Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	faith_n	grace_n	justification_n	2,638	5	9.1538	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92007	The ancient bounds, or Liberty of conscience tenderly stated, modestly asserted, and mildly vindicated.	Rous, Francis, 1579-1659.	1645 (1645)	Wing R2011; Thomason E287_3; ESTC R200087	74,527	88

Enemies And what is that Why the sword of the Spirit the Word of God it is described Emblematically Rev. 19.21 by a sword coming out of his mouth If Antichrist the great enemy shall be consumed with this sure then it shall be effectuall against the lesser And the Apostle cryes up not onely the sufficiency but the mightinesse of this meanes The weapons of our warfare are not carnall 2 Cor. 10.4 but spirituall and mighty through God 't is through God indeed and through him they are so mighty that Christ will not be beholding to King or Magistrate for their power to convert men by though he may use them to coerce insolent enemies and shelter the profession of the truth as was noted before Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit The Spirit of Christ is the Churches neck mentioned Cant. 4.4 that knits Christ and the Church together as the neck doth the head and the body and see how 't is described there Thy neck is like the Tower of David builded for an Armoury whereon there bang a thousand Bucklers all Shields of mightie men Christ you see hath not left his Church without a Magazine an Armoury even his Word and Spirit which is quick and powerfull wherewithall Christ that mighty man defended himselfe against Satan and overthrew him like that sling of David wherewith he prevailed against the mighty Philistim and what cannot this sword doe backt by the Spirit in the hand of Christs Ministers and Members For the Efficacy of all Christs Institutions in his Church lies in the Spirit and not in the flesh As in preaching and Sacraments so in Discipline so in beating downe Errors 't is Christ doth all by his Spirit not by such instruments nor in such an order as to satisfie the wisdome of man specious likely probable to a fleshly eye such as the Magistrates compulsion may seeme to be but by poore despised things that so he may bring downe the pride of man and the glory of the flesh and may traine up his people in the noble exercise of faith and may feast himselfe with the glorious ascribings of might and power to him alone But in the way that most men goe in drawing men to Religion they leave but little to God which practise hath indeed a principle in our natures that shews it selfe in other things as well as this For how apt are we in the point of Justification to confederate with the Babel-builders and a desperate adventure doe we count it to cast our selves upon the free grace of God in Jesus Christ so likewise in this busines we count it presumption in stead of faith to relie upon God in the use of spirituall means without carnall weapons to bring men to the truth and therefore we devise wayes to keep men in that they shall not stirre But if this be not of God it will have the same successe that Babel had God will come down and confound this pride Jer. 17.5 For cursed be man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme and withdraweth his confidence from the Lord And this Arme stretched forth to an Heterogeneous act will wither and be shrivelled up a Reas 3. It is * Nō enim gladiis aut jaculis aut m●l●tari manu veritas praed catur sed suadedo cōsulēdo Quae auteni ibi suadendi libertas aut consulendi ratio ubi qui cōtradicit pro mercede aut exilium aut mortem reportat Athanas Epist ad solit vitā agentes contrary to the nature of Christs kingdome to have the ministery of these carnall meanes For 't is a sperituall kingdome 't is an invisible kingdome and the Apostle disclaimes as before all carnall weapons A mans inke may be tempered too thick with humane Elegancies to write the mysteries of the Gospel Christs kingdome is not of this world nor served by this world And as the manner of this world is contrary to him so he delights to walke contrary to the manner of this world who make their party as strong as they can but Christ hath chosen marke 't is upon choice not of necessity the weake things of the world even babes to shew forth his praise and strength His Spirit in the Ministry of his servants is that glorious Arme that he puts forth to conquer all the power of darknesse He * Psal 50.2 shines out of Sion the perfection of beauty not out of the Thrones of Princes as such and with his * Psal 43.3 light and his truth scatters the enemies of his truth Christs veine lyes in this in cloathing weak things with incredible strength and acting them on to glorious atchievements * Prov. 8. By me Kings raigne but shall it ever be said By Kings Christ raignes otherwise then as being nursing Fathers to his Church No but he rebukes Kings for his peoples sake and sayes Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harme He first anoints them and thereby teaches them all things and then sayes Touch not mine anointed Christ doth not use all meanes that he could use to establish his Kingdome and inlarge his Dominion He could have called for more Legions of Angels then he had units of Apostles to have rescued him So Christ could use the Ministery of the Civill Magistrate and make them his friends his champions but he hath not pleased so to doe Not many wise not many mighty are called and those that are he doth not use their might nor authority for any such purpose as to conquer but nurse for him by countenancing providing defending c. As the vine needs the pole to climb up by but yet grows up of it selfe Wee may bring an Argument à Majori If Pastours and Teachers reas 4 nay the Apostles themselves be not Lords of the peoples faith in a way humanely-authoritative to impose doctrine or practise upon them then much lesse Magistrates But the Apostle himselfe dares not assume that greatnesse Not that wee are Lords of your faith but helpers of your joy Ministers may be too magisteriall in their teaching and people may be too implicit in their faith and in their obedience to their doctrine as on the contrary the one may be too low the other too censorious It will be granted on all hands that if Religion be the Magistrates charge yet as it is not his onely so neither his first charge reas 5 for though it be the highest charge it follows not that it must be the proper charge of Magistracy But Magistracy immediately and directly respects the good of men their persons and outward being and Religion onely obliquely and Collaterally for such an end must be assign'd to Magistracy as doth competere omni hold among all and to levell Magistracy at an higher and further end then God hath or its own principle will carry is vaine Now this will presse after the other to be admitted likewise that the first charge must be first lookt

Regni statum moliri Sed mihi ipsi de his quam plurimi retulerunt quibus ego paternam secutus sententiam pari moderatione rescripsi Quod si quis persistit hujuscemodi hominibus absque ullo crimine movere negotia ille quidem qui delatus pro hoc nomine fuerit absolvatur etiamsi probetur id esse quod ei objicitur Christianus is autem qui crimen obtendit reus poenae ipsius quam objecit existat The summe of it in English is this That as for the Earth-quake he hath found by experience that they doe put common accidents upon their i. the Christians account out of envy and commands them as his Father had done before not to worke these men any trouble except they should be found to attempt any thing against the Roman Empire If any did causelesly molest them the Christian should goe free and his accuser should suffer the punishment he would bring upon him Here 's now a Heathen not onely tolerating a contrary Religion to his own for he remained a very Heathen still as the first passage of his Epistle shews Ego quidem non ambigo Diis ipsis cu●ae esse ne quis noxius lateat Multo enim magis illis convenit punire eos qui ipsis immo●are nolunt quam vobis but countenancing and pleading for it not onely not impeaching it of faction but implicitly clearing of it not onely providing for their escape of unjust punishment but making an Ordinance to doe them justice upon their causlesse accusers How shall this Emperour rise up in judgement at the last day against many in these dayes How many of the Ancients have father'd this opinion of mine Austin how he came to be against us I take not upon me to tell But Austin once for us afterwards gotten from us by what means I shall give you account out of Peter Martyr Atque haec ratio fuit cur Augustinus cum anteà judicasset non oportere Magistratum anim ●dvertere in Haereticos posteà mutavit sententiam Alii enim Episcopi proferebant multas Ecclesias quae met● Imperatorum Legum à Donatistarum factione descivissent jam assuetudine cognovissent Catholicam veritatem ut nullo pacto vellent ab eâ discedere The Bishops of severall places told him what great successe the Emperours force had to reclaime men from Donatisme But successe alone is not a rule for wise men to goe by in as much as Solomon says That there be just men and so just wayes to whom it happeneth according to the worke of the wicked and there be wicked men and so wicked wayes unto whom it happeneth according to the worke of the righteous Zanchy puts the Crisis of the utmost extent of the Magistrates authority not upon all evill manners domesticall or publique Zanchy except they disturbe the publique peace or hinder the publique good though yet they may fall under the Churches Cognizance yea correction His words are these There are many wickednesses against which the Magistrate truly Christian doth not use to proceed neither is bound by his lawes is also many evill manners both domesticall and publique which doe not disturbe the publique peace on the publique good But the Church ought not to beare these but to correct them according to Christs institution Now then if by Zanchies rule disturbing the publique peace and good is that which brings in the Magistrate and gives him Cognizance of misdemeanours and wickednesses then by his judgement errours in faith or practise of Religion are not within the Magistrates Cognizance except they be such in their nature or managing as disturb the publique peace Which is all that wee aske And how far the spirits of many now are from the moderation of later Authors and Writers Alsted I might shew Alsted delivers his position thus upon the Question De pace Religionis ut vocant seu de libertate Religionis sive de bono autonomie An quatenus concedi possit à pi● Magistratu Vbi licet nos concedamus unam duntax it Religionem quam videlicet ipse Magistratus veram agnoscit ex verbo Dei ab eodem Magistratu pro virili conservandam esse neminem tamen ad eandem externâ aliqua vi cogendum esse docemus quin potius suam Conscientiis libertatem relinquendam Et non nunquam etiam diversarum Religionum exercitium si non publicum saltem privatum aut clandestinum ex singularibus causis permittendum esse statuimus Atque hoc demum sensu pacem concordiam externam seu politiam inter Orthodoxos non orthodoxos saepe etiam haereticos simul colendam ab ipso pio Magistratu procurari p●sse debere existimamus I could not wish my judgement more happily exprest nor words more accommodate to my sense viz. That though the Magistrate be with might and maine to defend but one Religion even that which he judges to be the truth by the Word of God yet none ought to be compeld to that by outward force but every mans Conscience to be left at liberty c. I shall not English it all and that a Civill externall peace should be maintain'd by the godly Magistrate even between Orthodox and Heterodox And he gives three * Prima nititur generalibus illis scripturae dictis quę justitiam charitatem studiumque pacis cōcordiae seriò nobis omnibus commendant ne quid alitèr adversus proximum statuamus quàm qualitèr nobiscum agi vellemus disertè praecipiunt Denique ut conscientiis suam libertatem concedamus dissentientes in negotio Religionis amicè toleremus omnino mandant Mat. 5.7 Rom. 12.14 alibi Secunda petitur ab exemplis sapientium piorum Principū tum in veteri tum in N. Test c. Tertia ab ipsa naturali equitate itemque adjuncta utilitate quàm etiam experientia quotidiana fere comprobat Nam praeterquam quod aequissimum est in causa Religionis ab omni vi coactione externa abstinere ipsis etiam rebus publicis ut ita fiat omnino expedit atque conducit quippe quae alioqui facillimè turbarentur intestinis bellis ac mutuis lanienis tandem conciderent prout hactenus in multis Europae provinciis Gallia praesertim B●●gio accidisse novimus Cum contrà in Germania Helvetia Polonia alibi locorum in quibus Religionum liberta● hactenus indulta fuit istis discordiis lanienis non fuerit locus Ergo res ipsa perse licita bona est etiamsi per accidens abusus aliquis accedere possit Alst de Eccl. lib. 4. c. 14. Reasons for his judgement which I shall transject into the Margent And what Reformation this Kingdome had in the late dayes it did consist in the incoaction or spontaneousness of it in the Parliament Humsred de verâ Relig. c. whatsoever it did in the people as one reports of it Nam in senatu ut