Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A93213
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A Short discourse, tovching the cause of the present unhappy distractions; and distempers in this Kingdome, and the ready meanes to compose, and quiet them.
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1643
(1643)
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Wing S3588; Thomason E88_28; ESTC R22390
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4,425
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10
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Iustice Certainly the rule which Christ prescribeth of giving to Caesar those things which are Caesars and to God what is his doth fully determine this point and setteth a period to all further questions about it Reverence Duty and Obedience in temporall matters belong to the civill Magistrate and whosoever shall breake the tye of civill Society let him suffer for it by the hand of humane Iustice But to take Gods owne peculiar worke out of his hand let no man presume He onely hath the flood-gates of Grace in his power he onely can speake to our hearts and from his whispers and instructions onely can true Religion be derived To his infinite goodnesse then let that taske be wholly referred It is our part to pray and use such other helpes for the instructing of others as God hath directed in his word but his onely with power to effect it But peradventure you will aske then whether the godly may use no weapon against those that have a spirituall War with them by being different in their Iudgement practice yes surely if it be sinfull they may use that weapon which God hath put into their hand to sight with in this Cause It is aspitituall weapon and therfore proportionable to a spirituall conflict Let wicked persons and unbelievers bee cut off from the rest of the Church by the sword of excommunication not from the world by the Sword of Justice for that is directly contrary to the Apostles rule In this particular where he appointeth the use of excommunication and telleth the Church they must with patience expect repentance and amendment from such offenders which expectance being ordained by the Holy Ghost surely it must be a great impiety to disobey this Divine Constitution and presse further by any impious zeale to extirpate by civill power those plants that are blasted by a spirituall breath so that the result of this discourse is that it cannot be hoped that any Kingdome or State should be happy or flourish under Gods blessing untill all mens hearts are united together and made to concurre joynely and unanimously in advanceing the temporall interests of it by every mans being secured and quieted in the possession of his spirituall ones which can be done no way but by freedome in matters of Religion wherein though a certaine tenor of Faith and forme of Divine Worship be agreed of and established in generall for those that have their consciences moulded that way yet others that cannot yeild their assent thereunto may to themselves enjoy the freedome of their conscienes as long as they do nothing to interrupt the civill society And if any worldly man that taketh a scantling of the wayes of God by a humane measure should apprehend that such a toleration as men call it might in tract of time suffer a false Doctrine to take so deepe roote as at length it may grow so strong and spread so wide that the now prevalent party may in the end be put to the worst and when they are growne to be the weakest side may not be treated with such moderation as is now desired at their hands All which may appeare possible enough saith he to whosoever shall consider how without carefull weeding the best corne will soone be choaked up with thistles and such other perverse excrescences of depraved nature I shall but desire him to examine seriously and calmely in the particular progresse that must bee allowed to such a turne how improbable or rather impossible it is And not content himselfe with a specious objection drawne from generalls that in their due sense are true but are wrested in their application to this purpose let him consider how unlikely it is that falshood should prevaile against truth for so he conceiveth it when it carrieth with it no bias of humane advantage to warpe mens mindes that way number power and reputation is yet of his side what should afterwards supplant it what invitements or allurements hath the other to bewitch men to forsake Divine truth to their temporall prejudice for all the advantage the other can boast of is but impunity It is discountenanced they have power are not cherishing Fathers nor nurceing Mothers to it It hath no weapons to fight with it must wrestle naked against the others advantagious Armes so remote a Providence then or rather such a distrust argueth some secret consciousnesse of inward deficiency and weaknesse and then why should they not conclude with Gamaliel that if the Doctrine whose progresse they apprehend be of God it is not in their Power nor of all mankind together to hinder the growth of it But if they believe it false and are firmely perswaded of the perfection and verity of their owne they should not doubt but that God who made the Aegyptian Magicians stickes breake in pieces at their Encounter with Aarons rod And that made Dagon fall to the ground at the approach of the Arke and that consumed Baals Priests with sire When they stood Competition with his true Prophet will also unmaske the Counterfeit beauties of a false Religion when it raiseth it selfe agaist the true one and hath no support of temporall Advantages to underprop it Now that which I draw from the former grounds and upon which I conclude the truth of my conceit is that as it doth in every part singularly well agree with it selfe so no way thwarting but agreeing also most fully with these seven things viz. Election Predestination Grace Faith Redemption Religion and with God and that with seven things in the nature of God viz. his infinite Essence or Law of his omnipotent power his excellent wisedome his wonderfull Goodnesse his free love his exact Iustice his unspeakeable mercy and his unfaylable truth all which may be declared in their place FINIS