Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	ghost_n	holy_a	trinity_n	3,214	5	9.7060	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51828	Two discourses the first, shewing how the chief criterions of philosophical truth, invented by speculative men, more eminently serve divine revelation, than either philosophy or natural religion. The second, manifesting how all the foundations of the intellectual world, viz. reason, morality, civil government, and religion, have been undermin'd by popish doctrine and policies. By Tho. Mannyngham, M.A fellow of New Colledge in Oxford, and Rector of East-Tysted in Hant-Shire.	Manningham, Thomas, 1651?-1722.	1681 (1681)	Wing M510; ESTC R216239	26,124	193

a supposed Superiority of Parts challenge Philosophy as their Province cry up their own private Sentiments for established Actions and explain Universal Nature according to their own individual Complexions wherefore that there might be also an agreeable bait for the Confident and Dogmatical man the Necessity and Power of Demonstration must be highly advanced by the Factors for Rome and nothing less than self-evident Principles must justifie our Adhesion to Religion and to create a Reverence for Infallibility and the particular Traditions of Rome and also a Confusion and uncertainty in the Protestants Principles the Philosophers and Disputers of the Age must be suborned to cry up Humane Reason as the only Judge of Controversies the only Tribunal of all Truth and Falshood whatsoever is above that must be either Phantasm or Contradiction and all those Sublimities in Religion which cannot submit to the Rules of Syllogism must be reproached as the Phrensies of an overheated Devotion or the Visions of an Hermits Cell all the Pelagian and Socinian presumptions must be industriously encouraged to that Height that the Protestants shall seem to have no Holy Ghost among them no Mystery of the Trinity unless they return to the Definitions and Authority of the Roman See The Second Foundation of the Intellectual World which the Romanists have disturbed is Morality In Morality there are but these two general Considerations I. The Nature of Good and Evil of Justice and Equity II. The Rules and Prescriptions to accommodate the mind of Man thereunto As for the First 'T is well known how the Flatterers of the Roman Court the Canonists and all such as treat of the Power of the Pope have with mighty Attributes and a Divinity of Terms made the Bishop of Rome the Arbitrarious Judge of all Good and Evil the Infallible determiner of all Virtue and Vice affirming that he can change the nature of Moral things according to his Pleasure for so their more eminent Champion asserts that if the Pope should mistake in commending Vices and forbidding Virtues the Church would be bound to believe those Vices to be good and those Virtues to be evil unless she would sin against Conscience Bel. de Pontif. l. 4.6.5 Sect. 2. and though some of them plead the Impossibility of the Supposal yet sad experience hath confirm'd the matter and clearly demonstrated how the Church of Rome in sundry instances has Canoniz'd the broadest Impiety for Virtue and Justice nay for that excess of Virtue which they call Merit And hence it is that the Idolizers of Monarchy with equal Flattery have attributed the same Prerogative to Temporal Princes making their determinations a publick Conscience and their Edicts Eternal Truth and generally all those Monstrous Opinions and Injurious Absurdities concerning the Notion of Good and Evil which at this day disturb the World have taken their Rise and Measures from the Controversies of Rome But then Secondly 'T is deplorably manifest with what Confusions Obscurities and Distortions they have darkned and peplex'd the most natural and necessary Rules and prescriptions of Morality and we have now many Volumns extant to maintain this Charge against them The only natural Spring and Foundation of all the good Offices of Humanity is certainly Love which is a constant thirst and endeavour of being largely beneficial of extending all our Capacities to the service of our Brethren But now instead of this Divine Principle of all our Moral Actions the Romanists introduce a Spirit of Cruelty and Barbarous Dominion their Doctrines and daily Practices contradict not only that especial Christian Precept of Universal Charity but all the first tenderness of Natural Affection they declare and prosecute Revenge and Murder not only in respect of meer speculations and undeterminable Modes but even of thick and palpable Contradictions according to the clearest Northern Judgement we can make which we must confess to be the only Luminary next to Revelation which in this Climate we are guided by How unnecessary have they made the exercise of Virtue and an Holy Life by turning the absolute Commands of God into Counsel and Admonition by distinguishing Christianity into an external Jewish Obedience or a low Order or Precepts sufficient to secure Heaven and a super-errogating perfection for those only who aspire to the upper Seats and Dignities of Paradice By Interpreting all the Additions to and Completions of the Jewish Law to be only some more splendid Proposals and Recommendations of an higher Degree of Virtue and by evacuating all the most excellent and necessary Morality of our Saviours Sermon on the Mount whilst they make it appear only an Heroical Platform of Counsels for the Melancholy and retired What an encouragement have the Vitious from that unwarrantable distinction of Sins into Mortal and Venial especially when they make not only those sins Venial in their own Nature which proceed from Infirmity Surreption strong Passion and Education but the most dreadful Catalogue of Iniquity that can be thought on such as Blasphemy Prophanation Murder Fornication Perfidiousness c. with some little qualifications must be sum'd up under that soft denomination What a Shop of Authorized Licentiousness is their Casuistical Divinity whereas Cases of Conscience at the best are but a Spurious sort of Divinity for they being generally terminated on the lowest degree of goodness and Justice are nothing thing but the Hospitals of Lazie and Infirm Nature some Charitable Provisions in Religion for declining Virtue But in this practical Divinity of the Romanists there is such a separation of Ends and Actions such a Consecrating of Villany by the Goodness or rather the Interest of the Intention and such compassionate Circumstances to be met with among their Doctors to render the most dreadful Transgressions slight and venial to palliate and stupifie the most just Remorses of Presumptuous Sinners such a Latititude of Uucleanness in their Cases on the seventh Commandment where their determinations concerning Pleasure are many times as loose and Voluptuous as the Doctrines of Aristippus and Epicurus in a word there is such a general Politick compliance with all those Vitious Tempers by which that Faction is upheld that if that be Christian Religion which they profess then the Protestants have nothing but Honest Heathenism to govern their Lives and Actions by The Third Pillar of the Intellectual World which the Romans have disordered is Civil Government And this of late hath been so common an Argument both from Pulpit and Press and is so notoriously evident both from their Established Doctrines and continual Practices that a very few observations and Remembrances may be thought sufficient to dispatch this Head Wherefore we may compendiously reflect how the Romanists have been the great disturbers of Civil Government I. By perplexing its true Notion and fundamental Rise II. By Weakning all its necessary and essential securities I. By perplexing its true Notion and fundamental Rise It is well known how the warm pretensions of Rome against the power of Princes