Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	holy_a	scripture_n	son_n	7,316	5	5.5655	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80614	The controversie concerning liberty of conscience in matters of religion, truly stated, and distinctly and plainly handled, by Mr. John Cotton of Boston in New-England. By way of answer to some arguments to the contrary sent unto him, vvherein you have, against all cavils of turbulent spirits, clearly manifested, wherein liberty of conscience in matters of religion ought to be permitted, and in what cases it ought not, by the said Mr. Cotton.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.	1646 (1646)	Wing C6420; Thomason E364_10; ESTC R201241	11,124	16

ayd to helpe God and neither worldly pompe and power to undertake to defend the Christian Church I aske you Bishops what helpe used the Apostles in the preaching of the Gospell With the aid of what power did they preach Christ and convert the heathen from their Idolatay to God when they were in prisons and lay in chaines did they praise and give thankes to God for any dignities graces and favours received from the Court or doe you thinke that Paul went about with regall Attendants or Kingly Authority to gather and establish the Church of Christ sought he protection from Nero Vespasian The Apostles wrought with their hands for their own maintenance travelling by land and water from Towne to City to preach Christ yea the more they were forbidden the more they preached Christ But now alas humane helpe must assist and protect the faith the same against the Arrians The Church which formerly induring misery and imprisonment was known to be a true Church doth now terrifie others by imprisonment banishment and miserie and boasteth that she is highly esteemed of the world when as the true Church cannot but be hated of the same Tertullian ad Scapulam it agreeth both with humane reason and naturall equity that every man worship God uncompelled and believe what he will for it neither hurteth nor profiteth any one other mans Religion and beliefe neither beseems it any Religion to compell another to be of their Religion which willingly and freely should be imbraced and not by constraint for as much as the offerings were required of those that freely and with good will offered and not from the contrary Jerom. in poeni lib. 4. in Jeremiam Heresie must be cut off with the sword of the Spirit let us strike through with the arrowes of the Spirit all Sons and Disciples of the misled Hereticks that is with testimonies of holy Scriptures the slaughter of Hereticks is by the Word of God Brentius upon 1 Cor. 3. No man hath power to make or give Lawes to Christians whereby to bind their consciences for willingly freely and uncompelled with a ready desire and cheerfull mind must those that come run unto Christ Luther in his Book of the Civill Magistrate saith the Lawes of the Civill Magistrates government extends no further then over the body or goods and to that which is externall for over the soul God will not suffer any to rule onely he himselfe will rule there Wherefore whosoever doth undertake to give Lawes to the Soules and Consciences of men he usurpeth the Government himselfe which appertaines unto God c. Therefore upon 1. Kings 5. In the building of the Temple there was no sound of Iron heard to signifie that Christ will have in his Church a free and a willing people not compelled and constrained by Lawes and Statutes Againe hee saith upon Luke 22. It is not the true Catholique Church which is defended by the secular arme or humane power but the false and fained Church which although it carries the name of a Church yet it denies the power thereof Again upon Psal 17. he saith the true Church of Christ knoweth not Brachium seculare which the Bishops now a daies chiefly use Again in Postil Dom. 1. post Epiph. he saith Let no Christian be commanded but exhorted For he that willingly will not do that whereunto he is friendly exhorted he is no Christian wherefore they that compell those that are not willing shew therby that they are not Christian preachers but worldly Beadles So upon 1 Pet. 3. he saith if the civill Magistrate shall command me thus and thus I should answer him after this manner Lord or Sir Look you to your wordly or civill government your power extends not so far as to command any thing in Gods Kingdome Therefore herein I may not hear you For if you cannot hear it that any should usurpe authority where you have to command how do you thinke that God should suffer you to thrust him from his seat and to seat your selfe therein Lastly the Papists the inventers of persecution in a wicked book of theirs set forth in King James his raigne thus Moreover the means which Almighty God appointed his Officers to use in the conversions of Kingdoms and Nations and people was humility patience charity saying Behold I send you as Sheep in the midst of Wolves Math. 10.16 he did not say behold I send you as Wolves among sheepe to kill imprison spoile and devoure those unto whom they were sent Again vers 7. he saith They to whom I send you will deliver you unto Councels and in their Synagogues they will scourge you and to presidents and to Kings shall ye be led for my sake He doth not say You whom I send shall deliver the people whom you ought to convert to Counsells and put them in prison and lead them to presidents and Tribunall seates and make their Religion Fellony and Treason Again he saith ver 32. when ye enter into a house salute it saying Peace be unto this house he doth not say you shall send Pursevants to ransack or spoile his house Again he said Iohn 10. The good Pastor giveth his life for his sheep the Theefe commeth not but to steale kill and destroy hee doth not say the Theefe giveth his life for his sheep and the good Pastor commeth not but to steale kill and destroy So that we holding our peace our adversaries themselves speak for us or rather for the truth But it is objected that it would be a prejudice to the Common-wealth to permit liberty of conscience We answer it is not any prejudice to the Common-wealth if liberty of conscience were suffered to such as fear God indeed as is or will be manifest Abraham abode among the Cananites a long time yet contrary to them in matters of Religion Gen. 13.7 and 16.13 Again he sojourned in Gecar and King Abimelech gave him leave to abide in his Land Gen. 20.21 22. Isaac dwelt in the same land yet contrary in Religion Gen. 26. Jacob lived 20. years in one house with his Uncle Laban yet different in Religion Gen. 31. The people of Israel were about 430. years in that infamous Land of Aegypt and afterwards 70. years in Babylon all which time they differed in Religion from the States Exod 22 and 2 Chron. 36. Come to the time of Christ where Israel was under the Romanes where lived divers Sects of Religion as Herodians Scribas and Pharisees Saduces and Libertines Th●deans and Sa●●ritans besides the common Religion of the Jewes Christ and the Apostles All which differed from the common Religion of the State which was like the worship of Diana which almost the whole world worshipped Acts 19.20 All these loved under the government of Caesar being nothing hurtfull to the Common-wealth giving unto Caesar the things that are 〈◊〉 And for their Religion and Consciences towards God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them to themselves as having no Dominion over their soules and consciences

THE CONTROVERSIE Concerning Liberty of Conscience IN Matters of Religion Truly stated and distinctly and plainly handled By Mr. JOHN COTTON of Boston in New-England By way of answer to some Arguments to the contrary sent unto him VVherein you have against all cavils of turbulent spirits clearly manifested wherein liberty of conscience in matters of Religion ought to be permitted and in what cases it ought not by the said Mr. COTTON London Printed for Thomas Banks and are to be sold at his shop in Black-Fryers on the top of Bride-well Staires 1646. Scriptures and Reasons written long since by a witnesse of Jesus Christ close prisoner in Newgate against persecution in cause of conscience and sent some while since to Mr. Cotton by a friend desiring to be instructed whether persecution for conscience be not against the Doctrine of Jesus Christ The Scriptures and Reasons are these which were alledged against persecution 1. BEcause Christ commands that the Tares and Wheat which some understand are those that walke in the truth and those that walke in lies should be let alone in the world and not plucked up till the Harvest which is the end of the World Math. 13.30.38 c. 2. Because Christ commandeth Math. 15.14 that they that are blind as some interpret led on in false Religion and are offended with him for teaching true Religion should be let alone referring their punishment to their falling into the ditch 3. Because Christ reproved his Disciples Luke 9.54 who would have had fire come down from Heaven to devour those Samaritanes which would not receive him in these words Ye know not of what spirit ye are of the Son of man is not come to destroy mens lives but to save them 4. Because Paul the Apostle of our Lord teacheth 2. Tim. 3.24 That the servant of the Lord must not strive but must be gentle towards all men suffering the evill men instructing them with meeknesse that are contrary minded proving if God at any time will give them repentance that they may acknowledge the truth and come to amendment out of the snare of the Devill c. 5. According to these commandements the holy Prophets foretold that when the Law of Moses concerning Worship should cease and Christs Kingdome be established Esay 2.4 Micah 4.3.4 that they should break their swords into mattocks and their Spears into Sithes and Esay 11.9 Then shall none hurt or destroy in all the Mountain of my Holinesse c. And when he came the same he taught and preached as before and so did his Disciples after him for the Weapons of his warfare are not carnall saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.4 And he charges his Disciples straitly that his Disciples should be so far from persecuting those that should not be of their Religion that when they were persecuted they should pray Math. 5. when they were cursed they should blesse c. And the reason seems to be because they who now are Tares may hereafter become Wheat they who now are blind may hereafter see they that now resist him may hereafter receive him they that are now in the Devils snare by adversenesse from the truth may hereafter come to repentance they who are now persecuters and blasphemers as Paul was may in time become faithfull as he did they that are Idolaters as the Corinthians once were 1 Cor. 6.9 may hereafter become true worshippers as they and they that are now no people of God nor under mercy as the Saints sometimes were 1 Pet. 2.20 may hereafter become the people of God and obtaine mercy as they Some come not till the 11. houre Math. 20.26 if those that come not till the last houre should be destroyed because they come not at the first then should they never come but be prevented Thus for the Argument from Scripture But a. Because this persecution for cause of conscience is against the profession and practises of famous Princes First you may please to consider the Speech of King James in his Majesties Speech in Parliament 1609. He saith It is a sure rule in Divinity that God never loves to plant his Church by violence and bloodshed And in his Highnesse Apology page 4 speaking of such Papists who took the oath thus I have good proofe that I intended no persecution against them for conscience sake but only desired to be secured for civill obedience which for conscience sake they are bound to performe And page 60. speaking of Blackwell the Arch-Priest His Majestie saith It was never my intention to lay any thing to the said Arch-Priests charge as I have never done to any for cause of conscience And in his Highnesse exposition on David 20. printed 1588. and after 1603. His Majesty writeth thus Sixtly The compassing of the Saints and the besieging of the beloved City declareth unto us a certain note of a false Church to be persecution for they come to seeke the faithfull the faithfull are them that are ●●●ght the wicked are the besiegers the faithfull are the besieged Secondly The saying of Stephen King of Poland I am King of 〈◊〉 not of consciences a Commander of bodies not of soules So the King of Bohemia writeth thus And notwithstanding the successe of later times wherein sundry opinions have been hatched about the subject of Religion may make one cleerly discern with his eye and as it were to touch with his finger that according to the verity of holy Scriptures and a Maxime heretofore told and maintained by the ancient Doctors of the Church That mens consciences ought in no set to be violated urged er constrained And whensoever men have attempted any thing by this violent course whether openly or by secret means the issue hath been pernitious and the cause of great and wonderfull innovations in the principallest and mightiest Kingdomes and Countries of all Christendome And further his Majestie saith So that once more we professe ●●●●● God and the whole World that from this day forward wee are truly resolved not to persecute or molest or suffer to be persecuted or ●●lested any person whomsoever for matter of Religion us not they 〈◊〉 professe themselves to be of the Romish Church neither to trouble 〈◊〉 disturbe them in the exercise of their Religion so they live confornable to the Lawes of the States c. And for the practise of this where is persecution for cause of conscience except in England and where Popery raignes and there neither in all places as appears by France Poland and other places nay it is not practised amongst the Heathens that acknowledge not the true God as the Turke Persian and others 3. Because persecution for cause of conscience is condemned by the ancient and latter writers yea even Papists themselves Hillary against Auxentius saith thus The Christian Church doth not persecute but is persecuted and lamentable it is to see the great folly of these times and to sigh at the foolish opinion of this world in that men think by humane