Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	conscience_n	faith_n	unfeigned_a	2,594	5	11.1136	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52316	The project of peace, or, Unity of faith and government, the only expedient to procure peace, both foreign and domestique and to preserve these nations from the danger of popery and arbitrary tyranny by the author of the countermine.	Nalson, John, 1638?-1686.	1678 (1678)	Wing N113; ESTC R3879	154,518	354

grown so numerous that if they should by a Common consent have deserted the Empire they would have left Desolation behind them THIS being therefore granted That our Obedience to the Laws of the Polity or Nation wherein we live so long as they command nothing contrary to the Divine Law is a part of our Christian Religion as may be easily made appear from Reason Scripture and the Practice of the best and purest Ages of Primitive Christianity even in such Constitutions as concern the Government of the Church as well as the Temporal Affairs of State which was done with great happiness to both in the Reigns of Constantine the Great and many other Christian Emperors I will therefore proceed upon this Position to shew that in Order to the happy Condition both of Civil and Religious Affairs there is an absolute Necessity of Vnity and Vniformity of Government Ecclesiastical in a National Church THIS Necessity is grounded both in the Prudence of the Lawful Policy and Religious Wisdom I will begin with the Religious Necessity WE must therefore consider the Essence the Nature the Design and the Intention of the Gospel in that part of it which differences it from all other Religions both Pagan Jewish and Mahumetan for the Intention of that must be our Great Design if we will be true Followers of Christ and not in Words profess we own him but in Actions deny him and his Royal Priesthood over us NOW the very Essence of Christian Religion consists in Love or Charity this is the New Commandment and the fulfilling of the Old and herein it is that Christianity differs from and Excells all other Religions The Heathens knew no more of this than their Interest obliged them to and therefore all those of Different Nations Manners or Religions were esteemed Barbarians and Enemies and accordingly treated and had not God Almighty permitted the Regiment of the World to be Absolute and Tyrannical this want of Charity one to another would certainly have thrown them into perpetual Civil Wars and Confusion amongst themselves there being then no Rein upon Ambitious Spirits but Fear of the Arbitrary Power and Will of their Princes which was the Supreme Law by which they Rul'd their Subjects And even the Law of Moses according to the corrupt gloss of the Scribes and Pharisees said Thou shalt love thy Neighbour and hate thine Enemy Matt. 5.43 and according to the letter of it Exacted Life for Life Eye for Eye Tooth for Tooth But when the Eternal Son of the Blessed came into the World both to Redeem it and Renew it to Exalt men who were sunk into a Degeneracy below the Beasts that Perish and to make them partakers of the Divine Nature he teaches another Doctrine very harsh to Flesh and Blood but such as would in reality make them resemble God their Heavenly Father He teaches them to Love their Enemies to Bless them that Curse us to do good to them that hate us to Pray for them that despightfully Vse us and Persecute us by which Methods we shall come to be the true Children of the true God whose Glorious Sun riseth upon the Evil and the Good Matt. 5.44 45. and whose fruitful Showers fall upon the Just and the Vnjust This Love he makes the Foundation of Religion which he was to introduce into the World proceeding from the infinite Love of God to Mankind from the God of Love and therefore he tells us that the whole Law is comprised in these two Commandments Matt. 22.37 38 39 40. to Love God and our Neighbour And therefore he does so often repeat that which he calls the New Commandment Joh. 13.34 35. A new Commandment I give unto you That ye Love one another as I have Loved you that ye also Love one another by this shall all men know that you are my Disciples if ye have Love one for another And what he taught he also confirmed by his Example In that he died for us when we were Enemies NOW the Command being Vniversal to all those who are the Disciples of Christ they who hate another because they differ or dissent from them in some things which Christ having left indifferent has therefore left to the Wisdom of those with whom he intrusted the Government of the Church to determine as they shall Judge most conducive to this great Design of Charity cannot be the true Disciples of Christ 1 Joh. 4.40 for If any man say I love God and hate his Brother he is a Lyar. And therefore the holy Apostles and particularly the beloved Disciple St. John lays such weight upon this Duty and so frequently commands it that his three Epistles are scarce any thing else but a repetition of that Command and the reasons for it which brings into mind what I have somewhere read of that Apostle that in his extreme old age residing at Ephesus and governing the Churches of the lesser Asia when he was not able to perform the Offices of the Church yet he would be carried in his chair to the Assembly of Christians where he would several times repeat this Sentence My little Children love one another and being demanded the reason of this short but Excellent Sermon he made answer to this Effect because It did comprise the sum of all Religion and that Charity would cover a multitude of other faults And therefore St. Paul doubts not to give it the preheminence above the two other principal Graces 1 Cor. 13.13 Now says he abideth Faith Hope and Charity but the greatest of these is Charity For when Hope shall be compleated by possession and Faith changed into Fruition then shall Charity be most triumphant as being the Life of Heaven and the pleasing imployment of a glorious Eternity And certainly it is this love unseigned both towards God and towards our Brethren that is so of the Essence of Religion that without both these it is but a meer Impostor for no person can truely fear God who does not smcerely love him and no man loves God sincerely who does not love his Brother also 1 Tim. 5.1 For the End of the Commandment is Charity out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and Faith Vnfeined NOW taking this for a Foundation which no good Christian can deny I proceed to shew that it is absolutely impossible to maintain this Charity without Vnity both of Faith and Government in a National Church and to make it evident I should need no stronger Argument than what the holy Apostle St. Paul subjoyns in the words following those of his last repeated From which says he some having swerved have turned aside to vain Jangling Here is the source of all the Churches Miseries this vain jangling has ever been the occasion of all those Dissentions and Divisions those mischievous Quarrels which have not confined themselves to Words but have proceeded to the Outrages of Blows and Blood it is want of Charity and that

did not believe the Theological Point of Transubstantiation and when nothing else would do then the killing Question What say you to the Sacrament of the Altar was sure to turn them over to the Secular Power for Hereticks and it was not long before the Writ de Hereticis Comburendis brought them to their Funeral Pile But if any thing which men pretend to be matter of Faith be found by Experience dangerous to Society destructive of the Fundamentals of our Government may not we Lawfully indeavour to oblige those who own that Faith to give security that they do not believe it so as to be prejudicial to the Government such are the Doctrines of the Popes Supremacy and Power not only to Excommunicate but to Depose Princes and dispose of their Crowns that Equivocation even upon a solemn Oath is lawful a Position that Ruines all Religion and Fidelity and the very Reputation of Humane Nature And yet a Treatise I have seen written to this Purpose in the latter end of Queen Elizabeth's Reign and approved by Blackwell the Archpriest in these words Tractatus iste valdé doctus veré pius Catkolicus est c. Certissimé SS Scripturarum Patrum Doctorum Scholasticorum Canonistarum optimarum Rationum presidijs plenissimé firmat aequitatem aequivocationis Ideoque dignissimus est qui Typis propagatur ad consolationem afflictorum Catholicorum omnium piorum Instructionem This Treatise saith he is very Learned and truly Pious and Catholique Certainly therein the Equity of Equivocation is fully proved by the strongest Reasons out of Scriptures Fathers Doctors Schoolmen and Canonists and therefore is most Worthy to be Printed for the Comfort of afflicted Catholiques and the Instruction of all good People Must now the indeavouring to suppress the Authors of such Doctrine be Persecution for Conscience sake have these Opinions no Influence upon Humane Society As to the Second Note a Liberty of believing or disbelieving this or that Doctrine only in order to a private way of Worship c. Who ever denyed this Liberty Is there any Judg of thoughts of the heart besides God Is any man denyed to enjoy his private Opinion or can he be so long as it continues so But if People will Transgress these Limits and impose matters of private Opinion as matters of Faith in order to practice and such Opinions as ruine Charity disturb Peace unsettle Government must these too be Tollerated And such are the Opinions of Rome and Geneva And it is not a private but a publique Liberty which is denyed them a Liberty to Poyson Mens Loyalty and first Murder their Allegiance that they may with more ease Murder the Government A Liberty to banish Charity Peace and Vnity out of the Church to Establish true Religion without them So that if he would stick to his Demands he could no sooner ask than have such a Tolleration as is not in the Power of any Mortal Authority to abridge any man of and it is impossible for any person to suffer Persecution for his private Opinion for no man can be punished but for what is known to be his Opinion by his own Confession and when it comes to be so either by his words or Actions it ceases to be Private For suppose a man were a Mahometan but no person knew it besides himself who could tax him with it or punish him for it but if he will make his house a Mosque and endeavour to Convert others to the Alchoran to make a Party and to Erect the Crescents to pull down the Cross and the Crown would that be private or deserve Tolleration BUT to trace him he tells us p. 1. That no man has power over Conscience therefor Imposition and Violence are unlawful A very Logical Consequence No Prince has power to Punish therefore not to Tollerate neither God hath Exempted the Soul out of his Commission but not the Body Why does he then demand that which is not in their Power to Grant As for his Examples which he gives for Tolleration from Turks and Pagans they are but ill Presidents for Christians And for the Instance of Theodosius and Gratian if Socrates be to be credited it is a great Slander upon those two good Emperors Gratian indeed Secr. Ecc. Hist li. 5. c. 2. 10. at his first coming to the Crown gave Liberty that every Sect and Opinion should freely without Molestation frequent their wonted Assemblies except the Eunomians Photinians and Manichees But no sooner was he setled in the Empire God 1. Tit. 5. lege Omnes and had joyned Theodosius to him but they command that all Heresies should for ever keep Silence The same Prohibition Arcadus and Honorius continue and Augment Ibid. lege Cuncti Let all Hereticks say they understand that all places must be taken from them as well Churches as other places of Meeting as private Houses in which let them be debar'd from Service both by Night and by Day Ibid. leg Ariani and the Lord Deputy of the Province was to look to the Execution of this Law and if he permitted their Meetings either openly or secretly he was to fine for it 100 l. Theodosius the Younger whom Socrates compares to Moses for his Meekness and Excellent Nature yet with Valentinian his Cousin summing up in a Catalogue the Hereticks of that Time Commands that no where within the Roman Empire their Assemblies or Prayers should be permitted but that all Laws made to Prohibit their Meetings should be revived and made perpetual And this they did because they thought the Civil Power was obliged to Protect the Ecclesiastical and to maintain Peace in the Church of God and as our Advocate quotes the Wise Sir Francis Bacon for another purpose pag. 7. Because the Sword of Dissention ought not be put into the Peoples hands to nourish Seditions Treasons Conspiracies c. which were to dash the first Table against the second and to consider Men as Christians so as to forget they are Men which with the Gentlemans favour is not much to his advantage since these are all the Effects and necessary Consequences of Tolleration IT was the great Misfortune of the Poet Claudian that his Excellent Wit fell upon dry and barren Subjects the same ill Luck has this Writer in falling upon this Subject of Liberty of Conscience so contrary to his own and the Judgment of his Church that I shall use no other Arguments than his own Words and by turning his own Cannon upon his Castle in the Air I do not Question but to make him quit his Fortifications The Truth is I like his Title of Advocate for he proves himself one and acts the Advocate exactly making the best he can of a bad Cause but so great is Truth that it needs no other Advocate nor any better Arguments than even in speaking against her he is compelled to use for her Pag. 41. The ancient Original Fundamental Laws says he by which other Laws