Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	church_n	faith_n	propose_v	3,020	5	9.4539	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54203	The reasonableness of toleration, and the unreasonableness of penal laws and tests wherein is prov'd by Scripture, reason and antiquity, that liberty of conscience is the undoubted right of every man, and tends to the flourishing of kingdoms and commonwealths, and that persecution for meer religion is unwarrantable, unjust, and destructive to humane society, with examples of both kinds.	Penn, William, 1644-1718.	1687 (1687)	Wing P1352; ESTC R23116	25,930	41

Embassador for the use of the Eucharist in both kinds had so much kindness for Toleration that he gave for answer to the Embassador That he had always thought the use of the Sacrament in both kinds and liberty for the Priest-hood to Marry were things indifferent and as depending rather upon the Decrees of the Fathers then upon Divine Authority might be altered according to the constitutions of Times and alteration of Customes And in the Council of Trent several of the wisest and chiefest of the Prelates stiffly argu'd against the Prohibition of the Use of the Cup affirming those to be void of Christian Charity who stood so strictly and so nicely upon a particular Ceremony the granting of which might prevent the Effusion of much Blood and recover into the Bosom of the Church many that were fallen from Her. And thus what Scripture and Humane Authority justify Common Reason is no less ready to uphold For first If the word of God be the sole Rule of Faith and no Humane Authority be so highly impowr'd as to bind up our Assents to whatever Interpretations shall be propos'd then of necessity it follows that every Christian indifferently has an equal Interest in the will of the Creator so that no particular Person has a right to impose a force upon the judgment of his Brother Thus one holds the Baptizing of Infants to be necessary another deems it lawful a third denies both these Opinions yet admitting that it may but that there is no necessity it should be done therefore they conferr Texts and examine the Original yet after all diligence used they still are but where they were Now what reason can there be to advise Persecution for such a difference as this Besides There are several Disputes upon various Points of Christianity that cannot be cleard to any man by Arguments meerly natural as being matters of Fact such are the Miracles and Resurrection of Christ the Real Presence c. For the belief of which therefore there is a need of Faith which is the Gift of Grace and not of Nature which being so and seeing more-over that it is not within the power of Man to give a reason why some Men believe and others are of a contrary Opinion it cannot fall under the Imagination of Man that either the defect or surplusage of belief which may perhaps glide into Superstition which of the two so'ere be the cause of the difference should be subject to the Punishment of Human Laws for tho both have the same outward helps and means to inform themselves yet the potent cause is in the will of God who will have Mercy upon whom he will have Mercy and whom he will he hardens And therefore for this cause it was that Tertullian avers that the New Law of the Gospel does not call for the Sword to revenge the Injuries done it And Sisibutus King of Spain was justly tax'd for compelling the Jews to Christianity by the coercive power of the Sword when he ought to have won them to the Faith by meek and gentle Perswasions In the next place this violent and rigorous Proceeding and tyrannizing over the Consciences of Men is contrary to the purpose of God in the Order of the Creation who made and ordain'd all Man-kind free from Bondage and never advanc'd him over all the Works of his Creation to be a contemptible Slave to the Will of his fellow Creature even in things Temporal much less in matters Spiritual and relating to Eternity So that this same actual Violence of Imposing by force in matters of Faith Worship and Duty to God of one Man upon another or of some Persons over all is an Act of the highest Presumption imaginable that goes about to subdue to Bondage and Slavery those that are Created by God to equal Priviledges and Immunities with themselves subjecting them by Oppression not to the Divine Will of the Creator but to the Will Ambition and Interest of Mortal Creatures no less fraile and subject to Error then they over whom they affect illegal Dominion A thing which is quite contrary to the most pure and perfect order of the Creation which was altogether blessed From which whatever is degenerated by Corruption or has deviated by Temptation from that pure and regular Order either in things Temporal or Divine must be included within the curse of Sin and be lookt upon as an opposing the Creator himself And of this nature is Compulsion exercised in Spiritual matters as being the highest product of degenerate Usurpation and the grandest swerving imaginable from the chief design of the Creation For without all question the Creator himself reserved and retained in his own power alone the priviledge of Supremacy over the Inward Man in all matters touching Immortality that he might be the only Lord in that case to give Spiritual Laws and to command the Souls and hearts of men in reference to his own Worship and that Obedience which is due to himself so that of necessity it must be a Usurpation of the Creators rightful Dominion a robbing Him of his Dignity and Prerogative an act of Violence against his Soveraignty and a bold intruding into his proper Right for any Persons to assume to themselves Dominion and Authority over others by Commanding and Imposing in Spiritual matters upon their Consciences in the Worship and Service of God. Add to this that Force is Punishment and consequently unjust unless the offence be voluntary but he that believes according to the evidence of his own Reason is necessitated to that Belief and to compel him against it were to compel him to renounce the most essential part of man his reason And that same injunction would be altogether vain To hold fast that which w● find to be best if after the most serious and deliberate Election we must be whipt out of our Consciences by Penalties 'T is but odly done to Preach a company of poor Souls into just so much Liberty of Scripture as may suffice to beget their torture and not permit them to rest where they find their satisfaction Either utterly prohibit the search or let them enjoy the benefit of it To believe what appears untrue is somewhat impossible but to profess what we believe untrue is absolutely damnable Nor is it one of the least arguments against Compulsion of Conscience that it breaks the bands of civil Society and annihilates all manner of Love Unity Fellowship and Concord among men Neighbours are at enmity among Neighbours Brethren with Brethren and Families are divided among themselves Princes and their Subjects Rulers and their People are at discord and debates that many times turns to absolute Disobedience and Rebellion while the one labours to Impose the other to keep off the Oppression Men says Zenophon resist none with greater animosity then those that affect to Tyrannize over their bodies more especially such as seek to establish an illegal Dominion over their minds and Consciences They contend pro Aris in the

The Reasonableness OF TOLERATION AND The Unreasonableness OF Penal LAWS And Tests Wherein is prov'd by Scripture Reason and Antiquity That Liberty of Conscience is the Undoubted Right of every Man and tends to the Flourishing of Kingdoms and Commonwealths And that Persecution for meer Religion is Unwarrantable Unjust and Destructive to Humane Society With Examples of both kinds Offer'd to the Consideration of a Person of Honour LONDON Printed for John Harris at the Harrow against the Church in the Poultrey 1687. The Reasonableness of Toleration and the Unreasonableness of Penal Laws and Tests c. IT has been for many hundreds of years the main Scope and Aim of the Clergy in most Opinions to grasp into their Clutches the exercise of Temporal Jurisdiction as in former times so now of late our Church of England Men have not been the least ambitious of that Authority 'T is true the Clergy of England could never fix such Jurisdiction in themselves but what they could not perform by their Spiritual Authority they brought to pass by the assistance of the Civil Power They found that the Scripture had not given them the least title to lord it over the Consciences of Men in matters of Religion nor had left them any weapons to combat Dissenters in Opinion nay even Error it self onely Christian Admonition and at last when that would not prevail Publick Separation from Communion with such as obstinately persisted in defyance of the Truth For this reason they never ceased to Amuse and Alarm the Civil Magistrate with continual Suspitions and Fears to render him jealous of all other Men that were not conformable to their Humours and Ceremonies A passionate conceit of their own Perfection above others which no man of common sence can be reconciled to and a convincing argument that those Persons must have but little or no Conscience themselves who with so much Vigor and Obstinacy labour to uphold a Civil Persecution so directly opposite to all the dictates of Scripture Reason and Conscience As for Scripture the Authority of it is so evident to the contrary that nothing can be more where it instructs the Servants of God to be gentle to all men sorbids Christians to Judge one another and tells us that every man is to stand or fall to his own Master that one man esteems one day above another and another esteems all days alike yet happy is he who condemns not himselfe in that which he allows That is to say whose Conscience does not inwardly accuse his outward profession The same great and zealous Preacher of the Gospel in the case of the unbelieving Wise and Husband gives such a mild and condescending answer as if he had taken his Pen from a Doves wing Let neither Her nor Him that unbelieves depart if pleased to stay for that God had called us to peace adding withal that as God has called every one so let him walk and so he ordained to all the Churches Certainly there could be nothing more divinely uttered to oblige the Professors of Christianity in Charity and Meekness to forbear one another then such an express Injunction of so authentick an Apostle to live peaceably with an Infidel Nay writing to the Christians he absolutely denyes that even the Apostles themselves have any Soveraignty over the Conscience but only commissions to aid and assist their Consciences Not says he that we have dominion over your Faith but are helpers of your Joy Altogether conformable to that Doctrine of Meekness wherein Christ instructs his Disciples not to aspire to the Title of Rabbi or Master in Spiritual Affairs besides that we are admonished to let the Tares grow among the Wheat till the time of Harvest Nor is it for any man to suggest that this mild and moderate Temper was only intended for those Primitive Times when the Christians were liable to Persecution without any Temporal Power to defend themselves For let the choicest Champions but grant that those were the best and purest times and then it will behove them to shew a Dormant VVarrant in the Scripture by which Christ ever gave Commission to his Disciples to cut the Throats of all Dissenters or to despoil them of their Estates and send them to perpetual Banishment and they have done their work But if they can bring no such authority they must acknowledge that Lording o'er the Conscience is an unwarrantable piece of Tyranny over the Rights and Liberties of a Christian True it is that the Successors of Constantine were taught by their Eclesiasticks that there were two Duties required from them one as Christians the other as Soveraigns that as Christians they were bound to obey divine Precepts as every private man is bound to do but as Princes to make good Laws and keep their Subjects steady in the practice of Piety Honesty and Justice chastizing the Transgressors of his sacred Laws espeaclally the Deacalogue And because they who transgressed against the first Table which relates to divine worship were worse then they who transgressed against the Second which relates only to Justice between Man and Man therefore Princes were oblig'd to punish Blasphemy Perjury and Heresy more severely then Murder or Theft As for Blasphemy and Perjury there was reason sufficient why they should be punished by civil Penalties For Blasphemers and Perjured Persons cannot be thought to be men of Conscience nor are they that take that Liberty to be endured for that Blasphemy and Perjury are criminal in all Religions and differing opinions whatever as being contrary to good manners and contaminations of civil Society but it does not follow from hence that every man must be punished as a Heretick who differs in his judgement from the Church of England Certainly it must be first agreed upon what a Heretick is and who is that Heretick and which is that Law that reaches his offence before they can punish him by any Law. Now those things that make a Heretick are Errors in Fundamentals or about Fundamentals Conviction and Contumacy And they are Hereticks who obstinately and against the most evident light of Truth defend some doctrine directly or of necessary consequence tearing up the foundations of Christian Faith. The Church of England therefore should have made it out that the Dissenters and Roman Catholicks were Hereticks of this sort Convicted and Contumacious and then all they could do was to put them under Excommunication not to torment their Persons and Estates with Mulcts Imprisonments Fines and Sequestrations which how dissonant it is from the Golden Rule of God Himself still preferring Mercy above Sacrifice is evidently apparent The character of Menelaus in the second of Maccabees is that he was unworthy of the Preisthood as one that had the Fury of a cruel Tyrant and the Rage of a savage Beast Conformable to which was that of Cicero quoted by Lactantius It is the most miserable thing in the world says he to carry a savage and cruel disposition under the shape of