Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	christian_a	zeal_n	zealous_a	119	3	8.3331	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42060	The religious villain a sermon preached before the Right Honourable Sr. Robert Clayton, Kt., lord mayor of London, and the Court of Aldermen, upon the fifth day of November, 1679, being the anniversary day of thanksgiving for the deliverance of our church and nation from the hellish powder-treason, at St. Mary le Bow Church in London / by Francis Gregory ...	Gregory, Francis, 1625?-1707.	1679 (1679)	Wing G1903; ESTC R35710	16,801	44

Religiones expulit their Master had driven all Religions out of the World So that the main Quarrel which both Jew Pagan had against Christ and his Servants did arise from the different Interests of their Religions the Jew adhering to Moses the Pagan standing up for his plurality of Gods and the Christian opposing them both Upon which account Jew and Pagan thinking their own Religions right and the Christians wrong did vigorously pursue them the one with Excommunications and both with Death And this was judged as the Text stiles it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Service done by the Jew to his God and by the Pagan to his Idols But what 's all this to us and the Occasion of this Day 1. Consider we of what Concern it is that we be not mistaken in Points of Faith and Matters of Religion lest perhaps we do defend an Error and oppose the Truths of God Among those many kinds of Worship which are in the World amongst those too numerous Sects which are in the Church there is but One that 's right And as this great Variety of Religions each of which will pretend to be the true One doth make it an easie matter to mistake so doth the Grand Import of the true Religion render such Mistakes very dangerous too For whosoever he be that takes up with a False Religion supposing it to be a True one doth run the hazard if God be not the more merciful to his Ignorance not only of losing that Reward which he looks for but of committing those Crimes which may expose him to those Punishments which he little thinks of The true Religion of God is that which every man is bound not only to adhere unto but to be zealous for accordingly we find with what affection the Devout Turk promotes the Doctrine of his Mahomet we read with what vehemence the Religious Pagan hath contended for the service of his Idols we are not ignorant with what warmth of Zeal the pious Jew hath stickled for the Institutions of his Moses and we of the Christian Church do still lie under the Obligation of this Command Contend earnestly for the Faith We must do whatever lawfully we may for the Establishment and Propagation of our Religion even with our very utmost vigor But if we shall be mistaken in the choice of our Religion what horrible Actions will that Zeal of ours which is required from us put us upon St. Paul tells us 'T is good to be zealously affected alway in a good thing But Oh how mischievous is it to be zealous in a matter especially a Religion that 's bad We have great Instances of this in the Text They shall put you out of the Synagogues What You doth our Saviour mean His Apostles their immediate Successors and other Primitive Saints who proved his Martyrs and Confessors and undoubtedly were the best of men And what an injurious Action must it needs be to pass that dreadful Sentence of Excommunication upon such Innocent and Holy Persons as if they had been the very worst of Villains to treat the choicest Servants of God as if they had been so many incorrigible Rogues fit for nothing else but to be delivered up to the Devils power to turn those very persons out of the Church who were the most eminent Members of it to shut them out of the Service of God who were the fittest to perform it Certainly such Usage as this being no way deserved was bad enough but yet there is something worse that is still behind for 't is added Every one that kills you To treat men of spotless Lives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Theophylact as if they had been the most Pestilent Bigots Varlets and Incendiaries imaginable To send such Persons out of that World which had none better nor perhaps so good within it Doubtless there could be no Action more unjust then this but whence did it rise What was it that did perswade both Jew and Pagan to use the very utmost extremity towards such Persons as really were the Supporters of the true Church and the Ornaments of the World The Text gives us this Account Every one that kills you will think that he doth God Service Yea behold here the dismal Consequences of a mistaken Religion We have here the main Pillars of the Church excluded from it here are Murders Committed upon the Persons of such Men of whom the World was not worthy and all the Reason doth lie in this Every one that kills you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will think that he doth God Service when Truth shall be esteemed Error when the soundest Doctrine shall be counted Heresie when the neglect or contempt of an Idol shall be stiled Atheism when the right Religion shall be thought a wrong one O what unwarrantable actions will blind Zeal put men upon when the slaughter of Men falsly supposed to be little better than Brutes shall be judged an acceptable Sacrifice unto God what religious Zealot will restrain his hands from Blood There is no Example of this in all our Bibles more eminent then that of our great St. Paul of whom the Text saith He Breathed out Threatnings and Slaughters against the Disciples of the Lord and so again He made havock of the Church We have his own Confession I punished them oft in every Synagogue and compelled them to Blaspheme But how came this Man who proved so great a Saint so miserably to Persecute the Poor Unarmed and Innocent Servants of Christ He tells us I did it ignorantly he did all this mischief through a bare mistake he was yet of an opinion that the Jewish Religion was right and the Christian wrong and upon that score he Judged himself bound to defend the former and oppose the later for so he Testified I verily thought with my self that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus This eminent person being zealous for his then Religion but yet mistaken in it did oppose that Faith which upon better Informations he did afterwards own preach and defend Such warm Affections had he yet for the Antiquated Worship of the Jewish Church that he now shed other Men's Blood for the sake of the same Religion for which at length he as readily lost his own And since we have such great and sad examples before us let us take heed lest we also do first take up any false Opinions and then think our selves bound to promote them too There are some amongst us who upon frivolous Pretences quarelling with the Discipline and Service of our Church have departed from it and as they have withdrawn themselves so have they thought it their Obligation to seduce and take off others even all they could 't is the unhappiness of such Men that a blind zeal which is their own Sin should likewise prove their Neighbours Ruine that they who intend a kindness to other persons should even by their mistaken Charity

destroy them For 't is very like that many Promoters of Schism and Faction may intend well but we must not trust to the Goodness of our Meanings but look to the Soundness of our Understandings T is not hard to believe that when the Jew and the Gentle Crucified the Son of God and Murdered his Servants they meant well in both nor can we doubt with any Charity but when Zealous Papists and Religious Pagans burnt the Martyrs they intended Good the Text saith that it should be so Every one that kills you will think that he doth God Service If so then take we heed of all gross mistakes in the matters of our Religion let us beware lest we be corrupted in our Judgments either by the Papist on the one hand or the Sectary on the other let us not satisfy our selves that our Intentions are right but look we that our Informations be not wrong for if they be what we do as Duty may prove our Crime and upon that Supposition the more of Zeal the more of Sin 2. Consider we what it is that we must expect from those Men were we in their Power who pursue us upon the Interest of Religion or at least pretend to do so 'T is certain that they of the Roman Church have as great Reason upon Religious accounts and probably far greater upon Wordly Considerations to be as Zealous for their Doctrine and Worship as ever the Jew or Pagan were for theirs Nor is it to be disputed but we of the Reformed Churches do differ from them of the Roman in some of the same Points wherein the Primitive Christians did both differ from the Pagan and the Jew 'T is not hard to demonstrate that we of the Church of England now are in all the Fundamental Points of our Religion what the Apostles and their Followers ever were Nor is it difficult to prove that they of the Roman Communion now are in several matters what the Jews and Pagans were For the great respect which they bear to their written Traditions equalling their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Law in the Mouth to that in the Book Even this together with the vast multitude of their Ceremonies and such Ceremonies as do render the service of God rather vain than venerable doth prove them somewhat like the Jews onely whereas the Jewish Rites being appointed by God did adorn his Worship and were Parts of it these mens follies invented by themselves do corrupt and spoil it Again their publick allowance of Fornication and taking Money for it as if it were no sin their adoration of Images their invocation of Saints their doctrine of Purgatory which was the Invention of Plato All this doth testifie that both in their Religion and in their Manners they are too like the Pagans The truth is the present Religion of the Roman Church is a mere Miscellany too like that of the Turkish Alcharon as having in it something of the Pagan something of the Jew and something of the Christian too And as our Adversaries do thus resemble both Jew and Pagan in some matters of their Religion so do they match them both in their zealous persecution of all such as do oppose them What kind of usage the Primitive Christians found from Jews and Pagans we learn from the Text and what kind of Treatments the Protestant Churches have found from the Roman our own Chronicles do inform us and that men of the same Principles would fain be at the same sport again we do not need a Spirit of Prophecy to assure us Let 's view the Text once more and see the Parallel 1. The Text saith of the Jew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They will put you out of the Synagogues they will turn you out of their Churches and that being done they will count you as Publicans and Heathens even the worst of men And thus have the Roman Jews dealt with us and our Progenitours they have morally driven us from them by imposing upon us such Conditions of Vnion as did oblige us to break either with God or Them And when the Governours of our Church saw themselves necessitated to withdraw from their Communion they have by their Ecclesiastical Censures condemned us for being Separatists though they themselves have unavoidably made us so 'T is well known what Bulls and Interdicts they have sent us what Anathema's and Curses they have written against us in their Councils what solemn Excommunications they denounce against us yeer by yeer they proclaim us Schismaticks Hereticks and vile Apostates from the Faith of Christ and as such do they treat us and by so doing they fully teach the Example in the Text They will put you out of the Synagogues This they have done over and over and 't is well for us of this Age and Nation that they can yet do no more 't is well that all this Thunder of so many Excommunications which hath made such a mighty noise doth yet want a killing Bolt We are obliged to the good Providence of God that they have not yet found in our days and in our Church what they strangely long for a fair opportunity to melt down their leaden Seals and turn them into Bullets 2. The Text saith of the Jew and Pagan both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every one that kills you The Jews excluded them out of their Synagogues and both Jews and Pagans turned them out of the world too And have not the Roman Jews and Pagans dealt thus with thousands of our Religion and fain would deal so with us too Have they not seconded their Excommunications with the Sword and their Anathema's with devouring Flames Is it not the constant Doctrine of their Church that Hereticks must be burnt and who those Hereticks are they themselves must be the onely Judges If we shall but read over the Histories of England Ireland France Germany and other places we shall finde that they have made such miserable slaughters in the reformed Churches that it may be justly doubted whether Rome-Pagan or Rome-Papal have shed the greater quantity of Christian bloud But why would they do it 3ly The Text gives us this reason Every one that kills you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will think that he doth God good service It was from a religious mistake that all this Bloudshed did proceed The Pagans had not right apprehensions of God the Jew was deceived in his opinion of Christ so blinde was the Pagan that he thought his false Gods to be true ones so prejudiced was the Jew that he judged the true Messias to be a false one which gross Mistake of theirs did expose them to the commission of that horrid Crime wherewith the Text doth charge them Every one that kills you To kill a man that affronted his supposed God the Pagan did not think it sin to kill a man that opposed the legal Worship of their Church the Jews did not think it Murther no they judg'd it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a

religious Work and pleasing unto God So Theophylact And such Apprehensions concerning us have they of the Roman Church in which men bred up in the ignorance of our Religion yea and much of their own too are taught to believe that we of the Protestant Religion are mere Apostates from the Faith of Christ that we are such Hereticks as deny the great Doctrines of the Catholick Church And yet sure we are that they can never overthrow our Faith nor defend their own by more Arguments than one I mean that one which hangeth by their sides that one which they fetch not from the Library but the Cutlers Shop they can never confute us any other way than that in the Text Every one that kills you We have so much solid Reason on our sides that they can never be too hard for us till either we our selves shall lose our brains or they dash them out And that they may so do O what Endeavours do they use what Plots do they lay what Expences are they at They can fetch Armadoes from Spain false Witnesses from St. Omers and a Powder-Treason even from Hell it self What pains do they take to corrupt such great persons as are either vitious or ignorant Nay what hazards do they run for as things yet stand they cannot attempt our Lives without some danger of their own and yet they will venture but why all this The Text gives us the best account They will think that they do God service c. Certainly they who through the just Judgment of God are given up to such strong delusions as to think that Murther is rather their Merit than their Crime must needs be dangerous men Of all Villains in the world the Religious Villain is far the worst for whilst every common Villain 's Conscience who knows what he doth to be sin may justly check him the Religious Villain 's Conscience who commits a sin but thinks it duty doth not onely invite him to it but applauds and chears him in it 'T is the great unhappiness of the Christian Church that there should be any such mistaken Zelots in it who think the killing of men to be a serving of God But since the Divine Providence for the correction of our Vices or the tryal of our Graces doth permit it so to be since we have such devout and pious Bloud-hounds amongst us as count it a religious act to destroy our Persons and ruine our Nation which they know to be both the defence and glory of the Reformed Churches We may do well to consider these three things First That we have very little Reason to Believe the present Religion of the Roman Church to be indeed the Religion of Christ Never did our Blessed Saviour Teach his Servants to Propagate his Religion by Shedding Blood Never did his Apostles Teach their Successors either by Doctrine or Example to Promote the Gospel by any Sword but that of the Spirit onely I find indeed that Christianity is called by some Antient Authours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Prevailing Doctrine and the Promoters of it were accordingly stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Conquerours But by what Weapons did they overcome St. Paul Answers The Weapons of our Warfare are not Carnal They did not Convert the Heathen World with Swords and Daggers They did not Enlighten the Understandings of Men with Fire and Faggots such Pagan Princes as would not turn to their Religion they did not Assassinate nor move their Subjects to Rebell No the Religion of Christ hath in it such Properties as forbids all this St. James tells us What it is 't is first Pure and then Peaceable The Designs of Christianity is to make Men as more Holy towards their God so more Gentle Kind and Tender-hearted towards their Neighbours then all Man-kind besides 'T is one great work of the Gospel so to Mollifie and Soften the Hearts of Men that the Vulture may become a Dove and the VVoolf a Lamb. But so far is the Roman Religion from doing this that it makes Men more Merciless then it found them For we cannot doubt but they who have the Great unhappiness to be Born within that Church do bring with them into the World the same Natural Bowels with other Men but such is their Education that they Learn more Cruelty from a Corrupted Religion then from a Corrupted Nature Even so much Cruelty that when once they Act like Zealous Papists they do even cease to be Men. And if so that Religion can be no Kin to the Religion of Christ which instead of makeing better doth make him none But Secondly That we have abundant Reason to prepare our selves for the very worst of Sufferings The Scriptures tells us That the Servants of God must expect wrongs and Injuries not from Prophane Persons onely but which is worse even from Devout Ones too VVicked Men may pursue us from a Principle of Irreligion And Devout Men may do as much from a Blind and Ill-grounded Zeal Of this latter sort are they in the Text such Persons as through Mistakes and Mis-informations are of an Opinion that it were a Pious work to Destroy us and so thinks themselves Oblieged to do it This being our Case we should fit our selves to endure whatever God may permit Men of rash and Fiery Spirits Enflamed with Zeal and Edged with Religion to inflict upon us Now that we may suffer if need be with that Christian Courage that becomes us besides our Begging the Assistances of that God for whom we suffer we are Concerned to do these Two Things more First 'T is our Concern to Acquaint our selves thoroughly with the Principles of that Religion which we Oppose and of that we Adhere unto 'T is a great thing to Suffer so harsh to Flesh and Blood that no VVise Man will do it unless he see Good reason for it And in our present Case the onely reason must be the Badness of the Religion which we Renounce and the Goodness of that which we Defend That the Roman Religion is stark Nought That the Reformed Religion is the onely Right one we must not barely Believe by an Implicit Faith but be able to prove by such sollid Reasons as cannot fail us 'T is St. Paul's rule Prove all things All Matters both of Faith and VVorship but why and in Order to what must we Prove them The next VVords tells us Hold fast that which is Good 'T is an Intimation that in times of Persecution we shall never hold fast the best Religion in the VVorld if we do not prove it first but take it up meerly upon trust So Treacherous is the Soul of Man and so averse from Suffering any thing for God that when we are brought into any Extremity our own Hearts may be apt to Discourage us from induring it by raising in us suspitions and Jealousies about the Truth of that Religion which as yet we never strictly Examined but Embraced and owned barely through Custom and

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Pagans in Eusebius away with these Atheists for it was no new thing even with Heathens to execute an Atheist for Plato tells that this was the Crime of Socrates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he thinks that there are no Gods and for that he died And upon the same supposition of Atheism how false soever it was did the Heathens think it a very pious work to kill the Christians too Secondly The Servants of Christ were thought to be publick Enemies to the civil Government of the World and upon that score were judged unfit to live any longer in it S. Austine indeed might well demand quid Christiani laeserant Regna terrena What were the Kingdoms of the World the worse for the Christian faith that they should prove such enemies to it certainly they fared much the better for it So Nazianzene observed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Christian Religion thrived so did the Roman Empire too Sure we are the great Authour of this Reliligion did lay no claim to earthly Crowns my Kingdome is not of this World But as he gave us his own Example of obedience unto other Magistrates so hath he left us Rules and Precepts for it What the practice of his ancient Servants was Tertullian tells us Oramus pro omnibus Imperatoribus c. We pray for all our Governours and if at any time they oppress us our only recourse is to our Prayers and Tears not that we want all other weapons or hands to use them but that our Religion gives us no leave to do so But notwithstanding all their peaceable deportment and submissive obedience to that Government or rather Tyranny under which they lived and groaned too Tertullian thus complains Mastajetis rei Convenimur we poor Christians are convented and indicted as Traitors and Rebels but why so The Pagans pretences were these pro Imperatoribus Sacrificia non impenditis ye offer no Sacrifices for the Emperours prosperity again non celebrando solennia Caesarum ye do not observe Caesars birth day with such solemnities as other Subjects do yet again the Christians did refuse to swear as other Romans commonly did Per Genios Caesarum or as Polycarp was commanded by the Roman Proconsul in Eusebius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 swear by the Fortune of Caesar this the Christians would not do and Tertullian gives this reason for it non dicam Imperatorem Deum we dare not swear by Caesar because we dare not own him God Now their peremptory refusal to flatter the Roman Emperors in matters of this kind was looked upon as an Argument of their disaffection and disloyalty which being improved by the malice of their accusers and believed by their Judges did expose them to the severest censures of the Imperial Laws as if they had been really guilty of Rebellion and Treasons indeed Thirdly The Servants of Christ were accused and thought guilty of such vile Immoralities and foul debaucheries as being committed would indeed render any man unfit to live St. Austine tells us that Porphyry a great enemy to the Primitive Saints pretended that he had received from an Oracle this Information Christum piissimum Christianos pollutos that Christ himself was a most pious person but that his pretended followers were polluted Villains Thus Tertullian tells his Pagan Hominem Christianum omnium Scelerum reum existimas the man that is a Christian you think to be guilty of all wickednesses whatsoever What particular Crimes were laid to the Charge of these innocent Christians we learn from several Authours Dicimur Sceleratissimi de Sacramento Infanticidii Pabulo inde c. saith Tertullian we Christians are counted the vilest of men for Murdering our own Infants yea and like old Satan for eating them too To this Eusebius adds another Calumny that was spread abroad and believed amongst the Nations and that was this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. We Christians are charged with Incestuous copulations with our own Sisters and Mothers too That which gave occasion to this foul but undeserved reproach was this in those days the Servants of Christ being sorely persecuted in all places could not meet to serve their God in publick and by day without manifest hazard of their lives and so were constrained as Pliny informed the Emperor to hold Caetus Antelucanos their holy Assemblies exceeding early and in the dark These obscure and private meetings though held not of their own choice but of mere necessity and though designed for no other end but the safety of their persons whilest they worshipped God did expose them to the censure of their Enemies who willing enough to believe all evil of them did easily suspect them to be guilty of those horrid Crimes which other wicked men and perhaps they themselves did often act in private and in the dark And since the men of the Pagan World did though very unjustly believe the Primitive Christians to be guilty of Adultery Incest and Murder even that of their own little ones we cannot much wonder that they should think their utmost Severity towards them to be an Act of Justice yea and Religion too because even amongst them such enormous Crimes were commonly punished with Death and do indeed deserve it by the known Laws both of God and Men. 4. The Servants of Christ were thought to be the Causes of all those Publick Calamities which befell the World and so might well be judged unfit to live any longer in it And doubtless had those former Charges been well proved against them this last had been but a very rational Inference from them For whosoever is an Atheist in point of Religion a Rebel in point of Government and a Debauchee in point of Manners doth contribute a great deal towards the Ruine of that place where he resides That the Primitive Christians were and did so was a thing believed among the Heathens St Austin saith of Rome Mala quae Civitas illa pertulit Christo imputant Whatever Evils hapned to that City they impuputed unto Christ Nay Postquam esse in mundo Gens Christiana coepit terrarum Orbem periisse c. So the Pagans in Arnobius the whole World is almost ruin'd since Christianity came into it What particular Calamities were imputed by the men of the Heathen World to the Servants of Christ we learn from several Authors Non pluit Deus non seminamus so speak the Heathens in St. Austin there is no Rain we cannot sow What then Die ad Christianos Go and thank the Christians for it To this we may add that of Tertullian Si Tiberis ascendit ad Moenia si Nilus non ascendit in arva c. If there happened either too much Rain or too little if there were any Famines Pestilences or Earthquakes what then Christianos ad Leones Away with these Christians to the Lions But why were they to blame the Pagans in Arnobius give this Reason Christus ex Orbe