Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	church_n	member_n	visible_a	3,184	5	9.3025	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91883	Liberty of conscience: or The sole means to obtaine peace and truth. Not onely reconciling His Majesty with His subjects, but all Christian states and princes to one another, with the freest passage for the gospel. Very seasonable and necessary in these distracted times, when most men are weary of war, and cannot finde the way to peace.	Robinson, Henry, 1605?-1664?; Walwyn, William, 1600-1681, attributed name.	1643 (1643)	Wing R1675; Thomason E39_1; ESTC R20544	74,273	74

Heresie instead thereof and therefore you ought to be persecuted my answer is That I apprehend it to be the truth and doe but discharge Answ my conscience though it be erronious desiring to see the warrant for persecuting such as teach or publish erronious doctrines which they in their owne opinion thought had been sound St. Paul in the name of the whole Ministery said 2 Cor. 5. 20. We are Ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God And in another place 2 Cor. 10. 1. 3. 4. I Paul my selfe beseech you by the meeknesse and gentlenesse of Christ for though we walke in the flesh we do not war after the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds So that Paul did war but not according to the flesh he did not imprison fine nor cut off eares his weapons were only spirituall the power and might of Jesus Christ gentle exhortation and friendly admonition was the only meants the Apostles practised which prevailed then so mightily and ought for that very reason to be still continued especially since we cannot pretend any other commission but what they had unlesse we will also seem to have had an other Gospel I presume no Protestant will deny but that we are bound to endeavour the conversion of Papists Jewes Turkes Pagans Hereticks with all Infidels misbeleevers unto the only true and saving faith in Jesus Christ this taske how little soever it be practised and thought on will one day lye heavy upon all Christians who are no lesse obliged thereto in their respective callings then the Apostles were to preach the Gospel Matth. 28. 19. unto all Nations as was said immediately before But as it is said in the Parable Mark 3. 27. That before one can enter into a strong mans house and spoile his goods he must first binde the strong man So before you can prevaile and reduce a Turk or Papist to the true reformed Religion you must first convince him in the errours of his owne by the evidence of Scripture and by the power of the Holy Ghost and this must be done by word of mouth by writing or by both as I rather conceive first by word of mouth in that the Apostles were expressely ordered to go and teach all Nations which necessarily inferres their presence and secondly by writing that it may be better dispersed and more freely enjoyned at all times places and opportunities besides that controversies and businesses of intricacie are far better and more methodically stated and explaned in writing or in Print then can possibly be delivered by word of mouth The Poet said Qui volet ingenio cedere rarus erit But farre more rarely shall you finde a man to give preheminence in point of his Religion each thinking his owne to be the truest this combat therefore must be sought out upon eaven ground on equall termes neither side must expect to have greater liberty of speech writing Printing or whatsoever else then the other But it will be again Object objected that if such a tolleration as this be granted the whole Kingdome will be quickly pestered with a greater confusion then that of Babel to which I answer That the confusion will not be such as is Answ so much imagined and feared though it may seem greater at first then afterwards when every man hath associated himselfe with such as are of his owne opinion and I crave leave to aske if it be not a far greater confusion both before God and man and of more dangerous consequence to the State and their owne soules for a thousand men and women of ten severall religions or opinions to assemble together every Sunday in a Parish Church for feare of imprisonment fines banishment and worse or else that the same thousand men and women being permitted freely may meet in a peaceable manner at ten severall places according to their respective differing opinions and religion But Object you will say that all these thousand men and women were good Protestants before this licentiousnesse of being what they would was granted them I answer That they could not possibly be good Protestants Answ but either were hypocrites and time servers or else that they had hapned by chance or rather by course of the Country into a meer formall profession of the Protestant Religion whereof they were not able to render a reason if it had been demanded though they should have stil continued as visible members of the true Protestant Church and participated in the outward means their actions would have been never the more accepted of the Lord whilest they had lived nor their persons at the day of judgement Secondly though this confusion were yet greater then you imagine I desire to be informed how it may be prevented without a far worse inconvenience first in that I finde no expresse warrant and lesse then expresse will not be enough to abridge any man the exercise of his Religion which makes him sinne against his owne Conscience and so is a doing of evill at least that good may come of it Rom. 3. 8. And secondly because you are commanded to teach all Nations which is impossible unlesse you could goe and live amongst them which you cannot reasonably imagine or conceive that people of different religions opinions will permit you to remaine amongst them who hold tenets that when you have converted a considerable number you may if you see possibility of strength to compasse it by force of fire and sword compell the rest to be of the same Religion much lesse will they come unto you for the same reasons as also in that you will not permit them within your jurisdiction to make profession of their Religion whereof they have as good opinion as you can possibly have of yours and though perhaps they might be contented not that they are doubtfull of their owne but in hopes it may be to make a Proselite of you or out of an ingenious disposition and desire to comply with you who seem so solicitous of their salvation to hear what you alledge why they should become good Protestants yet you cannot in reason expect or in equity require that they should not have as ample priviledge as your selfe to deliver their mindes freely both in speech and writing We know that in most Kingdoms there are severall Courts of Justice which having different priviledges and jurisdictions when any man hath cause to commence a Suite he first informes himselfe in which he may likeliest finde greatest favour of equity and justice but if his adversary gaine advantage and force him to a triall in such a Court as according to the constitution thereof he could not have so favourable triall as in another the party thus agrieved forth with appeals from that where he was over throwne unto another never resting or