Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	doctrine_n	reform_a	3,582	5	9.8202	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78422	The depths of Satan discovered: or, the Jesuits last design to ruine religion. Being, some observations upon a pamphlet, called, The swords abuse asserted: by John Vernon. Presented to the consideration of the Armie. Citie. Kingdome. / By Philopatrius Philalethes.	Cawdrey, Daniel, 1588-1664.	1649 (1649)	Wing C1625; Thomason E539_1; ESTC R205694	19,373	34

THE Depths of Satan DISCOVERED OR The Jesuits last Design to Ruine RELIGION BEING Some Observations upon a Pamphlet called The Swords Abuse Asserted By JOHN VERNON Presented to the Consideration Of the Armie Citie Kingdome By PHILOPATRIUS PHILALETHES REV. 2.24 To as many as have not this Doctrine and which have not knowne the Depths of Satan 2 PET. 2.18 19. For when they speake great swelling Words of Vanitie they allu●e through the Lusts of the flesh c. Those that were cl●a●e es●aped from them who live in Errour While they promise them Libertie they themselves are the servants of Corruption London Printed for John Wright at the Kings Head in the Old-Bayley 1649. To the truely Christian Reader IT is very well knowne to every understanding Christian that there are two maine Pillar● of a Reformed State the two great Ordin●nces of God Magistracie and Ministrie And it s as easily obseruable that many there are whether ignorantly or intentially who are Sampson like laying hold of those two Pillars though they pull downe therewith the house of the Kingdome and Church upon their owne and others heads How much the latter the Ministrie hath beene undermind in all times especially within these last dozen yeares there 's no observing Christian but hath taken notice What Innovasions and subscriptions have beene Imposed upon godly and faithfull Ministers by the Prelates to drive them from their Stations and out of the Kingdome who doth not yet remember Within these last seven yeares the same Designe hath beene carryed on bu● in another dresse The great sesuiticall Project for they lye behind the Curtaine and Act it hath beene to make the Ministers whom they could not corrupt and Ministrie vile and contemptible which hath proceeded to a very high degree The 〈◊〉 to effect it hath beene this First To poure out upon them whole Dung-carts of the vilest Reproaches in Pamphlets that ever Christian eare heard thereby to expose them to the scorne of the people and so to nullifie the Successe of their Ministrie Secondly To cry downe their Office either as Antichristian or none Setting up Preachers of the basist of the people as Jeroboam made Priests admiring and adoring them above the most Learned Faithfull able Min●sters of the G spell from whom as Instruments under G d they re●●●ved the knowledge and grace they have if they have any yet now contemne them which true grace cannot doe as the dirt under their feet Thirdly To cry downe Learning Arts Vniversities as uselesse pretending to new Revelations which are the m●er delusions of Satan Fourthly The last but not least destructive to cry downe their setled Maintenance by Tithes and leave them to the cold and comfortlesse-Charitie of the people which will starve them out that are in and keepe others from entring in This alone will doe it if the rest faile For the former the Magistracie it hath beene the long policie of Antichrist to perswade the world that the Christian Magistrate hath nothing at all to doe in matters of Religion that so he might usurpe that power into his owne hands This damnable Doctrine destructive to Religion to State and Church hath long beene contended against by all the Reformed Churches and their Learned Champions And little could wee expect that any men that pretend to Reformation should herein have complyed with them But our feare and jealousie is they are acted and agitated either by strong delusions of Satan or by the subtile Insinuations of disguised Jesuites who have now at last transfrom'd themselves into Angels of Light in stead of their former fierce heat It 's knowne to all the world that the Protestant Religion in England is setled by Parliamentarie Power and Lawes by them established And whilst that stands in its faithfulnesse and vigour Poperie is not like to enter here Many wayes have beene attempted either to corrupt it or breake it in former and later times but blessed be God all in vaine But now of late there is at once a double designe upon it to breake the Being of it and the Authoritie of it in matters of Religion together or if not both the latter And this is the designe of the Pamphlet entituled The Swords abuse asserted Whither this Gentleman the Author of it or any in the Army have such Intentions I dare not say but the Positions lately offered to the world doe clearely ponderate that way This I find to be his Principle destructive enough which ●he asserts pag. 15. That Christians and Heathens in Civill Affaires are alike subjected to the Civill Sword but neither subject in Religious causes and there can be no Restraint where there must be no Superioritie than which no Jesuite could have spoken worse This he obscurely hinted in his Title Page but kept it for a Reserve till he had baffled his Readers eyes with some appearance of reasons against Restraint which is but one part of the Magistrates power Wee shall weigh what he sayes and cleare up to the Reader The Depths of Satan vailed therein The Depths of Satan DISCOVERED Quaere Whether the Civill Magistrate though he shall not compell yet may ●ot restraine those who professe not Christianitie from divulging their Principles especially by visible worship or practise in Idolary BEfore I come to debate this Controversie I shall say something by way of distinction to the stating of the question 1. For the Title of the Booke it might very well passe in a right sense as applyed to the distempers of the Times If he mean it of them to whom he speakes as he seemes to doe in that Dedication A word to the Armie viz. That it is an Abusing of the Martiall Sword to take upon them to determine of matters of Religion or to take power to themselves to limit or extend the Libertie thereof Wee should easily agree with him to assert it a very great Abuse for them a Parliament sitting from whom they have their Commission onely for Martiall Affaires to intermedle in matters of Religion as beyond their Spheare as he speakes But if he meane pag. 3. as he expressely discovers himselfe pag. 15. That the Supreme Magistrate hearing the Civill Sword hath nothing to doe about matters of Religion he abuses his Reader and his owne Reason to undertake to assert it as shall appeare in the sequell 2. Wee distinguish of Temple-worke as his Title Page calls it If he meane it thus That the Sword is an uselesse Toole his owne phrase for the first Erecting or Constituting Members of a Church gathered out from Heathens that is for the Conversion of men to the Christian Faith it s readily granted For Christs subjects must be all volunteers a willing people But if he meane that in a constituted Church the Christian Magistrate hath nothing to doe to restraine men from the violation of Christian Truths or the Rules of Religious worship in the externall Profession and exercises thereof he shall find himselfe miserably mistaken Conversion of

Gentleman pleads for viz. a Subversion and utter Suppression of Truth by the joynt opposition of all Errours at once And I am confident this is the last and most desperate Designe of Antichrist and his Agitators the Jesuits to destroy this Church and State and to subdue it unto Antichrist They have tryed all wayes by fraud and violence to effect this nothing blessed be God will yet doe it Now their last refuge is a Toleration of all Religions and Poperie it s hoped shall have a place amongst them Which if it be granted I dare be a Prophet that Poperie shall swallow up all the other Errours and bring them all to it selfe but poore Truth onely shall be denyed a Toleration For whereas before wee had onely or chiefly Poperie to oppose now all the Sects and Errours will joyntly fight against us And besides All the Sests in some things agree with Papists alreadie All the Arminian Points which are blanched Poperie having beene kept out at the fore-doore are crept in at the back-doore of Connivence and Preached and maintained by most of the Sectaries and new Jesuiticall Seducers How easie then is it for Papists and them to be reconciled ●n the rest by a Jesuiticall subtile wit So in the last ruine Poperie will be predominant Yea those very men that now ●ry up Toleration when once they have gotten power will cry ●owne Toleration not onely of true Portestant Religion ●ut also of any Sect unlesse it comply with their ends as ex●erience tells us in their owne Countries They that now cry ●ut of Persecution of their Errours will be the greatest Perse●utors of the Truth Oh the Stupiditie shall I say or giddi●esse of the people of this Nation who are bewitched with ●esuiticall Counsells to hasten their owne and our ruine Oh ●hat the honest men in the Armie would but see how they do not onely the Cavaliers worke in the State but the Jesuits worke ●lso in the Church to the destruction of both The Lord a●aken and open their eyes betimes to see the things that be●ong to their and our Peace before it be too late and they be ●id from their eyes Yet further A State sayes he cannot be subverted but either by force or by a generall consent The force is easily prevented when the first thirtie men meeting in Armes for such an end are by the Law Traytors and may be proceeded against accordingly And no man can imagine it possible to subvert the State by a generall consent when there will be such varietie of judgements and every man is free and in feare of a change least he be a loses by it In answer wee say First a State may be subverted by fraud ●nd subtiltie and that 's the way now in Agitation But se●ondly I am glad to heare him say Force may easily a marke that easily be prevented when the first thirtie men meeting in Armes are by the Law Traytors and may be proceeded against accordingly I feare the Armie will give him little thankes for this Discoverie For what is the great pretence for all the irregular motions of the Armie but an impossibilitie to prevent the Force of the contrarie partie had the Treatie gone on effectually And this friend of their●● sayes plainly and honestly Force may easily be prevented by such a Law Such a Law there is not yet established but such a Law was intended in the Propositions to the King and if this might easily prevent Force all pretences of Impossibilitie are hereby made voyd Let all the people heare this Thus God catches the wise in their owne craftinesse and makes them betray themselves Thirdly But may not a State be subverted by consent No because there will be varietie of judgements c. There may be varietie of judgements and all differing from the Truth but who knowes not that Errours agree in the root and most of them bordering upon Popery which is naturall in many points to all men as might be proved how easie then is it to reconcile them all against the Truth to the subversion of the Church first and the State next Nor need they feare a change or to be losers by it for all Sects its observable enough propound one common end to themselves Libertie and Poperie is a Religion of Libertie enough and so no losers by it Obj. 4. There is one Objection more come lately to his knowledge and that is this How can it be called an Agreement of the people when many thousands otherwise faithfull in conscience cannot subscribe to it if you dis-allow of this Civill Restrictive power c. He sayes That the Title of Agreement imports nothing without Relation to the Substance following which is for the foundation of Future Peace and Freedome and he that layes a foundation of slaverie to please Oppressours when he proclaims out Freedom shall not answer that Agreement but the carnall heart of a deceitfull Tyrant Nor deserves he to be accounted faithfull but deprives himselfe of proffered Priviledge and Freedome that cannot subscribe or agree thereto except he may make all others his slaves c. This is plaine dealing indeed Here he tells us First That Restricto● power is Oppressive Tyrannicall Antichristian which yet is proved to be the very ordinance of God unlesse he will say That Restrictive power in the Jewish Magistrates ●as Oppressive Tyrannicall Antichristian The Consciences ●f those Times ought no more to be restrained or complled ●han now under the Gospell Secondly He tells you what ●ou must trust to be you otherwise never so Faithfull If you ●annot in conscience subscribe that Agreement you must not be ●ccounted Faithfull nor may you expect any Priviledge or ●reedome So that the more Faithfull and Consciencious a ●●an is the more he deprives himselfe of the proffered Freedome which is by another discovered to be present Slaverie M. Ashurst his Reasons c. And ●e more false and loose a man is the more benefit shall he ●ave by that Agreement a Libertie of Conscience to professe ●hat Errours he will and a Licentiousnesse of life to doe ●hat he list being himselfe made a Judge of his subscribed ●greement Besides he seemes to contradict here what he ●ranted above a Libertie to every man pag. 14. to worship God ●cording to his Conscience Which if it must be granted to all ●as by his Doctrine it must why shall not those that have ●eene Faithfull who cannot in Conscience consent or subscribe ●o that Agreement have their Libertie of Conscience as well as ●thers But I pray Christians take notice what you sh●ll ex●ect from these Jesuiticall Designes You shall be tolerated so ●ong as you agree with them in their Destructive Principles ●nd when they have gotten you i● to such a snare that you can ● Conscience proceed no further farewell your Priviledges and ●reedome You shall then be made the vilest slaves to Jesuiti●ll Lusts and your pretended Toleration end in Intollerable ●averie and bitterest persecution Consider what I have said ●nd the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS