Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
lord_n day_n great_a holy_a 12,790 5 4.8317 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A30552 To the rulers and to such as are in authority a true and faithful testimony concerning religion, and the establishment thereof, and how it may be established in persons and in nations / by Edward Burrough. Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662. 1659 (1659) Wing B6040A; ESTC R36305 8,238 12

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

TO THE RULERS And to such as are in AUTHORITY A True and faithful testimony concerning Religion and the establishment thereof and how it may be established in persons and in Nations By EDWARD BVRROVGH LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate 1659. THere hath been a great cry of late years among the Priests and many others for the settlement of Religion and this they have sought after from the powers of the Earth and the cry hath been to Parliaments and Rulers by the priests and professors for many years settle us Religion settle us Religion Now to this I answer all this cry and this desire hath been by these Priests and professors to have Parliaments to make Lawes to establish one sect and throw down and limit all others that is the chief thing that hath been eyed in the request and not simply to have true Religion established if we come to shew what true Religion is in it self But people of divers sects have been requiring and desireing every one to have their own sect established and set up and all others thrown down and not to have a place nor to be tolerated so that their cry hath not risen from the ground of true love to true religion but their desire hath chiefly risen and sprung from selfe love to their own sect and from malice and envy against others that were not of their way and this hath been the end of their craving the settlement of Religion and not simply for true religions sake Now religion in it selfe is this the fulfilling of the Law and the Prophets loving God with all their hearts and the neighbour as selfe and doing to all men as they would have men to doe to them and not otherwise doing or speaking towards any then they would that others should speak of or doe to them and a walking towards God in all things as they have received of his Grace answering to the Lord in all things as his spirit leads them and moves them this is true religion towards God and towards man and to have the conscience alwaies kept void of offence that no offence lie upon it in the sight of God nor in the sight of man and this is true religion in it selfe in short declared to wit the leading of the spirit of God into all truth to doe the truth and speak the truth in all things and this Religion is accepted in the sight of God and to be kept unspotted in the world from all its pollutions But now tell me can this religion be setled or any Nation or people or any person in it by any external power or outward authority of men or can the Laws of Kings or Parliaments settle such Religion or make people truly religious or establish a Nation or people in this Religion I say no nor any thing save only the teaching and leading of the holy spirit of God being received from the Father it s that onely that makes men religious and settles a people and Nation therein Oh ye fools and blind Priests and professors that are doting on setling religion among unconverted people by out ward Lawes and earthly powers of men I say no this must not be for the Lawes of men can but settle a sect or some sects and limit other sects but true Religion can never be setled by that meanes for before any be setled in Religion they must first be changed and created a new in Christ Jesus and borne againe of the seed incorruptable and they must first be changed from death to life and from Statans power to God this must first be witnessed before a man or a nation can be religious setled in true Religion he must put off the body of sin and be circumcised in heart and he must have a new Nature planted in him and he planted into Christ a new and living vine before he can love God with all his heart and his neighbour as himselfe and before he can have his conscience kept void of offence and be without stain towards God and towards man and it is onely the word of God and his power in the heart that works this it is only the operation of Gods spirit in and upon a creature that works him unto this it is not the Lawes made by man that doth it nor externall powers of the Earth that can work it therefore true Religion cannot be setled thereby nor a nation or a people in it but only that which changes him and makes him religious that is it onely that must settle religion and Nations and peoples therein and as every one is turned to that of God in him and thereby to feel the power and word and spirit that doth change him and renew him as I have said by this means cometh a man and Nations to be religious and to be setled therein and by no other waies nor meanes and this is done through the preaching of the everlasting Gospell and through the Ministry of Christ which turneth the mindes of people from darknesse to light and from Satans power to God whereby they are changed and made religious and also setled therein and established thereby and it is not by outward Lawes and powers as I have said But what are peoples and the Nations yet to settle in religion and is religion unsetled yet that you are craving Lawes made by men to settle religion what have you preached for this many years what have your preaching been all in vaine and have you done no good this many years by your preaching that Religion is yet to settle Oh blind and ignorant men this is a shame unto you how manie thousands of thousand pounds have the Priests had out of this Nation for teaching religion preaching to people yet the nation remains unsetled in religion and they are beging to the powers of the Earth to constrain compel a settlement of Religion and this shames them and shews that they are they that Paul speakes of and that the people of this nation are them that are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth though you have been long learning you are unsetled and are not come to the knowledge of the truth but had these Priests been such that were sent of the Lord through their ministry would the nations long since have been setled in Religion for they have been teachers long enough and put the Nation to charge great enough that people might have known ere this day the holy annointing to dwell in them and to teach them and to settle them in Religion but it is manifest that they have ran and not been sent but left peoples and nations unsetled as the waters notwithstanding all their preaching and ministry for so many years yet it seemes there wants still a settlement in Religion and seeing their preaching hath had no effect to doe it but their Ministry hath been all in vain and people are
this I cannot call the setlement of true Religion nor are the Nations and peoples hereby established in true Religion but onely false Sects and false religions hath risen and been established by the beasts power who hath carried the whore yea and though many other Sects hath risen and many other horns appeared divers one from another out of the many heads of the beast for his heads hath been many and his horns devided and divers one from another and each head exalting his self above another and each horn pushing one at another and each Sect and horn crying to the beast for power to be established and to have others thrown down and limited through the powers of the earth and thus hath it been for generations and in this Nation in particular and many Sects hath risen besides the Papists and the Protestants and all these Sects hath risen one out of another appeared divers one from another and each one of them hath sought to the powers of the earth for setlement and defence that the other that were contrary to them and of another appearance might be stopt and limited and this hath been done by these teachers and Professors under the account of the establishment of Religion and they have begged to Parliaments and to Rulers for the establishment of Religion and for the stopping of heresie that is to say for tollerating and defending of their own Sect which they call Religion and for the stopping and subduing of all others which they call heresie but confusion hath come upon all this and will upon the like for ever and true Religion never gets established by it but as every new Sect hath appeared that only hath sought establishment against all the rest But yet I say I am not against establishing of true Religion though thus I speak but would have true religion setled and established but doth not seek to the powers of the earth to have true Religion established by earthly Lawes for that cannot establish true religion neither is it at all committed of the Lord to the powers of the Earth or to outward authorities to establish religion or to make men religious for that belongs to the Lord to rule over and in mens consciences to exercise them in the true Religion no Ruler by any Law whatsoever ought to exercise Lordship over the consciences of any people either to exalt or throw down any sect or worship of religion for they are with their Lawes but to rule the outward man to settle their persons and estates in security from the wrong and unrighteous dealing of wicked men and to limit all evill men and evil doers from wronging and doing violence to mens persons and estates this is the work and the place of Kings and Rulers of the earth their power is onely committed to them of the Lord to extend over the outward man to defend and preserve that and be a praise to all that do well and lives righteously and to be a terror and limit and punishers of the unrighteous evil and violent doers this is the Magistrates place and the length and breadth height of his authority whether it reside in King Queen or any other person or persons But for the exercise of conscience that is out of their power and over and beyond it it is not committed of the Lord to them to compel and cause people from or to such a worship and religion it is not the magistrates worke but the ministers work that are sent of Christ to teach religion but let all sects have their course and every religion its liberty in a nation or country so that they doe no violence to one anothers persons and estates and if they do then they fall under the Magistrates power and then let them be punished and let every sect strive to exalt it selfe and to overthrow others by what authority it hath in doctrine and forceable arguments and let them use what spiritual weapons they have and defend themselves thereby and let them that have the spirit of God overcome and let them alone to be established and let all the rest be subdued before that and let that alone be setled onely by the power and authority of the spirit of God which overcomes all the contrary and let all men and all of mans power and authority be silent and quiet and have no hand in this matter and this is the way to establish religion in a nation and a kingdome let the spirit of the Lord have its liberty and let no man whatsoever limit it in them in whom it dwels but let it have its course and its operation and its full authority by them in whom it dwels in whomsoever it be and let all sects whatsoever have their liberty in their arguments and their practices and their worship and then let it be manifest who it is that overcomes and who it is that is overcome and such as overcometh by the same spirit power that gives them victory by that alone let true religion be established and the rest of all sects bow under that true Religion that overcometh all others by the power and authority of the spirit of God and is established thereby all other under that shall bow and whilst this is in tryal and debate let the powers of the earth and the Rulers of the world be all quiet and looke on in patience and let their authority herein be exercised not to limit one or tollerate one more then an other onely let them keep mens persons and estates in peace and defence from the injury and malice and wrong dealing one of another as I have said and here is the way the true and perfect way for the establishing of religion in a Nation among people and if this were brought to passe and had been in generations past then would not the Papists have been prevailed against by the Protestants they being at the first discenting from the Church and sect of the Papist more sincere towards God and more upright to him and in some things more true in doctrine and worship then the other which they discented from though still in the main but a false sect and of a false religion though they hated the whore in some things and they would have prevailed against her through that sincericy towards God that was in them but they gave their power to the beast and would not many other sects have prevailed against them which hath risen out of this and discented from her who was more in the sincerity and uprightnesse towards God than she for God blessed that and loved that in what measure so ever and wheresoever it be I say would not many sects ere this day have prevailed one against another had not the powers of the earth stopped and limited whom they would and given liberty to set up whom they would but now the light of the day is arisen and hath appeared and the Lord is making a way to establish his own Religion by his own Power and he is gathering his seed who shall wax stronger and stronger and shall prevail through all opposition through all false sects and false worships of the earth and they shall wax weaker and weaker and shall never be established in righteousnesse but they and the power that upholds them shall be broken together and this will the Lord bring to passe in his day And thus I have shewed you what true Religion is and how it cann●● be established and how it may be what the authority of earthly Rulers is and how far it extends and doth shew that true Religion cannot be setled thereby but by the Lord alone it must and that it is the worke of Christs ministery and not of earthly power by violent lawes to establish Religion And this is a testimony from the Lord God of heaven and Earth to ye Rulers and Parliaments that makes Laws and ministers Laws meddle not with Religion to establish one sect or sects and to limit and throw down others But feare the Lord God and wait for his wisdome and remember that that hath been a rock whereupon many before you have been split and brought into confusion even when they have gone about to limit or stop or establish Religion how have they been confounded and never had successe from the Lord to such indeavours for the Lord hath never shewed countenance for many generations to such as have attempted to make men religious by outward Laws and to settle Nations therein by outward Lawes Wherefore now be wise ye Rulers and kisse the Son for the wrath of the Lord is already kindled and he will break in pieces and dash Babylons children against the stones and confound the great Whore the false Church and all false sects her daughters who hath been brought forth and set up in Nations ever since the woman the true Church hath been fled into the wildernesse and the beast hath carryed the whore born her and upheld her and she hath journeyed through Nations upon the beast and the Beast hath defended her if any man hath an eare let him heare and this is a visitation to ye Rulers and to all that make Lawes and ministers Laws By a friend to righteous men Edward Burrough The End