Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	concern_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	94	3	8.8044	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10212	The remonstrance from the Reverend Father in God, Francis Lord Bishop of Ely, and several others, the most eminent divines of the Church of England, against the proceedings of the P: O. and the lords spiritual and temporal, that invited him. Being an adress [sic], from the pulpit to the King, in fifteen sermons; denouncing damnation, &c. to the abdicators of God's annoynted, and abettors of this rebellion.	Turner, Francis, 1638?-1700.	1689 (1689)	Wing T3279; ESTC R185788	60,696	114

violence to mens wills but when this wickedness is injurious to others who are the objects of his care and providence he many times interposes to prevent the mischief Who ever suspected that the Fire at New-Market was sent by God for the preservation of our King and His Royal Brother Christian Religion is the greatest security of Government both i● its precepts and examples It commands Every Soul to be subject to the higher Powers and threatens eternal damnation against Rebels it strictly enjoyns the practice of all sociable virtues and charms those boisterous passions which disturb humane conversation it requires Us to obey our Superiors in all lawful things and quietly to submit and suffor when we 〈◊〉 obey And the blessed Jesus who was the Author of our Religion 〈◊〉 our great Pattern and Example did himself practise these laws which he gave to US He liv'd in obedience to the Civil Power and though the Jewish Nation which was a free People the Lot and Inheritance of God himself were then in subjection to the Romans yet He would not give Them the least encouragement to shake off the yoke but commands them to give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's He died himself upon the Cross and made this the condition of our discipleship To take up our Cross and follow Him and thus the Apostles and Primitive Christians did they chearfully follow'd their Master to the Cross and conquered by suffering Christianity was planted in the world by no other arts but the foolishness Preaching and it defended it self Only by a resolute and patient suffering for the name of Christ This is the true temper and spirit of Christianity Under the most barbarous and persecuting Emperors no Christian ever suffer'd as a Rebel They gave no other disturbance to the Government than by confessing themselves to be Christians and suffering for it Their numbers indeed were very formidable but nothing else for in imitation of their great Master They went as lambs to the slaughter and as sheep before their shearers are dumb so they opened not their mou●hs But notwithstanding this our daily experience tells US that when Religion is divided into Factions and Parties or rather Men are divided into Factions and Parties upon account of Religion there is nothing more imbitters mens spirits against each other nor gives greater disturbance to publick Government All the Troubles and Miseries which for these late years have overwhelmed this unfortunate Island have been dooing to this cause Religion has been made either the reason or the pretence of all To deny that Prosest Protestants have ever rebell'd against their Prince is to deny that there ever was a Civil War in England And I would to God We had but one instance of this it might have left some hope still that This was not the temper nor the Principles of the Men but some unlucky ●●●cture of ●ffairs which transported Them beyond the bounds of their Duty and their own ●●ow'd Principles When Religion turns into a ●●a●e 〈◊〉 to curb and restrain and quell such pretences is not to invade the 〈◊〉 Conscience o● the ●●ber●●● of Religion but to secure the publick 〈◊〉 to prevent the occasions of new Rebellions And no sob●● man can 〈◊〉 his Prince for this tho he may Those and ought to express a just indignation against Them who forfeit this liberty by abusing it for a cloak of maliciousness A great and passionate Zeal like a distemper'd Love blinds mens eyes and makes them mistake both their Enemies and Friends It fills their heads with endless jealousies and fears and makes them start and run away from their own shadow Such a boysterous Zeal is the frenzy and Calenture of Religion which makes men uncapable of any sober counsel and all prudent Resolves and precipitates them into the most wild extravagant and irreligious attempts There is nothing more pernicious than Zeal when it gets a-head and bears down all the considerations of Reason and Religion before it When men are conscious to themselves that they are engag'd in a good cause and have honest designs it makes them more bold and venturous For tho few men da● own it yet the actions of too many sufficiently proclaim that Th●● think they may strain a Point and dispence with strict Duty when it is to serve a good cause when the Honour of God and the Interest of R●ligion is concern'd Such a Zeal does violently push Men forward but ●● does not steer well nor observe its compass and thus it is too often see● that Men who begin with a zeal for Religion insensibly slip into Stat● Factions and are engag'd vastly beyond what They first design'd L●● Us then above all things have a care of our Zeal that we may not mista●en earthly Fire which burns and consumes for that divine and harmle● Flame which is kindled at God's altar A true zeal for Religion is nothing more nor less than such an hearty love for it as makes us very diligent in the practise of it out selves and contented if God sees it fit 〈◊〉 lay down our lives for it and very industrious to promote the knowledge and practise of Religion in the World by all lawful and prude●● means A true Christian Zeal will not suffer US to transgress the stri●● bounds of our duty to God or of our duty to Men especially to King and Princes whatever Flattering Prospect of advantage it may give To lye to forswear our selves to hate and revile each other To reproach and libel Governors in Church or State to stir up or countenance with the least Thought any Plots Seditions or Rebellions again●● the King is not a Zeal for God nor for Religion for this wisdom● not from above but is earthly sensual and devillish for where strife and co●tention is there is every evil work Let Our past Experience therefore teach Us to watch over the lea●● stirrings and first appearances of a seditious and factious spirit either in our selves or others however it may be disguised with a pretence of Religion Faction like other vices has but very small beginnings but when those beginnings are indulg'd it soon improves and gets strength Omne in praecipiti vitium stetit When men once espouse a Party like those who are running down hill they cannot stop when they please Discontents and jealousies are easily fomented when We have once given admission to them and the busy Factors and Agents for Sedition when They find US never so little disposed to receive the Impression use their utmost art and skill all the methods of insinuation and address to make us Proselytes I doubt not but many Men have died Rebels and suffer'd as Traytors who at first did as much abhor the though●s of Treason and Rebellion as any of us can Thus I doubt not but it was in our late Troubles And thus I believe it is at this Day Let such Examples as these make Us wary how

acknowledge and pay Homage to it like Nibuchadnezzar to fall down and worship the Image They have made and Set up shall be cast there Some there are who have too lately made use of Their pretended Fear of God to Justle out the King's Honour their serving God to excuse these disobedience to the King their fits of Devotion Extatical Raptures their Acts of Disloyalty Their Asserting the True Religion Justifying their Rising up against his Majesty And now let every Englishman begin to examin himself whether he hath not medled with them who were given to change Have not You shew'd your selves such by siding and going along with that Faction which wrought the last dismal change or by following men who Trac'd their steps and Practic'd the same methods of Sedition which usher'd in that Rebellion did you not greedily Swallow down the Calumnies and and Slanders They F●d you with against the Government Have you their persons in the greatest Admiration who made the Biggest Noise for Religion and Liberty while Their Lives manifested they had extinguish'd the one all but the Name and Their Arbitrary proceedings that they were Resolv'd to Prostitute the other to their own Lusts such who had Scrupl'd at Order and Decency in the Church but had made none of involving three Kingdoms in Misery and Confusion strein'd at Conformity but Swallow'd down Rebellion slumbl'd at a Ceremony but leap'd over the Murther or Dethroning of Their King. And after all this did you not look upon your selves as absolv'd from the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and on them as antiquated Bonds Or were you not for expounding Them so as they might be best accommodated to Rebellion or willing Disciples of such Masters who did That they were stipulations of a Conditional Obedience Provided the King maintained your Rights and that limitted and Restrain'd to some Case only so that the King not performing the former you were not bound to the latter or Commanding something without the Verge of his Authority might be oppos'd by Arms and Forc'd within compass Or that those Sacred Tyes might be violated without Sin for promoting such great Goods as the Power of Godliness and the Freedom of the Gospell did not the Casuistical Divinity of such Rabbies please you who directed You in Order to shake the Crown from off the Monarch's head to break any Oath with the deepest sence of Religion which you before had Sworn with a Sound Conscience c. And besides the Wickedness of Breaking Through These Sacred Obligations have you not bound your selves by illegal Associations or Covenants directly opposite to these solemn engagements to labour a change So Cataline initiated his Complices to the privacy of his conspiracy by a Sacrament solemn as a Sacrifice to the Gods He drank to Them in a mingl'd bowl of man's blood and wine and made them pledge him and one another in that and so doing their mutual Faith devoting themselves with horrid execrations to suffer all Ills in case they infring'd it afore he ventur'd to acquaint them with the villany they were to be actors in And if you have in any of the forementioned respects been guilty as it is more than to be suspected you have Let me exhort you to wash away the contracted guilt with the tears of repentance c. LONDON Printed for William Nott at the Queen's Arms in the Pall Mall 1683. A Sermon Entituled Some seasonable Reflections on the Discovery of the la●e Plot By William Sherlock D. D. Psal 18. Verse 50. Great deliverance giveth he to his King and sheweth mercy to his Annointed to David and to his seed for evermore MEn of turbulent and restless spirits will be sure to find or make some pretences or occasions of quarrel under the most just and equal Government Sometimes They dispute the right of Succession but this they could not do in David's case unless they would dispute God's right to place and displace Princes For he was immediately chosen by God and annointed by his Prophet and yet this could not secure him from Conspiracies and Rebellions Others pretend great Oppression and male-administration of Government tho' Their licentious noises and clamours sufficiently confute it for men who are most opprest dare say the least of it And Others make Religion a pretence for Their Rebellion Religion the greatest and the dearest interest of all But methinks it is a dangerous way for Men to rebel to save Their Souls when God has Rom. 13. 2. threatned damnation against Those who rebel But this is a vain pretence for no man can fight for Religion who has any Religion Religion is a quiet peaceable governable thing it teaches Men to suffer patiently but never to rebel And were there any true concernment for Religion in this pretence can We imagine that the most profest Atheists the most lewd prostigate Wretches the greatest Prodigies and Monsters of wickedness should be so zealous for Religion But it 's evident it is not Religion such men are zealous for but a liberty in Religion that is that every one may have his liberty to be of any Religion or of none which serves the Atheists turn as well as th● Sectaries but is nor much for the honour or interest of true Religion I suppose no man doubts how many dangers a Prince is expos'd to who flies before an enrag'd and victorious enemy A Prince whose Father was murther'd and himself forc'd into banishment by his own Subjects Who knows not whither to go where to hide himself whom to trust Many persons who were in greatest power being concern'd for their own preservation to keep Him out while those who wish'd Hi● Return durst not whisper any thing tending to call the King back again This was the condition of our dread Soveraign who was hunted as Partridge in the mountains pursued by his own rebellious Subjects who had usurp'd his Throne and thirsted after his Blood. But then God found an hiding place for Him and delivered Him from the desire and expectation of his Enemies And as the Psalmist says This is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes now know We that the Lord saveth his Annointed He will hear Him from his holy Heaven with the saving strength of his right hand Psal 65. 7. God may sometimes suffer Treason and Rebellion to be prosperous but it can never prosper but when God pleaseth and it is impossible Rebels should ever know that There is nothing more expresly contrary to the reveal'd will of God than Treasonable Plots and Conspiracies against Soveraign Princes And tho God does many times permit those things to be done which he has forbid to be done or else no man could ever be guilty of any sin yet his forbidding of it is a plain argument that he does not approve it that he will not countenance it God never indeed interposes by an irresistible power to hinder men from choosing that which is wicked for he offers no force or

have now at last taken Arms and begun a most Bloody Rebellion against the Lord 's Annoynted And now what storms are coming upon Us what Devastations and Spoyles by Fire and Sword may we justly dread And the whole Nation alas may now become a Theatre of War and Feild of Blood And the streets fill'd with the Cryes of Widdows and the Fatherless with Murders Rapins Incest Adulterys Sacriledges Massacres and Conflagrations And what satisfaction now can any Loyal Subject have to think of Surviving the Ruines of the Government or to live in a Land Polluted and Stain'd with Blood to see daily before his Eyes the dismal spectacle of his enslav'd undone Country or to live in pepetual Fears of being made a Sacrifice himself But it hath hitherto pleased that God who allotteth to Atheists and Rebells a portion with the Hypocrite to rescue and preserve his Majesty from the Paws of these Bloody Miscreants Hence it appears That good Kings are the immediate care of God and that They should be so seems agreeable to the Oeconomy of his Providence and is confirm'd by Examples in all Ages For They are his Annoynted His Vicegerents set over Us by his appointment and are therefore entituled to a special Right in the Divine Providence Of this Truth his present Majesty with the late King his Royal Brother have been very Eminent Examples through the whole course of their Respective Lives And that which seems Truly deplorable in this Execrable Treason is the Hardiness and Impenitence that accompanies This Rebellion and pursues the Rebells to the very moments of their Deaths But wo be to Those wretched Guids who lead Them into both Those Betrayers of Souls who instead of disposing men to Christian Obedience have caused Them first to Rebell and then instead of disposing Them to Repentance have encouraged them in the Rebellion And then at their very Deaths have forc'd them as it were to Publish such Iustifications as seem written with designe to incite their accomplices to carry on the work here whilst they are answering for it in the other world and this consideration is enough to make the hearts of all good Christians Ake And We must now pray that as God hath hitherto preserved the King so that Justice may overtake those Rebells and Traytors whom Mercy cannot Reclaim In a word then as We are thankful to God for the preservation of his Majesty hitherto so let Us implore Protection over him for the time to come That he may daily Receive fresh Accessions of Strength and Splendor and be Recompenced for the times wherein He hath suffered Adversity O Lord save the King And bless thine Annoynted Send Him help from thy holy Hill And evermore mightily defend Him. Let the Enemy have no advantage over Him Nor the Wicked approach to hurt Him. Amen Lonndon Printed for R Royston his Majesties Book-seller A Se●mon Preach'd before the Lord Mayor c. of London By Henry Hesketh Minister of St. Hellens 1 Pet. 2 15. For so is the will of God that with Well-doing you may put to Silence the Ignorance of Foolish-men WE then most truly honour God when we express a great sense of his Power and Soveraignty over us in our Lives And we then only glorify and acceptably praise Him when we live according to his Commandements acknowledg the reasonableness and goodness of his Laws and chearfully do those things that are pleasing unto Him. Among these there cannot well be an higher instance than to live up to the Principles of that Excellent Religion that he has appointed To be the Measure of all our Actions To enquire now what was The Cavil and objection which these Foolish men made against Christian Religion which the Apostle in the Text hath respect unto and would have Silenced And this may easily be resolv'd by considering the two verses immediatly preceding the Text In which the Apostle doth press the duty of Obedience and Subjection to Our Lawful Governors both Supream and Subordinate Submit Your selves to every Ordinance of Man whether it to be the King as Supreme or unto Governors as those that are sent by Him. And this he presseth by an Argument that can never fail of effect upon a good man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Lord and out of Conscience to him whose Institution Government is and who hath commanded Subj●ction to it Upon which These words immediatly follow by which We plainly understand that the Objection which he enjoyns this Subjection in Confutation of was that old and early Clamour that Christian Religion was an Enemy to Government and the professors of it Factious and Seditious persons The great Clamour against the Christians upon which that great uproar against them at Thessalonica was stirred Acts 17. 6 7. was this ●hese that have Turned the World up-side down are come hither also and These all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar saying there is another one Jesus King. This you will also finde the chief thing in the accusation against St. Paul Acts 24 5. For we have found this Man a Pestelent fellow and a Mover of Sedition c. And I doe most readily confess that were this accusation true were Christian Religion inconsistent with Government an Enemy to it or a Disturber of it there could not be an objection that would be more fatal to it all the Reproach and Dishonour that men could load it with were just there were no apology to be made for it nor any thing to be expected but that all the world should combine together against it All men that have any becoming thoughts of the Providence and Goodness of God how tender he is of the good of Mankind and how largly he hath provided for it how wisely he conducts the course of humane affairs and steers them by Rules which would make them and all things else that is happy can never beleive That to be a Divine Religion or be perswaded to accept it as coming from God which perplexeth the course of things and defeats these good purposes of God in the World. God is the God of Order and not of Confusion the Author as well as Lover of Concord and Peace and not of Ruine and Dissention among Men And therefore can never be the Author of any Religion that is destructive of the One and naturally effective of the other among them And it therefore greatly concerns all Those that hav● any Respect for the Christian Religion to be sure to keep it clear from any Objections of this kind The Ancient Apologists have taken care ●in their Noble defences of Christian Religion to clear it from this Scandalous Reflection By appealing to the known Doctrines and Principles of it They challenge the World to instance in any one saying in the new Testament whether there ●e the least hint or encouragement given to Rebellion or any thing that can warrant the least undutifull Carriage towards our Governors Or rather whether there be not enough asserted

there to assure Government and to engage all persons to Subjection upon better arguments and stronger Reasons than a●y yet were ever made use of before For here the Reason of Subjection is layd deep and charged immediatly upon the Consciences of men Resistance is 〈…〉 ‑ si●●ing the Ordinance of God and Damnation is expressly threat 〈…〉 ●gainst it And yet I must needs say to the dishonour of Some men That They have Robbed Christian Religion of this way of Defending itself and defeated the effect of this appology for it Obedience is not only recommended upon the great advantages of quietness and Peace of happiness and Order that result to the World from it nor backed with the Sanctions of Temporal Punishment to Those that Rebell but it is pressed upon Reasons of Conscience and Duty to God and the danger of incurring that Eternal Damnation that is prepared in Hell for the Lawless and Disobedient Kings will be better pleased and satisfied with the quiet and peaceable Lives of their Subjects their chearful obedience to their Laws and Their ready complyance with their pleasure than with all the formal Caresses and Protestations of Loyalty and Love. And I wish Some men of late had not given Them too great cause to conclude that Mens Practices and Prof●ssions doe not always go together The good Christians of Old were in all cases peaceable and submissive They readily obeyed and heartily pray'd for their Governors Even when mos● Barbarously and unjustly provoked to the contrary so that not one Christian dyed as a Rebel or a Traytor in all the Early Persecutions of Christianity nor for several Centuries And you may challenge any of our modern Factors for Treason to instance in One. Nay it is well known that even Julian the Apostate acquits Them from this aspe●sion and upbraids his Heathen Subjects with the Obedience and Loyalty of the Galileans as he scornfully calls them which is the more remarkable testimony for coming from the mouth of the Bitterest Enemy that Christiani●y ever had And now alas amongst all the sad Circumstances of Our late Treasons and Rebellion there are none ●e ought more to be concerned for than the Impiety and Guilt of the Conspirators and the advantage that some men will take hence to Reproach the Protestant Religion Oh! Cursed Impi●ty and Hypocricy are these things becoming True ●rotestants Is this the effect of all your Starch'd and formal Godliness Doe all your Oaths and Vows of Loyalty and service to Your King Do all Your appeals to God for the sincerity of your Intentions Do all your Solmn Protestations of care and concern for his safty come at last to this good God! that Plots and Conspiracys against the King Nay ●●●n Rebellion it self should shelter themselves under the Gospell And Religion ●e 〈◊〉 to Colour that which almost above all things it abhors What shall we say of such men who can help U● to Names and Characters bad enough for Them who have put off not only Religion but Humanity and are Actualy commenced Devils LONDON Printed for Henry Bonnick at the Lyon near St. Paul's A SERMON Preach'd by John Harrison D. D. 2 Sam 18. 28. And Ahimaaz called and said unto the King all is well And he fell down to the Earth upon his Face before the King and said blessed be the Lord thy God which hath Delivered up the Men that lift up their hand against my Lord the King. THe Rebellion that was to begin at Heb●on did happen under the pretence of paying a vow unto the Lord that is under the Veil or Disguise of Religion Absolom said to the King Let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed unto the Lord in Hebron 2 Sam 15. 7. Nothing more usual than to give out For the cause of Christ whilst under that vizor They Act parts quite contrary to his Holy Doctrine and Blessed Example And this is ever observable in a well formed Conspiracy if a Conspiracy can in any sence be so expressed First To settle it self Under some Chief Leader that by Popular Arts hath insinuated Himself into the Multitude Giving Himself out to be some mighty one And what he wants of a just Title as that ought ever to be maintain'd in an Hereditary Kingdom He will make good in his defence of the Peoples Religion Estates Lives and Fortunes The late Lord Russel encouraged by this Scotch Doctrine That it is Lawful to defend a mans Conscience by open Force against any Authority whatsoever did dare adventure his Body Yea I ●remble his very Soul on this false bottom so his Execreable paper seems to import But instead of a Faithful I fear he met with a Faithless Confessor B●rne● For who that is not resolved to quit humanity will believe that to be Religion which is Maintain'd with Treasons and Murders of the most Purple Dye And here we may observe of what Mischievous Consequence any Combination is whether influenced by self-Interest Pride Ambition Spight or Malice When We are once lead out of the Kings High-way of Honnour and Honesty into any By-paths of our own We soon fall into the Broad road of Rebellion Having taken a Survey of This Hellish Conspiracy a suddain Horrour here Seifeth my trembling heart at the sad apprehensions of what hath already or may still most justly befall Us The dismal consequences of a Bloody War c. The face and voice of an Angel which hitherto hath been for Religion Estates Lives and Liberties is now like to be changed into the hands of a Devil who may rend those dearest Interests into a thousand pieces And the bleeding marks of the Last Rebellions being Scarse out of our sides We are now again like to be turned into avery Shambles But surely We that have been so many years a Lasting mark of Infamy over the habitable Earth for Murdering King Charles the First of Blessed Memory and Betraying his present Majesty as Judas did his Saviour can no longer delight in a continuance of such disgrace as wants a Parallel Have We forgot our Oaths of Allegiance Have We cast behind Us all past favours from the Crown to Betray our Trust to lift up our hands against God's Annoynted sure there are Some the better they be dealt with the worse still ye shall find them And of These constan●ly David was most in danger LONDON Printed for William Crook at the Green Dragon without Temple-Bar A Sermon Preached on the Thanksgiving day c. by Edward Pelling Chaplin to the Duke of Somersett Psal 34 19. Many are the Afflictions of the Righteous But the Lord delivereth Him out of them all THe special Providence of God is seen in nothing more than in watching over Princes in preserving Them and their Kingdoms and in supporting their Government For the hearts of Men are naturally so impatient of Subjection and so greedy of Power their particular interests are so divided their designs are so various their Passions are so violent their