Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	allow_v	civil_a	great_a	86	3	2.0926	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79988	The cry of a stone, or, a treatise; shewing what is the right matter, forme, and government of the visible church of Christ. How, and wherein the present Church of England is wanting and defective, both in the body of the land, and in the parochiall branches thereof, with divers reasons and grounds taken from the Scriptures, to perswade all that feare God, rather to suffer any afflictions at the hands of men, than to submit to mans carnall policy and humane devices in the worship of God, or be deprived of the sweet fellowship of the saints in the right order of the Gospel. Together with a just reproofe of the over-strained and excessive separation, contentions and divisions of such as commonly are called Brownists. By Robert Coachman.	Coachman, Robert.	1642 (1642)	Wing C4746; Thomason E137_32; ESTC R208315	72,606	82

of England or for the hinderance of our exceptions against it except you will frame this consequence that because we are in one thing therefore we are in all which is too hard a sentence to stand for a maxime Neither doe we say that the Church of England is no Church or the parish assemblies false Churches nor care for those big and loud censures of Antichristian Babylonish false c. they are but words and termes of provocation which we can well spare and it is enough that we finde it not settled according to the order of the Gospel but by humane authority and compulsion and that it is one with the world and that there is not in it all the meanes to stablish comfort confirme and build up every soule in the wayes of God these and the like are sufficient motives to perswade men that feare God to finde out a better and safer way to walke in and a Church that is more neer the Apostles patterne And as for strangers and Churches in forraign nations as they are not of our language so we cannot know them as our owne for he that knoweth strangers and forraigners as well as his owne neighbours and country-men it is a signe that he is very unsociable or else his eyes are not where they should be The prohibition of the Magistrate though he be a Christian may not hinder our obedience to the Gospel SOme object and that not without colour that since we live under a Christian Magistrate we must be contented and thankfully accept so much liberty in the Gospel as he will allow and that it is a signe of great unthankfulnesse and disloyalty to him to alter or adde in Church matters and publique worship or to doe more or otherwise then he commandeth or alloweth I answer first that when the Magistrates are Christians we are Answer 1 the more to love and respect them for their Christianity but still their Magistracie and civill power is one thing and their Christianity and Religion is another Secondly the same reverence and conscionable obedience were to be given to the civill power as Gods Ordinance though the person which hath this power were a Turke or an Infidell but not the Rom. 13. 1. 2. same love in the fellowship of the Gospel and communion of grace Neither doth the Scripture provide for any other kinde or measure of obedience to Christian Magistrates when any such should arise then for such as were Heathens Fourthly neither can I ever conceive how this should become a reason that we must forbeare these and these practices which God Christian Magistrates commands may not stand against Gods requireth because the Magistrates are Christians and forbid it except it follow also that we must also forbeare it if they were Heathens unlesse a man should hold this position that a man is in more bondage under Christian Governours then under Heathens since the question is not concerning suffering but concerning doing and if any Christian Magistrate shall by any acts or lawes politicall hinder the practice of Gods Lawes as his Christianity cannot excuse him in the Court of heaven for misleading so much lesse can it excuse us when we follow him in evill and whatsoever the power be or the person which hath it if it fight against Gods Injunctions we may answer with them Acts 5. 29. that said God is to be obeyed rather then man and if we should be forbidden to pray or to preach or to love brotherly fellowship c. yet these 1 Pet. 2. 17. Dan. 6. 7. 10. things must still be done in the most ample manner we can Fifthly neither is it any disloyalty to Princes and Governours at all when Gods commands are preferred before theirs especially since we are willing to suffer their corrections and punishments for so doing counting indeed their corrrections but as Flea-bites to his which can cast both body and soule into hell Mat. 10. 28. Sixthly and in the things wherein we must differ we endeavour to carry them peaceably so farre as we can without disturbing disgracing or depraving any offices or orders by him placed not denying but willingly hearing the Word from any conscionable and faithfull Preacher and so farre as we may without sinne to submit to other orders being moderate in our affections peaceable in our practices in the things wherein we differ and if all that serve not we shall thinke it our further glory to suffer and endure any punishment either to bands or death with patience that we may fulfill our Obedience to Magistrates may be in suffering as well as in doing course with joy and not be ashamed of his basenesse who suffered a shamefull death to advance us to a glorious life and we protest in the sight of God that we can make no other answer or excuse from the Magistrates Christianity except wee should flatter him and deceive our selves Moses example in building the Tabernacle was no ordinary rule for after times MOses the Man of God a good Governor did appoint all things for the Tabernacle and publique service of God without consulting SECT 11. either with Priest or people and had the wrath of God Object 4 against any that opposed his courses so now the people and Ministers Exod. 34. 32. Numb 16. 31. cap. 12. 2. must have an eye to the godly Governours to see what they command and see that they practise it without imposing infusing or practising otherwise in any thing then he alloweth I answer first this sheweth what godly Magistrates are to doe Answ 1 in the matters of Gods service namely to observe his will but what the Priests or people might have done if Moses should have beene defective is yet questionable Secondly Moses as he was a Prince so he was a Prophet and the onely Prophet that ever was except Christ and he had his familiar Deut. 34. 10. talke with God for all matters about the Tabernacle and was by him Exod. 33. 11. immediately directed so that for any to go about to direct and order him in those things had been high presumption and undoubted evill But now no Magistrates that I know of are such Prophets or have Moses Magistracie singular any such immediate Revelations but learne of God according to the common order of other men yea and stand in as much need of counsell and advice that I say not more as any other men of any calling whatsoever and therefore till they have Moses learning how shall they use Moses teaching Thirdly neither did the Princes of Israel afterward take upon them this sole direction but were contented to be reproved and counselled by the Prophets Priests both for their failings in their conversation and for their establishing the worship of God as we may see in 1 Chron. 17. 4. 2 Chron. 19. 2. 2 King 11. 17. 2 Chron. 34. 23. 24. David Asa Iehosaphat Ioash Iosiah and the rest yea and all the

are fraile men and some frailties will still appeare in us though by the grace of God many are kept all their life from scandalous evills The Papists with like colour object against the Protestants that they are evill livers and given to wanton lusts being full of swearing The frailties of men no argument against a Religion whoring drunkennesse theft c. But he that is acquainted with both can tell that even the Papists in the greater part of them are more frequent in such vices than the Protestants and by their leave they that will condemne another for an euill must be cleare of it themselves else their owne mouth will accuse them But both will object against the separated Churches and say you Object 10 are but a handfull and those also of culled men and wee are many and of all sorts as Cities and Countries yeeld therefore there is no reason to expect like holinesse from us as from you but if you looke upon the better sort of us you shall not see no such evills breake out in us as are printed and recorded against you I answer first when Christ had culled out his wedding guests Answ 1 yet there was one which had not a wedding garment so though those Mat. 22. 11. men be culled out yet some hypocrites will lurke amongst them though they be never so poore and contemptible as Iudas did adhere The separated Churches are not free from hypocrites unto Christ for though they professe a separation from the open wicked yet they professe no separation from Hypocrites neither may nor can till they are discovered Secondly Hypocrites that turne the Grace of God into wantonnesse are Iude 4. 19. most forward of all to separate themselves from others and therefore how can those Churches be free from them Thirdly it is a punishment of their former hypocrisie to be discovered where they looked for greatest esteeme and so being disappointed of the praise of men which they desired they are in a better way to Acts 8. 19. 20. come to Repentance then in living amongst a company as ill as themselves where their visard should not have beene plucked off Fourthly true it is there may be lesse evills amongst the separated then amongst the parish multitudes ●nd so I am sure there is for The separated Churches not so evill as the parishes whereas three Scribes in a few sheets of paper did note and discourse of all the evils and scandalls that fell among the separated in many yeeres If in the Parishes all the evills should be noted and chronicled there had neede at every fifth house to dwell a Scribe Fifthly And though I love not to make comparisons to cause disparagement yet I freely confesse and with great comfort acknowledge that there are many in the parishes in England which Many Christians in the parishes excellent in personall grace but not in Church order are of a very godly life and conversation and some that goe as farre therein as any I ever saw in my life And if I should preferre any of the separated before them in conversation I should speake against my owne conscience but in the Church state and order I must prefer the other before them Sixthly And yet if a man had a minde to breed and foster Atheisme he might cull out a number of scandalls which noted men both Preachers and Professors in the Parishes have fallen into in a few yeeres but why should wee make worke for wanton eares let us rather feare our selves and let him that thinketh hee standeth take heed lest 1 Cor. 10. 12. hee fall Seventhly It is a fault of the professors that the Churches of separation are no better they have lingered and refused to bring their soules and bodies into an holy Temple whilest Sanballat and Tobiah Ezra 4. 1. 2. have beene building there whose separation hath rather beene from grace than from corruption and these creeping in under a shew of Iude 1. 4. godlinesse have filled all with scandall contention and division whereas if those that had beene sound and sincere men and grounded and experienced in the knowledge of God and themselves would have beene gathered together and filled the Sanctuary there would have beene no roome nor use for such instruments Wherefore hereafter doe not you sit still and controll others and It is the fault of the professors that the separated Churches are no better doe just nothing your selves for I tell you it is a worke well befitting and beseeming the most holiest and godliest people that are in the world and altogether unfitting and unlawfull for such whose lives and conversations are not otherwise answerable Eighthly Admit that all the separated Churches have hitherto but dallied and trifled and puzled themselves by reason of their ignorance weaknesse and evill carriages and are rather scattering then combining yet this is no just exception against the course Israel ranged about divers yeeres in the wildernesse and effected nothing Deut. 1. 4● except it were to dig each others grave yet was their generall ayme Iudge 20. 18. 21. 25. 35. good The eleven tribes made two sallies out against the Benjamites and lost the field yet was their cause good and in the end they prevailed The failings of the separated Churches serve to teach them that now are to begin to doe better errors in actions are best found out when they are really discovered and if you have seene these mens failings you owe the more diligence if you find your owne Church estate not right doth that helpe you to talke of the Brownists contentions Are you borne to find fault with others and doe nothing your selves rather you should mend it where they have failed and when you are come into the right order of a Church then let other mens harmes teach you And where you have seene the separated Churches to be contentious be you more quiet where they have beene full of divisions cleave you close together If they would beare nothing yet beare you one anothers burthen If they have beene too censorious be you more charitable If they have lived loosely live you strictly If they have beene An excellent imitation cold be you zealous If they have beene fearefull be you more stout If they have revolted stand you fast And if you thinke all they have done is in hypocrisie take heed all that you doe be in sincerity And thus much for the first Generall part of this Treatise tending to direct and perswade all Christians to come into the fellowship of the Saints in the order of the Gospell THE SECOND PART OF THE TREATISE WHEREIN THE TWO MAINE FAILINGS OF the Rigid Seperation are reproved and their Objections answered The rigid Separationo verrun their course in their first onset NOw that I may not be unjust nor partiall I must SECT 21. turne my selfe to the other side to the strict seperation who are even as much beyond the