Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	church_n	know_v	scripture_n	7,570	5	6.9072	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50959	A treatise of civil power in ecclesiastical causes shewing that it is not lawfull for any power on earth to compell in matters of religion / the author, J.M.	Milton, John, 1608-1674.	1659 (1659)	Wing M2185; ESTC R13133	23,223	97

better then a temporal indulgence of sin for monie whether by the church exacted or by the magistrate both the one and the other a temporal satisfaction for what Christ hath satisfied eternally a popish commuting of penaltie corporal for spiritual a satisfaction to man especially to the magistrate for what and to whom we owe none these and more are the injustices of force and fining in religion besides what I most insist on the violation of Gods express commandment in the gospel as hath bin shewn Thus then if church-governors cannot use force in religion though but for this reason because they cannot infallibly determin to the conscience without convincement much less have civil magistrates autoritie to use force where they can much less judge unless they mean only to be the civil executioners of them who have no civil power to give them such commission no nor yet ecclesiastical to any force or violence in religion To summe up all in brief if we must beleeve as the magistrate appoints why not rather as the church if not as either without convincement how can force be lawfull But some are ready to cry out what shall then be don to blasphemie Them I would first exhort not thus to terrifie and pose the people with a Greek word but to teach them better what it is being a most usual and common word in that language to signifie any slander any malitious or evil speaking whether against God or man or any thing to good belonging blasphemie or evil speaking against God malitiously is far from conscience in religion according to that of Marc 9.39 there is none who doth a powerfull work in my name and can likely speak evil of me If this suffice not I referre them to that prudent and well deliberated act August 9. 1650 where the Parlament defines blasphemie against God as far as it is a crime belonging to civil judicature pleniùs ac meliùs Chrysippo Crantore in plane English more warily more judiciously more orthodoxally then twice thir number of divines have don in many a prolix volume although in all likelihood they whose whole studie and profession these things are should be most intelligent and authentic therin as they are for the most part yet neither they nor these unnerring always or infallible But we shall not carrie it thus another Greek apparition stands in our way heresie and heretic in like manner also rail'd at to the people as in a tongue unknown They should first interpret to them that heresie by what it signifies in that language is no word of evil note meaning only the choise or following of any opinion good or bad in religion or any other learning and thus not only in heathen authors but in the New testament it self without censure or blame Acts 15.5 certain of the heresie of the Pharises which beleevd and 26.5 after the exactest heresie of our religion I livd a Pharise In which sense Presbyterian or Independent may without reproach be calld a heresie Where it is mentiond with blame it seems to differ little from schism 1 Cor. 11.18 19. I hear that there be schisms among you c. for there must also heresies be among you though some who write of heresie after their own heads would make it far worse then schism when as on the contrarie schism signifies division and in the worst sense heresie choise only of one opinion before another which may bee without discord In apostolic times therfore ere the scripture was written heresie was a doctrin maintaind against the doctrin by them deliverd which in these times can be no otherwise defin'd then a doctrin maintaind against the light which we now only have of the scripture Seeing therfore that no man no synod no session of men though calld the church can judge definitively the sense of scripture to another mans conscience which is well known to be a general maxim of the Protestant religion it follows planely that he who holds in religion that beleef or those opinions which to his conscience and utmost understanding appeer with most evidence or probabilitie in the scripture though to others he seem erroneous can no more be justly censur'd for a heretic then his censurers who do but the same thing themselves while they censure him for so doing For ask them or any Protestant which hath most autoritie the church or the scripture they will answer doubtless that the scripture and what hath most autoritie that no doubt but they will confess is to be followd He then who to his best apprehension follows the scripture though against any point of doctrine by the whole church receivd is not the heretic but he who follows the church against his conscience and perswasion grounded on the scripture To make this yet more undeniable I shall only borrow a plane similie the same which our own writers when they would demonstrate planest that we rightly preferre the scripture before the church use frequently against the Papist in this manner As the Samaritans beleevd Christ first for the womans word but next and much rather for his own so we the scripture first on the churches word but afterwards and much more for its own as the word of God yea the church it self we beleeve then for the scripture The inference of it self follows if by the Protestant doctrine we beleeve the scripture not for the churches saying but for its own as the word of God then ought we to beleeve what in our conscience we apprehend the scripture to say though the visible church with all her doctors gainsay and being taught to beleeve them only for the scripture they who so do are not heretics but the best protestants and by their opinions whatever they be can hurt no protestant whose rule is not to receive them but from the scripture which to interpret convincingly to his own conscience none is able but himself guided by the Holy Spirit and not so guided none then he to himself can be a worse deceiver To protestants therfore whose common rule and touchstone is the scripture nothing can with more conscience more equitie nothing more protestantly can be permitted then a free and lawful debate at all times by writing conference or disputation of what opinion soever disputable by scripture concluding that no man in religion is properly a heretic at this day but he who maintains traditions or opinions not probable by scripture who for aught I know is the papist only he the only heretic who counts all heretics but himself Such as these indeed were capitally punishd by the law of Moses as the only true heretics idolaters plane and open deserters of God and his known law but in the gospel such are punishd by excommunion only Tit. 3.10 an heretic after the first and second admonition reject But they who think not this heavie anough and understand not that dreadfull aw and spiritual efficacie which the apostle hath expressd so highly to be in church-discipline

teaching every one to beleeve the scripture though against the church counts heretical and persecutes against his own principles them who in any particular so beleeve as he in general teaches them them who most honor and beleeve divine scripture but not against it any humane interpretation though universal them who interpret scripture only to themselves which by his own position none but they to themselves can interpret them who use the scripture no otherwise by his own doctrine to thir edification then he himself uses it to thir punishing and so whom his doctrine acknowledges a true beleever his discipline persecutes as a heretic The papist exacts our beleef as to the church due above scripture and by the church which is the whole people of God understands the pope the general councels prelatical only and the surnam'd fathers but the forcing protestant though he deny such beleef to any church whatsoever yet takes it to himself and his teachers of far less autoritie then to be calld the church and above scripture beleevd which renders his practise both contrarie to his beleef and far worse then that beleef which he condemns in the papist By all which well considerd the more he professes to be a true protestant the more he hath to answer for his persecuting then a papist No protestant therfore of what sect soever following scripture only which is the common sect wherin they all agree and the granted rule of everie mans conscience to himself ought by the common doctrine of protestants to be forc'd or molested for religion But as for poperie and idolatrie why they also may not hence plead to be tolerated I have much less to say Their religion the more considerd the less can be acknowledgd a religion but a Roman principalitie rather endevouring to keep up her old universal dominion under a new name and meer shaddow of a catholic religion being indeed more rightly nam'd a catholic heresie against the scripture supported mainly by a civil and except in Rome by a forein power justly therfore to be suspected not tolerated by the magistrate of another countrey Besides of an implicit faith which they profess the conscience also becoms implicit and so by voluntarie servitude to mans law forfets her Christian libertie Who then can plead for such a conscience as being implicitly enthrald to man instead of God almost becoms no conscience as the will not free becoms no will Nevertheless if they ought not to be tolerated it is for just reason of state more then of religion which they who force though professing to be protestants deserve as little to be tolerated themselves being no less guiltie of poperie in the most popish point Lastly for idolatrie who knows it not to be evidently against all scripture both of the Old and New Testament and therfore a true heresie or rather an impietie wherin a right conscience can have naught to do and the works therof so manifest that a magistrate can hardly err in prohibiting and quite removing at least the publick and scandalous use therof From the riddance of these objections I proceed yet to another reason why it is unlawfull for the civil magistrate to use force in matters of religion which is because to judge in those things though we should grant him able which is prov'd he is not yet as a civil magistrate he hath no right Christ hath a government of his own sufficient of it self to all his ends and purposes in governing his church but much different from that of the civil magistrate and the difference in this verie thing principally consists that it governs not by outward force and that for two reasons First because it deals only with the inward man and his actions which are all spiritual and to outward force not lyable secondly to shew us the divine excellence of his spiritual kingdom able without worldly force to subdue all the powers and kingdoms of this world which are upheld by outward force only That the inward man is nothing els but the inward part of man his understanding and his will and that his actions thence proceeding yet not simply thence but from the work of divine grace upon them are the whole matter of religion under the gospel will appeer planely by considering what that religion is whence we shall perceive yet more planely that it cannot be forc'd What euangelic religion is is told in two words faith and charitie or beleef and practise That both these flow either the one from the understanding the other from the will or both jointly from both once indeed naturally free but now only as they are regenerat and wrought on by divine grace is in part evident to common sense and principles unquestiond the rest by scripture concerning our beleef Mat. 16.17 flesh and blood hath not reveald it unto thee but my father which is in heaven concerning our practise as it is religious and not meerly civil Gal. 5.22 23 and other places declare it to be the fruit of the spirit only Nay our whole practical dutie in religion is containd in charitie or the love of God and our neighbour no way to be forc'd yet the fulfilling of the whole law that is to say our whole practise in religion If then both our beleef and practise which comprehend our whole religion flow from the faculties of the inward man free and unconstrainable of themselves by nature and our practise not only from faculties endu'd with freedom but from love and charitie besides incapable of force and all these things by transgression lost but renewd and regenerated in us by the power and gift of God alone how can such religion as this admit of force from man or force be any way appli'd to such religion especially under the free offer of grace in the gospel but it must forthwith frustrate and make of no effect both the religion and the gospel And that to compell outward profession which they will say perhaps ought to be compelld though inward religion cannot is to compell hypocrisie not to advance religion shall yet though of it self cleer anough be ere the conclusion further manifest The other reason why Christ rejects outward force in the goverment of his church is as I said before to shew us the divine excellence of his spiritual kingdom able without worldly force to subdue all the powers and kingdoms of this world which are upheld by outward force only by which to uphold religion otherwise then to defend the religious from outward violence is no service to Christ or his kingdom but rather a disparagement and degrades it from a divine and spiritual kingdom to a kingdom of this world which he denies it to be because it needs not force to confirm it Ioh. 18.36 if my kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight that I should not be deliverd to the Iewes This proves the kingdom of Christ not governd by outward force as being none of this world whose