Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	absolute_a	according_a	act_n	72	3	6.0319	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79995	The civil magistrates povver in matters of religion modestly debated, impartially stated according to the bounds and grounds of scripture, and answer returned to those objections against the same which seem to have any weight in them. Together with A brief answer to a certain slanderous pamphlet called Ill news from New-England; or, a narrative of New-Englands persecution. By John Clark of Road-Island, physician. By Thomas Cobbet teacher of the church at Lynne in New-England. This treatise concerning the christian magistrates power, and the exerting thereof, in, and about matters of religion, written with much zeal and judgement by Mr. Cobbet of New-England, I doe allow to be printed; as being very profitable for these times. Feb. 7th. 1652. Obadiah Sedgwick.	Cobbet, Thomas, 1608-1685.	1653 (1653)	Wing C4776; Wing B4541; Thomason E687_2; Thomason E687_3; ESTC R206875	97,858	126

him or as any tyrannicall course of his but as one peece of his right guided politicall wisdom justice and power as the context sheweth and this course he took is recorded in his commendations and as his comfort in his very trouble before Moses his Judiciall or Ceremoniall Lawes were made for after them that sacrifising so approved of by God chap. 42. had been unlawfull to be performed by such as Job was who was not under that religious State and Church polity of the Jews Levit. 17. 8 9. It was a capitall offence for any Jew or stranger among them to offer sacrifice unless he brought it unto the door of the Tabernacle See more in the Notes of Junius and Tremellius upon the first of Job But for the further clearing of this from all gainsaying of others let us first lay down some distinctions and then the conclusion respecting this 1. Then there is the divine Rule of Judging which is the Scripture the Judge of all Controversies and the act of Judging what is or what is not according to the Word Herein quaeritur who is Judge 2. There is an absolute supreme praetorian and infallible Judge thereof which is no other but Jesus Christ and his Spirit speaking in the Word and there is a visible limited subordinate and Ministeriall Judge what is or what is not according to the Word of which quaeritur who is Judge 3. There is a more private Judging thereof whether apprehensive discretive directive or corrective proper to each particular Christian in respect to his own particular actions and of which there is a publique judgement of what is or what is not according to the Word of which quaeritur 4. There is an Ecclesiasticall and there is a Politicall or Civill judging of what is or is not according to the Word Ecclesiasticall judging is either by virtue of Office defining Ecclesiastically what is the counsell of God as is that of Church Elders or by virtue of Ecclesiasticall deputation and designation as that of the Synod and members of it or by virtue of Ecclesiasticall union and communion as that of the Church colectively and the members distributively considered 1. Cor. 10. 15. I speak as to wise men Judge ye the present quaere is of political Iudging also 5. Politicall Iudging in such matters is either that which is in the politicall Law-makers whether in any stated standing higher Civill Office or otherwise as in Parliamentary and Generall Courts or the like or that which is in higher Civill Officers in a state we look at both 6. Authoritative politicall Iudgement is either Definitive Authoritatively stating in a politicall way what is or is not to be acted by the outward man in weightier matters of a religious State-concernment whether of first or second Table or preceptive injoyning those politicall determinations with respect to Civill incouragements or punishments Both which acts of politicall Iudging are appliable to State-lawmakers onely de Iure they are limeted to the sole rule of Iudging even the whole Scripture 7. There is a Iudging what is true or false to be believed or not simply as teaching and binding conscience with reference to Spirituall and Eternall rewards Which is the Ministers business officially and each Christians work privatly and personally and is not the Magistrates work as a Magistrate There is a Judging what is to be professedly believed and maintained as true or false with reference to Civill rewards or punishments And thus the Civill Magistrate Judges 8. There is a Judging what is or not to be done by soul and body both in reference to inward sence and Divine Approbation or rejection Officially the Ministers work in a private directive and discretive way each Christians duty There is a Iudging what is or not to be acted or expressed by the outward man with reference to Civill rewards or punishments proper to Magistrates 9. There is a Judgement what is or is not a Christians duty either onely as Godly or onely as a Church member diversly appliable to Churches Church-elders and private Christians and there is a Judging what is or is not the duty of a Member of a Christian State as a member of that politicall society to be ordered or curbed thereby Appliable to the Civill Magistrate Conc. 6. That regulateed Civill Magistrates and higher powers have not alone a Judgement in Common with other Christians and Members of Churches considered as Christians and Church members what is or is not according to the Word but as Civill higher powers Magistrates also have a publique politicall Judgement both Definitive and Preceptive what is or is not to be acted or expressed by the outward man of each particular person whatsoever coming under their jurisdiction as those persons are politically subjected to that Civill state and as those their acts reflect upon the body politique This caution here annexed that in all matters of difficulty respecting Religion higher Civill powers be not too sudden in determining the same without the best counsell first had therein of those who are over them in the Lord according to the second Conclusion before mentioned pag 67. ever remembring that regulated Civill Magistrates may not politically determine that to be according to the Word in the letter or consequence of it which is not Scripture proof Josh 1. 7. The Conclusion thus stated and cautioned I doubt not will stand as Scripture proof against all objections to the contrary R. 1. Because as much is yeelded in effect even by opposers of Magistraticall Judging as 1. That they may make incouraging Laws in matters of God and of the Church surely then they may so far determine of the matters of God and the Church which they are that they are to be incouraged as such matters of God or of his Church and what incouragements are due to the same And surely then they are to be equall Judges in the other part of distributive Justice respecting matters of God or of the Church which fall under vindicative justice as Rom. 3. 3 4. proveth The same Rulers are in a Civill way to be a terror to evill works which are in a like way to give praise to such as doe well 2. It s yeelded in matters fundamentall and such as are set down in so many words in Scripture and why not as well to judge in other matters set down by clear and necessary consequence as are many weighty matters reducible to the four Commandements of the first Table of which the Civil Magistrate is a keeper and had need be allowed his politicall Judgement what is or what is not his politicall charge which he is to keeep 3. It is yeelded in matters of the second Table yet that Table also is as well a part of Scripture and therefore all the duties expresly or consequently therein commanded and the prohibition of the sins in like sort forbidden in those six Commandements are so far forth Scripture as they are reducible to Scripture or to any

to his Soveraignty to purge out Church corruptions he now doth by his Vicegerents hands mediately Secondly It is answered he that was God and man who acted did act thus in a mixt way not onely as God but partly also as Man as man he gathered up the small cords as man he twisted them and made a scourge of them as man he laid on with his bodily hand in such sort as thereby to drive the beast-sellers out of the Temple herein therefore imitable in such mere humane acts by men of place Like acts for substance were put forth by David a man of place before Christs coming in the flesh and if typical in David yet verified partly in Christ as the son of David and so as man Yea the reason here suggested by the Holy Ghost to the Disciples as justifying Christs act namely the zeal of Gods house Joh. 2. 17. it must needs be yeelded to be an apt and just reason suitable to the act as the reason therefore is appliable to Christ as man the Antitype even as it was to David the type so is the Act grounded upon that reason and justified by it in the same way appliable to the Antitype Christ as to the type David Christ could have cast out these out of the Temple by a word of his mouth as he did cast Devils out of living temples of his peoples bodies or as he cast down those who came to take him Joh. 18. or he could by a Judicial cord have punished them spiritually as when he bid them fillup the measure of their fathers sins Matth. 23. 32. but he chose to act in such a humane way imitable by others thereunto called Secondly If any object that it was extraordinary in Christ as Object 2 man then to restrain or punish abuses in Religion in any forcible and corporal way I answer Admit it were so 1. Yet at least the act it self of such Answ outward restraint and punishment of abuses in Religion must needs be in it self that whereon the Image of Christs zeal is enstamped that which is in it self good and allowed of God in special wise for else Christ could not at all have acted thus without sin and if in it self it be of that nature why not imitable by such as are thereto called of God to do that in an ordinary way which he did in an extraordinary Secondly Be it that it were extraordinary in Christ as man to act thus so was Phinehas his act of killing Zimri and Cosbi Numb 25. 7 8. and Samuels in hewing Agag in pieces 1 Sam. 15. 33. and Elijahs slaughter which he made among Baals Priests 1 King 18. 40. yet it must be yeelded that there must be some who by office might and should in an ordinary way have punished such filthinesse murthers or Idolatries the Lord not using to stirre up any to an extraordinary way to do any such like acts but in the defect of acts of ordinary power and so here the same Spirit which stirred up them to supply that defect of the acting of ordinary power by extraordinary motions and acts did also stir up Jesus Christ in an extraordinary way to restrain and punish these corruptions in Religion which the present Civil power in duty unto the Lord as his Ministers ought to have restrained and punished and so to have revenged the Indignity therein done to the Lord whose house was so profaned According to that Rom. 13. 4. but they failing in their duty this way the same Spirit of zeal that stirred up David his type in the corrupter times of Saul to be vindicating such indignities against the Lord stirred up Christ his Antitype to do like work for substance in those corrupter times upon which he was cast Nor was this an extraordinary supply of the defect of ordinary Ministerial and Priestly power considered as Priestly and Ministerial for what had they to do as such with external and corporal restraint and punishment in any ordinary way in that way if Peter use the sword he must perish by it Matth. 26. 52. but it must needs be a supply of the defect of Magistratical power which in an ordinary way maketh use of the sword or whip or like instruments of corporeal punishment and vengeance Rom. 13. 4. rather then such like abuses in Religion shall not be in an external coercive way curbed and punished Jesus Christ himself will do something extraordinary to supply that defect So far is that from being Mosaical Jewish and much lesse tyrannical work outwardly to restrain and punish such abuses in Religion for which yet conscience to the Word might be pretended as that Law Deut. 14. 24. 25 26. might be for these that Jesus Christ thought it fit to become himself to put forth his hand to so good and blessed a Work when those whose duty it was to do it would not discharge their trust And now having thus far waded to find out some part of Gods Counsel in this famous History of Christs purging the Temple I shall leave the same to the Judgment of the godly wise The Thesis and Position which I shall propound to be cleared and confirmed from the Scriptures shall be that which before I hinted namely That Corruptions in Religion outwardly breaking forth and expressed may yea and must be restrained and punished by such as are called thereunto Now for the better Handling and the more full discovery of the truth of this point we shall first propound some distinctions 2. Lay down some conclusions about it 3. Confirm the point from Scripture 4. Draw three or four Corrolaries thence Touching the first 1. Corruptions in Religion are either Dogmatical or Practical And these again are either such as are more grosse and strike at the very fundamentals or vitals of Religion whether directly or collaterally or such as are of a more circumstantial and lighter nature Again Corruptions in Religion are either such as are secretly taken up and imbraced and so kept close in the minds and hearts of persons or such as come under mans kenne and view being outwardly expressed in word writing Action or the like And these again which come thus into open view are either such as are held forth with meeknesse peaceablenesse and real expressions of cordial readinesse to lay them aside and reform them upon better information or such as are carried on in any insolent and turbulent way or with expressions of contempt of Civil or Church order 2. Restraint and punishment of these is either that which is merely and immediately divine or that which is mixt partly divine partly humane in respect either of the agent or manner of Acting or that which is properly in the nature of the act person and manner of Acting Humane And this is either Political which is carried on in a civil way and by political means or Ecclesiastical which is carried on in a Church way and by Ecclesiastical meanes 3. A Call of God to restrain and punish

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 restraine them The second branch is as evident that it is a toleration of that which tendeth to break the peace c. for errours and such like corruptions in religion trouble the Churches which are the choicest societies in that polity hence that Gal. 5. 10. 12. I would to God they were cut off which trouble you speaking of seducers and Acts 20. 30. they draw away or rent away as members from the body disciples after them hence that reasoning of Paul 1 Cor. 11. 18. I hear there are divisions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 schismes amongst you which he proveth vers 19. thus For there must needs be heresies amongst you c. as if the one is a necessary cause of the other where there are heresies amongst Church-Members there will be Schismes True it is Churches have their wayes of healing such evills in their members as they have to heale other scandalous evills in them as drunkennesse lying c. but that hinders not Gods civill ordinance of the Magistrates coercive power also more in the one then in the other yea errours and heresies are wont to breed troubles and divisions in civill societies Hence those seducers and their followers who turne the grace of God into wantonnesse Jude 4. and are filthy dreamers vers 8. are branded for seditious persons in Common-wealths even such as come justly to perish as sometimes seditious Corah did vers 11. perish in the gain-saying of Core Hence those black brands of seducers who have a forme of godliness that they are traitourous heady high-minded truce-breakers false accusers fierce c. making their times perilous 2 Tim. 3. 1. 3 4 5. and that he speaketh that of seducers vers 6 7 8 9 13. declare Hence those also in Jude are branded for murmurers and complainers Jude 16. ever and anon quarrelling against matters in Church and State 1 so Tim. 6. 3 4. the very fruits of false doctrines are reckoned to be envy strifes railings evill surmises and perverse disputes and as that Apostle reckoneth those fruits of the flesh Gal. 5. 19. as concomitants so doubtlesse by purety of proportion those adjoyned v. 26. contentions seditions Heresies c. those Antichristian seducers Revel 16. 13 14. are persons of turbulent spirits in civill states stirring up to warres and the like that Impostor and seducer Theudas mentioned Acts 5. as a murtherer and seditious person Histories ancient and moderne are full of examples of this nature of persons of corrupt Principles in religion becoming movers and Abettors of civil Seditions The third branch that it is a toleration of that which breaketh religious States hedges and walls c. appeareth that hedge Job 1. 10. Zech. 2. 4. 5. and wall of fire of Gods gracious protecting providence over such a State is undermined by such things As Adam was naked in that respect Gen. 3. 10. so was the State of corrupted Israel naked Exod. 32. 25. before their Idolatry was punished Moses saw that they were naked and as a meanes of recovery of their wonted covering he commandeth the civill execution of Justice upon some for terrour to all the rest vers 26 27. those fox-like false Prophets Ezek. 13. 4 5. let alone did spoile the vines and break the hedges and saith God both to Church and State Rulers Yee have not gone up into the gap neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Their care should have been to have prevented such breaches thereby but yet though the hedge was broken a gap made and warre from God prepared against them all might have done well enough had not State and Church Officers both been too indulgent and remisse in punishing the causes of such mischiefs Hence also when such corruptions in Ministry and Worship mentioned Ezek. 22. 26 27. are let alone verse 30. we read of a gap made and no man of Authority being found to make it up for the Land that God should not destroy it Therefore saith God vers 31. I have poured out 1 Kings 11. 1 2 3 4 5 6. c. mine Indignation upon them Corruptions in religion connived at and too much countenanced by Solomon in his wives rent that Kingdome in pieces whence by punishing such corruptions in religion evill is said to be put away from Israel Deut. 17. 2. 3. 7. as if otherwise Israel had been exposed to that evill R. 7. Such a toleration of such corruptions before mentioned it interpretatively by God himselfe a kicking at Religion and honouring of such as hold forth and practise those corruptions in religion above the Lord himselfe and therefore undeniably not to be yielded unto by regulated civill Rulers the consequence none but profane spirits will deny the antecedent is evident by that 1 Sam. 2. 12. to 16. compared with 23 24 25 29. verses It was a corrupt religious custome to snatch out in that sort what first came to hand and forcibly to take the fat of the peoples sacrifices for the Priests use the matter was not fundamentall nor contrary to the light of nature but very justly offensive to God and men ver 17. Eli is told of all that as well as of other sins of his sons against the second Table he chideth them a little as a father but doth not as he was a Judge 1 Sam. 4. 18. He judged Israel forty yeares punish'd them according to their deserts he is indulgent they are let alone what is Gods censure of this v. 29. Wherefore kick yee not Hophni and Phineas only but Eli too at my acrifice and at mine offering c. and honourest thy sons above me to make your selves fat with the choicest of all the offerings of Israel God instanceth in this his indulgence towards his sons in that matter of that corrupt religious custome onely as if that was as vers 17. of most heinous guilt before him the sin of your young men was great before the Lord and it is observable since there is a purity of proportion Such Rulers as can be indulgent to g●osse errours and corruptions in religion in Gods worship and sacrifices they little regard Gods truth or worship they kick at i● in Gods account and if they will needs b● soever-tender of such as are not fit objects of their tendernesse they shew little tendernesse of Gods name truth worship or honour they it seemeth more regard them and their ease c. then God thou honourest thy sons above me now who would be so thought of by the Lord. R. 8. Such a toleration of such evills mentioned causeth the very evills themselves to be charged upon Rulers and bringeth the wrath of God upon them also ergo not to be yielded to by any godly wise Rulers the consequence none not prodigall of Rulers welfare will deny The Antecedent appeareth Solomon is said to goe after Ashteroth c. which as its thought was onely in respect of his connivence at and