Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	world_n	worship_n	year_n	184	3	4.3672	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95843	The supreme povver of Christian states vindicated against the insolent pretences of Guillielmus Apollonii, or A translation of a book intituled, Grallæ, seu vere puerilis cothurnus sapientiæ, &c. Or, the stilts, or most childish chapin of knowledge upon which William Appolonius of Trever, and minister of the church of Middleburgh boasts, among such as are ignorant, in his patcht rhapsodies, which hee set forth concerning supreame power and jurisdiction in matters of religion. Against the book of the most famous Dr. Nicholaus Vedelius, intituled Of the episcopacy of Constantine the Great.; Grallæ. English.	Vedel, Nicolaus, 1596-1642,	1647 (1647)	Wing V168; Thomason E388_5; ESTC R201503	255,312	305

still holy who give and receive yet I cannot see how with their sanctities they can beware of the terminus per quam for not onely may that objective sanctity be violated if Lay-men touch the almes which he much feares but many other doubts will arise to wit whether if the Preacher himselfe or Deacon be a thiefe or a knave such mischances they say fall out somtimes in Walachria shal not that sanctity then be altogether prophaned Again if that money should be sent over to Ireland or elswhere and cannot be touched or handled but by holy men whether this treasure can without sacriledge be committed to a Servant Post or Money-changer For it seldome falls out that in such sore of men is found positive or comparative much lesse superlative holinesse which if required so rigidly to the receiving and distributing of this El●●mosynary collection innumerable accidents will fall out among the Walachrians by which they will bee forced to pollute their own sanctity so that the Stilt-walker hath borrowed from the Pope that rotten Impostor all these lurking holes of sanctity who every where hath scraped together Chymeras that he might blind Lay-men as it were with the smoke of sanctity and might bring them into subjection to himselfe Apolonius had never been so contentious for this vizard of sanctimony if hee had not been willing rather to imitate Antichrist then Christ For Christ excellently understood how great the sanctity of almes was which by holy men was given to holy men yet hee was so little sollicitous that this sacred money should passe onely through a sanctified hand that he committed this busines to Judas whom he knew to be a Divel whereat it had been as easie to him to have committed this to some more holy If he will preferre Judas a Thiefe a Traytor a Divell in sanctity to the pious Magistrate the Stilt-walker for me may enjoy his owne paradox He spends much time in commending the example of the Apostolicall Church in which Almes were handled onely by Ecclesiastick persons as Deacons and no wayes by Lay-men who then were no part of the Church but her enemies this he cries out is to be held for an inviolable and perpetuall law But I have shewed already that in this Apolonius playes the foole for the Apostles did not any thing concerning the circumstances of divine worship which were changed in processe of time yea they themselves did change them otherwise let him tell me why first did Christians bring their goods and lay them at the Apostles feet and afterwards this custome was abolished Why at first had the Apostles care of the poore and charge of the Tables and afterwards eased themselves of this care Why againe as occasion served did they take this care upon them Why were Bishops of old Paul himself maintained by the collections of the church afterwards stipends were received of Lay-men as now it is Do Christians at this day violate Pauls precept 2 Cor. 6.3 whilst they goe to law one with another about worldly busisinesse which he forbad the Corinthians grievously reproving them Custome and time can change many things in the circumstances of worship for main causes without offence If we beleeve Apolonius Lay-men were not admitted into the Church under the Apostles if this be perpetuall why are they not now kept out Who seeth not a plain cause of this change Of old they were not admitted within the Church because they were enemies and wolves after wards they were admitted because they became friends keepers and nursing Fathers of the Church The like must we say of Almes the Apostles did not demand them of any without the Church the reason because they were enemies they would not take them Now because they may without controlment give and as faithfull members of the Church will give them why should their bounty be rejected But saith he this is Arminianisme and so all the offices of divine worship may to the ruine of religion be transferred upon Lay-men As though forsooth Arminius desired the ruine of religion who however he had his errors yet in this he was the friend of Religion because he was a stout enemy against the Pope For he if ever there was any in the world is the over-thrower of Christs worship and religion Now whereas the Stilt-walker doth in every thing imitate him he hath also borrowed from him this whorish impudencie imposing upon another the ruine of Religion which hee himselfe by all the meanes hee can endevoureth to overthrow But in this hee followes his old masters the Pharisees in casting odious names upon the truth as they injuriously called Christ a Nazarite a Samaritan a Carpenter Surely Religion should not be ruined if godly Magistrates at this day being furnished with faith and spirituall gifts should performe and help all the Offices of the Church in which I have shewed there is no speciall sanctity now which should cause them to forbeare if they had fit gifts and the matter it selfe required it in this case Religion should no more perish then when Saul was among the Prophets Apolonius is afraid lest his pride will bee brought down for like a new Papist he will have some mysterious sanctity to lye hid in his Church-businesse not to be medled with except by Church-men of his own stamp Which device because he sees his lay-men to despise herailes and is more foolishly mas then heretofore Moses his servant when he saw Eldad and Medad prophesie in the camp being but ordinary men which he conceived to be an absued thing and disgracefull to Moses therefore sayd Moses forbid them but Moses being possessed with a better spirit then the Stilt-walker at this day Num. 11. answered would to God all did propheste However these things are consonant to truth yet he needs not fear that godly Magistrates have either leasure or desire to thrust themselves upon Church-businesse and confufedly to performe them they have left this care for order sake to Preachers to whom for this end they have collected Stipends and a privat life but yet they must not beleve that Magistrates are not to look into Church-businesse nor to care for religion and if need be to perform religious duties and to punish negligent and g●ady-hearded Ministers as their hirelings The Magistrates of Middleburgh did think of nothing lesse as they say then to put off the care of the poor or to forbid the Church or the D●acons to meddle with it as the Stilt-walker accuseth them in his writings but onely to crosse Apolonius in his Popish pride which was That the care of the poore belonged onely to him and his Church-men by sacred and divine right and with such rigor that he openly writes that Magistrates do oppose Gods word the divine right of the Church and their nationall oath and 〈◊〉 they give occasion to wrong divine worship and Religion if they offer to undertake the care of the poore either alone in the Churches name

respect of their secular power are so ordained by God and restrained that they onely can and should meddle with carnall and secular things of this world and by no meanes with spirituall and such as may of themselves procure the peoples eternall salvation which is both false and blasphemous against Magistrates and God himselfe This he learned not of the Apostles but from the Master-builders of Romish Babylon they as I have often said handle the Scripture irreverently taking out of them what they will and adding to them what they list when it is said to Peter when thou art converted confirme thy Brethren they expound this by adding thou Peter alone shouldst confirm all thy Brethren nor thou onely but all the Bishops of Rome also alone who are thy successors shall have the same right to confirme all thy Brethren that is to judge spoile and pervert all Kings and Kingdomes of the world In this phrase spoke the old Romanists which this new Papist hath finely learned of them the Scripture speakes simply that the Magistrate or higher power is ordained by God to defend and maintaine publike peace and tranquillity Rom. 13. It saith also we must obey for conscience sake and that he is the rewarder of them that doe well and that he bears the sword to punish the evill doers not discriminating whether it be secular or Ecclesiastick good or evill which is subject to this power This Walachrian night-bird willing to free himselfe in his Church-businesse from this power he trumpets out with swelled cheeks that God hath appointed Magistrates in his Word to worldly affaires onely and that he containes them as such within the businesse of this life and of temporall tranquillity yea that he hath ordained that they must not meddle with the things of life eternall nor aime at them or properly procure them because it belongs not to them to bind the conscience Is not this to corrupt and wrest the Scripture That we may see what a monstrous paradox this is I will shew the absurdities thereof 1. If God ordained the Civill Magistrate for intent and with this restriction then it followes that all Magistrates doe well in neglecting despising and not procuring what belongs to Worship and Religion for he that so performes his duty as to follow the prescript and order that God hath set downe he performes his duty well but the consequence is blasphemous and absurd Ergo. 2. If the Stilt-walkers opinion be right then Magistrates are worthy of praise and reward when they lay aside the care of Religion and are provident onely in the corporall things of this world and profits of this life such as were the Gentiles and wicked Emperours and Kings who had little or no care of Religion these followed Gods Ordinance exactly but this consequence is impious and blasphemy Ergo. 3. If the Stilt-walker be in the right then Josua Solomon Josias and all good Princes who were carefull to restore Religion did evill and deserved punishment because they went beyond their office and Gods command which was to forbeare medling with Religion and to remaine within the affaires of this life but the consequent is absurd and blasphemy Ergo. 4. If the Stilt-walker be in the right then the order and power of the Magistrate is the most monstrous thing in the world God makes and ordaines all things for himselfe even the wicked for the evill day all are from God by God and to God nor is there any thing which hath God for its author that hath not for its chiefe and proper end Gods glory which is no where more advanced then when true Religion is advanced Whence I gather that the Ordination of Magistrateship is most perverse because God did expresly ordain this that it should not meddle with Religion but containe it selfe within the dunghills of the world whence it will follow that Magistracy is not properly ordained for Gods glory but the consequent is blasphemous Ergo 5. If God hath shut up the Magistrate within this end and prescription then he hath strangely perverted his owne order where so often he hath armed Kings and Princes and hath commanded them that they should meddle with his Worship and Religion for this end he gave the Law to Moses the Book of the Law to Josua and he hath prescribed and commanded many other that leaving their secular affaires they should be chiefly carefull about matters of worship and salvation as we may see in one Solomon all which God hath done against the first institution and ordination of the politick power which inconstancy to attribute to God is blasphemy Wee must then rather ascribe giddinesse to the Stilt-walker who obtrudes so false an Ordinance of God to men concerning the power and office of Magistrates Lastly if it be Gods perpetuall Law that the Magistrate as such must not meddle with Religion by himselfe and properly then it is very absurd that in the Scripture so many contrary commands are found such as Psal 2. and now O Kings kisse the Son c. Esa 40. Kings shall be nursing Fathers c. 1. Tim. 2.2 Paul bids us pray for wicked Kings that under them we may live peaceably with honesty and piety whence it is apparent that God is so farre from debarring Civill Magistrates from the care of Religion and piety that on the contrary he commands and will have it their chiefe businesse to promote Religion and his Worship Hence the Stilt-walker willing to award this blow brings out his satchell of distinctions that with his canvasse smoke he may blind the Readers eyes for first he saith Paul doth not shew that the end of Magistracy is to look to the good of the Church because there hee speakes of wicked Princes who then intended no such thing but rather the contrary I answer men doe not alwayes intend in their offices the end prescribed by God yet on the contrary they often resist and yet neverthelesse it is true that they should follow the end prescribed by God if they would doe well this Paul saith to be tranquillity and piety which those wicked Princes then intended not but they should have intended and Christians ought to hope and pray that they would intend it If the Stilt-walker would understand the matter let him look on himselfe he knowes that he seldome intends the salvation of mens soules in his Ministery but rather maintenance worldly honour and revenge on all them whom he thinks doe not sufficiently regard his sanctity such are chiefly the Magistrates yet I believe hee will have no man doubt but that the end and intent of his Church-Discipline is properly the salvation of soules let him say the same of the Civill power At last he confesseth that Paul here shews the end of the Magistrate prescribed by God to be the promotion of piety but least he should seem to yeeld any thing out of the Scripture to the Magistrate in sacred affaires he interposeth an army of distinctions for

delivers over to Satan but so that hearing of his repentance hee would not have the sentence pronounced put in execution But now if Paul had consulted with the Walashrian Divines a great question had been moved how the scandall given should be removed For it might seem fit that hee should bee debarred from the Supper for some long time or else some penitentiary punishments inflicted on him But Paul being ignorant of all these new invented Artifices as soone as hee heard of the sinners repentance writes It is sufficient for him that hee hath been reproved of many He wills them to comfort the sinner that he be not swallowed up with too much griefe He addes Whom you pardon I will pardon in the sight of Christ that wee may not be deceived by Satan because his cunning plots are not unknown to us This is true Divinity but farre different from that of the Popes and Walachrians who for lesser faults will not shew such lenity to the penitent but think that Christians must be tortured under pretence of removing scandall not that Christ might bee honored or soules saved but that hence domineering and profit might to them redound I confesse this is no new evill custome but ancient and shortly begot after the Apostles death For the Church-Rulers wanting the Apostolicall gifts of Miracles and of infallible preaching by which the Apostles as Divine Master-builders did curb all consasions being then destitute of the Magistrates help they found out divers Constitutions and remedies for preserving of the Churches peace and removing of standalls which though they had not divine and Apostolicall authority but were found out according to time and place yet through custome by degrees they became Lawes so that not onely did they pertinaciously insist upon them but oftentimes used more rigour to preserve them then in Christs open institutions that they doubted not in defence of them to lose their lives Now these Lawes consisted chiefly in the right of censuring and in Ecclesiastick penalties among which this was ordinary that if any had privatly or publikly offended he was debarred from the Sacrament untill he had satisfied the Church concerning the scandall given in which they were so rigid that oftentimes they would keep men off from the Communion three foure nay ten yeares and sometimes all their life especially if any through impatience of their tortures had denied Christ he was never again or with much difficulty admitted into the Church Which rigour Superstition did so confirme that afore the three hundreth yeare Marcellinus Bishop of Rome who because of his torments had denied Christ came humbly to the Synod of an hundred and fourescore Bishops at Sinuessa and begged pardon for his sin though afterward taking courage he suffered martyrdome for Christ as Cornelius Cyprian and others did So then this right of censuring was at that time so rigid that in many things it exceeded moderation And whilest the Rulers were too carefull of their owne and of the Churches honour the common sort of Christians out of too much credulity did superstitiously subject themselves to Church-Lawes Hence no moderation was observed either by the one in commanding or by the other in obeying which Cyprian and others saw long before the three hundreth yeare of Christ For hee reproving that rigid and penitentiall way of censuring writes thus I wish all may be brought back to the Church I pardon all I winke at many things I wish and desire a Recollection of our fraterni●ie I have alwast offended my selfe in to much pardoning offences So Chrysostome later then he writes plainly If God be so mercifull why should his Priest seem to bee so rigid For then they saw that Pastors exceed in their censures and rigorous commands of penitentiary penalties so that they confessed they were against their wills as it were carried headlong by a Turren into by wayes which they could not allow no knew not how to help by reason of the custome then received in the Church A though there might besome use of such Lawes then when Pastors and Bishops did promiscuously submit themselves and the rewards both of ruling and ruled Christians then were tortures benishments and a thousand deaths After that Emperours became Christians and Petern patrimony increased pride and prepostorous zeale ceised on the Teachers so that they ascribed as much to Church-inventions as if they had been Gods Lawes nor did they urge lesse obedience to them then if they had been instituted by Christ which we may chiefly see in Ambrose about the yeare 400. who of a civill P●●tor was suddenly made Bishop by Theodosius the Emperour Hee exceedingly vexed this Emperour with this censuring Ferula for some offence by him committed whereof notwithstanding hee repented Ambrose willing to let his master see the vigour of Ecclesiastick power forced him to sit among the penitents being secluded a while from the holy mysteries untill he had satisfied the Churches penitentiall rights and his humour which was too dangerous and rash a presumption For if this Spaniard Theodosius had not been then seasoned with that common superstition which fell out well for the Church that Church Lawes must bee obeyed as divine which had he been wise he might have seene that these were not ordained by God and his Apostles but introduced by custome and humane invention he might have by his owne power hipped Ambrase his Hierarchy by disanulling these Church-inventions and yet n●● violating the divine constitutions of religion These were the fore-runners of growing An●●christ which afterwards increased more and more in Church-Rulers chiefly the Popes For in the yeare 490. Pope Anastasim durst excommunicate Anastasius the Emperour grandfather of Justinian that is debarre him from the Sacraments with Iohn Bishop of Const●●●●ple Which censure notwithstanding that Emperour contem●●ed having sent back the Popes Legates in a leaking ship on condition that they should not touch upon any part of the Greek shoare but deliver this message to the Pope That he must know the Emper●i● is to comm●● 〈◊〉 the Pope The like censuring fact was performed by P●pe Martin the first under Constantius the Emperour about the yeare 650. But the Emperour by Theodorus Calliopa commanded that Pope to bee brought to him in chaines who banished him into Pontus where he died miserably But Hildebrand or Gregory 7. out-matched all the rest in pride and boldnesse about the yeare 1080. who compelled Henry the fourth Emperour to come bare-footed through Ice and Snow in an humble manner to him that the Pope might receive satisfaction in his censuring right or else Henry had lost his Kingdome Hence then it is apparent that however this lesser Censure is brought into our Churches and permitted by the States yet it is not of divine institution but a meere humane invention which heretofore was devised upon a specious pretence but by reason of the pride and arrogancy of Church-men it hath hatched much mischiefe and will more doubtlesse if religious and wise

Alexander and other Monarchs dreamed of themselves that they exceeded humane pitch when they had such infinit power and had the command over so many lives and bodies of subjects so that if superstition can puffe up any with pride it may have a place among Magistrates whom not opinion or superstitions perswasion but Gods Law and manifest oracles make Gods and such as have the charge of all mens soules Yet there is no godly Magistrate so madde I know as thinkes not himselfe to be a man and subject to all humain infi●mities that by his supream power hee hath not obtained any suddain sanctitre or divinity but that they are the fame what they were before ●●●ly made more honourable and bound to a new service of the State They that have any higher conceits of themselves are mad and deserve with proud Herod to be smitten by the hand of an Angell with Lice and Vermine If then such pride is unseemly and unlawfull for Magistrates to whom both divine and human Lawes have given power to reigne and beare role with power and to have the supreame authority let the old Roman and new Wallachrian Papists be ashamed who place the whole strength of divine worship and Religion in this that spirituall dignitie may ●ecr●●e to them also a superstitious respect and a power grounded on seigned priviledges by the charge which they have of sacred things and the mercinary performing of them so that in this the unhappinesse of human affaires is to be lamented In that from the best things doe most cammonly arise the worst corruptions For whom God hath expresly set over the preservation of Order worship Modesty and Pietie they 〈◊〉 given occasion of Confusion Pride Impietie and contempt of divine worship as experience of all times doe shew God of old made the ●●vites holy by consecration by his Law and by an accumulation of many honors on them but who knows not that in processe of time of them have proceeded wicked men despisers and overthrowers of Religion Hee gave Vrim and Thommim to the High Priest and speciall priviledges as to the Keeper of the most sacred things but what more hideous m●nsters could there be in the world then some of them were It was the High Priest with his company Jer. 23. who would have treacherously put Jeremiah to death excent Abican the Magistrate had resisted Caiphs and the Chiefe Priests put Christ to death unjustly Acts 20. It was Anonius the High Priest whom Paul called a Whited-wall and that deservedly because he went about trea●herously to murther him the Scribes and Pharisees had the key of knowledge and a right to sit in Mose● his chaire but the world could not shew more pernitious monsters whom Christ for often cursed After the Apostles time for a whil● the Bishop of Fome did excellently maintain Religion as we know out of Histories but afterward by degrees Antichrist proceeded of them as wee see at this day in Popery What wonder if the same fall out now That of the reformed Wallachrians there arise a seditious crew breathing Anarchie or papisticall Hierarchy with the contempt of godly Magistrates and the open blasphemy of Potentates I purpose not to wrong the piety and esteem of all there are many godly Ministers who deserve honour whose moderation doth abundantly testifie that they are exceedingly displeased with the wranglings and quarrells of proud men about their devised sanctities they place their chiefe honour in modesty integrity of life and simplicity of doctrine but because the minde of man out of innate corruption is bent upon error except it be strengthened 〈◊〉 the extraordinary assistance of Gods Spirit which God hath seldome done and it is certaine that now for so many hundreth yeares he never did it Hence godly men have endevoured alwayes to finde out and prescribe ●emedies against this spreading disease or carruption of true Religion an evill so fatall that scarce could any Age be so provident as to keepe it from ruinating it selfe and breeding its own moth because it seemed to stand upon firme pillars and to be shut up within a strong Bulwark Our Reformers in the beginning did write Confessions and Catechismes that they might preserve the purity of Doctrine the Laws and Ordinances of Church-Government for the better ordering thereof have not been more exactly looked into as they say then in Zeland where the States by their approbation have ratified the Ecclesiastique Polity The Hollanders and Frislanders have not as yet attained so much happinesse upon a just suspition as they would have it lest this peevish● and extravagant kinde of men alwayes seeking one law our of another should deduce right out of right and should force the Law givers by their own Laws and Statutes to become servile by their consequentiast windings and ambiguities Yet as we see in this 〈…〉 Magistrates were never more railed against then there where Apolloni● himself confesseth the best Church policy is erected there were never greater rebellions any where then there where the Magistrates have out of piety and gentlenesse most favoured the Clergy so that this like an incurable sicknesse seemes to increfe by the cure Before I give off writing I will briefly according to my ability shew by what meanes this Leprosie and increasing evill may be met with least the force of Religion be weakened by contempt or by reason of too much respect given to the Clergie Instead of Religion we have superstition between these quicksands the Ship of Christs Church hath alwayes with much difficulty failed so that comming too neer either of them she hath indangered her self or made shipwrack This the care of the Magistrate may prevent in matters of Church Discipline Laws and Vocation Let this be held sure in the first place that the Modern Church Ducipline is of order not of Divine right properly or spirituall whose effects are none except on them who are bewitched with superstitious perswasions or are moved with the reverence of the Order but in others who are stubborn it is no wayes effectuall except by the Magistrates secular force it be supported for what had excommunication or discipline been except under the Apostles miraculous force and feare of punishment had curbed the refractory this now passeth to the Magistrate by an ordinary way At this day also the order censure and discipline of the Church had been nothing if refractory and disordered persons were not contained by the awe of the Magistrate and feare of the Sword It had been an unworthy thing in the Church to have excluded the Apostles in whom was the force of all government they are guilty of the same error who at this day would separate the Magistrates Authority from the Church which is indeed the foundation of all order and discipline wherefore godly Magistrates should be confident of this that it is in their power now to give vigour and life to Ecclesiastick order and discipline whence it belongs to them to prescribe Laws