith Paul If ye persist obstinate I will Excommunicate you I will deliver you up to Satan that you may learn not to blaspheme 1 Tim. 1.20 Certainly this shelter this Asylum of Error falsly called Liberty of Conscience was not thought of in former Times See more of the sinfulness and very mischievous Consequences of Toleration in the Book of the Learned Presbyterian Minister Mr. Thomas Edwards entitled The casting down of the last and strongest hold of Satan or a Treatise against Toleration and pretended Liberty of Conscience wherein by Scripture sound Reason Fathers Schoolmen Casuists Protestants Divines of all Nations Confessions of Faith of the reformed Churches Ecclesiastical Histories and constant Practice of the most pious and wisest Emperors Princes States the best Writers of Politicks the Experience of all Ages yea by divers Principles and Proceedings of Sectaries themselves as Donatists Anabaptists Brownists and Independants the unlawfulness and mischief in a Christian State or Kingdom both of an universal Toleration of all Religions and of a limited or bounded of some Sects only are clearly proved and demonstrated with all the material Grounds and Reasons brought for such Tolerations fully answered Printed 1647. Mr. Edmund Calamy his Opinion concerning the Sinfulness of Separating from the publick Assemblies Take heed of separating from the Publick Assemblies of the Saints I have found by experience that all our Church Calamities have sprung from this Root He that separates from the publick Worship is like a man tumbling down a Hill and never leaving till he comes to the bottom of it I could relate many sad Stories of persons professing Godliness who out of dislike to our Church-meetings began at first to separate from them and after many Changes and Alterations were turned some of them Ranters some Quakers some Anabaptists some direct Atheists But I forbear you must hold Communion with all those Churches with which Christ holds Communion you must separate from the Sins of Christians but not from the Ordinances of Christ Take heed of Unchurching the Churches of Christ least you prove Schismaticks instead of being true Christians Mr. Edmund Calamy 's Godly Man's Ark Epist. Dedic to the Parish of Aldermanbury Direction Fourteenth A Sentence of Mr. Richard Baxter concerning the evils and great danger of leaving Parish Churches Consider this 'T is the Judgment of some That thousands are gone to Hell and ten thousands upon their march thither that in all probability had never come there if they had not been tempted from the Parish Churches for the enjoyment of Communion in a purer Church Mr. Richard Baxter 's Epist to separate Congregations Mr. Baxter his Sence of the Evils of different Rites and Opinions and of the necessity of Vniformity to preserve the Church From diversity in Opinion and external Rites resulteth Dislike thence Enmity thence Opposition thence Schism in Church and Sedition in State the State not standing secure without the Church nor the Church without Unity nor Unity without Uniformity Votes of the Honourable House of Commons Feb. 5. 1662. upon reading his Majesty's gracious Declaration and Speech c. Die Mercurii 25. Feb. Regni Car. 2. Regis 15o. Resolved nemine contradicente THAT the humble Thanks of this House be returned to his Majesty for his Resolution to maintain the Act of Uniformity Resolved also That it be presented to the King's Majesty as the humble Advice of the House That no Indulgence be granted to the Dissenters from the Act of Uniformity Part of their Address which contains their Reasons against Toleration is as followeth After all this we most humbly beseech your Majesty to