Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	evil_a	good_a	indifferent_a	2,973	5	9.5052	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54417	Samaritanism, or, A treatise of comprehending, compounding and tolerating several religions in one church demonstrating the equity, and necessity of the act and late vote of Parliament against non-conformists, from reason, the ancient church, and the opinions and practice of papists and Puritans now plotting and pleading for toleration.	Perrinchief, Richard, 1623?-1673.	1664 (1664)	Wing P1604; ESTC R36671	69,567	82

Schismaticks no not their brethren the Independents whom they dare not call Here ticks and who had deserved so well at their hands which as yet they never did at ours than Hereticks 3ly The practise of the ancient Church as in part we have shewed did aswaies persecute Schismaticks as well as Hereticks 4ly The Pseas and Excuse of our Dissenters are not so allowable in the principle point of Heresie as are most Hereticks For there being two Essential parts of Heresie generally received A Formal part consisting in the pravity of the mind and disposition of the heart and obstinacy of the will And a Material part consisting in the Errour it self maintained Men of our Age and Countrey have more of the Formality of Hereticks than they who are direct Hereticks Forasmuch as an Heretick erring in Articles of Faith may be truly said and allowed to make a conscience of what he though Erroniously believes for being matters of Faith they are proper Objects of Conscience whose Sphere is good and Evil. But they who do not differ not dissent as they say in Matters of Faith from the Church but yet keep themselves at a distance from the Authority of the same may indeed whether we will or no call their dissenting by the name of Conscience but it is well known in reason or propriety of speech it cannot be so termed when there not so much as appears Good or Evil in the thing it self And therefore it must of necessity be Resolution not to agree or yield and that is nothing else but obstmacy as their own justifications do imply when being demanded why they cannot in Conscience comply They to my knowledge answer They cannot do it Fifthly As Mr. Edwards said against the Independents we may say against the Presbyterians viz. That we know not the bottom of their Reformation nor where it will end nor what it doth hold notwithstanding their published Confessions and Catechisms Larger or Lesser there being infinite Points which like obstructions to a man travailing by Mapps when they shall come to put in practice will arise unexpectedly And besides Mr. Cartwright whom they follow as their Modern Apostle tells us in their stead Cartwright's Reply to Bishop Whitgift pag. 5. Cortain of the things we stand upon are such that if every hair of our head were a life we ought to afford them for the defence of them Again in the same Treatise he reproveth Bishop Whitgift for distinguishing between matters of Faith and necessary to Salvation Id. pag. 14. And Reply to the Answer pag. 1. and Ceremonies Orders and Discipline of the Church as though saith he matters of Discipline and kind of Government were not matters necessary to Salvation and of Faith Are these men understood or to be trusted when they say they demand only such things as we may easily grant Will they lay down their lives for them Secondly They profess that they are ready to come up to us if we would grant certain light matters But with what truth and sincerity let their Actions all along speak which aimed at nothing less than the ruin and absolute dissolution of our Church And let Thomas Cartwright in the next place tell us in these words Id. Reply pag. 102. Indeed it were more safe for us to conform our indiff●rent Ceremonies to the Turks which are far off than to the Papists which are so near And we well know how altogether Popish we are in our Ceremonies according to their opinion And we being as near their Discipline as they are to our Ceremonies and Government may we not as well say Indeed it were more safe for us to conform our indifferent Ceremonies to the Heathens than to the Disciplinarians which are so near And thus ye see how according to their principles we are like to come to a good agreement and an happy composure as when they would smooth over the matter they dissemblingly speak calling small and new Acquifi●ions Moderation Thirdly They say that Indifferent things ought to remain so and they ought not to be obliged any further than Christ and the Scripture binds them The first part of this argument is as false dangerous and pernicious to all Churches and all Ecclesiastical Authority as the wit of man can invent any thing and is quite contrary to Scriptures which require obedience as likewise themselves do being in power to Superiors And therefore to deny Superiors that wherein only their power is seen and exercised is to take away what the Scripture grants them Now to the second part Christ and the Scripture oblige men to be subject in such cases to men Calvinus Adversus Anaba pag. 27.2 in ●●tavo And Calvin expressly saith Improbare quod nunquam improbavit Deus nimiae est hom●ni inquam mortali temeritatis arrogantia Hoe autem perpetuò teneamus usurpari c. i. e. To condemn that which God never Condemned is too great rashness and arrogance for Mortal man But let us hold to this constantly that the autority of God is usurped when that which he hath permitted is condemned And show where God hath not permitted any one of our Rites or Ceremonies And if ye cannor as we are sure you cannot How do ye not take Gods Office out of his hands in condemning that he hath not being all Private men and of no authority over us To this let us add Mr. Perkins speaking thus Perkins on Galat. 2. v. 3. Things are not called Indifferent because we may use them indifferently or not use them when we will and how we will but because in themselves or in their own nature they are neither good nor evil and we may again not use them well or ill Furthermore there are two things which Restrain the use of things Indifferent The Law of Charity and the Laws of Men c. ANd the same Author in another place saith Perkins Cases of Conscience Lib. 1. Chap. 5. Actions Indifferent in the case of Offence or Edification cease to be Indifferent and come under some Commandment of the Moral Law In which St. Paul saith If eating Flesh will Offend c. Thus he Now eating Flesh doth offend at some times and that not equals of whom St. Paul speaks but Superiours And a man would think that a Sincere Conscience ought to have greater regard to these than to other persons Calvin Institut Lib. 3. Cap. 9. And yet we find true what Calvin laught at in his daies thus You may see some who imagine their Liberty cannot hold unless by eating Flesh on Fridays they stand possessed of it Lastly because they see their own acts to testifie so expresly against Toleration in raising and acting one of the most sad and unjust Tragedies that ever England felt and groaned under and this principally to introduce a strange Worship contrary to the Laws and Consciences of so many Thousands and their Superiours it not being possible to shake this off them some of them