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religion_n church_n faith_n true_a 15,470 5 5.2366 4 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A30550 To the Parliament of the common-wealth of England who are in place of authority to do justice, and in present power to ease the oppressed nation from its bonds : councel and advice unto you / from a friend that seeks after truth and righteousness from you ... Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662. 1659 (1659) Wing B6039; ESTC R36304 6,296 8

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Nation that all that do well may have praise and be justified and all that do evil may be afraid and punished and hereby shall the whole Nation be refreshed and comforted with the Mercies of the Lord and his Name shall be the greatest among us and Truth and Righteousness should run down when Justice sits in the Throne And not men for greatness sake in Titles or Birth or otherwise Chosen in Tradition and not by Appointment of God but men for Vertues sake and not for earthly honour which perisheth not Covetous nor Ambitious men not proud and vain-glorious men not such as seeks the honour from below that respects vain titles flatteries of men not such as will seek themselves and be perverted by gifts not such as are Persecutors for a good Conscience sake that are Zealous but not according to knowledge not wilful and heady men not unconstant and changeable men not Traitors that have turned for self-advantage and will change with the times to any way of Government for earthly honour for such will Judge for man and not for God not ignorant men that wants the Spirit of sound Judgement nor such as are prophane and without the fear of God nor such as these be they rich or great let not such be our Governours nor Judge over us to make Laws and execute them for us in our Nation let all such men be cast out from among you and disenabled by certain Just restrictions from ever receiving Trust or Authority over us for while such men have been in power and sate in the Throne Justice and true Judgement have been perverted and our Land hath groaned under oppre●sions and the Inhabitants mourned for very grief of heart because of the abounding of injustice and cruelty through their Rulers and the Lord hath been vexed with them while ini●uity hath sate upon the Throne and wilfulness Judged the people and mercy been wanting and just Judgement neglected and the whole Land hath laid desolate because hereof And therefore I call unto you on the Lords behalf make way and prepare for Righteousness to sit as Judge that men alone that fears God and are ordained of him thereunto of what Profession or Birth soever they be men of truth and justness that have the Spirit of a good understanding and are called of God may have Authority in our Nation to give Laws and execute them for us such being brought into a capacity by you to be chosen for to such men appointed of God and fitted for that end and truly called of him being qualified as aforesaid do we give the Authority and Power in our Nation to Judge and to Govern in the things pertaining to this World and over us as we are Members of this Nation and over the outward man and in the things between man and man even to be a terrour to such as are without the fear of God and to punish such by Just Laws without as breaks the Law of God within though to the Lord God alone we give the Authority and Power over us to Rule us and to Judge us in that Relation as we are Members of his Kingdom and over our inward man and in the things pertaining to our Consciences in all things related to his worship and service and faith and practices in Religion And for as much as in the late dayes of darkness through the unjust practice of Government in the hands of uncalled and ungodly men the exercise of our Consciences hath been violated by men not ordained of God who have not known the perfect station nor cause and end of Civil Government nor how to Rule and Govern over us as men and over our outward man which is onely the end of outward Rule and Government but have assumed unjustly the Seat and Throne of Christ Jesus and have ruled over our Consciences and oppressed our inward man with false Judgement imposed upon us through limitting of us from and compelling of us to such or such a way of worship and Religion even contrary to the Spirit of God taking upon them without any call from God at all but as Vsurpers to be Judges in matters of Faith and Doctrines and Worships which pertains unto the One God and not unto men and unto the Spirit of Christ we give the exercise of our consciences in our duty to God in all things pertaining to worship and faith towards him and not unto you nor any man upon the earth but I say because the civil Magistrate hath judged where he ought not in matters pertaining to God onely and not to him and so hath abused his Power and exceeded the measure and line of his Authority hereby have we been wofully oppressed in our consciences and for the very pure exercise thereof have we been accounted great offenders and even righteousness hath been punished as a haynious crime and the most innocent as great transgressors even while the civil Magistrate hath compelled to and limmitted from such wayes of worships and practices of Religion and so been as Lord over our consciences we have been an oppressed People and killed all the day long and our oppressions because hereof hath reached unto heaven and entred into the ears of the Lord and hath overturned and confounded Powers and Authorities men and Lawes even because of this thing to wit oppression of good conscience which may be to you examples for good who cannot give his glory to any other neither the exercise of his Peoples consciences to any saving his own Spirit that onely leads into all Truth in worship and practice Wherefore it is upon me to lay it before you even you as the first Asserters of and contenders for Englands Liberty and whom the Lord hath honoured in beginning to remove Tyranny and oppression and reaching after our long lost Liberties that you will learn wisdom from the God of heaven to be ordered to his glory and to order others in Righteousness that you may escape the pits and snares that many are fallen into in such pathes of oppre●sing tender conscience And particularly that you will leave unto God alone the exercise of Peoples consciences in Faith and worship and clearly devide and distinguish between Rule and Government over the People of this Nation as they are Men and Members of the Nation and as Members of the Kingdom of Christ and worshipers of God in Spirit and that you will put a difference between the civil Government of our Nation in the things pertaining to mens bodies and Estates and their outward carriages as men one towards another and between Church Government and the things related to the worship and service of God and in faith and practices of Religion towards him in which relation we give the Government over us to Christ as I have said for he alone is true Judge concerning faith and worship and Religon and men are but to Judge over men in those things that pertains to this world and over the outward