Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	good_a	know_v	love_v	12,241	5	6.1095	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59950	A brief testimony for religion shewing that all penal laws, force, and violence against any matters of meer religion and conscience are inconsistant with the doctrines and precepts of Jesus Christ : presented to the consideration of all, but more especially those that may be chosen members of Parliament, that they may see cause to concur with the Kings gracious declaration for liberty of conscience / by a lover of the King and his country, and hater of no man because of his opinion, William Shewen.	Shewen, William, 1631?-1695.	1688 (1688)	Wing S3419; ESTC R10942	11,928	21

A BRIEF TESTIMONY FOR RELIGION SHEWING That all PENAL LAWS Force and Violence against any for Matters of meer Religion and Conscience are Inconsistent with the DOCTRINES and PRECEPTS of Jesus Christ PRESENTED To the Consideration of all but more Especially those that may be chosen Members of Parliament that they may see cause to concur with the Kings Gracious Declaration for Liberty of Conscience By a Lover of the King and his Country and a Hater of no Man because of his Opinion WILLIAM SHEWEN Printed in the Year 1688. A Brief Testimony for Religion shewing that all Penal Laws Force and Violence against any for Matters of meer Religion and Conscience are inconsistent with the Doctrines and Precepts of Christ Jesus c. THE Principle of Religion is Inward Spiritual and Divine not contained in Books nor taught by the Precepts of Men being before Books and the Precepts of Men were inwented and is in it self Sacred Pure and Undefiled Grounded Planted and Placed in the Heart of Mankind by the Sacred Pure Vndefiled God who hath given unto all Life Breath and Being And in all Nations upon the Face of the Earth all People therein who fear God and worketh Righteousness are accepted by him being in the Exercise of true Religion doing Justly loving Mercy and walking uprightly with God. Now tho' God hath sown this Seed laid this Foundation of Equity Justice Righteousness Mercy and Fear towards him in the Hearts of all Men yet they are greatly Degenerated therefrom those plants of his own Right-hand planting are greatly overgrown with that which is quite contrary viz. with the Weeds and Plants of Iniquity Injustice Vnrighteousness Cruelty Violence Disobedience Rebellion against God and one another so that almost the whole World of Mankind is now become Enemies to God Nature and their own selves in all Nations Countries and Kingdoms according to the degree of their Degeneration from the Law Light Love Dread and Fear of the Almighty God which he at first Placed Planted and Engraved in the Heart of Mankind Some in most Nations from the effect of what still remains have been made sensible of their Loss Nakedness and Degeneration from the likeness and Image of God viz. Vprightness Holiness Equity Justice and Mercy c. And they have been greatly concerned in their Thoughts Wills and faln understandings how to gain the same again and have therein invented and set up among Jews Turks and Indians as in Christendome various sorts and manners of VVorships and Ceremonies of Religion so called thinking thereby to please God profit themselves and others by teaching and compelling if they have Power the observance thereof tho in so doing they can go no further than Adam and Cain did hide and make a Covering with fig-leaves offer a Sacrifice with one hand and Murther with the other and are no more accepted therein than they were and the infallible reason and cause of it is because all the Righteousness and VVickedness proceeding from Mankind in this Degenerate State are both evil in the sight of God. Mankind through his Fall and Degeneration is so Polluted so Defiled so Corrupted with the stinking Leprosie of Sin that whatever he puts his hand to in things relating to Religion and the service of God is abomintion in his sight yea the very Prayers of the Wicked are sin and out of this Estate he cannot help himself he cannot Purge nor Purifie himself nor redeem nor deliver himself by all his working willing and running the Serpent is too Strong too powerful too Subtile and cunning for all Mankind in this Estate without a Saviour without a Redeemer without a Restorer and Deliverer all Perish c. Therefore God in his infinite Love and Kindness did promise and hath performed hath given and laid help upon one that is mighty to Save to Redeem to Purge Purifie and Restore lost Man Defiled Corrupted Captivated Man into the Image of God again into Righteousness Purity and Holiness again and the first name this Redeemer and Saviour hath in the Holy Scriptures is the Seed of the Woman and his first work is to bruise the head of the Serpent Now this promis'd seed this precious gift of God hath many other names throughout the Holy Scriptures and hath many other works to do in and for Mankind the Serpents head must not only be bruis'd by him but he and all his works destroyed and cast out of the heart of Mankind And this was and is the blessed end of his coming and appearing even to destroy the Devil and all his Works finish sin and bring in everlasting Righteousness in the room thereof Even into the heart and mind of Mankind which is Gods Throne tho the Serpent the Devil hath usurped it my desire is that all may come to enjoy that blessed Estate through Jesus Christ the Saviour VVhich Jesus Christ the Saviour is the Author and Founder of the Christian Religion in the Purity and Power of it which Religion excels all other Religions upon the Face of the Earth who are Impure Imperfect and VVeak made up of Mens Inventions Precepts and Traditions Carnal Ordinances VVorldly Rudiments and Beggarly Elements which had a beginning and must have an end together with all Hatred and Persecution about them for it hath been and i● about these things that those who lived in and under them have made Laws to force and compel observance and Conformity thereto for nothing of that fort or nature ever did or can proceed from the Christian Religion in the Purity and Power of it It s Fundamental Principles Precepts Doctrines and Examples are quite the contrary Love your Enemies Bless them that Curse you Do good to them that hate you Pray for them that dispitefully use you and persecute your As you would that Men should do unto you Do so likewise unto them Be like your Heavenly Father who maketh his Sun to shine on the Evil and on the good and sendeth Rain on the Just and on the Vnjust Love one another as I have loved you love ye also one another By this shall all Men know that you are my Disciples if you have love to one another Do good to all c. This is the Tenure of the Gospel of Christ Peace on Earth and good will to Men. And they only were and are Disciples indeed who did and do observe those divine Precepts and Commands of Christ And all that profess love to him and a knowledge of him and keepeth not his Commandments are Lyars and the Truth is not in them let them profess what they will. There is no ground nor foundation for Sangunary Laws nor for any sort of Persecution Violence or Cruelty about Religion in the lovely meek quiet and innocent Spirit of Christianity nor in the Precepts Principles and Discipline of it they have certainly arose in Christendom from another Spirit that hath assum'd the Name and Usurp't the Throne of God the Heart and mind of Man which hath come

thing could be would be as a Monster in Nature that which is in its self most mild loving gentle harmless and innocent would become the most wild cruel ravenous and devouring if this could be not only Nature but Religion it self would be turned quite out of course Lillies would tear the Thorns and Lambs devour the Wolves and the Sheep prey upon the Tygers Bears and Lyons and the innocent Dove would devour the Birds of prey But these things cannot be therefore it may certainly be concluded and infallibly believed that whoever is found promoting or acting Cruelty or Violence against any under the name and profession of the Christian Religon are Wolves in Sheeps cloathing painted Sepulchres and professing Hypocrites neither truly loving God nor their Neighbour which Love is the Foundation of true Religion and by their works and doings not by their words they may be and are known Now when these poor deceived distemper'd people are known evidently by the Signs of their disease aforementioned what course is to be taken with them what means and medicine doth Humanity and Christianity call for And how far is the Christian Magistrate and Law-makers concerned about such things Ans First they are greatly to be pitied because the Cause of their distempers generally is Hereditary they are born of Jews Turks or Mahometans Infidels or Christians and are trained up and educated in their Various ways and worships beliefs and opinions about Religion by their Parents and Tutors so that they are Tinctured if not possessed with Hereditary traditional Religion or the Opinions of their Fore-fathers before they know they are men and become so bound with the Chains of Tradition Custom and Opinion in the things relating to Religion that they give up their Wills Judgment Vnderstanding Conscience and all for the forced Maintenance and Propagation thereof tho it be to their own hurt and the ruin of others not knowing nor rightly understanding what they do being captivated as above and the cause in the beginning chiefly from others Therefore even as Humanity teacheth to pity and take care of poor blind people and such who are under a great Lunary or Distraction naturally as to provide for and prevent their hurting themselves and others so it leadeth to do the same for those that are blinded and distracted through Tradition Custom Superstitious Education and opinion and Christianity teacheth a farther Lesson even to pray for them and with all mildness gentleness tenderness and love to endeavour their better information in order to their deliverance and redemption from under those sinful customs and false opinions whose Tyranny and oppression makes not only Fools but wise men mad And for so doing Christ himself hath left Example not only in his divine Precepts and Commandments before mentioned but in his own person when he prayed for those great professing people the Jews whom he also wept over and expressed as much tenderness towards them as a Hen hath towards her Chicken and when they were upon the point of Executing their utmost of envy rage blindness and madness upon him he said Father forgive them for they know not what they do and his Apostle Paul said if they had known him they would not have Crucified the Lord of Glory this he knew to be true by woful experience himself being blind and ignorant while a mad zealous Persecutor ignorance and envy hath been and is the cause of all violence against the Righteous and about Religion throughout all former Ages and let the pretence be what it will it hath no other foundation in this Age. All the Inventers of Creeds Articles of Faith Mass-books Common-prayer-books Directories and other Prescribers of set forms of worship in whole Christendom have been prone to Curse persecution against such as comply not therewith especially when any one of them becomes National and are possessed of great Revenues for the maintenance of the same that is as Oyl to the Flame that hath devoured many and disturbed the whole Christian World. Therefore it concerns the Christian Magistrates and Law-makers to take care that none of those people have power and opportunity to force and compel under corporal pains and penalties the observation of their inventions and prescriptions for such things proceeds not from true Religion but from the opinion and imagination about it and as hath been said is inconsistent with it Now the great men of this Island of Great Brittain who are and may be concerned to make and execute Laws may in the first place see it absolutely needful to abrogate and demolish all such Laws about Religion as have proceeded from people in the State above as all Laws to banish hang burn Stigmatize whip and imprison the Bodies of people for matters of meer Religion and Conscience are and to make and establish such Laws in the room thereof as may prevent any sort or Sect of people to hurt rifle and spoil their Neighbours and Country-men because they may disser in their understanding and practice in matters of worship and religion and that may command and enjoyn morality and good Neighbourhood among men of different perswations about forms of worship c. herein the Nation would be made happy even in your imitating the great God of Love Peace and Vnity in the midst of all variety and the light of his countenance would shine in you and upon you And now you have a Season for so doing The King in his late tender gracious Declaration hath out-done all the Princes of Christendom and set them a glorious example by following which they may make themselves and all their people happy He is a Prince of great observation and experience and hath thereby made himself a Throne in the Hearts and affections of his people And if you do but cast an impartial Eye void of prejudice and opinion you will find none throughout the Nation but such who are captivated thereby and have been and would be again persecutors about the mode and manner of Religion and Church Ceremonies it being the Nature of every Sect private Spirit and opinion to use force and compulsion when able because false opinion blind Zeal and traditional Faith is some of the Wine with which the Whores cup is filled whereby those that drink freely thereof supposing it to be the Wine of the Kingdom are made Drunk intoxicated and mad therewith as hath been said you will find none but such that are for the continuation of such Laws as would spoil men of their lives liberties and Estates in this World about the things of another about matters of meer Religion and Conscience about humane inventions carnal ordinances and circumstances of Religion and Worship to the great shame and scandal of Christian Religion which never came into the World at that Door neither did it ever use or prevail by such means nor ever will being certainly true that all that are found in that way and work under the profession of Christianity they are in