Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	apostle_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	88	3	9.4994	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

abuse their power contrary to the mind of God That abuse of their power must not invalidate and take away the due use of their power Churches are ecclesiastically to cut off such as trouble the Churches but they may abuse their power to cast out their best members for the truths sake yet this their sinne dischargeth not Churches from the dutie It is alike here abuse of civil power taketh not away this due use of it 2. Just persecution of men sinning against Gods Rules and the Dictates of a right guided conscience which require persons to obey Superiours in all their lawful commands is not to persecute men for attendance unto Gods Rules or to the Dictates of a good conscience and it were absurd to reason thus Men may not be persecuted for a good cause and conscience therefore they may not be punished for maintaining a bad cause and that which is interpretatively against their conscience The exercise of any such power by godly Rulers is cross to Object 9 the meek Spirit of Christ and to that merciful and peaceable Spirit which he requireth of his Saints Rom. 15. 1. Gal. 6. 1 2. Eph. 4. 32. 2 Tim 2. 25. James 3. 15. 17. 1. All that is required of Church Officers and Members Answ such to them so considered are those speeches in special wise directed as the contexts shew yet are Church Officers and Members as those of Ephesus commended also for their zeal when through zeal they could by no means bear with corrupt Tenents and Doctrines of the highest strain and held forth with the highest pretences of Divine Truth and no lesse then Apostolical Revel 2 2. Thou canst not bear them that are evil and hast tried them that say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them liars and they are required to avoid and reject and cut off such as vent corrupt doctrines and the l●ke Rom. 16. 17. Gal. 5. 10. Tit. 3. 10 11. 2. Zeal of God in sharp punishing of such like corruptions stood very well with Christs Dove like Spirit none so meek as he yet none so zealous this way The zeal of Gods House even consumed him and made him lay on so hard with his scourge upon those who polluted the Temple Iohn 2. 16. with 14. 15. 16. 30. so Moses that King in Iesurun the meekest of mere men in his own cause Numb 12. 3. yet how Lion-like in that cause of pollution of Gods worship Exodus 32. 26 27 28 29. So in Hezekiah who was such a shadow to the Saints Esay 32. 2. yet a very fierie flying Serpent against the enemies of God and the Church Esay 14. 29 30. This is contrarie to what was Prophesies of us Gentiles Object 10 That our swords should be beat into plowshares Esay 2. 4 and that none should hurt or destroy in all Gods Mountain 1. Although all sinful and rash quarrelsomness all self avengings Answ or means thereof and all injurious and unwarrantable slaughters should be excluded Gods Mountain yet this hinders not but that gentile Rulers as ordained of God must bear his sword not in their scabbards and at their girdles suffering it to rust for want of use for that were to bear the sword in vain contrary to Gods own order Rom. 13. 4 but to be used against all evil works coming under their Cognizance whether respecting God and Religion more specially or man and righteousnes whether in way of the vengeance of God against domestick offenders or in way of just war against other enemies of God his Cause or Saints If any reply hereto that this place in the Romans intendeth not any matters of Religion at all but onely matters of civil righteousness 1. Evident it is that as good and evil doing whereof the civil Magistrate taketh cognizance are opposed Rom. 13. 3 4. so are incouraging rewards to weldoers as by that of prayses and vindicative rewards to evil doing and to evil doers opposed now none will deny that the civil Magistrate is bound to incourage the Preaching Profession and practice of the Truth worship and wayes of God and therefore by paritie of reason is he to be an avenger of what cometh under his cognizance contrary thereunto 2. The persons more specially spoken to upon that ground to doe well because then they have praise of the same or in case they do evil then they are to fear the vengeance of the Lord to be executed by his Minister the Magistrate they are Professours Officers and Members of Churches such as they were at Rome Rom. 1. 7. and 12. 4 5 6 7 8. compared with chap. 13. 3 4. If thou do that which is evil fear c. which all will confess to be liable to evil doing against the first as well as the second Table 3. He is by Gods Ordinances to be a terrour to evil works indefinitely For rulers are not a terrour to good works but to evil vers 3. v. 4. He is the Minister of God the avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil be he who he will be coming under his power or be the evil what it will be coming under his view Now the Scripture reckons especially the doing of persons of corrupt judgements as persons so corrupt to be evil deeds Hence if a Christian bid God speed to persons who bring not the Doctrine of Truth he is partaker with him in his evil deeds 2 Joh. 10. 11. Hence Paul calleth those corrupt circumcision teachers evil works Phil. 3. 2. Beware of dogs beware of evil workers beware of the concision And the opposition Rom. 13. 3. evinceth this Rulers are not a terrour to good works but to evil whence the argument is strong Those good works and acts which ciuil Rulers are not to be a terrour unto unto the contrary evil works they are to be a terrour to good works and acts civilly such respecting the Truth worship and wayes of God civil rulers are not to be a terrour therefore to evil works contrary to the truth waies and worship of God are they to be a terrour If any yet reply that this in Rom. 13. is spoken with reference to the present power that then bare chief sway at Rome or at least with sole reference to such like civil powers that were christian and looketh not to civil powers becoming christian and so is no rule for christian rulers The Answer is ready albeit those who were in highest power when Paul writ this Epistle were Pagan and not Christian yet the context carrieth the words spoken about higher Civil Powers to be extendible yea especially appliable to Christian civil Rulers 1. When the Apostle saith Wilt thou not be afraid of the power do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same Who knoweth not that Nero then ruling was so far from giving encouragement to any Christian Romans either in a way of piety or honesty that he was a very Lyon rather cruelly to devour them 2 Tim 4.

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 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