Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
reason_n	interpret_v	interpretation_n	use_v	2,613	5	9.5757	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96610	The bloody tenent yet more bloody: by Mr Cottons endevour to wash it white in the blood of the lambe; of whose precious blood, spilt in the blood of his servants; and of the blood of millions spilt in fromer and later wars for conscience sake, that most bloody tenent of presecution for cause of conscience, upon a second tryal, is found now more apparently and more notoriously guilty. In this rejoynder to Mr Cotton, are principally I. The nature of persecution, II. The power of the civill sword in spirituals examined; III. The Parliaments permission of dissenting consciences justified. Also (as a testimony to Mr Clarks narrative) is added a letter to Mr Endicot governor of the Massachusets in N.E. By R. Williams of Providence in New-England.	Williams, Roger, 1604?-1683.	1652 (1652)	Wing W2760; Thomason E661_6; ESTC R206778	290,081	379

of Prage are declared for devils with the pictured devils upon their heads and under this cloud of heresie and black name of hereticks most commonly have suffered in all ages the true messengers of Christ Jesus Thus cryed they out Acts 17. These are they that have turned the world upside down and are come hither also and thus did they set the City all on an uproare And Acts 19. not the worshippers of Christ fill'd the whole City with confusion but the worshipers of Diana who filled the heavens with that Bedlam Outery of two houres continuance Great is Diana of the Ephesians Truth With as little reason and peaceableness of spirit hath our English Nation used to cry Great is the Church of Rome Great is our holy Father the Pope Great the Mass Great the Virgin Mary Great the General Councels c. And in later times Great the Church of England Great the Christian Magistrate Great the Ministery and Bishops of England Great the swearing and covenant of the people c. and such as dissent from us in these points and practices persecute them as hereticks and disturbers of the common civil peace Peace In the rest of this Chapter Master Cotton makes three grants with his exceptions annexed Truth Please you dear peace to mention them in one and accordingly I shall weigh them in the balance together Peace 1. Saith he The many causes which the discusser before wrote of are all of them allowed but none of them concern holding forth of errors which is the point in hand 2. Saith he It is easily granted that they do break the Cities or kingdoms peace who cry out for prisons and swords against such who cross their judgement or practice in religion to wit saith he unless their religion be of God and the crossing of it be such as destroyeth and subverteth the Religion of God 3. It is also easily granted saith he that many complaine most who are most in fault themselves Truth To these three I may answer thus in one The Mystery of preaching or holding forth the witness of the Truth of Jesus is interpreted by many to be the Mystery of the first seal the white horse and the being persecuted or slaughtered for the word of God and testimony of Jesus to be the Mystery of the third seal where the souls under the Altar cry to the Lord for vengeance against their persecutors These mysteries are sealed up and they are the Lords letters not to be opened and read by every one but as sealed letters be by such to whom they are directed Peace It follows therefore that in the midst of all the cries of Iews Pagans Turkes and Antichristians Our Religion is the Religion of God You are an heretick you are a persecutor We are true Christians we are persecuted c. that the hearts of Gods children must be comforted and staid up with the sight of this Mystery And doubtless it is most commonly though not alwayes true that the imprisoned fined whipt banished hanged burned c. in point of Religion have been so inhumanely oppressed for the word of God and the Testimony of Iesus Our own Chronicles Records of England and blessed Master Fox will in part evidence to us that scarce a King or Queen of England hath past since Richard the second his time but the blood of the witnesses of Iesus more or less hath been spilt in their Raignes as the blood of Hereticks Schismaticks c. and but few drops of the blood of any Heretick indeed have faln to the ground Truth The discusser therefore humbly to my knowledge desireth according to Master Cottons wish to reflect upon his own way and humbly to beg of God two things for himself and all in any measure censured and persecuted as hereticks First Iosephs innocency purity chastity in all those points and questions wherein they are charged and condemned unclean Secondly Iesephs patience to bear the accusations censures imprisonments c. from the tongues and hands of them who are notoriously unclean and guilty before the zealous and revenging eye and hand of God Examination of CHAP. XVIII Peace MAny of the following leaves and Chapters dear truth are spent upon that great and heavenly parable of the Tares a knot about which so many holy fingers dead and living have been so laboriously exercised all professing to unty yet some by seeming to untie have tyed the knot the faster Truth It is no wonder sweet peace to finde Master Cotton so intangled both in his answers and replies touching this Parable for men of all sorts in former ages have been so intangled before him To which purpose with thy patience I shall relate a notable passage recorded by that excellent witness or Martyr of God Master Fox in his book of Acts and Monuments t is this In the story of Master George Wisehart that famous Scotch witness of Christ Iesus in the dayes of King Henry the eighth there preached at the arraignment of the said Wiseheart one Iohn Winryme subprior of the Abbey of Saint Andrews he discoursed on the Parable of the Tares he interpreted the Tares to be hereticks and yet contrary to this very Scripture as Master Fox himself observeth though elswhere himself also maintaining it the duty of the civil Magistrate to suppress hereticks I say the said Winryme concludeth that hereticks ought not to be let alone until the harvest but to be supprest by the power of the civil Magistrate So that memorable it is that both the Popish Prior and that truely Christian Fox were intangled in contradictions to their own writings about the interpreting of this Heavenly Scripture Peace O what cause therefore have all that follow Iesus to beg of Iesus as the Disciples did the blessed Key of David to unloose this holy mistery In the entrance therefore of this discourse the discusser observing Master Cottons exposition to be fallacious and the Tares to be interpreted either persons or doctrines or practices he blames that Master Cotton gives no argument for proof of such an interpretation Master Cotton replies First Neither did the Author of the letter give reason for his interpretation 2. That they both gave one interpretation For the Author of the letter said that some expounded the Wheat and Tares to signifie such as walk in truth and such as walk in lyes now are not saith Master Cotton hypocrites and some corrupt doctrines and practices coincident with such as walk in lyes c Truth I answer First it might be both their failing not to strengthen their interpretations with some light and evidence from Scripture or reason although the Prisoners failing the less as being forced to write by shifts and difficulties in prison and so the shorter when Master Cotton had free liberty to inlarge and confirm without control c. 2. When the prisoner interprets the Tares to be such as walk in lyes it will be found evident upon examination that

civil wolfe for so we must speake to speake properly may also run upon a sheep of Christ by Civill Armes that is in a Civil respect upon Body and Go●●● c If now the Wolfe ravin the first way the sh●ep of Christ may and ought to run to the Lord Jesus the great Mr. Shepheard and to such under and in inferiour Shepheards as he hath appointed if he can attain to them If the second way the sheep beside running to Christ Jesus by prayer and to his Ordinances and Officers for advice and comfort may run to the Civil Magistrate appealing to Caesar c. against such uncivill violence and oppression Peace Mine heart joyfully acknowledgeth the Light mine eye seeth in that true and necessary distinction Now to the Second Question is it against the nature of the true Shepheard saith Mr. Cotton to send forth his Doggs to worrie such a wolfe c. Truth M r Cotton here discoursing of Christs sheepe and Christs Shepheards Reason would perswade that the Shepheards or Pastours here intended should be the Shepheards or Pastours appointed by Christ Jesus Ephes 4. Peace If so he should intend it well suits with the spirit of some proud and scornfull pretended Shepheards of Christ Jesus in the World who have used to call their Clarkes Sumners Proctors and Pursevants their hunting Dogs c. Truth But such Dogs as yet the Independent Pastours or Shepheards keepe not Peace Yea but the Pope to speake in M r Cottons phrase yet with all humble respect to Civill Authoritie the blessed Ordinance of God and Man I say the Pope keeps such Dogs good store yea Dogs of all sorts not onely of those lesser kindes but whom he useth as his Dogs the Emperours Kings and Magistrates of the World whom he teacheth and forceth to crouch to lie downe to creepe and kisse his foote and from thence at his beck to flie upon such greedie Wolves as the Waldenses Wicklevists Hussites Hugonites Lutherans Calvinists Protestants Puritans Sectaries c. to imprison to whip to banish to hang to head to burne to blow up such vile Hereticks Apostates Seducers Blasphemers c. But I forget it will be said the Protestants Grounds and practices differ from the Popes as far as Light from Darknes and how ever the Pope useth the secular power and Magistrates thereof but as Dogs and Hangmen yet the Reformed Churches teach and practice better Truth 'T is true sweet Peace the Protestants professe greater honour and subjection to the Civill Magistrate But let plaine English be spoken and it will be found that the Protestant cleargie as they will be calld ride the backs and necks of Civill Magistrates as fully and as heavily though not so pompously as ever the great Whore sat the backs of Popish Princes Peace The Protestant Cleargie hath yeelded up the temporall sword into the hand of the temporall State Kings Governours c. They proclaime the Magistrates Head of the Church Defenders of their Faith the Supreame Judges in all causes as well Ecclesiasticall as Civill Truth 'T is true they make the Magistrate Head of the Church but yet of what Church they please to make and fashion They make him Defendour of the Faith but of what Faith what Doctrine what Discipline what Members they please to admit and account of And this under the penaltie of being accounted either hereticall and so Magistrates worthy themselves to be put to Death or ignorant and so not fit to act as M r Cotton sayth but must suspend their power untill they submit to the Cleargies pretended Light and so be learnd to see and read with the Cleargies Spectacles Peace To this purpose indeed agrees the next passage wherein M r Cotton affirmeth that although all the Magistrates in the World ought to punish Blasphemers Idolaters Seducers yet this must they not doe while their Consciences are blinde and ignorant of the Truth and yet they cease not to be Magistrates sayth he although they cannot performe all the Duties of Magistrates Truth Concerning this stated Dutie of all Magistrates and yet suspending of all ignorant Magistrates from acting according to this their Dutie I have spoken to before and often I now add according to M r Cottons similitude if the Errours of others be as motes in comparison of the beames of this ignorance and blindnesse in Magistrates which he calleth Beames it will be found that he renders thousands of the Magistrates of the World as uncapable to be true Magistrates as an heape of Timber to be an House which wants the beames and principalls Peace The summe of the Difference in the last passage is not great nor any in words for sayth M r Cottons Conclusion If the Difference be onely in the way and manner of the Administration of Christ and the Difference be held forth in a peaceable and Christian way God forbid a Staffe should be shaken against such or a Sword unsheathed Truth Alas where hath lien the great Difference between the Prelates and Presbyterians the Presbyterians and Independants but about the way and Administration of Christs Kingdome for as for matter of Doctrine according to the 39 Articles of the Church of England they have little differd Yea wherein for matter of Doctrine of Faith Repentance and Holinesse have the Churches which make whole seperation or such as goe further to a new Baptisme wherein have they differd from the former and yet we know what Lawes have been and are extant in Old and New England against them and what practices have been felt and may justly be expected both from the Mother and the Daughter if a jealous God and heavenly Father for our unthankfullnesse should once be pleased to finish this late and wonderfull calme and moderation Which yet may justly be feard to prove as Sea-men use to observe but a Winters calme and they ray a Winters calme for then stormes are breeding is as bad as a Summers storme Exam of Chap. 72. replying to Chap. 75. Concerning the Testimonie of Austin Peace MAster Cotton finds two faults in the first entrance First that Antichrist should be said to be too hard for Christ at voting 2. That Austins Testimonie should be put off as a Rhetoricall Evasion Truth To the first it will shortly appeare as the Light at Noone day what packing of Votes and listing and mustring up of Numbers have been in all Ages in all Councells in all Synods in all Parliaments and in all falsely so called Christian Countries against the Lord his Christ and Servants Peace But M r Cotton marvailes that when the case concernes tolleration of Hereticks and Antichristians that Antichrist should procure more Votes against Antichristians and that Christ should procure any Vote though fewer for them Truth To expound this ridle It was never affirmed that Christ hath any Votes for the tollerating of Hereticks or Antichristians in the Religious State or Church of Christ but in the Civil State or Common-weale