Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A70625
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A sermon preached before the King at White-Hall, November 5, 1667 by ... George Lords Bishop of Winton ...
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Morley, George, 1597-1684.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing M2796; ESTC R12589
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21,545
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39
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People may be incouraged either to despise the one or to resist the other And this indeed is the peculiar Glory of the Church of England that she and no other Church but she hath plainly and positively declared unto the World without Iffs or And 's or any other clause or words of exception or reservation that It is not lawful for Subjects severally or joyntly or in any capacity whatsoever to take up Arms or to joyn with any that do take up Arms either offensive or defensive against Sovereign Authority or without Commission from Sovereign Authority in any case for any cause or upon any either pretended or real provocation and least of all upon the account of Religion because that were in terminis or in plain terms to contradict the Apostle in my Text by making God the Author of Confusion and not of Peace For what Peace could there be among Christians if it were lawful for Subjects to rise up or to conspire against their Sovereigns for defending or introducing of that which they call or think to be the true Religion For every man and Sect of men takes their own Religion to be the truest otherwise they would not nay they could not in earnest be of it themselves so that if it were lawful for Subjects to take Arms or to attempt any thing against the State or present Government for that which they think to be the true Religion all States and Kingdoms must needs be always embroyled in Civil Wars because there is no State or Kingdom but it hath some I am sure ours hath many of several Religions in it who might all as well as any take Arms upon this account against their Sovereign who can be but of one Religion himself If it be replied that though the Sovereign can be but of one Religion himself yet there may be a Toleration given of all the rest I confess there may be so but not without extreme hazard as I humbly conceive both to the Religion and Person of the Sovereign 'T is true that all of all Religions cry out for Liberty of Conscience until they themselves are in possession of the Sovereign power and then they will give none to others Witness the practise of those of the Church of Rome during Queen Maries Reign here in England and at this day in Spain and Italy and wheresoever else the Romish Religion is in its full power Witness likewise the practise of the several Sectaries in their several turns of governing in the late Changes here at home when there was none of them that did not or would not have suppressed all other Sects but their own as much as they did if it had been in their power The best and safest way therefore for Prince State and People is to profess protect cherish and allow of that Religion and that only which allows of no rising up against or resisting Sovereign Power no not in its own defence nor upon any other account whatsoever which most Christian and most Orthodox Profession if those of the Romish and those of other Perswafions that live among us but are not of us would make as frankly and as ingenuously and as sincerely as we do though it would not presently reconcile all other Differences betwixt us and them yet it would perhaps be enough to make us live peaceably and charitably and securely together without Fear or Jealousie of one another which would be a good step towards an Accommodation of all other Controversies betwixt us in time also which is all that I have to say at this time upon this Occasion only let me intreat you all to joyn with me in this short Prayer to God the Father That all who are called by the name of his Son all Christians may through the powerful inspiration and operation of his Holy Spirit be brought to agree in the Truth of his Holy Word and to live together in Unity and Godly Love That there be no more Heresies nor no more Schisms no more Sects nor no more Factions no more Controversies nor no more Scandals nor no more Wars Seditions Conspiracies or Rebellions amongst Christians but that all of us in our several Places and Stations may indeavour to adorn our holy Profession by an holy Life and Conversation that so we may be no longer Christians in name only but in deed Amen FINIS The Occasion The Sense or Meaning The Scope or Intention Obj. Answ. The Application Use 1. * Bell. de Concil lib. 2. c. 17. * August Steuch Anton de Rosellis Convenit inter omnes posse Pontif. Max. Haereticos Principes jure deponere Tort. Tort. p. 325. Quòd Reges possunt deponi à Subditis ob multas causas Bellar de Pontif lib. 5. c. 10. Bellarm. in Recog lib. 3. Quaest. de Laicis Regis Jacoli monitio ad Principes Christianos p. 333. Tortura Torti p. 11. Use II. Use III.
Peace of Kingdoms Churches and States are in express terms ascribed unto God I answer that the disturbing and confounding of Kingdoms States and Churches may be considered either as they are mala Culpae or mala Poenae that is either as they are Sins or Punishments for Sin Now as they are mala Culpae or sins in themselves so they are not from God nor cannot be ascribed to God but to the inordinate or immoderate Passions of those Men who are either the Agents in them or the Contrivers Abetters and Fomenters of them according to that of the Apostle From whence come Wars from whence come fightings among you come they not from hence even from your Lusts Jam. 4. 1. And yet the same Disorders and Disturbances which as they are mala Culpae or Evils of sin must be ascribed unto Men may nay they must as they are mala Poenae or Punishments for sin be ascribed unto God as the vindicative effects of Divine Justice But by Confusion in my Text is meant only malum Culpae the Evil of sin in those that are the disturbers of Churches and States and therefore God cannot be said to be the Author of it The truth is that neither God nor Man can properly be said to be the Author of any thing which is not done either immediately by himself or mediately by his Command or at least either by his Advice and Direction or by his Consent and Approbation but this cannot be said of Confusion in Churches or States in reference unto God for neither is God the worker of it himself neither doth he command or advise or direct or allow of it Whereas he is not only the Author but the God of Peace and his Son is the Prince of Peace and his Spirit is the Spirit of Peace and his Gospel is the Gospel of Peace and his Way is the Way of Peace neither doth he command or teach any thing that is inconsistent with Peace in any Kind or any Degree whatsoever And thus having shewed you the Occasion and given you the Sence of these Words I am now in the third place to speak of the Apostles Scope or Intention in them which was as I conceive to leave upon Record for all Posterity a certain a constant and an infallible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Touchstone whereby upon tryal any man of an ordinary capacity might discover and discern many of those Doctrines to be false which the Apostle himself saw had been and foresaw would be preached in the Church of Christ and as a part of the Gospel of Christ in the name of Christ to the great Prejudice of Humane Society to the great Offence and Danger of Princes and Governours and to the great Scandal of Christianity it self namely such Doctrines as must be if they be believed and practised destructive of the publick Peace and Safety of Churches States and Princes For although as I said before in my first particular the Occasion of these Words was the Disorder Faction and Confusion which St. Paul saw with his own Eyes to be the Effects of such seditious Doctrines as were brought into the Church and City of Corinth by the seducers of those times yet his Scope and Intention in these Words was not only to rectifie the Disorder ond Confusion which he saw in that one Church and State for the present but likewise to prevent the same or the like or perhaps worse Disorders which he foresaw might be and would be in any Church or State nay in all Churches and States for the future if the like Doctrines I mean any Doctrines inconsistent with the publick Peace or tending to publick Confusion were any where else taught and believed to be from God And therefore the same Use which St. Paul then made of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Theological Principle in my Text may and ought to be made of it by us now if there be the same Occasion for it Because God is as much the Author of Peace and no more the Author of Confusion now than he was then And if he be not the Author of Confusion he cannot be the Author of any Doctrine or Doctrines tending to Confusion neither which is St. Paul's own Inference and not mine For indeed the very reason why St. Paul tells the Corinthians that God was not the Author of Confusion but of Peace was to convince them that many of those Doctrines which were brought in among them and pretended to be from God were not from God indeed because they were inconsistent with Peace or because they tended to Confusion which could not have been a convincing Argument to them then as to that particular if it were not always true in the general that no Doctrine tending to Confusion or to the making of disturbance either in Church or State can truly be said to be from God or that God is the Author of it But was not will you say the preaching of the Gospel the preaching of Christianity it self the Cause of great Commotions and Disturbances in the World and was it not in this respect that Christ himself saith that he came to send a Sword and not Peace and consequently it seems that either Christian Religion it self must be false or that some Doctrines that cause Disturbance and Confusion in the World may be true To this which is the only considerable Objection I can think of I answer that Christian Religion was indeed the Occasion but not the Cause of those Commotions and Disturbances which it did not make but meet with in the World when it was first published For those Commotions whatsoever they were did not proceed from mens believing and obeying but from their not believing or their not obeying the Doctrines of the Gospel And as for the Sword that Christ saith he came to send into the World it was a Sword of passive Persecution and not a Sword of active Invasion Resistance or Rebellion it was a Sword wherewith Christians were to be slain themselves and not a Sword with which they were to destroy others the Weapons of their Warfare being Spiritual to work upon the Soul and not Carnal to make any impression upon the Body the Gospel being not to be planted or propagated by force as the Turkish Alcoran was but by perswading of it and suffering for it nor otherwise to be defended by Subjects against their Soveraigns but by Prayers and Tears and laying down their lives in defence of it The truth is Christian Religion truly so called is so far from being a Cause of Commotion or Disturbance in Kingdoms and States that were there any Kingdom or State in the World where Christian Religion were truly taught and truly practised it would be impossible there should be any Dissention or Discord any open Rebellion or privy Conspiracy or any thing but Concord Unity and Peace in such a State or Kingdom because all the Articles of the Christian faith and all the Precepts