Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	scripture_n	spirit_n	word_n	6,083	5	4.6960	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52038	An expedient to preserve peace and amity, among dissenting brethren. By a brother in Christ	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1647 (1647)	Wing M754A; ESTC R204591	29,957	42

his back the sinnes of them all whereby they were set free and delivered from them And this was the deliverance he promised wherewithall they ought to rest contented Thereupon the Town was taken the deluded people disabused the King impostor executed to death and hung up in chaines upon the highest steeple thus ended this tragedy and ever tragicall is the end of such follies The Apostle noteth that factions and divisions are signes of carnality first men separate from others as unclean then they speak evill of government the next step is to blind the people with revelations from thence they fall into snares of the flesh at last they stir up sedition and last of all their end is destruction Hitherto I have laboured to shew that the Magistrate by his office being an ordinance of God is bound to provide for the Publick peace and safety in Church and Common-wealth which is done first by enacting just lawes and wholsome orders consonant to wisdome and the word of God and secondly by using his power to preserve them in vigor and execution as also to shew that the people are bound in conscience to give willing obedience to such Lawes and orders of the Magistrate whose duty it is to restrain the disobedient and reduce them to their duty Neverthelesse forasmuch as the power wherewithall God hath invested the Magistrate is alwaies to be used for publike good and requisite it is that a due distinction be made in the punishment of offenders between such as erre out of mistake or ignorance and those that resist out of wilfulnesse and contempt I shall in all humblenesse propound some few expedients how farre the Magistrate may please to slacken his power and so temper the lawes and penalties thereof as they may serve both waies as lenitives for the simple and corrasives for the stubborn who will not otherwise be reformed 1. I conceive that as it is unreasonable to demand so it would be dangerous to grant any toleration of Religion besides that which is established for such a liberty of conscience would breed a freedome of will and freedome of will would beget liberty of life which would breed a fearfull Independency when every one might do what they list In matters of faith necessary to salvation there is but one way and one truth all the rest is obsiquity and error Therefore when the truth hath been tried by the Word and ratified by the Magistrate he cannot suffer any falshood without being accessary thereunto Yet in matters of discipline and government there is a greater latitude for when it shall appeare that weak brethren agreeing in the same confession of faith but dissenting in outward forms out of tendernesse or ignorance to such a toleration or connivence or suspention of laws may be harmlesse and charitable till they be further satisfied and instructed 2. That whosoever living under the subjection of this state should be so far destitute of grace as to renounce Christ or speak blasphemously of him or any person of the Trinity contrary to the faith established in the Church he shall upon conviction be informed of the truth with a brotherly admonition not to divulge his error to the corruption or scandall of others or disturbance of the civill peace For the second offence he shall indure a years imprisonment be disabled in his testimony put out of protection of the Laws and wear some publike mark noting him for a Blasphemer For the third offence he shall suffer banishment or close and perpetuall imprisonment and if banished it shal be capitall for him to return without licence of the State For if he by our lawes deserveth death that seduceth any subject from the allegeance of his naturall Prince what deserveth he that seeketh to alienate the soule of any Christian from the dependance of God unto the divell 3. If any one out of an evill heart shall break forth into open reviling scorning disgracefull words against the present Church-government now established he shall not be connived at as a man of tender conscience for as he giveth himselfe power and liberty to dis-joyn from it so it is also in his power not to speak evill of it but doing it by choice and deliberation he cannot fall within the compasse of weaknesse For he that maketh no conscience of giving offence and scandall to the Christian Magistrate and all his godly brethren living in peaceable obedience cannot imagine that his private fancies though covered with weaknesse should be more tendered then the publike conscience of the Common-wealth Such a one therefore ought to be punished as a contemner of the civill power First by reproof and exhortation not to disquiet the peace of the Land Secondly by a pecuniary mulct for some publike use with disability of his credit Thirdly if he still persist with close imprisonment till he give publike satisfaction of his repentance 4. Forasmuch as no man ought to undertake the office and function of the holy Church Ministry without he be well assured of his inward calling thereunto neither can such men conceive themselves awhit the worse or that it might be any prejudice to their spirituall gifts to have an outward approbation by laying on the hands of the Presbytery and praying for divine blessing upon their persons and giving them an orderly mission into Gods harvest Therefore whosoever shall take unto himselfe the holy calling presuming to preach the Word or administer the Sacraments not being admitted nor ordained thereunto by lawfull authority he ought to be punished as the former were that contemned the civill power or rather more severely especially if they be found in their publike preaching to sow sedition among the people provided that such persons Masters of families or others meeting in their own houses or in their neighbours to repeat what they heard or learned out of Sermons preached by authority and upon that or the like occasion worship God by praying or singing of Psalmes conferring or arguing upon any part of the Word preached as also such who being required by any friend or neighbour when the advice of Ministers cannot be had to open or expound some text of Scripture or deliver his judgement upon any case of conscience for satisfaction of the parties be not comprehended under this Article or any penalty thereof because we are commanded to exercise the gifts and talents God hath given us in a sober and orderly way for the edification of one another 5. Whereas out of all doubt many things are contained in holy Scripture which are not yet fully manifested nor clearly understood and we know the Spirit of God bloweth where he listeth and is not confined to time place nor person but inspireth whom he pleaseth If therefore any man shall pretend to have a new opinion or new light revealed unto him of the sence of any part of Scripture fitting it were he should bring his knowledge to some godly Minister approved of or to the next Classi● where he liveth

there to be tried and examined by the spirit of the Prophets judging and determining by the word of God and if perchance they neither approve of his opinion nor yet be able to convince him then to refer him to the next Nationall Councell to which he must stand or fall In the mean time if he publish his opinion under hand to the breach of brotherly unity in the Church he ought to be taken as a disturber of publike peace and subject to the penalties mentioned in the third Article By these and such like means the power of the civill Magistrate may be preserved from contempt and the consciences of weak brethren from constraint till they shall pluck off their mask and discover themselves to be obstinate and unsufferable clamouring for toleration under pretence of weaknesse but indeed making a breach and separation in confidence of their own strength and perfection disdaining with supercilious eies the infirmities of their brethren by which falacie they think to blear the eye of the Magistrate and make the weak to overthrow the strong To such wolves in sheeps cloathing whether they be Papists Hereticks Schismaticks or whatsoever they be for a weak conscience is now-adaies become a cloak for all shoulders my meaning is not that any indulgence or connivence of the Magistrate should be extended to them who it is plain enough are employed in malicious designes working under-ground the divisions and ruine of the State Therefore to conclude with the same spirit as I began which is a spirit of unity peace and love In the fear and before the face of Almighty God and by the bowells of that love wherwith Christ Jesus loved us all I do beseech the brethren whether they be leaders or followers that agree with us in the same doctrine but dissent in government to lay their hands upon their hearts and examine what they would be at Is it at the advancement of truth the practise of holiness the purity of Gods worship Let them consider whether all these may not be had as they are all intended under the present government is it at spirituall perfection whiles they are present in the flesh Let them consider that the perfection of a Christian consisteth in humility love peace meeknesse sobriety and uprightnesse which are truly spirituall and none of them excluded by this government Is it at the setting up of the kingdome of Christ Jesus that he might raigne as Lord omnipotent upon earth Let them consider that the kingdome of Christ Jesus is not of this world he prescribeth no forms nor modells of civill government as he findeth them so he leaveth them where he is received he sublimeth and refineth them where he is not received hee doth not destroy them Let them consider that this present governmet doth no waies eclipse the kingdome of Christ Jesus for whither it be placed in a single Congregation or in a generall Assembly or in the last resort of the supreme Magistrate all are under the government of Christ Jesus who ruleth among them by his Word whereunto they conform their government is it at the setting up of any other government which they think is onely divine and necessary to salvation Let them consider that by such assertions they do not onely blast all reformed Churches at this day and leave them in a state of condemnation living under another government but also condemn multitudes of soules departed which under other governments lived Saints upon earth died martyrs for the faith of Christ and are now triumphants in heaven Or els is it at no government at all till they receive on revealed from heaven Let them consider whether any such promise be made us in Scripture which we ought to expect This wee find that God is not the Author of confusion but of peace order and government which ought to be setled in all Churches of the Saints Or lastly is it to set up an infallibility of private judgement taking themselves to abound in the spirit and be able to judge all above them Let them consider that the hearts and spirits of men are deceitfull above all deceits a●● that to strive and contend to make rents and separation for these things to despise the powers and ordinances of God are reckoned among the workes of the flesh rank and carnall But if it be as I will hope it is a pure and sincere weakness of conscience arising from a weaknesse of judgement not yet seeing the clearnesse of that light which hath in lightned the Magistrates and Ministers and greatest part of the Kingdome Let them be intreated in the fear of God to seek to him for further illumination and in the mean time to suspend their opinions and forbear contentions by Christian modesty and moderation becomming the Saints to maintain Christian charity which is the bond of perfection and make it manifest unto the world and to the Angells in heaven that they are not led by the spirit of error strife and vain-glory but by the spirit of truth which worketh by love and lowlinesse patience and meeknesse minding the same things and improving the gifts of faith grace and knowledge whereunto they have already attained And in other things of lesser moment concerning the formes of discipline and government and the outward face of order and decency in the publike worship whereunto perhaps not having yet attained they may be otherwise minded therein to wait Gods time with quiet and patience who hath promised to reveale even that also unto them that one may not be perfect without another It may be they may thinke themselves unkindly dealt withall and very ill requited that having so frankly adventured their lives and estates and done so valiantly against the enemies of God and the Land they should after all this be denyed any request especially that which so nearly toucheth their freedome of conscience and inward peace Truly it is on all hands confessed and no man that I know seeketh to cast a vaile over their worth or suppressed their atchievements God hath done wonderfull things by many of their hands and the lesse honour they take to themselves the more will be given them by the voice of the Nation and Rulers of the band who ought to take care that their names be written in the Registers of fame from generation to generation But what will our dissenting brethren say if Jesuits and Malignents converse among them in sheeps-clothing If transformed into Angels of light they carry on these workes of darknesse and by secret suggestions and insinuations of the Serpent make them blow this cole and widen this breach against their own intentions It is not for nought that there be so ma●y popish spies and Agents among us whose employment is to weaken the hands of the Magistrate by sowing factions and disobedience among the people They feele their blow and know well enough that their form is broken they are upon their last gaspe and their last refuge is this to compasse that by trechery and mischiefe which they could not do by force in the field If they can divide the civill and Military power and fling fire-balls of division into the tents of brethren they have yet a fainting hope to recover strength and destroy them both Let not our brethren think this to be an eary or empty admonition for there be men so finely spirited and rarified to the invisibility of the divell that if it were possible they would deceive the very Elect and weave their hypocriticall webbs with liberty that commonly the simple and many times the circumspect are involved and taken Happy it were that by some marke they might be known for then they were easily avoided but when they come to strike up division and separate the hearts of the brethren the safest remedy is to stop our eares as against Inchanters and Negotiators for the divell Return then ô Shulamite return return be not intrapped in the snares of division but return to the tents of peace what will ye see in the Shulamites we shall see when he returneth and joyneth his body to the State and his conscience to the Church that his countenance is faire as the Moon clear as the Sun terrible as an Army with banners and that his company united to the Common-wealth is like the association of two Armies linked together by one heart invincible and undissolvable by the powers of darknesse and of Antichrist Thus have I delivered my poor judgement and discharged my duty which I owe to the publike peace I pretend not to revelations nor an unerring spirit but being privy to the evennesse of mine own heart and unbyassed intentions my conscience is my testimony that I have not erred to cause any other man to erre In regard whereof I may hope that all men who are spirituall and dis-interessed in their ends will acknowledge this to be the mind of Christ so far-forth at least as it aimeth and tendeth to piety and peace Neverthelesse if any will be still contentions and dissent neither I nor the Churches of God have any such custome nor do I intend for this difference of judgement to breake charity and communion with them But I rather beseech them for a close of all to put on milde and gentle affections and whiles they approve of our faith not to disapprove our workes by excommunicating of us or separating from us till our workes go before us and condemn our selves Leaving them in this assurance that when our Lord Jesus Christ shall come the Judge and Master of us all to whom we must stand or fall it will be better for them and for us in that day that he find our hearts established in grace then our selves at variance about Church-government FINIS