Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	pray_v	prayer_n	supplication_n	6,912	5	11.1562	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27586	A Catholick catechism shewing the impossibility the Catholick religion should be varied to the degree of a thought, from the measures left sealed by the apostles, without the loss of truth, and therefore the impossibility popery, or whatever else is not found in Scripture, should be Catholick : composed to the capacity of the meanest that will but consider, that they may know and be ready upon unmovable reasons, to give an apologie or defensive answer for the Catholick religion, if they are indeed of it, and be secured from temptation in times of danger.	Beverley, Thomas.	1683 (1683)	Wing B2128; ESTC R37094	96,192	164

not to resist the Power vindicating its Commands by Sufferings and Penalties upon those that cannot actively Obey wherein Religion Justice or Soberness are contradicted which are Gods and must be rendred to him according to themselves who is able to make them recompense who suffer for Righteousness sake as he pleases in this World or most certainly in the Resurrection of the Just But if there were not such an absolute Legislative and Executive Power in every Community thus fixed and unmoveable and accountable only to God the Restless Love of Change would be always disturbing and calling to account Government and every Man take upon him to be a Lawgiver and a Justicier or indeed to be Licencious and Inordinate and as they could Consult and together Collect themselves into a Rebellion would enter into open Hostilities against it and so the ends of Government in the Peace and Order of Humane Societies be quite lost so that till any Principalities sitting on the Seats of Government are so bad as to retain less of the Uses and Ends of Government than they destroy and it can be made apparent endeavours of Change cannot introduce so great and general Mischiefs or that even Anarchy it self cannot introduce greater Mischiefs than that Government is the Author of which hath come to pass in few Instances till then I say we must fear the Lord and the King and not meddle with them who are given to Change For their Calamity shall rise suddenly and who knows the ruin of them both Quest But what are Christian Subjects to do when Titles of Soveraignty or Legislative or Executive Powers of Laws are Disputed either betwixt various Pretensions of Princes or where the bounds of Power and Rights of Soveraignty and the Liberties and Properties of People are in Controversie Answ I shall no more intermeddle in that than the Doctrine of Christianity does which leaves all those things to the Laws and Constitutions of Nature of Nations and of each Particular Country The Duty of Christians is to those Soveraign Powers whose Authority is Current whose Image and Superscription is upon all things Publick the Powers that are in being are to be Obey'd according to the Ends of Government already Discoursed that is for the Punishment of Offenders for the Executing Judgment betwixt Man and Man for the securing Common Peace in all Godliness and Honesty Our Lord and his Apostles intimate nothing either way to strengthen or weaken the Claim of the Powers then present but declare Obedience to them Prayers and Thanksgivings for them as they then were although they could not have the clearest of Titles Christianity as it is strictly the Religion of Jesus Christ doth not make it self a Divider over Men nor Decide such Controversies which are quite of another Cognisance yet it subverts no Rights it betrays no Liberties justly so called it reverses no Laws of Nature nor rescinds Constitutions and Compacts of Government but teaches Men to do all they can to preserve Common Good and Right determinable upon other Principles Only this the more clear ancient and indisputable the Titles of Princes are the more indisputable Boundaries betwixt Prince and People are kept the greater are the Obligations of Obedience of quiet and peaceable rest in that Obedience of the most vigorous Defence of the Power over us and the greater the Guilt of any of the Sins of Mutiny Faction Sedition Rebellion Quest The Discourse of the Power of Magistrates in Religion hath brought to my thoughts National Religion and a National Church wherein I desire your Instruction Answ I can but apply what I have said in general to this Particular Case which I shall endeavour to do to your satisfaction in these six Propositions Quest What is the first Proposition I am to be Instructed by Answ It is this That to join in True Religion with our Native Country or Nation is such a Law of Nature that cannot be reversed For the sake of the True Religion we may be oblig'd to forsake not only our Country but our Fathers House and to unite to the Church of God founded in that True Religion yet in the mean time we must own all that is Divine Rational True weresoever we find it much more in our Native Country and if it be possible propagate True Religion upon it For we shall not only be judged in this World with our Nation but shall rise with it at the Day of Judgment in the same Station or Lott wherein we were placed in this World according to our doing good in it we shall receive our Reward with those of it that are saved who shall then survive in Glory and become as if they were the whole Nation the perishing part being lost as we therefore desire the prosperity of it in this World so ought we to endeavour by all means the Eternal Happiness of as many of it as we can by joyning with them and ingaging them in True Religion Quest I desire your Second Proposition Answ It is this That in a Political Sense National Religion is when Magistrates and the Body of the People joyn in the True Religion and Establish it by Law and devote to it the most Publick Advantages that the Largeness and Grandeur of such a Nation have in their Power fixing Characters of Civil Honour and ample Condition upon the Rulers of the Church and Communicating to them Magistratical Power in things pertaining to the External Defence Honour and Provision for the True Religion as it is National all which so far as it is Serviceable to the best Ends is acceptable to God our Saviour who is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace and ought to be Submitted to with Reverence both in Obedience to Government and also as it is done in Honour to the Name of God and True Religion The State of the Church in times of Persecution being not the Standard as to these things in the prosperous times of it Quest I now desire the Third Proposition Answ The Government of a Nation in Religion appointing and prescribing Liturgies Confessions of Faith Catechisms and Publick Forms of Instruction or Homilies they may be so far useful as when they are composed according to the Word of God to secure True Religion and the Publick Administration of it by so much publickly Ratified and requiring of all whom it Intrusts as Ministers of the Word of God under its Approbation and Maintenance to assent to the Truth of Religion so Compriz'd and Publickly to declare it by using them as is appointed But these are not to be understood to put Limits upon the Ministers of the Word first entrusted by Christ who are both in Prayer Preaching the Gospel and all means of Instruction to search into all the Scripture that is profitable for Doctrine Instruction Reproof and to Pray with all Prayer and Supplication according to the particular occasions and in that abundance and liberality of the Divine Oracles that they themselves may

speak as the Oracles of God and Pray with the Vnderstanding and in the Holy Spirit and that all their Service may be matter of Bounty from their own Minds and not of Constraint and necessity as impos'd For how should they then as every Good Scribe Instructed to the Kingdom of Heaven bring out of their Treasure Things New and Old or like the good Housholder that hath made provision and laid up in store to that End In all these things Solomons Example is Great According to which the Preacher ought to be Wise and to teach the People Knowledge and give good heed and seek to find out acceptable Words that may be as Goades and Nailes not blunted with Common use Quest I now desire your Fourth Proposition Answ The Benefit of National Religion Established by Law is That every Subject of that Nation hath a Right to the True Religion so Established and may claim his Interest and Property in it as in all Things else legally due to him and is not oblig'd upon the account of Passive Obedience to desert or relinquish his Right in it any more than his Righteous Claim or Title to any thing else he enjoys by Laws and yet Trangresses no Rule of Christianity but hath the same Obligation to defend that his Right as any other Right whatever so far as the Laws of the Nation enable him nor can there be any Resistance to Government in so doing even as there can be none but it is the Duty and Trust of Subordinate Magistrates to adhere to the Laws in the point of True Religion as in all other Cases and of the Supreme Legislative Power of a Nation to foresee Dangers and prevent them by Additional Laws as necessity shall require And all this with the Prerogative due to Religion Quest I desire your Fifth Proposition Answ National Religion seeing it is design'd to Comprehend a multitude of Persons of most necessarily and unavoidably various Sentiments and Apprehensions must be so prepared as that with greatest Ease and Room to Consciences and Understandings of so many several Figures and Impressions there may be an Union in National Religion with least Scruple and therefore to give all the Liberty that Truth gives not imposing Arbitrarily because Religion as hath been said is Gods Peculiar and in that the Doubting Conscience cannot Obey farther than it sees the Divine Rule before it not in things Dark and Disputable because clear things are only necessary to Salvation not forcibly except when Natural Religion is Violated because patient Instruction Counsel and Ratiocination are the Divine Methods in giving and working Faith Quest I now expect the last Proposition Answ I shall give you the last and therein Conclude this whole Enquiry and Instruction and it is this The True Religion of the Word of God in a Nation or City does overtop all the False and Private Religions in it and become in the Sacred Register the National Religion In the Sacred Maps the Christians of Achaia were Achaia it self The Seven Churches of Asia were the Cities themselves And whatever Lesser Differences or Divisions this or that Name of Distinction may seem to make in National Religion yet the True Substantial Religion in all of them shall be one National Religion and become one Rod and Scepter in the Hand of Christ and the Nation be as one National Tribe and Church For let Men do what they can against it True Religion as it is the only Publick Religion and no Separation of Men from it however called Publick can make it Private so in what place soever it is it shall have the most Publick Character and the True Religion in all those that sincerely profess it shall be one True Publick Religion and those little Differences shall not cleave it into more than one Without the Change of True Religion it self there cannot be a Schism of a deeper Sense in it if Bitterness and Animosity Censoriousness and the Persecuting Spirit were away God will graciously Interpret Scruples on one side to a Jealousie for the Purity of Religion the freedom of the other to a desire to Propagate it under the favour of Laws and thereby to be capable of doing most Good In Heaven they now are all one and shall be one and the Envy Strife and Contention which the Good Lord Pardon shall be utterly Abolished This is the Honour of True Religion of Publick Divine Religion Now the God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the Sheep by the Blood of the everlasting Covenant make his Church and his Church in this Nation perfect in every Good Work to do his Will Working in it that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be Glory for ever and ever Amen FINIS ERRATA Page 36. l. 20. for scale read scal p. 70. l. 9. r. Record